Eden's Birth Story

This is Eden Lilie Hughes.

Her name is Eden because of how she came to us. In the early fall of 2020 I read the book "The Heavens Are Open" by Wendy Nelson. I deeply wanted to unlock the heavens in my life so I began taking the advice from that book.

It worked.

The heavens opened and my understanding of God and His love and existence were increased greatly- but there was something else that I was NOT expecting. I saw a little someone (although, I thought it was a little boy someone if I am honest) waiting, anxiously to come down to earth. The heavens opened, and now.. that piece of heaven is on earth- Eden.

Grant and Grace were right there moments after she was born and the name they shouted out was Lily- but I wasn't completely sold, although it did prick my ears.

It wasn't until Brittiany sent me a screenshot of this verse from my favorite chapter in the D & C,

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin; and the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory are not arrayed like one of these. For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things. Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself." D&C 84:82-84.

and there it was- Lilie.

Before I tell her birth story I want to talk about my pregnancy with her because I don't want to forget how amazing it was- how amazing I felt. My pregnancy with her was unlike any other. This was the first pregnancy that I did my research on everything and I mean everything. I put every practice and procedure under a microscope and studied it all- weighing each out in my heart and mind and praying through it all.

I came away knowing exactly what I wanted.

I definitely wanted another home birth! I wanted to again be surrounded by my family in the comfort and spirit of my own home.

But I also knew what I didn't want.

I didn't want to wear a mask, or to have anyone in my family have to wear a mask.

{While we were in California I hired the only midwife out of 70 in the Bay Area who agreed with me on the mask thing.}

After doing my research-

I didn't want any ultrasounds.

I didn't want any blood tests.

I didn't want to do the glucose test.

I didn't want to Group B Strep test.

I didn't want the eye goop or vitamin K.

I didn't want circumcision (if it was a boy).

and like with Via, I didn't want any vaccines.

Now I know that on the surface to so many people that looks incredibly crazy and that I am trying to kill my baby. {I seem to be getting crazier and crazier these days! But the more I walk away from the mainstream of things... the happier and better my life seems to get so I'm okay following this pattern even if I look nuts! 😂}

After learning what I learned, I felt like all of those things were just unnecessary for me. I felt like I knew my body enough, and that I was doing enough to care for my body to not need these tests or interventions. After reading through risks and science.. or lack there-of to support some of these practices, I felt so good about my decision!

Sometimes fear tried to creep in. It tried to creep in frequently at the end. Whenever it did, I took the time to be still. To be observant and listen to my body, my thoughts and feelings. I would clear my mind and connect to God and my baby- and every time, I felt good. I felt peace. I felt that everything was okay. I also used that opportunity to utilize the power of prayer and the mind-body connection. I truly know that the body and mind are intertwined and your body listens to what you tell it- So I would listen to and repeat my healthy pregnancy and birth affirmations to myself.

I realized that our western culture, a lot of what we do, especially concerning birth, we do because we are indoctrinated and pushed by just that- fear. Birth has lost its rightful place as a beautiful natural process and in our world is viewed as a condition needed to be treated- several accidents or deaths just waiting to happen- when mostly.. that is not the truth. My body was built to birth- I think to change how we birth- our western battle is changing our minds about birth. And it starts by eliminating that crippling fear.

That was one of the biggest takeawaysuof babies becoming severely ill from a Group B infection passed from the mother at birth was as low as 1-2%.

Anyway- I don't want to get into a ton of that here... the point I am trying to make is that I decided to put my birth in God's hands. I was so intentional with this pregnancy and birth and when Eden was born, I felt so happy and felt so much peace and gratitude. It just proved to me that what I learned was true- we have a loving Creator who holds us in His right hand - and I felt like it opened another door to something bigger than I can still not even quite comprehend.

(Life got busy and I just realized I never finished writing this, and so I am finishing writing this almost 4 years later, and 9 months pregnant with Baby #5😅 so. Forgive me for the lack of detail!)

Jaron and I spent the evening of August 9 at his parent's house. We were canning some of the peaches we had just picked in Hurricane with his Mom while the kids played. Once the last of the peaches was canned, I decided to go on a walk alone. I remember walking barefoot from Jaron's parent's house to the bleachers at the High School football field. I don't remember why I walked there but I remember sitting there for a little while watching some random people who were down at the field. I walked back and we went home and put the kids to bed.

Around 11pm, as I lay in bed, I felt some contractions. Jaron was almost asleep, but I woke him all the way up to tell him I was having real contractions but that he could still rest and didn't need to do anything.

He didn't go to sleep. lol

I think he called his mom, and she was here within minutes.

My mom was living in Vegas for half the week while she taught school down there and on this particular day she was in Vegas.

I remember worrying every moment that the contractions continued that this birth would end up like Via's and labor would go 0-100 with the potential of my midwives not getting here in time. Because this worry was so prevalent in my mind, I asked Jaron to ask my midwife to come after only about an hour of the contractions starting.

I'm pretty sure my midwife and her assistant got here around 1:00 am. My friend Brittiany also arrived around that time, as she agreed to be my birth photographer. Everyone was assembled and all there was left to do was wait. I had hoped it wouldn't be a long wait (like Via) ... but I was wrong.

I labored.

and labored.

Hour after hour passed and I began to feel unfocused and awkward.

I felt unfocused and awkward because there were so many people just... watching me. and the longer and longer labor went- the weirder I felt just having everyone sitting there watching me and nothing happening.

Of course something was happening. My body was in labor, but some labors are slower than others and I just felt bad that nothing was happening and everyone just had to wait.

I was thinking about them being tired or uncomfortable x,y,z... you name it.

and I wasn't wrong.

Everyone was tired.

It was a long night.

when 6am rolled around and we still had no baby... I didn't even know what to do or think. I was completely exhausted at that point. And didn't have the energy or will to keep going. I asked my midwife what I could do and she suggested that I lie down in a side-lying position and try and get some rest, so I did.

I have no idea how long I slept or even HOW I slept through contractions but I did.

Jaron was kind and attentive the whole labor. He never left my side and he even gave me a few little chiropractic adjustments during the moments where I felt like labor wasn't going anywhere and I was getting impatient.

My midwife and her assistant were quiet and also attentive and kind. My midwif'e's assistant Michelle would put a warm towel on my lower back during contractions and apply gentle pressure. I was soothing and a good way to distract me from the contraction. I really loved those hot towels!

I remember asking my midwife to check me, and I think she said I was at 10 cm dilated but my water still hadn't broken. I asked her to break my water for me because I was impatient and done. She did, and it was time to get this baby out.

We had decided not to find out the gender because we were all pretty much totally convinced this baby was a boy. Actually, Jaron had received a bit of revelation before we got pregnant that we had a little boy waiting- he even saw him and saw what he looks like. That's what gave him the push to go ahead with baby #4 even though it seemed very scary.

I remember pushing, but I don't remember anything else really. The pushing part goes by the fastest. I don't remember if I threw up or not during this labor- I remember feeling like I had to. I remember feeling like I had to poop but it was just bum labor.

But other than that a lot of the details are really fuzzy.

Then, just like that- baby was here!

We told Grant he could be the one to announce the gender- and our sweet moment of "surprise" backfired when we were all ACTUALLY surprised because it was NOT a boy.

It was another girl.

We didn't even have a girl name picked out! We were so surprised! But she was so perfect and pink and beautiful and had the longest eyelashes ever.

The moments that followed were heavenly. (Except for the part where Jaron and Grant had some emotional distress over the fact that it wasn't a boy. Grant because he wanted a brother and Jaron because this either meant he didn't know how to receive revelation or that he had to have ANOTHER baby- both of which seemed like equally awful prospects)