The birth story is no drama. We have prayed that Noah would just enter the world easy and live up to his name and be found righteous. That is our prayer for our baby boy. What he will become and what his strengths and weaknesses will be are not yet known. But our prayer is the same, that he may be found righteous in God's sight.
His middle name is Leif. I wanted a name that reminded me of my favorite things which are basically my family and the great outdoors. I've had an adventurous spirit all my life, so to name him after an explorer and missionary seemed fit and of course you can't hear the name Leif and not think of the green green forest.
Noah Leif is perfectly perfect.
So this pregnancy was not what I would consider perfect. It began with a start - it was quite a surprise for this momma who thought our nest was full. I experienced sickness and was in bed for days at the time. I had a big scare in the first trimester after a coughing fit and thought I'd lost this precious baby. I called out to the Lord, confessed my wickedness and selfishness to him and begged him to allow me this child. I had a few weeks of feeling well then my blood pressure went crazy and I found myself wondering if my health would hold out. I was counting the weeks until I would feel in the safe zone. At the 34+ weeks we traveled to Thailand as travel wasn't exactly the safest thing for me. The day we left I felt horrible and we debated whether to go to the airport or the hospital. My blood pressure was all over the place. We made it and after a couple days I felt better. I saw a doctor and then another and began trying to figure out all the logistics of giving birth in Chiang Mai. Of course I wanted to have a natural birth, but couldn't count on another home birth because of my health. I would have wanted that if possible. Due to all the health issues I basically felt 9 months pregnant for the entire last trimester. I was out of breath and often felt exhausted. Gestational diabetes prevented even food from being a comfort. Once in Thailand the days became weeks and I hoped for an early arrival. Ironic I guess since I had prayed so hard for Noah to stay put and grow safely in my womb until the time he could be born safely.
On the evening of Friday the 13th Pete gave us a time. Full moon. He didn't want to go to bed. Matt and I switched off and I finally relented and laid down with him. I think it was close to 10 pm before he went to sleep. I think this was a blessing though since it meant he slept through the night without missing Momma. At midnight I woke up and felt something wet. It wasn't a gush and I wasn't sure if I had peed myself or what, but when I went to the bathroom it was pretty clear my water had broken. Then more came and I was sure I was sure. I poked my head out into our living room area and told Matt. He was a bit in shock I think. We called our friend Kris and she said she'd come right over. I was a bit worried of a repeat of Pete's birth so I sent Matt down to get the manager of The Juniper Tree. She came and sat with out sleeping kids until Kris arrived. So thankful for these people here!
We called one of the gardeners here who also gives rides around town in his off hours. Mr. Khamsi has become one of our favorite people here with his wide smile and servants heart. He was in front of our little guest house within 5 minutes. We climber into his extra cab truck and headed to the hospital. Being the middle of the night and knowing my back up doctor would not be at the private hospital I chose to go the government hospital. It wasn't my first choice because of the vast numbers of people you encounter just entering the main entrance, but at 12:45 am it was still. No one was around. It probably helps too that there is a national curfew here from 12:00 to 4:00 a.m. So, I went up to the 12th floor.
It took about 10 minutes to get into the labor room, but once inside I got up from the wheelchair and started walking. My contractions began soon after. By 1:15 we were timing them and by 2:00 they were a couple minutes apart and pretty strong. It was just me and Matt in the labor room. A nurse stuck her head in at some point and asked if I wanted to push. I guess they could time my contractions by my loud moans. I decided to check for the head. No need to let the doctors have all the fun so I found a glove and sure enough the crown of Noah's head could be touched. After a few more contractions I was feeling a little pushy so I told Matt to tell the doctor to come in. She was followed by a horde of nurses which I politely refused entrance. They came back though later... but by then I was unaware of it. The doctor let Matt be my supporter. He did everything and she just encouraged me to push. I debated whether I wanted to push hard or go through more painful contractions. I wondered why on earth I didn't want pain meds? It was probably a five minute span until Noah's head was finally out and I knew I had to just keep going for another good push. After he was born I was more than exhausted. I couldn't even move. I was so sore. The placenta came with no problem and everything just worked right. I was so aware of everything, but it was also like a dream. Matt was handed Noah immediately and I knew that it was a special time for them so I was ok waiting a few minutes to get my hands on him. He was beautiful!
Unlike Lola or Pete he wasn't interested in nursing. He was interested in cuddling and sleeping. So that is basically what we did for the next 12 hours. Well he slept and I looked at him. Nurses came in and out and they moved me to a room at 6am. Matt went back to our guest house and so life with #4 began. He is nursing well, he is precious. We all love him. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and for this sweet baby boy!
