The Taylors: Evie Lillian Taylor

Evangeline Lillian Taylor

Born: August 9, 2009

Time: 9:25 PM

Weight: 8 pounds 14 ounces

Length: 21 inches

The Birth Story

Sunday morning I woke up at 6am to use the restroom, and with no warning signs or contractions, my water broke! I woke up Judd to tell him "it's time." He took a shower and we finished packing last minute items. We headed off to the hospital, checking in around 8am. As time progressed I started feeling contractions coming stronger and closer together. I labored until around noon, when I got an epidural. After that, I was comfortable, with some pains in my back, but tolerable! Time passed pretty quickly. Our church is right down the road from the hospital, so around 1pm, we had a couple of close friends visit us and bring Judd lunch. Well, the clock continued to tick and I failed to progress past 6cm, even with strong contractions one minute apart. Evie wasn't under stress, but the doctor was concerned that if we continued that she would eventually not be able to handle labor. Also, the doctor had a hunch that Evie was too large to pass through the birth canal, plus her head was not positioned correctly to descend further. At 8:00pm, my doctor broke the news to me that I would need a c-section. I was so devastated. I never thought I would have to have a c-section. After bawling and calming myself, I realized it was the best option so, I started to prepare myself mentally and physically. Yoga breathing really came in handy in relaxing me. Around 9:15 or so, they wheeled my bed to the operating room to prep me for surgery. There was a hustle and bustle with people everywhere. It was not an emergency situation, so the atmosphere was more calm than it could have been. Judd sat by my side and gripped my hand through the whole thing. Then the most amazing thing happened....I heard the cries of my baby! The doctors chimed, you have a big baby with dark hair!!! She weighed in just short of 9 pounds...another shocker. I never imagined I could carry such a large baby! After the nurses cleaned up Evie, they brought her over to Judd and I to see. What an amazing experience! Shortly after, Judd went with Evie to the nursery where they weighed her and gave her a bath. As Judd observed, he glanced out the nursery window to see a crowd of a friends looking in! What a wonderful surprise for us! About an hour after surgery I was taken to my post-pardom room where we talked with our friends. Once they left, the nurses brought Evie to us. Finally I could hold my baby girl. Just thinking of that night makes me so emotional. Through that challenging night, I have realized how lucky I am to have an amazing husband, devoted friends, and an excellent doctor.

Clare, Evie's caretaker