Waiting On The Lord : The Arrival of Baby Seaford!

On July 22nd, we received the call from Emma in North Carolina that her contractions remained consistent (she had had prodromal labor for several days) and that we needed to make our way east. Mom and I gathered our things and got them and ourselves in the car and began the long trip, hoping we would make the birth. We would not have been worried if we had been able to look into the next few days!

We made good time on the road and arrived at Emma and Stephen's house safely, but unfortunately, the contractions were not as strong and consistent as we would have hoped for a more speedy delivery. We went to bed anticipating a trip to the birthing center in the middle of the night, but no call came.

Saturday morning found Emma still having contractions, but no significant progression. Emma and I took a walk to try to help labor progress and we spent the rest of the day and most of Sunday, watching movies, pressing pressure points, resting, keeping everyone fed, and applying (and diffusing) essential oils.

Sunday night the contractions suddenly intensified and after calling a midwife, we were advised to head on to the birthing center. It wasn't quite as chaotic as the scene in "I Love Lucy" when Lucy goes to the hospital, but it was a close rival! =) Mom, Stephen, and I were flying around trying to gather water, keys, electrolytes, a baby carrier, purses, food, etc.

After arriving and getting checked in, the contractions had once again eased up and we began the night watch, continuing to press pressure points and helping Emma change positions to keep labor moving.

After 4 hours, Emma had not progressed any further than when she had been checked in, and legally the birthing center could not keep her any longer. So after receiving a muscle relaxer, we headed home around 3am to try to get some rest.

Did I eat ice cream for breakfast? Yes, I did.

Monday morning, after just a few hours of sleep, we began the circuit again. Birthing ball and a movie, essential oils, and another walk.

I kept the laundry moving. Routine is a good thing in stressful times.

Around 11:30, Emma and Stephen headed back to the birthing center followed by Mom and me about an hour later. She had progressed further than the night before and was officially admitted into the center.