Eden Joy Edmonds
“Joyful Delight”
August 7, 2011
9:05 pm
7 pounds 14 ounces, 20 3/4 inches
We have been blessed with another girl to raise to be a godly young woman for the Lord! I really wanted to have a daughter and companion for my Karis girl, but had fully convinced myself that it had to be a boy, considering it was extremely active in the womb, everyone predicted it was a boy, and I felt the Lord had confirmed the name of a boy in my heart. I had become really excited for a boy too. Well the Lord must have been laughing! Especially when we were confused over the gender for an hour after the birth! 
Wait till you hear that part…
Waiting for the arrival of my little Eden was a very challenging time for me. Having delivered my first two at least a week early, I struggled with patience over the delay, intense heat of summer, and very difficult physical pain and nausea in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Labor began late Saturday night, August 6th. I was already physically tired from lack of sleep the night before, but I was also eager to have my baby. Contractions were consistent at 5 minutes apart and pretty painful from the start. After two hours they stopped altogether and my husband and I attempted to get some rest. I experienced contractions off and on through the night along with a lingering nauseated feeling.
Sunday morning arrived and I remained sick and tired but nothing was really happening, so we all decided to go to church and conclude that baby was not coming. Surprisingly though, contractions started again as soon as I arrived. They were consistent but mild. I gently swayed back and forth with each contraction as we worshipped. It was a great distraction but difficult to keep my composure. I really didn’t want people to know I was in labor just in case this was not the real thing.
After the service, I quickly called the midwife and headed home. By 1:00pm, my midwife and birth team arrived. I began my normal labor routine of placing my arms around my husband’s neck, hanging limp, and swaying my hips side to side (my favorite labor position), and walking all around the house and yard, and up and down the stairs, letting gravity do its thing. At 3:00 pm, my midwife checked me and discovered that I was 6 cm dilated. We were all excited to see such good progress and were assured that it would be coming soon. In my mind I estimated that baby would arrive around dinner time. Hmm…that was not a good idea.
Contractions increased in intensity but continued at roughly 5 minutes apart. I went into the hot tub, and while it was relaxing it really slowed down my labor. It was a pleasant experience though being outside with midwives and mothers relaxing on our patio furniture while my little ones played in the yard. What more could you ask for? After nearly two hours in the tub without any real progress, trying to relax and rest unsuccessfully, I got out and started aggressively walking up and down the steps (two at a time) and around the house. I loved having the freedom and space to move around as needed. I was determined. But as it lagged on, I began getting pretty discouraged. The pain was extremely intense…more painful than I had ever experienced before with my previous two births. I felt like I went through transition three times with lots of tears and desperation. My midwife tried to check me on two separate occasions but couldn’t reach my cervix. What did this mean? The dinner hour came and went. The mystery of consistent contractions that were still 5 minutes apart but very difficult continued.
I returned to the hot tub around 7pm and experienced the most intense emotions. I was desperate. I came to a place of complete brokenness. I had always been strong and prideful in myself. I was an empowered homebirth mama. I could handle pain. Haha! The Lord really used this birth to humble me in more ways than one. I came to a place of complete desperation and dependence upon the Lord because only He could truly sustain and uphold me. I clung to my husband as I labored on my hands and knees in the hot tub. It was nice being in water but not really helpful in managing the pain as I had hoped. I would look into my husband’s eyes and cry…”I can’t do this!” My sweet husband patiently and graciously held on to me and encouraged me to the best of his ability.
At long last things kicked into gear. It was nearly 9:00 pm. I was so thankful for a quick finale. With two major contractions and several pushes, baby arrived. The pushing stage in water was a refreshing experience.
Baby arrived at 9:05 pm and was placed right into my arms. It turns out baby was delivered with her hand right by her face, which may have caused the extra pain in my labor. I was so incredibly weak at this point that I could barely hold my child. It was dark outside with just one overhead light on and for the first time I was the one appointed to identify the gender. Previously, my husband had always identified.
I looked at the baby…it looked like a boy. I looked down and saw the cord between the legs and swollen parts and mistook it for a boy. Hilariously enough, I had convinced myself it had to be a boy. I didn’t put much thought into it…nor was I really all there mentally after such an exhausting experience. So we all were crying once again thinking we were welcoming a boy. Because it was getting chilly outside they quickly moved us inside to shower off. Baby was wrapped up quickly without a second glance. I actually fainted on the bathroom floor from the quick transition and they carried me to the couch. The afterbirth contractions were very hard. I could hardly feel any part of my body from the loss of blood. Baby’s cord was cut and delivered again into my arms for our first nursing experience. Baby lached on immediately and I felt I had such a sweet bonding experience with my supposed son.
After over an hour from delivery, my mother-in-law offered to get baby dressed. She carried baby upstairs to clean her up a bit more. By this time my husband had announced to the world (via facebook , that it was a boy. As my mother in law cleaned up the baby getting ready to put a diaper on, she discovered that it was really a girl. She called my husband in to show him the reality. Aaron came back downstairs and said, “It’s not Eli, it’s Piper (because those were the names we liked at that point).” I was so frustrated at him since I was in such pain. “That is not funny.” I said in response. “I am in no mood for joking.” “No really…it’s a girl.” He insisted. I was in complete shock. How could I incorrectly identify my child? I felt like I had bonded with my son. For nearly two hours I was in a state of shock. Everyone was laughing. Aaron returned to facebook and announced, “Scratch that…it’s a girl!” All in all, it was an hilarious experience and I can look back now and retell the story with laughter. I had completely convinced myself. I am determined not to be the one to identify again…or maybe we will just get an ultrasound next time to avoid such confusion.
So we had a girl! I’m blessed beyond words. After two days, we finally decided on her name. Eden means “delight, paradise, luxury” and I felt it was such a good reminder of the beauty of God’s creation and His original design for mankind in the garden of Eden. We were fashioned in His image to display His glory. My vision is that my little Eden would passionately adopt God’s design for her and find her “delight” in the Lord and that He would give her the desires of her heart (Psalms 37:4). We chose “Joy” because we want her life to be characterized by a spirit of joy and thankfulness. She has brought such delight and joy to our hearts, but even more so, we pray that she would be a gift of joy and delight to others and pass on the gift. I pray that she would find her complete delight and satisfaction in our great God and Savior and live her life to make His glory known to the ends of the earth.
As I look back, I am thankful for such an intense labor. While it was the most difficult thing I have endured, God was so faithful to me. He broke me. He humbled me. I have been changed. I feel such a greater sympathy and compassion now for others. I rejoice in the fact that it was such a smooth and safe delivery and it was all accomplished in the comfort of my own home and hot tub with wonderful mothers, midwives, and my husband around me. What a huge blessing! The grace has been given to cling ever more to my Savior and Lord. And now my arms are full…three precious gifts. Each given to me to be prepared to send forth as an arrow for the Lord. God is good!
Thank you all again for your thoughts, prayers, and support! It is such a blessing having such a wonderful community of women here to love and care for one another despite the distance.
What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing so openly. It is so encouraging to hear another mother speak to transparently of struggling with sin, exhaustion, and weariness and experiencing victory. I am reading The Christian Childbirth Handbook per your recommendation, and I am wondering, this is quite personal, I know, you do not have to answer, but did you have tearing? I tore with my first and it was such an excruciating recovery, my desire this time is to find any methods to prevent it if possible! That book has a very logical explanation, but I am just wondering if you have had success practicing the technique/advice?
Again, thank you for sharing so openly, and may God bless your family!
I have been extremely blessed to have a skilled midwife who uses olive oil to gently massage the perineum and have never experienced any tearing. Birthing in water was another means of helping to prevent this as well.
Thank you for posting so honestly about your labor and delivery! I think so many women will be comforted by this and can relate. Your labor and delivery sounds like my first trimester! I recently blogged many of the same feelings and experiences on my blog “True Things.”
http://www.katiestromwall.com/blog/2011/09/06/surviving-my-first-trimester-part-1/
What a unique way for us to know the strength and forbearance of our God through walking through pregnancy.
Your new family is beautiful!
Blessings to you these next few months,
Katie
Congratulations. I’ve been following your blog for a few years, and it’s interesting to see your children (and entire family) grow. What a cute bunch.
Thank you for sharing it all, Lindsay! My second was the exact same presentation (hand right at the mouth) and I feel your pain!!!
I am pregnant with our 3rd child and am planning another home birth (my first was in the hospital, second at home). I was wondering what you did with your older children while laboring. When Noah (2nd) was born in the middle of the night, Emma (1st) slept right through it. I’m worried with 2 variables now, I will be more nervous about people sleeping through all the commotion. What sorts of contingency plans did you have for your older two while you labored and birthed Eden?
Thanks so much for all that you do!
Lynne
I have family in the area and was originally planning on having them watch my kiddos, but it actually worked out fine to keep them at home this time. Since baby came after bedtime, they were already tucked away, but then they came out to welcome baby. A nice fan works well for covering up the noise.
What a beautiful story Lyndsay! I’ve never commented before on your blog, but after reading this story, I had to tell you that we had a similar experience in June with the birth of our second, Hannah. It was our second home birth, and this time I used the birthing pool (what a difference it made!) While I had only a four and a half hour labor, my husband, Adam was going to be “catching” and identifying the sex of the baby. However when Hannah emerged, she was so tangled up in her cord also that Adam announced her to be a boy. In all the commotion to untangle her I guess nobody else noticed either! So she was put on my chest and covered with a blanket. When I got up to get out of the pool, I began to bleed heavily and the midwife realized I was hemorrhaging. She was unable to stop the bleeding and the squad was called. It was nearly a half hour after her birth, while I was on the floor, after baby’s cord had been cut, that my mother discovered it was a girl! It wasn’t until four hours later, after anesthesia, emergency D&C, a few units of blood and lots of fluids, that I held my little girl, in a sense, for the first time! I praise Him for all that He has shown me through the experience and for sparing my life to be able to serve and enjoy this family He has given me. Blessings to you. Enjoy EVERY moment. It truly is ALL grace. Jessica
congratulations! such a wonderful story and a beautiful little girl!
Love her name! Absolutely beautiful! I am 36 weeks pregnant with our first boy and desiring to do a natural labor. Thank you for your honesty and encouragement!
That is so funny!!
Enjoy your new one and hope recovery goes well.
Congratulations! We also have a baby Eden Noelle. Perhaps in heaven they can hang out.
Was waiting to read this! congratulations on a beautiful baby girl.
*Beautiful* baby, loved the birth story
My 2nd child came out with her hand beside her face, too, and yes, it was a much more difficult labour (and longer than my first). She actually kept her hand there most of the time for a few weeks, I guess she liked it there!
I hope this next baby doesn’t repeat that performance…
Don’t feel bad about misidentifying (although you gave me a good laugh, thank you!
). I have two girls so far and with both I was confused. I was the one to identify and I looked down with my first and said “I don’t know, what is it?” and no one would tell me…I then said “I think that is a girl, is it?” everyone laughed at me, but really, it was all swollen and not very clean and such…plus I was not used to babies at all, let alone newborns! With my second I thought I was having a boy (just my own thoughts) and so I looked down and also said “I think that its a girl, is it?” and then once they said yes, I asked again and again…maybe I was just tired!
My friend’s doctor told her she had a girl and then took the baby away to help it breathe better…then he came back like 20 min later and told her oops, its a boy…that was so hard for her, especially since she had really wanted a girl and only has boys. But she laughs about it now.
Congratulations on such a beautiful family. I am so excited to also have my third this winter.
Congrats! She is absolutely beautiful!
She is just gorgeous. And I loved her birth story. Thanks for sharing!
Ya know, with our first, we were absolutely positive it was a boy. We even had people getting us blue blankets, clothes, burp rags, etc. They never could tell on the ultrasound … she would always pull her legs up and not let anyone get a good look. We were just a tad surprised when she was born and the nurse said “It’s a GIRL!”
We’re really hoping that whenever He blesses us with another that we can have a homebirth. My husband just about insists on it!
What a beautiful thing that you share your stories of how the Lord worked in your labor! That gives me hope for my third planned homebirth (fourth baby!). None of them have been that “wow, amazing” birth experience, but they have been healing or hilarious and always intense. You also remind me to be humble that only by the grace of God do I even have the ability to have a homebirth after Caesarean.
We were “supposed” to have a girl according to the ultrasound. Due to some concerns during and immediately after birth with the baby (probably not helped by my baby’s hand being right next to his face, too), I discovered we had a boy! Since I can relate to the confusion, I really enjoyed that part of your story.
wow, loved the story of your homebirth. I wanted to do it that way but didn’t have the guts with either of my children… I couldn’t even do it without pain meds so you are my hero.
Thanks for sharing and congratulations!
Lorilee
I just had my firstborn the end of May after laboring hard (pushing for more than 13 hours) at home from Friday afternoon ’til Sunday mid-morning when I transferred to a nearby hospital. Contractions started Thursday night and the baby was born late Sunday afternoon. We transferred because I had thrown up everything I had eaten and drank since labor started so I was starving and dehydrated which left me so weak I could not push any more, I hadn’t slep since Thursday night and my contractions had slowed to every 15-20 minutes anyway. All praise to the Lord – He sustained my spirit through it all! but my body was giving up. The baby’s heart beat was always strong which encouraged me SO much and my husband was right with me through it all encouraging me like no other human could. We actually saw the baby’s head crowning Sat. afternoon (“Look at all that hair!”) but he was not born until Sun. afternoon. I went to the hospital Sunday morning to get me rehydrated via IV’s, get an epidural so I could rest, and a few hours later, after a tiny boost of pitocin, my contractions started up closer together and I was able to push the baby out naturally. Even though the whole ordeal was SO not what we expected, we saw the Lord’s hand working throughout in ways such as… had I started out in the hospital I would not have been allowed to labor for that long and would have been given a C-section. As we prayed and planned for the homebirth we would tell friends and family that it was our plan to try for a homebirth but we knew that God was/is in control and He knew the plans He had for us. It was not what we were expecting but we serve a loving God and He had things work out just the way He wanted. We will try for another homebirth should we get pregnant again but commit the outcome again into His hands. Of course I will cry if I get pregnant again because I threw up every day, almost all day my whole first pregnancy, labor was so very hard in my case, and breastfeeding was HORRIBLE the first month and a half. But our son is SO worth it all and yep, despite all that we still want more kids – yikes!
Congratulations on your baby girl. Everyone says that each birth after the first is easier and easier. My first labor was easy. I use a midwife run freestanding birth center. With my first I did not realize I was in labor until it was just about too late. I had her by myself standing up in our birth center parking lot. I never pushed, her head just came out and then my husband came out with our amazing midwife who caught the rest of our sweet girl.
My second labor although short, lasting 3 hours, was very, very intense. I nearly passed out many times. It was one of those experiences in which I was just praying not to pass out because I knew that might mean a transfer to the hospital. I was even seeing stars and specks of light hours after the labor but I never told anyone just in case it would have delayed our discharge home 4 hours later. I do not remember that intensity with my first. My first was 5 days early and my second 5 days late. In my case, my first was easy labor and easy baby, my second has been hard labor and hard baby!
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story with us!
Congratulations! We just found out that we are expecting our third baby, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the birth story or your third! Take care and God Bless!
Blessings to you, Lindsay and family! Enjoy your little girl.
Love her name!!!! Congratulations.
Congratulations Lindsay!!! you and your (growing) family are absolutely beautiful!!! thank you for sharing! your writings, especially this one, touches me and inspires me to a depth i can’t express to you enough. i hope to be more like you esp when it comes to having faith through suffering. i tend to loose trust in the Lord and turn away from Him when it seems to me that He gives me too much to handle. i’m not proud of that, it’s something i deeply struggle with. i recently had a miscarriage (my first pregnancy) and it caused me to loose a lot of trust and love that i had for the Lord. i dealt with a lot of fears in the beginning of my pregnancy and i finally reached a point where God convinced me that everything was going to be alright and instead of focusing on things that might go wrong, to focus on holding the baby, nursing for the first time, cuddling and loving on him/her. well, ever since i lost him/her, i’ve felt as though God had tricked me. why would He tell me to trust that everything was going to be alright? why would He lead me to believe all these good things and picture an incredible life with this child (lullaby’s to sleep, daddy holding him/her on his lap, swinging him/her outside, pigtails in her hair or bugs in his pocket) just for me to loose it… just for that to be taken away?
i’m still grappling with all these questions… i want to be close to Him, i want to trust Him again… but i’m scared of the hurt and i lost the trust that i once had when i put my whole heart into believing “only goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” and “for i know the plans, i have for you, says the lord, plans for your welfare and not for your woe,plans to give a future full of hope.” it seems like He lied to me. i know in my head that He can’t, but my heart is not convinced.
anyway, i’m writing too much. (i had a point to make, even though it’s long in coming) the point is: your birth story just called me on… your witness and the way that you handle challenges and suffering-always with faith- and never griping at God or with a self-pitying attitude really inspired me. you used all the hardship as a way to be humbled (which is what i’m also trying to do.) so you just helped me take a small step closer to Him. Thank You lindsay. may God reward you…
As a woman who also miscarried during her first pregnancy, please know that I’m praying for you and can totally understand the feelings you described. Hugs to you, Jessica, from a friend in Michigan.
Congratulations! What a beautiful, honest story. I think you have a good excuse for your gender mistake – and what a great tale to tell in the coming years! Both my kiddos were born with their hands next to their faces, too.
Congratulations! Thanks for telling the good and the difficult. My daughter was born at home, with midwives, 10 days late, with a head that did not mold. I tore and bled. I remember feeling a few hours before she was born that I could not do it anymore. And being so exhausted I couldn’t get her to latch on after. But God was definitely faithful and pulled us through! It’s so wonderful to remember labor as the most difficult (and rewarding) thing so far in life, and how God was there.
Thanks for sharing!! I know very little about birthing at this point, and am interested in natural births like yours. One question I have always had. . . what do/did you do with your older children when going through labor/birthing at home?
Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful daughter. She is blessed, being born into your family. May she never take that for granted.
Thanks for sharing!
Grace
Lindsay ~
Thank you for sharing your birth story…how the Lord uses birth to grow us and draw us out of our own strength and into relying on Him. I can truly relate to the many emotions that are involved with birthing a precious little one and many times found myself nodding and understanding your story.
May the Lord continue to bless you and your family…enjoy your little Miss Eden Joy.
In Christ ~
Jarnette @ Seasons the Life
Congratulations! You are so blessed! P.S. – I love the name!
So neat to read your story. On November 6th we gave birth to our Eden, Eden Grace at home with midwives as well. She is our fourth baby and was the most challenging to deliver because she to had her hand by her face like she was thinking about something. Birthing the head, hand, shoulder, elbow, etc. was definitely different than the others. I’ll never forget when I was pushing; with the previous births at that point I could feel a lot of the head, then they were out. With Eden, at the same stage I barely felt any of her head and thought I was birthing a 20 lb. baby or something! Now she’s almost a year & when I snuggle with her I ask her what was she thinking about with her hand up like that anyway?
First time reader…
Congratulations! With our first I was convinced it was a boy. She was born, we looked…no p**is, I was confused. Needless to say, I was happy no matter what the gender but boy was I confused!
I thought I had the guessing part down after correctly guessing #2, #3, #4 but #5 was “supposed” to be a girl.
Love her name!
Too funny.
Beautiful story {and testimony!}. Praise Father for the work He is doing in you.
What a beautiful birth story. It’s so refreshing to hear a positive and faith filled birth story. May God continue to bless your beautiful family.
Lindsay, I’m definitely rejoicing with you in God’s grace! The same Sunday morning that Eden was born I awoke with you heavily on my heart and mind, although I had no idea why. Know that even in those early hours the Lord had encouraged others to begin praying for you! I was overjoyed when I saw that same day new life was born to your family. How kind of God! Blessings to you all!
She’s beautiful. What a blessing.
This post makes me feel better! My first son was posterior, which was long and I felt like a complete wimp not being able to manage the pain very well (at home with midwives). I hoped my second would be a little easier. He had his hand by his face, and his birth was extremely painful. I’m still amazed that I didn’t tear! God’s design is amazing.
Congrats on your baby and God’s strength and grace for the busy, joyful days ahead.:)
Thanks for sharing your story! Blessings on you all!
Congrats! I found out I am pregnant for the first time today! And then I come on your blog and it’s Eden’s birth story! Wow! You have a beautiful daughter. I hope I can make it through as beautifully as you, because right now I’m freaking out!(but in a positive way)
she’s beautiful. we just had a piper in april.
I was looking forward to reading your birth story of Eden! I love sharing and listening to these! I have 5 children of my own, the last 4 I delivered naturally with a midwife. I have not delivered at home, but I am open to the idea. I know exactly what you mean when you say that you had to rely on The Lord for your strength. That is also my experience in each of my deliveries. I am forced to lean on Him. Labor and delivery is exactly that, Labor!! But, I am very thankful for the experiences, even the harder ones. God always gives me the strength to get through! Congratulations on your new little one!! I love her name!!
Congratulations! Beautiful story. Funny about the gender mix-up, thanks for sharing about that!
It’s amazing that when we feel literally at the end of our rope and that we have nothing left to give, somehow God pulls us through. I had that same experience with my third delivery. Your story is inspirational. So glad your blessing arrived safe and sound.
Such a beautiful story! Little Eden is adorable:) Too funny about the mistaken identity:)
Each child the Lord has humbled me in birth and in rasiing, and I am oh so thankful! I am humbled daily that “I ” can’t raise my kids in my power! Not possible, so i must lean on the Lord daily… I was very independant before kids, pride was a bigger problem than I ever thought! May salvation came before kids, but He saves me daily with them!!! I have grown in my dependance ont he Lord through all four of my sweet blessings- it’s hard but worth it!!
Thank you for sharing your heart and being so real!!!!
Congratulations. She’s beautiful and your story is wonderful.
Lindsay, thank you for sharing your story! What a precious experience
Isn’t that funny how with my 3rd I endured a really long and tough labor too, and I HAD to rely on God’s wisdom and literally listen to Him – and he gave my baby and I life because I put my faith in him.
God is great and I’m so glad that your experience enriched your walk with Him.
Blessings and hugs to you!
This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!!
Congratulations to you all on the arrival of a sweet daughter. Sorry to hear that the labor was so hard. I can relate!
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing her story. May God continue to bless you and your family.
I am rejoicing with you over Eden’s safe delivery… she is beautiful and so are you dear Mamma. Your blog is such an inspiration to me, thank you for sharing your life with us. I too had a baby born with his hand by his head (cord wrapped around his arm so his hand was stuck there by his sweet face), he was also face up (star gazer) which made for a slow and painful labor. 36 hours later he arrived. I bled a lot too and it took a long time to get my energy back but he was worth it… that was ten years ago. We are now expecting baby number four. Thanks again for sharing your story. God bless!
Lindsay, congratulations on delivering such a beautiful, precious baby into our world.
I want to thank you for sharing her birth story. Although I had a straightforward and natural delivery with my first child, but it was highly intense, painful and traumatic – I was shocked and dismayed afterward. Even now, when I hear other friends talk about their amazing births, I feel frustrated that I wasn’t ‘able’ to get into that place mentally. I felt like I did something wrong, because it was just such hard work. I was blessed by hearing you say that God used it to humble you – I think He has done the same thing with me. Blessings on you as you continue to recover and find your way in this new season.