birth story

i always wondered what SAHMs did all day long, especially with "just" a newborn baby. now i know. i think 70% of my day is spent either trying to get the little guy to eat, feeding him, or cleaning up from feeding him. the other part is spent sleeping or rocking a baby. okay so i'm exaggerating...it's been nice having my mom and b around all week to hang out with, but i'm off my regular activity schedule. sorry for the delay -- without further ado, here's how it all went down:

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sunday july 11 i woke up with kind of a crampy stomach, but didn't think much of it seeing as how i was already 8 days overdue and not willing to jump the gun on any labor hints. i still hadn't had any of the alleged physical signs that i'd be going into labor soon so i figured i still had a while to go, even though this mysterious cramping continued every five to ten minutes throughout the day.

we went to church and lost count of how many people said "no baby yet??" we came home and my mom and i cooked dinner for the three of us + the in laws. i didn't eat a ton, which ended up being a smart move. everyone stayed to chat for a looong time and i was feeling really tired, so i was relieved when everyone left and we could chill for a little while.

since the next day was my birthday, we made plans for the day assuming there'd still be no baby. my mom was going to make my favorite chocolate chip scones for breakfast and we had massage appointments at noon. and of course, i had a doctor's appointment in the morning and a potential appointment to start induction that night, but i didn't really want to induce so i was thinking of cancelling and waiting for the baby to come on his own.

b and i were watching seinfeld in bed around 11 p.m., and i decided to go to sleep. like five seconds later my ongoing cramps, which had been present all day, suddenly started hurting a LOT more. i said "i don't think i'm going to be getting much sleep tonight" -- ha, famous last words -- and we got the laptop and started timing it: about five minutes apart and a minute long, which is what my doctor said to look for in "real" labor. but, according to him, they needed to do this for one hour consistently before i came to the hospital so i settled in to wait it out.

b eventually went to sleep and i kept timing contractions on this lovely website, as they hurt more and got slightly closer together. at 2 a.m. i called my doctor's office to get advice on when to come in. i DID NOT want to get there and be sent home. the doctor on call said it sounded like i could still wait it out at home for a bit because my voice didn't sound strained enough. haha. FINE. after that the contractions came every three minutes and lasted at least a minute -- and they HURT. i breathed through each one and squeezed b's hand + our headboard every time one came on.

at 5 a.m. i couldn't take the bed anymore so i got up and started getting ready. i still wanted to labor at home as much as possible, so my mom and b got up too and we watched the beginning of the burbs [a fantastic although not necessarily effective distraction] while i suffered through more contractions. at 6 i called the doctor again and she said i definitely sounded more ready, plus since i was so overdue there was no way they'd send me home. hooray! b packed up the car and just as we were getting ready to leave i lost my mucous plug. [gross, sorry.] yay -- it was for real!

so after 7 hours of laboring on my own at home we got to the hospital at 630. the nurses took a look at me and said "this is the real deal" so i got to skip triage and go right into labor & delivery room #9 -- i was dilated to a 4! after all the contractions i was feeling sick and tired and i HURT, so i told them i was ready for an epidural.

the anesthesiologist had me all set up by 8 a.m. and i loooooved it. i got a walking epidural, meaning it was less dosage so i could still move & feel my whole lower body -- BUT not the pain. all i felt were kind of tingling in my legs, and some pressure during contractions. i was a happy camper after that. when my mom -- who had been telling me to buck up and do a natural childbirth for the past nine months -- came in afterward and saw me smiling and talking, even she had to admit the epidural was fantastic. that helped my body calm down and i was at a 7 within the next hour or so.

at 11 a.m. everything was ready to go. my fabulous nurse had me do a couple practice pushes, and at 11:15 my doctor came in and we started the serious business. it was hard work but everything was fine until he was almost out -- then i saw the doc grab the scissors for an episiotomy and my concentration was shot. i was really hoping to NOT get one of those so i think it freaked me out a little, plus those last few pushes hurt extra bad so i was crying pretty hard at the end. and then it was over and the doctor pulled out this tiny pink boy with dark hair! i couldn't believe he had come out of me -- all 8 lbs 6 oz of him. when they weighed him, b said "yeah! nice job babe! eight pounds, he'll be a football player for sure." haha.

and that was it! 13 hours of active labor -- not too bad. i got stitched up and the baby got clean and we all got to rest. our hospital stay was amazing -- that will be another post -- and now we're home with little jack. we'd decided on the name jack a long time ago, but had seriously struggled with a middle name for months -- then finally decided on parker, the city we are randomly living in during this also-random summer internship so he can always remember he is a colorado resident. plus parker is just a cute name anyway. i also hadn't wanted to share my birthday with him, but now i can definitely say he is the best birthday present i ever got. although he now owes me a massage ;)

sometimes i feel like i am just babysitting someone else's kid, but most of the time it is so fun to have jack here and know that he is ours. i was never really a newborn-loving person -- i prefer babies that can smile and interact -- but this baby is seriously cute. i guess i can handle having him around :)