jackson robert was born 3 weeks early, friday, march 11, 2011 at 1022 am. he was 18 inches long, 6 pounds 2.7 ounces and is absolutely perfect. i never knew love could happen so fast, to someone so tiny. i never knew i could love my husband more and more.
thursday morning around 730 i started having contractions. B went to work and was planning on coming home around lunch to stay with me but my contractions were extremely irregular and far apart so he instead worked a full day. since it's three weeks earlier than planned, he had a lot to wrap up at work and i was even supposed to start my maternity leave until monday march, 14th. i spent the day cleaning, nesting, do what i could to get ready for my baby to come. around 3pm my contractions stopped and i felt a little sad. so, i took a nap (smart, right?). i woke up a few hours later when B got home from work (the poor guy had had a long day at work on edge with this labor process) and we went to nap. and the contractions started again and the excitement came back. i had a few things we needed (like paper plates so we didnt have to do dishes when jack got here...) and went to walmart and jamba juice (a craving i had often while pregnant) while i was having contractions...which were becoming more regular.
we got home. made stuffed portabello mushrooms. watched tv. contractions became a little closer. we lay down. B slept about a half hour or so, while in between contractions, which at this point were about 8 minutes apart, i got about 16 minutes of rest and woke up with a real strong contraction. a few minutes later, laying in bed, my water broke. 11pm. strangest feeling. and then it hit me. hard. much harder than the false labor the following sunday. i felt like everything wanted to come out of me. woke up B. called labor and delivery. took a shower. contractions were close together, only a few minutes apart. gathered items for the bag which was pretty much packed already. and off we went. it was midnight.
this time i couldnt walk. we pulled up and security brought us a wheelchair. we didnt need to check in this time, they sent us right thru. i have never felt pain like this. they admitted me at 3-4 inches dilated and fully effaced. the contractions were close. the midwife actually suggested the epiderial to me based on how i was (or wasnt) handling the pain, i had planned on it anyway (knowing i handle pain badly). around 115 the epiderial was in, and it hurt less than the iv the nurse put in. the anesthesiologist was awesome, very informative, funny, and great at his job. after that the pain was almost not even there. two of my best friends came down to hang with us, liz and monique. i always thought i didnt want anyone in the labor and delivery room but they were great distractions and loved every minute of it. my mom and sister came soon after that (maybe 4am?) my brother in law and even my dad showed up towards the end. what a crowd (well, only 2 were allowed at a time).
i was starting to feel pain again and had the anesthesiologist come back. he upped my dose. i could actually still lift my legs the whole time, sort of. the pain felt more on my right side. sometime after he left, i could still feel it, worse. the nurse called him back and he called in the midewife (maggie). it was 820am. she noticed i was feeling pain outside of my contractions...checked my cervix and bam, jack was in the birth canal and had been pushing out with the contractions, she guessed for about an hour! i had no idea...hard to know when you can t reallly feel much down there.
she told me in 20 minutes we'd start pushing. i cried. im not sure why. fear. happiness. a mixture of being exhausted and up for 24 hours. B and my mom were there the whole time. i pushed for an hour and 20 minutes. for a while were werent making much progress, then the midewife turned me on my side and with 2 pushes, his head was ready to come out. they put me back on my back and within 2 more pushes, jack was born. he cried instantly. so did B. my arms shot out for him. i wanted my baby.
and thats the story of my labor, in a nutshell. so much has happened after that. but this is all i can write, for now.
here are some of his first photos for now
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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2 comments:
Thanks for sharing!! Epideral for the win!!
Jamie what an incredible experience!!! U can't put it into words the experience or the love that overwhelms you for your new baby and hubby! I'm so happy for u both. Thank u for sharing your story!! Welcome to the world Jackson!!
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