For Part One of this post, please click here; for Part Two, click here, and for Part Three click here.
When I arrived to pick her up, I could tell something had changed. She was hurting and she was very worried. We were on the way out of the parking lot when we ran into our mutual friend, Sharon. We stopped to tell her we were going to the hospital. She got very excited. If you know Sharon you know what that means! I said, “We’re not going to have the baby, just to have a test.” She wanted to go with us.
We arrived at the hospital and got her checked in and they hooked her up to the fetal monitor. By this time she was having some pretty strong contractions. The nurse decided she better call the doctor. They would give her something to stop the contractions or the baby would be delivered that night.
It’s amazing how your perspective changes. Just a few hours before I was panicking because I thought we had the weekend to prepare for a baby. When I realized the baby might be born that night I thought the weekend sounded like plenty of time to prepare. I called Tim and told him to be prepared to come to the hospital at a moment’s notice.
The few hours we spent in the hospital room while she was on the fetal monitor were very special. We talked about her and the changes she wanted to make so that she could give her older child a better life. We talked about the baby about to be born and what a wonderful blessing she would be. We were all a bit nervous, but we held hands and prayed. We prayed that the delivery would be smooth and the baby healthy. We prayed that mom would be healthy and recover quickly from the c-section. We prayed that Tim and I would be good parents. We thanked God for allowing our paths to cross and for this sweet girl who would forever be a connection between us all.
I started getting really nervous. It was beginning to sink in that I was going to have a baby, sooner rather than later. I called my mom, but she didn’t answer. I sent her a text, “the baby may be born tonight.” She sent one back that she and Sara, my niece, were in a movie. Sara didn’t even know about the possibility of the baby so my mom didn’t say anything to her. Since I couldn’t talk to my mom, I immediately called my sister. She had been out of town and was on her way home and had passed the hospital just a few minutes earlier. Should she turn around? Should they come to the hospital? I didn’t know what to tell her because there was no decision yet about delivering the baby. She asked if I was excited. I said “Yes, but scared to death.”
Sometime during all this it dawned on me that it was Tim’s birthday. In all the excitement I had forgotten. What a sweet gift it would be if the baby would be born on this day. When I mentioned this to Sharon and the young mom, they were really excited. They wanted so much for the baby to be born soon. Their excitement was contagious and soon we were all praying that this sweet baby was ready to meet us.
By the time Tim was on his way, the doctor had decided to deliver. My mom and sister decided they should be there so they were on their way.
She wanted Sharon and me to be in the delivery room with her. About five minutes after Tim arrived, the nurse came and told us it was time to get ready!
We went back to the room to get everyone prepped for the c-section. While mom went to the delivery room, Sharon and I were given what looked like hazmat suits to put on over our clothes. She and I waited anxiously outside the delivery room. Although it was only about thirty minutes, it seemed like forever before we were allowed in the room.
I have never had any type of surgery or been in the hospital so this was all new to me. There were tons of people in the room. At least three standing over her and a few others milling about the room. We were instructed to sit on two stools close to the table. At this point we could only see the blue drape. I was so thankful for that blue drape!! I was surprised that the doctors were just casually chatting about golf and other mundane things while they were cutting her open. Sharon was sitting behind me singing a hymn. I don’t remember which one, but I remember her singing.
When it came time to pull the baby out, they told us we could stand up and watch. I don’t know if I could ever express in words what an amazing moment this was for me. Seeing that sweet baby for the first time is forever imprinted on my heart. I’m only beginning to fully understand what a precious blessing it was for me to be there for her first moments.
As soon as she was out, there was a whirlwind of activity. The nurses whisked her away to weigh and measure her. Finally they allowed me to go over and see her. She was so tiny; only 5 pounds and 7 ounces. I couldn’t wait to touch her and hold her. Finally they let me take her over so that her mom could see her. Mom looked at me and then at the baby girl and said to the baby, “There’s your mamma.” The lump in my throat was growing bigger by the minute as was the smile on my face.
They allowed me to carry her from the delivery room to the nursery. When I walked in I could see Tim, my mom and my sister anxiously waiting. They came over to the window to get a first look at her. I had to leave her in the nursery to be poked and prodded. Tim and I and Sharon, my mom and my sister stood outside that window for as long as we could. We were already smitten.
She was born at 10:30pm so by this time it was pretty late. We were happily stunned, but tired and realizing that we hadn’t eaten dinner. To top it off, we had no idea what we were going to do next. We had not begun the legal process yet so we had no legal right to the baby at all. The hospital was more than gracious to us. We sat in the waiting room for quite some time and a nurse came through and asked if anyone had arranged for us to have a room yet. We said no, and she said she’d check on it. Within a matter of minutes we were in a room waiting on them to bring us our sweet little girl.
My mom and sister went out about 2:00am and brought back crackers, soft drinks and even some clothes for the baby.
I left my boss a voice message which started out something like, “you’re not going to believe this, but…”
About 4:00am they finally brought her to us!
To be continued…..
- by Jennifer
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Oh wow, I had no idea you were able to be in the delivery room! What a precious gift! And to think that the biological mother looked at her biological baby and said to her that YOU were her momma is priceless!!!!! This story is awesome! Praise God!
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