Three months have passed since Gideon’s birth, and I am now ready and excited to share his Birth Story with you. This post is a long one, but it contains a story that is near and dear to my heart, and I feel led to share it with you. My hope is that this encourages you, no matter what you may be facing in your life.
When I saw those two pink lines on that stick on November 13, 2013, I was filled with one of the greatest joys imaginable. I ran into our bedroom, jumped onto the bed, hugged Jonathan, and told him, “We’re having a baby!” And then he held me as I cried. Tears of happiness mixed with tears of worry. I loved this baby so much already, and I didn’t want to lose him.
Within the four months before the beginning of this pregnancy, we had experienced two miscarriages. Those losses were two of the hardest times of our lives. It is difficult to put into words the kind of grief we experienced (as I know so many who deal with miscarriages do.)
But God had promised us more children. He had promised us that He would turn our mourning into great joy. So, even though my mind wanted to think “Don’t get your hopes up”, I knew that was exactly what God wanted me to do…to get my hopes up. To put my hope in Him and trust Him with this baby.
So that is what we did. I won’t pretend like it was easy. Any time I felt a twinge of pain in my abdomen, tears would fill my eyes and fear threatened to take over. That is when I had to close my eyes, push aside the thoughts of worry and doubt, and whisper, “God, I trust you.” And then allow my heart to be filled with hope, joy, and peace again.
When I was 8 weeks pregnant and we went to our first OB appointment, it was amazing to see our baby on that ultrasound screen and to see that heartbeat. This was farther than we had made it with our last two pregnancies. And our precious baby was looking so healthy. I sighed a deep sigh of relief.
In the weeks and then months that followed, I had to continue trusting God. At our 16 week appointment, we were surprised to find out early that we were having a boy! We had felt all along that this was another boy, and it was wonderful to finally be able to call him by name…our precious Gideon James.
When I reached 18 weeks in this pregnancy, my trust was tried more than ever. I started having contractions. Not just the normal Braxton Hicks contractions that you expect at this point in pregnancy, but very painful ones…and a lot of them close together…every day. We were dealing with some difficult situations as a family at this time, and my doctor told me she believed the contractions were brought on because of the stress associated with this. I needed to relax and rest…and trust God.
For the remaining 5 months, there were multiple trips to the doctor, many weeks of bed rest, a lot of tests and monitoring, and numerous contractions. It was scary. There were days I just spent crying because of the pain and the uncertainty. But in the midst of it all, I felt God there saying, “I am with you. I’ve got this.” And so I continued to hope and trust.
Even though I was having contractions nearly non-stop for months, our baby continued to be healthy. I was healthy. This pregnancy was a healthy one. And for that, I was so thankful.
On June 25th, things started to get crazier. The contractions got even stronger, and got to be about 2-3 minutes apart for a long time. We went to the hospital. They admitted me, and then tried to slow the contractions down. I was only 35 weeks along, and they really wanted him to stay in there until at least 37 weeks. They gave me some medicine through an IV, the contractions slowed to 10 minutes apart, and I was sent home.
Contractions continued to be close together, I went in to the doctor’s office a couple times in the following days for monitoring, but I wasn’t progressing fast enough to be admitted. On June 29th (Liam’s 2nd Birthday!), the contractions got extremely painful, and again, they were 2-3 minutes apart. Back to the hospital we went! (Thankfully, we had celebrated Liam’s Birthday the day before). I had progressed more, so they wanted to keep me overnight for monitoring. These contractions were very painful. They were the worst I had experienced yet, and really felt like it could be time for him to come. They told me that it was very likely that I would have to have a c-section that night, because Gideon was still in the breech position. I was given some pain medication so that I could try and rest, but the contractions were so strong that I still felt them all night long. However, by morning, the contractions (although still painful), had eased up and were now only 10 minutes apart again. I was then sent home to continue to wait things out.
In the 11 days that followed, contractions continued. They normally stayed about 5 minutes apart (and many times even closer), but never got further than 10 minutes apart. The intensity would vary from uncomfortable ramping up to very painful. We made many more trips to the doctor’s for monitoring, and although I was still in these early stages of labor, it wasn’t time for Gideon to come yet.
I began to feel like he was never going to come. The uncertainty of “Is he coming now? How about now? No? Now?” really wore on me. But again, I was reminded…Trust God. He’s got this. Gideon will come in the perfect time. Don’t worry.
On July 10th, after being monitored for more painful and very close together contractions, I saw my doctor again…and she said that it was time. I was at 4cm and was progressing at a faster rate now. Gideon was measuring large, and didn’t have much space (or amniotic fluid) in order to turn from his breech position, so we needed to have a c-section. We went ahead and scheduled it for early the next morning, and the doctor sent me home to hopefully get some rest before the big day…with instructions to come in before that if things got more severe.
I left that appointment on cloud 9! I was SO excited to finally meet our boy the next day.
We went home that night filled with excited anticipation. I was still having contractions, but it felt easier because there was an end in sight. My dear friend, Cyndi, picked up Liam to stay with them that night and the following day. That way, my Mom (who was visiting) could be with us at the hospital for the birth. We ate dinner, got everything ready to go for the morning (although it didn’t take long because our bags had been packed for months anyways), and Jonathan went and got us Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for dessert (I had Peanut Butter Cup Yum!!). I went to bed at 8, and got several hours of good sleep. I woke up at 2am because my contractions were very painful again, and about 4 minutes apart.
My waking thought was of the promise that God had given us all through the past year:
“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” – Psalm 30:11-12
My eyes welled up with tears, because I knew that today was the day that we would see this promise fulfilled.
At 5am on Friday, July 11th 2014, we loaded our van and drove to Williamson Medical Center here in Franklin, Tennessee. We checked in, and then the nurse brought us to our room. They hooked me up to monitors, an IV, and asked me all the questions they needed answered before surgery. Jonathan then got into his scrubs so that he could be in the Operation Room with me.
The thought of having a c-section made me nervous. It was completely different from what I had experienced before. But I had a peace about it. I knew that God was with us, and would help me every step of the way.
My doctor came in and answered any other questions we had. She was very encouraging and positive and really set my nerves at ease. What a blessing she is! The anesthesiologist nurse came in as well and talked to me some more about what was going to happen.
At about 7:15am it was time to head to the OR! The nurses wheeled me back, and at the door I said goodbye to Jonathan, and he sat right outside in “the black chair” until after my spinal was taken care of.
Once I was in the room, things started to happen pretty quickly. I got onto the operating table, they did my spinal block, I laid down, and they made final preparations for surgery. My lower body was completely numb, but I was very alert and able to move my head and arms. I was so thankful that I would be able to be alert for the entire experience. I didn’t want to miss a thing! There was a curtain up though, so that I couldn’t see the surgery itself taking place. I was very grateful for that. 
As soon as they were ready to start, Jonathan was able to come in and sit right next to me holding my hand. What an exciting and special moment this was! I was smiling ear to ear, excited to meet our little guy so soon.
They started the operation, and within minutes I heard that first cry and my heart leaped for joy! Our Gideon James Zajas was born at 8:04am on July 11th, 2014 weighing 7lbs 10oz and was 20′ inches long. My eyes filled with happy tears as they lifted him up so we could see his face.
They quickly checked his vitals and made sure he was doing well (and he was!), and then they brought him over for me to hold. Words cannot express the kind of joy I experienced when they placed him in my arms for the first time. I loved this child before we even knew he existed, and when I held him it felt like my heart grew in size.
After a few minutes, they needed to finish my surgery and sew me up. So Jonathan went with the nurses as they brought Gideon to the nursery to be evaluated and cleaned up. This was the part of the morning that seemed to take a long time (even though it didn’t). I couldn’t wait to be reunited with my baby again!
Once they were finished, I was brought back to my room where Jonathan met me. And shortly after, Gideon was brought to us. When I held him, I never wanted to let go. What a blessing this boy is. What a great demonstration of God’s love for us. I am so thankful.
I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. We were just soaking in the sweetness of the moment.
My mom, who had been in the waiting room, came in to meet Gideon. What a blessing it was to have her there with us to share in the excitement of the day.
Liam was so excited to meet his baby brother! He had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
The rest of our stay at the hospital was wonderful. We were incredibly blessed by the entire staff at Williamson. They took such wonderful care of us!
Since I had a c-section, our hospital stay was longer (3 nights), so we had a lot of time to rest and enjoy this time with our newest family member. It was a very peaceful time that I am incredibly thankful that we had. When Monday morning came around, we were excited to get home and start settling in as a family of four.
Over three months have passed, and we are more in love than ever! I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. The past fifteen weeks have been filled to overflowing with such love and joy. We had many friends come to visit and bring us meals and gifts, which blessed us greatly. Thank you to everyone who has celebrated with us!
This is such an exciting new chapter in our family’s life, and it has only just begun! We are loving every moment with our precious boy, and cannot wait to see all that God has in store for our little man Gideon.
- I wasn’t able to swallow pills until I was 15 years old…apparently I have a very good gag reflex. Even now, I have difficulty swallowing large pills (especially if they have DHA in them and taste like fish. Blech!). This is where the gummy vitamins come in! I love these things. I discovered them when I was pregnant with Liam, and I’ve never turned back since. (Note: they do not contain iron or calcium, so you will want to take a separate supplement for those).
- Oh my word, I love this thing! This is a new purchase and I’ve only had it a couple of weeks, but it has been a lifesaver. Since I have been having quite a few early contractions this pregnancy, my doctor suggested getting a maternity support belt. I did my research, and most of the maternity supports out there look like torture devices. Except for this one. It is so comfortable, and it helps in many ways! It lifts up my belly so that it doesn’t feel so heavy, eases back and hip pain, and minimizes round ligament pain as well. It is well worth the investment!
- My skin tends to get really dry and itchy during pregnancy, and this lotion helps tremendously with this. It’s also supposed to help prevent stretch marks (and minimize the appearance of existing ones), so that’s cool too. Oh, and it smells yummy, which is a plus!
- I am naturally a back sleeper, so when I first got pregnant and had to switch to sleeping on my side, it was troublesome indeed. My hips started hurting and I kept accidentally rolling over onto my back in the night. It was no bueno. But then I discovered this pregnancy body pillow, and it has helped so very much! There are several different kinds of pregnancy pillows out there, but I really like this one, especially since it allows me to use my normal pillow to lay my head on. So comfy!
- I drink a lot of water. A lot. And whenever I’m pregnant, I drink even more. It is a hassle to refill a normal sized cup a gazillion times a day, so I prefer to have a large (or preferably, giant) tumbler with me wherever you go. Hydration during pregnancy is so important, and having a large tumbler around helps ensure that I get the water I need. I don’t have this venti Starbucks tumbler, but I would love to add it to my collection. (Sidenote: besides getting to bring our precious Gideon home from the hospital, I am also greatly looking forward to bringing home one of those awesome, very large, hospital cups! I used the one I got when I had Liam so much that it wore out. I’m pretty pumped to get a new one! Haha.)
- Have you ever heard of a thing called “pregnancy brain”? It’s a real thing, I promise. (For example, yesterday I almost put the glass cleaner in the fridge. Yikes.) To help with my pregnancy forgetfulness, I got this vitamin organizer. I felt old getting it, but it is very helpful indeed. I like this one specifically, because it has four different time slots in each day case. That way, if you have to take different supplements or medication at different times during the day (such as taking your calcium and iron at different times), you will remember when. Genius! I also really like the pretty colors this case comes in.
