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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nI started having painful contractions. \u00a0We rushed to the hospital. \u00a0Owen was born minutes later.<\/p>\n
I woke up the morning of my due date expecting an ordinary day. \u00a0With our other\u00a0children, I went into labor in the middle of the night or the early morning hours. \u00a0My assumption was that I have morning babies. \u00a0And my intuition was that Owen was going to arrive after\u00a0my due date.<\/p>\n
Around lunch time I took a due date photo and\u00a0posted it on Facebook, having no idea that Owen would arrive just six hours later.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_6775-e1489756790100-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
We had lunch, followed by reading time and nap time. \u00a0I slept great\u00a0and woke up feeling refreshed.<\/p>\n
Of all the things I wanted to accomplish before Owen\u2019s birth, only one remained: \u00a0stocking the freezer with a few batches of protein pancakes.<\/p>\n
Around\u00a03:45\u00a0or\u00a04:00, I noticed I was having extremely mild contractions about five minutes apart. \u00a0I kept making pancakes, because I was pretty\u00a0sure it was false labor. \u00a0Labor contractions five minutes apart should be more painful, right?<\/p>\n
At\u00a04:17\u00a0a friend texted saying, \u201cHappy \u2018baby due date\u2019 day.\u201d \u00a0She texted again at\u00a04:31\u00a0asking if I had any signs of labor. \u00a0At\u00a05:05\u00a0I responded that\u00a0I might be in early labor.<\/p>\n
It was around that time when things\u00a0really started picking up. \u00a0I told Aaron we should start timing contractions. \u00a0Using an app on his iPhone, we started timing contractions at\u00a05:11. \u00a0They were four minutes apart and lasted close to a minute.<\/p>\n
I was in the middle of a project\u2014making the pancakes\u2014and I wanted to finish. \u00a0But I knew we still had some last minute things to pack for the hospital. I decided not to start the last batch.<\/p>\n
Aaron had gone to the gym that afternoon, so he wanted to shower before heading downtown. \u00a0He and I packed our last things (with the help of Kayla and Madeline) and were ready to leave around\u00a06:15. \u00a0We said good-bye to the kids and headed out.<\/p>\n
It was snowing as we drove. \u00a0The roads were pretty slippery, and we weren\u2019t sure we could make it up the hill on Michigan Avenue. \u00a0We made it, barely, and pulled up to\u00a0the hospital entrance.\u00a0 We\u00a0walked inside, told them I was in labor, and walked to triage. \u00a0For those who know me well, it\u2019s probably no surprise that I turned down two offers to ride in a wheelchair. \u00a0Looking back, I\u2019m wondering what I was thinking. \u00a0When you\u2019re as far along in labor as I was, the last thing you want to do is move!<\/p>\n
The memories that comes next are a little blurry in my mind. \u00a0I know Aaron left to park the van and a couple nurses asked me questions (which I could barely answer) and took my weight. \u00a0The nurses were ready\u00a0to take me to a room to determine if I was really in labor\u00a0when a powerful contraction came on. \u00a0Aaron wasn\u2019t there for me to squeeze his hand, and the nurses didn\u2019t volunteer to let me hold their hands. \u00a0The contraction was the worst one yet. \u00a0I grabbed the arm of the chair,\u00a0and at the end of the contraction\u00a0my water broke. \u00a0The nurses moved me to a wheelchair and took me straight to the delivery room, with Aaron joining us on the way.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how many nurses were there. \u00a0I don\u2019t know when the doctor arrived. \u00a0I don\u2019t know when the neonatologist arrived. \u00a0A nurse listened to Owen\u2019s heartbeat once and\u00a0checked that I was fully dilated. \u00a0The doctor introduced herself to me, and with the next contraction, Owen was born.<\/p>\n
There was no time for the birth plan. \u00a0No time to give the nurses the cookies I had made for them. \u00a0No time to meet the nurses or even count them.<\/p>\n
But my boy was here! \u00a0Right away his little lungs filled with air, and he cried and cried and cried. \u00a0The doctor placed him on my chest, and he lifted his head and looked at me.<\/p>\n
Owen was born at\u00a06:45 p.m.\u00a0\u00a0He\u00a0was born so quickly that his color wasn\u2019t great at birth, but by ten minutes he looked wonderful. \u00a0The neonatologist determined he was healthy and doing fine. There was no need\u00a0to visit the NICU. \u00a0Owen weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 19 3\/4 inches long.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s the story of Owen\u2019s birth. \u00a0From the time I knew I was in labor until he was born was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. \u00a0God watched over every detail, and we thank Him for the wonderful gift of our son, Owen Daniel Kerr.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_6810-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Many have asked if Owen will need surgery in the future. \u00a0Unless the mass in his lung disappears, Owen will have surgery when he\u2019s about 6 months old. While he is breathing and doing fine now, cystic portions of the lung can easily become infected, and babies with CPAMs can be\u00a0more prone to pneumonia. \u00a0There\u2019s also some belief these masses could become cancerous later in life if not removed. \u00a0The surgery would be a lobectomy, the\u00a0removal of the lower\u00a0lobe of Owen\u2019s left lung. \u00a0The good news is that lungs continue growing until a child is about eight, so Owen\u2019s lung should have plenty of time to grow to a normal size.<\/p>\n
We praise God for protecting Owen while he was in my womb, for protecting his heart as the CPAM pushed it and moved it out of place. \u00a0We\u2019re thankful for Owen\u2019s smooth birth, and we trust God will get us through the last phase\u2014his surgery.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/kerrspot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_5816-e1489757698201-879x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Short Version I started having painful contractions. \u00a0We rushed to the hospital. \u00a0Owen was born minutes later. The Longer Version I woke up the morning of my due date expecting an ordinary day. \u00a0With our other\u00a0children, I went into labor in the middle of the night or the early morning hours. \u00a0My assumption was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n