Resting in Joy: Birth Story of Jaiden
“You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” Psalm 16:11
To start this writing piece, I just want to say that it is a joy to be able to share another birth story about embracing the journey of motherhood. With both of my children, I waited a couple of years before bringing their birth stories out of my journal. You can take time to read my first birth story here if you would like. I choose to share my birth stories because it is a reminder that the opportunity to give birth is a miracle from the Lord. As I celebrate my son’s birthday, it brings me to a state of reflection since being born in January of 2022.
Three weeks before Jaiden was born, I got COVID and that was extremely uncomfortable while being nine months pregnant. With my daughter, I gave birth two months after we entered the pandemic, and with my son, I got the very thing everyone had been trying to avoid. At the time, I was so grateful that my friend was a doula and encouraged my faith until the end of my pregnancy. Giving birth in the times I did has built a large amount of endurance and trust in the Lord because it truly showed me how much fear He uprooted from my life since becoming a mother to my children. I title this birth story “resting in joy” for a variety of reasons and you will find out why that is through these words.
Birth Story of Jaiden:
It was about 10:00 PM the night before Jaiden’s birth when I started to get a funny feeling with cramping in my stomach. I had a sense that Jaiden could be on his way as I was paying attention to my body. By 11:00 PM, I was finally able to get a short amount of rest until I woke up an hour later again at midnight with discomfort. It was very difficult to sleep so Marquis started to time my contractions around 2 AM. The OBGYN on call gave me some insight on when to head to the hospital—shortly after we started to gather our final things to get in the car.
After we dropped our daughter off, we headed to triage in Overland Regional and it appeared that my contractions had slowed down. I got discouraged after finding out that I was only five centimeters dilated. I immediately wanted to go home and wish I would have labored longer with my rest in my own bed. As ancy as I was, Marquis was there to give me perspective and help to calm my worries. Around 6:30 AM, I got admitted to the hospital after I had made more progress by walking around the hallway. When I got inside the room, my progress seemed slow so I remembered things that helped during my first birth like dancing, bouncing on the exercise ball, worship music, and more walking. Proudly after trying those methods and my water breaking, my contractions were coming more consistently on the hour.
I remember the doctor coming in beforehand and sharing with me about trying Pitocin and I knew for a fact that it was something I did not want to do again since I had it through my first birth without an epidural.
By the time my mother made it to the hospital, I was 7cm dilated and very tired. I shared with Marquis that I think I wanted to get the epidural and he calmly encouraged me and made sure that it was what I wanted to do since my goal was go to unmedicated again. At that moment, I remembered that I didn’t need to prove myself or compare my current birth to my previous one—what I truly wanted was rest and the peace of God to fill my room regardless of my decision.
When I opted in for the epidural, I didn’t sleep but I simply rested for the last 3 centimeters of dilation with my ice chips and drink to stay hydrated. I was still able to flow through the birth with worship music and laughter by sharing stories with the nurse who remained with me my entire birth. I know it may sound strange, but I was glad I was personally still able to tell when my contractions were coming while I was resting in the bed. I did not want to fully be out of touch with my body and what it was doing.
A few more hours later, I remember my doctor walking in to check on me and she said, “It is time for a birthday party!” I replied, “Yay!” We did a couple of practice pushes and after thirty minutes I welcomed my sweet son Jaiden D. Harris.
As both of my children's labors were around 12-13 hours long in the hospital between early and active labor—they both have taught me two different things from my experience at birth and through the journey of raising them. When I was in the hospital giving birth to my daughter Simone, I was taught how to endure with the strength of the Lord in every hard moment. I remember relying on the Lord’s strength through the end without having the epidural administered. It still carries me today when the days are harder and she is growing into her independence as a leader who has a strong personality. With my son Jaiden, giving birth to Him has taught me how to rest in joy with the Lord through uncertainty and when my mind is feeling chaotic.
As I stated earlier, I had to trust the Lord and abide in His peace when I was sick three weeks before He was born. Adding him to our home has taught me how to rest in the portion given by the Lord and not perform in all the things I am called to in the areas of marriage, motherhood, and ministry. The anxieties that I carried during my first year of motherhood have improved as I continued to invest in growing in Jesus and not overextending myself. Jaiden is a boy who carries his cheeks high when he smiles—-in fact, sometimes they get rosy red and I think it is the cutest thing. Though I had two different birth experiences, I am grateful for the outcome of them both as I was presented with no abnormal complications.
As I reflected on Jaiden’s birth story and learning him over these past couple of years, I thought of the lyrics to Mary Mary’s song that says,
“I get joy, joy thinking about
What He's done for me.
I get joy, joy thinking about
What He's done for me.
It's in my hands, my feet
I'm talking about,
What He's done for me.
I get joy just thinking about
What He's done for me”.
That indeed has been my season since adding our second child to our home. I have grown in choosing joy with the help of the Lord when it has been much easier in seasons to want to remain in a state of sadness, hopelessness, and despair. It is with the Lord’s strength that I am constantly finding my joy, hope, and rest despite the hardships that come in life. Since giving birth to Jaiden, I have become a certified doula in 2023 and am excited to help mothers through birth support. Happy birthday to our sweet Jaiden D. Harris!
“You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” Psalm 16:11
