Welcome Anna Grace

Anna Grace was born on Monday morning at 7 a.m. She was 5 pounds, 9 ounces and 18 inches long. What a blessing she is! She's a beautiful, tiny little girl, normal in every way. I had to have my first C section, which I sure could have lived without. Labor progressed very fast, and after having gone from 4 to 10 inches in just 2.5 hours, pushing didn't go well. Anna's head wouldn't descend, causing the doctor to feel that something was wrong. The baby's heart rate wasn't responding well to the pushing. She should have come out quickly, given that she was my fourth. The doctor did an emergency C section, with my blessing. Boy was that the right decision! The cord was double wrapped around her neck, loosely, and it was knotted. She didn't have any problems though, as far as I could tell in my drugged up state, and her Apgar was a nine. The doctor indicated she was probably protecting herself by not descending.

I am in tears so often, as I look down at Anna's beautiful face. Each child is such a gift. Thankfulness doesn't even begin to cover it. What a miracle we moms get to experience!

All is well, but this incision is more than I bargained for, with three other kids at home. Nursing has had its challenges, for which I would appreciate prayer. We're not over the hump yet. Engorgement is in day 2, and Anna is pretty frustrated with the difficulty of the latch. She has a good appetite however; we'll get through this shortly.

My pastor came to see me in the hospital. He is such a wonderful servant! He sang two sweet songs to Anna Grace, which brought me to tears. My dad, a non-Christian, happened to be there at that time, also visiting. I hope something Dad saw in the Pastor's heart will speak volumes to him. I'm sure it was no accident that my dad and the pastor picked the exact same time and day to visit the hospital.

That's all for now. After a 3.5 day hospital stay, I'm very low on sleep. I think I may have clocked a total of 7 hours of sleep in four days.

pictures to follow soon