Details

I am very into details. I especially love birth story details. When I was pregnant with Will, I had a lot of detailed prayer requests. I talked to God a lot about the details. I prayed for a healthy boy who would have lots of reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. I prayed that he would be born either during the weekday or on a night that my doctor was on call so he would deliver my baby. I asked for a sign we should go to the hospital and that we wouldn't be sent home once we got there. I prayed that I would not have to have a c-section and that my labor would be less than 5 hours. I prayed for him to be between 7 and 8 lbs and for him to come at least a week before my due date because my friend Lea Ann was getting married and I desperately wanted to go to her wedding (for some reason I thought if he was a week old I would feel like going?). I was delighted when we found out we were having a boy and thrilled when we had him because all the details added up. I went to the hospital on a Wednesday night because I didn't feel right and my blood pressure was up. My doctor was on call and I was so relieved. They decided to keep me even though my blood pressure came back down because I was 5cm dilated. My active labor lasted a little over 4 hours and we had a 7lb 9oz beautiful boy with tons of dark hair and dark blue eyes. He came 3 weeks early and was delivered by my doctor who had to leave town the next day for a family emergency. If I didn't have him the day I did, Dr. G may not have been there to deliver him. God granted all of my requests.

Here is Will at a few hours old:

When I got pregnant with Reed, it was quite a shock since we weren't planning to have another baby for a couple of more years. This time, my requests weren't so detailed. I pretty much told God to surprise me (and He did!). I really thought I was having a girl, but it truly did not matter. The only things I asked God for this time around were to have a healthy baby, delivered by my doctor (preferably on a weekday), no c-section, to know when it was time to go to the hospital (I wanted a sign like my water breaking - I may ask for something else next time!) and have plenty of time to get checked in and settled (I think we over-acheived on that one! ha!) and for my husband to be there. What the baby looked like, boy or girl ,when he or she arrived, that was all up to Him (as if it weren't anyway!). The circumstances surrounding Reed's birth weren't ideal for a few reasons, but I wouldn't change a thing.

That week in the hospital before he was born made me be still. It made me give up control. It made me appreciate things a little bit more. And once I surrendered to what I had in mind for our birth experience, God gave me back a few of the details that I wanted. I wanted to nurse this baby like I had done with Will but once we knew we were having a preemie, I had to let that go. And since we didn't know what we were having, I contacted the L&D staff prior to being hospitalized to make sure we would be able to introduce the baby to family in the L&D suite in my presence and not just out in the hall. But once my water broke and we knew that the baby would be going to the NICU, I had to let that go, too. I figured our tiny baby would need some oxygen support and maybe a feeding tube since babies generally don't develop their sucking reflex until between 34 and 36 weeks gestation. In my mind, we would have the baby and he or she would immediately be taken to the warmer, quickly assessed then whisked away to NICU and our parents would meet him or her there or possibly in the hall on the way.

But I have a BIG God. And He gave us a baby so healthy that he didn't need any oxygen. Not once. He wasn't a typical whimpy white boy. He was a strong boy who was screaming right after he came out. He was more pink than his full-term big brother. He had the nurses laughing at him because he grabbed onto the blankets in the warmer and wouldn't let go. His APGAR scores were 9 and 10! He was doing so well that I got to hold him until our parents came in with Will and we proudly introduced our new son. And for his second feeding that night, I got to nurse him. He nursed better than his full term brother!

God is into details, too. He is in the miracle business. Reed did have to stay in the NICU 18 days because his nervous system was immature and he would forget to breathe. The nurses were so impressed with him. I heard "He is doing so well for a 33 weeker!" many times. It was not by chance, though. It was the power of prayer and the work of the Lord.

Here we are introducing our new son:

And here is our first picture as a family of four:

Looking back upon the events surrounding Reed's birth, I am just so amazed and thankful. Things could have been a lot different than they were. Reed could have been a lot sicker. But he wasn't, because my God is gracious and giving. He is into the details.