B is for Baby

On January 8th at 11:40 a.m., we welcomed the arrival of our 6lbs 3oz sweet baby boy and have never been more smitten!

Personalized Newborn Knot Beanie

During dinner on Tuesday, January 6th, I felt what I thought to be my very first contraction, so I asked the hubs to tell me what time it was - 8:00 p.m. on the dot - so I could start timing them just in case. At this point they were coming about every 45 minutes to an hour, and were not painful at all.

When I woke up Wednesday morning to start getting ready for work, I noticed that I was still getting that jabbing sensation, but now it was about every 25 to 30 minutes apart. I decided to text my step mom and sister to see if this could be the real thing - I didn't know what to expect, being my first baby and all. They both believed me to be in the early stages of labor, so I did what anyone would do and downloaded a contraction timer app!

As the day went on, all I could think about was, "I'm in labor and I'm at work, what the hell am I thinking?" So, I finished up some of the more important things at work and decided to head home, catching the 1:57 p.m. bus. Still timing the contractions, which are still around 20ish minutes apart, I got home and did some last minute laundry and painted my nails - because what else is a girl in early labor supposed to do?! The hubs got off early that day, so he made me an early dinner and helped me time my contractions.

The in-laws stopped by to drop off the bassinet mattress (perfect timing) and stuck around for a bit, hoping it'd be time to rush to the hospital. Between 7:30 and 9:00 my contractions started getting much closer together; like, 5 to 10 minutes apart! The hubs started getting all our bags ready by the door and we were planning on heading to the hospital. However, shortly thereafter, my contractions subsided a little bit and we decided to stick it out at home until they were closer together again. The in-laws left the house to go grab dinner, but were on call!

We decided to try and get some sleep - we both thought nothing would really happen that night considering the contractions got further apart (back to 20ish minutes). Midnight rolls around and I am having some pretty painful contractions, which were about 8 minutes apart. I decided to give my doctor a call and see if I should head into the hospital due to the pain. She advised that I needed to be having a contraction every 3 to 5 minutes before heading to the hospital. Then, as soon as I hung up the phone, my contractions went from 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 minutes apart... It's baby time!! The hubs rushed to get everything into the car and get it warmed up, because it was literally the coldest day ever!!! I rolled out of bed, crying, and full of emotions and waddled walked to the truck. The ride to the hospital seemed like the fastest ride ever - maybe because it was 2 a.m. and we were the only ones on the road.

We got to the hospital and were checked into triage, where they told me I was 6 cm and was there to stay. I quickly requested an epidural (I think this was the first words out of my mouth after they said I was there to stay), but was told I'd have to wait at least 30 minutes because he was in an emergency c-section. If you know me at all, then you know I am not a fan of needles. So, the epidural scared the shit out of me. Luckily, I had a pretty amazing anesthesiologist and he numbed me up real good so I didn't feel a thing. Both mine and the hub's parents, as well as my friend E, kept us company at the hospital, drinking plenty of coffee to help stay awake. By this time, I was at 8 cm. Unfortunately, the epidural slowed down my contractions a bit, so the nurse gave me some pitocin to get the contractions closer together.  At about 9 a.m. (let's be honest, no one was really keeping track of the time) my water broke, so my nurse got in contact with my doctor.

Before we knew it, it was pushing time. After 10 minutes and 7 or 8 pushes, I heard the most beautiful cry I've ever heard! I took advantage of the "Golden Hour" (skin-to-skin bonding immediately after he was born for an hour), which was one of the most amazing moments in my life.

People always say they can't remember what life was like before they had their child(ren). I never fully understood what they meant until baby B came into our lives. Life may be different and difficult at times, but it's so amazing now that he's apart of it and I couldn't imagine life without him. We are so very blessed to call this little boy our son.

Thank you to all our family and friends for the love and well wishes, it means the world to us! Also, a special thanks to Tony Chicas Photography for capturing these sweet moments after baby B's birth.