Rachel's recap of the birth

Nick and the kids have visited the hospital three times today. They only stay for a short period of time because the kids grow antsy.

Nick and the kids have visited the hospital three times today. They only stay for a short period of time because the kids grow antsy.

Liam is completely free of any supplemental oxygen but is still being monitored for respiratory stability. I have been able to hold him a couple of times, but I am anxious to have him in my room with me.

Yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up and needed to use the restroom. Feeling some suspicious leakage I began to wonder if my bag of water had ruptured. It was not a massive gush, so I went back to bed in order to see how things developed. In the morning (just before Nick left for work) I got out of bed just to see what would happen. The results were concerning enough that Nick called in to work and let them know we were headed to my Ob's office just to check things out. When Nick and I first recieved information on the diagnosis we felt it was rather iffy. They essentially said, "Well, we will send you to the hospital just in case,".

We got to the hospital a short while later. Assuming the situation was not dire we actually went and grabbed coffee from Starbucks first! After just a short time in the hospital we were informed that indeed I was leaking amniotic fluid and that we were commited to having the baby soon. We were a little surprised, to be honest!

Hours on a pitocin drip didn't accomplish much, and concerns remained about baby Liam's position. He simple wasn't properly aligned. Around 8pm one of the midwives from my Ob's office came and decided to help break the bag of water and hope that baby's head was pulled into

position by the force of exiting water. This worked. Partially.

Unfortunately, his heartbeat was immediately sent into very slow and irregular patterns. The midwife said that it looked to her like we might need a c-section. I already had an epidural, so they began

administering stronger medication through the epidural port. They also placed a casual call to the surgeon who would deliver Liam. She said she would head our way.

In the meantime, the midwife had to physically sit with her fingers inside of me manipulating the baby and keeping him in a position where his heart rate would remain stable. After about fifteen minutes she was unable to get Liam's heart into a stable beat pattern and she said, "We need to go to the OR now!"

And the hospital staff came out of the woodwork: tons of scrubs-clad workers all literally running. It was crazy! There was no time to ask what was going on and nobody loitering about waiting to answer my questions anyway. About ten minutes later Liam was born.

It was a blur. But Nick and I were so thankful that he was doing alright. Nick stayed with Liam while the surgeon worked to repair the damage done to me. The surgery had to be performed so quickly that not only my stomach, but also my bladder, was sliced open. So my recovery will involve a catheter for a week in addition to your standard cesarean discomfort. I am completely willing to bear with the recovery in exchange for a healthy little boy.

Nick posted a couple pictures yesterday, but I don't know how easy it was to get a good look at Liam. I think he looks exactly like Nathan did as a newborn...just like Nicolas! For those requesting family pictures, you are going to have to hold your horses. Wait until we get a chance to remove all the medical tape from Liam's face. Or until I get a chance to don something more flattering than a hospital gown. Or until Nick gets a chance to rest and maybe shave away his darkening shadow.

We are all pretty tired and this has been a whirlwind. Know that we so much appreciated prayers on Liam's (and my) behalf. To express our gratitude for competent doctors, nurses, a healthy child, and a faithful and gracious God would be nearly impossible.

Four beautiful children. We are so blessed!