Our Long Awaited Miracle

Here is our story:

Most of you know that 6 years ago I had my tubes tied. At the age of 23, we decided that three children were enough! God has ways of changing hearts though. I can't remember THE day or what changed our minds. I can't even remember who's mind was changed first. But things started changing about four years ago. Once the prayerful decision was made to have more children, money didn't come quite as quickly. We waited for about a year and with the sale of our home was able to pay for the tubal reversal surgery. It was almost to the day 4 years after my tubal ligation.

Stepping out on faith we had this surgery done. There were no guarantees that we would be able to have more children. I am forever partially broken. Praise the Lord! We have a God able to heal! I became pregnant right away, but it ended in an ectopic pregnancy. Again, God protected my body and the ectopic absorbed on its own. But eight months passed with no pregnancies. Finally, September 2007, I had an early miscarriage. I was sad that I miscarried, but excited at the fact that my body was capable of carrying a baby. That an egg could pass through my tubes!

I missed my next cycle and got a positive pregnancy test! I had been secretive about my future pregnancies due to the miscarriage rate, but I immediately told my close friends this time. I wanted prayer coverage!! Nine+ months later I am happy to say that that miracle baby has arrived!

Over the years, we had changed the way we ate and lived. A lot of it started with my son and his allergies, but I had my own set of issues I was trying to resolve. So now I am pregnant and I eat so much more healthy than before. But we also strive for an "all natural" lifestyle. Which led me to desire a drug-free birth.

Now my previous birthing experiences were anything but natural. My first was induced and then c-section. My second and third were both on pitocin and an epidural. So to avoid this scenario again, we decided to have this baby at home.

We studied and took Bradley Childbirth Classes. We practiced and prayed and prepared. Then we waited . . . and waited . . . and waited for that magic day. Finally one night I woke up with contractions. Could this be it? I started timing them. They were 15 minutes apart and then 10 minutes apart. I called my midwife to let her know. Then my husband woke up. Then the kids woke up. And the contractions ceased. Bummer.

About 3:00 that afternoon, they picked up again. Ten minutes apart all afternoon and into the night, but I was able to get some sleep. But by 5:00am I couldn't sleep through them anymore. We got up and started to prepare for the baby. I called my midwife and gave her an update. The day went by and the contractions grew a little stronger and were about 5 minutes apart. But they were still bearable. I would just breath through one and then go about my business until the next.

I was getting a little exhausted, so I laid down to watch television. And that next contraction was different! I got down on all fours and did my best to breath through that one. I felt like I needed to push and these contractions were on top of each other! My husband called the midwife and she headed our way. By the time she got there (10 minutes later), I was on my bed on all fours, hugging all my pillows.

45 minutes later and lots of screaming, out came Sprout. Because it hurt too much to move during a contraction and they were all on top of each other, I stayed in my all four position. Which led to Sprout being born with me on my knees. Next time, labor where I intend to deliver!

But she is here! And drug-free! Six pounds, twelve ounces. 19 3/4 inches long. Here are some pictures to fill your fancy!

Proud Papa!


Admiring Siblings.


Sleeping Babe.

Tooter with Sprout.

Short Stuff with Sprout.

Short Stuff with our Midwife.



My four Monkeys!

My midwife with Sprout.

Little Man with Sprout. He is so proud of his baby sister. He can't remember her name half the time so he just calls her baby sister.



* Our lives have moved over to www.allthingsgranola.com. You can read the birth story of our second reversal baby at http://www.allthingsgranola.com/a-new-life/.