The Abundant Heart: Something Beautiful: Lyla's Birth Story

Around 1:30 in the morning on April 23rd, I woke up wondering if my water had broken or if my baby girl had strategically kicked me in the bladder, causing me to lose control as I slept. After calling the OB floor of the hospital (and learning from the nurse that there was no good way to distinguish ruptured membranes from bed wetting unless I was evaluated), my hubby and I packed a few last-minute items into our hospital bag, loaded our sleeping 17-month-old into the van, and headed 40 minutes south to our hospital. As we drove, my contractions began, tightening my abdomen every five minutes, then every three, and I was fairly certain that we would be meeting our little lady sometime within the next 24 hours. We met my mom (Nana) in the parking lot, transferred our big boy to her van, and I was wheeled to the delivery room.

Mommy loving on Lyla Rae

To my relief, the test revealed that my water had, in fact, broken and labor was under way with my cervix dilated to two-and-a-half centimeters. I tried to rest, but the contractions intensified. I figured that this labor would reveal a similar timeline to my first, which lasted ten hours after I was given Pitocen, so I asked for an epidural and received it around 5:00 A.M. Partial relief came, however the pain continued to grip me in the lower right section of my abdomen. Anesthesiologist-number-two came in and administered more medication at 7:30, which caused my pain to cease along with any feeling left in my legs.
At 8:00 my Obstetrician arrived to check my cervix. I was hoping to be dilated to five centimeters and planned on resting for the next several hours since contractions would no longer keep me awake. My doctor reminded the nurses that when I was fully dilated I had requested to "labor down" or allow the effects of the epidural to diminish before pushing. (I had requested this so I would be able to feel that I was actually pushing. With my first delivery, I was unable to feel if my pushes were effective. I think this was a contributing factor to my son getting slightly stuck in the birth canal, which required the use of a vacuum to assist me in pushing him out.) As he began to check my cervix, my doctor let out a little chuckle and said, "Speaking of which... You're fully dilated! Let's turn off that epidural."

My sweet babies, Levi and Lyla

It took me some time to actually begin to gain feeling back. Around 9:30 my nurse instructed me to push through a few contractions as my husband helped me lift one of my legs and she lifted the other. These were "practice pushes" to check if my pushing would be effective. We made it through two contractions before I was asked to stop pushing while she called the doctor. The room then buzzed with familiar activity: Preparing the baby station, elevating my bed, my doctor scrubbing up. I felt as though it was just yesterday that I was in this same room, preparing to deliver my son. And here I was again, awaiting the arrival of my sweet baby girl, ready for the rush of excitement and love to flood over me.

Lyla's precious going-home outfit

Finally, it was time to push. Contraction one: I pushed with all my might and the doctor showed my husband the top of our baby's head. Contraction two: I pushed with all my might and Hubby told me I was doing great and that our daughter was almost here. Contraction three: I pushed with all my might and Lyla Rae was screaming before her shoulders even emerged! I shocked that she had come so quickly (I was expecting another two-hour pushing marathon like I experienced with my son) and I was, of course, overwhelmed with love for this lovely little girl.

Isn't it amazing that the Lord uses the process of something painful to reveal something so exceedingly beautiful! I am loving life as a mommy to my two, precious babies and a wife to the most wonderful husband and daddy in the world. I feel so undeserving of the blessings the Lord has lavished upon me and all I can do is give Him thanks and praise. What a wonderful Savior we serve, who gives us life, and life abundantly, in so many ways! "Marvelous are His works, and that my soul knows very well!"