Hunter Thomas Saad
Born November 5, 2007 at 6:34 pm
8 pounds, 7 ounces 21 1/4" long
November 5, 2007
Dear Hunter,
Today is the day that your mother gave birth to you the UCSD Medical Center here in San Diego, CA. To God be the glory, all honor and praise-this is your birth story! God formed you in your mother's womb over the past 40 weeks plus a day or two. According to the doctor's estimated due date you are a day late, but more importantly-according to God's perfect timing you were born today. You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Marvelous are the works of God!
My name is Jackie Bryan. I am your mother's doula. Doula is a Greek word meaning "bond servant" That is what I do. I serve women in their pregnancy, labor and birth. I assist women while in labor so that the labor process won't seem so unbearable. I watch to see the glory of the Lord and to be witness to His magnificence
It is such a privilege to be a part of such an intimate time between a husband and a wife. I was just thrilled and excited to be a ~art of your birth excitement that took place in birthing room #431. The 12t Psalm says,
" ... Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit ofthe womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full ofthem; ... " You are a reward! You were given to your parents and God entrusts your care to them.
I often pray that the Lord would "quietly" prepare my client's uterus to labor. I pray that the Lord do a good work inside the mother's womb and she not even know that it is happening. There is a lot that needs to happen before a woman's cervix opens enough to allow the baby to come out and it usually takes hours. The Lord answered those prayers in a big way with your mother-He prepared her womb so well that she hardly had time to get to the hospital.
Well, having said that I wasn't really much of a doula for your mother.
Your grandmother played that part. She was the one that helped your mother to get through each contraction, one contraction at a time. Her labor started at around noon, but her contractions were only 15 minutes apart. Your father was at work and your grandmother was shopping. Now this is perfectly normal and there is nothing wrong with contractions that are 15 minutes apart, but with your mother it was the calm before the storm.
Your family lives in EI Centro, CA and decided early on to give birth at the UCSD birth center because it is a more relaxed atmosphere and it is a lot more like home and not a hospital. Your parents knew how long it would take to get to the birth center from home. They also have a boat that is docked at one of the Marinas in San Diego and your grandparents have a home in Pacific Beach. Your parents knew the route to the birth center from the boat or the house and exactly how long it would take them to get there and I think that they knew that route better than the one from home, because I think that they were hoping that they would be in San Diego when she went into labor.
Your mother had had some preparatory contractions all day Friday the 2nd and they were very excited, because they thought that maybe she could give birth in the next day or two. They decided to come to San Diego and hang out and I think that your father needed to work on the boat anyway, so it would have been great if the Lord had allowed her to go into labor over the weekend.
I didn't want to pray for anything that isn't God's will, but I was sick and had been sick for about 5 days, I had caught a cold. I just asked God, if it was His will for me to attend her birth, to heal my body of this virus before your mother's labor so that I would not infect anyone. I was really sick all weekend. I couldn't even get through church, Sunday morning, without a cough drop in my mouth the entire service. I knew that her birth is very important and I didn't want to be sick and breathe all over her or anyone else if I was sick. I woke up Monday moming completely symptom free! Thank you, Lord!
Your parents went home Sunday and your mother was a little disappointed that she didn't labor over the weekend, but she was okay with waiting on the Lord's timing. She talked about her appointment that she was to have with the midwife on Tuesday and would just wait and pray.
So now here it is Monday afternoon and they are in EI Centro going about their day and your mother is having contractions and trying to determine if they are the real thing or not. It was around 3:00-3:30 when her contractions got a lot closer together and a bit stronger. Your mother called your grandmother and asked her to come over to help her to get through her contractions. Her mother became her doula. What a blessing it is to have her own mother to support her during this time! Your father also called your father and asked him to hurry home, because they needed to leave.
Your father loves your mother very much and he wanted her to have the most perfect birth. When she was pregnant with your brother, Fisher, they took a childbirth education class from me and this time your father brought your mother to my home for a refresher class. The class was just to remind them about the different signposts of labor and to give them some pointers on how to handle labor and the birth. One of your mother's questions was, 'What do you suggest I do if I have to labor in the car? What would be a good position?"
I told her that she would need to take a lot of pillows and that she may have to ride in the back seat with the back down and on her hands and knees. I told her that she may be able to sit in a reclined or upright position, but she would have to have a lot of pillows to support her back and her arms and her head. I also reminded them to put a plastic shower curtain or something else in the car in order to protect the seat and the carpet just in case her water broke while in route to the birth center.
During the class I reminded all of the couples that this is their second labor and that it would go a lot faster than the first. I told them about "Emergency Childbirth," because you never know where a couple will be when the baby comes out. I didn't want to frighten anyone, but they needed to be prepared.
I got a call from your father at 4:22 p.m. He told me that they were getting ready to leave and that your mother's contractions were 5 minutes apart. I told him to make sure that he called me when they get to Alpine so that I can meet them at the birth center. We hung up and I called right back, because I wanted to talk to your mother to get a feel of how she was doing. She was doing well and was very excited that it was your birthday! Her excitement is an indication that she is possibly still in early labor, maybe between 3 and 4 ems.
I was holding a childbirth class at that very moment with Susan Brock's (your mother's doula during Fisher's birth) daughter Sally and her husband Nick. They knew that I had talked to your parents at 4:22-25 and then when your father called at 5:30 and told us that they were at the Border Check they thought that was fast, but when he called me back in less than 10 minutes to tell me that they were in Alpine we were all thinking that he was driving quite fast.
Your grandmother told me that your mother's contractions were coming, regularly, at 2 minutes apart and your mother told me that she was feeling a lot of pressure and that she may need to push. I told her to hang in there and to relax a much as possible, hung up the phone, ended the class and got in the car. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I even thought about telling them to come over to my house and just push the baby out, but then I felt that the Lord would get them safely and on time to the birth center. After all, I had been reminding God that He told the prophet Jeremiah to, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know Jeremiah 33:3." So I asked Him to show all of us "great and mighty things, things we do not know," and that is what He was doing and He didn't want any interference.
I talked, again, to your father at 6:03 and he told me that they were at the 805 interchange and that your mother really needed to push. I told him that maybe he should just drive her to the emergency room, he agreed. He said, "Jill wants to know what to do to keep from pushing." I told her, "to blow during the contractions and not to bear down." I started to plead with the Lord to get them to the birth center on time and safely. I knew that your father was racing. I also asked God to get me there safely and to open traffic so that I would be on time. Just then I saw a metal shed in the middle of the highway. So that is what the traffic was about, but He protected them and he had protected me from that falling shed! Thank You, Lord!
And God's timing was perfect timing because had they been any faster they could have been involved in an accident that was on the Hwy. 163 rampthere were several emergency vehicles and other cars there as I was going by, but the traffic seemed to be getting better. Your parents had made it through all that traffic and I did too! Thank You, Lord!
I called him back and told him to just take her to the entrance of the hospital, because there are sick people in the emergency room and besides that they would treat her as if she was sick. I told him to take her to the entrance and to get a wheel chair and get her to the 4th floor as quickly as possible. As it turns out when they pulled up to the entrance the Lord had a nurse there-right there at the curb-with a wheel chair! Is God amazing or what?! I think that you father may have run just as fast as he was driving to get your mother to the birthing center on time.
That was around 6:15 when they were at the entrance of the hospital and I was just getting off the freeway and was on University Ave. I told him that I would park his car if he would leave the keys in it, but he said that Julie, your grandmother would park it. So when I got to the entrance I started to look for their car, but didn't see it.
I got into the parking structure and right away spotted a car that was leaving. I thought, "Wow, lord that is a perfect parking spot." So I waited for that car to back out and then pull forward into the spot again and then she got out of her car. Hmmmmm??? Oh well, that wasn't so perfect after all, was it? So I drove around and then down and there was a spot, spot # 234. I thanked the lord, pulled in, got out and then got my stuff out of the back. As I was closing my back hatch I looked over at stall #237 and saw your parent's car. I recognized it because the light was on inside and I saw a lot of pillows and I heard a woman talking. The lord parked me right next to your grandmother! I had never met your grandmother before, but I just knew that it had to be her. We were so excited that we hugged each other, closed the car doors and ran.
We got into the room at 6:24 and your mother was already ready to push you out!!! I told your mother to grab a camera and I asked your father for permission to video tape your birth, got my camera and things started to roll. I took a video of the clock on the wall and it was 6:25 p.m.! Whew!
Your mother was doing beautifully. She was calmly waiting on the next contraction and then it hit, but she just calmly allowed her body to push you down a little bit farther. And your father was calmly rubbing her and reassuring her. By looking at things one would not know that they just "flew" in town.
The midwife was there waiting and encouraging her and then all of a sudden the water bag broke. That was 6:32 and then at 6:34 you were born! There you were being handed off to your mother and the midwife said, "Here is your reward!" I don't know if she knows that God says that the fruit of the womb is a reward, but she was so right-there you were in your mother's arm-her reward!
Your mother was exhausted, but she was not to rest for a while longer.
She tore a little bit and needed to be stitched up so at 6:50 your father took you and held you "skin to skin" and his chest and kept you nice and warm and he was able to quiet you when you fussed. You responded nicely to his voice and his shushing.
All of the stuff that goes on after a birth was subsiding and your mother was able to nurse you and you took to nursing like you knew what you were doing.
I was so thankful that your grandmother, Julie, was there for your mother and that the lord was there for your father on the drive in. At one time your father said that he slowed down to 90 miles an hour. He was your mother's hero! He got her to the birth center on time! But ultimately God is the real hero-He got them from home to the birth center, not only on time, but safely! Thank you, lord God Almighty!
Hunter, my prayer for you is that one day you will recognize the voice of our Savior Jesus Christ. He says in His word that He is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. He said that the Shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by name and He leads them. He also says that the sheep will not follow another shepherd, because they only know their shepherd's voice. Just like you recognized your father's voice, I pray that one day you will come to know the voice of Your Shepherd Jesus Christ and not ever pay attention to any other. I pray that you go directly to Him with all of your concerns, your praises and your love. The Bible tells us stories of people going to Him for what they needed and that He took care of them, He never, ever forbid anyone from coming to Him. The disciples hindered the little children, but He rebuked them, saying, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them." The demoniac was rejected and feared by everybody; Jesus gave him liberty-freedom. The crowd rebuked the blind man and ordered him to be silent; Jesus heard him and restored his sight. Society put lepers in a separate colony; Jesus touched them and healed them. The people were ready to stone the adulteress; Jesus had compassion on her and forgave her. To the thief nailed beside Him, Jesus obtained a place for him in His kingdom. Jesus is alive and sitting on the throne!
My prayer for you is that you grow to be a man of God. I pray that you come to know Jesus as your Savior early in your life, that He died for your sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and that there were many witnesses to that Truth. I pray that you come to know Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. There is no other name by which we are saved! I pray that you love God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength. I pray that you not ever conform to the image of this world, but that you grow into the image of Christ. Again, I pray that you not ever conform to the image of this world, but that you conform to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray that you become one of His most faithful ambassadors and that you proclaim His truth with joy. I pray that whatever you do in word or deed, you do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And whatever you do, you do it heartedly, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. I pray that His Spirit who is upon you, and His words which He has put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants from this time and forevermore. I pray that you be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever you do shall prosper. I pray the Lord quicken His word in your heart. In Jesus name. Amen
Because He lives, we live,
Love,
Jackie
Fisher is enjoying Hunter more each day. Today he asked to hold him for the first time. He imitates Hunter's cry by saying "tie" then opens his mouth wide, squints his eyes and lets out a little "aah". He calls Hunter "bee" for baby and alerts Mommy by saying "bee - tie" when he hears the smallest whimper. 
We all like playing in Fisher's room. He's been sleeping in his boat bed for about two months now. Hunter spends much of his wake time there enjoying the bright colors and bold patterns while Fisher and Mommy read books and listen to music. 
I'm getting serious about helping Dad around the boat. When we go for dinghy rides he always lets me drive. Now I'm learning how to pull in the dockline and tie it on a cleat. During a harbor cruise with the staff at Desert Air I learned from the kids how to climb the ladder to the flybridge and walk up to the bow.
The afternoon was spent napping (adults only, of course), grilling and enjoying Big Sticks on the back deck. The kids had fun with a bubble machine and splash pool on the back deck.
