Edith's Birth Story

My sweet Edith, we love you and are so thankful you are were chosen to be in our family. You are the center of attention for your older brothers and sisters. They adore you and love to fight over you constantly. Greeting you in the morning is everyone’s first priority. Rosie loves to say, “Remember when we didn’t even have a baby?!” in astonishment. We are all so thankful for you. We can’t imagine our life without you!

This is your birth story.

We were ready and excited to become pregnant with you and we were praying for God to bless us with your life. Before we found out we were pregnant, God gave me the words, “courage and strength” for you. God was giving me courage and strength in the waiting and I know these words have been an encouragement to me since you were born into these unusual times.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you where ever you go!” Joshua 1:9

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 31:24

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.” 1 Chronicles 28:20

I found out I was pregnant on March 19, and I was so thankful and elated that God is the giver of such good gifts! I am always a little anxious and nervous as I think about the months ahead of me, but I felt peace and comfort that God was with me and would help me face anything ahead.

The pregnancy was difficult– after the morning sickness and vomiting ended and I was just starting to feel better, rainy season hit and I got the mosquito-borne chikungunya. I had symptoms of chikungunya for months until about late August when finally most of them went away.

Because of the post partum hemorrhage I had after Rosemary’s delivery, I didn’t feel peaceful about delivering you here in Myanmar. So, we made plans to go to Thailand for your birth.

We had a good time in Thailand awaiting your arrival. I kept feeling scared, though, that I would have you in our little apartment and not make it to the hospital because of my history of fast labors.

After talking through these concerns with the doctor and being already 5 cm dilated without being in labor (!) and 39 weeks pregnant, she thought I should come to the hospital for an induction. She reassured me that with being so dilated already, the induction should be pretty simple.

Daniel and I were concerned enough about getting to the hospital in time, and finding a babysitter for the other four kids, that we decided an induction was the best decision for everyone in the family.

So, we agreed to come in on the morning of November 18. We would make a plan for the family, have some control over the situation, and take away the anxiety of not knowing when you would arrive– or, so we thought! God had other plans and lessons to teach us!

At the hospital, my membranes were swept, I was giving fairly high doses of pitocin, and I did ridiculous squats and exercises for hours…I was having hard contractions, but they weren’t at all painful and they weren’t actually doing anything to speed up labor. They were contractions, but not real, natural contractions.

We were getting concerned about your brothers and sisters being babysat at the apartment. I didn’t want to leave them much longer. And, we couldn’t keep finding babysitters to come indefinitely. Daniel was getting frustrated and we were both tired and feeling discouraged.

So, after a whole 24 hours in the hospital with almost no progress on dilation, our doctor VERY VERY reluctantly told us we could go home and pray we made it to the hospital when you did decide to arrive. I think the doctor said she had never had this situation happen before where a patient comes in 5 cm dilated and still isn’t able to be successfully induced with pitocin.

Two birth helpers, Lori and Beth, had been taking turns helping us in the hospital and communicating with us. None of us were very excited about me going back to the apartment 20+ minutes away from the hospital when I was now 6 cm dilated! But… we were all also concerned about pushing an induction when you were just not ready to come and ending it in a c-section.

I was really discouraged. I thought I was going to come back to the apartment with a baby! But, then we came back to the apartment still pregnant. I was so, so sore from all the exercises I had been doing at the hospital, too.

We thought —for once— that we were going to be able to have some control over the process of birth! But, we didn’t! God was teaching us reliance on Him again.

For the next several days, I was really worried I would have you in the apartment bathroom, or have you at some random shopping center before I could get to a hospital! That anxiety was hard to fight. God was teaching me to trust him and believe he would be with me no matter what happened!

Finally, 6 days after the failed induction, on Sunday, November 24, I started real labor!

I was giving the other four kids a shower getting them ready for worship at 7:20 a.m. when I realized I was in actual labor.

I told Daniel and he started calling babysitters from our list. We thought Sunday morning would be a good time to call babysitters who would be free, but we were wrong! He called again and again, but the two closest people weren’t answering their phone, one person was on a trip, and finally one person answered who lived way on the other side of town. She said she would come, though.

So, Daniel got all the kids dressed. I got dressed and ready for the hospital. And, in our effort to get to the hospital as quickly as we could, we all went downstairs from our 7th floor apartment to wait outside. We thought that way, the very second the babysitter arrived, Daniel and I could rush off.

Oh, and by the way, we don’t have a car. So, we have to rely on Grab to be our taxi. That was adding to the stress. Sometimes when you book a Grab taxi, they show up in minutes. And, sometimes it can take quite a long time.

I only waited outside a couple minutes before I realized I COULDN’T wait for the babysitter. This baby was going to come. Soon.

I told Daniel he better book a taxi for me, now. Thankfully, the taxi arrived quickly. Daniel gave me a quick hug and I left alone in the taxi at 7:58 a.m while Daniel stayed behind to wait on a babysitter.

I jumped in the taxi and pointed to my pregnant stomach and told the driver in English “drive fast!” He maybe only spoke Thai, but he understood the situation anyway. (Praise God!) And, he did drive really fast. Poor guy was a young college student and he was probably petrified to have me in his car. I messaged Beth, our doula, and asked if she could come to the hospital. She said she would be on the way.

Daniel tried to call me in the taxi because he felt bad that I was alone, but I told him I just couldn’t talk. I was focusing on not having the baby in the taxi and praying that my water wouldn’t break until I got to the hospital.

Well, the driver did drive really fast, and made it to the hospital in a record 16 minutes, at 8:14 a.m. I felt immediate relief to be at the hospital.

He rolled down his window at the hospital and yelled at a security guard in Thai to roll a wheel chair over for me. Thankfully, the security guard brought me all the way up the elevator to the delivery room floor.

At 8:22 a.m. the nurses checked me and I was 9 cm dilated. One positive of having been induced (unsuccessfully) 6 days earlier, is that all the nurses remembered me and my situation. So, they were working quickly and calling the doctor right away.

I was able to send Daniel one more text message saying I was at the hospital safely and was 9 cm dilated.

At 8:33 a.m. Daniel was finally able to leave in the Grab taxi to head to the hospital.

I was alone in the delivery room. I knew I was about to start pushing and that you would be born soon. Nurses came in and then I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder, Beth! Our doula that we had spent some time with six days earlier, arrived! I was really relieved that another English speaker was in the room to tell me what was going on. I was kneeling on the bed with my head on the top. She told me what was going on and that Dr. Supreeya had arrived in the room.

I pushed a couple of times, and at 8:38 a.m. you were born!

Everything was just fine and an easy delivery like Samuel’s. I turned around and the doctor started making sure I wasn’t going to hemorrhage.

Beth was checking on you and taking some pictures. She said she would call Daniel for me. She called Daniel at 8:44 a.m. and said you were born and healthy! Daniel was still in the taxi on the way to the hospital.

Daniel arrived at the hospital at 8:58 a.m. I held you and nursed you, and we were both were so grateful that everyone was healthy. And, that at least I had made it to the hospital in time!

We are grateful for you, Edith Frances! We are thankful for your birth and your life. We will never be in control of timing or planning, but we know that whatever happens, God will be with us!