Sean and I are so excited to be able to share the wonderfully made little boy God has entrusted to us, weighing 6 lb 14 oz, and 21 inches long! We welcomed Oliver into this world on 6/24/22, a historical day that Roe VS Wade was overturned; Which was a pretty special day to be born into this world! Today I'm sharing my labor and delivery story, and how God brought full circle redemption from beginning to the end of this pregnancy!

Early labor started for me on Thursday June 23rd, when I was going about my daily routine, and I started timing contractions which were about 5-8 minutes apart all day. I felt as if the contractions were really easy to talk and walk through, so I knew I was still in early labor.

On Thursday evening after dinner, I laid on the couch and felt/heard what sounded like a water balloon popping inside! I knew almost immediately that it was my water breaking, and sure enough it did. When I looked at the color, I also knew something was wrong, when it was meconium stained fluid.

Sean and I called the doctor and he told us to get to the hospital. When we got in the car for an hour long drive, my contractions went from every 5-8 minutes apart to every 2-3 minutes, and they were intense!

When we arrived at the hospital, they started monitoring the baby, and he looked great, to which I was thankful he wasn't showing any signs of distress with meconium. They started an epidural, and I was 3 centimeters dilated. My doctor said since it was my second baby, it should go quick, which was what I expected as well.

They checked me about 2 hours later, and I was at 5 cm, so I assumed it would only be another few hours before I was pushing him out! Just a few moments after that however, his heart rate took a huge dip. There were about 5 nurses and doctors that came rushing into my room within moments, and I was changing positions until his heart rate finally came back to normal.

Throughout the next two hours, Oliver's heart rate went from normal, to extremely high, and when they checked my progress again, I remained at a 5, which was when the doctor realized his head was lodged sideways. The doctor knew he needed to be born sooner than later due to his high heart rate (which most likely was attributed to him having a fever from the meconium), and also the fact that he was showing signs of distress. The problem was, because he was coming down sideways, there was little chance that I would progress fast enough to get him out quickly. It was then that the doctor decided for his safety, that I would need to have a c-section.

It was one of the most intense and scary moments to realize you were about to go into a major surgery with little warning or time to process it, in addition to thinking and wondering if your baby was going to be ok. In that moment, I remembered the one thing God spoke to me a few weeks before I was in labor, which was Job 19:25. A simple but profound statement that summed up my entire pregnancy beginning to end- "I know my redeemer lives!"

This scripture reveals the perspective that Job had in his trails. Job lost and suffered much, yet he knew that God would come in His righteousness to restore all that was lost and stolen.

I clung to this scripture and even made it into the wallpaper on my phone as I was in the final days of my pregnancy; Not knowing how my heart would need it when this trial came our way.

It may not make sense how God was my redeemer in a moment when I'm being told I'm going into an emergency C-section, but I knew that this was the promise God gave me; So I clung to the promise that He would be our redeemer from beginning to end, and that He would carry Oliver safely into this world!

On June 24th at 2:15 in the morning, Oliver was delivered by man's hand, but ultimately, delivered safely by the hand of God!

Oliver James was born perfectly healthy despite the many things that came against him in labor, (we both had a slight fever for about an hour after birth, but they both came down to normal quickly). God showed Himself as our mighty redeemer from beginning to end! We are so thankful to now be back at home, enjoying time as a family of four, thanking the Lord for His faithful protection and goodness towards us!

Thank you friends for all of your prayers and encouragement throughout this entire journey! We are so excited to finally be able to share our second miracle baby with you all! xo Katie