Fall of 2024 we told the kids we were going to start praying for God to give us another baby. Lucy had just turned two and both Mark and I had this feeling like a fourth baby was meant for our family.
Immediately, Levi mentioned he wanted a brother and not another sister. We told him that it isn’t up to us and if he wanted a brother, he better start praying every night for God to give us a boy.
November came and went with no positive pregnancy test. My cycles were still whacky from having weaned Lucy a couple months before and getting my cycle back. December came and went with no positive pregnancy test, I remember early December feeling a little disappointed. Clearly God had put this on our heart and now He wasn’t holding up His end of the bargain.
Early January, right after the New Year, I found out I was pregnant. Again, there was God with His well timed humor which seems to be a common theme in our life. All of the kids were over the moon as they’d been asking for the sibling that we told them we were going to start praying for. Rohrich Baby number four was due in mid September, sharing a birth month with Levi.
I floated the idea of not finding out gender for this fourth baby and Mark wouldn’t have it. Early April, we found out it was a BOY!! Levi’s reaction was priceless and he later told me he had been praying every night for a brother. (Cue tears).
Having lived so much of our lives online, I decided early on to completely buck our previous experiences and not share this pregnancy online, at all. I really struggled with this decision but in the end I’m glad we kept a BIG secret.
The miracle of growing a little life never ceases to amaze me, every. single. time! God’s plan and creation of human life is amazing, truly amazing! I am grateful for a healthy pregnancy from start to finish, however this pregnancy was really hard for me. I experienced a lot of symptoms I never had with the other three (and never experienced in my life) that made those first five-ish months extremely challenging. And humbling. I experienced perinatal anxiety especially when it came to leaving our house with our three kids which I did without any issue prior to pregnancy, I experienced insomnia at nights whereas prior pregnancies I slept like the dead, and I had some pretty strong aversions to things I ate just fine prior to pregnancy.
In the end, I’m glad I didn’t feel the pressure to answer questions or give updates on “how I’m doing” online when honestly I cried at least once a week and I was just surviving most days. On top of all of that, we had a lot of life happening: family diagnosis, deaths in the family, and other difficult family dynamics that made all of what I was feeling even more difficult. The more times I walk this path, the more I realize that pregnancy (and birth) truly is a refining fire. It has a way of supremely humbling you and reminding you that you are not the one in control. Each and every pregnancy has taught me lessons and has refined my own selfishness and pride in different ways, but more importantly has brought me closer to God as I recognize that none of this is possible without Him.
Thankfully by June and July I was feeling back to myself a lot more. The kids and I enjoyed a glorious summer gardening, we soaked up every moment when Mark was home, the kids and I took a trip to California for my 20 year class reunion, we managed a summer family vacation in the Black Hills, and took a couple weekend outings as a family before it was time for baby boy to join us in September. We also wrapped up a later than usual wheat harvest before baby boy was due, which is always a concern when you have a September baby.
It was fun to walk the bigger kids through this pregnancy. The excitement of them feeling him kick especially in the evenings while I read them books before bed will be a core memory for them. There were also A LOT of homeschool lessons from anatomy to theology in this pregnancy.
After my first homebirth with Lucy, I knew with one hundred percent certainty that I wanted to do that again with this baby and if I could, wanted the same birth team with me. I was so grateful that both parties, my midwife and our photographer, both agreed to walk alongside our family again for this pregnancy.
Coming into September, I felt good about giving birth again. I was much more prepared this go around as I knew what to expect and what we would need and use after Lucy. But I also carried a little bit of doubt, especially after my experience with Lucy needing some assistance coming out. I remember the sheer intensity of it all and to walk through that again intimidated me a little bit. I talked through this with both my midwife, but more importantly God and especially asked for the intercession of Jesus’ blessed mother Mary under the title Our Lady Undoer of Knots.
The week I went into labor, Monday I had a chiropractor appointment where she was going to do the Webster technique in hopes of giving baby boy a little more room and turning him into position versus being what we guessed was transverse (like Lucy). I woke up that morning feeling exhausted, having random contractions, and just knew labor was coming soon. I told both Mark and my midwife that morning I didn’t think I would go into labor that day, but that they both likely had 2-3 days before I did. Turns out, I probably should trust my intuition more because 2 days later, I went into labor.
I woke up Wednesday, September 17th (four days before my due date) around 2:30 AM with THE contractions. I had done this enough, I knew these were the ones. I went back to sleep on and off until around 4 AM when it no longer felt good to lie down/be in bed. Mark woke up to me stirring and I told him today is the day, but to go back to sleep. If this birth was going to progress like Lucy and the rest of my kids’ births, we had time.
I sent a message to both my midwife and our photographer at 5:30 AM, letting them know this was it but not to rush. Mark got up at his usual time at 6 AM. And at 6:30 AM, Lucy woke up and I laid down with her to get her to hopefully sleep a little while longer. I didn’t make it long in bed, it was so uncomfortable laying down. I was really having to breathe through contractions and they were really ramping up in intensity.
Around that time, Mark came in to tell me he was going to run to the store. I remember being worried and asking him how long he was going to be gone. He said 30-45 minutes. Shortly after, I got up and made it out to the kitchen to get myself some food. I knew I needed hydration and sustenance if I was going to be birthing a baby and I hadn’t had anything to eat yet for the morning. I managed a protein bar and a couple slices of apple before I wanted to retreat into my bathroom.
Similar to Lucy, I instinctively wanted to be on the toilet, which proved to be a good call because I was losing my plug at a very rapid rate. I went between the toilet and leaning over a stool in our bathroom until Mark got back. By that time, I was feeling the need to vocalize through contractions and I told Mark I thought I needed to get into the bathtub. He helped start the bath and get me in. I also told him to call my midwife and see where she was because I quote: “this baby is coming before noon”. It was 8:45 when he made the call. Our midwife was 40 miles out.
My mother in law arrived around that time. After Mark helped me get in the tub, his mom helped him get the kids breakfast and get dressed. We had discussions in days and weeks prior regarding if any of our kids wanted to be present or should be present when we had the baby, the kids all decided they wanted to be there right after he came out but weren’t sure they wanted to be there for the actual birth as I’m one who tends to roar my babies out. Ha!
A family friend of ours got the kids around 9 AM and took them to the park. Mark and his mom came in to attend to me and by that time I was deep in labor land. In my mind, I knew that any tension or clenching of my body or vocals wasn’t productive so I kept to a deep low moan with my face as relaxed as I could get it. My contraction pattern was really wild to experience. I would have a handful of contractions of moderate intensity and then one that was off the charts where I could literally feel baby descend more and more.
Mark grew more and more nervous as time went on and my midwife still wasn’t here. He’s walked through (now) four births with me, he knows when baby is ready to be born. And he knew baby boy was coming whether the midwife was here or not, there was no stopping it. A few times I reached down and literally could feel his head (and the sack) starting to bulge. When my midwife arrived, my mother in law ran out to get her. My midwife literally walked in, knelt down by the tub, and caught baby’s head. We waited for another contraction, gave another push, and he was born.
Luke David joined us at 9:17 AM in the most shockingly precipitous birth I’ve experienced yet but also the most beautifully redemptive birth after the hiccups we experienced with Lucy.
Immediately after he came out and we freed him of the cord and laid him on my chest, I told Mark to call the kids. They came and got to meet their brother while I was still in the tub and right after he had been born. Around 9:30 AM our photographer arrived, unfortunately missing his birth, but she jumped right in capturing those first moments of us all together.
We basked in those first moments — all of us together just gazing at little Luke while I was in the tub. Around 10 AM my midwife had me get out of the tub to help encourage my placenta out and Mark cut Luke’s cord. I moved to our bed and immediately latched Luke on and let him eat for a while. We also FaceTimed my parents as they weren’t due in to North Dakota for another three days. I am so bummed they weren’t here for his birth, but Luke clearly wasn’t waiting for anyone.
Once he was full and into that deep newborn sleep, I handed him off and took the glorious first post partum shower while everyone took turns holding Luke. And then my midwife did her full newborn examination on Luke including officially weighing and measuring him. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 20 inches long.
After that, she tucked us both into bed for the afternoon. Mark and his mom made us a lovely supper in bed and all of the kids periodically visited Luke and I for the rest of the evening. We were all just so shocked he was here and couldn’t help just staring at him.
Every moment with him and the older kids is just so special. He is not short on love, constantly has little humans fighting over holding him, and he can always find someone to entertain him. He just turned three months in December and begun to smile and laugh, he charms us all endlessly. We celebrated his first Christmas and doing all of the traditions with him has been so fun and nostalgic — four babies who have worn the same Christmas sleepers and four babies I’ve nursed in the glow of our Christmas tree lights.
We are still so filled with gratitude and so much joy over adding Luke to our family. My ability to carry these babies, bring them into the world, and care for them as they grow is truly by God’s grace. And every single one of them is a gift straight from Him.
Welcome to the family, Luke! You are truly the perfect fourth addition.
