Owen's Story

Owen Warren Spoelstra
was born on Thursday, May 13, 2010, at 10:40pm. He weighed 8lbs 10oz, and was 21.5 inches long.

Here is his story...



We found out that we were pregnant mid-September. I didn’t suspect I was pregnant until I started feeling nauseous and having strange cravings. I took two pregnancy tests and finally scheduled an appointment. The midwife was able to confirm the pregnancy, but we were unable to find a heartbeat, and suspected a miscarriage. That was September 29th, our 7th anniversary. A very long four days later we went in for a hi-res ultrasound, and were able to hear Owen’s heartbeat!
My pregnancy with Owen was fairly similar to my pregnancy with Leif, except I was craving chocolate. So, I figured I was carrying a girl, or a little boy with a sweet tooth!
In early January we went in for our 20 week ultrasound and found out we were having a boy. I was excited that we could finally name Owen, and start preparing for his arrival. More than that, I had a great excitement about having brothers. Leif had entered a wonderful boy-stage of loving trucks, trains, and airplanes, and was so excited about driving around and shopping at Home Depot. It was exciting to think of having another little boy on the way.
Leif came with me to almost all of my doctor’s appointments, and started looking forward to several things. When we would turn down the road to the doctors office, he would say, “Baby Owen heartbeat” because each time we would get to hear the heartbeat. As I would check in at the desk, he would start saying, “Mommy potty. Mommy potty in cup.” (Yes, Leif, mommy has to go pee in a cup again.) And then, of course, there was the lone fish in the waiting room. We had to go sit by him, and Leif would always insist that there were two fish. The fish sat in the upper back part of the tank, staring at his reflection, which I suppose Leif thought was the second fish. As we left from our appointment, we would always go back past the fish and say, “Bye fish, see you soon!”

Throughout this pregnancy, I had hoped to deliver early. Leif was eight days early, and was over 9lbs. So, I hoped if I delivered earlier, the baby would be smaller, and I might have an easier recovery.
At 37 weeks, I thought that was a good possibility. I was already 4 cm! Thirteen days later, 8 days before my due date (same as Leif), labor finally started. Just as each pregnancy is different, each labor is different. With Leif, labor was fairly textbook with labor pains like clockwork. With Owen, labor pains were irregular, and often painful contractions were followed by barely painful ones.
Still, the doctors had warned me that this labor would be quick, so we made the decision to head to the hospital. On our way, a few strong contractions convinced me that this was real labor, although shortly before reaching the hospital I had a lull in contractions, which was good because Charles missed the hospital exit and we were able to laugh about it!
Labor began at 5pm, and Owen was born at 10:40pm, with the cord wrapped three times around his neck. Apparently that is really unusual, but fortunately, the midwife said that the cord was not tight, and she was able to cut it free. Charles and I both laughed when we looked at Owen. It was like we were brought back 2 years to Leif being handed to us- they looked identical!
Owen needed to be taken to a transitional nursery shortly after delivery because they were concerned about fluid in his lungs. Thankfully, he was only there for a few hours and they released him to the regular nursery. The next day, Leif came to meet his little brother, and the following day, we drove home with Leif and Owen, our two miracles. We are so blessed!