William Joseph McBride's Entrance Into the World

Thank you everyone for your prayers during Pam's labor yesterday. We have a healthy, beautiful baby boy. As usual things did not go as planned but the end result was a healthy mom and baby. Pam did a wonderful job through almost 24 hours of back labor. She used all we have learned in our classes. Unfortunately her cervix wouldn't cooperate. While her contractions were getting stronger throughout the evening her dilation was stuck at 4cm for well over 12 hours. After much consideration, thought and especially prayer we agreed that the best thing for both mother and baby, who after delivery we saw was trying to force himself down a cervix that wasn't ready for him, was to deliver via a C-Section. While not the natural birth we wanted for William, Pam and I were and are totally at peace with the decision. The OB on call was wonderful in explaining the benefits and risks of C-Section and attempting to continue a vaginal delivery. She even asked us if she could pray with us before the surgery. For me (Jeff) that was the final nudge in knowing that we were doing the right thing that I had gotten while praying over the decision with Pam. As always, we were firmly in God’s hands. The C-Section went off without a hitch and William was delivered screaming his lungs out ready to face the world. As I type this mother and baby are resting together in our post partum room at Round Rock Medical Center. The staff here has been excellent from the time we got here. They have truly respected and honored our wishes for the birth and worked to help Pam as she labored yesterday. And for me, I was truly amazed at the speed and proficiency that the OR team worked at last night when we decided on the C-Section. While not what we pictured for the moment, we were together, in good hands, and could not have been in any more amazement at hearing the words “It’s a boy!!!” and seeing William for the first time.

For those of you in the Austin area we would love to have people stop by starting this afternoon/evening (Tuesday) to visit and meet William. It looks like we’ll be in the hospital till Thursday, possibly Friday. Thanks again for all of your prayers during Pam’s labor. We are truly blessed to have as many showing they love us by checking in with how we were doing.