So what happened?

David and I were right on track for preparing for our precious baby boy to arrive...in January! His due date was 1/15/09 so you can imagine our surprise and fear when my water broke on Election Day - 11/4/08. I was at my Bible study at my friend Amanda's house and we had had a great evening. Looking back, nothing was even unusual about that day as far as my pregnancy was concerned. I guess it was just time!

I immediately called David when I left and he looked up the phone number for me while I drove home to meet him. The doctor on call for my practice said I should definitely come in to the hospital so I met David at our mailbox and we headed straight there. Sure enough, we were informed the membrane had ruptured for whatever reason - could have been infection, a small problem in the membrane formation or even the baby kicking that may have caused it. We felt much better when the nurse and doctor told us that many women go weeks after their water breaks before having the baby, and at 29 weeks and almost 6 days, they were confident they could get me to 30 weeks and hopeful that I could make it to 32 weeks which would be a big milestone for our little guy's development. We WERE suprised, however, to learn that however long it was, I would be in the hospital until the baby came. Wow.

So long story made short, I made it from Tuesday until Sunday (30 weeks, 3 days) and was making plans for being at the hospital for awhile. I felt fine except for some occasional contractions that were to be expected. A ton of friends and family stopped or called to let us know how much we were in their prayers, and we will never forget that. I felt so much peace, even after becoming suddenly helpless and bedridden that I know God's hand was upon us and we were being lifted up by so many. There were occasional dips in the baby's heartrate on the fetal monitor and they coincided with my contractions. Though the baby compensated well, the doctors were fearful that if I started into labor, the position of the umbilical cord would make it dangerous for the baby, so it was time to deliver. Because the baby was in breech position, I had to have to have a C-section. At 1:42 PM, Adam Carson Strunk was born. He was 3 lbs, 0.5 oz and 16.5 inches long. And perfect!