Birth Story: Part 2: Gideon

On May 2nd, 2006, I found out I was indeed pregnant with our second baby, due December 2nd. We were excited and looking forward to a sibling for Zoe. I was incredibly sick for the first trimester of this pregnancy. Spent much of my time lying on our futon in our one-bedroom apartment trying to keep Zoe entertained with Elmo and whatever else I could....in a horizontal position. Thankfully, the sickness abated during the second trimester and I was able to maintain great health throughout the pregnancy. After Rod had lost his job within a month of having Zoe, he'd found a position at Directv and was doing well. We decided it was time to buy a house of our own. We spent much of this pregnancy searching for a HUD house and working out financing. We'd finally found out our closing date in November and had a sign-the-papers date set up for early December. We decided to move out of our apartment and in with my sister and her husband until everything was finalized. November 28th was our big moving day. We spent the day, along with help from siblings and parents, moving everything out of our apartment and into my sister and brother-in-law's home. We finally got everything settled and Zoe tucked into bed around 11pm that night. As we were sitting and chatting with our siblings, I noticed my contractions getting stronger and closer together and told Rod we should head to the hospital. We got signed in and set up in our room and my contractions were staying pretty low-key. I wasn't making much progress. So, the nurses told me to get some sleep and if nothing had happened before morning, my doctor would induce then. We turned off the lights and tried to get some much needed rest. Not long after I woke with a need for the restroom and while there realized I was in the transition stage of labor. After notifying the nurse and being put back in my hospital bed, I accepted my epidural as soon as they were able to get it. An hour later, at 4:11 am, Gideon Benaiah entered the world.