We found out we were pregnant the day after our first anniversary - May 18, 2010. I took a home pregnancy test while Myron was at class at Grace University. Although I was hoping for a positive test, I don't think I really expected it to be positive. After the shock of realizing I was pregnant wore off, I put a few baby items in a gift bag and put it on the kitchen table. When Myron got home he saw my big smile and the gift bag on the table and asked what the gift was for - at which my reply was, "it's for someone who is having a baby" and told him to open it. As he unpacked the gift bag, he saw the positive pregnancy test and asked me if it was really true. Soon after Myron told me that it was a boy and that the Lord told him that his name was going to be Jericho.
At 8 weeks along I went to see Dr. Jacobi who was my gynecologist and who I was planning on having deliver our baby. At 20 weeks along I decided I wanted to switch to the midwives at Methodist. I liked the approach of what midwives offer as I didn't have any complications with my pregnancy or any health risks. The midwives at Methodist operate in a team of 3 and you rotate who you see at each appointment therefore getting to know all of them. Who ever is on-call when you go into labor is who delivers the baby. I wanted to attempt a natural birth and thought it would be best to have a midwife deliver the baby as they have a more natural approach and were with me more during labor than a doctor would have been.
The pregnancy went well and we looked forward to the day our child would be born. At 20 weeks I found out that we were having a boy - I say "I" found out and not "we" because Myron said that he knew at 4 weeks along that it was a boy. He wasn't surprised at all during the ultrasound when the tech announced he was a boy but I was! I shouldn't have doubted him. :)
Jericho was due on January 25, 2011 but I thought I would go into labor early. I was 10 days early myself and my sister also goes into labor early so I thought it was in my genes. I was also progressing well and it looked like he might come early. Well, babies come when they are ready, not when we want them to! On January 24th, I went in for my 40 week check up and found out I was 4-5 cm dilated. Although I was almost half way there, I wasn't expecting to go into labor (but was hoping) since my earlier prediction didn't come true. That night, Myron and I went out to dinner and I felt different but wasn't sure if that meant anything although I was hoping Jericho was on his way.
On January 25th, Myron woke up at 5 am for a meeting and I woke up at that time as well. Toward the end of my pregnancy, once I was awake it was hard for me to go back to sleep. That morning I decided to get my day started and took a shower. I thought I felt contractions but had been feeling Braxton Hicks for a little while so I was waiting to see if these were the real thing. After getting ready for the day, I checked facebook and ate a bagel. At this time I realized that these contractions were the real thing and they were coming closer together. I called Myron and told him he better get home. At 7:00 am we were out the door and headed to my parents house since they live close to the hospital we delivered at. It wasn't long after we were at my parents home when I threw up and we decided we better get to the hospital soon. At 8:00 am we arrived at Methodist Women's Hospital..
My sister, Rachel, has delivered two children naturally and I asked if she would be at the birth to encourage me and be somewhat of a doula. Rachel lives in St. Louis with her family and decided to stay in Omaha after coming up in early January for Christmas. Rachel, Madeline, and Clare stayed with my parents until Jericho was born which was about 3 weeks! Thank you to my parents and Rachel for your sacrifices to make this happen. We had fun with Madeline and Clare while they were in town and I was grateful to see them almost every day.
While at the hospital, we walked the halls a lot to progress labor. CeCe was the midwife that was on-call that day and she arrived around 9:30 am. CeCe checked me at this time and I was about 6 cm. Around 11 am I was at 8 cm and CeCe suggested breaking my water at that point. I decided I wanted to let it break on its own and was willing to wait a little while longer. We walked the halls some more and I did squats during the contractions. What really helped with the pain was having Myron press my hips together and apply counter pressure on my lower back. Jericho was "sunny side up" which means I was having back labor. Although my lower back hurt, I've had worse back pain in my life. CeCe, the labor and delivery nurse, Myron, and Rachel helped encourage me throughout the day. I was expecting to get into the hot tub but CeCe said that it might stall labor so as long as I was doing ok, we would try other methods instead of getting into the hot tub. We walked the halls some more and at this point the contractions were getting stronger. By the time we got back to room, we spent about 30 minutes in there as I was trying to concentrate during the contractions. Once CeCe checked me again, it was time to push.. At that point I started to get very excited since I thought I still needed to dilate more. The pushing felt great since I didn't feel the contractions as much. After 30-40 minutes of pushing, Jericho Thomas was born at 2:02 pm. He was 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long.
Having a natural birth was a wonderful experience! Women's bodies were made to give birth and the body really does give natural drugs which helps with the pain. Most of it is mind over matter - the times I was most nervous during labor was when I was wondering if I could really do it and asked myself the question, "how bad is this really going to get, will it be bad enough that I can't handle it?" I know not everyone has the same experience and there are times when medication is a good and helpful thing. I wasn't against getting an epidural if I felt I wasn't progressing on my own or felt like I needed the pain relief.
Birth is an amazing thing and a child is a miracle. So grateful for our miracle, Jericho!
