Nash Davis Owings

Nash Davis Owings was born on Monday, April 7. He weighed 9 lbs and was 22 inches long.

Here's the labor and delivery story (long version).

I was so ready to have this baby that I was doing just about everything that I could to go into labor. I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a while, and I'd had my membranes stripped. On Sunday, Jon and I took Shea to the zoo to walk around. We were hoping that the walking might help start something. It just may have worked!


I got up at about 6:15am on Monday morning, and as I was stepping into the shower, my water broke. I almost went ahead and took my shower, but I was too excited and just wanted to get out the door. I called my parents and caught them just in time. My dad was supposed to drive to Atlanta that morning. He was able to postpone leaving until after Nash was born. We got Shea up and were in the car on our way to the hospital by 6:35am. It was too early to drop Shea off at daycare, so we took her with us to the hospital. My water was really gushing by the time we arrived, but they put me in a triage room (Room #1) to make sure it was amniotic fluid (as if there was any doubt). Of course, it was, and I was dilated about 3-4 cm. We were in that room for about 45 minutes and watched cartoons until my parents arrived to take care of Shea. Shortly after they got there, we were moved to the labor and delivery room (Room #2).

Mom took Shea to daycare so she and Daddy could stay in the room with me without being distracted. I got hooked up to all the devices. I had to have the intra-uterine monitors for fetal heart rate and contractions because my attempted VBAC was high risk. My contractions got really painful, and I needed Jon to apply a lot of pressure to my lower back to help me get through them. I was having pretty awful back labor, but I was getting through them with my relaxation techniques (and Jon's help). I didn't want an epidural because it could slow down labor. I was attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC), so I couldn't be induced with pitocin and didn't think my ob would give it to me to augment my labor because of the increased risk of uterine rupture. I really wanted to avoid another c-section, so I thought that I'd go natural. Well, my ob mentioned that if I did get an epidural and needed some pitocin to augment my labor, she'd give it to me. It didn't take me long to decide that I really wanted the epidural. Sometime around lunch time, I was about 6cm dilated, and they came in to give me the epidural.

My last epidural was just perfect. This one was not. The first person who attempted to give it to me was unsuccessful and had to get someone else to do it (a little scary). Once I finally did receive it, it only worked on my right side. So the nurses had me roll to my left side to see if gravity would help it out. Nash's heart rate immediately plummeted. I think 120-160 bpm is about normal. When his dropped to about 90, it seemed like about 10 nurses rushed into the room. His heart rate dropped all the way down to just under 70. I was quickly turned to my right side, and it began to steadily increase. It eventually got back to normal, but it was scary for a couple of minutes. Nonetheless, my epidural wasn't working properly, and I couldn't turn to let gravity help it out. The anesthesiologist said that I could have another epidural, but after my experiences with the last two attempts, I didn't want anyone else poking around my spine. The epidural was at least dulling the pain. It also slowed my contractions down, so I did need some pitocin.

By 4pm, I was at 10cm and could start pushing. After about an hour of pushing, I was wondering why I wanted a vaginal birth instead of another c-section where the doctor just plucks that baby out of my belly. I pushed for 1 hour and 45 minutes before Nash made it out. Needless to say, I was glad for the rest the epidural afforded me because I sure did need my energy for that. Nash was face up, which caused my awful back labor and combined with his large size to make it really hard for me to push him out. He was a little blue when I first saw him, and that made me slightly nervous. He looked a little alien-like with his cone head, but he was beautiful at the same time. He did have a complete knot in his umbilical cord just like Shea did. He weighed in at 9 lbs and was 22 inches long.

New Blog

I guess that I should have a blog to post comments about our growing family. I'll try to keep this updated with things going on in our lives.

About Me

I am a follower of Jesus.

I grew up in a Christian home with parents who love and serve the Lord. I "prayed a prayer" as a child, but I never truly followed God until later in life. As a teenager, God showed me that being a Christian was not about praying a prayer but about loving God and giving my life to him. As I grasped that concept, I decided that I didn't really want to give my life to the Lord because I thought that it meant the end of fun and happiness for me. Thankfully, God brought me to the point where I realized that life wasn't really worth living without Him. He showed me that losing my life was really gaining it, and I began to follow Him and allow him to change me from the inside out. He began changing my heart to desire what He desires. I want to obey God because I love Him and want to honor Him in all that I do. I often fall short of this, and I am so thankful for His unfailing love, mercy, and grace in my life.

I am a wife.

I became involved in Campus Crusade for Christ at Baylor University, and the summer after my freshman year (1999), I went to Ocean City, New Jersey for a summer project with Campus Crusade. There, I met this awesome guy who went by J.O. and attended the University of Southern California. We began "dating" at the end of the summer and continued our relationship long distance after we both returned to our respective campuses. We spent the following summer (2000) with Campus Crusade in London. Jon graduated from USC in December 2000. I went to California to visit Jon during my spring break in 2001. Jon picked me up from the airport, had my favorite flowers, drove me to a park on the side of a mountain in the LA area, and proposed to me. The following month, he moved to my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee to find a job. I spent that summer (2001) interning at FedEx and planning our wedding. We had a 14 month engagement. (I don't recommend it, but we didn't have much choice.) In May 2002, I graduated from Baylor and moved back to Memphis. We were married on May 31, 2002 and began our journey through life together. I am so blessed to be married to a man who is passionate for the Lord and loves his family.

I am a mother.

I have the two most wonderful children, Shea and Nash, and a sweet dog, Leia.

Shea Marguerite entered our lives on January 22, 2006. She's now two years old and full of personality. She loves to talk and ask questions. She's always busy and is an extreme extrovert.

Nash Davis was born on April 7, 2008. This bundle of joy weighed in at nine pounds and has continued to be at the top of his class in height and weight. He is easy going and is generally a very pleasant baby.

I also have my dog, Leia, who was my furkid before I had real kids. :) She's a border collie mix, and she's very sweet but full of energy.

I practice law.

After working as a technical writer for about a year, I was ready for a career change. I began law school at the University of Memphis in 2003. I'm one of those few people who actually loves school. I graduated with my juris doctor in May 2006. I thankfully passed the bar and began practicing law in the fall of 2006. I handle nursing home abuse and neglect cases, and I'm thankful to be working in an area of law where I feel that I'm actually helping people.