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Born of the Waters 2 of 3

9/25/2017

These stories are the second of a three-part series highlighting the personal Labor and delivery journeys of Houston-area families. They each overcame frightening circumstances to safely deliver during the historic flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey.

Click the button bellow to read the first set stories.

Born of the Waters 1 of 3

Kaleb David
August 29, 2017

On Thursday, August 24th I went to my weekly check-up with my doctor. At my appointment, she said My body was preparing to deliver soon. I urged her to induce me because I didn’t want to go into labor during the hurricane but, I was not far enough along for induction. I left the doctor’s office feeling nervous. On my way home, I started laboring and called my husband to prepare him for a hospital trip. When I got home my other children came running to the door and yelled “Are we having the baby now?!" with such excited that it warmed my heart. As we drove to the hospital my contractions were growing stronger and more frequent. At the hospital, my triage nurse told us that many pregnant moms were coming in with false labor. I was thankful to be there and in labor; My greatest fear was being unable to get to the hospital because of the hurricane Harvey. I labored for 6 hours and met my precious baby boy, Kaleb at 1:34 am on Friday, August 25. When they handed me Kaleb for the first time I cried out to God in thanksgiving for answering my prayers. I settled into my hospital room around 4:00 am. All I could watch on the TV was hurricane Harvey coverage. My mind raced with anxiety as I contemplated being hospitalized during a hurricane. The next day my family was able to visit and meet Kaleb. My heart was warmed to see their love for him. I couldn’t have been any happier. Our visit was cut short as a nurse notified us the hospital was being put on lockdown at 7:00 pm. No one would be able to come or go after that time. I started to panic and worry as my husband left with other two children in preparation of heavy rain. I sat in bed with my eyes fixated on the news. I hated being separated from my family. Late that night, as I was breastfeeding Kaleb, the power went off. Those few minutes alone in the dark with my newborn were terrifying. I couldn’t help but think of the worst case scenarios. I wanted to go home and be with my family. On Saturday, August 26 my son and I were released to go home; I was so relieved. My husband came to pick me up and we hurried to get home ahead the worst of the storm. As we were leaving the hospital, I kept thinking to myself how God is so good. The name Kaleb is symbolic of devotion to God. God’s timing was perfect in all aspects of my labor and delivery experience.

Katherine Ann
August 29, 2017

At 3:00am on August 29 my water broke and intense contractions rippled through my body. I was in labor and things were progressing quickly. I woke up my husband and told him it was time to go to the hospital. I didn't know if we were going to make it to the hospital in time. It was just days after the Houston area had received historic amounts of rain. Roads were flooded throughout the region making travel nearly impossible and it was still raining. We called 911 and while I was being transported I felt a strong urge to push. The EMTs pleaded with me not to push until we got to the hospital. I was terrified and overwhelmed. I started hyperventilating and losing sensation in my hands. At the hospital and they took me straight to the delivery room. I was fully dilated and ready to have my baby. I felt so much relief to be at the hospital and able to safely deliver just minutes after our arrival! I am so thankful for my healthy hurricane Harvey baby.

Graeson Kane
August 27, 2017

On August 26,2017 I was just days away from the due date of my 5th son. Hurricane Harvey had made landfall pushing severe thunderstorms across Houston and I was starting to labor. I called my doctor's office and a nurse advised me to time my contractions. As the hours passed my pains grew stronger and more frequent. I knew I would not be laboring long. The nurse urged me to go to the hospital but, with heavy rains and flooding, I feared I wouldn't be able to make it there. My family began trying to reach emergency services by phone but, we couldn't get through. Desperately, we tried calling for over an hour before we were connected and placed on a wait list for the ambulance. During this time a family member posted on social media asking if anyone in our community could help. I was in active labor now. My cousin came to our home with supplies in preparation to assist us with my delivery. We maintained contact with the nurse by phone as she coached me through breathing techniques. Several neighbors, including a retired midwife, walked though the storm to assist me in anyway possible. Shortly thereafter, high-water responders arrived. A sheriff walked up the porch, put on gloves and said, "Ok let's do this!" Once they determined I was stable, they were able to get me to the ambulance. I felt the continual urge to bear down but, the EMTs said "no, don't do that!" We all knew my baby was coming quickly. The ambulance driver checked to see if I was crowning (a part of delivery when the baby's head starts to emerge) and said, "Yup, that's that's head!" They closed doors and we took off. I tried to avoid pushing but, I could feel baby coming. I pushed and cried, "he's coming out!" My baby projected from my body as the EMT and husband scrambled to grab him. He was born partially en-caul (in his water sac) which the EMT removed before placing him in my husband's arms. It was 3:15am. The ambulance pulled over to clean us both up and clamp my son's cord. We were finally transported to St. Joseph's Women's Center for recovery and monitoring. We are blessed to have our 5th sweet, healthy baby boy and will not soon forget his action-packed entrance into the world.

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Born of the Waters 1 of 3

9/21/2017

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These stories are the first of a three-part series highlighting the personal Labor and delivery journeys of Houston-area families. They each overcame frightening circumstances to safely deliver during the historic flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey.

Click the button below to read the second set of stories.

Born of the Waters 2 of 3

Mila Nikole
August 28, 2017

My labor started late in the evening of August 27th. It had been raining heavily for hours and we nervously watched as water raised in our neighborhood. My emotions flashed between fear and anxiety. Hurricane Harvey was blowing heavy rains across the Houston area and I had been experiencing hours of quickening contractions. I was desperate to find a way to the hospital. With tears streaming down my face and growing contractions, I logged on to our neighborhood's app and wrote that I was in labor and needed help. My neighbors came to our rescue. Complete strangers helped us locate two nurses, including a labor and delivery specialist. Moments later people were arriving to help. It was then that I felt a peace wash over me. I knew God was in control of our delivery. A neighbor with a large truck offered to take us to the hospital. I exclaimed, "Yes! Let's go!" My neighbor that works in labor and delivery rode with us there. She kept me calm and contacted the hospital to let them know we were on our way. We arrived at the emergency center and after a short time, our beautiful baby girl was born. Hurricane Harvey showed me that amongst all the devastation and heartbreak within our city, God can still show us the beauty of His love.

John Edward
August 26, 2017

I started having contractions in the afternoon on August 25th, the night when the rain started. We decided to go to the hospital later that evening, but I wasn't progressing quickly enough and was sent home to rest. That didn't happen, once I was home my contractions began again. This time they were closer together and more frequent which worried me. Early the next morning we headed out in the heavy rain to the hospital. I was most definitely progressing now but, an ultrasound revealed my baby had flipped and was now feet first in the birth canal. As the storm raged outside I was rushed into an emergency c-section. We welcomed our handsome son into the world just minutes before the lights went out in the operating room. The surgeon was suturing me when the room went dark. He called out for someone to grab their phone so he could finish. Thankfully the lights quickly came back on. Even though my son and I were healthy after delivery; we couldn't leave the hospital. I desperately wanted to be reunited with my 3 year-old daughter, but severe flooding had us land locked. Despite my eventful stay, were fortunate to be able to make it to the hospital and return home to a dry home.

Brooks Conrad
August 29, 2017

I woke up on August 27th to water approaching our door step and contractions 15-20 minutes apart. I knew there was no way my midwife could reach me and began to prepare myself for an unassisted home birth. Emergency services were overwhelmed and unable to help. I called 911 only to be put on a waiting list. The coast guard lines were inaccessible. The rain was unrelenting and the water was steadily rising. We packed backpacks and I leaned out of my second story window with a white towel hoping to flag a rescuer. You could hear boats but, they couldn't see us. I felt helpless. Eventually, I waded out through 3' of water to flag down an a rescue boat. Our family of 5 was boated to dry land and I broke down in tears. The devastation was unimaginable; everything was underwater and I was still laboring. Once we were settled in at a shelter a paramedic was able to reach me using a city dump truck. It was a very rough and bumpy 15-minute ride. I arrived at the hospital about 5:30pm on Sunday, and delivered a perfect baby boy on Tuesday, August 29th.