Abigail Ruth Gerdes - Birth Story

Introducing...Abigail Ruth Gerdes!!!

• Born: Tues., Nov. 26th, 2019 @ 1:25am
• Weight: 7 lbs, 11.5 oz
• Length: 19.5 inches
• Hospital: DePaul
• Midwife: Ericka
• Doula: Rebekah
• Nurse: Janeen
• Emotional Support: Phoebe and Haley
• Older Sibling Support: Dean and Gabe 

Praise be to God for our sweet little Abigail Ruth! He deserves all the honor and the glory, first and foremost.

Side Note:

Before I dive into Abigail Ruth's birth story, I thought it might be beneficial to share the links to the birth stories of my first three children, to paint the full picture as to why delivering Baby #4 via a third VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) was so very important to me.
Jeremiah and Josiah

Annabelle
                                            

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, ' "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." ' In other words, God's plans are always bigger and better than ours! I've learned this time and time again, especially with the conception of each of our children. Jeremiah was conceived when Jeremy was between jobs, collecting unemployment, and we were scraping by on my miserly teacher salary. Josiah was conceived when we were on one of Jeremy's short term job transfers, at a time when we weren't exactly sure where we'd be living next. Annabelle was conceived at the exact same time that we made one of the biggest life changes for our family, when we started our homeschooling journey. Abigail was conceived shortly after I trudged through one of the darkest mental health battles of my life. What do all four of these conceptions have in common? One simple answer - God's timing, not our own. Each time, we thought we had a plan, and then God showed us He had an even bigger, better plan. With the birth of each baby, we've been able to see God's faithfulness in every detail of every story.

As mentioned above, my mental health took a nose dive in 2018. I've always struggled with anxiety and OCD, but that particular year, upon enduring the heartache of rejection from a handful of my family members, all at the same time, I experienced something I'd never quite experienced before. Depression. Thankfully, my story does not end there, and after getting back on track with my health at the beginning of 2019, by eating clean, along with starting to see a counselor and getting back on meds, things began to be on the up and up. One of the biggest blessings was that for the first time in a long time, I finally had a wonderful little group of friends that loved me for me. These three gals became my favorite people to be around because they constantly validated me, built me up, made me laugh, and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. I don't think any of us will ever forget 'Galentines' in February, as it was a night of laughter, fellowship, and new beginnings. God used these precious sisters in Christ to help fill my cup, and to truly turn my mourning into dancing! A few weeks after that, at the beginning of March, the Gerdes side of our family experienced one of the most joyous times of our lives when we witnessed the marriage of Haley and Gabe (Jeremy's youngest brother). As Jeremy and I danced the night away at the reception, the happiest we'd been together in a long time, little did we know our lives were about to change in a big way, as Baby #4 was about to be conceived.

At the end of March, I started to feel a bit 'off' and extremely exhausted, which at the time, I thought was simply due to the new medication I had just started. Well, as symptoms progressed, and after a quick peek at my calendar, I decided to take a pregnancy test. And sure enough, literally within three seconds, the test showed a very clear positive. The word 'shocked' doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling at that moment. For the past three years, we thought we were done adding babies to our family, and with this new piece of information, we now knew that God had other plans. From the very beginning, Jeremy was my rock. He said, from that very first moment, what a blessing it was that God chose to add another child to our family. At first, we kept this news to ourselves, as we've always done, with all of our children, until we had the chance to hear the heartbeat for the first time at our first OB appointment.

The initial shock quickly turned into pure joy and excitement during the next few weeks, when we surprised Grandma Phoebe and Grandpa Dean with the big news, by having Annabelle run up to them with a 'Big Sister' shirt on, and later when we made phone calls to our other family members and close friends on Easter Day in April. Every person we told, was completely overjoyed for us, which of course was very heartwarming. It was around that time that I found out my very best friend of 17 years was also pregnant, with a surprise blessing, and due the month before me. What a special moment we had, sharing our big news with each other, on one of our visits.
      

Because of being in my mid-thirties with this fourth pregnancy, my OBs/midwives suggested that I take an early blood test at 10 weeks, to rule out any possible chromosomal abnormalities. This test also would be able to tell us the gender of our baby. I'll never forget that moment, on a Saturday morning in early May, when Jeremy and I opened my email to the test results, which all came back normal, but also said the words 'data is consistent with a female fetus.' In that moment, I felt a surge of joy spring up from my soul, in realizing, I'd now get to be the mama of two boys and two GIRLS! I dropped to my knees, cried tears of joy, and of course called Grammy Nancy and Grampy Jerry right away to tell them the exciting news. As only God could orchestrate, we happened to be meeting up with Grandma Phoebe, Aunty Jess, and Uncle Hans that day at Sandbridge beach. So we quickly put a pink tiara and pink onesie inside of a gift bag and presented it to them as soon as we met up with them. They, too, were completely overjoyed with the news!

At the end of June, Grandma Phoebe joined me for my 18 week ultrasound with our favorite sonographer, Katherine, and we were so blessed to find out that our baby girl was growing strong and healthy, so much so, that she already had 'juicy' thighs, according to Katherine! Typically, the morphology scan is not done until 20 weeks, but Katherine graciously signed off on it, since she knew we were leaving the next day for our month-long trip to Wisconsin/Michigan, and would not be back until the very end of July.

On the way home from that ultrasound, I was able to share with Grandma Phoebe the name that God put on my heart for our baby girl. We'd name her Abigail Ruth, both of which are biblical names, as well as family names. Abigail was in honor of Jeremy's cousin Abby, who passed away when she was close to the age we both are now. She's also the daughter of our precious Aunt Becky (Phoebe's sister) who we both feel a very strong bond with. Ruth was in honor of my grandma, Ruth Ann, who is now 91, and has had an incredible influence on my life. The name Ruth was also to symbolize the special mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship that Phoebe and I have, just like Ruth and Naomi in the Bible. Grandma Phoebe cried happy tears as I gave the explanation of our baby girl's name. A few weeks later, while on our month-long trip to Wisconsin/Michigan, Jeremy and I were able to share, in person, with Aunt Becky, and later Grandma Ruth Ann, that we planned to name our baby girl Abigail Ruth, in their honor. Those were special moments that we'll always treasure. A few days after we returned from our trip, Jeremy and I went to a special ultrasound at MFM to double check the baby's heart, due to the medication I was on. Thankfully, everything was normal, and as an added bonus, we got to see the coolest 3D images of our baby girl's face! Cue the happy tears, yet again!

This particular pregnancy was by far, the hardest one on my body, out of all four. From the very beginning, my pelvis/hips/lower back were in constant pain, which often brought me to tears. In fact, at the beginning of my pregnancy, while walking around DC, I doubled over in pain, to the point I thought I might actually be miscarrying. The only true pain relief I got in this pregnancy was from my amazing chiropractor, Dr. Tiffany, who also brought me great relief during my previous two pregnancies. After each of her adjustments, via the Webster Technique, I felt like a new woman. Unfortunately, the pain would always return a few days later, which is why she recommended that I get adjusted twice per week. But because of our tight budget, I was only able to afford to go once per week or every other week. My nausea was also challenging during this pregnancy. During the first trimester, I lost close to 10 pounds, because, for a while, all I could keep down was tiny amounts of soup, bread, and crackers. During my second trimester, the nausea started to ease up, little by little, and I gained the weight back by about 25 weeks. I was feeling somewhat back to normal, as the beginning of my third trimester started, just in time to enjoy all the yummy food at my baby shower, thrown by Grandma Phoebe and Aunty Jess at the end of August. It was at that time that 15 of my closest friends joined together to bless us with thousands of diapers and wipes, and other generous gifts, along with praying specific prayers for me and Abigail Ruth, as well as our upcoming birth, and our family's transition to welcoming another baby. Over the next few months, we witnessed God answer each of those prayers, in ways that were exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or imagine.
  

As we started our fifth year of homeschooling in September, the kiddos and I made it our goal to finish as much school work as we could before welcoming our new baby. The boys worked so hard, doubling up on math lessons, to get to the halfway point in their math curriculum, as well as finishing their science curriculum in October, and finishing their history curriculum in November. Because of their hard work, they earned the reward of taking a six week break from school, from the end of November, through the holidays, and into the first week of January. I'm so thankful we were able to work together to prepare for the arrival of baby sister, because in doing so, I was able to go into Abigail Ruth's birth, with the peace of mind of knowing I could fully focus on her. And sure enough, my body followed suit, as with each OB/midwife appointment, every Friday in November, it was confirmed that my body was making more and more progress, week by week.

By my very last appointment, just a few days before my due date, Midwife Lorena swept my membranes and was able to tell me that I was 3 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced. This was very reassuring to hear, after a few weeks of on and off contractions, lots of pain and pressure, quite a bit of walking, drinking large amounts of red raspberry leaf tea, and other natural induction methods. While at the movie theater that Saturday, with the whole family, I had painful contractions that were about 8-10 minutes apart. But as soon as I got home, laid down, and drank a bunch of water, they fizzled back out again, just as they had done over the past few weeks. The next day, Sunday, I had a random burst of energy, the day before my due date, so I decided to make a few of our traditional Thanksgiving week treats, as Thanksgiving was coming up just four days later. Little did I know at the time, that little burst of energy may have been my body's way of telling me that big things were getting ready to happen the very next day.

On the morning of my due date, Monday, November 25th, I woke up at 4:00am with painful contractions, diarrhea, and heartburn. Jeremy woke up shortly after that to take a shower and get dressed to go to work. I asked him to hold off on going to work just yet, as I was having painful contractions that were 10 minutes apart. I took a bath and drank a bunch of water, but the contractions still continued to stay at 10 minutes apart. So Jeremy eventually decided to call in sick to work and not go in at all. My contractions continued throughout the entire day, at 10 minutes apart, and never actually stopped, but also didn't get closer together, no matter what I tried. I took walks, bounced on my birthing ball, ate pineapple, and drank tons of red raspberry tea. Grandma Phoebe and Grandpa Dean came over for a bit to visit with us, and were ready to take the kids, if the contractions got closer together. But even into the early afternoon, contractions were still 10 minutes apart, so they decided to head home, and to take Annabelle with them.

Around 2:00pm that afternoon, after I had been keeping Doula Rebekah updated throughout the day, she came over to my house to walk with me, encourage me, and give me a massage. What a wonderful blessing Doula Rebekah was to me from the beginning of my pregnancy, when she was introduced to me by our mutual friend Ruth, and what a blessing she continued to be, all the way through my entire labor and delivery, on into the following week, stopping in to check on me. As we walked around the block that afternoon, neither of us knew that Abigail Ruth would be born less than 12 hours later! Even throughout our visit, contractions still continued to stay 10 minutes apart. So she eventually headed home, and told me to call her if anything were to change.

After bouncing on my birthing ball, taking walks, and counting contractions for most of the day, around 5:00pm, I decided to take a break and spend some quality time with Jeremy. Then I got into the bath and drank even more red raspberry leaf tea (supposedly gets the uterus ready for strong contractions) and snacked on pineapple (supposedly softens the cervix/brings on contractions). Well I don't know if it was the combination of all those things at once, or maybe all the work my body had done with all those 10-minute-apart contractions all day long, but all of the sudden, as I was getting out of the bath, strong, powerful, crazy painful contractions started coming on, to the point that I could barely stand up, and I was instantly brought to tears. These contractions were the most intense I had felt yet, and were six minutes apart. So Jeremy and I agreed it was time to call Uncle Gabe to come get the boys, and to also to call Doula Rebekah to come back over. Just as Uncle Gabe walked in to take the boys, Doula Rebekah arrived and immediately started praying with me, reassuring me, giving me counterpressure on my lower back, and counting contractions. We agreed it was time to call labor and delivery at DePaul. Upon hearing Midwife Ericka tell me I was likely in labor, we decided to head to the hospital, a little before 7:00pm.

On the 20-minute drive to the hospital, I had 5 very strong contractions, which continued getting closer and closer together. By the time I checked into labor and delivery, my contractions were 3 minutes apart, my cervix was 5 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced, and the baby was in -2 station in my pelvis. Things were progressing quickly! Over the next few hours, Midwife Ericka and Nurse Janeen continued to check in on me from time to time, but also gave me space to work through my contractions with the help of Jeremy and Doula Rebekah, while sweetly dimming the lights to help me relax. Jeremy got the comforting lavender oil going in the diffusers and put on peaceful music for me to listen to. Doula Rebekah continued to offer counter pressure, back rubs, and words of encouragement. During this time, I was also able to talk to my parents on the phone, and I was comforted by their prayers and encouragement. The contractions started to become unbearable and were very close together, so after much prayer and deliberation, Jeremy and I decided that I would get the epidural, as I was very tired after having been in early labor for 13 hours, followed by active labor for 5 hours.

At around 10:00pm, a wonderful and very patient anesthesiologist, named Howie, came in to give me my epidural. It took effect almost immediately, and for the first time in nine months, I was in absolutely no pain at all. It felt amazing! I had a warm feeling from my belly button down through my legs, almost as if I were sitting in a hot tub. I could no longer feel the pain of the contractions, but only knew they were happening because of the pressure, and even that, I could hardly feel, because I was completely numb. The only unfortunate thing was that the epidural gave me the shakes, and made my blood pressure drop pretty low. I didn't mind the shakes too much, because I knew I'd rather have those than feel the intense pain I had been having before the epidural.

At 10:20pm, I suddenly felt a gush, as my water broke on its own after one of the strong contractions. At 11:15pm, Midwife Ericka checked my cervix again and told me I was 8 centimeters dilated. She also gave me some medicine in my IV to try to help bring my blood pressure back up, as it was still very low at about 84/44. When the medication didn't seem to help much, Midwife Ericka and Nurse Janeen helped turn me from one side to the other, every 20 minutes or so, for the next hour and a half. Jeremy later told me that the baby had had three heart decelerations, where the heart rate dropped slightly, which was also another reason they kept having to turn me from side to side. I'm so glad my whole team remained calm the whole time, so as not to worry me about the heart decelerations. I'm also thankful Jeremy had the wisdom to not tell me about those until afterward. It felt so strange to need help turning from side to side in the bed, since my legs were numb. I could only use my arms, to pull on the bed rails, to help them turn my body. A peanut ball was put between my legs each time I was laying on my side, to continue to encourage the baby to move downward.

Around 1:00am, Midwife Erica checked my cervix again and told me I was 10 centimeters and ready to push! I expressed my concerns to Doula Rebekah that I wasn't sure how I was going to push, since I still couldn't feel my legs. But she gave me a little pep talk and encouraged me by saying she was going to help me by talking me through it and counting aloud for me while I pushed. Sure enough, she did just that, along with Midwife Ericka and Nurse Janeen patiently instructing me on how to make my pushes more effective. With Jeremy holding my left leg back, Doula Rebekah holding my right leg back, my chin to my chest, and using my hands to pull beind my legs, I pushed with each contraction, as contractions were now right on top of each other. Thanks to the epidural, I still wasn't feeling any pain, but could definitely feel the increased pressure moving toward my bottom, as the baby moved further down in the birth canal.

At 1:25am, Abigail Ruth made her grand debut! After 20 minutes of pushing, I was extremely encouraged and excited when the whole team told me they could see the baby's head, specifically her thick, dark hair! This reassurance gave me that last little burst of energy I needed to push her head out, at which point, Midwife Ericka had me stop pushing for a brief moment while she unwrapped the umbilical cord, which thankfully was only loosely wrapped two times around the baby's neck. Quickly after that, with one more push, Abigail Ruth was delivered the rest of the way, then she took her first breath, let out a healthy cry, and was brought to my chest, where she immediately latched onto my left breast. What an incredible moment, overflowing with joy!

It was at that time that Jeremy texted Grandma Phoebe and Aunty Haley, who were just footsteps down the hall, in the waiting room. They were able to meet Abigail Ruth when she was only two minutes old, placenta and umbilical cord still attached! What a tremendous blessing to have both of them there to share in those first precious moments of welcoming our newest baby girl into the world! Quickly after that, Jeremy cut the cord, the placenta was delivered, and Midwife Ericka confirmed that there were no tears down below. Abigail Ruth was briefly taken over to the warmer to be weighed and cleaned off, before being returned to my arms, where she nursed on both sides for most of the 'magic hour' as they refer to it at Depaul. Eventually, we were transferred from our labor and delivery room, down the hall, to our mother and baby room. We were cared for by wonderful nurses throughout the wee hours of the morning, and on into the day. Jeremy and I even got to enjoy a steak dinner, along with all kinds of other delicious meals, delivered to us from the kitchen staff. When Abigail was about 12 hours old, she met her older siblings for the first time, as well as her Grandpa Dean and Uncle Gabe, and got a longer visit this time with Grandma Phoebe and Aunty Haley. She was passed around from family member to family member, and hardly made a fuss. We were discharged from the hospital about 24 hours later, just in time to be home to celebrate Thanksgiving the next day!

It is easy to see God's fingerprints all over every detail of this fourth pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Even though the beginning of the pregnancy was rough, physically and emotionally, with the pain and nausea, God brought me relief as the pregnancy continued. He kept us safe and healthy during our entire month-long trip, and graciously allowed for me to not have gestational diabetes or group b strep, both of which I had in my previous pregnancy. He provided everything we needed for this baby, through thoughtful and generous friends and family. He gave the boys and I the perseverance to finish our school work, so that we could take a long break from homeschool, and focus on our new baby. He provided the most amazing doula, midwife, and nurses for a very peaceful, pain-free birth with no complications whatsoever. He lined the timing up perfectly, so that Grandma Phoebe and Aunty Haley were able to be at the hospital for the birth, while Grandpa Dean and Uncle Gabe stayed home to take care of the big siblings. He blessed us with successful and efficient breastfeeding from the beginning, and gave us all kinds of sweet moments to bond as a family of six. He even made it so that we were discharged from the hospital, in time to enjoy Thanksgiving from the comfort of our own home! We are forever grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness, and for giving us our sweet Abigail Ruth! Glory to God for the great things He has done!

Annabelle Jean Gerdes - Birth Story

Introducing...Annabelle Jean Gerdes!
Born: Sat., June 4th, 2016 at 7:54am
Weight: 7 lbs, 4 oz
Length: 19.5 inches
Hospital: DePaul
Midwife: Karen Carroll
Nurses: Mary and Martha
Doula: Verna McCrillis
Spiritual Support: Sandi Johnson

To God be the GLORY for the great things HE has done! Before I begin the birth story of Annabelle Jean Gerdes, I want to make sure I give all glory, honor, and praise to my Heavenly Father. It is He that allowed each beautiful chapter of this story to unfold just the way it did, and we give Him ALL the glory.

For those that enjoy extra details, it may be beneficial to get the “back story” about why a second VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) was so very important to me. You can read that story here: http://gerdes3.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducingjosiah-timothy-gerdes.html

Our story truly begins before Annabelle was even conceived. After Josiah was born in 2010, we thought our family was complete. Then when I went back to work in 2012, until 2015, I really truly thought we had made the decision to be done having children, as the long hours of my  teacher schedule (most days 7:30am-6:00pm) were not conducive to bringing a baby into the world. During that time that I had gone back to work, Jeremy asked me one night why I kept telling all of my friends that we were “done” having kids, and then went on to tell me that he was not done. Of course this brought on lots of other conversations, a counseling session, and quite a few prayers. Fast forward to June of 2015, when we clearly felt the Lord calling me to resign from my teaching job, and homeschool Jeremiah and Josiah, starting in September of 2015. We took the summer to really think about and pray about whether or not God was calling us to bring another child into this world. We both came to the conclusion that we’d wait to see how homeschooling would go, before we made our final decision. After our first couple weeks of homeschooling in September of 2015, we realized that this new lifestyle of starting school around breakfast, being done by lunch, and having all afternoon/evening to “play” really was working well for our family. It was at that time that we conceived, later getting our positive pregnancy test in early October. We were both thrilled and shocked that everything happened so quickly!

Because of my amazing first VBAC experience with Josiah at DePaul’s Woman Care Center, I knew I wanted to be seen there for this pregnancy as well. So we had our first pregnancy confirmation and ultrasound appointment with Dr. Hughes in early November 2015, and shared the news with the big brothers, as well as our family and friends, that same day, at about 9 weeks into the pregnancy. From the very beginning, this pregnancy proved to be more challenging than my other two. For about the first 16 weeks, I experienced terrible nausea, that made me vomit most nights, with cereal and crackers being about the only foods I could keep down. I hadn’t experienced this severity with my other two pregnancies, so this was all new to me. Thankfully, I started feeling better around the middle of my second trimester. That’s also around the time we found out we were having a girl!!! Yay! So exciting! Soon after that, though, is when I started having pretty bad heartburn, which was also something I had never experienced before in the other pregnancies. Then around the beginning of my third trimester, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. From the very beginning, the doctors had a feeling I might have GD, because in all of my ultrasounds, Annabelle was measuring 2-3 weeks ahead, and in the 90th percentile. Though this news was devastating at first, and it took some time to get used to the strict new diet, and checking my blood sugars four times per day, it all ended up being a blessing in disguise, because by the end of the third trimester, an ultrasound revealed that Annabelle’s growth was back to normal, and she was in the 57th percentile, which the doctors told me greatly increased my chance for another successful VBAC. It was also around this time, that I was told my blood sugars were so good that I no longer needed to see the diabetes doctors, and was cleared to still be able to deliver at DePaul, instead of Norfolk General, the high risk hospital. Just a few weeks prior to that, at 33 weeks to be exact, we had a little bit of a scare when I had to be admitted to the hospital for the afternoon, to monitor early contractions, that were showing up on the monitor, only three minutes apart. I was given medicine to stop the contractions, as well as steroid shots, just in case Annabelle decided to make a super early appearance. Thankfully, the medicine worked, and my contractions spread back out. We praised the Lord when I made it to 35 weeks, and into the “safety zone” where Annabelle could have come at any point, and would have still been allowed to deliver at DePaul. For the next six and a half weeks, I continued to have some fairly good contractions, which were tiring at the time, but in the end, I truly believe those contractions, along with all the walking I had been doing in my pregnancy, were helping my body get ready for a very speedy delivery! Already, before Annabelle was even born, God had answered so many prayers, and was paving the road for an amazing birthing experience!

As I was starting to prepare my heart and my mind for this birth, I knew that I needed to have a good support system in place for the day that God would choose for Annabelle to be born. I desired for this to be a spiritual experience, where the Holy Spirit was welcome to move freely and powerfully, so I asked my dear friend Sandi Johnson to be with me, as well as a precious new friend and doula, Verna McCrillis. Sandi and I have been friends for three years, and she is a major prayer warrior, who calls heavily upon the Word of the Lord in all situations, so I knew she would be an asset for spiritual support during labor and delivery. I met Doula Verna through my friend Brandi, who is in our homeschool lego club. I praise God for the day we showed up to lego club an hour late (almost didn’t even make it that day), where Brandi and I just happened to talk about birthing experiences and my desire for a Christ-following doula, which is when she gave me Doula Verna’s contact information. After talking with, and later meeting with Doula Verna, I knew her expertise she had developed through attending 34 other births would also be an asset to my birthing experience. It is with great pleasure that I get to share that God worked out LOTS of details, and performed many miracles with the timing of Annabelle’s birth, so that both Sandi and Doula Verna could be there! God used these two ladies in HUGE ways to bring me incredible support on the day of Annabelle’s birth.

On Friday, June 3rd, I had an appointment with Midwife Nell, who upon doing a cervix check, told me that my cervix was 3 centimeters dilated and “soft like butter.” Annabelle’s head was engaged in my pelvis at a -2 station. She predicted that Annabelle would arrive sometime that weekend. I told her that I really hoped she was right, because with my due date quickly approaching, I was feeling very “ready” to have this baby, as I was having lots of contractions, pressure in my pelvis, was having to use the bathroom about every 15 minutes, and was in a lot of overall discomfort. Little did I know at the time, Midwife Nell was in fact right, as Annabelle would be born the very next day! After my appointment, Jeremy and I took the boys to Sam’s Club to stock up on some groceries, as we were really hoping that we might actually be welcoming Annabelle into the world soon. Everything else was already done. Her crib had been set up for a few weeks, along with having the hospital bag all packed and ready to go in the van. Just a day before that, we had even gotten rid of two couches in our living room to make space for a pack-n-play, bouncy seat, baby swing, and comfy chair to nurse in. Even the carseat/stroller combo was in the van and ready to go! We walked around Sam’s Club for about an hour, having to stop every couple of minutes so that I could breathe through the contractions, which were coming on stronger and stronger by the hour. As soon as I got home and unpacked all the groceries, I got into some comfy clothes and decided I was going to take it easy the rest of the afternoon and evening. I’m so glad I did, because little did I know, my sweet baby would be born early the next morning!

I drifted in and out of sleep that evening and into the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, June 4th, waking up very often to use the bathroom and trying my best to get comfortable. Around 1:30am, I could not bare to be in my bed anymore, because my contractions were starting to get pretty strong. I went downstairs to tell Jeremy that he needed to start helping me time my contractions. He was actually still awake, because he was in the backyard working on the hot tub! Yes, he’s a night owl! Because I had gone through so many “false labors” in the weeks leading up to Annabelle’s birth, I made sure to do everything I could do to try to stop the contractions, in case they weren’t actual labor contractions. I was in and out of the shower and bath, guzzling water, laying on my left side as much as I could, and putting a heated rice pack on my back. Over the previous weeks, those kinds of things would stop the contractions I was having, which is how I knew it was just braxton hicks contractions/false labor. Well this time around, the contractions were not stopping with anything I tried, but rather getting closer and closer together. Soon, instead of being 10 minutes apart, they were 8 minutes apart, and by about 4:00am, they were about 6 minutes apart. I had remembered one of the midwives telling me recently that once they were 6 minutes apart, I needed to head to the hospital, as apparently things can happen more quickly with the second vaginal birth. So I called Sandi and Verna, and told them to meet me at the hospital. We woke up my brother-in-law Gabe (who lives with us) to tell him that we were leaving for the hospital, so he would be in charge of the boys. On the way to the hospital, a wave of relief washed over me, as I realized that God had already answered so many prayers about the timing of Annabelle’s birth, as He was allowing me to go into labor on a Saturday morning, where Jeremy was already with me, Gabe was already at home with the boys, and Sandi and Verna were easily able to get to the hospital. My original fear was that I would go into labor in the middle of a week day, where I’d have to track everyone down. Well God totally took care of that fear for me and allowed me to go into labor on a Saturday, of all days! Praise Him!

Sandi, Verna, Jeremy, and I all showed up to Depaul Hospital around 5:00am. There were a few times on the way up to labor and delivery that I had to stop and breathe through the contractions, which were now about 3-5 minutes apart. The gentleman working in the ER area, where we entered the building, kept asking if I needed a wheelchair, as he was escorting us to labor and delivery. But Verna kindly told him that I was fine to walk, as it of course is best to walk as much as possible when in labor. After we got checked into labor and delivery, and after I signed all of the paperwork they needed me to sign, Verna and Sandi got right to work, with making the room more comfortable for me. Sandi got the lavender essential oils going in the diffuser and turned on some calming music, as Verna helped me breathe/moan through contractions and gave me counter-pressure on my lower back. Soon after that, I was introduced to my wonderful team of nurses, of whom I can only remember two names - Mary and Martha. How cool that God gave me two nurses that reminded me of one of my favorite stories in the Bible! Midwife Karen came in to do a cervix check, and to inform us that she was the one who would be attending my birth. I was very glad to be told that I was 5 centimeters dilated. Just a few weeks prior, I had met Midwife Karen (a fellow Wisconsinite!) for the first time, and had told her about a wonderful idea that my Chiropractor, Tiffany Fernandez, had suggested, which was to use a birthing ball in the shower. During that previous appointment, Midwife Karen had told me I could do that, but ONLY if I was able to get the ONE set of wireless monitors that the entire labor and delivery floor had on hand, as I would need to be on the monitors 100% of the time, with attempting another VBAC (which is considered somewhat high risk). So right then and there, after that appointment, I started praying, along with many others, and sure enough God answered that prayer, too! That morning that I had gone into labor, that ONE set of wireless monitors just happened to be available for me to use! Coincidence? Definitely not! Totally a God thing, for sure! Upon receiving the news that I would be allowed to use the wireless monitors to get into the shower on the birthing ball, Verna, Sandi, and I looked at each other with joy on our faces and took time to thank the Lord right then and there.

After a few minutes of the nurse helping me get hooked up to the wireless monitors, I was able to get into the shower, on the birthing ball. Verna, being the amazing doula that she is, had thought ahead, and had brought a swimsuit to change into, so that she could get into the shower with me while continuing to help me breathe/moan through contractions and apply counter-pressure to my lower back. The monitors kept disconnecting, but God blessed us yet again, with a very gracious nurse who left the room for quite a while, giving us the space we needed, and allowing Sandi to keep an eye on the computer screen that showed Annabelle’s heart rate, as Verna helped me adjust the monitors and work through the contractions. Most labor and delivery nurses tend to hover and not want to leave the patient’s side, especially when there is a slightly high risk situation. Thankfully, this particular nurse could see that Sandi and Verna had things covered, so she only needed to check in on us from time to time. I’m not entirely sure how long we were in the shower, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was around an hour or so. I remember the hot shower water feeling SO good, and I also remember feeling an incredible sense of relief every time a contraction would pass and I’d get a break. Toward the end of my time in the shower, though, the contractions started to come on stronger and stronger, with hardly any breaks in between. So that’s when I said I was ready to go back to the bed and try to lay down.

Upon climbing back into the bed, which at the time felt like I was climbing Mount Everest, with all the pain I was in, I immediately started to bawl my eyes out. I remember thinking, “I just want my mom!” It’s true - I’m just a kid at heart - when I’m sick or in pain, I just want my mom! At that time, Verna told me she thought I was most likely in transition, seeing as how my contractions were so close together and I was so emotional. Well she was right! When Midwife Karen came in to check my cervix, she told me I was 9 centimeters dilated, almost a 10, with just small piece of my cervix left to open up. She went ahead and broke my water at that time. It was at that time that the pain became pretty much unbearable. I no longer was able to breathe/moan through contractions, as I had been, and instead started screaming in pain. I felt like my body was being ripped in half! I kept asking everyone if I could just have a break! I wasn’t getting any breaks between the contractions, and all I wanted to do was stop and rest. But, nope! That wasn’t going to happen! It was GO TIME! There would be NO time for an epidural this time around! I was going to have to do this without pain meds! Jeremy, who had been on the other side of the room, sleeping in a chair, since the time we first checked into the hospital, was abruptly woken up with my screams of telling him to, “Get over here right now and help me!” Oh, goodness! What a way to be woken up from a blissful slumber! Oh well! I felt like I was at the end of a race, where my whole body was on fire with pain, just trying to get to the finish line, and everyone was cheering me on, telling me to keep pushing, etc. Well around that time, Midwife Karen yelled at the top of her lungs for everyone to be quiet, so that I could focus just on her. She got in my face, just like a drill sergeant, and said, “Courtney, you better get it together! You STOP that screaming RIGHT now! You need to put that energy into pushing, NOT screaming!” To which I answered, “Yes, ma’am!” I am so thankful for her ability to get me re-focused, as I was in so much pain, I could hardly see straight. I had been on my side, but she had turned me onto my back, for reasons still unknown to me (I had wanted to be in any other position, except for on my back). I remember being told to reach down and touch Annabelle’s head, as she was crowning. Being able to touch her, gave me that extra strength I needed to push through the pain. Midwife Karen kept telling me to put my hands behind my knees and put my chin to my chest. No matter how hard I tried to do that, my legs kept wanting to go straight out, and my head kept wanting to fling back. But with Sandi standing at my feet, both of us praying aloud, begging God to help me, with Doula Verna on my right side calmly leading me through each push, and with Jeremy on my left side holding my hand, I was able to push through all the pain and finally start pushing the way Midwife Karen told me to. Still though, there were a few more times she had to get me back “in the zone” as at one point she told me Annabelle’s shoulders were stuck. Thankfully, she was able to help me ease Annabelle out, fairly quickly. I’m not entirely sure about how long I actually pushed for, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was around 15-20 minutes at the most. Everything happened so quickly, compared to my previous VBAC (24 hours, compared to 3 hours)!

At 7:54am, Annabelle Jean Gerdes made her grand appearance! The first thing I asked was, “Is she really a girl?” What a silly thing to say, right?! But in the weeks leading up to Annabelle’s birth, I kept having dreams that I would actually give birth to a boy, and then would be completely unprepared with all the wrong clothes, etc. So I was very relieved when everyone shouted back at me, “Yes! It’s a girl!” It was of course music to my ears to hear Annabelle’s first cry, and then it was so wonderful to have her placed right onto my chest, cord still attached, for that special bonding time. We all marveled at her perfect little nose, long fingers and toes, and all her hair, which at the time, appeared to be a strawberry blonde, many shades lighter than her older brothers when they were born. Because of how quickly she entered the world, she did have quite a bit of bruising on her face, which thankfully disappeared rather quickly over the next day or so.

After about a half hour or so, my placenta still had not come out, and so Midwife Karen tried several times to retrieve it, with her hand, as well as pushing on my belly, both of which were extremely painful, almost as much as the actual birth itself. Soon after that, Dr. Licor, who I had never met before, came in to explain that because my placenta still had not come out, he would likely need to bring me to the OR, put me to sleep with general anesthesia, and do a D&C to remove the placenta. He was a very nice doctor, who explained things very thoroughly, but even so, I started to get very scared, my entire body started to shake, and yet again I started to bawl my eyes out, praying aloud with Sandi, this time begging God to let the placenta come out on its own. According to Doula Verna, the kind of cry I had this time was a totally different cry than before - more of a “releasing” sort of cry. Well as soon as Dr. Licor was about to finish his lengthy explanation, he and Midwife Karen looked down and realized my placenta had started to come out on its own. One more big push and it was all the way out! Yet, another answered prayer! So Dr. Licor did NOT end up having to do ANY of the things he had told me he might have to do to get the placenta out! Praise God! After getting me all cleaned up, Midwife Karen mentioned that I had a very small first degree tear, which would not even require stitches. Yes! Another praise!

Through each part of Annabelle’s birth story, the months leading up to it, the day before, the day of, and everything in between, it is clear to see God’s mighty hand, and His answers to many specific prayers. Throughout the course of my pregnancy, I posted many prayer requests on facebook and through personal message/text. I was so blessed to have many precious friends and family members covering me and Annabelle in prayer the entire time. I was especially honored to have my sisters in Christ lay hands on me and pray over me and Annabelle at both of my baby showers. Hearing the precious prayers of those sisters in Christ, and then seeing how those specific prayers were answered before/during/after the birth, is totally mind-blowing! I truly believe in the power of prayer, especially praying for things by name! God stepped in and did BIG things the whole way through! From evening out Annabelle’s growth through the special GD diet, to allowing me to have Verna and Sandi at the birth, to being able to use the only set of wireless monitors on the labor and delivery floor, to being blessed with an incredible team of nurses/doctor/midwife who supported my needs and wants, the list goes on and on. God cared deeply about my desire to have another successful VBAC, and truly did exceedingly, abundantly MORE than all I could have ever asked or imagined! He even gave me the strength to do it un-medicated, which was something I had always wanted to do, but never thought I could actually do! I am so thankful to the Lord for this amazing birthing experience, and most importantly for bringing my sweet daughter, Annabelle Jean, into our lives. Truly, to GOD be the GLORY, for great things HE has done!

Josiah turns TWO!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Josiah Timothy Gerdes! It's hard to believe that Josiah is 2 years old today! The time has FLOWN by so quickly! It feels like just yesterday that we were snuggling with him at the hospital, rejoicing in our successful VBAC, praising the Lord for our healthy baby, and adjusting to being a family of 4. Josiah has brought SO much joy to our lives and to the lives of MANY others already in his first two years of life! His big smile, chubby cheeks, and long eye lashes (which he LOVES to bat at any lady who walks by!), are enough to melt the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with him. He almost always has a smile on his face and is SO snuggly! His new "best friend" is Mr. Bear (Bay-oh), which Josiah takes with him EVERYWHERE he goes - to day care, in the car, outside to play, to bed, etc. So sweet! He now speaks in short 3-4 word sentences and is VERY good at following directions. He LOVES to sing, especially the "clean up" song! Such a great little dancer, too! One of the biggest changes in his life happened a few months ago, when he started attending day care at Atlantic Shores Christian School where I teach 4th grade. At first, he had a few tears, but within weeks, he was running into his classroom, excited to see his teachers each day. His favorate thing to do at day care is to paint. He comes home with a new art project just about every day! He's also starting to learn his colors, numbers, shapes, letters, and animal sounds at day care. His favorite animal sound is the pig, and he is SO CUTE scrunching up his little nose, while making the oink oink sound! It's so sweet to see him interact with his older brother, Jeremiah, whom he loves, adores, and wants to be JUST like. They have such a sweet relationship and really do well sharing a room (bunk beds). Josiah - We praise the LORD for you and for the JOY you've added to our lives and to the lives of those around you! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! We love you SO much!

Jeremiah Daniel Gerdes is 4 years old today! It seems like just yesterday that I was holding him in my arms for the very first time, admiring his thick, dark hair and precious little face! Time passes SO quickly! As I'm reflecting on the past year, I am realizing how much Jeremiah has grown and matured in so much areas of his life. It used to be that he had absolutely no interest at all in sitting down and doing any kind of learning activities with me. But ever since he started preschool at Greenbrier Baptist Weekday Preschool this past Fall, he has grown and flourished in all areas of his learning! I am SO proud of him! He now has an excitement for identifying letters and their sounds! At a parent teacher conference earlier this school year, Jeremiah's teacher told me that he is exactly where he should be in all of the areas they cover in preschool. She did mention that he could use some practice tracing letters. So about half-way through the school year, we started doing a "learning time" every afternoon, as soon as we finished lunch/put Josiah down for his nap. During this learning time, Jeremiah traces letters, does sorting activities, plays memory games which help him reinforce his colors and shapes, etc. We have so much fun together, just the two of us! I came up with a little "jingle" to help him learn how to spell his name. To the tune of "All Around the Mulberry Bush," we sing "J-E-R-E-M-I-A-H, my name is Jeremiah." So a few months ago, he started to "sing spell" his name!!!!! I am SO proud of him for being able to do that already! We are now working on writing his name and he is doing a pretty good job with that. We are so thankful for Jeremiah's teacher, Mrs. Atkinson, and all that she has done to foster a love for learning in Jeremiah's heart this year. It's been a blessing to also see him grow spiritually as he learns new Bible verses and stories every week. We have filled up an entire stairwell with Jeremiah's preschool crafts this year. What an amazing first-time preschool experience this has been! Even though we've loved Greenbrier Baptist Weekday Preschool, Jeremiah will be attending a different preschool next year. I just recently enrolled him in the K4 Full-Day program at Atlantic Shores Christian School, where I will be teaching 4th grade in the Fall! We are SO excited! We know this will be a big change and transition for our family, but we also know that God will be there to smooth the way for us. Josiah will be in the staff day care at ASCS, so it will be nice that we can all be in the same building together. On top of every subject being Bible-based, ASCS also offers a wide variety of specials, which Jeremiah will be able to enjoy - Art, Music, PE, Chapel, Outdoor Classroom, Science Lab, Computer, and Spanish! WOW! I am SO excited for Jeremiah, and eventually Josiah, to experience all of these things! I'm even more excited that they will be going to school in a Christian environment. Because it is a private school, the tuition is of course expensive. But because I previously worked there 3 years, I get a rather nice discount, and then after a total of 7 years (so, 4 years from now), my boys will be able to attend for FREE - all the way through 12th grade! What an amazing investment - both educationally and spiritually! God is SO good! Jeremiah and Josiah recently started sharing a room and sleeping in a bunk bed together! They have totally rocked the transition and are sleeping really well, as they both like to snuggle on the bottom bunk together. So sweet! We set up a web cam in their room so that we can hear/see what they are doing at all times. It's so adorable to listen to them giggling together as they fall asleep! Surprisingly, after only about 5 minutes of giggling/playing in their bed, they are fast asleep! SO blessed! Today, on Jeremiah's big day - his 4th birthday - we are starting something brand new - Jeremiah's very first behavior chart. He is SO excited about it! There are 10 positive statements/goals, which he will be trying to accomplish each day: I wake up in my own bed. I get ready for my day with a happy heart. I show love to my brother. I show love to my friends. I listen to adults and follow their directions. I use my manors. I clean up my toys. I try new foods. I honor God through prayer and Bible verses. I get ready for bed with a happy heart. If he has a day where he gets a sticker in every category, he'll get to choose a prize from the prize box. When he gets a total of 50 stickers, he'll earn a date with Mommy or Daddy. At this age, it's tempting to use a lot of negative words, such as "don't, no, stop," etc. We'd really like to try to focus on positive affirmations as much as possible, so we are hoping that by using this chart, Jeremiah will be motivated to work towards positive behaviors. We are excited to see what God has in store for us through this new adventure! Jeremiah Daniel~We are SO very thankful that God brought you into our lives four years ago! You are so precious to us and we love you SOOOOOOOOOOO much! Happy 4th Birthday, buddy!

Josiah's Baby Dedication - Coastal Community Church, Virginia Beach, VA - December 4th, 2011

We dedicated Josiah Timothy Gerdes to the Lord today! At the beginning of the ceremony, I was asked to give a little 1-minute "schpeel" and this is what I said: "Good morning! My name is Courtney Gerdes and this is my husband Jeremy and our sons, Jeremiah and Josiah. Today we are here to dedicate Josiah to the Lord. In just a few minutes, we'll be promising, before God and you all, that we will raise Josiah in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We want you all to know that this is not a vow that we take lightly. Jeremy and I were both blessed to grow up in Christian homes and we each agree that we learned SO many valuable and important things from our parents as we were growing up, which we hope and pray to pass along to our kids. To most people, today, December 4th, is just another day. But to my family, this day has special significance. On this day, 16 years ago, God graciously spared my father's life, after he suffered a heart attack. At that time, I was only in 7th grade, and had I lost my father at that point in my life, I feel my life would be very different and that I would not be the person I am today. My dad has had an extra special influence in my life. He's always been my knight in shining armor. In my eyes, he is one of my biggest heroes, besides God and my husband. Since his heart attack on December 4th, 1995, he's also suffered through a brain tumor, spinal meningitis, and a brain bleed, among other things. In these types of situations, most people would feel sorry for themselves or ask God "Why me?" Not my dad. He's used EVERY situation to glorify God. He views each health challenge as a way to reach out to others and testify to God's mercy, grace, and healing! That's the kind of life I want to live! I want to glorify God in everything I do. Jeremy and I hope and pray that our boys will seek to glorify God in everything THEY do. We know that we can not make the decision of salvation for our boys, so we hope and pray that through our example, and through the examples of others in their lives, like our parents/their grandparents, they'll someday make the decision to accept Christ as their savior. We are not perfect parents. But we know that God's grace covers our imperfections. We will keep that in mind today as we make these vows, on this day, December 4th, 2011."

Josiah's 1st Birthday!

How is it possible that my "baby" is ONE YEAR OLD today?! It just blows my mind! This past year has flown by SO fast, I can hardly believe it! Maybe it's the fact that my two boys keep me so busy, or possibly the fact that we've had three different addresses in the past year. Maybe it has something to do with Jeremy being on night shift for the past three months, making life seem even more of a "blur" than usual! Whatever it is, I am just shocked that my precious Josiah Timothy is one year old TODAY!

I'll never forget Josiah's extra special entrance into the world - via successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)! It was something I had prayed for and desired for SO long and God blessed me with fulfilling that deep desire. If you have not read Josiah's birth story/my VBAC testimony yet, please feel free to read it (it can be found in the 2010 archives).

Josiah is SUCH a precious baby! Since the minute he was born, people have always commented "all that hair" of his and his gorgeous blue eyes! Once he figured out how to smile, he never stopped! He is ALWAYS smiling! I was so proud of him when he smiled all the way through his 1 year photos the other day. So precious to see those six little teeth (4 top, 2 bottom) when he smiles! What a sweet boy! He absolutely ADORES his big brother and loves to follow Jeremiah wherever he goes. One of my favorite things to do is to listen to Josiah giggle. Who can make him giggle nonstop? His big brother Jeremiah, of course! It's absolutely precious to witness! Seeing my boys interact warms my heart in such deep ways!

Because he wants to keep up with his big brother, he is on the move constantly - he was sitting up/rolling across the room at 5 months old; crawling, cruising, and climbing the stairs at 8 months old; and just recently took his very first steps at 11 months old. WOW! Josiah's first word was "mama" (yay!)at 5 months old, and shortly after that, he added "dada," and most recently added "hi, bye, uh-oh, and ni-ni" to his vocabulary. It's hard to believe that he'll most likely be speaking in two word phrases/short sentences by next year at this time.

I'm very happy to report that at one year old, Josiah is STILL nursing! This was a HUGE goal of mine and I am SO happy we made it to a year! From the get go, he has been a great little nurser, and I am SO thankful for the precious bonding time that nursing has given me and Josiah. I know it sounds crazy - but sometimes I miss waking up with him at night (he started sleeping through the night at 2 months old), as now he only nurses about 2-3 times per day. I don't plan to "wean" him, but rather let him decide when he is done. I am assuming that when we start adding whole milk to his diet next week, he won't have much more need for "mommy milk." We'll see!

To celebrate Josiah's 1st Birthday, we are having a party at a nearby park (Oak Grove Lake Park) and are inviting lots of the boys' friends to play, have lunch, and eat cupcakes. We are SO excited to celebrate with our friends! God has blessed us with such an amazing "family"/network/group of friends here in this area! We are so thankful!

God is SO good to give us such an amazing, precious, adorable, smiley, snuggly, giggly, loveable little boy!

Josiah Timothy Gerdes - Our lives were forever changed when God brought you into the world one year ago! We are so very thankful for you and we love you SO much!

Josiah's One Year Photos Slideshow