A Peaceful Birth - The Arrival of Baby AJ

Amos James "AJ" Baldwin was born on
December 6, 2015 at 1:20am.
8lbs. 12oz. and 21 1/2 inches long!

It has been two years and four months since our last home birth, and I am SO happy to get to share another wonderful experience with you!

~~~~~

God answered our prayers for another quick, complication-free home birth. He orchestrated the timing and all. Labor lasted just under 4 1/2 hours and everything fell into place so well.

Here is how our day and night went:

December 5th - We ran some errands as a family. A trip to a local thrift store for a bouncy seat and to drop off donations that were filling up the back of my van, lunch at Chick-Fil-A (my favorite!) and a stop at Kroger for last minute groceries (even though I had been trying to be as prepared as possible for baby's arrival every day for the past 2 weeks!). We stopped at the park to let our three kids run and play before heading home and after about 40 minutes or so, I felt the need to be home... to be ready for birth. A God-placed instinct I'm sure.

After returning home I had all the kids lay down to nap. I laid down with our 2-year-old but couldn't really sleep. I would have an occasional Braxton Hicks or need to use the restroom. The room got too warm with the afternoon sun coming in the windows, so I opened the window to let cooler air in and the roosters in our backyard wouldn't quit crowing! Goodness! By about 3:30pm I gave up and got up. I cleaned the restrooms (hoping it was one last time before giving birth) and picked up the house in general.

At dinner time I didn't feel very hungry but knew that I needed some protein. I prepared a tasty orange/banana smoothie with almond milk, raw egg whites, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and some flax meal. I even included some honey, because I was sharing with my husband who didn't feel like eating anything heavy either but prefers his smoothies a bit sweeter. In my heart I felt like I may give birth very soon.

I was cleaning up after dinner and felt a significant contraction, it was about 6:45pm. I took note of the time and the one that followed was about 8 minutes later. I kept track of them for about 30 minutes as I walked around the house. They stayed consistent at 8 to 10 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute each. I was becoming short with my children and realized that it was time for them to go to their grandparents' home (around the corner from us) for a sleepover. Their bag was packed and I had my husband call his parents to come get them as I prepared last minute details before labor really began.

After our three kids were picked up, I contacted our midwife and her intern to let them know what was happening. I didn't ask them to head our way yet, but would keep them posted.

By 8pm things had slowed down so I decided to sit on my birth ball for a while. I had a couple more surges but they were farther apart. I was feeling tired so I laid down to rest a while and see if they would pick up again later.

 

 Resting between surges, staying focused and relaxed.

Around 9 pm I was using the restroom and I felt AJ wiggle way down low, he was very active that evening. He was getting ready to enter this world! The contractions picked back up strongly then. They remained around 5 minutes apart and lasted 1 to 1 1/2 minutes each. We let our midwife team know that they were welcome to come get set up, as things were moving forward!

It's always an exciting, yet a bit scary, time knowing that labor is really present and your baby is arriving soon! It's a fight between faith and fear. Which will win? During this birth, like my others yet even MORE so, I felt God's great presence and peace in my home and heart.

The verses that my husband and I were trusting in and leaning on this delivery were:

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the [woman] who trusts in Him!"

Psalm 34:8

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

James 1:17 

 (How fitting, as his middle name is James :o)

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you."

Isaiah 46:3-4

These were playing over and over in my head as I let my body lead the way to bring forth my son. I would say out loud, "Thank you God for this gift!", "Our gift is coming soon!", "Deliver me, God!". These words, coming from my heart and into my ears, increased my faith, even when I felt weak or tired.

Middle of the night birth, or any birth, is no time to be tired and weak, and God truly strengthened my mind and body and those around me. He is faithful!

~~~~~

From the time the midwives arrived (around 11pm) to the time AJ was born the surges continued to grow in intensity. I felt the urge to push a little here and there and even had three or more good surges on the toilet, as he descended even more! After that work out I was ready to lay down again.

I began to shake and become queezy. I vomited into a bowl and felt better, ready to get this over with! A paper towel with some peppermint essential oil on it refreshed me and I was ready to continue.

Soon my water broke and I continued to enjoy the rests between the surges and push when my body wanted to.

I felt empowered to push when my body lead after my midwife told me I could. I really rely on the encouragement of those around me during labor, especially towards the end. I need to HEAR that I can do it, that the baby is almost here and to push when I feel like it. It really helps me KNOW I can do it!

The pushing started and didn't stop until AJ was fully out. This birth was different, in that I got to watch my son come out! His head emerged first and he just hung out there. I yelled, "Get this baby OUT!". I was encouraged to push some more. Then his torso came out. I reached down and felt his head and told him to come out! My husband was saying, "Push honey! Push!". I yelled back, "I AM PUSHING!!!!". Next came his legs and he was free! Daddy helped catch him and place him on my tummy. It was a victorious moment, filled with relief!

Here are some pictures to help tell the story

 

AJ's arrival into Daddy's arms.

Great joy and relief... our son had arrived!

All smiles just minutes after birth.

Soaking up his sweet gaze.

 Getting clean and cozy with momma. 

Newborn exam time!

So thankful for our midwife Amy and our midwife intern Bethany. 

They are both sweet blessings and such gentle souls.

Cuddling our boy... ready to rest for the night.

Sunday morning, around 9am, AJ's siblings joined us to welcome him into our family. They were all very excited to hold him and check him out!

 

Moriah (age 6) loving on her newest brother. 

She is already asking for a sister next time around  :o)

 All of our sweet boys - Josiah (age 5), Andrew (age 2) and AJ. Quite a trio!

Everyone who needed to be there arrived in plenty of time: my midwife, two interns and my mother-in-law who picked up our other kids. My own mother was here the entire time, praying and helping as she could. What a joyous day!

God orchestrated the entire event, He is so faithful and trustworthy! He

Blessings to you from this thankful momma,

Megan


PS - A big thank you to Amy for the birth pictures! What a treasure! 
 

40 Weeks + 2 Days... He is HERE!

I'd like to introduce to you, dear friends, my NEW SON!

 

Andrew L. Baldwin, born on August 27, 2013 at 8:46pm.
9 lbs., 2oz. and 21 1/2 inches long!

 

God answered our prayers for a quick, complication-free homebirth. God is so good! True, active labor and delivery lasted 2 1/2 hours! And this was my biggest baby so far.

My first consistent contractions began around 4:30pm. By the time my midwife arrived, checked my vitals and my cervix, I was dilated to 4 cm - around 6:30pm. Then the fun began.

I will let the pictures do the talking....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Everyone who needed to be there arrived in plenty of time: my midwife, two interns, my friend who took the photographs and my mother-in-law who picked up our other two kids.

God orchestrated the entire event, He is so faithful and trustworthy!

My midwife, Amy, said that Andrew's head size was larger than average (14 3/4") AND his left hand was up against his head when he was born. Even so, I experience no tearing! What a blessing!

I'm enjoying the day in bed with my baby boy - he is a pro-nurser and is opening his eyes to look around often. Such a sweetie!

Blessings to you from this thankful momma,

 
 

40 Weeks + 1 Day

Why is it that after your "due date" time seems to slow down to a steady crawl?

Last night I had steady contractions for an hour or so and then they let up. Well, okay baby boy, you can stay in a little bit longer but not much. We are ready to see you!

This time around there is no crib, no changing table, no baby monitor, no baby burrito wrap thing... this time is different. I'm different. I know how I mother and what suites me and my family. I feel confident and encouraged.

The pie chart below is 50% true. My mother is staying with us right now while my father is in Oregon on business, so she will definitely know when labor begins... and ends  :o)

via

 



Thoughts of my water breaking while at the mall yesterday and the park today crossed my mind. Although it has never broken before the end of labor before. Crazy prego fears.

So many thoughts are going through my head, yet I'm determined to stay positive, focused, as relaxed as possible and full of faith. Fear has NO place here and must GO!!!!

I look forward to posting on the birth of my son very soon!

Blessings,






Here are a few pics of some family fun we have had over the past few days. These memories are some of my favorites - right before our family expands :o)



A Cracker Barrel Breakfast with Grammy. What a treat!

Here Mo and Daddy play a game... that neither of them know the name of or rules for.

Checkers with my boy. All he wanted to do was to stack them.

 

Our family of four... for only a little while longer!

 

My girl on the go at the park! She is learning to master the art of riding her bike!



A "Stache" Baby Shower

After experiencing my first miscarriage a little over a year ago, I'm excited to be so very pregnant and to feel my sweet baby move and wiggle - day and night! God is so good to restore what has been lost in our lives.

I didn't expect such a lovely shower for baby #3. We have what we need for another baby - boy or girl. But I have the very sweetest, most thoughtful friends and they wouldn't let the opportunity pass to celebrate this little gift from God.

Here's what they did to honor me and our soon-coming baby boy...

We celebrated with such tasty snacks, homemade decorations, and fun props. It was a blast!

My friend Valerie made the decorations by hand for her son's second birthday and got to use them to make my shower so very lovely! If you want to see more of her handiwork, stop by her Etsy shop - Creative Avenue 7. She makes the sweetest onsies for boys and girls, as well as beautiful hair things and necklaces for girls.

The beautiful hostesses - Val & Deanna

We played a few funs games...

Enjoyed a sweet photo booth...

And to top it all off, my daughter was dressed up with every sticky mustache available by our neighbor's daughters. We laughed till we cried!

This is how it all started.

 

Then she "drank my coffee" and grew hair on her chest  :o)

 

The end product... a hairy, silly girl!

 

We are blessed in so many ways... most of all our dear friends and family who care for us. God is so good! It was such a joy to have my mom and my mother-in-law at the shower. This was a first at any baby shower of mine!

Only 4 1/2 weeks left until this baby arrives... the nesting has begun!

Have a blessed week,

Joy Comes in the Morning!

Just two weeks ago I walked through a dark valley. I experienced miscarriage firsthand.

My heart was broken, my hope for a new little life was gone.

Through it all, I held on the Jesus. Truer yet, He held onto me.

O, the little joys of life!

I couldn't help but cry out, "Enlarge my heart!" I didn't want to walk through this experience unchanged, unmoved. And after talking to a few friends who have been down the road of miscarriage before, it's possible to harden your heart. To not want to feel the pain, or maybe just not realize the loss of a life.

Through it all, through all the emotions, questions and concerns, the Lord was with me. He held my hand and my heart. He was my strong tower, and continues to be. He alone is faithful!


So today, I have a praise report to share!

His healing is here!

"O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me."

Psalm 30:2

His joy is here!

"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning."

Psalm 30:5

Dancing and gladness are here!

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,"

Psalm 30:11

My Shepherd is near!

He has sustained and cared for me,

even in the valley.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

Psalm 23:4

I'm holding my little ones close and counting my blessings today! I'm expecting a double blessing for what the enemy has stolen from us. I'm speaking life over my family today and looking forward to the day that it expands!

Little, white flowers that my children picked for me on one

of the most difficult days in the valley.

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouraging words, and for just crying with me. I heard from so many dear friends that they too have lost sweet babies through miscarriage. Women I would never have imagined have walked through this valley too. They say that time is our friend, time heals. I believe it, and I know that I have a head start because I serve an awesome God!


Have a blessed week,

Goodbye For Now, Sweet Baby

           Sweet sister with her baby brother... we are blessed indeed.

I sit here... in "The Chair" and sob. My gut aches and my heart is heavy.

This is my third pregnancy. I am so very blessed by my two little ones but this third will be greatly missed. Smiles unseen, laughter unheard, until that day... that blessed day when I enter heaven's gates and meet my little one.

I am only about 6 to 7 weeks along, still to early to detect much from a sonogram. And even though I never heard a heartbeat or saw the little one it is still my baby - a precious gift from God.

My babies having fun with Daddy on the 4th of July!

My three-year-old was so very happy to welcome another baby into our family. When I told her yesterday, after returning from a visit with our midwife, that our baby wasn't going to be born, that it had died, she said, "Oh, that's so sad. Are you ready to go outside and play?" To have the heart of a child... able to take information in and feel emotion and then move on to the next thing.


Me... I am dwelling. I'm dwelling in the pain. Not that I want to sit around a sulk, but I want to live in the moment. I want to learn and grow from this experience, not shut my heart off to the feelings or harden my emotions. I want to be soft, moldable, teachable.


I believe with all my heart that the Lord will bless us with more children one day, but today I remember this one. This child that He created and loves. This baby that He blessed us with for a very short time. This baby counts. This baby is loved too.


And now to tell the world, all our friends and family that we aren't expecting anymore. It's something I dread. Even so, I pray that my life will be a testimony of God's goodness and love. That by my openness and transparency, many would be drawn to Christ. Even in pain the Lord is near... He is near to the broken-hearted.

Yes... we still are.

Here are a few verses that I'm clinging to now:

(I inserted my name to make it more personal)

"Because Megan has set her love upon Me,

Therefore I will deliver her;

I will set her on high, because she has known My name.

She shall call upon Me, and I will answer her;

I will be with her in trouble;

I will deliver her and honor her,

With long life I will satisfy her,

And show her My salvation."

Psalm 91:14-16

All of Psalm 34 is encouraging, but these verses are mine today:

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit."

Psalm 34:17and18

I searched the Psalms and complied a list, straight from the Word,

of what the Lord is to me.

He is:

• My support
• My shield
• My Shepherd
• My comforter
• The strength of my life
• Good
• My deliverer
• My provider
• My help
• My guide
• My place of rest
• My hope

"My beloved is mine, and I am his."

Song of Sol. 2:16

Resting in His tender mercies,