The Birth of Liv Alyce

My husband, Dallas, had been away in Army training since I was 16 weeks pregnant. In preparation for our birth, Dallas came home on August 17th. 

My due date wasn’t until August 22nd but we wanted to be safe, just in case she came early. I had a doctor appointment before Dallas came home and was 1cm dilated and 50 percent effaced. It was a good sign that something was happening. Once he was home, we tried all of the typical natural induction methods. We walked, ate dates, ate spicy food, and worked out. Not much was happening.

I had another appointment and was dilated to 2, but there weren't many options offered yet for starting labor. Normally, I would have just wanted Liv to come out on her own, but in this situation it was really important to me that Dallas was actually here. On August 23rd (the day after my due date) we had an appointment and no progress had been made so were sent home.

 Dallas called his command and asked to stay longer since the baby wasn’t here yet. He changed his plane ticket to August 29th. We went to the gym and I decided to call my midwives again to see if we could schedule an induction, even though we had tried to avoid it. 

One of the midwives told me to come in right then and do a membrane sweep,  and afterwards she sent us home to drink a castor oil shake. The shake induced some contractions that night, and we thought it was 'go time' so we went to the hospital. Once we got into triage though, all of the contractions stopped and they sent us back home. That was our 3rd false alarm.

We scheduled an induction for August 24th. We were anxiously awaiting a call but it never came. While we waited, we decided to call a doula that my sister had hired for one of her births. I felt like I needed the extra help to navigate an induction. We got Dianne on the phone and she calmed all of our nerves and answered every question she could. 

We still didn’t want an induction, so we continued to try everything we could we get things moving. My sister came over and did acupressure, Dianne had me in different positions to get Liv to move into position, and I drank two more castor oil shakes. I walked curbs, did squats, drank more castor oil, and had my mom and husband perform a pelvic strap booty shake maneuver called 'sifting' until their arms fell off. None of it induced labor. At this point we decided just to give it to God and not do anything more. We tried to just enjoy our time together before Liv decided to come. But honestly, I was discouraged and exhausted. 

On August 26th, we finally got a call from the hospital! But it was not what we expected. She said they were so busy and they would call us again when they had an open room. We were so upset, all we wanted was to meet our baby together. Dallas had to leave in 2 days and it looked like he had come home for nothing. 

On August 27th, we went to breakfast at Mimi’s cafe with my sister and her family. I was having contractions but didn’t say anything because they were multiple minutes apart. We went shopping and then stopped at Safeway to get peanut butter m&ms. 

At 3pm while we were in Safeway, we got a call from the hospital saying that they were ready for us! We immediately jumped in the car, got our bags from home, and arrived at the hospital at 3:30pm. We were checked in and settled into room 15, and I was checked and told I was 3cm dilated. 

As the nurse was hooking me up to the blood pressure machine and my IV for antibiotics, she noticed that I was having consistent contractions. She asked me if I had already been given pitocin, but I had not. She decided to let us try to get the contractions going on our own.

My mom showed up (with peanut butter m&ms, thank God), and at 6pm I was checked again but hadn’t dilated any more. My mom messaged Dianne and asked her to head over so she could help us navigation the interventions that we had discussed. 

Dianne showed up at 7:30pm and we began power walking around the labor and delivery floor. We went back to the room and she had me labor in multiple positions. 

At 8:30pm I was sitting on the toilet leaning back on Dallas. I had a hard contraction, and at that moment my mom and Dianne knew that I had entered active labor. We continued to labor on the toilet, and eventually on a birthing ball and on the bed. 

At 9:35pm I was checked again and had progressed to 6cm. By this time I had my husband, mom, Dianne, my midwife, nurses and both of my sisters in the room with me. 

At 10:30pm I decided I was ready to labor in the tub for some relief. As I was crawling off the bed, my water broke. I got in the tub and quickly realized that I was in transition. I had one contraction after another for half an hour. I started to feel some pressure, so I was checked again while I was in the tub and was now at 8cm. I was losing it about then. 

My amazing midwife, Amanda, was with us pretty much from this point on. A few minutes later, I felt like I needed to push. I got out of the tub, and only 15 minutes later I was fully dilated to 10cm. 

I began pushing around 11pm, and I pushed for a little over an hour and half. I remember reaching down and feeling her head for the first time! 

Liv was sunny-side up and she had her hand up next to her head. This caused me to have horrible back labor and incredible pain the entire time I was pushing. Despite the midwife's best efforts, I had to get a massive episiotomy in order to get Liv’s head and hand out. 

At 12:38am on the morning of the 28th Liv was born. 

Liv Alyce Cannon

6lb 13oz and 19.5 inches

I remember the amazing feeling of relief and the incredible sound of her little cry. In the endorphin release afterwards, I repeatedly said “oh my God!” which sent everyone in the room into laughter! 

Labor and delivery was the absolute best experience of my life and I’d do it over a million times to get our sweet Liv. She and I had just a little over 24 hours with her daddy before he had to leave.

This year has been the best year of our lives! 

Happy Birthday sweet girl, your mommy and daddy love you so much! 

Thank you for making us parents and for bringing an indescribable amount of joy into our lives. 

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness- Hahna's Story

October 15^th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

October 15^th, 2015 was also our first baby’s due date.

The pain of miscarriage was unreal. The only place I was comfortable was in the shower. 

Every night. All night. For a week straight. 

Dallas and I got married when we were 18 and 19 and moved to Okinawa, Japan shortly after with the military. We got pregnant when we had been married for a year and a half and after “not preventing” for 7 months. We were so excited and yet nervous to make that change in our lives when we were so far from family.

At 9 weeks I started spotting. My husband was in Korea at the time, so he asked me to go to the ER to ease our minds. I was at the ER for six and a half hours. They told me that the baby was only measuring 6 weeks but they didn’t think I would miscarry, just that I found out I was pregnant very early. That was great news! The night after my visit to the ER is when my sister, Aubrey, also went to the ER and found out that she was miscarrying. She was 16 weeks along.  I didn’t think that it would happen to me also, although I had many people tell me that miscarriages are hereditary (which is not helpful).  

 At 11 weeks my husband and I had our first real appointment and we were so excited to see the baby since my husband did not get to see the baby when I was at the ER. The doctor said the baby was measuring 8 weeks, but the ultrasound looked like an empty womb to me. I couldn’t tell what he was measuring. There was no heartbeat. He said it was likely that we would miscarry, but they would do bloodwork to see where my HCG levels were. I remember the doctor saying things like “it should feel like a light period” and “you can start trying again when you stop bleeding”. We left in a daze, but hopeful that maybe we weren’t going to miscarry, because the information seemed so inconclusive. A week later I got a call while I was at work saying that my blood tests had gone through and we had lost the baby. I called my husband and texted my sisters and mom. At 14 weeks, we lost the baby. 

It started at 10pm on April 19^th. I started having contractions. I had never been in labor before but I knew that this was labor. I passed one clot and thought that was it, so I went back to sleep. At 3am my water broke and the contractions were coming about 1 minute apart. It was the worst pain I have ever felt. My husband and I ended up in the shower -me on all fours with the hot water hitting my lower back while I lay my head in his lap while he rubbed my back. I fell asleep between every contraction. This happened every night, all night, for an entire week. We both had to take the week off of work. 

It was not at all like I had expected it to be. It wasn’t a light period, it was labor. It wasn’t fast, it lasted 7 days. We were exhausted emotionally and physically. I was mad at God and started falling into depression. My husband was such a light for me in that dark time. He continually pointed me back to Christ even when I kicked and screamed about praying or going to church. He always looked at the good that would come from this, but I was so deep in the bad that I couldn’t see it. Over time my heart softened, I came out of the depression, and I could see the blessings that came from that experience. 

God’s plan is always better than mine. I have never had anything terrible happen in my life, therefore I have never felt like I really needed God that much. He used this experience to prove me wrong. I needed to go through this to realize that I don’t make the plans, He does. His timing is always perfect.

It’s okay to be mad at God. He can handle it. He needed to break me completely to get me to come back to him.

It’s okay to not try for another baby right away. It’s been a year and a half since our miscarriage and we probably aren’t going to try for another baby anytime soon. We are happy where we are.

Our marriage has really been strengthened. It was such a blessing in disguise for my husband and I to see each other in such a real and raw state. Miscarriages are painful and ugly, yet my husband told me he has never been more proud of my strength and bravery. I was for grateful for his love and encouragement through it. We have come out stronger.

It’s okay to be grateful. We are grateful that it happened to us. That doesn’t take away from how much we loved and wanted our baby. And how we wish he was here now. We are grateful that we get to share our story and that our baby brought use closer to each other and God. We are grateful for the 14 weeks I was able to carry our baby and we were able to love him. We are grateful that because we know God, we will meet our little guy one day.

It’s possible to praise God during the joy AND the trials. He is still good. He knows exactly what we need. He uses broken people.

It’s okay to let it change you. Embrace the time you have left with your baby and cherish it. Feel every emotion so you can fully heal. And let it change you into a better person.

My husband is the best man for me. I never doubted that before, but through our experience I know 100% that he is exactly what I need. There is no one I’d rather go through the good and the bad with.

Miscarriage is extremely hard. It sucks. A LOT. That’s that only way to put it. If you know someone going through one, the best thing to say is “Wow this really sucks, how can I help?”. Maybe take over a cupcake. It’s messy and ugly and it hurts. There is no prize when it’s over. But be encouraged that you are strong enough and you will get through it. It will change you. Let it strengthen your marriage and walk with God. Let it hurt. Let yourself love your baby even if you know you don’t get to keep it. Let yourself listen to what God is teaching you. Even if you don’t understand, he is still good.

A few weeks later, we decided to name our baby to help with the healing process. We thought if we had something to call him that it would be easier when we talked about him or told our future children. My husband was convinced that we were having a boy. One night he told me that he thought our baby’s name starts with a J. I thought that was weird but I went with it. I researched ‘J’ names for days and nothing seemed right. While on facetime with my mom she told me to type into the search engine exactly what I felt. I typed “the Lord has taken away”. The verse Job 1:21 popped up. It says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” I didn’t think it could be more perfect. I told my husband and he said “I couldn’t imagine naming him anything else.” So we named him Job.

A year and half later we are still healing. Some days are harder than others. We don’t cry or think about our baby every day anymore. It still hurts but the hurt has changed. We are happy that we got to spend 14 weeks with our baby. We are so excited to meet him in Heaven one day and see how God forms our family in the future. 

-Hahna Cannon

The Birth of Selah Rue: A Gentle Cesarean

 On April 30th, 2016, I gave birth to our second daughter! Because of complications and a repair surgery from my first birth (read here), This baby had to be a scheduled c-section. Now, my first birth was a vaginal birth, so it was strange going from a spontaneous vaginal birth to scheduling a c-section- it's usually the other way around. Since we knew this was the best option for us, we sought out a doctor who would give us the most "natural" and "gentle" delivery. Enter Dr. Newman of Premier Care for Women.

Dr. Newman is known in our area for being one of the best doctors/surgeons for women who want or need a hospital birth. I had talked with many women who had great experiences with him, and he was supportive of allowing me immediate skin to skin, slight delayed cord clamping, placenta encapsulation, and our doula in the OR with us. This is referred to as a Gentle Cesarean. He also has three midwives who work in his office that I could see regularly for my appointments. This was important for me, as my last experience was at a birth center and a completely different atmosphere than an office and hospital!

The pregnancy was uneventful, besides the severe morning sickness that held on well past the halfway point. We decided not to find out the gender again, which is always fun! Everyone I saw (even strangers) said I was having a boy. Deep down, that made me think it was another girl because the same thing happened in my pregnancy with Piper! Mother's Intuition I guess...
This is her story....

On the morning on April 30th, Daniel and I woke up at 5:30am to prep for our birth. I showered and did my hair and makeup. I figured that if I could plan a birth, I might as well look good! I also had recently gotten a manicure and a pedicure, because WHY NOT? Plus I knew it would be very unlikely that I would take a shower in the coming days... AND we had a birth photographer. Look at all those reasons! My husband made fun of me for getting ready, so he took a picture.

We arrived at the hospital at about 6:30am. We walked in to register and said "Hi, we're here to have a baby". SO.WEIRD. After finishing our paperwork, we were given a "suite" number and directed to the elevators. Once we got into our room, I was instructed to do the normal things- pee in the cup, undress, put on my gown and socks (oh yeah!), and get into the bed. Then a nurse started hooking me up to monitors and taking mine and baby's vitals. I laid there talking with my husband and trying to settle my nerves. My mom and sister showed up. Our doula, Dianne, showed up and started snapping pictures. A couple different nurses monitored me and prepped me with bracelets and IVs. I looked up to see the baby warmer sitting in front of me, empty, ready to hold the sweet little soul we were about to meet. It was so surreal.

After about an hour, the doctor came in to ask if I was ready. He was dressed in a polo shirt and shorts and Birkenstock sandals. Was HE ready? Ha! I started getting really shaky. I'm assuming it was my nerves, but I'm blaming it on the IV fluids. My nurse, Kristi, brought me my beautiful hairnet and scrubs for both my husband and our doula. And suddenly it was TIME!

I said goodbye to my husband and family (I had to prepped in the OR alone before they let him in for the delivery) and the nurse walked me across the hall to the OR. I remember thinking that the room was smaller than I had imagined and pretty plain. It just had lots of surgical instruments and a nurse in there sorting them. I'm not sure I ever saw her face. My anesthesiologist was wonderful and had talked me through the process before we entered the OR, so as soon as I sat down she started my spinal block. Yes, it is a little painful to have a needle stuck in your back, but after the first prick I didn't feel much. Nurse Kristi was holding me up. As soon as the anesthesiologist was finished, Kristi told me to lay down quickly because the spinal block would take effect right away. My legs felt really heavy as I tried to lift them and I remember saying "wow, that was fast". Once I laid down, the nurse adjusted my head pillow and put a wedge under one hip so I wasn't laying flat. They started putting the drape in front of my face and putting oxygen on me. Everything felt a little blurry and lots of people were working around me, but it was so calm and pretty quiet. I could barely see Dr. Newman and midwife Janelle washing up through the little window in the ER.

My anesthesiologist was at my head rubbing my head and my face. She was constantly asking how I was and how I felt. This was the surprising part- I actually felt pretty awful. I told her that I needed to close my eyes and she said that was fine. The spinal block took over my body so quickly and so heavily that my arms also felt numb and my head felt fuzzy. I had a quick thought of "I wish everyone would leave so I could go to sleep", knowing that it was just the pain medicine. I think I expected to be much more alert and be able to enjoy this part, but I didn't feel good. She said it was normal, because I sure didn't want to feel the surgery.

In the next few moments, I glanced over to the left to see Dianne and Daniel come in, with their hairnets and face masks secured. Although the next parts are blurry, I will do my best to describe them. Daniel had barely reached my side when I heard Dr. Newman say "okay, we're almost there". I said "almost where? To cutting?" and he said "No, almost to your uterus!". I seriously felt like Daniel had just entered the room and that this was going SO FAST. I didn't feel a thing. No digging, no pulling. My body REALLY responds to medicine!

I took a deep breath and the doctor told my husband to stand up. Then there was a blur of words like "baby is here" and my husband laughing and saying "another girl!" and describing a few other things to me that I can't remember. I looked at Daniel and said "What? A GIRL?". I think I would have been surprised either way!

Then a voice (I'm not sure who) kept saying to me "okay are you ready? Baby is coming. She'll be here in a second. Are you ready?". The doctor (from what I am told) laid her on my leg for a minute to let the cord pulse a little longer before cutting it and bringing her to me. I also discovered later that there was meconium when the baby came out, so the doctor was concerned and trying to decide if he would allow skin-to-skin. He decided that she was fine and had not inhaled it, and within 90 seconds or so, I had a screaming baby on my chest! I felt happy and relieved and sleepy all at once. The baby calmed down, as they usually do on Mommy's chest. I remember speaking sweet nothings to her and touching and kissing her. My arms still felt numb, so my husband and the baby's nurse were helping me to support her. I couldn't believe I had another DAUGHTER. It felt so strange!

Before long, it was time to leave the OR. I was so busy with my new baby that I have no idea how long anything took. At some point, the nurse took the baby from me, wrapped her up, and handed her to Daniel. He took her back into our recovery room while I finished in the OR. It didn't feel like long before I was being wheeled into the room, seeing my husband cradling our baby and my Mom and sister crying over her. From the time I had left this room and returned, only 40 minutes had passed.

Then the normal things commenced. She was given back to me and we began our nursing journey. She latched and nursed so quickly that I was surprised! She knew exactly what she was doing. It was so beautiful and such a relief. After awhile she was taken to be weighed and measured and my husband changed her first diaper.

I was just laying there, totally drugged up, taking it all in. But I was starving and thirsty and was only allowed ice chips. I threw up twice. Recovery was not pretty. But more on that later.

Although this birth experience was beautiful and healing (and not at all traumatic like my first), it still was not what I expected. After all, I have to remember that a c-section is still major surgery, and the advances have only come so far for these births. But I am so thankful for the ability and the option to birth this way, and for a team who supported my wishes and made the process as gentle and love-filled as possible. Every person I came in contact with was kind and understanding. Our hospital stay was pleasant and filled with the sweetest memories.

Selah was such a perfect newborn and for days I felt like I was in a "honeymoon phase" with her. I couldn't wait to jump (or slide gently) into bed with her for cuddles and naps. I loved holding her and smelling her and hearing her sweet sounds. This baby made me feel a redemption I hadn't felt before. Thank you Jesus, for this perfect little one!

And now for the pictures you have all been waiting for....

Dr. Newman just minutes before the delivery

Nurse Kristi holding my gown on the walk to the OR so I wouldn't be showing off my goodies!

Waiting...

This is one of the best unnoticed pictures. If you look closely at the board, you can see all of the information from the birth! It's so neat!

Daddy's first glimpse of his baby girl!

My first glimpse of her! Oh sweet relief.

What a cheesy little girl!

I'll share a secret with you... If you look on my right shoulder, you can see where she peed all down my neck within moments of being put on my chest!

I love all of these hands on her...

Holding Daddy's finger

Daniel got to take her back into our room and announce to my Mom and sister that it was another GIRL!

I got her back as soon as I was back to my room.

What a champ!

My nursing journey has been hard with both girls... I am so thankful that Dianne captured these precious moments for me!

Midwife Yvonne came to visit and love on us!

Daniel wanted to see my placenta, so the nurse got him some gloves and Dianne explained it all. I didn't see much of it since I was busy with baby and then I had it immediately encapsulated. These pictures are so wonderful to have!

The sack where baby Selah grew so well!

The "Tree of Life"

Talking it out with Grandma. Grandma says that they were discussing what her name should be. She was nameless for over a day.

A little skin-t-skin time with Daddy while I rested. 

 Selah Rue Mecimore

April 30, 2016

8:53am

7lbs 6 oz

20in long 

Sister meeting for the first time! Piper was so thrilled that it was a GIRL!