Lew Wallace Gracefully makes his Arrival

“Ky… Ky!” I hear my name whispered and sleepily respond “yeah?” thinking it is coming from my husband laying next to me in bed. It’s early. 6:30am or so and I can hear my kiddo stumbling up the stairs to our bedroom, only it’s not my kid. It’s my dad on crutches trying to wake me and not my whole house to tell me that Wesley was in labor and “It’s time.” Both Steve and I left our phones out of hearing distance and I felt terrible when I looked at the screen to see three missed calls from Wesley and separately from Jed. Big sister fail. On top of that the baby was a week past his due date. One would think a phone would be attached to my body.

I rushed around like a maniac pulling clothes out of draws and shoving coconut water and recently baked muffins into my bag. Another sister fail, no bag packed. This would prove to be less of a fail later because it turns out that Wesley didn’t have an emergency bag packed either and she used most of the items I remembered to stuff into my bag. That felt helpful!

It looked a bit like winter out for the second time this season as I drove to the hospital through land covered in frost and low fog. It was beautiful. I sobbed the whole way. I called in divine order and asked for the angels and my Mom to be present and help make the process full of ease and grace and the best outcome for all involved. I arrived at 7:30 a.m. I hugged an excited big sister, Mae, and we talked about how “her baby” was coming. Shortly after I arrived Steve swooped in to take Mae home to play with our boys for the duration of the birth. All of us were prepared for this to be a multi-day affair. We’d been here before.

When first checked Wesley was dilated 2cm. Juanita, her midwife suggested we eat breakfast. Wesley casually closed her eyes during contractions. Wesley, Jed and I went for a walk outside to get fresh air and laughed about things I can’t recall now. Then labor got serious. The silence of contractions required groans and supportive positions. 2cm turned into 4cm and then 7-8cm. Rest was required and hand holding from Jed. Apparently Wesley thought during this part of active labor that maybe she would like an epidural, she never asked. She was not as loud as I remember being. She was rolling with the pain and when the doctor checked her for the last time the statement was ” You are ready to have a baby. Let’s start pushing.” To reach this point is huge when one is   in labor. It is especially huge to be at this point if one’s previous birth was via C-section. It is even more incredible to be at this point for Wesley because she was told by the doctor who preformed the C-section that she would unlikely give birth naturally because of the shape of her pelvis. I think all of us who were at Mae’s birth were still not quite sure this was actually going to happen… naturally.  I am so proud of my sister for trusting her body and believing in what is possible. I think because of this and her willingness to change course if necessary, she was able to experience a vaginal, drug free birth. I am beyond grateful to witness my first birth (other then my own, a much different experience.) I am completely in love with this tiny human who came into the world at 8lbs and 20 inches long. I am so glad that his name was finally revealed (THREE torturous days later) and that I have a healthy nephew named Lew Wallace. Born 1/7/18 at 5:33 p.m. Such a powerful baby being already. I am glad Mae’s name choice of “Santa” was vetoed. 🙂