From Miscarriage to Miracle: My Rainbow Baby’s 2.5-Hour Christmas Eve Birth

"Your [Christian Hypnobirthing] tracks were I think the main factor in me being able to have a pain free, redemptive, promised birth center water birth. (Besides the spirit of God of course). I would listen to them nearly everyday on walks with my son. I listened to the tracks during prodromal labor, which I had for weeks before she was born. I listened to them every night. I eventually listened to them so much that I had internalized the scriptures track and had memorized almost all of them. It was one of the only things that brought me back down when anxiety would try to spiral me into despair. I listened to them in early labor, and when I got in the car, my husband turned on worship, but I still had them running through my mind with the theme of trusting surrendering and relaxing in the moment. I’m so grateful for the app and will definitely recommend it to everyone I know and we’ll use it in future pregnancies if I have them. It is so Faith building."

My rainbow baby, Ruth Evangeline’s birth story- a 2.5 hour birth on Christmas Eve

I like to say I was pregnant all year this year- I found out I was pregnant in January, miscarried at the end of February and found out I was pregnant again in April..

When I was pregnant the first time, I had visions of a baby born at Christmas time which obviously didn’t make sense for my original due date.

During my miscarriage, I had a vivid dream with my eyes open that there were rainbows all around my room and a garland hung on the window. I felt God tell me I’d have my girl and that the birth would be a redemptive experience and a water birth at a birth center. I also felt God told me I would not suffer during labor like I did with my son but that I would worship and enjoy it.

I clung to these promises every scary moment of pregnancy.

As I approached my birth I stood in faith that I would see everything God showed me come to pass

I had on and off prodromal labor since December 3rd.

There were two times it got fairly intense before it fizzled out. It was never painful, just confusing.

December 24th at 1:30am i got up to go to the bathroom and I felt a pop inside and a quick shift in Ruthies position. When I stood up I had a few small gushes of water . I went to the toilet and had bloody mucus. So I called my midwife and she said to go back to sleep until contractions come strong and regular.

So I laid in bed at around 2 and practiced my breathing to try to sleep but at 2:30 the contractions started. It wasn’t comfortable to lay down through them so I got up and started to pack and clean the house while listening to scripture and Christian hypnobirthing affirmations. The contractions required me to stop, lean, sway, breathe, pray. When I would feel my mind slipping to fear or pain I would rebuke it and call on Jesus. I remember thinking “whoa.. that’s working”.. I went about an hour like that and from 3-4 minutes apart and 45 seconds long to 2 minutes apart and a minute long.

At 3:30 I called my midwife and she said I sounded good but to come in anyway to get checked. So I woke up Micah and we got some final things together and packed the car. That took about 15 minutes and during the last couple contractions I felt weight on my tailbone like I needed to push. At first I fought the push during my contractions thinking it was too early for that and that I had a long time to go. But when I didn’t labor down, it hurt, so I allowed my body to push the contraction down and the pain subsided. These last couple contractions at home felt very intense. In this time I really relied on the thought “I can do anything for one minute” and “these sensations can’t be stronger than me because they ARE me”. My grandma handed me a big fluffy blanket as we headed out the door and I threw it into Shi’s seat and kneeled into it on all fours. I thanked God as we pulled away that it was so comfortable. I stopped timing contractions and went into full cave-woman-mode. As we left my town my body was heaving down like I had diarrhea and I allowed it and had very loud primal groans through every contraction. The heaving got more and more intense but I remember thinking “oddly, I am enjoying this feeling”. I focused on getting deep breaths and breathing down and out as long as possible. I focused on relaxing my whole body into the contraction so it could do what it needed to do.

I kept feeling more water and mucus gush every contraction and I thought “awesome, I am making a lot of progress”. Since the pushing sensation was so intense I reached shallowly for her head a few times and didn’t feel anything. Micah sped to the birth center but there were very few cars the whole way since it was 4am. Between contractions I would feel the cool window, look about at the night Sky, feel my warm blanket and feel so grateful. I had heard really horrible things about laboring in the car and I was truly enjoying it, I saw that as a miracle. I was actually nervous to go into the birth center and be less focused and comfortable.

About half way there I felt God told me to tell Micah to call the midwife, give her our eta and tell her I felt “pushy”. He asked if we should make another plan or if we were gonna make it and I said “we will make it there but barely”. Anytime I had a fearful or doubtful thought I would go back to being present, enjoying the moment, and leaning into trust in God that he promised me my girl and I would see her soon. Micah played worship and I sang between contractions. The pushing sensation and the primal heaving my body was doing were so intense but in the short time between I felt I was somewhere between heaven and earth. The focus I had on getting through each one without tensing or being afraid was unreal. Breathe, trust, relax, allow were all things I repeated to myself. I had to trust God and my body, that I wasn’t being dramatic but I was just doing as I was told with each contraction I was given. As we pulled off the exit for Bloomington “way maker” was playing and that felt so right. I thanked Micah for being the husband and father he is and getting us there quickly and safely. I felt so much gratitude for him as well. I even sat up and laughed with him between a couple contractions. When we pulled up, Micah opened the car door. The midwife was waiting for us outside. I had one contraction in the car still on all fours and I heard the midwife affirming me and telling me I was doing an amazing job. I waddled in and the midwife said “I have the bath ready for you”.

When we walked into our room it felt like a dream. The lights were low, oils diffusing, soft music, and tub was lit up and something was casting little rainbow reflections on it. I cried out and said “thank you Jesus!!” Then I took off my soaked pants and had another contraction hanging over Micah. My midwife continued to affirm me. I was so glad she wasn’t going to make me lay down for a cervical check. She helped me to get into the tub and get on all fours like I was in the car. I had one contraction and then I felt her head come down and crown. I said “I feel her head” and Micah said “WHAT”. The next contraction I breathed up and didn’t give into the sensation to push so that I didn’t tear. But without me pushing her head slipped out and then her body. I felt no ring of fire or pain whatsoever.

I said “she’s out” because I couldn’t find her underneath the water between my legs but the midwife passed her to me between my legs and I brought her to my chest. I could not believe what had just happened. All I said to Micah over and over was “what just happened” and “praise Jesus”. We just laughed. We pulled up to the birth center at 4:51 and she was born at 4:56am. We sat there in the tub until the cord turned white and stopped pulsing but my placenta still hadn’t come out. She asked if I minded getting a shot of pitocin to get the placenta out and I said I didn’t but asked to change positions and try to push before I did. She agreed, I said a little prayer, moved and it came out. She showed us the sac and placenta up close and Micah cut the cord. She opened her eyes to look around right away. She was so content in the warm water on my skin that she didn’t even cry until we told her Shiloh wasn’t there. She pouted her lip and bawled when we said he didn’t make it there for her birth.

Since she wasn’t happy anymore, we moved out of the tub and had time to cuddle as a family in the bed. She latched and nursed right away. When I prayed and pictured her I pictured her I always saw a little brown Mohawk like I had and she had it. She was all the visions God gave me.

We were still in shock but so happy. No one we planned to have there was there, none of the comfort measures i prepared were necessary, my photographer wasn’t there to catch the birth (my amazing midwife took pictures of us in the water). Nothing i prepared helped me, only God. No one needed to be there for that sacred moment except Micah and I and her.

Ruth and I were both completely healthy and able to go home four hours after arriving. Even though the labor was so fast, I didn’t tear.

Micah’s story:

Once 37 weeks hit we were anticipating that she could come any minute. We were on the edge of our seats. I felt like I was getting my hopes up with the prodromal labor. The day before Christmas Eve was my last work day and then going into that night Lacey was having prodromal again but I didn’t expect anything to come from it. At 3:30 lacey calmly and gently woke me up “so my water broke and I’m having contractions two minutes apart” and I went to make myself a cup of coffee and Lacey said no probably don’t. I got stuff together and walked Lacey to the car. Everything seemed pretty chill and I didn’t really think anything of it. I turned worship music on in the car. Lacey was moaning low throat meditative groans and I wasn’t worried but I was concerned about making it on time with the way Lacey was sounding. So I drove really fast and decided to just get there and make it. I was driving 95-100. I hit the base of a traffic cone and saw a coyote eating something in the ditch. I asked Lacey a couple questions but she was very focused and just said “I’m good”. Lacey told me to call the midwife and let her know we were on the way and that she felt like pushing.

We got to Bloomington and pulled up to the birth center and Lacey stayed in the car for one contraction and I wondered if she was going to get in. Once we got in we helped Lacey take her clothes off and water and blood were falling all over the floor. When we got in Lacey started crying at the calm environment. Lacey got on all fours in the tub and I rubbed her back. The three of us were all very focused. Lacey said she could feel the head and then she came out into the water and the midwife handed her to lacey. Lacey kissed her and said hi but we were all in shock. Our midwife used my phone to take pictures. Lacey had a little bit of a hard time to get the placenta out but once she did Amy showed it to us and taught us about it. I cut the cord which was very tough. We got in bed and cuddled with her and she latched immediately which I did not expect. She had her eyes open and was looking up at us. Amy called the birth “fast and furious” which was funny.

Mama: @softbabynames