Schenk Sightings: Birth Story {4th Edition}

Evelyn Kay Schenk was born on Wednesday, September 14th 2016.

Before I can get into her actual birth we need to back up a few days. During football season Mondays are LONG days. Kyle leaves at 5 am and doesn't return home until after the kids are in bed. Which means I do the crazy the morning routine, school drop-offs and pick-ups, all the child entertaining, meals, homework and bedtime routines. Tuesday was another busy day with my Bible study in the morning and the kids soccer practice at night. Add in being 9 months pregnant and enduring almost a week of regular contractions and by Tuesday night I was physically and emotionally DONE! On the way home from soccer I broke down. The kids were quite concerned as I cried. They wanted to help Mommy feel better, but I explained Mommy was just tired and didn't feel well. I called Kyle and he came home to save me (and the kids ;) All week I had been vacillating between being soooo done with pregnancy and trying to enjoy every last detail of being pregnant since these were the final days of experiencing the miracle of growing a baby. I was at the end of my rope, but I didn't know if the actual end was in sight.

I went to bed exhausted and praying the Lord would give me the strength to get through the next day...even if that meant enduring for another week (my due date).

The next thing I remember is my water breaking. I checked the clock and it was 1:15 am on September 14th. I quickly got out of bed to confirm my suspicion and while my water did not break fully I was fairly confident it had ruptured. Due to my Strep B diagnosis the doctor instructed me to get to the hospital quickly if my water broke so antibiotics could be administered. I began getting ready and after about 15 minutes I woke Kyle up with the news and texted our friend, Betsy, to come watch the kids.

At this point my contractions were very manageable though they were intensifying. By 2:30 am Betsy had arrived to keep the kids and we were ready to leave for the hospital.

I used a small women's hospital, so the check-in process was a breeze. They tested to make sure my water had ruptured and once it was confirmed I was moved to the birthing room. At this point I was 6 cm dilated. Once we got to the room I could tell the process was speeding up quickly as I started to shake, shiver and feel lots of pressure. Then I learned a new piece of information, not only did I need 2 rounds of antibiotics to ensure the babies safety, but they had to be administered 4 hours apart!

They quickly started an IV so I could get the required antibiotics. After realizing this labor experience was going to be delayed (i.e. I did not want to sit around in excruciating pain for an extended period) I chose to get the epidural at this time. My labor was progressing so quickly the epidural couldn't get on top of it, so I was having a lot of back pain. Thankfully, they gave me another dose.

Once the epidural took full effect I couldn't feel anything from my chest down, so Kyle and I got a bit rest as we prayed that the baby would stay put for 4 hours. At this point I was 9 cm dilated.

I got a little rest even with all the commotion of vital checks, baby checks, etc. At 6:30 am the nurse came in and administered the 2nd round of antibiotics. At 7 am my doctor arrived for delivery (which was a treat...I thought I would just get the on-call doc). I pushed once and she told me to stop because the nursery workers were still setting up the equipment. She also announced the baby had quite a bit of hair, so I knew we were close to meeting this little one. Kyle later told me when the doctor instructed me to stop pushing the baby continued to slide out...I guess she was very ready to enter the world. I pushed one more time, the doctor presented the baby and we found out it was a GIRL! Sweet Eveyln Kay.

I had some precious skin-to-skin time with our sweet girl then they weighed her in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 20.5 inches long (our longest babe).

While I received the 2nd antibiotic it was barely in my system before Evelyn arrived, so as a precaution we were kept for 36 hours of observation and then we headed home to become a family of 6!

It was a smooth delivery and a sweet experience to be surprised (though I knew it was going to be a girl ;)