Born of the Waters 1 of 3

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.