Birth Blog

Now this has been an experience that I am at a loss for how to blog about, and the difficulty is only compounded by the lack of good sleep we have had since this all began. Duquesa started to have pretty regular contractions, although weak ones, on Halloween night. Must have been the sugar. Either that, or Jerome’s fierce lion costume scared her into labor.

Molli, with impeccable timing, flew in at about 4:30 the next evening. She hardly had time to unpack before we decided that Duquesa’s contractions were close enough together (4 min) to head to the hospital.

Our wonderful doula, Anne, met us on our way through the doors to the maternity ward. With our mighty labor crew assembled, a deep night settled in, and Duquesa’s hard work really began. She labored in the tub, on the birthing ball, walking around the maternity ward, in a rocking chair, and, of course, in her bed. She was amazing, but her body lost steam and ceased making progress with dilation from about 6 am to 10. The labor council deliberated and decided that it would be best to break her water in order to kick things back into gear. It was the right call. She didn’t have to wait long before her labor entered a much more dramatic phase. In fact, she progressed so fast at one point that we caught all the birth prognosticators off guard. They scrambled to call our doctor and panicked when they couldn’t reach her. Now, instead of trying to move things along, Duquesa was being ardently coached to slow down and to use every ounce of her strength to hold off the pushing. It took all that, and a little grace, too. Finally, pushing became an inevitability with her body taking control of operations. Dr. Paquette arrived with about 3 good contractions left before our newest little baby entered the world. When Duquesa saw the baby’s head through the mirror, she doubled her efforts and sprang it free. She was simply amazing!




We all beheld a VERY healthy, well-rounded boy take his first breath, and he was then immediately placed on his momma’s chest. At that moment, Duquesa understood what mothers meant when they talked about all the pain of childbirth instantly melting into joy and sweet elation, and it was apparent in her voice as she cooed at and soothed our baby. I realized that, being a boy, the baby now took on the name we had prepared for another male offspring: Elliot Ignatius. He calmed down very quickly as he listened to his mother’s voice, as well as those of all the bystanders remarking on how big he is. This was especially a surprise since we were told to expect a smaller baby. Elliot weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and 22 inches long.






There have been many highlights and precious moments since his birth, but there is no way I can cover them all. I do want to mention that Jerome and Elliot’s first encounter was particularly precious. We had no idea how Jerome would react to his little brother, but it really caught us by surprise when he immediately leaned down and kisses Elliot on the head, and then rested his own head on his brother’s stomach. Truly priceless. Thankfully the moment was partially captured in a picture.



Duquesa had a surprise of her own in store. When we returned home the next day, she rounded the corner in the kitchen to see her brother WT waiting for her. He had taken a flight assignment with a layover in Minneapolis on just the right day to make our return even more special than it already was. We have been settling back into home life, and readjusting to the presence of a newborn. Thankfully, there are many eager hands around to help, and Elliot seems to be a very calm boy… at least so far. That will have to do it for now; daddy needs to sleep. Thank you to all who prayed for us!