The Cheerful Home: Charles Edwin: A Birth Story

November 7, 2015. Oh, happy day! The day I became a mama. The hardest and best day of my life. The day our precious Charlie entered our family and truly filled our hearts with love like we couldn't have imagined.

One common theme in the arrival of our baby boy: waiting. We waited three and a half long years to get pregnant; it was only fitting for us to wait for our boy to arrive in our arms. Neither were easy, but both were refining and both were part of the journey to welcoming our son.

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outward we are wasting away, yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

We had anxiously awaited for "the" time to come, but eventually saw Charlie’s due date come and go.

Being past due is a unique experience. Time seemed to come to a crawl, and every little feeling sent my mind thinking, "this could be it!" We made no plans, we didn't go anywhere because we thought the baby could be coming any minute. By the time I was a week overdue, my doctor scheduled Charlie's induction. We prayed that he would come in his own time.

Thinking we had a couple remaining days just the two of us, Eddie and I went out to dinner on Friday night and planned to try and enjoy the last few days of life just the two of us. Little did we know, our little fella was about to rock our world in his own timing!

Around 1am on Saturday, I had a sudden sharp pain in my stomach and I was utterly shocked when my water broke all over our bathroom floor! With tears in my eyes, I exclaimed, "Babe! We've got to get to the hospital!" (This first time mama actually thought the baby could be coming any minute).

Eddie ran around the house grabbing the things on my hospital list that were not yet packed in the hospital bag. I couldn't stop crying and smiling in anticipation of finally meeting our boy! It was quite the scene.

We arrived at the hospital and I went through labor triage. As the morning progressed, I worked through contractions one at a time, with Eddie helping me breathe and focus. However, things quickly changed. Back labor started and it came on swift and strong. Goodness gracious. It was unimaginable pain that I can hardly put into words. I labored for three hours through that back labor until I finally asked my nurse for an epidural.

One thing I learned without a doubt: labor is humbling!

While it wasn't my original plan, it was right for me and I am SO glad that I made that decision. The anesthesiologist had the epidural complete by 5:00am, just in time for my mom to arrive from her 4 hour trip from my hometown.

The day inched on and I worked through contractions. By late afternoon, it was finally time to push! My nurse team was phenominal! I have a whole new respect for labor and delivery nurses. They coached and cheered me on, and I felt like I could have been trying to lift a car! My mom and Eddie were instrumental encouragement. After two hours of pushing, there was a stillness and anticipation in between contractions. So much anticipation for our little boy.

I could barely open my eyes in between contractions. My body was exhausted after the hardest 18 hours of my life. I asked the Lord for strength, for clarity, for gusto. Before my doctor could get her gloves on, I dug deep and gave one final, long push.

And then, I heard the most beautiful cry as our family of two became a family of THREE. Our precious Charlie was here!

The doctor exclaimed, "Look at all that hair!"

"He's....beautiful!" my mom whispered.

Big crocodile tears rolled down Eddie's cheeks. It was a moment that will truly live in my heart forever.

Charlie was placed on my chest, and I couldn't do anything but cry and smile. He was here! Our miracle! I looked at his calm face, and felt like somehow, I already knew him. Our precious, precious boy was finally in our arms.