His arrival into the world was both easy and difficult, in the nine months of growing and in the labor and birth itself.
We somehow once again found ourselves in the midst of a wild season of transition as a family right around the time we discovered our family was growing again. Job uncertainty, finding out we were living in a house full of mold, and then just as those two events really reared up- baby #4 started growing. Starting this pregnancy in stress wasn’t ideal, but after a few short (long) weeks of prayer, trust, and due diligence, we had a new house and Jer had a new job, and I started quietly sharing that I was 8 weeks pregnant.
This pregnancy flew by in its own way, life just kept on going and having the three older boys and working part time left me very busy.
Of course the question all around was “is it going to be a girl this time?” And my truthful answer was that I was happy for either.
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Goodness was it wild to be pregnant for a fourth time. And labor for a fourth time was just as intense, if not more, than the others.
The timing of this birth worked out very conveniently; I noticed two light cramps when I woke up the morning that I was 40 weeks and 4 days- and then had the entire day to mentally prepare for active labor, as I noticed mild cramping throughout the day but nothing indicative of active labor. I got to treat the day as usual, with the knowledge that my baby was on its way. I had an appointment with my midwife in the morning, and one with my chiropractor. It was great to see both of these women, these friends, that morning, giving me a chance to verbally process how my day might go, and Dr. Leslie worked some extra magic to help my body release into labor. One thing I was hesitant about- the date was April 1st. I vocalized both to Dr. Leslie and to Brooke, my midwife, that I’d be more than okay if baby waited till after midnight to be born on April 2nd rather than having a birthday associated with April Fool’s Day. That hesitation, coupled with the knowledge of Jeremy being an hour’s drive away at work (and in a workplace that was hard to get away from) I think kept things moving slowly throughout the day. The crampy sensations slowed down while I was running errands, but I had a strong sense that they were going to be back when I was mentally ready.
I went shopping at Kimberton, just over a week since my final shift there, and was able to say hi to many of my co-workers and tell them that baby was on the way. It felt like a second send-off from there and it was truly special to chat with everyone that day.
Being at home with the boys that afternoon was relaxed. I had taken a magic eraser to the walls the day before (very telling that labor was imminent!) and there weren’t very many things to keep busy with. Around 4pm I noticed the cramps starting again, this time with more of a rhythm to them- every 7-20 minutes I’d notice something light happening in my abdomen. We ate an early dinner and read books on the couch until Jeremy got home around seven. We treated the evening as normal while my mild cramps continued at the same pace. We told the boys that we’d likely be meeting their newest sibling that night, and they all asked to be woken up to be present for the birth. Around 8:30 all the boys were asleep and Jeremy and I finished a few things to get the bedroom ready to labor in. Jer set up the birth tub, and then went to attach the hose to our shower- only to find that the shower head was stuck too tight to remove. The tub was such a game changer during Denver’s birth, I couldn’t imagine not having it available for this one. Thankfully my parents live five minutes down the road, and my Dad was somehow still awake. Jer was able to go over there and borrow a plumber’s wrench to get everything situated with the hose to fill the tub when we needed to- crisis averted.
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| a short few hours before meeting baby |
Jer and I watched some TV before laying down for sleep, uncertain what exactly the night held for us. Up until then the crampiness remained mild and unassuming, easy to notice but not be bothered by. I knew some rest would be useful and figured I’d be woken up by active labor.
I never did get that rest. As soon as I laid down and turned off my light, around 10:30, the cramps required a bit more attention. They were consistently 8-9 minutes apart and they were getting strong enough that I couldn’t rest through them. So I got out of bed and kept busy; I was still fully aware of the world around me in between the rushes, but it was obvious that active labor was getting closer. Denver woke up at some point and came into our bed while I was laboring solo and Jer was resting. I sat on a birth ball while leaning over the foot of the bed for a little while, and for an hour the surges continued to gain strength and happen closer together. I was in touch with my midwives and a few friends via text, and I was also taking note of what time each surge began. I took a picture of the birth tub set up at 10:52, and texted it to my family to tell them that we were actively waiting for our new baby at that point. The last few surges I took note of were 11:04, 11:11, 11:14, 11:20. I was fully in a clear mind for all of the above … and then something completely shifted after 11:20. Jeremy texted the text thread we had with our midwives at 11:26 after noticing a significant difference in how I worked through a contraction. Brooke texted right back and asked if they should head over. I managed to squeak out a “yes” at 11:31 before throwing the phone down for good. I absolutely entered transition at that point and knew there was no way out but through.
I continued to labor without physical support, that’s what felt right this time around. The rushes were one on top of another and I remember feeling like I wanted to be far away from them. I had this headspace of wanting to physically back up, like that would somehow get me out of each surge that I was needing to work through. But I had to go forward. Jeremy asked me at some point about filling the birth tub but I was past the point of answering questions. I continued leaning over the corner of the bed and moving my torso back and forth while making plenty of low sounds every time I felt a surge come on. At 11:54 in one quick moment my waters broke all over the floor. It surprised me and scared me, I definitely screamed when it happened; I had no idea I was already that far along. My last two labors were very fast but this one was moving along even more quickly than they did. The very next contraction brought with it an absolute necessity to push. It wasn’t even something I could control- my body took over and started doing everything it needed to push our baby out.
In the meantime, Jeremy went to make good on our promise and wake up Harrison and Dylan, Denver already rousing in our bedroom. Dylan chose not to get out of bed (he said later that he doesn’t remember Jer waking him up), and Harrison came and sat on our bed, bleary-eyed with Denver.
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| sweet emotional support from my bleary-eyed boys |
Brooke and Allie, along with their assistant Roslyn, arrived maybe ten minutes later, shortly after midnight. I was pushing with each contraction and so ready to be done, it was so much work and felt like it was going slowly. Baby’s head was born around 12:31 and then everything quieted down.
Calm urgency, that’s what the next minutes felt like. Pushing was no longer helping baby descend farther out, and the umbilical cord was around the neck and too tight to pull over the head. While the cord around the neck is not at all outside of the realm of normal and is often not an issue, my midwives noticed quickly that a variety of factors was causing my baby to lose oxygen, as noted by baby’s coloring.
Something I appreciate so fully here- the actions, attitudes, and skill of my midwives. Not even for a moment did I sense any fear or nervousness or alarm from them, which meant that not even for a moment did I feel any of those things. Brooke calmly noted that baby had to be born as quickly as possible, and with my okay she helped the process. Under her direction I moved into a position that gave my pelvis a wider opening for baby to pass through, and Brooke helped baby come down a little farther. She then found baby’s left hand hanging out on its cheek and once that arm was born, the rest of our baby followed, right into Jeremy’s hands at 12:33, in the earliest morning hour of April 2nd.
I was wiped out and felt very much outside of myself for a few moments. While I came back down, baby was taking a minute to do the same. Jer held baby, and he and Brooke gently encouraged our little one to use its lungs with quiet voices and light touch. After a brief wait, baby began to make some boisterous cries- just as I was ready to have my little one in my arms.
At this point baby was behind me as I was still leaning over the corner of my bed (birth tub all but forgotten about in this quick labor), so I pushed myself up and baby was laid down on the floor in front of me so I could get comfortable. With my brain being everywhere and nowhere all at once, the only thing I was focused on was holding my baby. So it came as an extra surprise in that moment to look down and very clearly see my baby BOY. I had forgotten, after all the work of the past hour, to even consider the gender of our little one, and there he was, beautiful and perfect right in front of me. I scooped him up to my chest and wrapped my arms around him and exclaimed to everyone in the room that I wasn’t wearing my glasses and couldn’t see anything but very clearly saw a penis. We all had a laugh, and welcomed the fourth boy of our family into the world.
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| raw & real, I love this picture captured by Roslyn |
And like most of our boys, he was quite hearty at birth. Before he was born, he was estimated to be a very average size, maybe 8lbs or so. Apparently he tucked himself in very well, it was evident as soon as he was born that he had heft to him, and sure enough- another boy surpassing 10lbs!
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| 10lb 1oz, 22” |
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| never would have guessed we’d get use of this onesie four times! |
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| Oscar ever-present for all four labors, in the thick of it with me each time |
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and always standing guard for our newborns |
It’s been nine months now since we first held this sweet little one in our arms. His name is Griffin, and yes it does indeed fit our accidental theme; Jeremy introduced me to the 1970’s band Bread in our early days of friendship in college in 2005, and while the name Griffin came up during the late stages of my pregnancy with him- outside of the umbrella of musicians- it was clinched after he was born when we realized one of the founding members of Bread is Jimmy Griffin. We chose David for his middle name. David means “beloved,” and who is more loved and doted on than a youngest sibling? In our true fashion, Griffin didn’t have a name for his first 24 hours or so, but having him in our arms and watching his brothers interact with him helped us find our way to both of his names.
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| beloved indeed |
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| His earlobes were folded up when he was born and never fully “fell down,” I have a feeling that his hand up by his ear while I was pushing him out was not an anomaly! |
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| six weeks old |
2025 was a wild year, navigating four kids with plenty of stressors on all sides, and that’s okay. Having these four boys to love and care for has felt so beautiful in the midst of the wild. I am so thankful for the last nine months, for 2025, for our family of six and the years ahead of us.
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| Christmas morning 2025 |
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| November 2025 |
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Our other birth stories:
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