Lylah's birth story is so much more involved than just the nitty gritty details of contractions and when things happened on her birthing day. No, there was so much soul work done that God began doing before I even saw those 2 lines on a test last May and His work carried through my entire pregnancy with her and into her delivery. I needed to write how God had a hand over us and His sovereignty months before.
First of all, you know last year was He called me to trust Him. While Mark and I did feel done in the kid department and I was ready to move on into the next phase of parenthood, I knew God had called us to have another. I felt Him nudging me, "Just trust Me." I knew I would get pregnant in 2016, but wasn't sure when. We certainly were not trying and I knew that if God wanted it to happen it would be His timing. It happened to come right after a darker spot in our marriage. Our dark spot was short lived, but still, lots of emotions and questions asked on how to move forward in healing. Our marriage is generally a happy one, we have the normal money and parenting small arguments, but our deeper issue lies in my past as a abused little girl and a promiscuous teen. I carry so much shame and it keeps me separated from my self, God, and my husband. I read the book, "Breaking Eve's Curse," which I just happened to find on a clearance shelf at a used book store during our darker time and it was exactly what I needed. I prayed in ways I never had prayed before, declaring healing and cutting soul ties to the people in my past. Suddenly while I was praying, my walls came down and I felt a sense of pure freedom that I have never ever felt before in my life! For the first time my marriage was experienced in the most exciting way, just as God intended the gift of it to be. It was beautiful. And thus, a child came from it. This will tie into my laboring with her months later.
Mark picked her name and felt strongly that this was meant to be her's (just as I had prayed God would do since he wanted to pick this time). Lylah Nell is a gift of His freedom. Her name means "born at night" and "light" which is absolutely true to her perfect timing. She has become the light within the dark "nights," and yes, she literally was a born at night! More on that later :-)
Fast forward a few weeks. By 10 weeks I felt like I needed to get my birth team together. I contacted a photographer in my neighborhood and asked her if she would be willing to document our birth. Check. I already had my midwife scheduled that I've used for Jaxson, Ashlyn, and Sadie's birth but I strongly felt like I needed to hire a doula this time. I had a very specific list in mind for a doula, drawn from my experience with Sadie's birth. I wanted it to be someone I already had a relationship with, and most importantly she needed to be a Christian, familiar with essential oils, and affordable. That made my list to be about 3 people that I knew within my life and I prayed heavily over those people. The Lord made it very clear who to hire and He certainly knew what He was doing! The doula I chose also happens to be an amazing midwife (like saving lives in the slums of Africa amazing), so I felt very secure that IF for some reason my main midwife couldn't be there that I had a back up.
Photo credit: The Wallflower Photographer
Fast forward to about 8 months pregnant, my midwife told me that she has a weekend she would be at a workshop and would only be available at night time: February 10th-12th. Then, my photographer told me the next day that she isn't available February 11th due to another photography event. And, let's not forget the full moon, lunar eclipse, and comet which happened that same weekend. I have always, always been late by 1-2 weeks so we honestly weren't too worried (my due date was February 16th). Still, once I heard all that news which made that weekend be like, "Please, any day but that weekend!" I had a feeling she would pick that weekend. It also gave me insight as to why I perhaps felt so lead to hire the doula I did.
Thanks to Sadie's birth I felt at peace with whenever Lylah's birthing time came, since her birth taught me about God's hand on the big picture and surrendering that to Him. However, leading up to her birth I had specific requests about her birth:
Whoever was meant to be there would be there
That the baby wouldn't come too late
Baby wouldn't come on our other February birthdays (20th and 22nd)
We wouldn't have to use castor oil to start labor as we have had to do every time in the past
I wouldn't tear
I wouldn't hemorrhage
I asked for a pain free birth, or comfortable much like it was with Sadie
General health and safety of both Lylah and I
A day time birth
That she would look like me since Sadie is Mark's clone in girl form (Silly, I know.)
So! Hopefully with all this background information, I can portray the birth story details and help shine God's glory over it.