Baby Couture #4 Birth Story

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

• 2 Corinthians 9:8

On the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8) Kora Elizabeth (meaning "maiden" or "daughter" in Greek, "God is my Oath"in Hebrew) arrived at 12:41pm weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces and measuring at 20 inches.

   Our little maiden of God's promises, also known by her prayed from virtue as "Grace-finder",  began her womb descent around seven am. I felt contractions like cramps wrapping around my entire lower belly and going into my lower  back after enjoying a few morning stretches and a shower- strong enough to indicate possible labor.  So, with the encouragement of my husband, we forwent dropping off our oldest to school, and  drove to the hospital thirty minutes away to avoid heavy traffic times. Truthfully, I worried these "contractions" might turn out to be "Braxton hicks" and embarrassingly not full labor.

   Upon arrival, the staff at North Fulton hospital admitted me without questions especially knowing this as my fourth delivery.  In triage, the lovely nurse found me already seven cm dilated yet I still chatted in between my seven minute spaced contractions.

     Prior to transition into full sweat-inducing back spasming labor around 10:00am,  my hardworking labor team introduced themselves including a doctor, a nurse midwife, triage nurse, a baby nurse and a doctor, and two medical students (one male and one female).  Also, multiple nurses attempted to draw blood with my difficult veins to no avail, and the delayed antibiotic treatment for my GBS positive parts also prevented access into the labor and delivery room. Finally due to Wellstar policy, my poor midwife informed me that because of my daughter's ultrasound measuring her belly at ninety-nine percentile (spoiler inaccurate), no water birth possible for me. In full-throttle labor now, I pleaded for the pool relief. And by the grace of God, my excellent team recorded my daughters overall measurements at eigty percentile thus permitted me pool entrance with a strong warning of a risk of death due to stuck shoulders (the problem indicated by the ultrasound).

    Waiting  for the pool to finally fill felt like purgatory with my dear husband as my angel-putting pressure on my back, giving me uce water to drink and later offering cool washcloths and his arms in the tub.  By the time the pool filled up around 12:00 pm, the relief on my lower back in the 110 degree birthing bath (the male intern unfortunately over heated so cold water and ice was added to control the tub to a bodily temperature of between 98 and 101), provided some instant relief. However by 12:20pm, I felt so over the  contorting back pain contractions so decided "I was done" and wanted to push. However, when I started pushing with the contractions over my own stubborn willpower, all sorts of fluids flowed (my own water and of course fecal matter) released and my lovely daughter finally came out at 12:41pm.

   Compared to in the bed birth, water birth granted more reprieve; however pushing out a baby always hurts and I grunted hard to expel the baby and finish her delivery.  my she came out with a piece of placenta membrane in her face, crying fierce; as well as the thickest ambilocal cord on her stomach.

   Afterwards, still in shock bout delivering on this holy day of obligation especially starting in denial about being in labor, I enjoyed the humorous moment of my nurse midwife explaining the parts of my apparently large placenta to the medical students.

  Overall, despite the delays and pain so much grace given in Kora's birth with a successful water birth. Oh how God's mercies overflowed even in trouble waters!