Every baby is a miracle, and the Lord certainly proved that again with Isaac. After Caedmon was born via cesarean, it became my strong desire and prayer to be able to deliver future babies without surgery. The "plan" throughout this pregnancy was to have a TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean) and deliver more naturally. I didn't anticipate any real bumps in the road with this plan, and was more than a little surprised when our Little One didn't decide to make an appearance before our due date - or really make any measurable progress in that direction. As one of my doctors described to me, going post-term was our first "strike" against a TOLAC, since it's not safe to artificially induce (via drugs) following a cesarean.
I had a routine check-up and sonogram that morning, knowing that we would have to make a decision about scheduling a c-section, depending on what my doctor gathered from the sonogram. The estimated weight of our baby was 8 lbs 8 oz - exactly the point at which the baby is considered "large" and not a good candidate for a TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean). Strike two! But, we were shocked to learn that at my appointment I was already dilated to a 4 (I'd been having contractions that morning) and my doctor was willing to give labor a try, since I felt so strongly about that. We grabbed a quick lunch in the cafeteria and checked into the hospital!
After a couple of hours of getting settled, signing paperwork, drawing blood samples and having IVs put in, and feeling significantly stronger contractions, the anesthesiologist came and gave me an epidural - ahh! Daniel and I had a very enjoyable afternoon of discussing names, resting, and getting a few last-minute loose ends tied up while my body did the work of labor. Finally, around seven hours after we checked in, it was time to start pushing! We were so excited to know we would be meeting our baby soon!
Daniel was a great support and encourager during the last phase of labor, and after an hour, little Isaac was ready to make his appearance! What joy - our hearts were bursting! Everyone in the delivery room was surprised by his size - my doctor even commented that she might not have let me go the TOLAC route if she had known how big our boy really was! I guess the Lord just wanted us to see what HE can do, if we give Him the chance!
Like his brother, our little Isaac is truly a miracle and gift from God. His arrival didn't happen the way we expected, but in the end the Lord's plan was better and more amazing than what we planned for ourselves. We are so thankful for these precious boys!
Caedmon is settling in great to his role as big brother. He is curious about Isaac, but willing to leave him alone when we ask him to (naptime). He is working on saying his name, so far it's pretty much just "Ise" but we'll get there. One thing is for certain - his Dada is home right now, and for Caedmon, it doesn't get much better than that. We are basking in the opportunity to spend these precious days at home all together!
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