Hope is 14 months now and is doing great. Walking and talking, screaming and eating. She is full of energy and full of Joy. I am so thankful to have this little bugger in my life. So much love and personality. We are going on our first camping trip as a family in July, and I cant wait to share the beauty of sequoia with her and my beautiful wife. I have learned a lot since her birth. Kristen and I have grown in love and understanding, Hope teaches us daily what it means to really enjoy and be free and God continually brings us closer together increasing our peace and understanding. Looking back I find myself really blown away at the life provided to us. I pray for continued growth through love and grace.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." -Jesus Christ
The story of Hope's Birth written by Kristen Keach:
“I have a verse for you!” Scott announced to me outside of
church on Sunday morning, “but it is supposed to encourage you, ok?”
“Ok…” I say back to him, with hesitation on what is about to
come out of his mouth. It sounded as if the verse he was about to give me was
not typically encouraging.
“Well, it’s that verse from Romans… ‘Rejoice in your
sufferings, because suffering produces patience, patience produces
perseverance, and perseverance produces hope, and hope never disappoints.’”
I didn’t know at the time how telling that verse was. I
never in a million years thought that would be the verse to completely
encompass the journey we would be on for the next 3 days. The 60 hours that
started that night at 11pm.
That afternoon I got a text from Jessica (one of my best
friends, and doula) asking me if there was anything I felt Brandon and I should
talk about before Hope was born. You see, I was already 3 days late and she had
experienced with her son’s birth that there were some things her and her
husband Jordan needed to talk through before the baby came. When they did, he
came. That day after church, Brandon and I got in a bit of a “discussion”. So
that night I asked if she and Jordan could pray for us for a little bit and
during our conversation- I started feeling crampy. At the end of our
conversation I told Jessica to sleep lightly because I felt as if I was
starting to have mild contractions, and would be calling her to come over that
night. It was 11pm.
To give you some history, when Brandon and I discussed
having kids we had decided to go the natural route. At first, Brandon had some
hesitations with safety and health risks, but after getting educated on the
natural birthing process (e.g. midwife vs. doctor, birth center vs. hospital,
etc.) we decided a birth center with a midwife was the option for us. During
the 9 ½ months of pregnancy we filled our brains with knowledge from books,
internet resources, and our Bradley class. We felt so prepared for the birth of
this baby, and were completely excited and comfortable with the opportunity to
have her in a safe and calm environment.
Around 11:15 I called our midwife who then told me to ignore
the contractions until I couldn’t ignore them any longer. The thoughts of our
baby being here by tomorrow night were filling my head, as I got into bed
surprisingly calm. I kept thinking ‘she will definitely be here by tomorrow at
11pm because, really, who has a 24 hour labor?!’
That night contractions intensified to 5 minutes apart,
lasting around 45 seconds and strong enough to need Brandon to put counter
pressure on my back from 3 am on. We had learned in our Bradley class that the
magic number was 5-1-1. You call your midwife when your contractions are 5
minutes apart, lasting for a minute, for an hour. Since we had not yet hit
that, we got up Monday morning to go to our last check up that had been
scheduled from the week before. We stopped at Starbucks to grab breakfast, and
I got oatmeal and a decaf mocha. We learned that eating until you couldn’t eat
was the best thing for your body during labor- so I tried to enjoy my breakfast
in between contractions, which were much more difficult to bear in the car.
1-2 centimeters dilated, 90 % effaced +1 station. Things
were looking good, I was just told to go home and rest as much as possible. I
decided a combination of rest, walking, and baths were what made me the most
comfortable. Brandon started taping encouraging bible verses all over the house
so that no matter where I was having a contraction, I could look up and be comforted.
By 8 pm Monday night, not much had changed. The thought of my baby being here
that night, was slowly but surely fading away.
I asked Jessica to come over that evening because I knew
Brandon was going to need rest, and at this point it was difficult (but
possible) to go through my contractions alone. They switched off helping and
massaging my back that night, with 1 hour that I let them both sleep and I
contracted alone while walking around the house from 2-3 am. Around 3 in the
morning I woke Jessica up because contracting alone was no longer bearable. My
contractions were closer together (about 4 minutes apart) and lasting about a
minute long. We were so encouraged early that morning going into the birth
center to get checked. We thought for sure we would be admitted and I can
finally get into that giant bath tub that promised pain relief.
At this point in time, my details get fuzzy. I quote this
text message sent out to friends and family after being sent home from the
birth center again. January 25, 2011 8:02am- “Contractions are steadily 4 min
apart and a minute long. Much more intense. I am 3cm dilated and 90% effaced.
Midwife says it looks like she will be here by tonight :) Going back home to
rest since sleeping has been difficult. What an unpredictable labor! We will be
checking back with the midwife at noon. I’ll let you know if there is any
change.” A day of walking, bathing, and leaning over the couch during
contractions, I clung to the verses that decorated our house to encourage me through
this unpredictable process.
Another day went by walking and trying so hard to get my
labor going. The next text sent out was at 5:06 pm that night: “Ok peeps it’s
Brandon. Slowly but surely. Midwife just came over. Baby is good, Mommy is
good, it’s just a slow labor. Still totally normal and our midwife is very
happy with heart rate/position etc . we are just waiting for dilation. She is
completely effaced, just needs to dilate. She said rest is best.” Actually what
she told me is to stop walking and have a beer and relax. See, my contractions
would space out to be further apart when I was lying down and would be much
more difficult to get through when horizontal so I thought walking was what I
should do to speed things up. But boy did she say the magic word- beer! The one
craving I did not fulfill during my pregnancy I just got the go ahead to enjoy!
Of course I crack one open, lay down, and boom—contractions hit 3 minutes apart
lasting longer than a minute and I could tell things were getting moving…cheers!
2 hours later our midwife came back over and I had dilated
to 4 cm. Yay finally things seemed to be progressing! We headed off to the
birth center filled with renewed excitement and yes, renewed hope. The transfer
to the birth center was grueling, but the thought of entering that giant tub
was so exciting I didn’t seem to care.
At 9 pm I was checked
again and at 5cm dilated. Almost 48 hours into labor- still no baby. But at
this point labor should get predictable. You hit 5cm and supposedly are going
to dilate ½ a cm per hour. My midwife went to rest- preparing for our
encroaching delivery. Now came the fun part (insert sarcasm here)! The two days
I was in labor at home had gotten me into a groove. A sort of, labor routine,
you could call it. I knew where to go, my people (Brandon and Jess) knew where
to massage and you could say we had it down to a good rhythm. But getting into
that coveted spa tub? Pshh I had NO IDEA what to do in there!! It was so
uncomfortable to be that far into labor and have to figure everything out all
over again! Needless to say, I got in a groove and was able to withstand my
contractions. I should mention that, by 2am, my body was working overtime. I
was having 2 (minute long) contractions every 3 minutes. So that means 2 minutes
of contractions, 1 minute rest.
Its 4 am Wednesday morning. I had been in labor since 11pm
Sunday night. I had no concept of time, but knew I only had a few more hours in
me. All I could think of when my midwife walked into my bathroom was that if I am
at least dilated to 7cm, I can make it. I knew that if I was at 7, I was
approaching transition and the end would be near. I would get my beautiful
delivery in the calm, peaceful environment of our beloved birth center.
4am. 5cm dilated. Completely crushed.
Our options were to break my bag of waters at the birth
center to see if that jump starts things, or go to the hospital and get Pitocin
to increase the productivity of my contractions. Are you kidding? The moment I
heard I was still at 5 I knew we were going to the hospital and I was getting
an epidural. I had done as much as I possibly could, and my body was working
too hard with no result.
Driving to the hospital was the hardest part. Every
contraction was a reminder that my body was failing me, and I felt that they
were powerless, and that made them completely unbearable. We checked into the
hospital feeling so sad and discouraged. Not to mention we were all completely
exhausted.
Our midwife stayed with us the entire time. When I got into
my hospital bed and got the run down on the epidural I became afraid again.
“If you happen to have a contraction while the
anesthesiologist is giving you the epidural, you have to stay completely still”
said the nurse to the woman in labor.
I looked at BJ (my midwife) completely astonished. “What if
I have a contraction? I’m not going to be able to do this!”
“Kristen, you were just in labor for almost 3 days. This?
This you can do!” It was just the encouragement I needed. 5 minutes later I got
my epidural while holding my sweet, shell-shocked, exhausted husband’s hands,
and having a contraction.
They broke my bag of waters right after I got my epidural
and I had permission to sleep. I could feel the comforting feeling of pressure
in my lower abdomen, telling me that my body was still working to get my baby
born. As I was sleeping and in and out of awareness there was lots of talk and
commotion. I heard Brandon asking why the heart rate was almost stopping during
contractions, and I heard the words ‘major d-cell variables’. That meant there was a cord compression
somewhere. No Pitocin until her heart-rate stabilized. They started talking
about and internal fetal monitor, until the nurse came in to check me.
10am. 80% effaced, -1 station, 4cm dilated. My body had officially
given up, and started to close.
They told me the unfortunate news of having to have a
C-section, and as my heart sank, apologies were floating around the room. It
was as if everyone were as disappointed of our outcome as we were, and the
feeling was tangible. They called Dr. James for an immediate cesarean.
No more than fifteen
minutes later a calm man walked through my sad, depressing hospital room. I
remember it so vividly- he was wearing a black leather jacket, drinking a
Starbucks coffee, and had a look of slight confusion on his face. “What’s the
matter?” he said, looking around. “Why all the sad faces? We’re having a baby
today!” He looks straight at me and Brandon and says “Sometimes your plans work
out, sometimes they don’t. Today they didn’t. But you’re having a baby! Today…
today is a good day!”
That’s all we needed. A little perspective! After hours of
suffering, of trying to be patient, and of persevering- our hope was coming.
This was it- I had a time that she would be in my arms. That I could look at
her face and my goodness- to finally kiss her! She was coming, and today was
the day.
I always wonder why they do it this way- why is it that they
lay you out on the operating table like you are lying on the cross? Arms out,
legs straight. It was so bizarre! At that moment, I thought to myself how this
whole thing was so unpredictable. This was the last thing I was expecting.
As Brandon held my hand the nurse told him to watch behind
the curtain. He was hesitant, but she convinced him that it would be the best
thing he ever saw. Of course, he pulled out the iPhone camera and practically
narrated the whole thing. I couldn’t see anything behind the blue shield, but
what I did see- watching my husband’s face as he saw his beloved daughter enter
this world, was unforgettable. He was amazed, emotional, in love.
Eight pounds, six ounces. Twenty-one inches long. 11:21 am.
She was here. She came out with her hands in the air and
looking as perfect as could be. They took her to get cleaned up and for the new
daddy to cut the umbilical cord. He described her to me and I could hear the
chatter of the nurses and doctors around us: “big baby!” “Looks like mommy!”
“Beautiful name!” “I guessed she’d be twenty-one inches!” They laid her on my chest after she was all
bundled up and as I spoke to her- she looked for me. She knew my voice just as
much as I knew the feeling of her feet from the inside. I finally gave her
kisses, we took some first family pictures, and I started feeling sick.
I gave her back to my tear filled husband, and waited to be
stitched up. At this moment I was silently scared. I felt that she finally came
out and that something was going to happen to me. I accidently looked up and
saw the reflection of my open body on the light above me and saw an
overabundance of blood pour out of my abdomen. As calm Dr. James called for a
nurse to get him a certain medicine (I don’t remember the name but found out
later it was a blood coagulant) I could hear a sense of urgency in his tone.
The nurse left the room, he stitched me up, and didn’t need it after all. I was
fine. Everything was fine.
As I got taken back to my room, I started to shake
uncontrollably. It’s a typical side effect from the anesthesia, but so
uncomfortable and unnerving. As my midwife helped Hope to latch on and nurse
for the first time- I realized the only thing that stopped my body from shaking
was the only thing my body was missing. As hope lay peacefully nursing at my
side, my body lying still, I got to stare at God’s promise to me and enjoy her
completely.
The weeks that followed were unforgettable. It was like we
were in this bubble, protected from anything that would get in the way of fully
enjoying our newborn baby. Nursing was hard, but rewarding, and I bonded with
her more and more every day. And there has been nothing that has brought
Brandon and I closer than the birth of our daughter. Not only was it the experience
itself- but the bonding we had the first two weeks as a family are
indescribable.
Rejoice in your sufferings, because suffering produces
patience, patience produces perseverance, and perseverance produces hope, and
Hope never disappoints.
It was all worth it. There is nothing disappointing about
her. And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Today is January 21st 2011, days from your birthday, and I am so excited to see your face. I think it was a few years ago Kristen and I were at church together when God first told me about you. During a worship service I was meditating on Jesus and His goodness and out of nowhere I saw in my mind, this incredibly vivid picture of this little girl on my shoulders worshiping with me. It was so real. I immediately felt this indescribable love for this little baby, it almost brought me to tears. ‘This was my daughter, I just know God is showing me my daughter’ I thought. Now keep in mind, we were not talking about babies or kids when this happened. In-fact, we were not even married and surprisingly, we waited until we were married to even start practicing making babies. J (Which is a family tradition by the way and I expect you to follow suite!)But in that same moment, when I was seeing this beautiful little girl on my shoulders joyfully singing with me, the most amazing thing happened. Kristen leaned over to me and as if she knew what was going on in my brain said… “I want our daughters name to be Hope!” I was shocked. “What did you say?” I asked, and again she said: “I want our daughters name to be Hope!” Completely stunned I answered back to God saying: “Hope it is!” God knew you, knows you, and before time was, He had a plan for you’re life. If I can tell you nothing else Hope, I would tell you this: Follow Jesus. He knows where He is taking you. He truly is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Not only are all things possible with Him but all things are beautiful thru Him. I am praying for you everyday love and will continue to for the rest of my life. We love you Hope and we are very excited to meet you.
If I had one word for how I felt the first time I met KC it would be well, intimidated. Kristen and I had not been dating that long yet when she had asked me to accompany her at a family birthday party for her nephew cooper. I knew of KC at this point, and after all he was my girlfriends father. But that was not what prompted my anxiety. No, what caused my anxiety was his voice. you see, I had not officially met him yet but I had heard him before.. I couldn't have been older then 17 when I dropped by Kristen's house to say "Hi". "Hi" usually consisted of us making out for 20 minutes until we said "Bye" ...Making out for 20 more minutes. While we were "talking" outside of her house, I heard this booming voice calling for Kristen. He was right around the corner! I don't remember exactly what happened but I think at that point I just said bye and took off. He sounded pretty intimidating and I was making out with his daughter, I wasn't about to stick around to meet him. Fast forward 6 or so years, and Kristen and I finally started dating. Not sure what took us so long, I guess God had some work to do first. Not long after we started the courting ritual of dating, she invited me to family function. A family function in many ways is the true initiation of a relationship, and this was no exception. I think I met everyone that day. Brothers, sisters nieces nephews, friends of family and friends of friends. But not KC. He had not arrived yet so I had plenty of time to be anxious. Yay. Less time then I realized passed before KC and Loretta did arrive though and as he was walking up all i could recall was his voice. The booming voice which scared me off a few years prior. Even as he walked toward us, he appeared very confident. Not someone I would generally wanna piss off. He had a kind of mob boss type of presence about him and this paired well with his Barry Manilow meets dirty hairy voice. I am not writing to highlight the intimidating characteristics of KC though, quite the opposite. Yes, if you didn't know him and had only heard his voice while you were making out with one of his daughters, you too could prob imagine him with his sleeves rolled back holding a wooden baseball bat in an abandon warehouse with a group of 'vinnys'. But I thank God that I did know him and I thank the Lord for that. As we approached them he turned to me and destroyed my prior perception of him in a moment. Without hesitation, without judgement and completely authentic he put his hand out and with a big warm smile he said, "Hey Guy its good to meet you" or something very similar to that. But I could tell, he was genuinely excited to meet me. From that point on, ever time I came over to eat dinner or pick up Kristen, I got the same warm greeting. He never toned it down because he never toned it up. He was always genuine, always real with everyone he engaged with. He loved people, and it showed through His true desire to make everyone comfortable. As the years passed he became more then my girfriend's dad. He became a friend, a close friend And eventually, my father in law. But KC was family long before the law defined him as such. Im not sure exactly why I wrote this. I think its partly my way of concluding. Its also because I feel he is deserving of high praise. I learned so much from KC and what I learned did not come from lessons, but just observing how he treated others. I am grateful for what I gained. We, gained alot from his life. So in conclusion, I think I can end with, well, one word. One word for how I felt the last time a met KC. The last time I met KC I felt Blessed. Blessed by his friendship, Blessed by his giving, blessed by the lessons learned and blessed by his life. I thank our Lord Jesus in all that we received through KC, and am filled with joy when I think about their recent reunion. Our daughter Hope will be born soon. One journey ends when another begins. And we will honor KC through Hope. Her full name will be Hope Kaycee Keach. The lessons of KC's Character and the blessing of his life will be remembered through the life of those he left behind.
The power we have in giving is still not fully known. Waking up this morning a portion of this revelation was realized. Yesterday morning I woke up extremely drained. I was getting sick and I didn't get any good sleep. The day's work just drained what little energy I did have, and I was very happy to go home. Kristen had to grab my car that day so she ended up picking me up from work that night. As soon as I got in the car this beautiful giver started giving. "Ok babe" she said. "When you get home, get in some comfortable clothes and just relax. I will make you chicken noodle soup with bread." So I was able to just relax and this beautiful person served me. She is the evidence of the amount of grace I have in my life because I don't deserve her. After dinner I basically just relaxed until I fell asleep, and I slept great. The next morning my strength was completely restored. Thinking about this later, I started realizing the true power of giving. Its not just about making someone happy, although that is a great by-product. Giving is about restoration. Not only did she feed me a wonderful meal, but she was instrumental in restoring my health and strength. It was not just soup that I received. I received time, love, peace, joy, strength and restoration. Giving is a powerful part of the restoration of the body of Christ. Let us receive and honor the servants...
Matthew 10:41
Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.
Jesus being the ultimate example in giving, the level of restoration mirrors the magnitude of his Gift. He gave it all to restore us completely. I wanted to Honor these Christ-Like Creatures that are such a beautiful blessing to our life. They give to restore. Wife, I honor you and your selfless nature. :)
I cant believe it has been six months already. 3 months left? Wow, this is going very fast. Its hard to imagine that in three months we will see our daughter Hope for the first time. God has been so very good to us both. Kristen is doing amazing. Her body is healthy as she is still very active, walking all the time, eating a balanced diet and staying relaxed. Our Bradley instructors Kristy and Eric would be so proud. Even in the midst of other family trials God has given her a lot of Grace. We do however request your continued prayers of peace, healing and love for her Father KC who is currently battling Cancer at home. We have much hope for his peace as he endures. Hope. That is the season for us, especially Kristen right now. We value hope, we pray for Hope and we cant wait to meet Hope...Hope Kaycee Keach.
Quick post but I gotta share this picture. I was working on my computer in the air conditioned house when I turn around to see this. Made me smile. My beautifully prego wife Kristen in her bikini, our nieces Karly and Kassidy and of course Bella Bell. All enjoying the kiddie pool eating ice cream on a 100 degree Sunday! Beautiful day, beautiful people. Wow, God is so so good to me.
The inspiration for this blog is Hope. The newest addition to the Keach Family. Our daughter is scheduled to be born on the 20th of January 2011. We feel blessed and are very excited to be starting a journey that is sure to be as challenging as it is rewarding. :) Kristen and I are very thankful that God has blessed us with an opportunity to steward this life, and pray for the wisdom and Love in abundance so it may overflow into Hopes life. Oh and for divine rest on sleepless nights. :p
