Our Baby Story

This whole experience of pregnancy has truly been wonderful for me. I feel like I have been very blessed to have an easy pregnancy! The last few weeks became very uncomfortable, so I definitely did a lot of walking the month of January. My walking paid off, because Dean Owen came two days early. Here is a little bit of our crazy, miracle story about his birth and how our lives have changed for the better having him in it: 

On Monday, January 27th, I went to work and went about my business like I typically did. I had a doctor's appointment that day where they told me I was still dilated two centimeters. I started feeling cramps which I realized were contractions around 10 o'clock before I was going to bed. I told Andrew I felt like this might be it and that the baby would probably be born the next day. I couldn't sleep that whole night since my cramps were every ten minutes. 

In the morning, I told Andrew I had a feeling the baby was going to come that day and that he shouldn't go to school. He chose to stay home with me. I had contractions all morning, but I felt like they were bearable. They started becoming consistently about six minutes apart but sometimes closer. I called my doctor who told me with the weather being the way it was (SNOWING!!! which was unusual for Georgia), I should go ahead and make my way to the hospital. This was around noon, and schools had started letting their students out early because of the weather. When my mom came home from work, we loaded up the truck and drove to the hospital. As soon as we drove out of the neighborhood, it was like a parking lot! Cars had slid off of the road, were stuck in the middle of the road, and were blocking traffic. I said a prayer that we could make it safely and in time to the hospital, and I think I prayed the whole way there!

It took us almost three hours to get to the hospital going a different route than we had ever been because of the traffic! The drive normally only takes about twenty minutes... My mom had been timing my contractions in the back of the truck which turns out were only four minutes apart. She was telling me they were still only six to keep me calm which probably was the best idea. As we were driving, we debated if we should pull over and call for an ambulance. We continued to drive and asked a couple of police cars on the way if we could somehow get a police escort to the hospital since I was in labor. Two of them said no because they weren't allowed to. After driving for about two hours, we saw a police car undercover and asked him. He said to follow close behind him and use our horn to get by if cars tried to cut us off as we followed. He turned on his lights and siren and we followed! It was a miracle!!! I began crying, because I knew it was Heavenly Father who had helped us and answered my prayers. What could have taken us another two hours to get to the hospital took only twenty/thirty minutes. Andrew followed closely behind, and the police man drove us right to the ER.

We arrived around 3 in the afternoon and I was checked into the Labor and Delivery triage. They checked to see how much I had dilated, and I was almost a five. The nurse told us we weren't leaving this hospital without a baby, and I began to cry again. Basically, I cried a lot throughout this whole process... We checked into our labor room, and Andrew went to get our things while my mom and I walked around the hospital. I was determined to have a natural birth, so I was able to get up and move throughout labor. 

My contractions began to get more intense the later in the day it was. Both Andrew and my mom were there to support me which was nice. When one had to go to the bathroom or get food, the other one was there so I was never alone. My dad was still in traffic and we were nervous he might not make it in time. There were times when I thought I wouldn't be able to make it any further and was tempted to get the epidural. At one point, I asked them to check me to see how much I had dilated. If I was not close, I was going to get the epidural. The midwife (who was SO amazing!) checked, and I was dilated to an 8!!! This gave me the drive to keep going. 

About an hour later, when my contractions started getting very painful, I felt the urge to push and didn't care if the midwife was there or not. I knew I was going to have this baby! My dad had arrived about thirty minutes prior to this which also gave me the confidence I needed to have this baby. He had run the last mile, leaving his car in a random parking lot, to the hospital to be there because the traffic was so bad. My parents left the room before it was time to push, and Andrew was there at my side. He was the best,  and I couldn't have done it without him! 

After pushing for thirty minutes without an epidural or any pain medication, Dean Douglas Owen was born at 9:02 pm on Tuesday, January 28th 2014 weighing exactly 8 lbs and measuring 20 inches long. He was perfect, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world seeing my child for the first time. To know that he came directly from Heavenly Father and that Andrew and I had created this little miracle brought so much joy. I loved him immediately with a love I can't even describe!

I love this picture! There is so much love on Andrew's face holding his son for the first time. 

Meeting Mama and Papa D for the first time

Overall, Andrew and I are so grateful for the wonderful nurses we had while at the hospital. Some had been there for a couple of days without much of a break because people couldn't come in to cover their shift because of the weather. They were still so sweet and helpful, and we also appreciate our families support.

We were discharged from the hospital Thursday afternoon, and brought our sweet little man home with us. We have been so blessed to have the help of family and friends, and many have come to visit Dean and I. He truly is the best baby we could have asked for. He rarely cries and is just content all of the time. We love the little expression he makes already! There is no place I would rather be than at home with him and watching him change every day. Andrew is the best dad and really is a natural. Seeing him be a father makes my love grow for him even more, and I appreciate that I can be with him and Dean forever.