Rewind a bit to February 2014. Joy and excitement filled our hearts as we saw the pregnancy test turn positive for baby number three. Our minds immediately also began spinning. Oh wow. This is real. Our baby is going to be born in Mexico. MEXICO. Can we do this? What will it be like? Will it be anything like North Carolina?
As we started thinking and processing what was ahead, the first thing we did was start praying. We had heard so many horror stories from people about crazy things they had experienced during labor in Mexico, so we knew this journey needed to begin and continue on our knees.
We prayed specifically for certain desires that we had about labor and delivery. We asked Him to take away any fears and replace them with peace, and we also prayed for constant reassurance that He is the bringer of life and He does it in His perfect way, no matter where we are living.
Fast forward 9 months. November 6, 2014. Three days after my due date. My mom had been in Puerto already for a few days helping us. My dad had flown in that night. We had just finished eating dinner together, chatting about our plans for the next day, and my parents had gone home to the house they were staying at. Two hours later, I was in labor.
The sequence of events that transpired in the next 10 hours couldn’t have looked any more different than my experience giving birth in North Carolina. Nothing was the same. Down to every detail.
Casey (my hubby) and I pile in our truck for a quick 7-minute bumpy Mexican ride from our house to the ‘hospital.’ We arrive and the ‘hospital’ door is locked (what?), so we have to bang and yell until the guard appears and opens the gate. A lady takes us back to a private room (just for the record, I’m 9 months pregnant, huge, and in LABOR) and she asks what I’m here for and starts checking my throat. My throat?! At this point, I’m starting to panic a little bit. Wait, can I really have a baby in this place? What were we thinking?
She then figures it out (thank you!), and leads us upstairs to a big open room with lots of beds. No one else was there, only me and Casey. She gives me a gown and tells me that this room is where I’ll labor. A young doctor shows up that was on call (not the one who will deliver) and starts talking casually to us, telling us to relax as much as possible.
They never hook me up to any machines. No contraction monitors. I’m timing my own contractions on my iPhone. My iPhone tells me they’re 3 minutes apart. The doctor takes a quick break, and I hear my husband start laughing as he sees the doctor sitting in the corner snacking on tacos and a coke. Only in Mexico.
I am fully dilated and ready to push. The doctor on call and Casey help me walk to a private room about 20 steps away where I will deliver. I almost cry tears of joy when I spot the small air conditioning unit in the corner of the room. Thank you, Jesus! And on cue, our real doctor walks in, as calmly as ever, and says, “Ok, es tiempo para el bebe.” And 3 pushes later, our sweet Adelyn (Adelina) Grace was born.
Everything following the birth was different as well. My recovery room had no AC, so it is about 90 degrees. They tell me I can’t open any windows because sweet baby Addie will freeze to death. Remember, I had just given birth. I tell my husband, “Open a window now!” They bring me a hospital meal – enchiladas verdes with rice and beans. They rush to get me out of the hospital as soon as possible so they can have another free room. We were only there a total of 10 hours from start to finish.
Everything was different. Nothing was the same.
Except God. God was faithful. God was there. God showed up. Just like He did with our previous 2 babies. God answered every prayer we prayed. From letting us have a safe and healthy delivery, to our doctor respecting our natural wishes, to having someone on call who spoke perfect English. Every request whispered, big and small, He answered.
Every time we reflect back on this experience of having our first little Mexicana, we wouldn’t change a thing. We were given many funny stories to share and a new experience like no other. Our sweet, healthy, baby girl. God’s perfect faithfulness and goodness put on display for all to see.
Megan Herring founded Global Education Ministries along with her husband, Casey, in 2011. She has lived in Puerto Escondido for almost 3 years now since the foundation of GEM’s first school, “Manantial.” Meg loves cookies, adventures on the beach and being Momma for her 3 precious kiddos!