Eden Brielle Brazzell

November 25,2016 / 8:26am

7lbs 14oz / 20 1/2 inches

Eden’s due date was Monday, November 21, 2016. That day came and went. I was a first-time mom and had no idea what to expect. Had I been having braxton hicks? Any real contractions? What do they even feel like? To say I was impatient was an understatement! On top of that, we had some issues that were pressing us for time. My brother Clay was to leave for Germany a week after my due date. I wanted more than anything for him to have a chance to meet Eden before he left. He was moving there to live, and I didn’t know when we’d see each other again. My OB had planned to induce that same Monday if Eden didn’t come on her own. It still wouldn’t be enough time for him to meet her. So I prayed, did millions of squats, and danced all over the house.Thanksgiving day came. I was 40 weeks 4 days and ready to pop any minute. We had lunch with my family, and then went to Sim’s parents for dinner. Everyone joked with me about going into labor sometime that day. Something about all the food I ate pushing her out! The day came and went, nothing. . .

It was around 10pm, when we settled down at home and got ready for bed. Sim was already lying down watching a Colts game on his phone. I slipped into bed beside him, and all of the sudden, it felt like a bubble inside of me popped! My water had broken and contractions began. We called both sides of the family, and gathered our stuff to head to the hospital. I called my best friend, Julie, on the way to the hospital to help calm me down.

We arrived at the hospital around 11pm. They sent me to triage, and checked my dilation. I was only 2 cm dilated, but since my water broke, they went ahead and admitted me. I had planned throughout my pregnancy to have a natural birth, but if the pain got too bad, I’d opt for the epidural. Well, it didn’t take long to ask for the epidural! I got that around 11:30pm. My mom, sister, and mom-in-law arrived close to midnight. I was given pitocin to speed things up, but the nurses told me to rest while I had the chance. I actually slept pretty well!

My biggest disappointment with Eden’s birth is that my OB was out of town for the holiday weekend. A different doctor wound up delivering her, and I definitely wasn’t a huge fan! They came in around 6am and said it was baby time! Everything was prepared, and the pushing began. Sim was such a champ through it all. One of the nurses told him he was doing so well coaching me through it that she let him take over for her. He held my foot and counted through contractions with me. I pushed and pushed with very little progress. We realized that Eden was trying to come out with her fist by her face. Because of that, her hand was stuck on my pelvic bone, and she wasn’t moving much. The doctor wanted to do an episiotomy, but though I was tired, I couldn’t feel any pain, so I asked to keep trying without that.

Eden made her arrival at 8:26am November 25, 2016! She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Sim joked that we unfortunately didn’t get a Black Friday discount. Haha!It was an incredible moment. There’s no words to describe how you feel when you hold your baby for the first time. We fell in love with our perfect Eden immediately!

P.S. The Lord answered our prayer, and Eden was born 4 days before Clay left for Germany. While this was so special at the time, it has become even more precious to me, because that weekend was the last time we’d see Clay this side of heaven. He passed away just a few months later because of an unknown heart condition. God was so good to allow him to meet Eden. Those few pictures I have of them together will be something I treasure always!