Owen's Birth Story

This I declare about the Lord; he alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He is my God and I trust him. Psalms 91:2


Owen Andrew Partington * 8.2 LBS * 20 1/4 inches long * 2:46 PM

Without my God, I wouldn't have been able to bring our sweet boy into the world. I wanted the birth of Owen to be similar to that of Cora's. However, after Cora's natural birth, I experienced some complications due to the arrogance of my doctor...and I was hoping for this birth to be natural and smooth sailing...from beginning to end. The Lord answered my prayers.

On Sunday, November 30th I had contractions off and on all day but without any real pattern. I was really hoping, Monday morning, I would wake up and go into labor because I didn't really want to go back to work after Thanksgiving break. Owen obliged; he's already more cooperative than his big sister! The timing was perfect because my new doctor (the amazing Christy South) was out of town until Sunday night...talk about a God thing!

I woke up Monday morning around 5:00 and noticed I was having contractions every 5-6 minutes. I continued to lay in bed for about an hour just tracking them to see if they continued and stayed regular. They did, and I told AJ I thought today would be the day. We both showered and got Cora up and ready to go. I finished packing her overnight bag (this would be the first time away from Mommy and I was extremely anxious about this) and called AJ's Mom to figure out the plan for big sis since today was a babysitter day for her. While AJ took Cora to Mrs. Pam's house, I continued to labor at home and finished packing my hospital bag (there was no denial for me this time...the bag was completely overpacked!) I labored all morning at home with AJ and decided around 10:00 it was time to head to the hospital. We had a 45 minute drive and I was nervous about being too far along in my labor with a 45 minute car ride. Mom flew drove us to the hospital and I had to remind her that Owen wasn't falling out anytime soon and I'd like to be alive when I arrived at the hospital! (love you Mom!)

When we got to TJ Sampson, they took me to triage and I was dilated 4 cm. I was slightly disappointed because I didn't want to have that much work to do at the hospital, but it ended up being okay. They transferred me to the labor and delivery floor, did a 15 minute reading on me, and put my IV port in. After that, they left the room and let me be. Bless this hospital. I did as I felt necessary to get though my labor. My amazing nurse came in to monitor Owen's heartrate each hour during one contraction and would leave the room again. I was never hooked up, poked, or proded (except for my initial arrival.) AJ was an awesome birthing partner. He massaged my back during each and every contraction and at the end when it was intense, he never left my side. He encouraged me and told me how great I was doing. I had the nurse check me around noonish and was dilated 7 cm. Thank goodness! I knew it would go pretty fast once I got to 8! It didn't seem too long after this, my contractions were much more intense. I knew I was in the transition stage of labor, which is from 8-10 cm. When I could no longer stand the contractions without pushing, I was checked again, and at 9.5! Finally! We called the doctor, had her break my water, and started pushing. After 4 or so contractions and about 15 minutes of pushing...Owen Andrew arrived.

My first words were, "Thank you God!" AJ assured me he counted his fingers and toes and there were 10. :0) We let the cord finish pulsating so Owen could get all that nutrient rich blood and then Daddy had the honor of cutting it. Everything after Owen arrived was fine, which included no complications with delivering the placenta, which was a huge relief! Owen immediately latched on, nursed perfectly, and has ever since. The nurse also removed my IV port since I didn't need it during labor or afterward. Owen rested on my chest for 2 straight hours, I was able to warm him, and they were in no rush to take him from Mommy. Such a blessing. Big sis Cora also got to meet Owen. She was in awe. My heart could have exploded from happiness.

After two hours passed, Owen went to the nursery with his Daddy and I took a shower. I walked to my postpartum room and they brought Owen back to me. We visited with family and everyone got to meet Owen. He never left our hospital room except for his exam and to be circumcised. It's extremely important to me that my babies never left us in the hospital. Did we lose a lot of sleep, yes. Would I do it differently, no. I spent 10 months waiting for him to arrive, there's no way, in his first 24 hours of life, I want a nurse (even though extremely capable) babysitting him (that's Mommy and Daddy's job). I don't judge those that do, it's just my control issues personal preference.

After 24 hours after Owen's arrival, we were in the car on the way home. My praise for TJ Sampson, my nurses, and my doctor will not cease. I had been slightly bitter about the way some things were handled during Cora's birth, but with Owen's birth, I received a lot of healing from that.

We call Cora our miracle baby because we thought we might never have children. Owen is just as much a miracle baby because he was such a surprise blessing. We never would have thought getting pregnant with Owen would require as little effort as possible ;0) My heart overflows with love for my two babies and gratefulness to the Lord Almighty for two amazing birth experiences. What a beautiful, amazing process.