Henry Abel
June 13, 2:16am we welcomed our son Henry Abel into the world. It was the most peaceful, perfect birth. I’ve never felt closer to God and more in tune with my body in my entire life. I prayed through each contraction and surrendered myself into the labor. It was the most surreal amazing experience and I’m forever changed from his birth.
Henry’s birth story part 1:
It was Friday morning and I started getting contractions again that I could time. This wasn’t anything new as I had false labor so many times leading up to then. They started around 9:30am in the morning and around 11am started becoming around 6-10 minutes apart. My sister in law and her kids came to play and she suggested taking the kids back with her. She lives right across from my parents so it worked out for everyone to help. Our family lives 45 minutes to a hour away so it was so convenient that she was here and I didn’t have to wait for someone to come get them when things really started. They lasted til around 3:45 but just were not getting closer or stronger. I went back and fourth if she should take them. We had people lined up for Friday night and Saturday night with the kids but I honestly was so stressed to send them away and then nothing happened. After the kids left things basically stopped. I honestly think my stress about to send them with her or not killed them. I did get an amazing night of sleep though!! Saturday morning came and nothing was happening. The kids were gone I cleaned up the house and basically sat around and stressed all day nothing was happening while people had the kids 😂🤦🏻♀️ around 5:30 I looked at Josh and said let’s go out to eat or something, we Might as well enjoy one last date night! While we were at dinner I had some contractions pick up that were stronger. We finished up dinner, headed to the store next to it and walked around and then headed home. We got home and turned on a movie and I sat bouncing on the yoga ball to see if things would pick up. It was 9pm and the animals all needed to be fed and put away so I walked out to do that. As soon as I stepped off our deck I had a super strong contraction. I got all sweaty and had to stop and breathe through it and had that moment of “I think this is it.” This was my last picture I took pregnant headed out for dinner Saturday night ❤️
part 2:
As I walked out to the goats to put them in for the night I stopped again with another strong contraction. Before I could work through them and walk and talk but these last two made me stop and breathe. When I got back inside i got back on the yoga ball to see if they would keep coming. I started timing them and josh instantly asked if he should set the pool up 😂 I told him no I wanted to make sure this was it. I’ve had so many times of “this might be it” texts that I wanted to be positive. After about 20 minutes and each one getting stronger and feeling more hot flashy I knew in my gut it was time. At this point they were around 5 minutes apart. I went from I’m not sure to I knew this was it and our baby was on its way. I started texting everyone on our team and talking to my midwife on the phone. It was just getting dark outside now and I walked outside on our back deck off our bedroom to find josh looking at the sky. It was a perfectly clear night but there was one section of clouds in the middle of the clear sky with the craziest lightning in it. He pointed it out to me and it was the coolest thing ever. It was a little tiny lightning storm right inside a cloud. He sat down on our couch outside and started to tear up. He said he just felt it was time and he couldn’t help but think of his dad who is passed away. It was like a little wink from him up there. Mind you Josh isn’t someone who cries. We both hugged and cried together and finished getting all of the things set up for the birth team. It was a moment I will never forget. Crying and hugging together knowing we were about to find out who this baby of ours was. 😭❤️
part 3:
We came inside after the amazing moment we had on our deck and I worked through contractions timing them while josh set up the pool and filled up all the diffusers. The birth team was all on their way expect the Midwife’s. My midwife told me to call her back when things got to be 3-5 minutes apart (they live pretty close by to me). As soon as I timed a couple I realized they were 5 minutes or less apart so I called her back and told her to head this way. I felt so calm, in control and a peace that I couldn’t explain. My birth music was playing soothing worship music, my diffusers were filling the room with a calm aroma and I sat on the yoga ball and walked around working my way through each contraction. Each one stronger than the last. As soon as I felt myself starting to tense up I kept reminding myself to surrender. One by one our birth team arrived and I just remember feeling so giddy. This was happening. We made it. My body made it. It felt surreal that a baby was about to be born into my arms in our safe place. Our home. With each wave that came getting stronger than the last I closed my eyes and talked to God. Thanking him for allowing my body to make it to this point. Thanking him for this precious gift after loss. Asking him for strength. Asking him for a healthy baby. Thanking him for a body that was strong and capable and made for this. I worked through contractions for a couple hours before I got into the tub. I didn’t want to get in too early and always heard to get in when the pain got too much. With my other two by this point I did not feel calm or in control. I was making lots of Noise and felt panicked. The word peace wouldn’t have been used. But I felt in control. I felt extremely calm. I felt capable. I felt an amazing peace. I was quiet. I felt ready to meet this baby and find out who he or she is.
part 4:
After working through contractions for a couple hours (midwives and team arrived after 11 pm, my first true contraction started at 9pm) I got to the point where I wanted to get into the tub. I waited until I felt like I couldn’t easily work through the pain. I was sitting on the couch and my body started shaking uncontrollably. I knew what this meant. I was close. I used to photograph births and remember mamas going through this (also happened with my other two). It’s typically when that transition period starts. I wrapped up in a huge blanket on our couch. Josh was holding me close and Everyone kept thinking I was cold and I kept telling them I wasn’t and I knew it was because baby was coming soon. I finally decided to get into the tub to work through the next part of labor. That warm water was much welcomed at this point. Things started to feel intense as my contractions started becoming back to back without much if any break between. My doula poured warm water on my back and josh kept putting his head to mine being the best birth partner helping me work through them. His presence is always calming for me and I felt like he was so in tune with me this time. With each wave of contraction I could feel the baby moving and shift down. Getting closer and closer to meeting each other. I felt my body working with my baby. I’ve never been more in tune with my body. I knew exactly what was happening while it was happening in my body. I truly let go and surrendered to each contraction, leaning into it knowing it was one closer to meeting this baby. I was so out of body yet I felt so grounded in that moment. I felt a supernatural peace and calmness that I’ve never felt in birth. The stronger they got the more I prayed for strength. Asking God to bring this baby into the world healthy and safe. Soft music was playing, there was a stillness in the room and I was pressed against josh as we were just minutes away from finding out if this baby was a boy or girl.
part 5:
As the contractions become stronger and stronger and they become consistent without letting up I knew we were so close. I put my hand down there and could feel the sac and his head. My water hadn’t broke at this point and I could feel the sac right there. As I was breathing through surrendering into the waves that kept coming I felt him shift down. At this point I felt his head ready to come out. As I was breathing through the intense pressure my body contracted and started pushing without me doing anything. You know when you are sick and you’ve thrown up a ton and your stomach contracts trying to keep throwing up. It was like that. It was the craziest and coolest feeling. With the next intense wave I felt a huge pop and my water broke as his head came out. I had his head in my hands and I sat holding him for what felt like forever. The last moments of just him and I connected. I asked my midwife if I could pull and she said no. So I sat waiting, holding his head, saying come on baby and breathing calmly waiting for the moment his body would enter this world. My body did one more big contraction and it pushed him out. I started to pull him up to my chest and His cord was around his neck so my midwife unwrapped it. As I was bringing him up to my chest I hear josh yell it’s a boy. I lifted his little leg and saw in fact it was a boy and in my head my first though was, well yeah it’s a boy... I already knew that. It was this peace and contentment that he was here. My body did it. And even though we waited to find out who this baby was it was like our souls had been connected for a lifetime. Like I knew him. He was here and he was perfect. He sat on my chest holding my face and everything in the world stopped as I thanked Jesus for this perfect rainbow baby.