Update from Dad

Hey everybody--Andy here.

I wanted to take a minute and provide you all with a brief update. I know we've gone AWOL on the blog since Beulah was born; we've just been spending all our time enjoying our little girl!

I'm going to post a few more pics from the hospital (although I don't think I know how to do the cool slide show thing like Michelle does!). Speaking of Michelle, I know she really wants to post some of her thoughts very soon, but she has been pretty tied up with feedings. Right now, she's enjoying some much needed rest.

I've been telling everyone I talk to that nursing is not for the faint of heart! We've been working through some challenges with breastfeeding, and I have to say that my wife is absolutely incredible. I'm so proud of her--she's been working so hard to feed Beulah. We visited a lactation nurse today, and the whole experience was incredibly helpful. We're thinking things should get a little easier soon. I'll let Michelle fill you in on all the details. (Oh, I'm going to respectfully ask that you don't send Michelle breastfeeding advice as a result of my post. I don't mean to be rude, and I know that it would all be well-meaning, but it would probably be easier if you entrust us to the pros right now. Thanks for understanding!)

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who has called, emailed, visited, or brought food. We appreciate everyone's love and support more than you will ever know. I apologize that we've been unable to return all the phone calls and emails just yet. Please know that we are not ignoring you, and we hope to get in touch with everyone soon.

Here are some snippets of fun information that you might not know about how Beulah's birth went down:

1. Beulah was taken by c-section because she was breech. She was folded up inside Michelle with her feet up by her head. When she came out, her little legs just stuck straight up in the air! The nurses had a hard time straightening her out to measure her length!

2. She was a little blue when she came out too, and it took a minute or so for her to really start breathing well. The nurses had to suction her nose and throat and really coax her to cry. It was pretty nerve wracking for daddy who could just stand there and pray! After a few mintues, she turned pink and started breathing normally. I was so happy to hear that cry.

3. The first words that Beulah heard me say were Ephesians 3:14-21. After the nurses had cleaned her off, they took a minute to jot down their records. Beulah was laying under the warming light and I was able to put my hands on her little body, get down really close to her face, and say those verses. I had practiced for several days leading up to her birth, and it was the most special thing for me to be able to have that moment with her.

4. During the operation, I actually was able to peek over the curtain and watch them pull her out. I didn't think I'd be able to handle looking at Michelle's open incision, but in that moment when the doctor said "Here she comes!" I couldn't help but look. I actually got a few really good pictures of them pulling Beulah out. They won't make it to the internet, but you can see them if you come over to our house (and you're not totally grossed out by that sort of thing. Don't worry, I would be totally grossed out too if it wasn't my wife and daughter.)

OK--I think that's all for now. I need to go to bed.

On behalf of my two beautiful girls, goodnight, and we love you all.

Andy

Beulah is Here!!!!

Beulah Grace Crissinger:

Born on April 4, 2009 at 9:48 am.
6 lbs. 12 oz.; 18.5 inches long
Blue eyes, dark hair

We are so thankful for all your prayers!

To those of you who are local, we are at CMC Pineville. We welcome visitors on Sunday and Monday, but the hospital has a no visitor policy from 2-4 pm.

All praise to our great God!

Postponed!

Humph...well, folks, the c-section has been postponed till Saturday. Apparently God wasn't ready for Beulah to come into the world today, so He created so much chaos in the Operating Room that there wasn't even a room for me to stay in today! So, we'll do it all again Saturday. At least we've gotten the house ready and I can rest my fat feet now for a couple more days. :) And, Beulah has a couple more days to "cook". That's always good. As my friend Christie said, "God must have something up his sleeve!" It's all in His control. Love to you all, and thanks for the prayers!!

TOMORROW!!!

I can't believe that tomorrow I will be holding my daughter in my arms!!! Pray for a safe arrival into the world. Come back sometime after lunch to see some pictures!! Love you all! Thanks to those who have already been praying!

Deadline!!

I had my 37 week appointment Friday. Yay! We're officially full term! Praise God!! Since Beulah has still not turned, the Doctor scheduled a c-section for Thursday, April 2nd. As soon as he left the room, I looked at Andy and said, "OK, God's got a deadline now!" :)

I have to admit, I went through a sort of grieving process (for the potential loss of labor) Friday and Saturday morning. I didn't call or talk to anybody because I knew what everyone was going to say. I KNEW what I SHOULD be thinking and feeling. "She'll get here in the perfect way God has planned." "When it's over and you see that healthy baby girl, you won't care how she got here!" "The important thing is that you're both safe." I knew I SHOULD be thinking and feeling that way, but I just couldn't make myself.

Some women have said that I'm lucky not to have to labor. They say they wish they could have just been wheeled in for surgery and not have had to go through the hours of work. So, why would I want to labor and need to grieve the loss of it? Crazy or not, honestly I was looking forward to doing the work and that moment of climax when she is born, feeling SO much relief and joy that's she's here and the work is done. Not to mention the fact that God moved my placenta out of the way and has prepared my body for a successful vaginal delivery. Plus, with my background in dance and knowledge of the body, I was looking forward to the physical challenge.

I've talked to several women, close friends and family, that labored for hours, only to end in a c-section. Those women went through a period of grief for their birth experience afterwards. I think it's natural and important to allow women to grieve without guilt. It's a loss for the experience the way God created it. Of course, it wouldn't be good to sit in the grief for too long or to overreact about it (whatever that looks like), but healthy grieving can be important and necessary.

Fortunately, Andy recognized my need to grieve, and prayed with me about it Friday. Saturday morning, I showed my weakness to two moms from church that I respect and admire. While they tried to encourage me, I still could not force myself to feel different. But, about an hour later, as I was being treated to a pedicure (see below) by Beulah's "aunt Danielle" and filling her in on "the plan", I started to get excited! There was an unexplainable difference in my attitude and feelings as I talked about meeting my sweet baby girl in a week and a half!! I could literally FEEL the prayers that Andy and those two moms had prayed for me, and thank God, He lifted what I could not.

I had to surrender MY will and the desires of my heart to God and His sovereignty. I KNOW He knows what's best and I trust that He has His reasons, even if I never know them. Who knows, He could be protecting us from something much worse! There are, after-all, some positive aspects to all this.

1. I have had time to grieve the loss of natural delivery BEFORE my baby comes, rather than after (which is the case for many women).

2. I feel GREAT! I'm pretty sure it's because I don't have a head in my pelvis or feet in my ribs. :)

3. This method is much more predictable and makes planning easy.

4. I will get to sleep through the night next Wednesday (as much as possible with aches, anxiety and excitement), wake up, calmly go to the hospital and meet my baby that morning! Then, I have the rest of the day with her, our parents and siblings.

5. I will meet my baby in a week and a half (after almost 7 years of waiting)!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait!!

Now, does that mean we stop praying that she will turn? NO! If He wants to, God could still turn her before next Thursday! If He does that, I will consider it ANOTHER miracle! If you look at the picture below, Beulah is sitting in the Frank Breech position and has been for quite a while. I can't even IMAGINE how my little chunker could turn from that position with the lack of space she has in there. She seems quite comfortable and doesn't listen to our reason and logic about why she should turn. :) So, it would actually take the hand of God to guide her to the head down position. The statistics say that only 3-4% of babies are still breech by this point in pregnancy. And, as the high risk doctor told us, babies have typically declared their position by now. But, what does God care about statistics? If He wants to, He'll turn her. I know that for sure!



I've never been a girlie girl. I've had MAYBE three pedicures my whole life. Green is my favorite color, and I've typically avoided pink. But, when you're pregnant with a little girl, you can't help but think of her when you see pink. So, I chose pink as my toenail color in honor of her arrival. :)



Look at that Belly! This was taken at 36.5 weeks.

Turn Around, Bright Eyes

We've known for a while that Beulah was breech. I mean, when I get up in the middle of the night, I can feel her head up in my ribs, almost like she's standing straight up! I keep telling her there's more room "down there" for her head to grow, but she's not listening to me. :) Monday, the high risk doctor told us that at this point babies are pretty much settled into their birth position.

So, we're praying she turns very soon. I mean, the placenta has moved out of the way completely and everything is in place for me to have a natural birth...except Beulah. While I will be more than thrilled to meet her no matter how she gets here, and I trust that God is sovereign over her birth, I pray that I will be able to experience a natural birth. I went online and looked at several different methods recommended to help a breech baby turn. If I'm not careful, I could get obsessed trying them all and thinking about it all the time. So, while I'm praying that she will turn, I'm also praying that I can remember that I am not in control and I can trust God in whatever happens. I appreciate your prayers about this too.

Our Amazing Creator

Between reading pregnancy / birthing books and taking classes, I have learned some things about pregnancy and birth that just leave me speechless. The nurse who taught our birthing class said, "I don't know how anyone can do what I do and not believe in God." She gave Him credit for all of the amazing things that happen during pregnancy and birth that can't be attributed to anything other than our amazing Creator. The nurse / lactation consultant who taught the breast-feeding class agreed and mentioned how clever God is to have created our bodies with such care that we (women) are able to provide nourishment for our children and all of the intricacies involved in that. The midwife we saw Friday teared up as she spoke about the miracle of birth, and she's been delivering babies for more than 25 years! She told us that God already knows how our birth will go and reminded us to trust that His way is best. Wow!

These are just a FEW amazing things I've learned that blow my mind.

1. When a baby's lungs finish developing, she releases a hormone that initiates labor in the mother.

2. During labor, a woman's body releases endorphins that are more powerful than morphine.

3. If put on the mother's chest (skin to skin) after a natural (non-medicated) birth, a baby will "crawl" to her breast and initiate feeding within the first 30 minutes to an hour of life.

4. A mother's breast will create the amount of milk her baby requires, however much or little that might be.

5. Amniotic fluid, as well as breast milk, are "flavored" based on what mom has eaten. This introduces the flavors of the house and helps children get used to them from a very early age.

6. Immediately after birth, the mother's chest acts as an incubator. If put skin to skin with her mother a baby begins to learn to regulate her own body temperature. If the baby's temp falls, the mother's will rise. If the baby's temp rises, the mother's will fall. In this way, learning to regulate her temperature can be achieved in 90 minutes. This can also be done with the father if the two are draped together with a blanket. If taken away from the mother (or father's) bare chest within the first 90 minutes, learning to regulate her temperature can take baby up to three days.

How great is our God?!

Intriguing Documentary

Not long after I found out I was pregnant, a documentary was recommended to me, The Business of Being Born.  I enjoyed and appreciated what I learned very much, and it has definitely effected the decisions we've made throughout my pregnancy.  The video is for anyone who may be having a baby now or in the future or someone who's just interested in the history of birthing as well as current birthing options and practices.  I recommend watching the trailer before watching the full film to see if you're interested.  I do not recommend you watch the film if you are not interested in watching women birth babies.  It's definitely not a "clean", feel-good film.  :)  I also do NOT recommend you watch this if you will be giving birth soon.  FYI--If you have a Netflix account you can watch the film instantly online.