I remember waking up sometime in the hour of 1 am suddenly, thinking, “was that what I think it was?” Within about 30 seconds, I felt like I wet the bed! I quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. When I was able to, I got up and opened up the bathroom door with the light still on. Kevin asked, “Is everything ok?” I took a couple of steps out of the bathroom and said, “I think my water just broke.” He looked over to my side of the bed and said, “Yep, I think you are right!”
I called my Dad to let him know we would need to bring Caroline by and he said he would come and pick her up. The next hour comprised of me getting her ready to go with a bag, printing up the guesses to the Baby Henderson #2 contest (yes, I really did that in labor), Kevin hooking up the church trailer to his truck and arranging for someone to pick up (we go to a Portable church and half of the set up stuff is stored in our driveway), and me pacing the house trying to figure out what I needed to wear for an hour drive to the hospital with my water breaking (that was something I hadn’t prepped for). When my Dad came and picked Caroline up at 2:30 in the morning, he gathered us around for a quiet moment and prayed the sweetest prayer for us. After finishing everything up and full of emotions we headed out the door.
We started out a little before 3:00 am over to Pensacola. It was a beautiful night drive over with a bright full moon and mild temperature. I remember about that time that I had an app on my phone to track the contractions. So, I started with the first two – 8 minutes apart. The next one came 7 minutes later, then next one 6 minutes later. By the time we reached the hospital I had tracked 10 contractions (in 45 minutes) and the last ones were 2 minutes apart.
When we arrived, the front desk workers brought out a wheelchair and quickly wheeled me back while Kevin parked the car. The intake nurse gave me a clip board and asked me to fill everything out. When Kevin arrived, he so graciously took the clipboard from me and asked me questions. After getting situated and all of the questions answered from the intake nurse, she told us that there were three ladies who the doctor needed to check before us, then they would see IF my water had actually broken and IF I was in labor. “IF MY WATER BROKE?” ß That’s what my face said. Kevin was able to read me loud and clear and when she left Kevin said, “She’s just doing her job” I was 100% sure, since each time I had a contraction, it felt like I was re-wetting my pants, every minute and a half at this point.
So, we waited around 30-45 minutes or so. Kevin was an amazing coach during this time, knowing that laughter is not only my best medicine, but also keeps my sanity. When the nurse left, the first thing he said was pointing out that the TV in the room was the same plasma screen TV Michael Scott had in the "Date Night" episode of The Office - which is my all time favorite. Along with, playing The Office theme song with every non-medicated contraction, he found random things in my purse and sent texts with pictures to people of what he found at 5:00 am on a Sunday morning. Finally, a younger intern came in and introduced herself, saying she was going to check my before the doctor came in. “Yes, your water definitely broke,” she said, “and I can feel baby parts.” So, she put my knees together and very calmly said, “Please, don’t push.”
They raised up the bars on the side of the bed and I was happy to have something to hold onto during the contractions. When they started wheeling me out the nurse at the head of my bed firmly said, “Put your hand down!” I was so confused and in so much pain I didn’t know what to think. We get back to the chaotic operating room, where 10+ people were scrambling around. One man came up and started asking me the basic questions again that I had just answered in the intake room. Any prior surgeries, anesthesia before, etc. Then he asked what my name was. I told him and he yells out, “This isn’t her information, this is someone else, I don’t have her chart!” All the while, the nurses are trying to hook up an IV and insert a catheter during constant contractions. The same prior nurse who got after me for grabbing the bar on the bed was at the head of my bed the whole time coaching me that it wasn’t that much longer, keep breathing, and apologizing for the chaos. I really wish I knew who she was so I could give her a hug. With Kevin not being able to be in the room that was exactly what I needed. Soon, they gave me my happy air and I drifted off to sleep.
Waking up, I could hear the nurse chatting away. I started to listen and heard about one patient who they had prepped for surgery and was in the operating room laboring for an hour and a half while they had to operate on another patient first. That other patient was me. Our Henderson babies like to kick their way out …. So sorry! Kevin came in and told me all of the details about Christopher, his weight, his height, what time he was born and what time it was. He told me that he was already out of me from his chest down when they went in and pulled him out. He also said that they were going to be doing head to toe scans to check on everything they couldn’t check while he was in the womb. We knew we were in good hands. We realized that we had witnessed a miracle. We realized God’s timing is perfect and, again, that He is oh, so good!
The similarities of Caroline and Christopher’s births are pretty amazing to us – both preterm, both breech, both emergency C-sections, both I was put to sleep, both born healthy – the only differences were that my water didn’t break for Caroline, the week they were born and their weight.
If you have read Christopher's whole story, bless you, you are a trooper! I write about the details now, so that when I am older and forget these things, I can be reminded of them and pass on the stories to Christopher and his future family. I also write these things to show how amazing the story of this little boy is. We were literally told that naturally conceiving a child was IMPOSSIBLE. They actually used that word. We accepted that reality, trusted in God's sovereignty and decided to walk in obedience in being content with what God has given us. There are numerous ways God could have blessed us, but He chose to bless us with a child that we consider a miracle. God allowed us to realize that, although the waiting period is hard, it is always worth every second of it. I can't help but take a moment to thank each and every one of our friends and family who have walked with us on this journey. Whether it be through prayers, chats, encouraging words, a shoulder to cry on or just an ear to vent to, thank you! Christopher's (and Caroline's too) Story has been quite the journey of faith for our family in learning to trust God for every step, knowing that He is in control and His timing is perfect. We are thankful!
1. Kevin’s brother joked about him being born in 2017. Then a week before he was born, I told Kevin, well if he comes early it better not be on January 2nd, it would be great if he came in 2017.
2. Each new doctor I would meet I would ask their advice on if I should have a regular delivery or a C-section. I would ALWAYS joke with them saying, “I really don’t mind if you put me to sleep again, that worked out really well the first time.” Never thinking that would happen.
3. I had thought to myself and told Kevin, that if for each of these progesterone shots I was receiving, I could get one day passed 31 weeks, we would be doing great. I received 18 shots and Christopher was born 18 days passed 31 weeks.
4. The whole pregnancy I kept saying, if we can get this baby to at least 5lbs at birth we will be doing great. He was 5lbs 2.5oz when he was born.
5. When scheduling the C-section, I was hoping for it to land on January 31st, since Caroline was born on the 31st it would be easy to remember. Christopher came on December 31st
5. When scheduling the C-section, I was hoping for it to land on January 31st, since Caroline was born on the 31st it would be easy to remember. Christopher came on December 31st
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
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