We are excited and overjoyed to announce the arrival of our son Traverse Ethan Moody.  Born at home on 5/22 at 11:43pm.  We were surrounded by our family and assisted by Heather and Lindsay our midwife and assistant.  Here is an excerpt from Meagen’s journal describing the day.

“Early Tuesday morning, May 22^nd, I woke up with occasional cramping, thinking that last nights chocolate party wacked out my stomach.  But when it didn’t let up by dawn I felt that it was time for baby to come.  This was the day!  At 6am I called my cousin Heather (our midwife) and told her “baby wants to come out”.  She arrived with her assistants around 10am.  My contractions hadn’t changed and I was still feeling good.  I gave them a tour of the farm.  They loved the baby goats!  They decided to head out for a break and get lunch and see the River.  Just dad and I were around for the afternoon.  I prepped the room for the birth and took Joplin and Lou-Lou for one last walk (for a while).  At 5pm everyone showed up.  Chad came home from work and Heather returned.  My contractions were increasing and it felt good to bounce on my inflatable exercise ball and hear people talk to distract me from the pain.  At 6pm I got in the bath which was really comforting.  I watched as the sky grew darker and the pine trees swayed in the wind.  The scene was peaceful and I thought “it is nice to be home in the woods”.  My contractions were now just 1-2 minutes apart and became much stronger.  I moved back to the bed and my sister and dad rubbed my feet and legs while Chad put pressure on my aching back, and helped me get through the pain.  My family and Heather said comforting things and reality came in waves while their conversations and the music spun like fog around my head. I wondered how much longer!  Then my body began pushing the baby.  It was an incredibly weird and painful feeling, but I tried my best to accept it and surrender to my body’s hard work.  They moved me back to the tub where I would stay until the baby was born.  The pushing became more intense and the whole family gathered around to encourage the birth.  I felt so much pressure, like I was letting the whole world out of my body!  The excitement and anticipation began to grow.  The pain became a lot different.  With four more pushes there was a moment too mysterious and amazing to describe.  Then I heard Heather say “Meagen, pull up your baby”.  At 11:43pm, Traverse Ethan Moody was laid on my chest and began his journey in this big world….”

After Traverse was born he was checked out and weighed, Meagen was assisted to the toilet where she passed out.  We didn’t realize that Meagen was suffering a post-partum hemorrhage due to a clot that was not letting the uterus clamp down properly.  Before the EMTs arrived, Heather had Meagen stabilized and her vitals back in order.  The following day around 12pm a shot of pain from her uterus sent her body back into shock with an erratic heartbeat and high blood pressure.  Leaving Traverse at home we rushed to the ER in Goldendale where we found out that Meagen was dehydrated and had a low blood count.  They also did an ultra-sound on the uterus to make sure it was clear of fragments and clamped down properly.  We were released at 6pm to go home and enjoy our first days as a family!

For our friends who live in the community we are arranging a meal plan for the next 2-3 weeks.  The details are below.  For those who live far away and would like to send a card, gift, encouragement, etc (I think there may be a few things on our registry at Amazon.com) you can reach us at:

845 Hanna Rd

Goldendale, WA 98620

509-250-1514

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Thank you for your support and willingness to help us!  With Meagen losing excessive blood due to a post-partum hemorrhage we are asking for foods high in iron (red meat, fish, greens, etc.) so that she can continue to get her blood count back to healthy levels.  We don’t eat pork or seafood without scales and fins.  Also meals that can be frozen and cooked when needed would be great.  Any snacks that Meagen could munch on during the day and nights would be helpful.  Granola Bars, chips, raisins, yogurt, cereal, juices, etc.  We are anticipating at least 2 weeks or more before Meagen can regain strength.  To schedule a day to bring us a meal call Chad @ 509-250-1514 or email us at moodymusic@moodymusicnotes.com. Thank you for your help.