Elijah Benjamin Pederson

Life is beautiful. I've always believed that, but after giving birth to life itself, it has never been more so. Elijah Benjamin Pederson was born on September 12 at 9:41 pm. He was 7lb 7oz and 20 inches long. After a week of labor off and on, my actual labor was only about 4 hours and he was resting on my chest just an hour after arriving at the hospital. I was so blessed to have had my pregnancy followed by a wonderful, God-loving midwife. She helped us labor at home for as long as possible. Silas was a rockstar...he held me up for hours through contractions, encouraged me, prayed for me, and filled my ears with truth and scripture. My sister was also able to be there. Giving birth was the hardest, strangest thing I've ever done. I remember being afraid, slightly out of my mind, clinging to God and my husband, and wondering what the heck had just happened when I looked around at a room full of doctors and nurses who said "That was the most hilarious labor and delivery we've ever been a part of. Do you mind if we write down some of the things you said?" Praise God for humor at all times! :) Elijah was placed on my chest right away and stayed there as long as I wanted him to. They waited to weigh him, examine him, etc so that we could bond. This was such a gift. Elijah was breathing well when he was born...another huge praise! He was taken within a few hours for a chest x-ray, where it was confirmed that his lung had a cyst in it. We were transferred in the wee hours of the morning to the main hospital for him to be monitored and prepped for a CT scan. We had to wait 26 hours for the results, and meanwhile, his respirations were remaining just a little too fast. The scan showed that his original diagnosis of CCAM (essentially a cyst) would be replaced with the diagnosis of pulmonary sequestration. The difference is that a sequestration has it's own blood feed/artery and can be more of a beast to deal with. The news was hard, but the whole time I was holding my sweet boy who was BREATHING and doing well. Praise God. We were finally discharged with a plan...Eli will be closely watched by doctors in Wichita for 2 weeks and will then head to Kansas City on October 1st to meet with a team of surgeons. He hardly ever cries and seems exhausted when he tries, which worries this mama. It's safe to say that I'm a becoming a hoverer. Elijah's name has been a beautiful reminder through this journey...Elijah--My God is Yahweh, Benjamin--Son of My right hand. His first name also carries the sweet reminder of my niece, Ellie, who passed away 4 years ago. With his middle name, he carries the legacy of his Uncle Benjamin. This little boy of ours is someone very, very special. I am in awe that Silas and I are the ones who get to keep him, raise him, laugh with him, teach him, cry over him, and shepherd him. Thank you, Father. Our God is Yahweh.