Secret desires

With the birth of my first great nephew 2 weeks ago, am filled with memories of my own children when they were newborns. Holding a newborn is one of life's beautiful mysteries. There is something so wondrous about newborns, that I can only think it is the awe of new life that fills us when we see, hold, touch, smell a newborn. So precious, so vulnerable.


Even though 3 of my 4 were made in Taiwan, all of them were born here in Australia. There were going to be mega citizenship issues to give birth in Taiwan (Taiwan doesn't give 'aliens' any citizen rights not being a fully recognised nation in their own right, they are still seen by the international community as a renegade province of China). So to prevent any problems we simply came home to have them.


In my 3rd year of nursing at Uni, I had completed a women's health assignment on the topic of, Home Birth. I had researched extensively, met with the then Qld Home Birthing Association and was convinced myself that when the time came, I too would have a home birth. 


When pregnant with our first (technically our second as miscarried our first) and in Taiwan had contemplated a home birth, but being in a foreign land etc didn't feel confident. Coming home at 36weeks to Australia did not leave much time to prepare for a home birth, and both our parents felt very nervous about home birth idea for our first child, so to honour them I decided to go to hospital. Though a long 24hr labour, the birth was au natural and as I had hoped thanks to Lamaze breathing techniques.


For our second, we had come back from Taiwan and were living with my parents on their property. I started labour quite late at night, everyone else was in bed, so wandered around the house in labour thinking, "I don't want to go to hospital too soon as I spent far too long hooked to monitors etc with my first, so rather labour at home & by morning we should be ready to go".


Fair enough thinking, but given that usually the second birth is quicker than the first I did not factor that in. By 2am that morning I was having a hot shower to help with the contraction pain & was overwhelmed with the sensation of wanting  to 'push'!! Oh dear, out of the shower, woke my husband and said we need to get to the hospital asap, was getting dressed and Deep Waters was born! On the bedroom floor! His father had been awake all of 10mins before he delivered his own son! Thankfully he is a nurse and very cool under pressure, so he took it in his stride, but my parents who were awake by this time, were quite alarmed and called an ambulance! 


God had granted me the secret desire of my heart! Since studying nursing I had wanted a home birth experience and here it was, totally unplanned, but perfect! How beautiful is our God! 


Our Thoughtful Princess was also born at home, also unplanned as it was a precipitated birth a 90min labour! We were waiting for my parents to arrive to care for our other 2 children before we left for hospital and she was born on the kitchen floor! Almost unbelievable! Again fulfilment of the secret desires of my heart. 


By Sunshine, the children's Dad had enough of home birthing midwifery and said he really wanted our fourth in hospital! So to fulfil his heart's desire, we did so! 


" Delight yourself in the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart". Psalm 37:4


Be careful what you pray and hide in your heart. Cherish your children......