My Birth Story with Philip Michael

Week 39 came and with it, a slew of regular contractions all day long, every day for a few days. My contractions would subside at night, but each day I thought would be the day we would go to the hospital. August 15^th was my official due date. August 11^th my cousin’s wife flew in from Germany to help watch my toddler so we could go to the hospital. The day she flew in I knew was the day we would head to the clinic. That morning I woke up with those regular contractions but they were stronger than the last few days and steadily getting closer together. I  was so excited! With the second pregnancy I was  thrilled to be able to have another “go” at birth, but with all the knowledge and wisdom I had gained through my first experience! I felt stronger and more in control. I was calm and confident. I rested as much as I could and took a bath. My cousin’s wife, Emily, got to my house by the afternoon and by 5pm I was ready to go to the. This was truly God’s timing because she was coming four days early to help get ready for baby and it turned out we were having baby within 24 hours of her plane landing! Whew!

Due to the nature of our crazy move to Italy and me flying over here 37 weeks pregnant, I did not have the opportunity to look into home births and birthings centers. I decided it was less of a headache to just give birth at the Military Clinic. I had only had one prenatal appointment before I went into labor so I did not even know the Doctors. But that was okay because this was my second and “I got this” was my mentality! 

I hugged my sweet, 19month old Samuel and said goodbye to him as Noah and I got into the car to go have this baby. We looked into the back seat at the infant car seat and were overcome with emotions that the next time we would get into the car (God willing) we would have a new baby riding back with us! My contractions were very painful and I had a lot of back labor (which I did not have with Samuel). We got to the clinic and they checked me, 5cm dilated.  One by one things started to not go according to my plan for this birth. I was very clear at my one ob appointment that because of my natural choices for birth I NEED freedom to move through my pain. They assured me that I would have that freedom. Wrong! It seemed like everything was a fight. The Tech would get mad at me for having to move and in doing so the monitors would slip. It was stressful. And I believe because of that stress the birth took way longer than it would have in my own enviroment. My contractions were steady but so much more painful than with Samuel. 

Just when I was feeling pretty sad about the way things were going the nurses changed shifts. In came the new nurse, an angel named Heather! She just seemed to know what I wanted and needed. She starts showing me options and helping me get into the positions that were the most comfortable for me. She was amazing. She pulled up this bar at the end of the bed which helped me so much just to have something to hold on to. I was so thankful, I got my confidence back. It was nice to have someone on my side! 

 

Through the whole labor my back hurt so much and my amazing husband pushed and pushed and pushed. For hours he applied conter pressure and was a rock of encouragement. I felt like I needed him so much and that we were doing this thing together. Through it all, it knit our hearts even closer. Words cannot describe just how amazing and supportive he was to me through this birth. <3

A little after 1am, time came to push and it was shorter than with Samuel’s birth (I pushed for an hour), this time it only took 30 minutes. But boy, was it more intense! 1:50am on August 12th, out came a blue Philip, they had to unwrap the cord from around his neck. They laid him on me and I got to kiss his sweet face then they moved him over to a table to make sure his breathing was okay. A few minutes later, I got him back and he was a normal color. He was just precious! And Huge! 8lbs and 21 inches long! He had some good fat on him already. And then everything in those last 8 hours dissapeared except for that beautifu baby snuggled on my chest. The Love that overtakes you in that moment…nothing can compare. I was so happy that I was able to make it through another birth unmedicated but this time around an epidural looked rather tempting. I was so thankful that I did not have any emergency situation after and that my placenta came out in a timely manner this time.

 

 Philip was just a happy and easy baby. I Thank the Lord every day for him. The moment when my two babies got to meet each other was just precious to me. Samuel adored Philip and was so gentle with him. My joy was just overwhelming! It is funny to me just how different Philip’s birth was than my perfect imagination, but it was still an amazing success! And I am thankful! 

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3

         

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” John 15:8

                   

I read this passage in 1 John this morning and it took my mind down this path of remaining in Christ and being certain that we (Christians) are steadfast in expressing our newness of life. That we truly hate sin, and pursue the things of God. We must be diligent in examining our own lives and asking hard questions like the temperature of our Faith. Are we hot, cold or lukewarm?

“Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:4-6

            Many profess with their mouths that Jesus is their Lord, yet by their actions we can see that they deceive themselves and sully the name of “Christian”. We are charged to Exhort each other daily in following the Way!

 Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”

         Scripture is clear that we can be deceived about our faith from our own sin. In Mark, it says that many receive the Word with joy, but then fall away with the worries or life, and the deceitfulness of our hearts. Those who Love Christ walk as Christ walked persevering until the end. Take an honest look into your own life and make sure that it reflects the Spirit of our Holy God. Be faithful is making the truth about God and His Salvation known. Encourage the Saints in his Word and exhort those who need to see truth. These things we are commanded to do.  Our own salvation and the salvation for others is the most important thing in this life. Don’t take it lightly. 

1. Revelation 3:14-16 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

2. Matthew 7:16-17 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes or figs with thistles. Different kinds of fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit.

3. Matthew 23:25-28 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

4. Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

5. Titus 1:16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

6. Mark 4:15-19 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

        If I call myself a follower of Christ, I have a huge responsibility to bear, that I cannot hold up on my own. That is why when Jesus left he gave us his Spirit to enable us to walk according to his Word. I pray that His word would be profitable today in the lives of all Christians all over the world. As we passionately serve God and serve each other daily! God’s grace and peace be yours in abundance today!