honey elise // birth story

On January 22, 2021 at 2:26 am, our perfect daughter, Honey Elise, entered the world in the comfort of our home. <3

Honestly, the labor/birth story is really short, but the "pre-labor"/ "false labor" story is, in a nutshell, outrageously long! Basically, Sunday-Thursday I was having contractions and having a hard time sleeping at night. Little Honey Bee was very indecisive about when she actually wanted to start real labor and get the process going, so she had us guessing for 3 1/2 days!

On Thursday night, January 21 at 8:30 pm, my midwife came over because my contractions had shifted from randomly spaced out (which they had been all week) to 4 minutes apart, which is a sign that labor was starting or close. She stayed for two hours but nothing was progressing, just 4 minute apart contractions. I was 90% effaced and 6 centimeters dilated, too, and exhausted from all of the contractions that I had been feeling the whole week. (They were strongest at night, so I didn't sleep well.)

I asked her to go home because I didn't want to say it was labor and then nothing happen.

Payton and I slept on the couches in our living room because they were more comfortable than my bed. My contractions were still 4 minutes apart, but I tried to sleep through them. (LOL nope.)

Around midnight I went up to go to the bathroom and noticed pink blood on the toilet paper when I wiped, but I didn't want to call my midwife until something a little more dramatic happened so that I was sure labor had started.

I laid back on the couch and felt a contraction coming, so I breathed through it and right at the end, my leg cramped and I felt a heavy pressure in my pelvis. (Like a drop). It shocked me terribly, I gasp-yelled for Payton to wake up and help me stretch my leg, which woke my mom up. We worked the cramp out and my mom came to inquire what was happening. I updated her on the pink blood and I tried to describe the "drop" in my pelvis. She told me to call my midwife. I really, really didn't want her to come all the way back out if it was false again because Honey kept changing her mind about when she wanted to come the whole week!

I went to the bathroom to pee and I decided to go ahead and call my midwife.

During our phone call, I felt a fart coming, but sitting on the toilet was very uncomfortable, so I simply got on all fours and lifted my butt into the air to casually let it out while we chatted about the pink blood when suddenly I felt this insane pressure to push. I'm talking involuntary and powerful. I was again quite shocked and just yelled, "the baby's coming!"

Payton and my mom burst into the bathroom.

There was no doubt about it, that "drop" that I felt when I had a contraction on the couch was baby's head engaging.

She finally decided to get this show going!

My midwife got in her car and told me to fight the urge to push, she needed to check me. Just a few hours ago, I was only 90% effaced and 6 centimeters--you can't push a baby out with those measurements. She told me to lay on my side and she gave my breathing exercises to help keep baby inside, but she was 40 minutes out. I dreaded the thought of continuing to keep my precious baby inside, it was the hardest work I've ever had to do, but I knew we needed to make sure I was properly ready.

When each contraction came, I ended up pushing my legs against Payton (who was sitting at my feet on the bathroom floor) to channel the intense feelings I had to suppress the pushing and I breathed through each one. There was about a 2-4 minute break between each contraction, which I used to close my eyes and rest a little.

My midwife showed up around 1:45 and she checked me.

Praise God, I was 100% effaced, 10 centimeters dilated and baby was down/engaged and ready to go. By 2:00 am, I was in the clear.

She very casually said, "go ahead and try a push with this next contraction."

Still lying on the bathroom floor, I followed my instincts and let my body push with the next contraction and holy cow it was such a relief from holding her in!!

When the contraction was over, I knew I didn't want to push on the floor/on my back, so I asked to move. We went to my bed, I had a contraction and pushed on all fours, but I was uncomfortable on the bed.

We laid a foam pad on the ground, laid sheets and a drop cloth over it, I got on my knees, leaned over my pregnancy ball and faced Payton, who was holding my hands. A strong contraction came, I felt her head drop low enough I could have probably reached my hands around and touched the top of her. (Not quite crowning, though.)

Another strong contraction, I knew she was coming literally right then.

My midwife said, "Hosanna, pretty soon you will need to do little pushes instead of big pushes. I will tell you when."

Well, I knew when before she even had to tell me.

When she was crowning, I had to allow my body to take a moment and stretch, so I had to slow my pushes down to "little pushes" while she crowned.

Then her head popped out! I was in the final stretch at that point!

I gave one final push and her whole body came out, which was the most surreal feeling ever!

She gave a big cry and Payton and I gasped at each other in complete shock.

Our baby was here! In our home!

We both looked down at her between my legs on the ground and burst into tears.

Payton sat down and I sat between his legs and my midwife brought Honey up to my chest and we just stared at her. She was here!!! In like, 20 minutes!

My birth team did everything for us while we just laid there, soaking in every single second of her precious life. They cleaned me up, her up, got us to the bed, helped her latch and showed Payton how to cut her cord.

It was pure magic.

They let Payton weigh her, and we were all so shocked that she was 8 pounds 1 ounce.

W H A T even!! I had no idea my body could carry and then push something out so big, haha!

My midwife informed me that I had some pretty bad tearing (2nd degree) because of Honey's size and the speed at which she came. She recommended I go see the nurse midwife that works alongside her and get stitches. (She works alongside a few nurse midwives to have a backup plan in case one of her clients needs to be transferred to a hospital during labor.)

Around 6:30 am, Honey was nursed and we were cleaned up, so we left Honey with my mom and Payton drove me to go get stitched up.

We were home around 10:00am and we just soaked in the precious early newborn moments. <3

H O N E Y E L I S E V A U G H T

Her name means: A Sweet Dedication to the Lord as an Advocate

We pray that she grows up to be a warrior for Christ, advocating and interceding on people's behalf! It's a powerful name for someone so little, but we know that she will live up to it!

P R A Y E R

We wrote a prayer to read when labor started, and although we didn't have enough time to read it in actual labor, we were able to read it every day prior to labor which helped prepare our hearts, I truly believe!

Lord,

The moment that we have been waiting for has finally arrived!

We thank you for the blessing of children, especially our beautiful daughter.

Father, we declare that Hosanna's body does exactly what it it's supposed to do - the way that you originally designed labor to look like. May she experience supernatural joy, strength and peace from your Holy Spirit in these moments of hard work.

Holy Spirit, come in this place and surround us with your presence!

We cast fear, anxiety, confusion and all lies out and stand in your perfect love. We declare that all pain has no place in her body or in our home, and we breathe Heavenly Power into her to sustain her.

May she run and not grow weary.

May she walk and not faint.

Body, do what you're supposed to do.

Joints move, muscles contract, body stretch, baby descend - every piece of labor working harmoniously together according to Your perfect design.

We declare, Heavenly Father, that Hosanna experiences a vigorous and quick labor, just like the Hebrew women in Exodus. We declare that both Hosanna and baby remain safe during labor, with no complications no pain and no tearing.

We thank you, Jesus, that your stripes and blood set us free to be able to declare these things and declare them to be true in your Mighty Name!

Amen.

Now, haha...I definitely tore, but if it meant a safe delivery, I'm 10000000000% okay with that!

Stitches are easy to heal from, but if my body didn't stretch properly, Honey could have gotten stuck or I don't even know the worst that could have happened. God answered our prayers for a quick delivery, 20 minutes, and both baby and I were safe. That's what matters!!

Now Honey is 5 days old and has learned how to nurse, sleeps so well for us, hates her diaper being changed and loves her daddy's pinky!

We are so, so, so unbelievably blessed by her.

Our hearts are so full!

Thank you, Lord, for children.