From the moment I found out I was pregnant, we prayed for May. May would mean full term. 

When May came our prayers focused on the remaining requests... 

• that my blood pressure would continue to be normal
• that I would go into labor before my due date
• that I would be able to deliver without pitocin or an epidural
• that Malachi would be born healthy with no complications for him or I 

All that being said, here is the story of how  Malachi was born... one year later because he keeps my hands (but also heart) that full.

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Wednesday May 16th | 39 wks 2 days

I went in for my final midwife visit and we discussed our plans for induction. Due to my previous preeclampsia and chronic hypertension, standard procedure would have been induction at 39 weeks. Because I was doing so well and I desperately wanted to go on my own she allowed that I could go up to my due date without requiring induction. We discussed the option of her inducing me the next day because that was her hospital day and she could drive me having a less invasive induction. But in hopes of going on my own over the weekend, I opted for saving that for Monday (with a different midwife) as a last resort. 

Saturday May 19th | 39wks 5days 

I had spent the last 11 days having pretty regular contractions with varying intensity. After living in physical and mental limbo, I could finally take a big deep breath... at least mentally. My mom got into town and I no longer felt the mental stress of wondering if it was time to tell her to jump in the car for the 9 hour journey. It was so relieving to know that if I went into labor before induction, she was already here. She got in that afternoon and we spent the evening shopping and eating and spoiling Levi! 

Sunday May 20th | 39wks 6days

We went to church and enjoyed the last Sunday with Malachi in my belly. I continually asked people to pray me into labor. I truly believe that the power of prayer and the grace of God is what had gotten me to that full term mark of even needing to pray I’d go into labor. 

After church we went out to lunch for one my dearest friend’s birthday. As we left I began asking one of my friends who’s crazy knowledgeable about birth if she had any advice on getting into labor to avoid pitocin and induction. She gave a few suggestions and encouraged me that if my body was ready, castor oil might be just enough to push me into gear. At that point, I was willing to try anything. 

Over the next few hours I tried some positional stuff and also went shopping to get all the makings of a castor oil milkshake. While we were shopping my contractions got pretty intense and were coming every 10 minutes or so. We questioned even getting the supplies but decided we would because this was my last shot at going into active labor on my own. 

By the time we got home they were coming around 6-7 minutes apart but weren’t strong enough that I was having to stop and work through them. My momma made my peanut butter and castor oil shake (which I honestly found pretty tasty) and I began chugging between 8 and 8:30. By 9:30 my contractions were coming every 3 to 3.5 minutes and we were loading up the car to  drop Levi off. 

I was miserable buckled in up front on the way to drop Levi off with dear friends 10 minutes away. He was hysterical dropping him off so late at night and was so confused. It broke my heart but I was so thankful he was with Ms Keinna who snuggles him and comforted him until he got calmed down. 

On the way to the hospital (another 30 minutes away -usually) I rode in the back laid over the seat working through much more painful contractions at this point coming every 2-3 minutes. 

Given that I was induced early with Levi, I had no idea what it was like for my body to progress into active labor on my own. I didn’t know what to expect but I did expect that the next part of the process would go fairly quickly and I even joked that I better be eating chick til a by breakfast time. 

When they got me checked into triage, I was still only at 3-4cm but given my consistent contractions they admitted me. At this point my hospital gang included Joel of course, my mom and my friend Jenn who was photographing. 

Monday May 21st | 40 weeks

They got me transferred upstairs and we got settled in the room. They brought me an exercise ball and another chair/pillow cushion to help me get in positions to work through contractions. I was super thankful that they were respecting my wishes for no epidural and bringing me such things to help cope. 

Through the night my mom and Joel tried to rest as much as possible. I was too giddy to sleep and honestly expected to quickly progress. I was so thankful to have my friend Jenn there to talk to in those wee hours and also have her document that slower, calmer time that I wasn’t really expecting. 

In the morning the midwife on call came in to check me and I was still only at 4… I know I know. I’ve read all the natural progression tips and I shouldn’t have been thinking the words “still” and “only” but after all night of hard contractions I thought surely I would be at least at  5cm. At that point I asked if she thought it would help to break my water. In a perfect world, I’d rather have had no intervention but I’m familiar enough with the hospital setting enough to know that if didn’t start progressing soon, they’d want to do pitocin and that wasn’t a road I wanted to travel again. She broke my water a little before 9am and things definitely picked up some from there. 

Also during the morning as my mom was updating my friends through texts, one of my friends (the one who’d talked me into castor oil and had done two completely natural deliveries) offered to come if I wanted support. At this point, I was tired and in so much pain and none of us had ever been through this so I was like 100% YES! I was so thankful that she was there to push me and encourage me and coach me and Joel through that. Her being able to be there as labor support made such a huge difference. 

I’m not sure of the exact time but around mid day, I was completely exhausted and frustrated that I had to keep getting in bed for long periods to be monitored. At that point I got them to explain what the IV meds would be like. They explained that it would only last for around 45 minutes and that it would essential make me sleepy enough to at least sleep in between contractions. They said I could do up to 3 rounds but she highly suggested I do only one and rest though it and then come back ready to labor. I opted for it. 

I don’t entirely regret it…. but it was pretty tough coming out of it wearing off and right into transition. The next time they checked me was at 3:30. I was 7cm and 100% effaced and shaking in pain. I cried. I moaned. I swayed. I prayed. I used the support of every single person in that room with me… because I needed it. 

I wasn’t nearly as composed as I’d hoped I’d be but I (and others) continued to remind myself to take it one contraction at a time. I was one contraction closer to seeing my baby. 

Unfortunately during this time, my friend and photographer had to leave for work for a couple of hours. As slow as the day had been moving we expected she wouldn’t miss much but she left her camera just in case. We’re thankful she did because transition went fast (at least compared to the rest of my labor).  When it seemed the pressure and urge to push was constant we asked the midwife to come in. At that point I was almost at 10cm and she encouraged me to breathe through the next contraction and then push. 

The next few minutes seem like a blur in my mind but after pushing through two (I think ha) contractions we heard the sweetest little cry and our precious Malachi was laid on my chest. Born at 4:55pm, he snuggled me and nursed and was wide awake for a good bit. THIS was such a beautiful and surreal moment. It was so comforting and crazily joy filled in contrast to the brief time we got with Levi after birth and the 15 hours I waited to hold him. It's amazing how Malachi and I both instantly settled with him there on my chest. 

After a little my mom drove to pick up Levi so he could come meet his baby brother and also pick up some long-awaited Chick-fil-A. In the meantime I scarfed down a turkey sub and little man got cleaned up and measured and we gazed at him in awe. He weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. 

Levi was so excited to meet his baby brother but was also a little shy initially. He smiled behind that binky and wanted to give him a race car. By the next day he was all in his face with totally unrestrained love. Two days later we took our TWO boys home in the minivan and this momma was on cloud 9. 

The coming days and weeks brought many challenges of their own but my delivery couldn’t have gone smoother. It was the perfect end to a perfect pregnancy with this sweet joy. I don’t write this without knowing their are plenty of you who didn’t get the pregnancy or birth you hoped and planned for. It’s how I felt during my first round. And as hard as that was to accept, it was also the perfect opportunity for God to teach me that His grace really could be enough for me through my experiences letting me down. This pregnancy and delivery were also a wonderful opportunity for Him to remind me that He is not defined by statistics or patterns and He gave me a beautiful (mostly) complication free pregnancy and the natural (though painful) delivery I so desired. He answered every single prayer. 

I’m beyond grateful for God’s sovereign timing, His grace poured out on me, the amazing support of my awesome labor team, the comforting help of friends taking care of Levi, and my dear friend Jenn who captured these beautiful photos to help me remember the details of Malachi’s birth. 

One year later and I’m still left in such awe! 

Y'all I seriously can't get over this pregnancy! I can't believe how smooth it's been and how far we've made it without blood pressure issues! We are so so thankful and giving so much praise that I am 39 weeks along. For those of you who prayed for May with us, THANK YOU! 
Now our prayer has shifted to hoping I go into labor before induction. Due to my previous preeclampsia, my healthcare team won't let me go past my due date. Their policy is actual to induce at 39 weeks but because I've done so well this pregnancy and I requested a few more days, they are letting me go past. 
This last week has been a bit of a whirlwind. I've had random braxton hicks contractions for several weeks now but last Tuesday afternoon I started having contractions about every 15 minutes. By later in the evening I was having them every 7-8 min. My midwife encouraged me to hydrate and rest and see what happened. I had contractions through the night but was able to sleep on and off for a few hours. The next morning I was still having them so we put into motions plans for family travel and Levi's care thinking that labor must be coming...
By the afternoon, my family was on their way from VA and Levi was with friends. We went in for my weekly ultrasound and also had a growth scan that were already scheduled and then went to the mall to walk. By 8 or so my contractions were 4-5 min apart. They weren't crazy painful, just uncomfortable and consistent. Since our mall is near the hospital (both about 40 min from our house) we decided to go in and get checked so we could know whether we should stay up north or come home and rest. 
When maternity triage put me in bed for their standard 30 minute monitoring, my contractions immediately slowed. They checked me to find that I was only still at 2cm (where I'd been on Monday before all this started). It was disappointing especially given that my family had just completed the 9+ hour trip from VA but we were hopeful that I'd progress in the next couple of days while they were here.  But I didn't.
Today makes a week of pretty regular contractions. Sometimes they get strong enough that I have to take a shower or I can't sit through them but for the most part they are mild and just there... around every 10 minutes or so. It's bizarre to me and not what I ever imagined my labor would be like. Some nights they keep me awake and some nights they don't seem to bother me as much. They are honestly probably more mentally exhausting than anything because every time they seem to pick up, my mind starts wondering if we need to put a plan into place with Levi and when I need to give my mom a heads up that it might be time to head back.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be seeing my midwife. She'll strip my membranes and help me make the decision of inducing on Thursday (with her) or waiting til Monday (with another midwife) in hopes that I'll go on my own this weekend. 
With all those pre labor details out of the way... here's a little update on each of us.


BABY | Malachi already looks so much like Levi in my opinion. This is from our scan last Wednesday. They estimated him at 7lbs 11oz so my guess is he'll probably be 8lbs or so when he's born... which is going to feel huge in my arm compared to my tiny 4lbs 10oz Levi baby. He's such an active little guy and loves to roll around. He even surprised nurses and ultrasound techs with how much he moves ha. I get asked all the time, "is he always this active?" Yes, yes he is. But Levi was surprisingly even more active than him so I really don't think about it that much. 
 MOMMA | I am feeling overall pretty good to be 39 weeks and having contractions every 10 minutes haha. Other than a couple random (mild) spikes with the heat, my blood pressure has been great! This pregnancy has been even more so enjoyable than Levi's because of my health. In the last couple of weeks I have started to look forward to snuggling him in my arms instead of my belly but I know that I'll most likely miss being pregnant after he's born ha. I'm trying to soak up this time with Levi knowing it'll never be just the two of us during the days anymore. I'm also thoroughly enjoying our new minivan! EEEK! We went with the Kia Sedona and are loving it!


 DADDY | Joel has been knocking it out of the park with getting us ready for baby. He did all the negotiating and making the minivan happen and is nesting maybe more that I am haha. He hates when I say that, but it's true. The moment we have enough clothes to do a load of laundry, he's on it. If the grass is the least bit long, he's ready to mow. It's awesome though and such a huge help!



BROTHER | Oh how I can't wait to see this boy with "his baby." He loves that the "baby's seat" is in the "bye bye car" now and comments on it often. He has random concerns about the baby wondering if he's cold or wet when it rains haha. It's quite adorable. He's been a little extra needy these last couple weeks which I hear is normal at the end of pregnancy... and he's also 2 haha. But overall, he's still such an independent (and baby obsessed) toddler that I'm not overly worried about our transition. 
So here's my polling questions for mommas! Did you have your membranes stripped? If so, how far along were you and did it put you into labor? ]
*** Next time I update, there will be lots of Malachi photos!!!!!

It's hard to believe that yesterday put me at 33 weeks! It's also really hard to believe that that at this point in my last pregnancy I was only one week away from laying eyes on my Levi. It's kind of surreal that my pregnancies have been so different and I'm praying that the normal blood pressures and good health continue so we can keep Malachi in my belly instead of the NICU.

Well it's been an exciting few weeks since I posted at 20 weeks! On January 12th we found out that we are welcoming our 2nd little BOY! We are thrilled to be adding another little man to our family and have named him Malachi Joel.
The last couple months have been quite busy with travel. We took a little pre-baby getaway to Great Wolf Lodge for a few days and Levi and I did our last trip to VA before birth while Daddy was in Haiti earlier this month. We are so thankful for wonderful trips but are happy to be home and spend the next few months relaxing and preparing.


MOMMA | I am in shock that I'm entering my third trimester! I honestly feel overall amazing. I wake up with leg cramps most nights and carrying Levi is no easy task, but mostly I feel great. Every few days i have to take a nap while Levi does and I definitely need 8+ hours in bed at night to be functional vs my normal 6-7. Many have asked if my pregnancy this time has been similar to Levi's. That would be a big NO! Praise be to God, I have had NO swelling, headaches, or blood pressure spikes which were all regular occurrences with his pregnancy. I'm so thankful to be discussing full term game plans with my doctors this time instead of setting "late term preemie" goals like last time. On the home front, I'm loving sorting clothes and making lists as we prep for his (hopefully MAY) arrival. 

BROTHER | Levi is still obsessed with my belly and loves giving him kisses. We've been calling him "baby brother" and "baby Malachi" but to him it's still "my baby" or "daddy's baby." HA. I honestly think he's assumed we were having a baby boy from the get go. On a practical note, he is finally in a really good bedtime routine that will make it easier for us when baby brother arrives. We are going to give our first shot at potty training this month as he's showing interest and frustration with wet diapers. We'll see how it goes.
  Polling question: Was your 1st potty trained when you had your 2nd? What were the pros/cons of him or her being/not being?