When the Routine becomes Not So Routine

Our pastor's wife Cheryl was due to give birth to baby number 8 (yes, that freaks us out too). No problems with the previous seven, so she was going in last week to be induced. They had been going through a mid-wife, so while they were at a hospital, it wasn't a regular doctor performing the procedure.

All was well until Cheryl suddenly bolted upright in her bed in intense pain. Her placenta broke and blood literally was gushing everywhere. Pastor Greg later told us he just totally lost it. That would be an understatement, I know I would have totally freaked seeing my wife like that.

Luckily, there just happened to be a party going on in the hospital that day of several doctors and nurses, who normally wouldn't be there. As soon as the placenta broke, she was immediately wheeled down for an emergency c-section. When it was all over, Cheryl and the baby (Lucas David) were fine. But Cheryl lost 40% of her blood, which gives you an idea of how serious it was.

As Greg shared from the pulpit on Sunday, had those doctors not been there, or had this happened at home, then both Cheryl and the baby wouldn't be here today. Cheryl was very pale, but still came to the morning service with the baby. Everything happened so fast with the crisis and delivery that the word didn't even go out right away that they needed prayer, so some people on Sunday morning were hearing about this for the first time (pastor wasn't exactly in a mood to call everyone right away, which was understandable). God had it under control, and all is fine now.

Greg and Cheryl are great parents, and exactly the type that should have a lot of kids. Their other seven are very excited about a new baby brother. As for our daughter Anna? When we asked her about what she thought of the new baby, she said, "It's just a bald thing in a blanket."