Evelyn’s Birth Story
Monday March 22 I woke up early before my alarm probably around 5am, rolled around in bed a bit and and decided to get up and start the day.
I dove into my Bible Study and then continued to petition God in prayer about a number of different things on my heart. I prayed for peace over the division happening in our world because of the pandemic. I prayed for all the mothers waiting on babies in this current season. I prayed for all the babies that are born in this season that they and their parents are aware of their very important and special timing. I prayed that today be the day I go into labour. “Please Lord let her be ready and let today be the day, don’t make me see my due date come and go on March 24.”
I changed into my workout clothes and hit play on a Beach Body Prenatal Barre Blend workout and listened to a Steven Furtick sermon.
Normally I like to/need to drink a coffee or my Beach Body pre workout before I workout but today I was just filled with the Holy Spirit, a steady calm energy and I didn’t need anything to get me going. I enjoyed a leisurely coffee after my workout while I got Tyler’s lunch ready for work and got myself ready for the day.
The kids and I watched a video on the Easter Story during breakfast and talked about Jesus dying on the cross. We followed this with a science activity and then they went straight outside to play. I worked on laundry at the kitchen table while they played.
My sister Emily text me and asked if we wanted to meet up for a walk and I said yes. We went for our usual walk around Canatara Park and ended with a play on the climber near the animal farm.
We headed home late afternoon for lunch. My mom came by to be with the kids so I could go to my 3:45 OB appointment. My Dr checked my cervix and I was 2 cm dilated. I let her know I would be drinking castor oil when I got home as a last resort to get labour moving. (I drank castor oil on Lizzy’s due date and it put me into labour.)
When I got home around 4:30pm I made a smoothie with castor oil in it. I sat on the back deck with my mom to drink it while the kids played.
I started to feel cramps as the evening went on. If you ever have trouble with bowl movements, castor oil can help. We ate dinner and were just getting into the regular nighttime routine when I started to feel contractions and track them beginning around 8:00pm. We got the kids bathed while I tracked and also got our bags organized because things started to feel like they were progressing. We called the hospital around 9:30pm to review the contractions and they told us to come in and get checked. I went up to the maternity ward by myself first to have my cervix checked by a nurse while Tyler waited in the truck. They decided to have me hang out for an hour to make sure it was real labour before they admitted me. I hung out on the yoga ball, journaled and read through the Bible verses I have been studying to give me strength during labour. The hour passed, they checked me again, Dr. Allen agreed it was real labour and they moved Tyler and I to a delivery room and got us set up. My pain plan was fentanyl and gas. As they got the room ready my contractions started to get more intense and I was anxious to get a little relief from the fentanyl. I found comfort in movement, swaying a little while sitting on the yoga ball facing Tyler and holding his hands.
I put Maverick City Music on.
I kept saying “I trust you Lord”.
One prayer I prayed leading up to my delivery was the request for angel nurses, oh man did God deliver! Among the staff that helped me bring Evelyn into the world the way I had hoped, was a life long friend Ashley Bissonnette. She did ask to make sure I was comfortable having her there and it actually gave me great comfort knowing she was by my side.
Around 12:00am Dr Allen broke my water and the pushing started and the fentanyl stopped. I would take gulps of gas between pushes. While feeling everything is intense I like to know what my body is telling me. When I had an epidural with Luke I was so frozen I didn’t realize when my body was telling me to push. With Elizabeth’s birth and Evelyn’s, I could feel my body telling me to push so intensely it actually would have been more challenging to try and not push.
As I pushed things progressed slow because Evelyn was face up. She was doing great but things were not moving as fast as we hoped. I was getting tired. Around 2:30 the nurses and doctor were discussing options to help me, forceps were out because I didn’t have an epidural so it might be too painful. The doctor tried to move Evelyn with her hands during a contraction but no luck. I needed to push her down a bit more so they could vacuum her head to help her out.
Talk of a c-section was also in the air and for a moment I lost it, I wanted to c-section. I was tired but we all knew how far I had come and Tyler, the nurses and doctor knew they could make my vaginal birth plan a reality so they encouraged me to push through. They forced me to dig deep. I kept telling Tyler to pray, give us a miracle God!
With the support of Tyler, the nurses and doctor I pushed her down far enough for Dr Allen to give me a episiotomy and connect the vacuum. The next few pushes and contractions were so intense I didn’t even know what to do with myself in between them and then she was on my chest.
Relief!
Evelyn Glenna Lapier born March 23 3:15am 7lbs 11oz.
So many prayers answered;
I went into labour mostly naturally.
I went into labour before my due date.
I got to move during most of my labour before my water broke in a way that felt good to me.
God blessed my body with a second vaginal delivery with my body holding together what had once been cut.
God gave me strength and prepared my body for the journey.
Tyler was able to be with me through labour and recovery until we were sent home.
My doctor and nurses were so supportive of my birth plan and helped me make it a reality.
Evelyn is healthy!
Breastfeeding is going well!
God is so good! Here is what I have learned from this journey, I can ask God for anything and trust Him to make a way, His plan is perfect. My body can do immeasurably more than I give it credit for and I should not doubt it’s abilities. I need encouragement sometimes. When I feel like there is nothing left in the tank, I can probably dig a little deeper for a bit more. Sometimes you need to feel the pain to find your way through something, without that pain you might get lost, let it guide you.
Thanks for being here with me on all my journeys but I especially want to thank anyone who has been praying those specific prayers alongside me. I believe in the power of prayer and know that your time and dedication petitioning to God on my behalf, contributed to the experience I had.
With love, faith and purpose for the walk,
Heather
