Adelyn's story

I'm Kristen Photography

Tomorrow Adelyn will be 2 weeks old. Hard to believe! These 2 weeks have been so wonderful and have brought our family so much joy. What a gift this little one is.

Before Adelyn came, I found myself praying very often about many things pertaining to her arrival. I was very anxious over the labor and delivery and spent most mornings praying about all the details and laying out my requests and desires to the Lord. So, I just wanted to recap the story of her arrival and give glory to God for how good He is and how he answered so many of my requests.

I think I have mentioned before that when I was around 30 weeks pregnant I needed to leave my previous doctor because of some unfortunate circumstances in his life, which forced him to take a leave of absence. I had been with him for a number of years and he delivered both Selah and Alivia. So, it was hard going from a doctor I love, completed trusted and knew would be there for my delivery, to a practice of doctors that I did not know, nor knew who would deliver my baby. But God had everything worked out and I knew I needed to trust Him.

Before long, I began praying about a number of things:

* Of all the doctors who could potentially deliver our baby, there were 2 who became my preference. I began praying that one of these 2 would be on call if I went in labor at night or available during the day.

* We also have a family friend, Peggy Hopkins, who is a labor and delivery nurse at Shady Grove hospital. I prayed that she would be working when I went into labor and could be there with us when I delivered.

* After giving birth 3x naturally, I knew the pain that was ahead. While not being opposed to getting some meds, going natural is most familiar to me and I can often be very affected by medication. So, I wanted to try to get through it again, but more than any other time before, was dreading the pain. So, I prayed that my labor would be short and that I would not even need to think about whether I needed something for the pain. I also prayed that God would minimize the pain.

* I also prayed that the pushing stage would be very short and she would pop out very quickly.

* I have always torn in the past and this makes recovery more challenging. I expected to tear again, but prayed that I would not.

* I prayed that my recovery would be fairly quick, especially with the holidays so close, and that I would be able to get around fairly easily and see family by the time Christmas arrived.

Long list of requests, huh? Well, here is Adelyn's story and testimony to God's faithfulness...

I had a doctor's appointment on December 18. I asked my doctor if he could strip my membranes, which had worked with Selah to put me into labor within the next day. At that appointment I was between 3-4 cm dilated. So, I was hoping labor would come soon. I did pray that labor would hold off long enough for me to deliver the next day, as I did not really know the doctor on call that night. The doctor I had been seeing was off the next day, but the other doctor that I really liked was working and I requested that she be the one to deliver if I went into labor.

Obviously I did not sleep well that night, tossing and turning through many contractions and watching the clock. I got up around 5:30 as I could not sleep any more. I made some tea and sat down for some devos at the kitchen table. I had a few contractions, which came sporatically. I prayed, read some and then emailed my sister that I thought this little baby girl would never come. Since my appointment the previous day I had no signs of labor. She responded back that she didn't have child care worked out for all the kids, even if I did go into labor that day and that there was a huge snow storm coming....great! I sat back down to pray some more through the requests on my heart...appealing that labor would come. I got a few more contractions, but noticed that this time they were getting somewhat regular. I got up to make breakfast and they kept coming. At this point, I knew this was probably it. I rushed through making a pot of oatmeal, getting juice and vitamins laid out for the girls. I got Mckenna up and dressed for school. At this point I emailed my sister that contractions were coming regular. She started scrambling to find sitters for the rest of her kids. I went upstairs and told Dave I didn't think he would be going to work today! We got Mckenna off to school and I texted Kristen S. that contractions were coming regular and we would keep her posted. At this point I went up to take a shower and the contractions tapered off a bit. I got ready and went downstairs, feeling a bit discouraged. Then, all of a sudden I got about 3 very strong ones in a bout 5 minutes. I told Dave we needed to leave soon. I texted Kristen to come over fast and called the doctor's office, who told me to come in to get checked. Kristen arrived and also offered to watch any of my sister's kids as well (she is AH-mazing!). She ended up with my girls, Ty, Larsen, and Wyatt...a handful!

We left for the doctor's office around 9:15am. When I got there, again the contractions had tapered off a bit. The nurse hooked me up to a machined to monitor the contractions. She left and Dave was there with me. All of a sudden the contractions again started coming hard and fast. I told Dave to get the nurse, who came in and then when to get the Dr. Tran. She checked me and I was almost 7cm. Before I knew it, they had a wheelchair and were racing me over to labor and delivery...contractions coming hard. I saw my mom and sister in the waiting room, grateful they both made it in time. They got me back to the room and the first face I saw was Peggy Hopkins, our friend. It was a very welcome surprise. The nurses started an IV, which slowed down the contractions a bit. Dr. Tran came in and said I was just about 8cm. Amazing thing was that it didn't feel like I was 8 cm. The contractions were not that bad. I stood up to move things along and also because it was more comfortable than laying in the bed. I got a couple very hard contractions and said they better call the dr. Next thing I knew I was on the bed and the doctor told me I was just about 10cm and could start pushing. With 3 extremely hard pushes, Adelyn Alivia was born at 11:33am, and I did not tear at all! Amazing! Dr. Tran did a fabulous job delivering Adelyn and I was so grateful she was there.

We watched the snowstorm from our window the next day. It was wonderful! And by Sunday, the roads were cleared and we were able to come home. Christmas was wonderful and although, it's all foggy in my mind, we were able to enjoy the time with our families. I have had a few bumps in the road during recovery, but overall, God has been very kind, helping me through it all.

Nights have been hard, as usual with a newborn. Adelyn doesn't sleep too well yet, and I often don't get more than an hour of sleep at a time, and sometimes no naps during the day, but it's fine! I am so enjoying this little one and know all too well, that this season with her is short and I want to soak it in, even during the tired, long days.

God has been so faithful over this past year, and these past few weeks. Having Adelyn has brought back so many memories of last year, some very hard, others giving testimony to how faithful God is. The past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for me. I will often sit in our living room holding little Addie and tears will flow, sometimes because I miss Alivia so much it hurts and other times because I am filled with joy and just so amazed at this precious new gift. Because of all that we have walked through this past year, I know God is faithful and will carry us through all the waves of trial and joy that life inevitably will bring...and Adelyn's story is just further testimony to that.