Saturday, August 25, 2007

God's Greatest Blessings (A Blog from Daddy)












SADIE ELIZABETH IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!! After all of the waiting and anticipation, Sadie Elizabeth made her entrance into this world at 6:54 pm weighing 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. Although Mom and Dad were hoping for a normal, uneventful, natural childbirth, Sadie had other plans. Let me start at the beginning...

As you all know, Alice has been contracting for almost 2 weeks. Finally we awoke this morning with Alice having fairly regular contractions spaced about 10-12 minutes apart. We did not get our hopes up, though, based on experiences of the past 2 weeks. So I went in to work and finished a couple of important experiments while Alice rested at home. By the time I returned home again, Alice's contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and becoming a little more intense. We were like two kids on Christmas Day :))))). We rushed around and got Mili ready, called the doctor and started on our way to drop Mili off at a friend' house. By the time we made it to the friend's house, Alice's contractions were 3 minutes apart and strong enough to interrupt conversation. So off we went driving at near the speed of light towards the hospital. Once we made it into Labor and Delivery, we quickly realized this was going to be no ordinary delivery. Almost immediately, the nurses noticed that Sadie's heartbeat was decelerating every time Alice had a contraction. They immediately gave meds to stop the contractions, broke Alice's water and put a monitor in-utero to keep a closer eye on Sadie. Sadie seemed to perk up for a while but when Alice started contracting again, our little Sadie was going to have none of it. At one point the heart rate dropped so low that the doctor had to jostle Alice and Sadie around quite a lot to try and relieve whatever pressure on the cord that was causing the problem. When the baby didn't respond very quickly, everyone went into emergency mode, and before we knew it they were throwing me a pair of scrubs and prepping Alice for surgery. I went into the bathroom to put my scrubs on and immediately realized that they had given me the smallest pair of scrubs humanly imaginable (for those of you who don't know...I am a pretty "substantial" guy). I wanted to be with Alice so I tried with all my might to fit all of this into that. If it wasn't such a scary situation, it would have been very comical. ( Imagine Chris Farley and his "Fat Man in a Little Coat" dance). Anyway, I finally yielded to the laws of physics and asked for larger scrubs. By the time I was dressed, everyone was gone from the room. Although, they had told me they would come back for me, it is not a very comforting feeling to see the room, where your lovely pregnant wife once was, now so empty.
They were able to stabilize Sadie's heart beat and give Alice a spinal so that she could remain conscious. That meant I was able to sit by her side and calm her down as they rushed to remove Sadie. She came out screaming and yelling, showing her strong will and determination. Tonight she is resting calmly and has already had her first meal.
This was by far the scariest event that Alice and I have ever experienced. Having said that, it is just another example of God's fingerprints in our lives. He worked everything out so that we would be at the hospital with the right doctors and nurses at the right time so that Sadie might be born healthy. We sit tonight more thankful than I think we have ever been. Thankful for God's gentle guiding, for family, for friends, but most of all for a new beautiful baby girl.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am just so happy they both are OK! Mom and baby look perfect! May there be speedy recovery so that you all can be cuddled up at home in no time!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS AUNT ALICE, UNCLE BRIAN, AND MILI ON THE NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY. SADIE IS A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YA'LL AT CHRISTMAS OR AROUND THEN. I LOVE YA'LL SO MUCH.

LOVE VICTORIA LYNN

Anonymous said...

Praise God all is well and Sadie Beth is doing fine. Can't wait to see everyone. If I can help in any way, let me know. Off to church now.
Love,
Michelle
P.S. Brian, you are hysterical with the scrub thing!! TOO FUNNY!!

Shana said...

I'm so thankful to see two beautiful, healthy faces!!! Congratulations on one tiny bundle of joy and on no longer being pregnant, ALICE! You get to hold the beautiful bundle of Sadie, now. *hug* She is absolutely beautiful...just beautiful...like little Mili.

*HUG* Brian! You're a fantastic husband, daddy, and support!

Anonymous said...

I'M SO PROUD OF YOU BOTH FOR THE WAY YOU LEANED ON GOD TO HELP YOU THROUGH SUCH A SCARY ORDEAL. OUR HEARTS WERE BREAKING BECAUSE YOU HAD NO FAMILY THERE TO LEAN ON, YET GOD IN HIS TENDER MERCY WRAPPED YOU IN HIS LOVE!WOW! AIN'T GOD GOOD? HE EVEN HELPED US HERE AS WE PLACED EACH OF YOU IN HIS HANDS. AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO NEED US EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I'M THANKFUL YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU NEED HIM. SOMEDAY WE WILL BE GONE BUT HE PROMISED TO NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE YOU. WHAT AN AWSOME GOD WE SERVE! I'M SO VERY GLAD ALICE AND SADIE ARE DOING WELL. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. HUGS AND KISSES TO ALL. I LOVE YOU ALL. MOM

Unknown said...

I've been checking all weekend to see if Sadie had arrived. God is good and I am so thankful that Alice and Sadie are both doing great after a scary ordeal!
Take care and many blessings.

Outnumbered said...

Congratulations Brian and Alice!! And Brian, welcome to the crazy world for dads with C-section wives. Yours was a little less expected than mine, but I can sympathize with the uncomfort that is waiting for them to "come get you!"

Now you guys just need one more to "catch up" with us!!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! We are so sorry you had such an ordeal getting little Sadie into this world, but the worst is over now until she becomes a teenager. Wish some of your family could have been there and they wish they could have been there too. Just a few short days and Grandma, Auntie and Adopted Auntie will be there to visit and help out. Don't let them spoil her (and of course Mili)while they are there. Our love and prayers are with you all.
Johnny & Hazel

Anonymous said...

Alice and Brian,
I have been checking your blog every day to see if Sadie was here yet or not, and I was so happy to see that she had arrived and after all of the excitement was over she is doing fine.

I just read a book that describes your ordeal Brian. It is called "God may scare me to death, but he will never leave me". I know you were trusting him all the way, and as usual, God takes care of things in his way. Take care of yourselves, and you will be in our prayers.

Love you all,

Aunt Norma

LeLe said...

Sadie is beautiful! Thanks for posting photos, Brian. You cracked me up with the "Fat guy in a little coat" analogy.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Sadie is beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I'm so glad for you both! I know you're very relieved now that everything has turned out well. Sadie's a beautiful baby! :)

Lots of love and plenty of rest! :)
Melanie

Blessings All Mine said...

What a story! Congratulations and praise God for his literal hand of "deliverance" from a dangerous situation. Praise Him for his protection!