In honor of Harper turning 6 months old this week, I thought I'd spend a few posts sharing a little of what life has been like in the Throneberry household for the last few months.
On August 29, Barry had a speaking engagement in Cleveland, TN. So, around noon that day, we headed out thinking it was just another week. We had made plans to stay with my wonderful in-laws that night to divide our drive back home a little. At almost 35 weeks along in my pregnancy, I was very thankful for that decision! The drive to Cleveland was long and quite uncomfortable. It seemed like Harper was rolling over every hour or so right onto my bladder! I could not get comfortable in the car at all! We finally made it to Cleveland; Barry did a wonderful job speaking; we visited with our friends Stephen and Kaycee for a bit; and then we headed back to Middle Tennessee. That night, I remember waking up more often than I had been...which at that point in my life meant I woke up every hour, rather than every two hours! I decided I had just reached that point in pregnancy where I was just going to be uncomfortable from then on out. Up to this point, I had experienced a relatively easy pregnancy. My morning sickness was fairly mild, especially when I compared it to that of some of my closest friends and family! I really had nothing about which to complain!
August 30, 2010, will be a day we will always remember! We woke up that morning and had a wonderful breakfast with Barry's parents before heading home to a pretty normal Thursday.
We were scheduled to have an ultrasound and weekly check-up with our doctor that afternoon, and we were planning on having a quiet, relaxing weekend. After the ultrasound where we saw our beautiful girl, we sat and joked about what it would be like if the doc said Harper was going to come early. We had decided it would be the perfect weekend for future birthday parties because of Labor Day. We laughed about what it would be like to call our families and tell them Harper was coming early...we thought there was NO way it would actually happen! Let's be honest...I had had a few Braxton Hicks contractions...few and far between...but that was it!! Or so I thought...
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| This was the last picture taken of us as a couple before becoming parents! We were standing outside Barry's parents' house about to head home to our doctor's appointment! |
The doctor started asking me questions about contractions and how I was feeling and if I had experienced any unusual pain. When I told her I hadn't felt any real contractions, she was floored! Apparently, I was dilated to a 5...half way to where I needed to be to deliver! Wait, what!??!! With strict instructions to not make any stops between the doctor's office and the hospital, Barry and I headed to the ER. My doctor wanted to admit me for observation with the understanding that if the baby did not come that night I would be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy.
Unsure of how to feel/what to think at this point, we arrived at the hospital and got settled into the room we would be in for the night. My wonderful husband pulled me into a hug and said a prayer for us before the nurse returned, and we waited... As we started watching the machines, I realized I had probably been having contractions since the day before! All those times I thought Harper was punching my bladder...the pain in the middle of the night...all contractions! They just didn't feel like my abdomen was contracting because I had too much fluid! As soon as the doctor finished with her scheduled patients that afternoon, she came to the hospital and gave us the news: HARPER WAS GOING TO BE AN AUGUST BABY! She told us that, based on the amount of fluid I had, the fact that Harper had not dropped at all, some of the monitor readings each time I had a contraction, and the fact that I was already dilated to 5 cm, she was worried that if we went home and waited, something much worse that a possible NICU stay could happen.
Pitocin was started and phone calls were made. We were having a baby! After only about an hour and a half, I had progressed to a 7! I was feeling pretty good at this point. I really wanted to go without an epidural. (My original plan was no epidural unless for some reason labor needed to be induced and pitocin was administered...game changer!) I was up walking and visiting with my mom and husband; we watched some football; and we laughed...a lot! Every hour or so, our sweet nurse came in and checked on me and pushed a few buttons to increase the pitocin. Eventually, the contractions started becoming more uncomfortable. Not so painful that I couldn't handle it though. Honestly, the most pain I felt for a long time was the penicillin that was pumped into my arm every 4 hours! It felt like my arm was on fire!
There was a slight problem...the pitocin was increased to the highest possible level, contractions were coming so quickly I couldn't catch my breath, it was 3:30 AM, and I was still stuck at a 7! I realized I would be receiving another round of fire in my arm and was feeling really dejected because of the lack of progress at the point. I had been awake for almost 20 hours with very little sleep before then, and I was exhausted. With a tear rolling down my face, I decided it was time for an epidural. I don't know who was more shocked: my sweet husband or our wonderful nurse. Both were very sweet to ask me if I was sure this was what I wanted. As much as I wanted to continue without, at this point, I knew I needed sleep more that the ability to say that I did it all naturally! I also knew that with exhaustion setting in, it would be much more difficult to handle the pain of the rapidly coming contractions combined with another round of penicillin in my arm. Within 30 minutes of receiving the epidural, I was able to fall asleep! Glorious Sleep!
Around 6:30 am, the doctor came in to check on my progress. I think at this point, I may have progressed to an 8, but the doctor was getting worried that Harper wasn't here yet and decided that we would have to have a Ceserean if something didn't happen quickly. She gave us until 8:00 AM...Harper must have been really listening, because when the doctor came back at 8:00, we were ready to go! By 8:21 AM, Harper had made her grand entrance!
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| Harper Elizabeth 5 lbs 14 oz, 18.5 in |
To say she changed our plans would be an understatement! We thought we had a few more weeks of planning before we entered the world of parenthood. We thought we would have time for a mini-vacation as a family of 2 before Harper came. I even had a haircut and a mani/pedi scheduled for a few days before Harper's due date. We had plans. You know what the awesome thing is? As scary as it was to have Harper come before she was really finished cooking, looking into her eyes 5 weeks early was such a beautiful treat! We were blessed with 5 extra weeks of loving on our incredible baby girl!
This sudden change in MY plans got me to thinking...sometimes we are so busy making our own plans of what our lives are going to be like, that we forget to look for the blessings God has planned for us! I may not always understand the path on which He leads me. Sometimes I will have to endure pain. Sometimes I will not get my way. What a great thing it is know know that if I continue to follow His will for my life, the blessings of His eternal reward for me will outshine anything I could imagine for myself!
Luke 1:46-55
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“My soul [a]exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His [b]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is [c]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “He has done [d]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [e]thoughts of their heart.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His [b]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is [c]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “He has done [d]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [e]thoughts of their heart.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[f]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his [g]descendants forever.”
I've included the Magnificat from Luke chapter 1. I'm not trying to compare myself to Mary in any way; rather, I'm borrowing her words of praise to the Lord. At a time when Mary's life was being turned upside down in many ways, she set the example to praise the Lord for all He does for us! In the future, I pray that I can follow her example more often in my life!
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