Henry"s birth story

Friday evening was the quintessincial ""dark and stormy night" with torrents of rain and wind battering down the house and flooding the streets. As we went to bed, I joked that it would be our luck that the baby would be born on such a night....oops.

Thankfully, when I awoke at about 4 am with contractions the rain was slowing down. I timed them for about a half hour before waking the hubs up when they were about 45 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. We got the bag together, got some breakfast from the kitchen, and let the dog out. I figured we had some time.

By the time we got to the hospital at about 6 am the contractions were a minute long and about 3 minutes apart. The pain was getting more intense, as well. When I was finally checked by the resident OB at about 7 am I was 6-7 cm and they rushed us into a labor and delivery suite.

Things kept moving quickly until I hit 9 cm at 11 am and stalled. The contractions got worse but the baby wasn't moving. At this point, my OB also got called into an emergency C-section. Left in pain, I asked for thr epidural. I was impressed I had gotten to 9 cm on my own and the pain was starting to cloud my head and focus. After the epi I was able to rest until the doc returned and get my strength back.

The doc broke my water at 12:30 and we discovered meuconium in the fluid, so NICU was called in as a precaution. I pushed for just shy of 2 hours...he was "right there" for most of it but his giant head was stuck. A third-degree episiotomy later, Henry Joseph arrived at 2:11 pm.

He had no mec-related issues and scored 9s on both his Apgars. He was wide awake and alert and got to meet his family right away. He started breastfeeding about an hour after delivery and has been getting better every day since!

Recovery has been painful, but totally doable. Six days pp and I'm just a little sore and feeling mostly like myself.

HE"S HERE!

Henry Joseph was born Saturday, August 22, 2009, at 2:11 pm. 8 lbs, 5 oz, 21 inches.

Birth story to come...

Officially overdue

Still waiting on Lil G!

I'm nearly 5 cm now, but the contractions aren't strong enough for them to admit me. So I'm sitting at home, wasting maternity leave, hoping to suddenly be in pain. Messed up, huh???

Photo time

So I'm sitting here very, very pregnant and just a little miserable. By suggestion of the hubs I'm also struggling to consume the world's largest bowl of apparently labor-inducing pineapple. Have I ever mentioned that I seriously do not like pineapple? Like the smell makes my throat close up? So yea, this is fun.

Anyway, thought I'd break up the choking with a quick post and some photos of the nursery for you all. The room is no designer showplace, but we are happy with how it's modern and fun without being over the top. It seems more full in person than it does in the photos, but I'm sure once he starts accumulating toys and other items we won't have an inch of bare space to worry about.

View from the entry.

My old rocking horse and his dresser. His name will go above the monkey on the wall, but DH won't let me hang that until he's physically here.

Close-up of the bedding.

The glider nook. The photos on the wall are me and DH as infants, and Lil G will go in the middle.

The bureau/changing area and some of his goodies, including a place of honor for the Philly Phanatic.

There are more pics in an earlier post of the other artwork and the bookshelf for those who missed it: click here.

And here's a pic of me a few days back at 39 weeks. I made DH promise me it would be my last photo, but I fear I may be taking a 40-week shot on Monday. Sigh.

39 weeks and still nothin

Doctors are lying meanie heads.

I knew that progress early on could mean nothing, but then everyone got my hopes up, and now three internals later I'm still sitting on 3 cm and not a contraction in site. Unless the 8-minute whammy of pain this morning was a contraction, and if that's the case, I'm never going to make it through labor.

Come on, Lil G! You are driving your momma insane! Come out and play!

Tomorrow is my last day of work since my company has some random rule that you cannot work past your due date. So now he really has to show, because I do not intend to waste my precious maternity leave alone on the couch watching bad daytime TV.

We have an induction date set for 8/25 if he proves to be a really stubborn boy. Please cross your fingers for me that we don't need it!

38 weeks and not much to update

After a very interesting and eventful weekly appointment last week, I'm sorry to announce I got nothing for you this week. We had our 38-week appointment this morning and we're still at about 3 cm, 80/90 percent effaced. The doctor pretty much said I'm as far as I'll go without being in active labor, so now I'm just waiting for the contractions to start. And since I have no clue what a contraction feels like, I'm just sitting here questioning every twinge, cramp, and pain I experience.

With all the anxiousness of last week, I'm now pretty frustrated and down. I totally knew that last week's numbers didn't really mean anything, but it's easy to get wrapped up in the what-ifs and get your hopes up. And then your husband tells everyone and their mother (seriously, one of his co-workers called his mother, an OB, to share with her my stats), and you get the questions and emails 30 times a day, and it's a fast downward slope right into craziness.

Today's the full moon and DH is still convinced it could be the big day. I'd love for him to be right, but I may have to force myself into being a pessimist if only for my own sanity. 10 days until the due date, 17 until the latest my doctors will let me go. I can handle that...no matter what, he'll be here soon. Just not soon enough!