A Letter to my Daughter- Our Birth Story
To My Precious Baby Girl,
Sunday night Daddy and I went to bed thinking we still had at least 2 weeks until you joined us. Everyone always says that first time moms USUALLY stay pregnant past their due day. I was sure, completely positive and firmly decided, that you would come after our due date. God always has a better plan.
Sunday night, around 3am, I woke up with low cramps, but they weren’t too bad. I just decided that maybe I overdid it on the weekend (we did go on a SUPER bumpy boat ride after all) and it was just causing some aching. I tried to sleep the rest of the night but kept waking up with these annoying cramps.
Monday morning came and the cramps just kept getting stronger. Well, I am pretty stubborn, so having already decided that I would carry you in my tummy until my due date, I knew it wasn’t labor. Better yet, I decided it wasn’t labor. My mom came over that morning because we were finishing my HUGE cooking project. My goal was to cook over a months worth of meals so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it after you came. With the exception of one dish that turned out disgusting (so of course that’s the one I made a ton of) it was pretty successful.
Well I was useless all day, I couldn’t get anything done with the cramping so my mother finished all my cooking and Shane got the house ready just in case this was the real deal. I went ahead and contacted my birth team. Rachelle was my doula and I called her first. I told her that there was no way this was the real deal, but just in case, I wanted to give her a heads up. She suggested a bath, as that could stop the progression of labor so early on. That did nothing for the cramps; in fact, they just continued to pick up. I also informed Cathy, our midwife, and she advised me to keep in touch.
Well the cramps weren’t going away, I was still firmly set in my world of denial. Thank the Lord Rachelle saw right through that. She said she had the feeling that I was one of those people that would go ahead and accept that you were coming WELL into the process so she was just going to come over anyway. I’m so glad she made that decision because by the time she arrived that evening I was pretty miserable and it was true labor. We tried again to slow things down because Daddy had been sick all weekend, but you were just as stubborn as me and decided that today was your day.
To this day, and for the rest of my days, I can never be thankful enough for Rachelle. She was a voice of strength, reassurance, and reason as my contractions escalated. You can read a million accounts of what labor will feel like but none of it prepares you for the reality of the pain and the feeling of purpose that comes with it.
I labored, in our home, in our bedroom, well into the night. My water broke in transition and we definitely praised God together. Well, my mom, Rachelle, and Daddy praised God. I freaked out a little. But Rachelle and Daddy calmed me down and I really got down to the business of pushing you out. Your Daddy was amazing during the whole thing, calmly by my side and comforting. At this point Cathy arrived as well and I had a whole team of encouragement while laboring. At 2:50 in the morning, after about 45 minutes of active pushing, you came into the world, straight into your Daddys hands. That’s when we found out you were a precious 6 pound, 11 oz, 20in long, little girl. We wanted to be surprised and waited through the entire pregnancy to find out if you were a boy or girl. It took two days of getting to know you before we named you Emily. It was the perfect fit for an incredible blessing.
We can’t even begin to express how thankful we are that we had you at home with our midwife and doula present. I read somewhere that whoever you choose to be your midwife and doula will always have a special place in your heart. You will fall in love with them as they work along side you as you do the most important work in your life; the most important work that God created you for. We are so thankful for our birth team, and for you. We have always thought of you as not only our baby, but also this incredible blessing that God has entrusted us with. It’s a special privilege that I never would have understood before becoming your mom.
Love,
Your Mommy
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