Owen's delivery began at 6:30 on Wednesday morning with the water breaking and a full day of surprises followed. It was a good lesson for me in not being in control and trusting the Lord with each unexpected twist. My plan was to have a natural birth. My friend Sara was going to help us get into positions to help progress labor and relieve the pain. However, after being in the hospital for just a few short hours I was told that my blood pressure was high (a condition called preeclampsia) and that labor was progressing too slowly. So, the interventions began and I was given an IV for meds to bring down my blood pressure and prevent seizures as well as to being pitocin. God deserves praise for helping me not get too upset about almost all of my "birth plan" being tossed out because of blood pressure. At this point I was pretty drugged up and out of it for the next four or five hours. In the middle of the afternoon I decided to get an epidural since I was confined to the bed and couldn't relieve pain except through breathing exercises. After the epidural I had a lot of energy for which I was thankful. By this point, my parents and sisters had all made it to Des Moines and were in the delivery room with me. This was also unexpected but I ended up enjoying having them be a part of the process. Finally, about 10:45 pm I was dilated to 10 cm and could begin pushing. After about two hours of pushing and trying to get Owen to change his head position, the doctor gave me the option of doing a c-section or using a vacuum suction to get him out. We opted for the vacuum. At this point, it was amazing because Jon, my mom, my sisters and Sara were all actively involved in helping me push... holding legs and everything. It was an awesome experience having them all in there. :) My dad was hiding around the corner waiting in anticipation! The vacuum was kind of scary because it detached a few times. It eventually worked in getting Owen's head out but then his poor shoulders got stuck and the doctor had to work hard to get them out. My poor baby boy after he came out he had to go on oxygen for four hours - but he handled it like a champ! We decided to name him Owen Reid for a lot of reasons but one was that it means "young warrior" and I have been praying the Owen would one day a warrior for Christ but it also certainly fit how he handled the difficult delivery! Another surprising thing to find out that night was how long and big he was (9 lbs 3 oz and 23 1/4 inches)! The day went completely unexpectedly but I am so thankful that Owen and I are healthy despite the preeclampsia. Please be praying that these next few weeks my blood pressure would stay low and that there would be nothing dangerous that comes as a result of the preeclampsia. Now that Owen is four days old he is doing amazingly well! He is eating well and just loving his family that is in town and all of the friends that have come by to visit. Thank you everyone for your prayers and sending your love!
The delivery room during early afternoon.
My parents waiting patiently. Since Jon was representing the twins my dad just couldn't resist and had to go put on his KU jacket. :)
The crew playing cards right before we were told it was time to start pushing - they even wanting to finish the hand because it seemed so anti-climatic because of how relaxed I was with the epidural.
Owen getting weighed!
My mom, a pediatrician, was given the okay by the OBGYN to jump in there to help stimulate the breathing of her grandson.
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