A few weeks ago I started noticing that the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands were quite itchy. It wasn't like an external itch from dry skin or some type of irritation. It was deep under my skin and it was driving me crazy. I remember having this pregnancy symptom with Skye but this time it was to the point where I even told my husband to stop holding my hand. I finally decided to mention something to the midwife at my most recent wellness appointment and she immediately scheduled me for a blood test. I am so grateful to God for her wisdom in that situation because a few days later I got a phone call from our hospital saying that I had cholestasis of pregnancy. Basically my body was producing so many pregnancy hormones that my liver couldn't keep up. (This causes the bile that our livers process to leak into my bloodstream which resulted in the itching I was feeling.) My levels turned out to be quite high and they thought it was important to induce me that day -- two weeks earlier than my expected delivery date.I knew delivering early was a possibility but I didn't expect it to happen. We were admitted into the hospital around 4 pm and shortly after, they gave me Pitocin to get my contractions going. By the time I was 6 cm dilated they decided to break my water. Immediately upon doing so, we discovered meconium (baby poo) mixed in with the amniotic fluid. They weren't sure how long it had been in there but the thought of her potentially swimming in that for the next two weeks had we not discovered the cholestasis had me praising God for His perfect timing. At that point I opted to get an epidural. This was the more difficult part of my laboring process. The anesthesiologists had a hard time fitting the needle in perfectly and the poking around would later cause me more pain. But once they got in, it was smooth sailing. I felt so incredibly comfortable, I barely felt my contractions, and by 1 am I was pushing out a baby. Because of the meconium, they wouldn't be able to put her on my chest right away. They whisked her away to make sure her system was clear and it was probably a good five or ten minutes before they finally handed her to me. It was hard to wait but despite the chaotic moments in between her delivery and our meeting, the way she clung to me was just so natural. Words or pictures will never carry the full weight of how beautiful that moment was.Out of all three kids this was by far the easiest delivery. The difficult part was post-labor. Once we were settled into the room we would stay in for the next few days I found myself faced with excruiating pain radiating from my forehead down to my neck. Every time I would sit up I would get an instant headache and it was to the point where I couldn't hold up my own neck without crying. It turns out I had a spinal headache caused by the epidural and I would have to undergo another epidural-type procedure where they would draw blood and inject it into my spinal column to clot up the hole that was leaking cerebral fluid. Although the procedure was short, it was quite painful and emotionally taxing. I'm always such a baby when it comes to physical pain but God always manages to use these moments to reveal himself to me in the most personal ways. Thankfully, the procedure did the trick and I can hold my head up with no headaches and no pain. I'm happy to be out of the hospital and home with my sweet, little girl.Labor is such a journey but these sweet babes are so worth it. Once again, I find myself in awe of the beauty that is life...how God can place such a beautiful, special little girl in my womb and grant me the opportunity to be the vessel that brings her into this world.

(The black and white photos are from delivery day and the colored photos are from the evening after. Most of these were taken by my husband and I have to say he documented it all quite well! )