A time for everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven

If you’ve been keeping up, you know that Flash, my third offspring due within the next few weeks, has been giving us a run for our money. He started by freaking us out with only one umbilical artery. We learned in that moment that the Internet can be both helpful and freak-out-inspiring. Turns out, other than the single umbilical artery, all is good. His heart looks great. His kidneys are functioning. He’s growing very well (he’s in the 98th % right now!).

Then, he decided it would be funny to be footling breech for a week or so. Again, we freaked out. Granted, I didn’t want to have a c-section after two other non-c-section births. I could deal with it, though, if it meant everyone was healthy. We were more freaked out with what could happen if I went into labor before I was ready and his foot was “down there.”

In an effort to fix the breech issue, I did everything I could think of:

I went to my amazing Reflexologist friend

I prayed about and visualized the desired positioning.

I visited SpinningBabies.com and tried the pelvic/breech tilt and the inversion.

I crawled on the floor like a baby.

I tried peppermint oil.

I put frozen packs on my upper belly to encourage him to run away from it.

I put my earphones low on my belly to coax him down there.

I visited the chiropractor to “open” my pelvic area.

Seriously, I feel like I tried everything. And, something worked. Something made Flash turn to the right direction as we discovered yesterday at our ultrasound (which also revealed that his estimated weight at only 37 weeks is already 8 pounds 7 ounces – wow!).

But, I know that no matter what I tried, he wasn’t going to turn unless he was going to turn. Yes, that sounds like I messed up that sentence. But what I mean is that I really didn’t have control here.

When I posted on Facebook that he had, indeed, decided to participate, one of my friends responded with this:

And this got me to thinking. My friend was right. To everything, there is a season. There is a time for everything.

One of my “techniques” for getting Flash to turn was to simply pray. I say “simply” because it’s probably the easiest of the things I tried. And most likely, it was what really did the job. Because in my prayers, I told God that I was going to give it up to Him. I was okay with whatever He chose to be our story of Flash’s birth, and although I may be sad or disappointed, I trusted that He would protect me.

In fact, the night before we had the ultrasound, I said out loud that I’d resigned myself to the c-section. As much as I didn’t want to have one, I was okay with it.

And wouldn’t you know it that the next morning, after giving up that control, Flash was turned?

Now, I can’t say that he won’t get ornery again and decide to flip at the last minute. But, what I can say is that I’ve learned yet another important lesson: I’m still not in control. I can support things; I can try to help things along; I can do my best to be responsible. But, I can’t think that I make things happen!

With that said, I leave you with the Byrds. Enjoy!