Baby was due August 22, and we left California in June. It all happened pretty fast, but we decided it was insane to drive the whole family across the country, and I wouldn’t be allowed to fly after a certain point. So, I flew in late June with Ruth, Mercy, a big pregnant belly, and the kindness of strangers. John and Gemma planned their epic road trip to bring the van home and we met up in NY after maybe 10 days, in time for the big Burchett July 4th picnic. I got pampered by my mother while we waited for them!
After July 4th, we all drove down to NC together and started the GIANT task of moving back into our house. Most of our stuff was still there, but we brought more stuff back with us from CA, so we had to sort, downsize, get everyone adjusted to living in a different house with different friends in a different state, and get ready for Susanna to be born!
It was during this period that we decided on her name! I have vivid pregnancy dreams, and one night back in California I had dreamed that I gave birth to a RABBIT named Providence. I thought it was so funny that I shared this story with our pastor’s wife, Sue, and she laughed along with me and said she liked the name. That was when I remembered that our church was also named Providence. When the ladies had a farewell baby shower for us a few weeks later, they put a furry white rabbit on the table as a joke and said that it was Providence.
Well, after that we decided we had to name our baby Providence to honor the people who had meant so much to us in that California season. It was also so very clear that God in His providence was at work in our live directing the job changes, the doctor changes which had been so significant for Ruthie, all the moving about, and even Susu’s very existence. We hadn’t planned her but He had.
We also liked the old-fashioned, Puritan kind of sound to Providence, but we didn’t want to give her a first name that was too weird. We settled on Susanna mostly because it fit with the theme of honoring our California church, with three Sues among their tiny gathering. We also liked the rhythm of the two names together and thought that it sounded classic enough to go with our other girls’ names.
It was also during this time that we got our birth team together, and the way that happened was neat. With all my other babies, our birth team was John + whichever midwife and nurse were on call. John is a great birth partner and all our births have been good, but there had been hard moments when he had to step away. I dreamed of having a doula, and wouldn’t a birth photographer be amazing? We’re pretty frugal, though, and some people pay thousands of dollars for this kind of birth support. Our hospital has a volunteer doula program for women who show up to the hospital and want to try an unmedicated birth. We considered that. We also considered my college friend, Johannah, who is a doula and is settled very near us in NC.
Johannah and I hadn’t talked in a while, but I’m so thankful that we reconnected! Connecting with people was a lesson we learned from our time in California and I’m so glad we did. You don’t know how long you have our how life will change—don’t put it off! Johannah was enthusiastic about helping with our birth. She did have a family vacation planned for the week after our due date which she was not willing to miss, so she couldn’t guarantee her presence. Normally that peace of mind is an important part of hiring a doula, but we were willing to work with her schedule and miss having her there if the baby was late. Johannah graciously offered only to charge us half-price for attending our birth. If she couldn’t be there, we had the option of the volunteer doulas as back-up.
We also contacted Abi of artismad.com to see if she’d be interested in shooting our birth. She is a long-time family friend with a photography side business, and she also said yes—if possible! Our due date was her first day of law school.
At this point I was 35-36 weeks pregnant and just couldn’t believe how nicely things were coming together. Because of Johannah’s and Abi’s schedules, we were hopeful that baby would come early, and I was pretty confident that she would. Mercy had been born 10 days before her due date—so early that I had been caught off guard. Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I enjoyed shopping for my labor bag and hospital stay and got them all ready in plenty of time. Nesting is such a sweet experience. The waiting, the hoping—the never knowing when it will be.
On the other hand, my mom was flying into town on my due date. Naturally, we wanted to maximize our time with her and make the most of her help. If baby waited until she came, it would be a blessing to the older girls to have Grammy there during my hospital stay. We had two friends on call as backup babysitters—Becca and Lolly Wright. It touches me to remember this, as Lolly is now with the Lord.
By 38 weeks, I went to bed every night thinking “this might be it!” And by 39.5, I was already feeling overdue. Once again, the Lord trumped my plans with His greater ones.
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