Lavender's Birth Story – The Sequel

I wrote about my pregnancy and the birth HERE and HERE.  So now it's time to share the rest of the story . . .

My newborn daughter was nestled high on my chest. I was overjoyed to be holding her, but I couldn't give her my complete attention. The placenta did not come out easily and that may have been the most painful part of the whole birth. I was relieved when it eventually emerged. The doctor finished stitching me up and the medical staff completed their work. I finally had my body back to myself! Well, to myself and my newborn daughter, but I had already been sharing it for the past nine months and she still seemed a part of me. She immediately proved to be a champion nurser, sometimes a bit too enthusiastic for my comfort, but very successful nonetheless.

Soon our family started to arrive and Marianne was there to photograph them all. What a joy to have my “only” daughter there to welcome my newest daughter. My sister Jenny went home and picked up Evan so that he could meet his new sister. Our oldest son Ryan and his wife Molly canceled a temple trip to visit us. I was sad that Aaron would have to wait 4 days until pday to hear about his beautiful new sister. My Dad drove from Murrieta to greet his 15^th grandchild. In fact, she was the 15^th grandchild on John's side as well. That seemed to be a good omen!

The good feelings started to fade a bit as I talked to my family. I started telling a story my doctor had shared with us. It was a good one—all about the rotten police officer who made her miss an emergency cesarean delivery. But something wasn't right. My brain or my mouth, or both, weren't working right. I couldn't think of the right words and when I finally did, I couldn't make my mouth say them. I don't think it was obvious to anyone else. It probably just sounded like I was speaking more slowly. I felt really stupid at first, then almost like my brain and body were shutting down. It really scared me. I quickly told John that I didn't feel good and I needed a blessing immediately. He anointed my head with consecrated oil and then, because he had already given me two blessings that day, he asked my dad to give the blessing. I know it was a spiritual experience for my father, but I have no idea what he said. I do know that I started to feel better almost immediately. Hours later, I realized I probably should have called the nurse, but in the moment my only thought was to ask for a priesthood blessing. Fortunately, I had no further problems and our sweet daughter seemed to be in perfect health.

And what would we name this precious girl? I wanted her to have a special name, one that fit her perfectly. Just a day or two earlier we had narrowed down our choices and John agreed with my favorite. We would make our final decision once we saw her in person. Now that she was here, we announced her unique name: Lavender Jane. I felt this was supposed to be her name, but I wasn't quite sure why. Lavender is a lovely flower and a beautiful color. My mom frequently wore lavender clothing and it reminded us of her. We chose the name Jane because it means “god is gracious” and is a feminine form of John. It is also seemed appropriate to name our daughter after my 3^rd great grandmother, Sarah Jane Murdoch and my favorite novel, Jane Eyre.

After 24 hours in the hospital we were ready to head home. Evan had assembled and installed our car seat, and without his help we couldn't figure it out. Finally I put Lavender in the seat, ignored the clips and buckles and covered her with a blanket. It was a short trip to our house and we were relieved to be home. Lavender brought a sweet, peaceful spirit to our home. I felt as if we were experiencing a bit of heaven. A day or two after we came home, I received more insight about her name. I was told that she was a healing balm to my soul. I am still discovering exactly what that means, but I immediately thought of the healing properties of lavender oil. I knew we had chosen the right name for our daughter.

John was able to take some time off work, and we spent much of it adoring and cuddling our lovely little daughter. What an incredible blessing for all of us. She was truly a gift from God. After so many years, our family finally felt complete.