Enough of the whining, let's get to the good stuff...

Jonathan's Birth Story:

On Wednesday, September 24th, 2008, I woke up a little after 2am with a contraction. We had scheduled an induction for that very morning at 7:30am, and I had been hoping and praying that our baby boy would decide to come on his own before that. So with that first contraction, I didn't know if it was wishful thinking or if something was really happening. I laid in bed for a while, waiting, and then I felt another contraction. So I decided to get up and walk around a little bit, to see what happened. The contractions kept coming, first 10 minutes apart, then quickly to 6 minutes apart. They started to get more painful, and that's when I tapped my sleeping husband on the shoulder and said, "Honey, I'm in labor." He said, "Really? Okay." He got out of bed, grabbed the book on childbirth, and began reading. :) I went to take a shower, hoping to be ready for the hospital. I had 4 contractions during my very short shower, so I knew things were happening quickly. When I got out, Gary started timing the contractions and giving me a back massage through each one. The contractions very quickly went to 3-4 minutes apart, and Gary said, "We gotta get out of here!" Gary's parents were already staying with us to watch Lauren, so we got in the car and made the 20 minute painful trip to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital about 4am, were taken to a labor and delivery room, and were told by the nurse that they were very busy and we may be sent home for a while. Thankfully, she checked my progress first, discovered I was already 6 cm dilated, and told us to settle in. The contractions came fast and VERY painful at that point, with almost no break between them. Very quickly, I was begging for an epidural during each one. Things had happened so fast that they weren't ready to give me the epidural yet, and I tried to endure each contraction. I remember thinking during some of them that I thought I would pass out from the pain. (Then I remember wishing I would pass out during some of them!) I finally asked if there was anything else I could take while we waited for the epidural, and the nurse gave me some Stadol. It took the edge off, but I was still so relieved when that epidural came at about 6am.

I was able to relax after that, and my doctor arrived soon to break my water. She said I was already 9 cm when I got the epidural, but I went back down to 7 cm after my water broke. (Apparently the bag of water was holding my cervix open.) I continued to relax, feeling lots of pressure but little pain during each contraction. Finally, a little before 9:30am, the nurse checked me again and said the head was almost crowning. She told me not to push until the doctor got there, which thankfully was not long. I began pushing at 9:27am, and our beautiful baby boy was born at 9:36am--just 9 minutes later!

Jonathan had some problems breathing during those first few minutes of life, and they called in some nurses from the NICU. Both Gary and I were so worried that he would be taken away and that something would be wrong, but they quickly helped him get the fluid out of his lungs and he was fine, crying away. We had several minutes to hold and admire him before they cleaned him up, weighed, and measured him. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 5 oz, and measured 21 inches long. My big boy!

Our families were soon able to come in and join us, and Lauren met her baby brother for the first time. I was so thrilled that the labor and delivery were over and I could spend the rest of the day enjoying my beautiful baby boy.

Four days later, as I write this, Jonathan continues to thrive. He nurses well, eats a lot, and sleeps much of the time. I love just sitting and staring at him, thanking God for this amazing gift. He is one of my greatest blessings and I couldn't be more in love!