“ Wednesday’s Child is full of woe”
“ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” - Romans 5:1-5
LABOR : Wednesday August 11, 2021, I wake up feeling a little cranky after staying up late in the bubble bath and bickering with Thomas until 2:00am. I also waken to some cramping, a regular occurrence in my third trimester this pregnancy so I decide to cram in as many chores as possible to prepare for a social weekend of seeing a dear friend who lives out of state and a group of friends for a final before baby comes game night. So slightly cramping and a lot cranky I began to clean the cabinets and kitchen, with moping, laundry and picking up groceries on my list as well. Yet the cramping increased and became a sharp painful back pain. So at noon, I walked upstairs to interrupt my husband’s work call demanding we leave ASAP! About 20 minutes later, bags loaded and a very generous neighbor came over to watch our two year old while my mother hustled her 30 to 40 minute drive to our home to watch our firstborn two year old. Another 20 minutes later we arrive at the hospital, circled to find the pregnancy center (thanks COVID regulations for no hospital tours), a parking space and finally the actually place to check in. Now, in full blown labor, I enter into silent mode pain thinking, “contractions mean one step closer to baby coming, I embrace the pain.” Yet, so many questions asked, paperwork to sign, and so many tubes (baby monitor, IV, fluids) interrupted my quiet space.
BIRTH: Despite my emphasis my history of brevity with labor, I spent a while (an hour ) in Triage (by then 7 cm dilated). Finally in labor and delivery, I spent the next 30 minutes ignoring my friendly nurses who introduced themselves and tried to get me to move my hand to allow IV fluids to flow better. My dear husband relieved by drenching sweat by putting on cool clothes and giving me ice chips. Leaning on my husband I hobbled over to the toilet around 2:00pm to relieve myself only for my water to break, and the crowning to start. The nurses actually asked me to take “short breaths” and not push because the midwife is on her way. My calm response: “HOW DO I STOP PUSHING? WHO IS LEAH? (the current nurse midwife I learned afterwards).” Yet I was able to hold his crowning head and deliver Tristan Joseph Couture at 2:09 pm with several pushes. and a first degree tear. He entered this world at 38 weeks and four days weighing eight pounds and ten ounces and measuring 20 inches.
AFTER: With a head full of hair and dark blue eyes and the fullest lip, I did not want to let him go. But an hour after his birth, we did let him go to the transitional nursery (place for babies not well enough to stay in mom’s room but not so intense for the NICU). Though his vitals (heart rate, oxygen and blood sugar levels) all remain perfect, poor little guy’s breathing rate remains in the 80-100 instead of 30-60 breathes per minute. So, without ever been held by his father, our littlest man continued to breathe quickly and received oxygen and antibiotics (some of his test results indicating infection were high) under the careful watch of nurses. Though a quick two hour delivery vaginally with no drugs makes an easier recover for momma (felt fine and able to walk like 30 minutes after delivery), the combination of lack of squeezing out amniotic fluid, receiving hormonal shifts with longer label and only one dose of antibiotics (received every four hours when momma is Group B Streptococcusalso known as Group B Strep Infection (GBS) positive, meaning the bacteria in my lady parts may cause infection in my little one), produces a harder womb to world transition. So his God-given word of HOPE became befitting his first day of life. We clung to hope in his recovery in the transition nursery rather than transfer to another hospital’s NICU as Kennestone’s is full. HOPE to hold him closely soon. I pumped out the drops of breast milk to sustain him, so that he at least tasted his momma’s presence as we practiced the hardest component of love, “patience.” Over 32 hours since holding my littlest man, around eleven o’clock the second night we finally received our little man in our room. So the typical bonding of learning to latch, and skin-to-skin connection (which helps regulate breathing, heart-rather, and temperature for baby). Still the antibiotics and blood test continue which means a three night lengthened to a four night stay rather than two night stay at the hospital to monitor his progress including how his body does off antibiotics for 24 hours. So hope continued to sustain our little family antsy to meet big brother at home. Then a Sunday miracle, healthy results of his blood test, and we leave physically and emotionally drained yet full gratitude and hope for our now family of four.
“When I found him who my heart loves I took hold of him and would not let him go”- Song of Songs 3:4
Hope-filled Gratitude:
To Kennestone Hospital’s baby unit’s
care in making sure our second son’s breathing and signs of possible infection are dealt with by antibiotics
For allowing Tristan to stay in the transitionary nursery WAY longer then the eight hour limit
For allowing me to stay past release time to wait for Tristan’s release
For my dear friends’ prayers of intercession for Tristan’s recovery and return to us, which increased hope upon hope and yielded healing.
For my husband’s patience and care which his wife recovering from labor and feeling the absence of her son in her womb and arms.
Tristan Joseph Couture, momma loves you, daddy loves you and Jesus loves you the most. You are held in the arms of the Almighty, live in the Hope of His Presence with you, always.
Comments