We are completely smitten with this sweet boy. Our kids have been talking about adding another baby to the family since Vivi was a baby. Tanner and I didn't tell anyone about the pregnancy for a really long time. My parents were going to be leaving on their mission to Botswana and I knew my mom would struggle more with going if she knew I was having a baby. It was getting to the point where the kids were asking if I "had a baby in my tummy" and I knew we were going to need to tell them. They were so excited when we told them there was a reason why mom had been "more lazy" than usual...I had multiple children tell me that during my first trimester, little dears.
For the longest time, Tanner had been talking about us having another boy, but throughout the first trimester I was convinced we were having a girl because I felt nauseous a lot which is how I had felt with my other girls. Everyone was really excited when we found out about baby brother. Austin let me know that "it was a good thing we were having a boy otherwise I'd have to have at least two more babies to even things out." It's amazing how my children are convinced they have a say in how many children we will have.
I felt like this was such a long pregnancy. Probably because there were so many people anxiously awaiting his arrival. For the first time in a pregnancy, I kept thinking that this baby would come early, which is not the right frame of mind to have. My doctor was concerned with the size of the baby because my other boys were so big, so he set an induction date for the day after my due date. I was convinced that I would go into labor on my own so I wasn't too worried. Tanner kept telling me every day that as soon as I was having contractions to let him know. He also kept saying, "today would be a good day to have a baby." And then it was the day before my induction...and despite all my best efforts, I was showing no signs of labor. After a lot of prayer, we felt like I should still move forward with the induction.
We headed out early Thursday morning. I was able to have a young woman from church come to watch the kids, I was so grateful for her willingness to come and help. After arriving at the hospital I was checked and had not dilated at all...I felt really devastated about it all and had the thought that we should just go home. But we decided to try some medication that would hopefully help me to dilate. We had to wait five hours for it to fully work. I decided to read my scriptures and read some great verses talking all about how the Lord can bring us peace. It brought me so much comfort. Tanner and Bethany went and got breakfast and explored Pella for a while and I took a nap. After the wait I was checked again and my body had not progressed at all. I was feeling really discouraged and decided that we should just go home and thankfully the doctor was on board with that. It was really disheartening to leave without a baby in my arms, but I felt peace in what we were doing, and was grateful that the baby was doing well.
I felt a lot of frustration and wondered why we felt good about going in if it just ended in us going home. But after talking to our kids about how I was able to receive comfort through scripture study and prayer, I realized that maybe it had to happen that way so I could have a teaching moment with my children.
Leaving the hospital...wah, wah, waaah
I spent a lot of time praying about whether I should go in on Tuesday to try to be induced again. I kept feeling peace about going in. I told Tanner I felt a mixture of peace and dread, which is a funny combination of feelings. But we headed to the hospital Tuesday night after Tanner got done with work. This time I was given a medication that had to work all night long. Bethany slept on the little hospital couch and Tanner was on the floor. I was cramping all night so needless to say, none of us got much sleep.
I was checked first thing in the morning and was just dilated enough for a foley ball to be placed. I was able to pull that out pretty quickly and started to have mild contractions. We passed the time playing card games and visiting.
The doctor broke my water around 12. I had so much fluid, even more than I had with Vivi. My stomach went down so much. I told Tanner and Bethany that I didn't think this baby would be too big, probably 9 pounds. The nurses were great with helping me try different positions to help the baby get engaged. I was started on Pitocin shortly after that. My contractions started to come more consistently and were getting uncomfortable. I got to the point where I was wanting to give up, which I knew meant I was in transition. I was so exhausted by this point that in between contractions I was almost dozing off, even while standing up. I ate a popsicle hoping it would give me some energy and it seemed to help. I started to have Tanner put pressure on my back through contractions while I leaned on a table. The nurses kept offering to check me but I didn't want that. I was afraid they would say that I wasn't dilated enough and that would have been really discouraging.
Tanner began to feel my pelvis opening with each contraction and knew that I was close to pushing. I also knew that I was close but still didn't want to tell the nurses. He tried to encourage me to get on the bed and be checked but I kept saying no. Finally he just told me to get on the bed and went to get the nurses. Almost immediately after laying down I began to push. The nurse ran in telling me not to push and like any good laboring woman, I completely ignored her and kept pushing. Tanner was looking for gloves but couldn't find any so after a few pushes the nurse delivered the baby. I felt peace knowing that Tanner was watching her like a hawk to make sure everything went well.
Our sweet boy was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and body several times and with a knot in the cord. Like Tanner said, "he was doing jumping rope in there."
There is nothing like the euphoria you feel when your baby is placed on your chest. I feel so close to heaven in those moments.
I am so grateful for Tanner and the support he gave me through this labor. No one else I'd rather have.
Look, he found the gloves.
It was so neat having Bethany there too. She helped make the day go by faster and is going to be a great midwife some day.
Tanner has always loved the name Asa, which means healer in Hebrew. Anson Bowen Call is my great grandfather and we have loved learning about his life as a family. Asa Bowen seemed like the perfect fit for this little boy. And my prediction was right, he was "just" 9 pounds. Now that may seem big to most people but when you hear that Chet was 11 pounds and Austin was 10, 9 pounds doesn't seem so big after all.
I had to laugh when Tanner came to pick me up in the same shirt that I had picked out over a week before to wear home from the hospital. Maybe that was a sign from Caleb that he was looking over us.
Amanda captured this perfect moment of the kids meeting their new brother for the first time.
I was really nervous about how Vivi would be with her brother, considering she isn't very gentle with the dog but so far she has done great.
He is so loved, the only conflict we've seemed to have lately is who gets to hold Asa next.
I was so grateful for Amanda coming to help. I felt so much peace knowing she was at home with my kids. It is such a blessing to have others love your children. Bethany made a delicious berry cheesecake to celebrate Asa's birth. I can't think of a better way to welcome him home.
Posters the kids made for Asa
There were so many Spirit filling moments leading up to Asa's birth. My mom has a friend named Beauty in Botswana who asked if she could pray for anyone in my mom's family. My mom mentioned me and Beauty said a very heartfelt prayer. A few days later she was with my mom again and told her that while she was working, she heard children playing and one of them said the name Ashley. She immediately stopped what she was doing and said another prayer for me and my baby. I thought it was so special to know that someone on the other side of the world that I didn't even know was praying for me. I believe so strongly in the power of prayer and felt so many prayers sustaining me in the days leading up to and on Asa's birth.
There's nothing quite like the sweet spirit a new baby brings. We sure love our little Asa.
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