My Birth Story: Levi
Erin Burt
My son Levi is almost 3. He is a calm and peaceful little boy, for the most part. Sometimes he would rather play alone and is perfectly content with his toys in his room. But, he entered the world much differently.
My husband and I were so excited to learn we were having another baby and even more delighted when we found out the baby was a boy. My daughter Johanna would be 2 on August 7, and Levi was due on August 12.
He wasn’t always easy, however. This baby made me sicker than the previous pregnancy. He didn’t have a name until around the day was born. He was an answered prayer but also so different from his sister. I gained more weight. I did Zumba my entire pregnancy, up until a few days before he arrived. Levi was completely different.
We celebrated Johanna’s 2nd birthday on August 2, and I repeatedly made the comment of how I just wanted to get through her party. Then, I could have a baby. On August 3, I had signs of labor. My little family and I went to a park and I was having contractions. Since this wasn’t my first baby, I chose to suffer through them and enjoy my evening. They continued into the night and by morning, it was time to call the midwife. I kept waiting for my water to break. It didn’t.
I joke now, but at the time it wasn’t funny. My husband James took the family cat for her yearly shots while I was in active labor at home with an almost 2-year-old that morning. By morning, I had contractions going strong, was bleeding, and needed to get checked. When I arrived at my midwife’s office, I was in pain. My husband and daughter were with me, and I was told I was at a 9.
My midwife calmed me down and told me there may not be time for an epidural at this point. I called a neighbor and she came to get Johanna until my friend who was willing to babysit her arrived at my house. I was scared. I was nervous. This was happening.
With Levi, my water never broke. I almost delivered him with him still in the sack of water. He was easy. I pushed 3 times, and it was instant love. He was born on August 4, healthy and perfect, in Indiana.
Levi is now very much a daddy’s boy, but he will always be mine and have my heart.
Karyn Meyerhoff is a mom of three in Arkansas where she loves her kiddos.
