Jenna's Birth

My daughter Jenna's birth happened so fast it's still hard to believe. Even the second time was just as much of a miracle, spectacle, joy & gift as was with the birth of my son Matthew. After a miscarriage last year, we were blessed with our daughter on Wednesday April 15, 1998 @ 2:57am. She arrived 5 days late, but the labour was real quick! On Tuesday night, at around 11pm, my wife Chiara felt pain yet she couldn't distinguish contractions from gas cramps that she experienced throughout the pregnancy. At 12, she woke me up to tell me that they were definitely contractions, about 8 minutes apart. I got dressed and packed the car as fast as I could. Got to the hospital in 10 minutes (normally a 20 min drive!) by running several red lights. Chiara was checked in at 1am, by which time she was already 6cm dialated. The nurses broke the water and from then on, everything happened so fast. The nurses were literally calling the doctor on the phone trying to get him to hurry since Jenna's head was coming out so fast. When she was born, I didn't know that she was a girl since I burst into tears right away. Never before have I been so overcome by emotion. With Matthew, I never cried, I was just so happy, yet this time around I guess the heartache from the miscarriage just poured out. I am so thankful to God for everything I have today. A wonderful 5 year old son, a beautiful newborn girl, and a simply fantastic wife! This is true wealth!!!