We have featured this sweet family before. But we got this very thoughtful submission and had to share..
Kayleigh, tell us about that very special day...
I have been eager to share this story since the day Owen was born. The day of Owen’s arrival is so clearly peppered with the love of our Heavenly Father that I have been wanting to write it as beautifully as possible. I have been reminded however, that a story like this, with God’s love so abundantly woven throughout… doesn’t need any added poetic beauty. So, without further ado … Owen’s Birth Story! Full of grammatical errors, I am sure… but fuller of love.
Owen’s birth story actually begins 8 years ago. 8 years ago exactly. It was April 4th, 2008, exactly 8 years ago my mother & father-in-law spent their last anniversary together. It was exactly 8 years ago that their wedding anniversary became also, the anniversary of her passing. It was exactly 8 years ago that my mother-in-law was relieved of her suffering and her family’s began.
It was the morning of April 4th, 2016 that I woke up to a text from my husband, “I missed my flight” as he had been in Savannah, Ga for the weekend photographing a wedding. That’s fine, I remember thinking to myself… I called him and then went to the bathroom. After going to the bathroom I decided to go back to bed, as it wasn’t even 7am and Sienna had not woken up yet. As I lay there awhile I felt what I had thought to be Owen punching me in the pelvis, and then a small gush. I stilled for a moment, doubting what I had felt until it became very obvious that I needed to be in the bathroom. I ran to the bathroom in a legs-glued-together type fashion and watched in shock as the gush of amniotic fluid hit the bathroom floor. My poor husband. Just 20 minutes after he had told me that he missed his flight I called him to tell him that my waters had broken. He was worried, but I assured him that often labor doesn’t even start for 12 hours after the amniotic sac ruptures. “You could still make it, babe.”
I then called my mom and texted my doula and friend, Kristi. Kristi’s daughter turned 5 that day, and Sienna and I had been planning to attend her birthday party that evening. I let Kristi know that I was pretty certain that my waters had broken but that I hadn’t had any contractions yet. We made plans to meet at The Fountains to walk around and have some frozen yogurt around 11, to see if we could get labor going. Of course, that’s when I had the first one. The contractions started off very mild, so mild that I may not have distinguished them from the braxton hicks that I had been having if my waters hadn’t already broken. I woke Sienna up to tell her that Grandma was coming over to play with her and that we would be going to labor & delivery soon for Owen’s birthday. She had been anxiously awaiting her brother’s birth and immediately ran to her dresser to grab her “big sister” t-shirt that we had been saving for the occasion. I then let Tux out, unlocked the front door for my mom and hopped in the shower. In the shower I had five more contractions, still mild but pretty close together.
Mom, Dad and sister arrive. I try to eat, but have no appetite. I assure my mom that if labor progresses too quickly and I need to go to the hospital during rush hour, I will deliver at Sutter Roseville (one birthing tub) instead of Sutter Davis (45 minutes away but with plenty of birthing tubs). I ask my mom to take Sienna to the park so that I can nap, but my mom is timing contractions and becoming nervous as they had gone from 20 minutes apart to 8 in less than an hour. I tell them that we will head to Davis at 10am when traffic won’t be as terrible. I finish packing the hospital bag, and decide that I should put some makeup on… I’ve always been a productive procrastinator. I get dressed and we head out the door.
In the car my contractions progress from 8 to 5 minutes apart. I then realize that Owen will be born soon and ask Kristi to start heading our way… I had been reluctant to pull her away from her family on her daughter’s 5th birthday unless I was certain it was time. Finally, I was certain. I text Gagan and let him know that we will FaceTime when we are settled in at the hospital.
When we arrive at labor & delivery I inform registration that my waters had broken around 7 am. They asked me if this was my first and I assured them that it was my second and that I was certain that I was in labor. Finally at 11am, a nurse leads me to my room. I inform her that I am hoping to have a water birth and she informs me that they will fill the tub once my labor has progressed enough. The nurse hooks me up to fetal monitoring and informs me that my contractions do look regular and might not be braxton hicks contractions. She also informs me that I will likely have to remain on the monitors for 2 hours because Owen had had heart rate decelerations during one of the contractions…
On the next contraction I felt my body move Owen along from the cervix and into the birth canal. I called for the nurse and told her that I wanted to be in the tub. She took one look at me and could probably see that my disposition had drastically changed. She informed me that she would be right back with the midwife. A few minutes later my nurse returned with my midwife Gina. While, I had thought I was meant to birth Owen at Sutter Davis because of their water tub availability, I am now certain that it is because Gina was ordained to help me birth Owen. Somehow, Gina knew all the words to say to me and was able to speak to me in ways that my husband had been practicing with our doula… this was so comforting for me. She was careful to let me know that the tub was being filled each time I begged to be in the water, even though I am sure it was clear to her at that point that the tub would not be filled on time. Gina instructed my mom to hold my leg for me as I was on my side and felt as though my right side was being crushed with each contraction. It was only three or four contractions to birth Owen, even with all of my “I’m not ready, yet” protests, desperate desire to birth Owen in water and attempts to will my body to keep Owen until Gagan returned or my doula arrived.
Owen Samuel Dhiman was born gently and swiftly, fist first like the little Super Man he is at 12:28 pm on 4.4.2016.
We FaceTimed Gagan… who was expecting to FaceTime with his laboring wife but instead came face to face with his son.
It wasn’t till the next day as I was sitting on the couch snuggling my smiley 24 hour old son that I realized the importance of the time of his birth. 12:28pm is the time Owen was born and December 28th is my sweet mother-in-law’s birthday.
Beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing!
Photos: Gagan Dhiman, Kayleigh Dhiman Photography
Roseville, California