Wesley's Birth Story - Part 2

Click here to read Part 1.

On April 6th, the day after Wesley's due date, I went in for my regularly scheduled appointment and sat down for my stress test.  I remember the nurse coming in to check on the stress test several times with a concerned look in her eye.  Once I had documented the required number of movements, she took the test and went to talk to my doctor.  When he came in, he informed me that he wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure that I had enough amniotic fluid.  He was concerned because while Wesley was moving enough, and his heart rate was going up with his movements, his resting heart rate was too low.  They wanted to see resting heart rates no lower than 120, and his was at 110.  The ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid was fine, but my doctor was still concerned about Wesley's heart rate.  He decided we needed to induce labor that day.

So I called Mike, called our babysitters, and went to get everything packed for the big trip to the hospital.  I reviewed the verse I had picked out to meditate on during labor and delivery: "Fear not, for I am with you. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.  Little did I know how desperately I would cling to that verse in the hours ahead and then in the months and years to come.

Upon arriving at the hospital, IVs were placed, and the Pitocin drip was started.  Within half an hour, Wesley's heart rate plummeted.  Nurses and doctors were everywhere and I was given a shot of something which brought his heart rate back up.  In the midst of all the chaos, the anesthesiologist came in and explained to me that at any moment they might need to rush me in for an emergency c-section.  I will never forget the overwhelming fear that gripped me.  I might lose my baby.  What if Wesley didn't make it through the delivery?  Through all those fears, I heard God's still small voice whispering to my heart, "Fear not, Elisabeth.  I am with you even now.  I will give you the strength to walk down the path I have ordained for you.  I will help you through this.  I am upholding and will continue to uphold you with my righteous right hand.  I will never let you go."

After the big scare, the Pitocin drip was stopped for an hour as we all watched and waited to see how Wesley would respond.  Once he had stabilized, the Pitocin drip was started again, but this time at the lowest dose possible.  My contractions were ten minutes apart, not very painful, and progression was occurring at an alarmingly slow rate.  To no avail, my doctor attempted to break my water in order to jump start labor.  Amazingly, though, my water broke on its own several hours later.  At this point, the nurses noticed meconium and called in a Neonatalogist to be in the room at Wesley's birth in case of aspiration.

Pitocin was still necessary to the very end, but after that things started moving at a more rapid pace, the contractions increased in strength, and I decided to get an epidural (both for pain and also in preparation for the possible c-section).  A little while later, Wesley's heart rate dropped again, the nurses and doctors rushed in again, and this time I don't remember what happened.  All I know is that his heart rate came back up again and the decision was made to wait on the c-section.

While other things are blurry, I will never forget Wesley's delivery.  Wesley came out, and he wasn't crying.  He was rushed over to the Neonatalogist who began working on him at once. Unlike with Zach, Mike was not permitted to take pictures as the doctor and nurses surrounded him, suctioning out his mouth and nose and giving him oxygen.  I remember trying to see him from across the room, seeing the fear in Mike's eyes, and wondering why he wasn't crying.  As fear again filled my heart, God again whispered to me, "Fear not, Elisabeth.  I am still with you.  I will uphold you.  I will never leave you or forsake you."

It was then that we saw another instance of the amazing grace of God.  We found out that I had the beginnings of a placenta abruption that had gone unnoticed until delivery.  So, it was vital that a neonatalogist be there to care for Wesley, but he never would have been there if not for the meconium (which Wesley never aspirated).  When I think back to this, I am amazed at how God orchestrated every detail of Wesley's birth and provided for his every need even before we knew he needed it.

Click here to read Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.