Lively's Birth Story

Lively Grace's birth journey video is LIVE on YouTube! This is raw, fairly un-edited footage that documents our few days leading up to her arrival, and of course her arrival!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtYDzK7cLkw

✔️ Here's a few narrative facts about her journey that will help you piece together her beautiful story as you watch!

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♥️ We started our journey of "trying" to get pregnant in February 2020, we were so excited to see our family grow. We were in Florida at the time of my first "ovulation" at the beginning of March. I was using ovulation pee sticks so that we knew right when was the optimal time! (highly suggest! you can get them on amazon!) So we believe little Lu was conceived in Kissamee florida!

♥️ Later in March we took a pregnancy test at around the time it would give us a result, and it was negative. I was so dissapointed. It was actually the same day we found out we didn't get a house we had put an offer on.

♥️ About a week later, on a Sunday, we were in the first "lock down" of Covid and we were watching Slate Church online. The song "The Blessing" had just recently spread across the country & we were playing it in our condo after the service. As we were listening to it, the lyrics were saying,

"May His favor be upon you

And your family and your children

And their children, and their children"

I was singing these lyrics along with the song and had my hand on my belly. I just felt in that moment, I should take another test. So that night, I took a test and left it on the counter for Josh to check. And to our surprise, it was POSITIVE! We took a few more to make sure & we were the happiest we'd been in our lives.

♥️ My first two trimesters of pregnancy were a JOY. I was a lucky one, not much morning sickness or anything as such. I did have a bout of migraines but thankfully they quickly dissipated.

♥️ At the end of my second trimester I was at an ultrasound & was suddenly asked to go immediately to Grand River Hospital where they found a placental abruption- a serious and rare condition. I remember driving over with 1% battery on my phone, not knowing where to park, feeling so frazzled, and crying my eyes out on the phone to Josh as at the time I didn’t know what was happening, just that something was wrong enough for them to send me immediately to the hospital.

♥️ For the rest of my pregnancy we were high risk with ultrasounds, non stress tests and OB appointments each week. They were monitoring us very closely as an abruption usually means you’re going into labour NOW. Basically the placenta starts moving and detaching away from the uterus early, meaning early birth. To EVERYONES surprise, when we thought we’d be lucky to even make it 33 weeks to stay in Waterloo for the birth, we made it right to 38.5 weeks and were induced! Thank you God!

♥️ This also meant that I had to be on moderate bed rest for about two months were I couldn’t exercise, spend much time on my feet or do anything strenuous. This was a challenge as a fitness instructor!

♥️ Our induction is documented in our video which I hope you watch! We ended up going in on November 19th and I had a foley cathedar inserted, basically a balloon that expanded my cervix. It was put in the morning of the 19th and I was sent home to relax and allow it to do it’s job. I was told to come back the next morning at 9 am OR if it fell out early, meaning I had “widened” enough, to come back then! So at about 8:00 AM in my living room the next morning while eating a bowl of raisen brain in my house coat with the family, I sneezed and out popped the balloon! READY TO GO!

♥️ When we arrived at the hospital around 9 AM on the 20th of November, it was 15 degrees and a BUSY day at the hospital. They checked my cervix and I was 3 CM dialated, combined with the risk of the abruption, and Lively measuring small, they decided to keep me after 3 hours of evaluation and waiting in triage. YES! We were IN! It’s the most exciting feeling when you are admitted because you want to have your baby so badly! The last thing I wanted to do was go home and start this process AGAIN the next day!

♥️ I remember almost running to the waiting room outside of the 4th floor of child delivery and I had to remind myself I’m not supposed to run! I was so excited to go get josh and tell him he could come in! (Giving birth in a world pandemic is a whole other story, but Josh couldn’t join me in any of my appointments until it was really GO time!)

♥️ We got our room and it was HUGE and beautiful, we had so much fun as we waiting 8 hours in “line” for our turn to get induced with the pitocin drip. We watched the holiday channel christmas movies, cuddled, napped and soaked up the sweetest time together as we eagerly awaited Lively’s arrival!

♥️ A nurse came in around 7 PM and tried to almost convince us to go home as we were still waiting, but we said, no we are going to hope for the best that we can get induced at some point in the night. So we stayed! At about 2:30AM a nurse came in and introduced herself, as she was going to be OUR nurse. You get a 1 to 1 nurse when you are being induced! Around 3AM the potocin started which is supposed to induce contractions. Our nurse advised that it still usually takes about 8-12 hours before you are at 10 CM and ready to push… I thought otherwise ;). So at about 3:15 AM my OB came in (thankfully she was actually on that night!) and she broke my water! Fast forward to 3:45, I was having REAL contractions, I asked the nurse… if I’m getting the epidural anyway, can I just get it now so that I don’t have to feel intense pain unecessarily? It was a little early, but she said the doc was actually next door administering one, so it was a good time to catch him. Around 4 AM I got the epidural. I was so worried about moving during a contraction as they inserted the epidural, as they were really strong at this point and hard not to move during them. Somehow, I didn’t have ONE contraction during the process! hallelujah!

♥️ The epidural kicked in quickly and I felt like I was having a warm bath in heaven! It was glorious! I could still feel just enough to know when I was having a contraction.

♥️ at about 5:15 AM I told the nurse I was really feeling a lot of pressure toward my BUTT, I wasn’t sure if that was normal. She said she’d check me in about an hour to see where I was dilated. I mentioned again, there is a lot of lower pressure like I feel the head. So she checked me, and to her surprise I was 10 CM dilated! Time to have a baby she said!

♥️ The lights flicked on and it was a scurry around the room with our nurse as she got everything prepped, she asked me to try my best NOT to push until they were ready! That was hard! When it’s go time your body just wants to push! Josh grabbed my hand and we prayed together in those final moments before our baby girls arrival, I remember Josh saying, “She’s yours God” and if that’s all I remember from his prayer that’s all that matters. She’s yours God! Josh flicked on the baby worship playlist and it sounded like we were in church!

♥️ Shortly after at around 5:40 we had about 8 staff in our room, the peds team was there for Lively’s arrival too as she was technically high risk! The resident OB came in as my OB wasn’t available quite yet and she walked me through pushing, I had actually got to meet her at my last appointment at my OB’s office so it was SO nice that she new my case and we had met before. God is good! She actually said, “I really like this song” as Bethel’s “Goodness of God” rang through the room.

♥️ It was about 6:00 AM my last big push and my OB swang through the door and got to catch the arrival! 6:09 AM Lively Grace was born at 6 pounds 2 ounces. I remember them saying “ Grab your baby! There she is!” And I reached down and they guided her into my arms unto my chest, my baby girl. The most heavenly moment. Her little cry and tiny face, I was instantly hers and she was mine.

♥️ Then Lively stopped crying, I quickly asked if she was okay, as she was also almost blue, they took her quickly to a table in the room and gave her breathing assistance with a CPAP mask and quickly whisked her off to the. NICU with Josh. suddenly I was by myself with my nurse. What had happened! All I wanted in that moment was to cuddle with my baby. I remember thinking I couldn’t even call my parents yet because I wanted to facetime them WITH her, not without her. (But of course I called them as soon as I could). An hour later, I was allowed to be wheeled to the NICU after being stitched up etc. to spend some time with my baby who I had barely held. I remember the tears as I saw her wired up in the incubator, her whole face covered with a mask. Her skin so red. I wasn’t able to hold her yet. I remember putting my hand through the little hole in the incubator and her grabbing my finger. My heart just about burst. I sang amazing grace to her, it’s all that came to mind in the moment. Josh wasn’t even able to be there then as you could only have one person in the NICU at a time. This was tough!

♥️ We spent the next two nights in a hospitality room outside of NICU and visited little Lively as the machines helped her get fluid off her lungs & make sure she was strong enough breathing on her own. I remember the moment I was finally able to hold her, the moment they took her mask off for good, and when I got to try breastfeeding. These were heavenly moments in the midst of an uncertain circumstance.

♥️ I remember being SO excited when they said we could take her home, I said so I can put clothes on her now?! And they said yes you can put actual clothes on her! Haha. I was so excited to bring my girly home.

That’s the journey of Lively’s birth. Trust God always, He has you in the palm of His hand!