...I was 37 weeks pregnant and heading to the perinatal clinic at Northside Hospital in Atlanta every Monday and Thursday to get ultrasounds and to check the baby's heart rate. I hadn't packed my hospital bag yet and could barely move around the house I was so huge! Monday, May 16th my husband and I almost overslept for one of our the last doctor's appointment. The c-section was scheduled for Thursday, May 19th. We jumped up, rushed to get ready, never walked the dogs, and barely made it on time. I had begged the doctors to take her the week before when my fluid levels first dropped; but nevertheless, I was still carrying the princess in my pouch.
In between appointments, I craved burger king and had to go to Target to return baby items. As usual, I was frantic I'd be late for the next doctor... but Darryl was very calm and told me to do whatever I needed before returning to the hospital. (In all actuality, we should have been focused on charging our cell phones in order to make all the necessary calls.)
Finally we made it to the hospital for the NST and the baby's heart beat was low... next came the ultrasound and the fluid was low... actually, there was hardly any fluid.
The doctor said very calmly, "I'm going to page your OB doctor 911."
My husband then replies, "Okay, so you just call us at home once you speak to him."
The doctor then states, "You're not going home... you're going upstairs to have your baby!"
My husband stares blankly and mumbles, "Oh..."
I chime in, "Call and text the family!"
Never do I recall time flying by so quickly. Both of our cell phones had low batteries. We had enough time to send one text to our parents and siblings. My mother had rescheduled her flight to arrive Wednesday, and no other family could get in town that quickly. Then we left a voicemail for my God-sister, Jayna, to meet us at the hospital. It felt like I blinked then ended up in a hospital bed attached to machines. Because of my big lunch at Burger King, the c-section was pushed back to 10:00 pm. Darryl had to run home to pack our bags and make arrangements for the dogs to be cared for. I was so afraid for him to leave me, but he left me in good hands. When he returned, Jayna was keeping me calm, but the epidural needle was being prepared! He got back just in time. It was happening... our parenthood journey was off to a hectic start.
Many know or are familiar with the drill of childbirth. Once the needle began to calm me down, we were taken to operating room #5. In my drugged state of mind I told Darryl, "look baby... 5 is the number for GRACE!" We were then taken to recovery room #8. In my further drugged state of mind I told Darryl, "look baby... 8 is the number for NEW BEGINNINGS!"
Yes, it was a new beginning... she was born at 10:37 pm. By 1:00 am we were in our hospital room just the three of us...our family had begun. We cherished the quiet and the precious moment that was upon us. All the days of rubbing the belly wondering what she'd look like... now she was in our arms. All the days of me wondering if I'd ever get married and have a family.
Nothing in our power brought us to this moment...
Only Grace... God's Grace
