Melissa's Birth Story

When we first found out we were pregnant with Melissa Grace, we expected her to arrive in mid-February. A few months and an ultrasound later, we expected her to be a little later around the beginning of March. We've had most of our children need a "little more time to cook," so we expected that analysis.

 

Melissa Grace surprised us by arriving March 23, five weeks later than our original calculations, but she was worth the wait! I had three weeks of contractions that had this experienced mommy wondering if she knew anything about labor and delivery. Our wonderful midwife, Peggy Peterson, joined our family right at the end of February, and we enjoyed every second of her visit. The children, especially, became attached. God could not have picked a more perfect person to be a permanent part of our life and memories.

On March 23, I woke up a little before 5:00AM with the normal contractions I had been having. No wanting to wake up my Chris, I went to the bathroom and got in the bathtub to relax before starting another day. Within a few minutes, I realized something was different. I could barely call out to Chris who waited with me through one contraction then ran up the stairs to get Peggy. I still wasn't sure if this was the real thing. The warm water in the tub did wonders for the contractions. Chris and Peggy arrived right as Melissa was descending. Peggy caught her sweet head then stepped out of the way for Chris to catch and hand me his sixth born child. Peggy was chuckling and wondering aloud what in the world we had brought her all the way to Cambodia for. Chris and I were marveling over a baby that looked nothing like any of our other children (we still don't know who she looks like) and falling in love. It was 5:17AM - our quickest labor yet! A few minutes later, our dear friend Victoria arrived and began snapping pictures. What a blessing! About 20 minutes later, all of the other children were up. It was an incredible experience to share these moments as a family in the comfort of our home. I have never enjoyed anything more.