Luke's birth story

Unplanned.

That word can mean so much.

Some people could take it negatively, but in Luke's life, unplanned has really meant God-planned. Luke was not planned by us. We now call him our little "annointed one" because his conception, pregnancy, and birth are all so wonderful.

In the world we live in, its so easy to get swept away in doing things by your own plan. In a Christians walk with the Lord, we learn that God wants us to let go of our will and follow His. After all, He is the beginning and the end. He HAS been there. He knows the suffering or pain we might go through. A week before delivery, my Mawmaw and I were eating lunch and she said that that week, while praying for Luke and others, she heard God say, "For my Glory." Neither of us knew what it meant...but we'd soon find out.

Luke's labor started around midnight. I kept having "braxton hicks" that wouldnt really go away. Theyd follow a type of pattern and then get totally off. False labor. Thats what I thought. Because I have these all the time! Until one of them hit me and made me grab the dresser. Hmm..maybe not. They still werent consistent at all... not that textbook labor. Well it was at 5am that I finally laid on my side and got some rest. I called and scheduled my dr appt for the day to be earlier so that I could find out if these easy contractions were leading to something. It was a great choice to do that because I was already a 4cm! The dr suggested to break my water since I was overdue. After looking at how low Luke's fluids might be low, we thought it was a good idea. I was so nervous because I did not want pitocin. So we went in with confidence in Gods promises to us (Psalm 91) that HE would deliver this baby...and Ohh did he. This was my chance to trust God with the water breaking to start real labor, and trust Him that His plan was greater than my own.

Water broke 12:30 pm.
Complete and ready to push at 2:30 pm. Could not ask for more of a blessing!

Each contraction that I had for those two hours was taken one by one. I remembered Matthew 6 that says, do not worry about tomorrow for today has enough trouble of its own. Well...each contraction had enough trouble, so why worry about the next one?

With Emmas birth, I never had that urge to push, but with Luke...he was coming whether anyone else liked it or not! Dr. Mills almost didnt make it in time. Luckily I had some rockin' nurses who could have totally handled it on their own. :)

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I have called little Luke a child of peace. We all know that someone doesnt usually PLAN to have kids this close...so his pregnancy came as a surprise. No prior worrying needed!

The entire pregnancy: peaceful.

Hardly any complaints, no swelling, perfect check ups, only 20 lbs gained... it was peaceful. And his birth was nothing short of that- peaceful. Contractions were only 30-45 sec, and not very painful, and I pushed for 15 min. But this was not on my own. My mind was so submerged in Gods peace that nothing, at this point, could distract me. I literally felt him take away the pain!

Here is the amazing part- during one of my last pushes, I remember looking up and seeing at least 8 nurses and doctors standing around in the room. Silent. Before I went into labor I had a strong feeling that this time Id want to bring a playlist of songs with me. Im so glad we did. Garrett turned it on for us earlier and the songs were like comforting words to my ears. So during these last pushes the song "Breath of Heaven" was the one to play. I started crying in amazement and sang along through the last pushes. One nurse said, "Okay get ready to push" in which I responded, "No God is pushing, just let him handle this!"  They all fell quiet. See...they didnt know the peace that I felt inside, but this time, they could see the peace in me. Many of them were there for Emmas birth that was much different.

It was at that moment I heard,
"For my Glory."

If there's ever a moment where time stood still, it was right then for me. Proof of His existence in what Mawmaw had said last week. Proof thst He could give me what I longed for- a short, beautiful, natural birth.  But this was for His glory- to show everyone in that room how powerful and loving our God is. Through something as "everyday" as a birth at the hospital. But for them, I dont think this was an every day birth.

If you have never heard the song "Breath of Heaven" it is from Marys perspective. And I couldnt help but think...what did she feel on that night at Christmas?

"Breath of Heaven, hold me together...pour over me your holiness...breath of heaven."

I'll put my playlist in another post in case anyone needs it.  We named it "Peaceful Playlist" and these songs are so very special to my soul now. :)

Welcome to the world Luke Dean Campbell! God has such an amazing plan for your life...we cant wait to see what it is!