Eli's Birth Story

Today is Eli's due date. I wonder if we hadn't induced, would he have come by now or would we still be waiting? Dr. Lines, my OB, knew it was a tough decision for me to induce, so after he was born and we learned his birth weight was 9 lbs. she said, "Aren't you convinced you did the right thing? Next week you would most likely be delivering a 10 lb. baby!"

So, no stories of driving to the hospital in an ice storm and stopping at Burger King on the way, but a wonderful birth story all the same. We were ready to leave the house by 7am, said goodbye to my mom who came to be with Gage, and drove to the hospital with my stomach full of butterflies! My heart was heavy to leave my little boy for the longest I've ever left him, but I was so excited that the day had arrived when I'd be meeting my little "mover and shaker" I'd gotten to know over the past nine months!

My mom and my sister were the only two who knew the exact day we would be inducing since they were both planning on coming to care for Gage while we were in the hospital. Right before we left for the hospital my sister texted me this verse: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6 What a great reminder. I needed that.

Once we were checked into our hospital room I was much more calm. We were in the exact same room where I delivered Gage! We had a wonderful nurse, Jenny, up until 3:00 and then found out that Beth would be taking over (hopefully my delivery nurse) who we remembered from last time and loved! I could feel God wrapping me with comfort and confidence that all would go well.

Dr. Lines broke my water at about 9:15am. I started feeling contractions within the hour but they were sporadic and hard to even measure. Craig and I spent the morning playing games, walking the halls, watching tv, and just talking. It was such a great day! By noon we decided it was time for Pitosin. Nothing really got going though until Dr. Lines came back around 5pm and checked me. I was at a 4. I couldn't believe it - 8 hours later and only at a 4! Whatever she did though was just what it took because by 5:30 I was getting an epidural! At 8:45 we knew I was dialated to 8 and we hoped for a baby by 10pm.

Dr. Lines came in a little after 9 and said I was complete! So I pushed a few times and Beth said, "I can see hair!" Really?! I was shocked! Last time it took over 2 hours of pushing to get to that point. And the next thing we knew she was paging the nursery nurse to "get here right now!"

All of a sudden Dr. Lines said to me, "Heidi reach down and take your baby." Those were the most beautiful words to me. And the second set came next..."It's a boy!" What I wanted so badly. A little brother for Gage!

I had several moments to hold my new little boy, white slimy stuff and all! Everyone laughed at how much he was touching my face, making me white and slimy too. The nursery nurse just waited patiently until I was ready for her to have him. It was such a treat! I didn't want to let him go.

And now it was time for us to get on with a name for him... Eli Craig it would be, there was never really any question. That name was in my heart the whole time he was in my womb.

So that is Eli's birth story. A long, wonderful day for me, a quick entrance into the world for him, the Lord seeing us through it all. One of the best stories I could tell!