Third (and final!?)

Leah Moriah Anderson

Leah was a surprise surprise. The "plan" was to wait until Kyla was about 5 years old before we tried for baby number 3. but, God is the Ultimate Planner, and He chose to give us Leah 2 years after Zoe was born.

On February 3 2007 Joshua had a surprise birthday party to celebrate my 26th birthday. Our friend Brandie Tanner and he planned the event and blew me away. It was so much fun. This was likely the night that Leah was conceived....

We decided not to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl, and in the end it absolutely stressed me out not knowing. Kyla was convinced that we were going to have a baby brother, and that we were to name him Aiden. I, too, was convinced that we were having a boy. I thought that it would really bother me to have a girl after thinking for so long that it was a boy, BUT, when the doctor announced "It's a GIRL" there was this beautiful feeling of awe that washed over me. Leah came out weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz and she was 21" long. She was born at 8:01 AM via C-section on October 24.

The idea of the surgery made me nervous through out the pregnancy. Though I had already had 2 previous C-sections, I couldn't shake the nervousness. It turns out, I had a good reason to be nervous! The anastethiologist, though very nice, hadn't performed a spinal in 20 years....

I believe he was a Christian, and I know that the other anastethiologist was a Christian as well. (the other guy was the experienced, resident that worked there for years) I had lots of prayer in that Operating Room, including my own fervent prayers. First of all, I'll call him Dr. New York. Dr. New York came into the room bright and chipper. He had a warm, welcoming personality. Into the O.R. I was to lay on my side and wait for the "pinch". Well, that pinch came atleast 3 or 4 times, and anyone that has ever had a spinal knows that the pinch actually feels more like a log being stuck into your spine!

Dr. New York apologized time and time again, and finally, after I felt like I couldn't take it anymore, I "thought" he had finally got it to work. I asked fearfully "Did you get it?" and to my surprise he said "No, hon, not yet, I'm so sorry". And I drunkenly said "Oh, that must be God then, because I feel so relaxed". And the nurse holding my hand agreed. Finally, my spinal was finished and it was time for surgery.

Throughout the surgery, which took only a few short minutes, I felt so scared, and a good bit of painful tension. I kept telling Joshua "I feel something, I can feel something." Joshua had to leave the room after Leah was born, and he said he almost passed out walking back to my labor room.

Once Leah was out, the pain started coming fast. I was crying on the operating room table, telling the doctors that I felt so much pain. After they deliver a baby c-section, they give the mom pitosin to cause the uterus to contract. I felt those contractions. And continued to feel them though I was given plenty of pain medicine in the O.R. I was also given Morphine once in recovery and it was almost no help. I had so many drugs in my body to try to ease the pain, and nothing helped. FINALLY, the nurse gave me a shot of something.... I can't remember what it was, but it eased the pain to just bearable.

The hospital stay was nice, but I do have to say that I would never recommend having a baby in a hospital that is undergoing renovations. As soon as I was out of the O.R. and into my Labor/Delivery/Recovery Room, I heard loud drilling. And so did Leah. Poor baby was fresh out of the oven and exposed to the cold of the hospital and weird LOUD noises.

Leah's first name is a good story, and her second name has an even better meaning to it. I'll write more later.