As many of you know our little man finally made his entrance into the world on Tuesday May 31, 2011! He was born at 5:58 pm at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz and 20inches long. Yes I know what you are thinking, how can a 9 lb baby come out of little me, I thought the same thing when he arrived! So here is the story:
It all started on Sunday. Sunday the 29th was my due date and there was no sign of the little man showing up at all! Adam and I went to church and everyone kept asking me why I was still there and not at home with a baby. This, though I know it was all poking fun, was very disheartening and really bummed me out that day. Monday came and went just like Sunday did again with no real sign that Ethan was going to come. Monday night we went to bed around midnight (we have become night owls...well before Ethan that is) and around 3:30 the next morning I woke up with a really bad contraction. I rolled over to see if that would help alleviate the pain, no such luck. So I stood up hoping that might help and again it didn't. When I stood up I realized that I had to go to the restroom and as soon as I took a step to go there my water broke. Not a huge gush like some people believe it to be but it was enough to wake Adam up.
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| After my water broke...not a happy camper! |
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We called the Doctor and they told us to head over to the hospital. When we got there, they had to test to be sure it really was my water that broke and not other liquid. The results seemed to take forever to come back which was really annoying since I was in pain but unable to receive pain medicine until I was admitted. Finally around 5 am we were admitted and got everything started. When we were admitted we called the parental units again to tell them what was going on. I called my dad and said "Dad, we are going to have a baby today!" and he got all excited. My parents got up and left Myrtle Beach around 730 am and got here around 10. Even though I felt bad that they didn't have anything to do while I was in labor, it was so nice and comforting to have them there. Adam's parents weren't able to come until later in the day due to doctors appointments.
Well I was 1 cm dilated for two weeks and when they checked me in the hospital, I was still only 1cm. They gave me a couple of hours to see some progression but sadly when they checked me again I was still only 1cm. So they started me on piticion (sp?) which is a drug to help kick start labor, make contractions stronger and more constant. After about 3 hours, the doctor came back to check me again and I had made some progression and got to 4 cm! Yay! We were all happy about that and the doctor even said that everything should speed up from here on out. Well 4 hours later, sadly I was still only 4 cm. This time when the doctor checked me she told me that there was 2 cm between the baby's head and my cervix and informed me that the only way to completely dilate is to have the weight of the baby's head resting on my cervix. She said that he was either in my pelvis at a weird angle or that his head was too big for my pelvis. Big heads run in the family on Adam's side so when she said that I punched him (sorry babe) and blamed him. We all laughed though. Then the doctor got real serious and told me that a c-section was very likely. She told me that she would give me another hour and let me think and decide. When she left the room I cried. From day one of being pregnant, I have been afraid of having to get a c-section because I am so small. After talking about it to my mom, mother-in-law and Adam we decided that it was the best and safest option. So off I went to the OR and with in the first five minutes of surgery, I heard my little boy cry, a sound I had waited 9 months for. And of course I cried! When I first saw him I loved him. He was so beautiful and all I could do was look at him and cry.
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| The first time I got to hold my son! Best moment of my life! |
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I won't go into the details of the c-section other than saying it was very uncomfortable! Adam went with Ethan when they took him to clean him up and weigh and measure him. When he returned he told me that Ethan weighed 9 lbs 2 oz, that his head was 14 in around, and his chest was 14.25 inches around. At that moment I was glad that I had a c-section! There was no way Ethan could have come out naturally! After being in recovery for about an hour we were taken to our room (which I think was the tiniest room in the hospital). There our friends and family were able to see me and hold our little (well big really) boy. I was exhausted and still a little drugged up so it was a bit overwhelming but enjoyable all around. All the grandparents were able to hold, snuggle and kiss our boy (and I believe most of them cried). One of my best friends brought us food including the worlds BEST homemade rolls (Thanks Beth!)! But unfortunately I wasn't allowed to eat anything until the next day due to surgery. One of my other best friends Caitlin came from Myrtle Beach and got to hold Ethan. It was so sweet to watch her look at my little boy and cry over how beautiful and special he is. One of Adam's best friends was at the hospital the whole time and was able to hold Ethan. It was hilarious because he was terrified of holding Ethan, afraid he was going to break. So many people think that newborns are fragile and yes they are but after watching the nurses throw him around, I know he isn't going to break. So it was so funny to watch Chris freaking out while holding Ethan, especially every time Ethan moved.
Here are some pictures of the visitors we had in the hospital:
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| Proud Grandma and Grandpa Prack |
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| Proud Grandma and Grandpa DeHollander! |
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| Auntie Caitlin! |
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| Uncle Chris freaking out! :) |
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| Naomi and Stephen...possible future in-laws :-D |
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| Great Uncle Mac | | |
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| Great Aunt Ronda |
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| Aunt Sandra |
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| Uncle Rob |
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| Aunt Beth (after walking through a down pour) |
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| Uncle John |
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| Proud Daddy! |
We did have a few more visitors but we didn't have the camera ready, or they didn't stay long enough. Many of the Aunt and Uncles are friends of ours who are practically family so it fits! The stay at the hospital was great, and the nurses took great care of Ethan and me. And the food was Awesome! :-D We left Friday June 3rd and took our little bundle of joy home. We were so excited to take him home, little did we know that we would be up all night with him crying. Now a little over two weeks later, Ethan and I are getting used to nursing and though I am up with him every two hours in the middle of the night to nurse, I am happy to see his smile when he finally falls back to sleep. I love being a mommy and it truly is the best job I've ever had and probably ever will have. Adam and I are starting to get the hang of parenthood and we are so thankful to Heavenly Father that babies are a gradual learning process and not an all at once sink or swim process. Adam is excited to celebrate his first Father's Day this weekend! I am jealous because I was a mom-to-be for Mother's Day and he is an actual dad. Oh well next year.
Sorry friends for taking so long with this post but we have been very busy with Ethan (this statement is for Holly ;) ).
Finally our first family photo:
Thank you friends and family for all the prayers, congrats and well wishes! We are a very happy little family! Love you all!
