On Wednesday, June 9th our family left for California. I was scheduled to be induced June 10th. On our way through St. George, we stopped to drop Lincoln off to stay with my parents. When we told Link we were leaving and would be bringing home a baby, he just said “bye-bye,” and off he went to play. He was in good hands.

Miles and I made the rest of the trip that night. We spent a lot of the trip talking and daydreaming about what it would be like to have another child in our home. We were very excited!

We picked up the key to our friends apartment, dropped off our stuff, cleaned up and got ready for a late dinner dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Nothing better than cheesecake to give you energy for labor!

Even with all the anticipation, I got more sleep that night than I expected.

We got to the hospital at about 8:30am. We pulled into a very busy parking lot. All of the Labor/Delivery spots were take but one. It turned out they were having a busy morning.

We were admitted and sent to a labor/delivery room with our nurse. The paperwork took awhile. And because they were busy and I was there for an induction, I was kinda a last priority. It took them awhile to get things going.

A resident checked me and informed me I was still only 2 cm and 60-80% effaced. It was hard to believe after a week of early-labor contractions!

Finally they started the pitocin at 10:30am. I was a little bit apprehensive not knowing what these “artificial” contractions were going to feel like. I’d heard they are often more intense. But the nurse and CNM assured me they would start me out at a very small dose, and any time I wanted my epidural they’d call it in.

It wasn’t long until I was wanting them to pump up the volume and get things moving. They were increasing the dosage every 30 min or so. Miles and I were pretty bored just hanging out. I think I watched 4 episodes of I Love Lucy. I was in no pain yet. I think I was finally 3 cm at about 3 hours. Needless to say, things were moving very slowly. After this point I started feeling a bit of cramping, but nothing like what I remember with Link. So, the CNM instructed the nurse to start increasing the dosage every 15 min. After another hour or so, I finally started feeling some discomfort. Yay, pain was feeling good.

The resident checked me again and I had progressed to a 4. The contractions were still easy. I could have done this all day. There was talk about breaking my water to further augment labor. My goal was to get to a 5 before they did this. But then, the CNM (who I really loved) came in to check my progress. While checking me, she said she was going to go ahead and break my water. That was intense. There was A LOT of water. The midwife even commented about how my belly was all water. I was grateful things were picking up! The midwife told me I might want to order the epidural because the contractions were going to get pretty intense. So even though I thought I could labor without it, I went ahead and had them order it. I labored about 45 minutes though contractions that finally felt equal to those I labored through for 7 hours with Lincoln.

Getting the epidural was more uncomfortable than I remembered. Last time I think it was just such a relief, I didn’t care how uncomfortable it was. And this epidural was much stronger. I could feel it when I pushed with Lincoln. This time there was no sensation whatsoever.

After getting the epidural, it was another hour or so until the resident said I was at a 5. This was going way slower than I expected. She asked me if I as feeling any pressure down there. I told her there was constant pressure. About 10 minutes after the resident left, I started to feel pressure that rose and fell with the contractions. This was what I remembered feeling when pushing with Link. I remembered thinking, yay, progress! I might be a 6 now.

A few contractions later, something unexpected happened on the monitor. All of a sudden the baby’s heart rate dropped or was lost. A nurse ran in, and not knowing what was going on, she called for the midwife. This made me nervous, and my first thought was a possible cesarean. The midwife came into the room a minute later. She told me she was just going to check to see how the baby was doing. When she looked she said something like, “oh, that’s why! The baby is coming!” WHAT?! Only twenty minutes before I had been a 5.

People ran around the room getting things ready. Three minutes later the midwife was suited up and ready to deliver. She told me I was contracting and to go ahead and push. Well, I didn’t need anymore explanation, I was a pushing pro!

I pushed through three contractions—less than 5 minutes—and Claire was born!

She was so beautiful! People in the room commented on how healthy and pink she looked!

Truly, there isn’t a more joyous moment than when your child is born. But the emotion this time was a little different. With Link there was a deep relief wrapped up in the blissful moment. With Claire, it was pure elation and euphoria. Both experiences so different. Both so beautiful and unforgettable.

I can’t believe we’re a family of four now. That really hit me when I read a card from my Grandma that was addressed to “Michelle, Miles, Lincoln, and Claire.”

One of the highlights of this experience was introducing Lincoln to his sister. He loves her and is being very sweet to her. He’s proving to be very secure and doesn’t seem to be threatened. At least not yet. It’s so fun to see him acting as an older brother.

The last five days with Claire have been a dream! She is one content little girl. She nurses well, poops well, travels well, and sleeps well! Hallelujah! I think I must have done my time with Link! Everything seems easier on this one! It has truly been a blessing. Thank you Father in Heaven, for sending us one of your little angels!

First of all, I have to thank everyone for their advice and input! Many of your suggestions we hadn’t thought about or considered. A couple days ago, while doing the dishes, I found myself crying out of gratitude for all the wonderful people the Lord and placed in my life. Through all of this people have been so supportive— willing to do anything to help our situation.

I thought it’d be fun to respond to each of your comments in a post.

Thanks for your support, Jessica. It’s nice to know other people have made it through similarly difficult circumstances!

Michelle, you’re right about the fact that we at least have insurance. I could be worse. Your encouragement that it is possible to take care of the kids by yourself was helpful. I am more confident now that Link and I will be okay. For now, staying in California while Miles is in Utah looks like our best option. I can’t believe that the medical bills for Isabelle were so much! That definitely put things into perspective when we were considering just taking a chance and paying out of pocket in Utah. Thanks for your prayers! And no, we don’t have any idea where we’ll be living. We’re looking at a few complexes that are close to Miles’ work, at least within biking distance. That way, he won’t need a car and can leave it for Link and I to use.

Lilly, it was good to talk to you about this in person a little bit the other day. You’re right that making a few phone calls doesn’t hurt. We are planning to talk to HR hopefully Monday or Tuesday after we get all the details of the offer in writing. As for the Kaiser possibilities, from the phone calls I’ve made we really have no possibilities. It stinks.

Jason, it was good and surprising to hear from you! Your advice was definitely comforting and informative. And we’ll possibly hit you up for that dinner when we finally arrive in Riverton! We too feel guided by the Spirit in all of this. Hopefully we’ll be in contact again soon!

Sara, through all of this, the option of delivering in a birthing center was not excluded. I definitely think natural child birth is a good thing and it is cheaper. However, we decided there is still a risk of being transferred and then we could still be stuck with a huge hospital bill. It stinks that making these decisions comes down to money! Good to hear from you! It’s been awhile!

Amber, I appreciated your insider’s view about how the hospitals work. I’d heard similar stories from a couple other people but you helped clarify how this works. Though we don’t have a strong Plan A, working with the Riverton hospital is our Plan B. You’re a very wise women.

Laura, I’m so excited we’ll be living closer! I thought about that the other day and am wondering where you live exactly. Is your condo in South Jordan? I couldn’t remember. I’m not sure how the move-in part is going to go, but we might just take you up of your offer for help. At this point, I think Miles is planning to drive the Uhaul up next week while I camp it out in California.

Monica, unfortunately Kaiser doesn’t have any out-of-network coverage options except for emergency services. Thank you so much for your well wishes!

Abbi, I couldn’t believe how creative your idea was! I brought it up to Miles, be alas, we figured out that we’re not going to have a lapse in employment. Miles will be receiving paychecks from the University through May. And unfortunately living in “poverty” as students here in California doesn’t equate to poverty in Utah. So, we don’t qualify for medicaid even with our current salary.

Bri, like I mentioned to Sara, I thought natural child birth would be a great option, but it doesn’t solve our problem with not having insurance. And yes, I agree that it stinks to make the decision based on money!

Thanks for your kind words Jackie! You’re such a sweetheart!

Love you all. We’re so so so grateful for your kindness!

Miles is planning to leave his PhD program with a Masters and find a job in computer programming. One position in Durham, NC looks promising. Miles and I are flying out in a little over a week to check out the area. After two interviews and two projects, they still haven’t officially offered him the position, but we pretty much think he’s got it in the bag. My mom, sister and nieces will be staying at our place to watch after Link while we’re gone.

We have another possible option that would be much closer to home. This job is in Sandy, UT. We should be hearing from them soon as well. Personally I feel good about both options. We are just praying for a lot of direction right now.

We’re hoping to move sooner rather than later. This baby is coming in June, and it would be really nice if we had a chance to get settled before she comes. Besides, packing boxes at 8+ months does not sound pleasant.

Miles has been down and out with a toothache this week. He’s on Vicodin, ibuprofen, Nyquil, and two types of antibiotics and is still miserable. I took him to the endodontist (root canal guy) and he sent him home saying there’s nothing he can do until the infection clears. So I’ve been basically taking care of both my boys full-time. It’s reminded me just how much Miles helps out around here!

Chasing a toddler while pregnant sure is exhausting! It’s been interesting though. As I get bigger, Link seems to grow more and more independent. As long as I am patient, he will climb into the car and up into his car seat by himself; he’ll walk up and down the stairs to our apartment while holding my hand; and he’s been much better at not running off. We made great pizza dough together the other night. It was the first time he successfully helped me in the kitchen. He is just my little buddy these days. We have so much fun together, even though I may get a little tired of him asking me to play basketball with him all day everyday. There’s nothing I love more than seeing him grow and develop and learn new skills.

Life these days is unsure, but good. One thing is certain though, we are on the verge of some exciting adventures!