Laboring on Crutches

Here's the hilarious tale of the events that led to me arriving at the labor and delivery unit on crutches...

I am convinced that my body had a block in place to prevent me from going into labor until both of my parents were in town... that is beside the point.

But finally, almost a week past my due date and the day before my scheduled c-section, my mom was in town, and dad was on his way.  The setting would now be complete for a baby delivery.  I went shopping with Mom and Melissa to find Mom some dresses for Melissa's wedding and surrounding events.  While at the mall, I began to have contractions every 15-20 minutes.  Having had a false alarm a couple of days before, I was anxious to try to "stay" in labor.  My mom and Melissa were eager to keep me in labor as well (especially Melissa), and we walked around that stupid mall for about 4 hours, with me stopping periodically to enjoy a contraction.

When we finally arrived at home, Dad and Daniel were there playing with Hannah.  It was only about 100 degrees outside.  I was determined to keep walking and stay in labor, so I hit the backyard walking with a fury, carrying a water bottle, of course.  I kept having contractions, and life was good.  I was so proud of my uterus for kicking into gear!!!   Dad and Daniel grilled out some steaks, Mom made a pile of side items to go with them, I barely ate.  Contractions were getting stronger, I was actually getting my hopes up.

I headed back outside to walk again, a little cooler now since the sun had moved behind the trees.  Daniel, being the loving, supportive husband that he is, decided to providentially join me in making laps around the backyard.  We were having sweet couple time (interrupted by contractions), even walking and holding hands.  How sweet, right?

Did I mention that we have a dog?  Her name is Reba.  She is a Starkville dog, rescued from Oktibbeha county humane society.  She is a 65 pound lab-hound mix, who underwent the misfortune of being in a household that later gained something much more important - a little girl.  When Hannah was born, an emotional switch flipped within me.  Reba went from beloved pet to extreme nuisance always being offered up for adoption my her mom to any good, loving home.  I found myself (after having an actual child) at most tolerating the dog.  I have never neglected her.  I still take her on walks, feed and bathe her, but all without any sense of love.

Did I mention that we were hanging out outside?  Reba's absolute favorite thing is to be outside with other people (or dogs) out there with her.  Reba was so happy, just in doggy heaven, hanging out in the backyard with her loving parent and her mommy.  She decided to run happily around the yard, but got a little carried away and while running, hit my knee.

Did I mention that I have weird knees?  In junior high and high school, I nearly dislocated my left knee 3 different times (basketball and dance team).  Each time this happened, my left kneecap would move out of place toward the outside of my knee and would graciously move back to the front.  I however would each time hit the ground, with my knee subsequently swelling up like a small softball.  I then could not bear weight on it for several days.

So, rejoining the story, when Reba hit my left knee, she hit it at just the right (or wrong) angle.  (God is not without a sense of humor, now is He?)  I then, true to form, hit the ground, screaming and hollering and reaching for my left knee to make sure that my kneecap was back on the front and not left on the side of my knee.  Thank goodness it was.

Did you remember that I have now progressed in labor?  I am 41 weeks pregnant lying on the ground in the backyard.  Thank goodness I feel on my side and not forward.  All I can think is "Now I can't keep walking... I want my labor to progress!!!... Just GREAT!!! Great job Reba!!!!"  Daniel is already remarking to me that, if he wouldn't have been standing right next to me, he would have never believed me or that this happened.  My next thought is that my mom is going to FREAK out if she looks in the backyard and sees me wallering around on the ground (I don't know how to spell wallering, but that's what I was doing).  I am able with Daniel's help to move to a chair out in the yard.  I am in excruciating pain if my knee moves at all.  (Ever thought about what position you get into to push out a baby?  Knee mobility is slightly important.)  Daniel and Melissa then proceed to carry me into the house, bless their hearts.  (I am not exactly at ideal body weight at this moment).

I then begin to work hobbling around the kitchen and living room hanging onto furniture and hopping on my right foot to try to encourage labor to progress.  Absolutely pitiful.  My family members are watching and shaking their heads, like, you idiot - sit down and put your knee up.

Thankfully, Daniel's parents' neighbor had a pair of crutches, which were brought to me.  I discovered that crutches + labor = contractions that are really close together.  At midnight, due to my condition (41 weeks pregnant, on crutches, knee all swollen up, contractions almost back to back when on crutches), we were escorted to our driveway by all of our family, and we went merrily to the hospital.  I was a glorious 1 cm dilated, and we were sent home.

I dreaded the trip back from the car to the bed because of how awful crutches are when you in labor and really hugely pregnant.  The snippy triage nurse who had informed me of my 1 glorious cm of dilation had informed me that she felt sure that this would all wear off when I went to sleep.

I got in bed.  Wear off it did not (in your face snippy nurse!!!).  However, I found myself having awful contractions unable to move in the bed, which was pretty miserable.  Daniel and I finally decided we needed to go back to the hospital.  This time the trip on crutches to the car was almost bad enough to make me consider a home birth.

However, we got to the hospital, and I was 4 cm.  The rest was history.  I had an uneventful labor, finally got an epidural, which of course "cured" my knee for about 12 hours.  I then proceeded to hobble around my hospital room, and continue to hobble around the house now.

Lessons learned here?
I kept praying and telling God that I know He is sovereign, that I trust Him to direct my labor or direct me to my scheduled c-section.  I did not truly mean that prayer - this was evidenced by my continuing to try to "help" my labor along no matter how incapacitated He made me.  I am obviously still in need of working on fully trusting the Lord.
I learned that I am actually a tough little cookie.  Laboring in one position in bed for 3 hours at home was mind-blowingly awful, but I survived.  I am proud to have come out nearly unscathed on the other side, and I know I could NOT have done it without God's help and strength carrying me through.
I am SO thankful for a healthy baby.  I don't care what shenanigans went on in getting her here, but I have seen many an unhealthy baby in my career.  Healthy babies are inconceivable, and I am unworthy of having one.

*By the way, I went to an urgent care orthopedist today and had 65 mL of bloody fluid drained off my knee. (For those of you who are non-medical, that's a crapload of fluid to be in my little knee.) In order to do this, the doctor had to put a giant needle into my knee, pulling fluid out over and over, and then injected numbing medicine and steroids into my knee.  After the 48 hours I had had, it was absolutely a piece of cake.  :)

This was a little too long to be contained in a Facebook update, so I thought I would share my thoughts while Memaw was holding a napping baby...

  

Fountain Fun

In the middle of this crazy life driven by calendars, bills, and to-do lists, it's refreshing to take a step back and enjoy the little things through the eyes of Hannah. It is referenced multiple times in the gospel for us to enter into the kingdom like a child. Sometimes that's a difficult concept to wrap my brain around. I'm thankful that God has blessed me with a little girl who can help me comprehend this. Hannah is not worried about how she is getting home, how she is going to eat her next meal, where she is going to sleep, or anything else for that matter. She is completely dependent on me for all these things, and she isn't concerned about me not providing. How much more does God provide me with everything I need? Why do I spend so much time trying to figure out things that He already has covered?

I long for that blind trust that comes from childlike faith so I don't miss out on opportunities to enjoy the little things like running around fountains!

Watching and Waiting...

We are in the final few weeks of pregnancy number 2!  Hannah is a big 20-month-old now, and she is unbelievably smart!  We have entered the language explosion phase with her, which is really cool, because she seems to know new words every day.  It is also nice that she can tell us what she wants now instead of just screaming or whining.  And since we have finally gotten to that stage with her, we decided to bring another little girl into the world who will only be able to communicate through screaming and whining!

I have been working as a nurse practitioner now for three full months, and I absolutely love it.  I am so glad that God shut doors that He did along the way so that I would end up where I am.  Where I work is a Christian-founded clinic, and I am thoroughly enjoying working in a Spirit-filled environment.  I never imagined I would have a job where I would be encouraged to pray with and for my patients.  I also find my viewpoints stretched on many issues that formerly seemed so black and white to me.  You tend to think differently about illegal immigrants when you have met several dozen.  I am finding myself much more of a moderate than I ever thought I'd be...

Daniel has not changed employers since we moved to Memphis.  He is still the rock of our family.  He is such an amazing Daddy to Hannah.  I certainly did not have low expectations of his parenting skills, but he has far exceeded any expectations I had of him.  The other night, I was coming home late because I had gone to praise team practice (my little escape in the middle of the week in which I get to sit around a table with other believers and sing - heaven!).  When I walked into the house, I found all of the dishes done, the dishwasher running, and a bathed, fed child running happily around the house, ready for bed in her pajamas.  Daniel had cooked the two of them scrambled eggs with cheese for dinner, which Hannah loved.  Unbelievable.  It absolutely made my day even better.

There is so much going on in both of our families right now, as well.  Daniel's brother is graduating from nursing school in a couple of weeks, and is starting a nursing job a week after that.  He's getting married in October.  We are continually blessed to get to know his fiancee' better and better, and I am finding that a friendship is developing between us that I know will endure the years to come.  Melissa, my sister, is moving here in 2 weeks, starting a new job, and getting married in August in our hometown.  This will be the first time we have lived in the same town since college.  I am ecstatic.  We have grown much closer through the years, and most of that closeness has developed across many miles distance.  We will now finally be close enough to hang out on spur of the moment occasions, and not just after planned flights and around holidays.

I cannot wait to meet sweet Ava.  I cannot wait to see what she will look like, how she will act, how similar/different she will be to Hannah, Daniel, and myself.  I pray that she is a good sleeper, but we will surely endure if she is not!  I am amazed by how different our life is than it was 2-3 years ago, and I find that having children has made it so much richer.  I am so thankful in this season of life to live close to both of our families.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us next.