Howdy, folks! Those of you who follow me on social media have probably seen some posts about my new baby over the past couple weeks. The Little Mister came into the world at 7:52 pm on 2/2/17, weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz. And now after some R&R, I’m finally announcing his birth here on the blog! I’ve included his birth story below. We’re both doing well, if very tired, and enjoying getting to know each other…though I will admit, getting to know him involves WAY more extra laundry than I anticipated. 😉
The Birth Story
The Labor
I was 10 days overdue when my labor was induced, so we were more than ready for things to get underway. I was doing everything I could to kick start labor, but this kid was determined to stay put!
I went in for a scheduled induction at midnight on the morning of Wednesday, February 1st. Labor went slowly, with many interventions. I was on Cervidil for 10 hours, which ultimately started my contractions. Then they hooked me up to IV fluids and put me on Pitocin in an attempt to regulate the contractions. Even with the Pitocin, the contractions never reached a consistent pattern. I had times when they were 3-5 minutes apart but very mild, then constant and more intense for 5-10 minutes.
Because the contractions were inconsistent, they never actually got that bad (I never rated my pain above a 7). More than anything, it was just tedious to be in pain for so long, unable to sleep or sit comfortably. By far, the hardest part was being tethered to the bed. I had an IV in the back of my hand, two monitors strapped around my stomach, a blood pressure cuff on my left arm, and eventually an epidural in my back (mostly so I could sleep). I got so desperate to walk around, I would buzz the nurse to detach my monitors so I could hobble around with my IV every once in a while.
The Delivery
After about 30 hours of that, I was only 6 cm dilated. The baby’s heart rate was gradually beginning to drop, so the doctor recommended a c-section. I was a little sad about this, since I really wanted to deliver on my own, but the Mister and I agreed that it was the safest thing.
Then in a snap, I was prepped, wheeled into surgery, and numbed from the neck down. I remember the jovial tone in the surgical room. The doctors and nurses talked about baseball, and the anesthesiologist showed me pictures of his little girl on his phone. They hung a curtain past my neck, so I wouldn’t see the procedure (though the Mister was with me and could see everything, and he said the incision made him pretty queasy).
Through most of the procedure, I was terrified that something would go wrong—that for whatever reason, my baby would never have a first cry. So when the doctor happily shouted “it’s a boy!” and I heard that first squalling wail, I laugh-cried for three full minutes. I think the fact that the baby was a boy is extra special because I had vivid dreams all through my pregnancy about having a boy. Even though I didn’t really care what kind of baby I had, it’s neat to think that I might’ve somehow known who he was all along.
After they cleaned him up and gave him his APGAR, the Mister cut the cord, and they brought the baby around the curtain so I could see him. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was totally on top of things and snapped this picture of the Little Mister and I getting our first look at each other:
In a matter of minutes, we were in the recovery room, and I got to feed him for the first time. I was worried that I might have trouble breastfeeding because of the IV fluids and epidural, but the Little Mister nursed like a champ. In a strange way, that first feeding stands out in my memory even more than our first look. Maybe it’s because everything was quiet and still in Recovery, and my husband was there with us. I just felt like, in that moment, our little family was exactly where it needed to be.
The Aftermath
When we were discharged, it was 1:30 in the afternoon, and the weather was beautiful. I’ll never forget the Little Mister’s first time outside. Just as the nurse wheeled us out the door, we saw a lady about to enter the hospital. She was crying. When she caught sight of the Little Mister wrapped up in my arms, she said “Oh!” and smiled at him. She then explained that she was going in to say goodbye to her father, who was dying. She smiled again at the Little Mister and said, “I really needed to see this today.”
Someday, I can’t wait to tell him how the first time he stepped outside, he made the day better for the very first person he saw. 🙂
Home Base
And now we’re finally home resting up and figuring out our new normal! Even though it’s only been a little over three weeks, life before the Little Mister already feels like a long time ago. It kinda reminds me of how it felt when I first got married. Even though life was entirely different, it very quickly started to feel like it’d always been that way.
For the most part, the Little Mister sleeps and eats very well, but getting back into a schedule after having a baby is pretty tough (as evidenced by the fact that I started writing this post while I was still in the hospital, and it’s JUST NOW going up). I already miss being able to sleep through the night, but I wouldn’t trade my new snuggle bug for all the sleep in the world! 🙂
Baby Love
His little personality is already shining through. He ADORES his hands—inspecting them close to his face, splaying his fingers, sucking his fists, and laying them against his face as he nurses. In fact, we’ve only been able to put him in a half swaddle to sleep, because he gets so upset when his hands are pinned down. We can’t even put a blanket over them when he naps in his swing, otherwise he wakes and fusses.
He also loves curling himself up as small as he can and sleeping on people’s chests (getting him to sleep anywhere else has been a challenge).
And he’s curious. So curious! He can already hold his head up, which he does whenever he wants to stare out windows or into mirrors, look around his room, or look for me and the Mister whenever he hears our voices. It’s fun to watch his brow furrow like a little professor as his eyes search over everything. You can practically see the wheels in his brain turning as he tries to take it all in.
I can’t wait until he can talk, so he can tell me what’s going on in that whirring brain of his! 🙂
