I'm the kind of woman who can't NOT read a birth story, even if it's about someone I don't know at all. I'm the kind of woman who makes websites like birthstories.com successful by actually taking the time to read through hundreds or thousands of birth stories! :) And it's a good thing we don't have a TV because if we did, you know what I would be tempted to watch every single day? That's right...A Birth Story. (As well as all the other labor and delivery shows available these days...)
So, just for fun, I thought I'd post this story about David's birth. This is from an email that I wrote on April 23, 2005, and we sent to lots of family and friends. I don't have Josiah's birth story typed out so nicely and completely, but maybe one of these days I'll get around to posting about it, too. Isn't it amazing how each birth, each experience can be so different, yet so full of joy and love?
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Joyful greetings to all!
Tonight, Jeff, Josiah, and my mother (who is visiting from Virginia) are in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Seder with friends there; and I am having a peaceful evening at home with our new son David.
For those of you who are interested, I wanted to write to provide some additional details about David's birth. His birth story, like every birth story, is unique and so very special. We truly see the hand of God working in this story!
As some of you already know, my mother was scheduled to arrive here in Tel Aviv on Sunday afternoon, April 17. We were hoping and praying that our baby would wait to arrive until after she arrived, so that she could get adjusted to the time difference and be ready to jump into her role as primary caregiver to Josiah while we were at the hospital having the baby. David was not due until April 29, so we thought we had plenty of time!
Sunday morning, I awoke at 4:35 am with a contraction, and I continued to have mild contractions every so often after that. I tried to sleep, but was too excited, so I got up and did some research on "false labor" and convinced myself that what I was feeling was false labor. Throughout the day, the contractions continued, but were never regular or very painful. In the afternoon, Jeff, Josiah, and I rode the train to the airport to pick up my mother. Her flight was delayed; and as we waited for her, I continued to have contractions...but still no specific pattern. I was still convinced that it was false labor. Finally my mother arrived...and literally, as soon as I saw her, I had another contraction; and from that point on, the contractions immediately increased in frequency and intensity. (It reminded me of Elizabeth and Mary in Luke 1:39-45 when her baby leaped in her womb. In our case, it was as if David "knew" that he needed to wait for Grandma to arrive...and now that she was here, he was ready to come out!) But, we were at the airport, so there was nothing to do but go home, which we did by way of train to Tel Aviv, and then by taxi to our home. On the way home, Jeff was asking, "How far apart are your contractions?" And I answered, "I don't know. I'm not timing them!" We got home; and by this point, we realized that this was real labor, so I hopped in the shower and Jeff gave my mother instructions about Josiah's care. Fortunately, Josiah was so happy to see her; and he warmed up to her immediately so we felt very confident leaving the two of them together...the only downside was the fact that my mother was very tired from the trip. We gave her no chance to rest up for the big event!
Our neighbors gave us a ride to the hospital; and on the way, I was having contractions but was handling them fine with some breathing exercises. When we got to the hospital, Jeff had to register us (they don't do pre-registration there), so he was hurriedly filling out paperwork. I had a major contraction there in the lobby while I was waiting for him; and I think I scared the people around me, especially another pregnant woman who was there (but not in labor)...I showed her what she had to look forward to! Then it was off to be checked to see if I was far enough along to be admitted. Before she examined me, the nurse asked, "Do you want an epidural?" And both Jeff and I said, "Yes!"--I know that it's so hard for him to see me in pain, and he wanted me to have some relief. But as soon as she checked me, the nurse said, "No epidural for you. You're already at 9 centimeters!" I had no idea...what a surprise! She looked a little panicked, as if she thought I might deliver the baby any moment; and she and another nurse whisked us off through the hallways, up an elevator, to a delivery room.
By the time I got there, it was time to push. The midwife broke my water, and we were off! I was actually still wearing my own clothes because there had been no time to change into a hospital gown. There was also no time to attach an external monitor to track my contractions, so I just had one monitor to make sure the baby's heartbeat was OK and that he was not in distress. By this time, I was half crazy with the pain, and pushing was tough! To make a long story short, the midwife wanted me to push lying flat on my back in bed; and I wanted to get in an upright position to push. Fortunately, God sent an angel nurse with red hair to our room; and she convinced the midwife to let me stand up. When I did that, the pushing progressed much more quickly. Right before David was born, they told me to sit down, so I sat on a beanbag chair on the floor, and he came out. Ah, blessed relief...no words can describe that moment!!! He was fine, so they put him on my stomach; and we got to enjoy the first blissful, emotional moments together...Jeff, little David, and I.
In all, my total labor was 17 hours; but the "real" labor was only 4 hours (an hour and 20 minutes of that was the pushing). We got to the hospital just before 8:00 pm, and he was born at 9:40 pm. What a blessing that it happened so fast! He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and was perfectly healthy in every way.
We chose the name "David Wallace Fisher" for him for several reasons. First, my name is a feminine form of "David," and I have a brother named "David." All my life, I have loved that name and have always wanted a son named "David." We chose "Wallace" because that was the name of Jeff's dad, and we wanted to honor him and carry on his name.
This whole week has been such an amazing time of falling in love with David and seeing our family circle grow to include him. Josiah was so excited to meet him, and he is proving to be a great big brother. Whenever David begins to whimper, Josiah says, "Check baby David!" There was one very rough night when neither of the boys wanted to sleep. When David would cry, Josiah would cry...and vice versa. Because David was in our room, Josiah wanted to be in our room. It was exhausting! But fortunately, the rest of the time, things have gone quite smoothly, and we are so grateful for God's blessings during this time of adjustment. Having my mother here has been a true gift from God...I don't know what we would do without her!
During this time, I have been reminded about one of the parts of the Passover Seder that is being celebrated tonight. As part of the ceremony, a prayer is sung called "Dayenu," which means "Enough for Us." The prayer talks about all that God did for the Israelites when He delivered them from Egypt, and it begins like this:
"How thankful and grateful must we be to God for all the marvelous things He did for us.
Had He delivered us from Egypt and not punished the Egyptians, it would have been enough.
Had He punished the Egyptians and not destroyed their idols, it would have been enough.
Had He destroyed their idols and not slain their firstborn, it would have been enough.
Had He slain their firstborn and not given us their fortunes, it would have been enough.
Had He given us their fortunes and not parted the sea for us, it would have been enough..."
The prayer continues by listing various things that God did for them, all the way to bringing them into the Promised Land and giving them the Temple.
I have felt so strongly recently that God has been simply throwing open the floodgates of Heaven and raining down His blessings on us. I feel like I could sing my own version of "Dayenu"!
If He had created us and given us life, it would have been enough.
If He had given us His Son, it would have been enough.
If He had given us the promise of Heaven, it would have been enough.
If He had fulfilled our dream of living in Israel, it would have been enough.
If He had brought Jeff and I together as husband and wife, it would have been enough.
If He had given us our son Josiah, it would have been enough.
If He had given us our son David, it would have been enough.
But God doesn't say "Enough"! He continues to give and give and give, beyond comprehension. And the best part of all is what awaits us in Heaven someday!
I hope each of you can sing your own version of "Dayenu." So many times, it's simply easier to focus on what we don't have, rather than what we have been given. This concept of "Dayenu" is so helpful for me to keep my perspective healthy and keep my eyes focused on the blessings of God.
To close, I'll include a picture of the Fisher family; this was taken when we got home from the hospital Tuesday night.
With much love,
Davene
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