Evelyn Grace

So as of yesterday it had been two weeks since my sweet little girl made her entrance into the world... so I figured it was about time that I post about it before the memories start to fade on me!

Here is how it all played out...

I had been having an increased amount of braxton hicks throughout the week of my due date. On Sunday, November 6th, I noticed that I was discharging some mucus and then I did end up losing my mucus plug at around 3pm. Andy and I decided to go see a movie that night because I was not suspecting that anything would be happening anytime soon. So we spent some time out together and came home and I decided to head to bed. Andy was up watching some tv show episodes on the computer. I had been noticing tightening every four minutes but nothing painful so I did not think much of it. Well I got up to go to the bathroom at about 11:30-11:45 and as I was getting out of bed I felt a release of fluid. With losing my mucus plug earlier I figured it was still just working parts out so I did not think for a minute that it could have been my water breaking. Well I made my way to the bathroom and I could not stop "peeing," so I thought. I called out to Andy and he told me to stand up and that if I was still releasing fluid that it was my water. Well sure enough I stood up and could not stop it. 

We called the midwives and because I tested positive for Group B Strep, they wanted me to come in right away to start the antibiotics. After my water had broken I had noticed that I was starting to experience some cramping, almost felt like intense menstrual cramping. We got the hospital and they hooked me up to the antibiotics and I tried to rest as much as I could. Well... my body never kicked into labor so they started Pitocin on Monday morning.  I spent the day kicking up the levels of Pitocin to get labor going... I was having contractions but they were either not frequent enough, intense enough, long enough, or the time in between was too long. My body just got to a point of complete discomfort. I was feeling a lot of it in my back. I even tried to take a bath and could not manage to get comfortable at all. After being on Pitocin all day they decided to take me off and give me some morphine to sleep. You can only be on Pitocin for so long before it is really no longer effective. The nurse told that I would be put back on at 5 in the morning because they wanted to get things going as early as they could. 

Well, I woke up on Tuesday and it was way past 5 and I had not seen any nurses or midwives yet to get antibiotics or pitocin or vitals or anything going. I was beyond frustrated! Well we finally got back on the pitocin at about 11 and finally saw a midwife at that point. I guess it was a busy morning in the maternity unit with lots of woman in labor. Not something you want to hear when your water has broken and you have yet to go into labor. I was to the point where I wanted to just drop everything and leave everything there and go home. I did not see how it could be worth it anymore. So I spent the day waiting for the Pitocin to have an effect. At around 3 o'clock one of the midwives came in and talked to Andy and I about doing an internal monitor in order to really manage the contractions and get things (hopefully) rolling faster since there was really only a few more hours before I would have to be taken off the pitocin again and brave another day of it. At this point I was only about 3 cm (after almost 39 hours since my water broke..) Andy and I ended up deciding to go with the internal monitor. 

At about 6 o'clock I was finally in active labor and feeling the intensity of the contractions! I labored on the birthing ball as well as walked the halls but as the hours went on I was so uncomfortable... I tried laboring in the tub and could not sit on my butt at all... so I went back to the bed and finished out my labor on my hands and knees. It felt amazing to have all that pressure off... I actually remember dozing off in between contractions! At about 8 o'clock I was dilated to a 6 and finally at 10 o'clock I told the midwife I was feeling a ton of pressure and felt like I had to poop and could not help but push. So she checked me again and I was 9.5 cm and completely effaced and she said I could start pushing after 5 contractions. Prior to my last check Andy had called my mom to come relieve him for a little bit. My poor husband had been cooped up for two days and watched many episodes of 24 on the computer to keep some sort of sanity! Little did my mom know that when she walked into the room I was starting to push!!

So about 10:15-10:20, I was told I could start pushing. Of course it was uncomfortable... but there is something about being able to push that makes things so much better. No longer are you focusing on getting through the contractions and breathing through them but you can actually do something with that pressure in order to get one step closer to holding your baby! I wish I could put into words what it felt like to push a baby out but it is not easy to explain. After about 40 minutes, at exactly 11 o'clock on November 8th, Evelyn Grace Hentges FINALLY made her entrance into the world at 8 lb 1.4 oz 21 inches long!  We are so glad she is here with us!! Also, we managed it all without any pain meds! Yay! I was at points where I was wanting something to take the edge off but did not have the energy to ask for it so I just sustained through the contractions taking them as they came.

It has definitely been a time of adjusting. I was freaking out the first few days until my milk came in, concerned that I was unable to nourish my baby. Of course I knew that the colostrum is full of wonderful nourishment for the baby... it is just crazy that such a small amount of something can keep a baby thriving and hydrated... So now we are adjusted to feeding, for the most part... she wants to eat ALL the time though! Still trying to decipher when she is actually hungry and when she just wants to do it for comfort! We have our good nights and our bad nights... working through some gas issues I believe. We are currently doing the gripe water and leg pumping but she does not like the taste of the gripe water and only seems to get frustrated when we rub her belly and pump her legs... So I am learning to pray a lot more!  :-) I have not really had time or energy to dive into the Word :-( but man am I praying more than I ever have! I have had the privilege of being able to pray over Evelyn in my arms as well as praying past the breastfeeding frustrations and gassy belly! I was expecting my motherly instincts to just kick in right away... but they really did not! I found myself staring at her for days wondering what to do with her and now this week finally I feel like things are clicking and I am experiencing much joy even in the frustration!

I am so SO thankful for my husband! He has been such an awesome support and cheerleader! Seeing him with Evelyn just warms my heart! I feel like his fatherly instinct kicked in way before my motherly instinct kicked in. He is simply amazing! He stood by my side every minute while we waited for my body to do SOMETHING in the hospital. He was with me when I wanted to just curl up in a ball and quit and go home and forget everything! And He was with me to rub my back when I was finally in labor and was down and determined to birth Evelyn on November 8th! He was there for me to wipe my tears and pick me up with I lay in the bath tub in tears after no sleep and frustrated with feeding. He also sat by my side many times when I was feeding Evelyn to encourage me and help me keep Evelyn awake. He is a rare gem... I am more and more in love with him each passing day as I realize what the Lord has entrusted me with! As Thanksgiving is tomorrow I am overwhelmed with what the Lord has brought our way this year and I am overjoyed for what he has in store for us in the year to come! I pray for continual peace and joy when things get hard and grace when I fall! Not to mention the ability to soak up every sweet memory and not let any of it pass by!

I have tried to get this picture to rotate the right way and can't... so I gave up :-)

The LORD Who Reveals and Sanctifies!

So I am currently a few days shy of being 38 weeks along! Crazy! Baby and I are doing really well! I am surprised how much I can handle at this point! I actually forget that I am pregnant sometimes... I will be meeting with someone or randomly run into someone I know and they oh-ah over my belly and I am taken off guard and remember... oh yes... I am much bigger than I usually am!! :-)


My biggest struggle right now is my mind. It is constantly racing with all the things that are coming my way and all the things that I need to get done... soon! I am pretty sure I am never in a deep sleep and that I am constantly dreaming because I wake up flooded with thoughts again as I start my day! Praise God that he is training my body now for interrupted sleep schedule! It is pretty amazing if you ask me how much your body naturally prepares for birth and motherhood!


Even deeper into what I am struggling with, beyond the fact of my mind, I struggle to surrender something very precious to God...


      ....Time!


I am fighting off my fear of time passing. I go on Facebook, talk to a friend, or even just look around me and I am reminded how fast time goes. 


I have been asked a lot lately, "So are you just so ready for this baby to come!?" And since being done with work I can confidently say, "No... I am not!" Do I long to hold her and gaze at her and talk to her? Well of course! But am I ready to start a journey where you watch someone gain more and more independence from you as the days pass... No! NO! NO!


Yesterday I was walking and listening to a sermon by Pastor Colin Smith. To be honest, I do not even remember what the sermon was about. One thing I do remember is him talking about eternity and how it is not something that we will watch pass away but it will be... eternity! I am not really sure why or how... but God really used this to convict me of my current struggle. I am struggling so hard to hold onto the time on this earth and freaking out about how fast it is going and much worse how fast it will go that I am forfeiting my opportunity to experience joy today! For the first time God opened my eyes to see how sinful I was being. If my eyes were set upon my King and if my heart was seeking him and my life living for him... I would not be consumed with the passing of time! Instead, I would be taking each day to praise his holy name and thank him for the grace to experience the joy we are able to experience in him and also being one day closer to spending eternity with him! In eternity the passing of time will never be a concern and there will be no fear of time or aging or missing out on the joy for the day because we will be surrounded by the glory of the LORD forever and ever! May I allow God's glory to comfort me and sustain me each day! May I seek him and fix my eyes on HIM, that my eyes may be turned away from the things of this world and its offerings in order to experience the JOY God has for me... today!


Thank you LORD for revealing in me the area in my life where I am not surrendering complete control to you! Thank you LORD that I can go even further to say you not only reveal the area but you sanctify it that I may be the pure bride you desire me to be! I pray that as I enter a new stage of life that I move from the mourning to embracing of what you have each day for me as a wife and a mother. May I embrace the good and exciting days as well as the bad and stressful days! May I not let ANY moment that I have with this little girl be taken for granted as a result of focusing on how "fast" or "slow" things seem to be! When the nights are long... may I praise you! When the days are short and fleeting... may I praise you! When she grows and learns more and more how to operate on her own... may I praise you! You have given me an opportunity here... to watch another life grow GROW GROW... yes maybe too fast... but to have a better view of who YOU are as a result of watching and observing the life of a child! Amen

Less Than A Month/Four Weeks To Go!!

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything!! My apologies! To be honest I have been in complete survival mode the past month! Last week was my last week working and so now I feel like I am finally able to rest and prepare for Baby Girls arrival! My goal each day was to just get through the day! It made for the passing of time to be quite miserable! I do not miss having to bend over all the time. I do not miss having to push around a heavy brute barrel. I do not miss cleaning toilets or mopping or vacuuming. I definitely do not miss unloading 3-5 dishwashers a night! I do not miss doing 2-3 loads of laundry a week either...


I have really enjoyed taking this week to serve my husband by staying on top of laundry and meals! Especially since Andy came down with a pretty nasty flu/cold! So be praying for him as he fights this off and as I try to avoid this nasty sickness. We need to be at our best for when baby decides to come!! Anyways, it has been so nice to finally be able to spend time with  Andy again and really enjoy this time that we have together before the baby comes! He was hunting for the past two weeks (Thurs-Sun) and so I am glad that is behind us! It stressed me out to have him away as you really never know when I will go into labor. I highly doubt we will go early but thinking of him up in deer stand, 2 hours away, with not the best of phone service... really made me wonder what I would do if I did go early! So now he is on lock-down :-) 


So... how am I doing? Well I am hanging in there! I can definitely tell my body is preparing itself for what is ahead! My joints are not what they were two weeks ago... even to open a door can be painful sometimes... It is funny because as soon as I was done with work I have felt a lot more pressure in my lower abdomen and am having to go to the bathroom a lot more! So it will be interesting to hear at my next appointment whether I have dropped or not. I feel like I am doing a lot better emotionally now that I am done with work. We will see if that continues... but I just feel like I can finally relax and ENJOY being pregnant for the first time! I am not having to worry about whether I am overdoing it like I did when I was working.


Starting next Tuesday, I will begin to see my midwife every week! I have started to see a different midwife than I did most of my pregnancy and have been thrilled with this new one! She is very informative and I feel so very comfortable with her! Andy and I did not take any birthing classes so I sometimes felt so unprepared... but with my midwife, Angela, I feel so much more comfortable with the whole idea of labor and delivery! I am praying that all goes well and that the LORD will enable me to be able to do a water birth!! The waivers are signed and the tests have been done and I am set to go as far as that goes... but if I go too late or if for some reason something pops into the picture that could be risky... then I will not be able to go through with the water birth! I really hope to do this all natural! So a water birth would be a great way to alleviate some of the pain! I am getting excited to experience birth... I know it is going to be painful... the bible is very clear about that!


Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said,

   "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
   and he shall rule over you."


But I know that the pain is what brings me closer and closer to meeting my daughter! 


I have been reading a book called "Your Best Birth" by Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein and have been learning a lot!! It just goes through what birthing entails and what my options are and also gives you the pros and cons to doctors vs midwives, c-sections, and overall just lays out the facts and puts you in a better place to really take back what birthing is all about! It talks about how America has really made child birthing to be looked at as a risky and medicalized business. Child birthing has become so driven by the fear of pain. This book is to remind people that birthing is an experience that should not be driven by pain and medical intervention but by the mother doing what her body is telling her to do. This book does not discourage people from the medical options! It is just reminding you that in most pregnancies you do not NEED it!


This is me at 34 weeks...

And me at 36 weeks!

I ask that you be praying for Andy and I in the weeks to come, as my body prepares to bring this little girl into this world. Be praying that if it is in the Lord's will, that I would be able to do a water birth but overall just for a smooth delivery! Most importantly, be praying for Andy as he will be my source of encouragement and supporter through the whole thing! I just praise the Lord that HE is the DELIVERER! He is the SUSTAINER through all of this! May I keep my eyes on HIM through it all!

One Day At A Time!

Quick Update:


Let the changes begin I guess!!! Things have been kind of crazy here in the Hentges household! Quite a few weeks ago my husband had a different job just fall right into his lap! He was not planning on taking it originally but one rough day at his job with ABM Janitorial as an account manager can change your mind VERY fast! This other job is in a machine shop of some sort... Andy will be a machinist/sales. I do not fully understand what he is doing but he is working with metal which is totally up his alley! He was informed of the job through a friend of ours so it is neat to know that he is working with another guy who he enjoys being with and did I mention he is a christian! I pray that the Lord would use those two in a place where things can be very dark and not so moral... in a shop full of guys... Andy and I for the first time in a long time prayed together in seeking wisdom as to where the Lord was leading us! It was a refreshing time, but also a time of uncertainty. It is a bit of a pay cut... which is hard when in not too long we will be losing an income! We have some major adjustments coming our way and I am starting to feel the emotions of the upcoming events and the unknown.


So the last three weeks Andy has been working at the shop for a trial run and training (the new place he works for is SO flexible and it was very nice of them to let Andy try things out and see if it was a good fit for him and the company as well). He has ALSO been working at ABM as an account supervisor for those three weeks as well! It has been extremely difficult on me!! To go from spending all day together except for about 5-6 hours in the evening... to going 12-14... sometime 15 hours without seeing him... and by that time we are both home and able to spend time together... we are ready for bed in exhaustion from the day! I have been very emotional and extremely lonely at times... as I am not used to being at home by myself with chores and reading to do before I head off to work myself! I try to reserve as much energy as I can so I can give my all at work... So this week closes the chapter of Andy's time at ABM(except for a few moments where he needs to lend a helping hand in the transition at his former buildings). Will I have my husband back!? No, not really.... I myself will continue to work the evenings so... we continue on with the challenge of working opposite schedules... I HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEOPLE DO THIS!!! ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN!!! 


As far as pregnancy goes... I am getting a lot of comments on how I have "popped" just recently! And man am I feeling it... sleeping is not so easy anymore... and moving around... with an extra 30-35 lbs is very difficult!! I am still bending down to pick things up, put liners in trash cans, putting dishes away (at work... 4 dishwashers a night people! crazy!!) So as long as I can continue to move and operate... I will continue to work as I feel it is the best thing for me and the baby to KEEP moving! I am hoping by the end of this month to be done officially... it would just be SO nice to get some quality time with Andy before our baby girl enters the world! 9 weeks.... 9 long weeks... left! But I really cannot complain... the Lord has blessed me with a smooth pregnancy! So I have SO SO SO much to be thankful for!! I want to make sure I do not forget that... and that I do not wish the days away... because time goes by fast enough! It is just so hard though when you want to meet someone small.. cute... and special... oh and precious... and just all together lovely. We cannot wait to meet you little girl!! Keep baking! :-)

I just realized something today... how much I learn about God through my husband!!! I am so thankful for the man that God has blessed me with! We have not even known each other for two years yet (it will be two years next month) and I know he knows me better than anyone else! He is an amazing provider! He keeps me accountable to God's word and what it commands of me! He is not hesitant to bring my attention to convictions I hold when I fail to follow through with them! He is a wonderful protector! I have just realized this lately how protective he is of me! He makes sure the bathroom is available to me as much as it can be (we currently have 4 adults and 1 bathroom in the house :-)). At my appointments he will make comments to the midwives/nurses and I giggle because it reminds me how he longs to protect me! He is my leader... he goes before me!! So these are just a few examples I thought of that remind me, not only of the man I married but also the God I serve and his faithfulness and his love for me as his daughter! As Andy loves this little girl inside me and talks to her and touches my belly to bond with her... I know I have a Father in Heaven who created her and loves her more than the both of us! I praise the LORD that he has seen it fit for us to lead, love, nurture... this little girl whom he loves and knows!  I am very thankful to have a wonderful man by my side to be a father to this little girl here on earth!! 

Here is a picture of Andy & I at a wedding I was in over the weekend!

Wrapping Up Second Trimester

26 weeks 3 days

I will be 27 weeks along on Thursday! Time seems like it is flying and yet it seems to drag all at the same time! But I am praising God as I come to closing up the 2nd Trimester. Some books/people say 2nd trimester ends at 27 weeks. That is what I would like to go with... because to me it makes a whole lot more sense... but I guess 3rd Trimester does technically begin at 28 weeks. So, we will just say that within the next week I will be done with this trimester :-) Anyways, had an appointment today with the midwife and things are going well. Baby Girl was trying to keep us from hearing her heartbeat today but we got it eventually (140 bpm)! It was really weird because the midwife, when she finally got it, had mine sounding in the doppler with the baby's... so it was kind of a weird sound. She tells me that I have a "wild one" in there but I am not so sure! She seems to be a bit shy to me... but I guess we will have to just wait and see and let her show us who she is :-) I am feeling movements everyday but totally at random! No schedule that I have figured out with Baby Girl Hentges! I am getting the full belly twitching movements now and that is so much fun! Sometimes it feels like my belly is just vibrating with movements... it is kind of a funky feeling! I also had my glucose testing and that seemed to go well! The orange drink was really not as bad as I anticipated. It was warm... so I just chugged it! Had my blood drawn along with it... and managed to stay my normal color and was not seeing double! My husband is such a sweet man... he said to the lab guy... "Do you have juice for her after? She may turn colors on you." Always looking out for me!! :-)

Still plugging away at work. My aim is to keep going as long as I can! We will see how long I can handle it!

Just thought I would give a quick update! Have a great week!!!

The LORD is Yahweh, He is my Strength!

So the past few weeks have been amazing and also challenging! This adventure through the word of God has been such a blessing. I was wondering if this would be something that I would struggle to stay passionate about and diligent about... and so far I look forward to it everyday! Even through Exodus... Leviticus... and NUMBERS?! Yes, even through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers! Even the LORD can use that to bring light into our lives!

So the challenging part has not been keeping up with it... but the challenges have been physical. I have been VERY emotional, very snappy... very tired... I think the supposed honeymoon trimester is over for me... I have really struggled to not let myself feel depressed and alone. Now do I believe this is as a result of my time spent in the word.. no, not directly.. but do I believe that Satan does not like it one bit? You bet! So between being pregnant and the battle that we as Christians take part in when we are honoring and glorifying the Lord...

Ephesians 6:12,13

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

...it truly has been an "adventure" and a challenge.

So, a few things I have been experiencing... Earlier this week I had pretty intense pain all along my lower abdomen. I would have just wrote it off as round ligament pain.. but most of the evening I felt like I kept leaking fluid... The pain passed and I did remain tender most of the evening but I told myself if it got worse THAN I would call the midwife.. or if I kept leaking then I would take the next step. One thing you may not know about me is I HATE CALLING PEOPLE ON THE PHONE!! I will be in tears over it!! Anyways... the leaking has not been an issue that I have noticed... and I have not continued to have pain in my lower abdomen. Then today at work I had another experience physically... I was getting a cramping pain all down one side of my back. If I was up and moving it was SUPER uncomfortable. If I was laying down or sitting then it was fine. It would move to my side every once in awhile but as long as it did not move to the front... I tried not to worry about it. 

Being my first pregnancy I found myself a little concerned about these things... If I am leaking amniotic fluid.. well then I want to take care of it!!! If I am starting to have contractions... I want to know so that I can figure out what to do with work! So instead of calling right away at every tinge of discomfort or weird feeling... I would pray FIRST and not run elsewhere. I have really tried to be better about lifting things up in prayer before I do anything else! My desire is for the LORD to be first in my life, so the least I can do is pray to him before I go to my midwife, my family, my friends...

In Exodus 15:24 it shows the heart of the people of Israel. "And the people GRUMBLED against Moses." Oh my friends, this is only the START of Israel's grumbling... it continues in Chapter 16! Verse 2, "Israel grumbled." Verse 7, "he has heard your grumbling against the LORD." Verse 8, "your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD." Grumble Grumble Grumble. 

Later in Exodus, verse 26, Moses tells the people "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes I will put none of the the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I AM the LORD, YOUR HEALER!"

Do I believe it!!? Do I live by it? Are my ears open and attentive for the LORD's voice!? Oh how you find yourself when you read through the Exodus shocked and telling yourself how ridiculous the Israelites are! They complain... they doubt... they are easily led astray... and they are just down-right impatient. I found myself reminded... "Hey Katie, they are no different from you! Maybe you think your ridiculousness is a bit more subtle... but you are still ridiculous! You doubt... you worry... and you are DEFINITELY impatient." 

In the context of these chapters... God is providing Israel food(manna) and water. The two things they were complaining about but it will not be the end of their complaining.

So I know that I need to be cautious and listening to my body for warning signs that there may be some complications in my pregnancy! I do not want to be ignorant, but I do want to fix my eyes on the LORD and trust him and seek him FIRST, knowing that he is the LORD, my healer! I am being super impatient with this pregnancy! I have so many people who are on the verge of having their babies and I find myself jealous! Granted, they have waited their turn and of course they deserve to go in that regard before I do! But November seems SO far away! I am finding myself exhausted from carrying around an extra 25 lbs already and ready to lay flat on my back and straight on my tummy! I am ready to not have nasty burps like pregnancy has brought on for me! I am ready for my back not to hurt so bad! I am ready to be done working! I am ready to stop worrying about whether she is healthy and whether we will make it through everything! I am ready... oh so ready... to hold my daughter in my arms and love on her and gaze at her beauty! I sound like an Israelite huh? They even went so far to say "For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!" (14:12)

Do you know what Moses has to say to that? "FEAR NOT! STAND FIRM! and SEE the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today! For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight FOR YOU, and you have ONLY to be silent." (v.13)

I never knew how much you could learn about God through being pregnant! You learn about his Grace but you also learn that he goes before you every step of the way! He is the TRUE sustainer. He is in complete control of everything! He knows my daughter already! He loves her! He knows if we will make it! He fights for us! And we have only to be silent and to trust that he is who he says he is! I cannot go through the next 14 weeks for a minute without the LORD pressing his strength upon me and reminding me that he is my Peace and he is my Deliverer! I may be the one who physically delivers this baby... but God is the TRUE deliverer! I am so thankful for this journey through the Bible. It could not be a more fit time to do so. I am still struggling to not let the worries of pregnancy overflow my mind... but then again I am a work in progress here! Every kick I receive I see as a gift from the LORD reminding me that he is sustaining... he is working... he is going before me on this! May I learn to be silent and STOP GRUMBLING!

Exodus 15:2,6,11,13

"The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deed, doing wonders? You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode."