Selah’s Birth
I have written down the story of each child’s birth. Here is the third and final installment! Let me begin by saying the months before Selah’s birth flew by in some ways and dragged along slowly in others. I was busy working preparing for three months of maternity leave from work, but I finished Selah’s room at least 2 months before she was born. I even had the diaper bag packed for the hospital a month early, then finally took it apart because I didn’t want things to get “dusty”. Oh yes, my reasoning was bizarre- but I am just telling like it is!
Because we had so much drama with awaiting Josiah’s arrival (2 weeks of thinking “today’s the day!”), I kept telling myself, I do not know the time or the hour, hey that’s just like Jesus’ return! Nevertheless, a month before she was born the braxton hicks contractions were coming regularly, and I was convinced yet again of an early arriving newborn. Alas, I was wrong- AGAIN.
My last day of work was February 28, which drug on to March 3 since there was no child, but I refused to work on March 4, because I didn’t want to deal with anymore looks of pity from all the people I had told- “any day now!”, plus it was my due date… so I went into hiding. By the weekend before her birth, we were walking Discovery Park daily. We invited my parents up for the weekend in case she was born, and so my dad could drop mom off for the week. I only had her until Sunday so we desperately hoped our baby girl would arrive soon so we could maximize Nana’s help!
No weekend baby. But finally, on the morning of Tuesday March 8, I was convinced that this was the day. The contractions seemed to change a bit and though they weren’t strong, I was certain that by mid-day our baby would be born. But by noon, contractions were not doing anything. I kept saying, “I just want to feel pain” (oh, how naive of me!). At 2:30, I sat down in front of a napping Corey (I made him stay home because I hadn’t been feeling well that morning), and asked him what I should do. I didn’t have an appointment scheduled until thursday. He said- “just call”. It was the absolute perfect thing to say. My midwife just happen to be wrapping up things for the day and was going home. She told me to come on over. By 3:30 I was getting checked and discovered that indeed I was dilated to 4, but I didn’t have any contractions to show for it. As we sat a redlight infront of Ballard Highschool I got hit with a strong contraction and my back felt like it was lit on fire the pain was so strong. Yep this is it I thought. I am finally going to have this baby!
We went home and prepared to go to the hospital. Called the auntie/babysitter (who arrived so quick thankfully!), fed the kids an early dinner, and timed contractions. 10 minutes turned to 9, 8, 7 6, 5, but up and down. The back labor was intense but between contractions was like a breath of fresh air so I would get up and move around, talk to the kids and laugh with the family.
Ezra was curious about what was happening so he sat in Selah’s room with me through one contraction. That was where I labored. The house would be noisy and full of life, then I would run into her room for a contraction and the house would go quiet, then roar back to life when I looked up and walked out of the room. It was kind of comical.
We probably got to the hospital around 7/7:30 thinking that Selah would arrive any second. I was so ready for a lightening fast delivery that the next 2 hours drug by so slowly. Finally, she came out so fast that she just barely made it into the midwife’s arms and then fell onto the bed. We were expecting another big baby (like Jo), so it was a surprise to feel a “lightweight” in my arms. She felt so tiny! She was 8 pounds even (not small for many of you I know) 20 inches born at exactly 10pm…even all the way around. I wonder if this is a foreshadow of precision and type A-ness? definitely a mother’s gene.
Even after having three, I was still in shock that she was actually there in my arms after I had been waiting for “so long” (we all say that don’t we?). I kept saying, “I can’t believe she’s here!” over and over, until my mom interrupted me and said, “tell us her name already!”
“Selah Katelynn” we said proudly. Katelynn was our compromise for me being from a long line of Kathryns. Lynn is my mother’s middle name. Though she hated waiting to find out the name of our child…I think it was worth the wait 
We love our new addition. She is the perfect fit.
Here’s the link to a time-lapse video Corey did of her birth: http://video214.com/play/t9d6zsCznDKOSqtdXJPfDQ/s/dark
