Isaiah's Birth Story

And finally, it's time for me to tell Isaiah's story.  Isn't it amazing just how different each story is?  I love to hear other women's account of bringing life into the world.

Spring of 2006.  Malachi was 3 months old.  I had returned to work and had started an 8-5 M-F nursing job.  It was very difficult to have enough time to pump regularly so I decided to make the switch to just formula.  As many nursing mothers know, before you can start taking birth control after breast feeding, you must first have a period.  I had a period, but didn't make it into my OB/GYN in time to take a pregnancy test so they could prescribe my pills.  I thought it wasn't a big deal since it had taken about 9 months to conceive Malachi. I'd wait until the next month; we'd just be careful. 

It wasn't until mid-May that I was feeling extremely exhausted (falling asleep before 8pm) and slightly nauseous in the mornings.  I didn't think too much about it because with working and having Malachi, I made up several reasons as to why I would feel this way.  At work one day, some of the nurses told me they were pretty sure I was pregnant.  I was super defensive that I couldn't be; I just couldn't be!  I went to Walmart on my way home from work and picked up a Twin Pack because the first test would be negative and I would have a spare for when we were going to try for our 2nd kiddo.  After coming home, I took the first test.  Positive.  NO WAY!  NOOOO WAAAYYYY!!!  Immediately, I popped out the 2nd test.  (Because the first one had to be wrong!)  Nope, positive again.  I was overwhelmed.  Malachi was now sleeping through the night; I was going to finish getting rid of the baby weight.  Plus, it's slightly embarrassing to be a nurse and to have such a surprise child..."yes, Dad, I did take an OB class in nursing school and I do know where babies come from."

Of course, after the initial shock passed, I couldn't help but be excited.  Was it a girl or a boy?  Since I hadn't completely lost my previous pregnancy weight, I looked very pregnant early in this pregnancy.  I'll never forget at merely 8 weeks along, a patient asked if I was due soon.  Yeah, I really hope I answered that question appropriately ;-)

I credit not having to work 12-hour shifts at night as to why my pregnancy went much smoother than Malachi's.  At every sonogram, this baby was sucking its thumb.  I thought that was adorable!  Malachi never was interested in a pacifer or thumb so I was kind of excited about this.  Around the 28 week mark, I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions and a few weeks later, he dropped.  At my 36 week appointment, I discovered that I was dilated to 5cm and 100% effaced.  My doctor said that wherever my water broke was where I would deliver.  He ordered me on bed rest for a week and then he would induce me. Of course, the following day I was supposed to have a baby shower at work, but I didn't get to make it.

The night before the induction my parents, sister, and bro-in-law came down.  It's quite a different feeling going to bed knowing that the next day your little someone would be in your arms!  I had to check-in at 5:30am. My parents came with James and I to the hospital and my sis and hubby stayed home and then took Malachi to daycare later in the morning.  Since Malachi's birth took several hours, they thought there was plenty of time to get up there before the grand entrance of Baby #2 (as with Malachi, we didn't find out the gender).

6:00am Pitocin was on board.  Oh I dreaded this drug!  Mentally I had tried to prepare myself for a long labor with plenty of pushing.  My OB/GYN doctor checked on me around 7:30ish (he seriously reminded me of Dr. Huxtable from The Cosby Show!).  I was well on my way!  He said that the nurse no longer needed to increase the Pitocin because I was progressing nicely.  While that was wonderful news, I was nervous that not increasing it would somehow prolong the labor.  James was able to once again get me in "the zone" so I could concentrate on digging deep within myself to ride out the horrendous pain.  Because I had successfully given birth while on Pitocin and without any pain meds/epidurals, I knew that I could and yearned to do it again without any assistance.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to push.  The nurse said that she had just checked me and I wasn't fully dilated, but she said she would check again.  YES! I was dilated to a 10 and ready to meet our precious baby.  I remember looking at the clock and was shocked that it was only 9:00am!  The nurse had to page my doctor because he was at his office seeing patients.  I kind of enjoyed being "that" patient that the doctor had to rush out to deliver =)  Because he missed delivering Malachi, I really wanted him there.  I had to resist the urge to push and the resident told me that if needed, he could deliver the baby.  My doctor finally showed up (stupid road construction slowed him down).  He prepped and then was ready for me to push.  I pushed 3 times and at 9:30am out came Isaiah Mark!!!  He greeted us by having a rather long peeing session that traveled quite the distance from what I was told.  Isaiah settled down quickly by sucking his left thumb.  His trademark.  He weighed 8lb and was 19 1/2 inches long (yes, 8lb at 37 weeks!)

I was in awe of another beautiful, healthy boy.  God is so good.  My parents were loving on him when my sister and hubby arrived thinking that I would still be laboring.  What a wonderful surprise for them!  We stayed the night at the hospital and then came home mid-morning on Friday.  It was a balmy 60 degrees, but there was a huge snow storm coming that night so we wanted to get settled in before its arrival.  My family left and we were left at home to introduce Malachi to his new brother.  Mind you, Malachi was only...drum roll please...12 months and 17 days old when Isaiah was born.  He was as excited as someone that small could be.

Isaiah Mark at 1 Day Old

Late the night, we noticed that our beloved cat, Bob, was not acting right.  He was pretty lethargic and kept moaning.  Finally around 11pm, he threw up a bright lime green color.  I was extremely concerned.  (Of course, I had given birth the day before so I was slightly more emotional than normal).  I called the pet hospital in Wichita and they urged us to bring him in because it sounded very grave.  The only real problem was that it was a blizzard outside.  About a foot of snow/ice had fallen since early evening and the roads were not clear.  James and I battled back and forth about it.  Do we wait until morning? What if he doesn't make it until then?  What if, what if?  Finally at midnight, I loaded Bob up in the Escape and started out to Wichita.  I could not forgive myself if we just watched and did nothing. James stayed home with the boys.  What normally is a 45 minute drive took over 2 hours.  There were times when I questioned my sanity, but Bob's moaning the whole way there was my motivation to get him help.  Once I arrived, the vet told me that Bob had stones blocking his urinary tract and he needed surgery.  When I called James to tell the diagnosis, treatment and cost, we were once again torn about what to do.  But, I finally made the decision that he would get the surgery because it wouldn't be safe for me to drive home while sobbing over Bob's death.  I left him there and drove another 2 hours home.  It was worth it because Bob is still with us!

The transition between having 1 to 2 kiddos wasn't difficult.  We started Isaiah on his routine and he thrived on it.  He never lost any weight post delivery and weighed 12lbs on his actual due date.  God knew that this boy needed to come out early!  James' family lovingly called him "Tank" because he was such a stout infant/toddler.  But don't let the outward appearance fool you.  He has the sweetest heart, but has also struggled with being very stubborn and strong-willed, too.  I don't remember exactly when, I know it was very young, but he became super-duper attached to "Bunny".  Anyone who has spent any amount of time with him knows "Bunny" well.  It's been Isaiah's best friend; they have shared almost every adventure together.  There are very few pictures we have that doesn't include this precious stuffed animal. Of course, "Bunny" goes along with sucking his thumb.

Our Little Tank with Grandma

"Bunny" and Thumb While Watching Fireworks

 I'm excited to see Isaiah blossom.  He has so much to offer the world.  Every day he says, "Mom, you're the best." To which I reply, "No, you're the best."  He still wants to snuggle and is unbelievably animated when talking.  His facial expressions crack me up.

Isaiah, you are going to be amazing in life.  Remember, I'm your biggest cheerleader.  Love you oodles and oodles!

Isaiah means "Salvation of God".