Faith's Birth Story

Ed left on a Thursday for the youth's annual spring break mission trip to inner city Houston. Kara came into town to stay with me while he was away. I went to my 37th week check-up on Thursday afternoon only to hear my doctor say that I needed another ultrasound. I was 1 cm dilated. Kara and I sat inside the doctor's room while my doctor consulted with her partner to see if I should be induced. Faith hadn't grown that much since my last visit, and they weren't quite sure why. So Selina (our friend & doctor) came into the room and said she thought we should induce on Friday. I called Ed who had just arrived at his site and we debated what we should do. We decided to delay the induction until Monday so Ed wouldn't have to leave. Selina was comfortable with that as long as went to the hospital to check for any "distress" signals. So Kara and I left the medical office building and drove to the hospital where I was check in. They hooked me up to some machines and observed me for about a hour. Everything was fine so Kara & I headed back home.

The next few days were a blur as Kara and I prepared the baby's nursery, made phone calls, and ate up a storm. Yeh Yeh and Nana made soup for us. Chibong came over to keep Kara company while I slept. Ed would call in the evening to make sure everything was okay.

On Sunday afternoon, Ed returned and Kara left for Dallas. Ed and I spent the evening praying together as well as double checking our hospital overnight bag . I didn't think I would sleep that much, but (surprise!) I slept great!

We woke up around 4:30 a.m. and headed to the hospital for our 5 a.m. check in time. We were given the very last available delivery room (they said it had been a busy night with ladies coming in with labor) and I was asked to change into my hospital gown. The nurse checked and I was still only 1 cm dilated. She said it usually would take an average of 1 hour per centimeter. Around 6ish, I was given the Pitocin to speed up later. Selina also came in and broke my water at some point (the times are very hazy to me). So between 6am and 4pm, I alternated between sleeping and talking on the phone w/ my mom. The nurse would also come by every now and then to check on how dilated I was. At one point, I was at 3.5 cm and the nurse said she needed to "stretch" me to get to 4cm. That was probably the most painful part of my whole birth experience. Ed had to hold my hand and I just grimaced through that whole thing. When I got to 4cm, the nurse asked if I wanted the epidural. Even though the contractions were barely anything at that point (more like a little cramping), I went ahead and said sure. Why be in discomfort if I don't have to be?

So to my surprise, Cora was our anesthesiologist! She put the epidural in which was the 2nd most painful part of the experience. Ed watched while she inserted the needle through my back. After the epidural in, I really was able to sleep! Around 4ish, the nurse woke me up and told me it was time to push. After that, everything happened really fast. Selina came in with two nurses. They put on a bunch of extra scrubs along with goggles. Selina talked me through it, but after a couple of pushes Faith still wasn't out yet. Ed was like...I see her head and a full head of hair, but the pushes weren't moving her out. So in the end, a nurse gave me a towel to hold. She held the other end of the towel and we went back and forth tugging at it to help me push. I think maybe on the third round of pushing...actually Ed and I can't remember (it seemed fast to us!), we heard a beautiful cry from our baby. Faith was born at 4:59 p.m.

Some people have asked me if I could feel myself pushing if I had had an epidural. The answer is yes. The medicine was wearing off so I was able to move my legs (sorta) and was able to feel Faith being born.