Miracles happen every day...

I have been telling people from day 1 that our baby would come the end of August. Somehow, I just knew that September 6th (my official due-date) was too far away. As the weeks and months have progressed, I have learned that despite my best made plans, our Heavenly Father is watchful and indeed mindful of us and His plan is far greater.

From the beginning, I have been prayerful and reminded on several occasions that this baby is in His hands. It has been an exercise of faith and growth.
The last few weeks have been particularly hard and uncomfortable. The baby, who was once head down somehow flipped all the way around and found solace right under my rib cage.  I might not have looked "big" but I couldn't sit up straight or bend over without cutting off my air.  This little one is a kicker and a mover and not once in all the ultra sounds would she let us see her little face.  I have one picture of her and that is of her feet.

I have been blessed to have 4 previous vaginal deliveries, 2 with an epidural, 2 without, and wonderful recoveries. Never once would I have imagined that my 5th would come by c-section. But last week's appointment confirmed the inevitable, my placenta was too low to try a version (turning the baby) and my fluid was too low.  Still, I had hope that just maybe, this little gymnast would do just one more flip for me.  I gave her ample opportunity too, just ask Jonathan, who witnessed my upside down  exercise on a  ironing board and who also woke up one morning to see a mysterious light coming from under the covers. I was sleeping with a flash light at the base of my tummy hoping our baby would Go toward the Light.  To no avail. The best she could do was ly completely side ways.
I was scheduled for an appointment next week to check the fluid level and make a plan so my goal was to get through the week.  Thanks to some awesome teenagers in the ward I was able to run some errands and get some rest. After checking things off my list on Friday evening, I sat restless. The only thing left to do was pack my hospital bag and charge my camera and flip video. Since I couldn't sleep and Jon was on-call at the hospital I decided to be productive and  get that done. And like I always do, I had a bowl of cereal and then went to the nursery to sit down in my rocker. I even called Jonathan to say hello before heading back to bed.  You wouldn't believe the timing...after getting off the phone I had a pretty good contraction. I decided to just sit there and see if I had anymore. Sure enough and to my surprise they started coming at an even 3 minutes with some intensity. I texted Jon to come home, which he did pretty quickly. Soon, our neighbor was here to watch the kids and we were off to the hospital. It's always nice to have connections and at the hospital. Dr. Wilford had already called the nurses so they were ready and waiting.   The next 6 hours seemed long and uncomfortable.  They tried to stop my contractions by pumping me full of fluids and giving me Tributaline..  When this failed, my doctor scheduled a c-section for 7 am.  I had surrendered my will. It was time and our baby was on her way.

I have a wonderful husband. He is so tender and kind and knows how to comfort me. There's nothing like that kind of love and comfort and protection. It was so sweet to hear him explain everything to me as the surgery progressed. At 7:29 am our precious Eden Grace was welcomed into our world. It was wonderful to hear her cry and of course see all that hair. Still no red head, but perfect in every way. Because she was considered per-term at 36 weeks the room was full of people there to assist and take care of us. After a quick check, they handed her to her daddy and said that she looked great. What a relief! She weighed 6 pounds and 8 ounces and was 18 inches.

As I look back, I feel so blessed that Eden came when she did. We were told later that there was hardly any fluid in the amniotic sack. Truly, we were being watched over.

Though, this recovery is difficult, I have been very blessed with the love and support to get me through. The blessings far out weigh the sacrifices and I am humbled at the miracle of this baby in
my arms.
Welcome baby Eden Grace Wilford. We love you!