Justin was great to post below about our sweet baby boy so soon. If I would have had to do it then it wouldn't be getting done until now...two weeks later! But I thought I would make a record of how our adorable baby came into our family. *Sorry if this has too much detail but I wanted to make sure I recorded the details of delivering of our first baby*
Friday, June 17th (my due date), my parents were in town. We went (along with my sister and her kids) to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point with the dual purpose of taking my mind off the fact it was my due date and to walk around ... a lot. It was fun seeing my niece and nephew be so intrigued by the exhibits there. Afterward that we went out to lunch then back to my apartment until Justin came home. We all went to the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days fair that evening. That was fun! I love our small town and the unique feeling it has. Although I had some contractions that day/night, they weren't long-lasting. I was surprisingly okay with the fact I didn't go into labor on my due date.
Saturday was another story. Justin and I woke up early and walked to our garden behind our church (pretty good distance to walk). I think we did some general errands then my parents came down in the evening. We went out to dinner then came home. I was having more intense and consistent contractions Saturday afternoon into evening. I had my parents go back to my sister's so Justin and I could go to the hospital. This would be the time to confess that I was incredibly impatient. I wanted to have our baby so badly that I am sure I convinced myself I was in labor. Now convincing Justin that it was time to go to the hospital was not nearly as easy as convincing myself! I had an inkling that if we went we would be sent home but I just had to go. I was put in a triage room and monitored for an hour. The contractions were very consistent and intense. I went in dilated at a two and after half an hour I was maybe a 2 1/2. So the nurse had me walk around the hospital for another hour. Good thing it was late at night because I had to walk around in the lovely hospital gowns. Even though it was 10pm or so I still ran into someone I knew...what are the odds?! After walking around I was monitored again, no change. The nurse called my doctor that was on call and they suggested I just go home, after taking some pain killers, and rest through the night. Slightly bummed but not surprised, we did just that. I was able to sleep through the night and the contractions seemed to dissipate by morning.
Sunday, Father's day, June 19th. I had attended church the previous Sunday (all 3 hours) and was quite miserable sitting the whole time. I had thought it would be my last Sunday for a few weeks..but nope! I decided to attend Sacrament meeting, which started at 10:20am. It was drizzling that morning but the contractions were back in full force so even though Justin dropped me off at the church doors, I couldn't walk fast enough to avoid getting rained on. By the time I found the closest seat in the chapel, I was out of breath and in pain! A sister on the compassionate service committee has been checking up on my through the pregnancy and came up and said she was surprised to see me there. I responded with, "Yeah, I think I'm in labor now". lol. She was shocked and said if I needed it she had a blanket in the car. Yikes! I didn't intend on having our baby at church! We began timing my contractions once church started. This entailed me squirming around in my seat trying to get comfortable, with my arm around Justin's shoulder. Whenever a contraction would begin I would start digging my nails into his shoulder, harder and harder to match the pain I was feeling (poor Justin). He knew that was his cue and pressed start on his phone's stopwatch. The contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and very painful! A friend in the ward came by to check on me during the meeting and I just fell apart. She had a baby just a few months ago so the labor experience was fresh on her mind. I told her I was in so much pain but didn't know if I should go back to the hospital yet. She said I absolutely needed to go and right then. Justin saw me crying so we left and came back home. I sat on my yoga ball for a while through the contractions, Justin would rub my back, but no matter what the pain was nearly unbearable. This time I wasn't convinced it was time to go to the hospital but Justin really wanted to go. I finally conceded and we left at 12:30 for the hospital.
When we got to the hospital the admitting nurse for labor and delivery took me into a triage room and I got in one of the lovely gowns again. She said something shocking though... she told me they weren't going to hook me up to the monitors in that room, that she could tell I was in labor so they were going ahead and admitting me. She said she would have an epidural ready for me soon. I was totally surprised...she hadn't even checked me yet but is offering an epidural?! I guess between the look of pure torture on my face and the fact I was two days past due was enough to convince her that it was time. We were put in our delivery room and my family made their way down from South Jordan to keep up company. About an hour after being in the room the anesthesiologist (Brian, the best person in the world at the time) came in an administered the epidural. This was the first hurdle of the labor process that I knew I was going to face. I have this strange issue with my spine...just don't touch it and we can be best friends. If you touch it I get really bugged/grossed out/uncomfortable. So how will it be getting a huge needle in my spine, hunched over, so each vertebrae is sticking out big time...?! I still get queasy at the thought. But it really wasn't a bad process at all. I felt the pinch from needle that gave me the numbing medicine then I felt the pressure in my spine from the actual epidural but it wasn't painful from what I can remember. At first the numb sensation only was felt through my left leg. So they had my roll on my right side for gravity to help the medicine and soon enough the contractions were no longer being felt at all! It was a great epidural though, just enough so I didn't feel the pain but I could still move my toes and legs. I could also feel pressure when my legs were touched. My heart rate did decrease slightly after the epidural was given, which isn't all that uncommon. Caleb's heart rate likewise decreased down to the 90's (should be between 110-160 if I remember correctly). It wasn't a huge issue but they still had me put on an oxygen mask. Soon his heart rate was up in the target range again.
After the epidural they popped my water and monitored my progress. Soon after they gave me pitocin to induce labor. I was checked periodically throughout the rest of the afternoon into the evening. My family was all in the room visiting so the time when by quickly. By 8:30 when I was checked I was at 9 cm dilated and was told we would start pushing at 9:30. It was actually around 9:45 when I started pushing. (Justin and I hadn't attended any prenatal classes, we tried to but it was canceled, so we watched some videos. The videos didn't prepare us on how the actual delivery process would be, how to push etc, so we just did what the nurse told us to). Which was weird in of itself, all of a sudden the nurse said with your next contraction, hold your legs and bear down... I was taken off guard... is this it really? Is this the beginning of the pushing? It seemed too casual to be the start of such a monumental event. This started the second hurdle... and this hurdle I was absolutely not prepared for! I had no idea how intense the process would be. For the first hour or so (really I had no concept of time) Caleb's head was turned to the side, which made it nearly impossible to get where it needed to be. With one good push though his head was turned face down and he was in position to be born. Unfortunately it still took a long time after that. By the last 45 minutes (I'm guessing) I was completely worn out. I kept hearing positive comments from Justin and the nurse and expecting Caleb to be born any minute but push after push and no baby made it so I began losing hope. I really didn't think Caleb was going to make his appearance. The doctor finally came in, which meant things were really getting close, but it still took a while after that. All I can say is that when he finally was born I was completely relieved but also completely wiped out. I wished I had had more energy so I could have really soaked up my sweet baby and enjoyed my first time holding him. Since there meconium in my amniotic fluid, they whisked Caleb off to the baby bed and began sucking the meconium out of his lungs. He had a very healthy cry and was weighed in at 8 lb 2 oz and 19 inches long. He was officially born at 12:24 am...just shy of Father's Day. But it still makes for a good first Father's Day for Justin I think.
After delivery they took Caleb down to the nursery for his bath and a few tests and Justin went with him. I was wheeled down to our room on the mother & baby floor. I was so tired I hardly remember anything after Caleb was born. Monday was likewise a blur, after having gotten hardly any sleep and still being extremely fatigued. By Tuesday I was feeling better and really enjoying my time with Caleb. I felt an immediate bond with him and mothering instincts seemed pretty innate. I usually am not super comfortable handling newborns (they break easy right??) but with Caleb there wasn't any hesitancy, he was our baby and he is perfect!
The time in the hospital was nice but it was great getting home and being in a normal environment. I am so thankful my mom was out here...having the care of a newborn be in your hands solely is a scary thing at first. I was a worried mess the first night Caleb slept in his pack n' play by our bed.. is he breathing? Is he comfortable? What do I do if...? I'm relieved to say that I have gotten much more comfortable with the nighttime routine.
That's another thing about being a mom... I am surprised how quickly I can read Caleb. I know his hungry cry, his tired cry, his funny faces and movements and when something is okay or not. I know the sounds of his different breathing routines and all of this has made me a much less worried mom. He is eating great and he is definitely not having any problems with going potty (yesh, the diaper usage!), he sleeps great at night and has already developed a very consistent nighttime routine (eat at 9:30, 1:45, and 4:45). Unfortunately he doesn't do down very well after the 4:45 feeding so that makes for little sleep for both me and him.
At first recovery was hard, I could barely walk, even when I was home. Then it was the energy level, where in the world did all my energy go?! I'm thrilled to say the human body has an incredible bounce-back time frame and at 2 weeks I feel like myself (assuming I get my daily nap in :-) ). The hardest part right now is after his early morning feeding when I see the sun coming up and realize that my chances for more sleep are dwindling by each minute that passes. I almost need the nights to be longer so I have more opportunities to sleep. I think I average about 5 hours a night. But it really isn't that bad..again, assuming I get a nap at least every other day.
Justin has been so incredible with Caleb...and me and my emotions lol. Justin used to make frequent comments about kids/babies that made me a little nervous about how well he would be able to handle Caleb but I am seeing a completely different side of him. I try to make it so he doesn't get up much during the night with Caleb but if I do need him to get up he doesn't hesitate. He does a much better job at getting Caleb to sleep than I do. I love seeing Justin and Caleb together, especially since Caleb looks so much like Justin. It is so cute to see Caleb's eyes look up at me and know that they are Justin's-shaped eyes. I still can't believe that we made this beautiful little babe.
My overall thoughts at this time.. it is getting better and better everyday. Having a newborn and recovering at the same time was not easy. But having Caleb in our lives is the sweetest blessing.
He is such a sweet baby and so perfect...dirty diapers and all. I love watching him, either awake or asleep, he is so precious. I want to post more pictures soon, its crazy how much he has changed since birth. He gets cuter every day and more filled out too, he is up to 8 lb 8 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. (39th percentile for height and weight). I sure hope he has his dad's height and not mine! We love our sweet baby boy!
