Our midwife, Lori Gibson,
referred to the third pregnancy as “the wild card.” I can testify that my third
pregnancy was definitely a wild card. I was pregnant for 41 weeks and 6 days.
For the last three weeks, I was convinced that the pregnancy would never end.
I’m pretty sure I processed every possible emotion those last three weeks. In an
effort to say that one of the last meals I ate was from Chick-fil-A, I
desperately consumed copious amounts of chicken. (As a side note, I had
Chick-fil-A for dinner before Joshua was born and breakfast from Chick-fil-A before Emma Kate was born.) No matter how much Chick-fil-A I ate, I remained hopelessly
pregnant.
I experienced prodromal labor throughout the last three weeks, which is
why that last stretch felt like it lasted forever. Each time the contractions
started, I would get excited and think that a baby would be born some time that
night or the next morning. I would fall asleep having mild contractions and
wake up the next morning disappointed that I was still pregnant. Bitterness and
anger were common each time the prodromal labor didn’t result in a baby. After
crying and talking with Stephen, I would calm down and appreciate the time I
still had with just Joshua and Emma Kate. Lori also offered so much support and
encouragement as I battled fears and frustrations. Whether by text or in person
at my appointments, Lori gently reminded me that my body was designed to have
my baby and my baby was designed to be born. (As another side note, everyone
should have a midwife like Lori! Or better yet, have Lori as your midwife!
Seriously, she is phenomenal.)
The first round of contractions started on September 29th
during the fourth quarter of Northwestern High School’s Homecoming game against
Fort Mill High School. The contractions were mild and continued for a couple of
hours before stopping. The next evening, I was driving our family to Columbia
to celebrate Stephen’s brother David turning 40. On the way, I began having
contractions. They lasted for a little over an hour but stopped as I walked
around at the restaurant. We ordered our food to go just in case we needed to
jump in the car and drive back to Rock Hill. Since the contractions didn’t keep
going, we were able to stay. As we headed home that night, the contractions
started again. Even when I got in bed, I had a few more contractions before
falling asleep. The next afternoon, our chiropractor, Dr. Chad Frisch, met me at his office and gave me an adjustment.
(If you’re familiar with Emma Kate’s birth story, you know that I experienced
some contractions the morning before she was born and that she was born less than
24 hours after I had an adjustment.) I just knew that baby P number 3 would be
born within 24 hours after Dr. Frisch adjusted me. Unfortunately, that didn’t
happen.
I had more contractions on October 5th, 10th, 16th,
and 17th. (On the 10th, my contractions started a little
after 10:00 pm, and one of our smoke detectors started going off around 11:00.
I got out of bed to see what was happening. I only had a few more contractions,
and I cried as I got back in bed because I knew that the baby wasn’t coming
that night. I woke up the next morning and cried some more. There was so much
crying.)
On October 16th, I scheduled a Biophysical Profile for 7:30
pm on the 19th. I made the appointment as far out as I could hoping
to have the baby before the 19th so that I could cancel the appointment. I went to Dr. Frisch on the 17th
and the 18th. On the 19th, I had an appointment with Lori
at 10:00. As we talked, I shared how the contractions in October always started
when I was lying on my right side. Even if they lasted for an hour or longer, I
would only have a few more once I got up and started moving. Lori wondered if
the baby had a hand tucked under his or her chin, making it difficult to engage
the pelvis. A little bit later, Lori examined me. I was dilated 5 centimeters, and
she could feel the baby’s head. She let me know that my body was ready if I
wanted to go ahead and drink the castor oil smoothie Thursday instead of
waiting until the next day. I didn’t even think twice about it. I told her I
would have Stephen come home and drink the smoothie that afternoon.
As soon as Lori left, I called Stephen at work and told him the
ingredients to pick up on his way home. He also bought me a delicious salad
from Chick-fil-A to eat prior to drinking the smoothie. As soon as he got home,
I scarfed down my lunch and then mixed the smoothie. I had to
drink it in 10 minutes or less, and even though the first few sips were
shockingly tasty, chugging what remained was quite difficult. I took the last
sip at 2:08 and texted Lori to let her know.
I walked around outside for about 15 minutes before needing to visit
the restroom. Then, I went to lie down in
bed. My contractions started around
3:30 as I was in bed. I tried to fall asleep, but the contractions kept coming.
At one point, I decided that if I had five more contractions, I would get up,
move around, and eat something to see if they continued. I honestly thought
they would just stop again. I texted Lori at 5:00 because the contractions
weren’t stopping.
Around 5:45, we started timing my contractions in our closet as I
bounced on the birthing ball. Over the next hour, the contractions got
stronger. I doubted if we should call Lori because the contractions were only
lasting 40-45 seconds, but they were three minutes apart. Stephen learned from
Emma Kate’s birth experience and told me he would just do whatever I told him
to do. I knew Lori wanted to get to our house when I was still able to have a
conversation with her. I told Stephen that since I didn’t think I would be able
to talk for much longer, he should go ahead and call. He called Lori at 6:53.
Lori arrived a little after 7 and got everything set up as the intensity
of my contractions increased. We talked a little bit between contractions. Lori
told me Pam, the midwife assisting her, was on the way. She said she would
leave me and Stephen alone to enjoy the last moments of being pregnant and that
she and Pam would be out in the living room when we needed them. I labored in
the quiet of our room and bathroom with Stephen by my side. Stephen said he
knew when I was about to hit transition because I was no longer singing or
humming as I had been in early labor. Instead, I began making a low groaning
sound. He let Lori and Pam know that the contractions were getting even more
intense. He then helped me get to our bed, where I started violently shaking
before I relaxed. This was quickly followed by the urge to push. Stephen came
back out into the living room to let Lori and Pam know that I felt like I
needed to push. Even though each push meant my baby was closer to being in my
arms, I literally had the thought that the baby would never be born. It only
took two more pushes before the baby’s head was on the way out, so I’m glad I
kept pushing! Just as Lori suspected, there was a hand tucked under the baby’s chin.
Lori was able to provide counter-pressure to try to prevent tearing. A couple
more pushes, and Levi Jonathan was here! The relief I felt was indescribable as
I uttered, “Thank you, dear Lord Jesus” and settled in with my sweet baby. The
pregnancy that was never going to end came to an end at 9:08 pm that night, exactly
7 hours after I had the last sip of the castor oil smoothie.
We chose the name Levi Jonathan for a boy for several reasons. The name
Levi means “attached” or “joined.” It has been our prayer that our little one
would be joined to God through Christ from an early age. The meaning of
Jonathan is “Jehovah has given,” and he certainly is a gift from God. We also
wanted to honor Stephen’s brother Jonathan.
We were further influenced by Malachi 2:4-6:
So shall
you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may
stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace,
and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood
in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on
his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from
iniquity.
It is our desire that these verses would characterize the life of our Levi.
