Spirit and Determination

I was living in Nampa County, California on the outskirts of a town called St. Helena. I lived in a small farmhouse, down a dirt road that took 45 minutes to an hour to navigate. Because of this, my midwives wanted plenty of notice when I went into labor. So, on the 7th of March, 1976, when I started having contractions I called them. It took them about 8 hours to get to my place. By then I had been having regular, strong contractions for quite some time. They expected to find me nearly ready to deliver but instead ended up camping out for the next three days, along with several of my friends.

March 9th at about 9pm the midwives told me they could no longer detect a heartbeat from my baby. They said that they were very sorry but they thought the labor had been too much for me and my baby. They said that I was suffering from exhaustion and in order to save my own life, I should go to the hospital to complete the expulsion of what they thought would be a dead baby. A wave of panic overcame me, the like of which I had never before experienced. But as quickly as I was overcome with that awful panic, an intense, energetic warmth flowed through my very being, such as I cannot describe. Along with this surge of warmth and energy I clearly heard, "Don't worry, I'm okay". Those gathered said it was as if I were a-glow as I sat up and told the midwives that I would be delivering my baby right there and that he was fine. My midwives said that I had such a peace about me that, even though their logic was telling them differently, they believed what I was saying was true. Non-the-less they told my friends that they could not guarantee the condition of the baby and if they didn't think they could handle a bad outcome they should leave. I knew without a doubt that all was well and announced the same. No one left and all were glad they had stayed.

A renewed strength and energy came to me, not from within, from around me as though I had scores of unseen arms surrounding me, shoring me up. My bag of water was broken and I was ready to push after the next 3 contractions. After 3 hours of pushing Dillon greeted this earthly world on March 10th, 1976. He was alive, alert and well. He didn't cry or fuss right away. He blinked and stared intently as we talked to him and fussed over him. After about 1 1/2 hours he squealed a little which was my clue to feed him. He ate heartily and thrived.

Just as Dillon's birth took a strong spirit and determination so has Dillon's life. Dillon has had to rely on his strong spirit and determination to get him through many a trial over his 30 years on this earth. He has been a good example for me. I love him dearly and am glad he is a part of my life. Happy Birthday Dillon :)