Mordecai’s Birth Story

​

A little preface: Mordecai is my fourth baby, conceived after a miscarriage in February. My pregnancy with him was mostly uncomplicated, but I was taking progesterone, and had some first trimester spotting and third trimester bleeding the week before he was born, along with contractions and losing my mucus plug. The third trimester bleeding was extremely stressful, we spent a day in the hospital monitoring him, because we didn’t know exactly what had caused it and we wondered every day if he was going to be okay. This

pregnancy and birth really tested my faith, and I found that I was not trusting God as much as I always thought I did. He used this difficult experience to draw me to Him in such a deeper way than I had ever experienced, and for that, I am so, so grateful.

​

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

​​

10.23.2025

This day was just like all the others for the past week. I had contractions on and off, some stronger than others, but no pattern developing. They were uncomfortable, but I had gotten to the point where I realized they were just prodromal labor and nothing was happening anytime soon. At this point I was 36.6 weeks pregnant, and both my girls had come at 41+ weeks, so I figured Mordecai would also come late. My bleeding had started to taper off, but I was still spotting, so I just tried to take it easy and not do too much.

​

I had my home visit scheduled with Dorothy in the afternoon, so I made some tea and chocolate chip cookies in preparation, and welcomed my mom, Dorothy, Violet, and Rachel into our home at 3:30. We discussed our birth plans, and the risks associated with 3rd trimester bleeding. “If I’m concerned at all about baby, we’re transferring.” Dorothy said.

 

​Discussing this ahead of time really helped me to be prepared for maybe not having a home birth this time, and being okay with that. We listened to Mordecai’s heartbeat for a good long while, and he sounded great, which was so reassuring for all of us. I had a couple contractions while everyone was at our house, and I pretty much ignored them, until I realized I was still having them later that evening. “I think my body was waiting until the house was ready and we had the home visit.” I told my mom.​ That evening around 8, my contractions were strong enough that I was needing to concentrate on breathing through them, but they were about 15-20 minutes apart. We went to bed, tucking Bethan and Jael in for the night, and I tried to get some rest.​

​

10.24.2025

I was able to sleep a couple hours before I was awakened by a contraction. I spent the rest of the night until around 2:30 AM getting up, going to the bathroom, trying to get comfortable in bed, sleeping for a few minutes, and having another contraction. Finally I just got up and went down stairs, laying down was uncomfortable and I didn’t want to wake up Micah or the girls. My contractions were not super close together yet, but they were all in my back and they hurt so bad. The best position at this point was laying over my birth ball, so I didthat for awhile.

 

Around 6 the contractions spaced out to every 30 minutes or so, and I told Micah I wasn’t sure if things would pick back up or not, so he went to work while my mom came over to help with the girls. I let Dorothy know around 8 that I had had contractions through the night and I was losing more mucus plug and having bloody show every time I went to the bathroom. I wasn’t ready for anyone to come yet, but some of the contractions were strong enough that I had to vocalize through them. Around 10:30 AM I let Micah know he should probably head back home. At some point my mother in law, Dena, and my sister Tabitha showed up as well, but I was in labor land at that point. I spent the next couple hours laboring while sitting on my birth ball, or laying over it. Contractions were getting closer together, 2-8 minutes apart, but they were not lasting longer than 45 seconds. Still, I knew I was in labor, and definitely did not want to give birth alone, so we called Dorothy, Violet, and Rachel came around 12 PM.

 

My labor pattern this time was not at all like my previous two births. The contractions were not consistently growing in intensity, some were strong, then some were much more mild, they were close together, then spaced out. I wondered if my body was doing what it needed to, and I was doubting myself. I asked Dorothy to check me, to see if I was making progress or if this was just more prodromal labor. I was at 4 cm! I was so relieved to hear that, still early labor for sure, but I was IN labor. Since contractions had spaced out, I asked if I could try pumping. I did that for 30 minutes, and had very intense surges every 2 minutes, so it was very effective! I had such intense back labor this time, I felt like my back was breaking.

 

After I labored for a few hours on my birthing ball, I wanted to get into the tub for the relief from the hot water. The water felt so, so good. The surges spaced out for a while when I got in the tub, but it was a welcome rest. When they started back up again they were very, very strong, and they were actually strongest and most tolerable when I was laying on my back, which was different than my previous births as well. When I went on hands and knees, which I loved during my labor with Jael, the contractions stopped completely. It is crazy how different every labor is, and how your body cues you to be in different positions to make the labor process smoother.

 

I was in the water about an hour and a half when I could feel Mordecai moving lower, and I started feeling a bit pushy. It felt good to bear down with the contractions, even though I didn’t feel like he was ready to be pushed out yet, it helped make the back labor more bearable. I asked Dorothy to check me again and I was 9 cm, 100% effaced, but there was a cervical lip. I was not thrilled to hear this, I really didn’t want to have it held back. But, after laboring for another hour with no progress, I got out of the tub, and sat on on the birth stool while Dorothy held back the cervical lip. I was very discouraged that I had been pushing for so long with no progress, and I felt like my uterus was just not working the way it should. I was really exhausted at this point, and just wanted Mordecai to come. After a while I tried a couple positions on the bed before just pushing on my back while bringing my knees up to my chest. This was the only position I could be in where I actually felt the urge to bear down, and Dorothy placed her hand where it would help me know where to put my effort. 

 

​Finally, I felt Mordecai coming down, and I knew he would be here soon. It gave me a new burst of energy, my water bag broke, and I could feel him crowning. After he crowned he came so fast! Dorothy unraveled him from his triple nuchal cord and laid him on my chest. Oh, the relief that he was on my chest, screaming so loud and so healthy was indescribable. All the worries that he would be too early, or be compromised because of the bleeding were washed away with my tears of joy and thankfulness to our good, Heavenly Father. I checked to make sure he was a boy, and Micah announced his name; “Mordecai Benjamin Johnson.”

​

My placenta came shortly after birth, and my bleeding was pretty minimal at this point. Bethan and Jael were able to see him be born, and were so excited when they finally got to meet their brother they had been looking forward to for so long. Mordecai screamed for a good 10 minutes or so, pinking up beautifully, and I was given juice, prophylactic pitocin, and an IV started by my midwife. We had discussed doing this to help prevent me hemorrhaging, since I had with my past two births. I was able to nurse Mordecai right away, and he latched on like he knew exactly what to do.

 

*Readers take note: The rest of the story details a significant postpartum hemorrhage (with a good outcome!)*

​

Rachel offered to grab some food for me, when Violet checked my fundus, and several clots and blood started pouring out. After that everything happened so fast. I was given more pitocin, pitocin in my IV, TXA, and misoprostol, someone called the ambulance, and Dorothy did bimanual compression, which I am so grateful for, because I’m sure that is what stabilized me enough to be transferred to the hospital. It hurt so bad, it was absolutely awful, but I think it hurt Dorothy just as much, because she was seeing the bleeding not stopping despite everything they had done to prevent and stop it. I was able to have about an hour of skin to skin with Cai, and he nursed most of that time, what a blessing!

 

I ended up transferring to the hospital with Dorothy in the ambulance, and my mom, Micah, Mordecai, and Violet came later in my mom’s van. I was able to nurse Mordecai again the in emergency room, with Dorothy holding him to my breast, because I couldn’t bend my arms, they were covered in IV’s. He nursed in this awkward position just fine, and then fell asleep, tucked inside Micah’s shirt. My dad met us at the hospital, and he reminded me when I was going in for a D&C surgery: “The Lord is our strength.” Amen and alleluia!

​

Everything went as well as it could have, considering the circumstances. Dorothy knew exactly what to do, the ambulance came very quickly, we got to the hospital very quickly, the hospital was able to get blood for me decently fast, and everyone was so kind and

considerate, and took very good care of me.

 

This is my last birth with Dorothy, it is not safe for me to give birth outside the hospital again, if I do end up having another baby. I was really bummed at the thought, but now, I am okay with that. I am so incredibly thankful for the three babies I was able to have at home, with Genesis Midwifery. They have given me the best care I could ask for. Dorothy is an amazing midwife, and I cannot say enough how thankful I am for her skills, her knowledge, and her faith.

​​

I have needed some time to process this birth, emotionally it was my hardest one. But at the end of the day, God is good, and He has a plan for everything. Mordecai was born early, right around the time I was due with our baby, Jirah, that we lost in February, which was such a special gift from Him. He is so kind to us, and cares for us, in ways we don’t understand, but we don’t have to. We just have to trust Him.