Waiting on the Lord - Psalm 27:13-14

"I remain confident of this: 
   I will see the goodness of the LORD 
   in the land of the living. 
Wait for the LORD; 
   be strong and take heart 
   and wait for the LORD."

Psalm 27:13-14

As of today, I have approximately 17 days left of this pregnancy. Any woman that has carried a child this long will tell you that this is the point where we are very ready for the baby to come and to not be pregnant anymore! :) The Lord is using these last days to teach me to patiently wait on Him, and I am doing my best to learn all that He has for me to learn. 

I think I'm looking forward to this birth even more so than I did my other two! With Layla, we were living in Ft. Lauderdale and my parents were living in St. Louis, so when my doctor suggested an elective induction I thought it sounded like an excellent idea. WRONG! After 52 hours of labor (on my back in a hospital bed), countless unnecessary interventions, and lots and LOTS of drugs, Layla was born. Shortly after her birth a nurse decided that she wasn't responding as she should be, so she- not a doctor- took her from us and admitted her to the NICU. After 48 hours in the NICU, all of the tests had been run and Layla was perfectly healthy. However, the NICU policy was that all babies receive 10 days worth of antibiotics through an IV at two doses per day. We were discharged and had to leave our healthy baby in the hospital for the remaining 8 days, and we (her parents) were only allowed to visit her during designated visiting hours. We missed out on the sweet bonding that God intended for mothers and newborns to have, I pumped full time for 4 months but was never able to successfully breast feed, and we had a terrible time with digestive issues once she started on formulas! Needless to say, our birth experience with Layla was nothing short of a nightmare. I am praising Jesus for the healthy, strong-willed child that she is today, but I can't help but feel a little robbed of "what could've been." 

Two years later, we were preparing for the birth of Kylie. I was determined not to induce labor, but to let her come when God's timing was perfect. Once again though, my doctor suggested that we induce at 40 weeks. She told me that my uterus measured 1cm less than it had the week before and that it'd "be better for the baby" to go ahead and deliver. I take full responsibility for going ahead and inducing again and I'm thanking God for His mercy on me. Kylie was born after "only" 18 hours of induced labor (again.. laying flat on my back in a hospital bed). I never let her out of my sight during our day and 1/2 stay in the hospital. We went home with another very healthy baby girl and we were able to nurse successfully for 13 months. 

Around 33 weeks into this pregnancy, I watched "The Business of Being Born" - an incredible documentary about the birthing process in our country. I highly recommend it to every woman in America! After watching it and "Pregnant in America", I felt like my eyes had been opened to my options concerning my birth experience. 

I am VERY excited about waiting patiently on the LORD over the next few weeks, laboring at home as long as I possibly can, and then delivering naturally with as little medical intervention as possible at the hospital. We have hired a doula to help with the labor process and have an extremely supportive doctor. I'm not naive about the process of labor and all that it entails.. I am, however, very excited about being able to experience childbirth as God has designed it and rely totally on HIM to get through it. 

I know this is such a touchy subject and it seems every woman has their own opinion about birth. :) I'd love some encouragement, support and suggestions ONLY from those of you who have delivered naturally and loved it! Only very positive and supportive comments, please!! :)

I can't wait to update you with the post on Stella's birth! :)