 |
| Jonah James Grabe born 6-2-12 @1116 8lbs 5 oz, 20.5" long |
This post will be a bit more graphic than others... so don't say I didn't warn you! I want to be sure and document Jonah's birth story before I forget it. Until the latter part of my pregnancy I didn't understand why women seem to be obsessed with sharing their labor and delivery experience; now I totally get it. Here's our story:
Early in the morning of June 2nd (12:30 am to be exact) I was awakened by a little squirt in my pj's. My first thought was that I peed in my sleep. I went to the bathroom, a little embarrassed but quickly determining at 9+ months pregnant I could pee my pants if I want to. I went back to bed and just moments later felt a little "pop" followed by a GUSH of fluid. Dustin was sound asleep so I said "hey babe... can you get the dogs out of here? My water just broke" (yes we sleep with our dogs; don't judge).
Dustin proceeded to call Labor & Delivery at the Maple Grove Hospital (a.k.a. the best hospital on the planet) and since I wasn't really contracting yet we both took showers. I may have also done some laundry and emptied the dishwasher ;)
We got to the hospital at 0200 and I was dilated to 4cm. My contractions started kicking in and by the time we got to our room it was 0300. My birth plan was to go as long as I could go without an epidural because I didn't like the idea of lying in bed, and to receive no systemic drugs the baby would get the effects of.
Even though we took childbirth classes I was really surprised at the intensity of my contractions. It was the equivalent of being underwater and then coming up for air, but not quite getting a full breath and going back under again. The pain was weird... it wasn't at all like period cramps or poop pains but more like someone was coring me out from my cervix on up. By 0500 my pain level was at a 7/10 and I was ready for some pain control. I was dilated to 5cm. I've now determined the epidural is the absolute best invention EVER. I understand that natural birth is important to some women, but I believe God created epidurals for a reason. After the catheter was placed I felt absolutely no pain. I was texting my mom, eating popsicles and trying to sleep although I was so excited that wasn't quite possible. At 0700 the nurse came to check me again and was shocked to find me complete! I wasn't feeling the urge to push yet, so they let me "labor down" (meaning letting my uterus do all the work to push baby Jonah into my birth canal). I ended up laboring down for nearly 3 hours feeling nothing. The nurses turned down my epidural and at 0950 the pushing began. It was very strange to try to flex those muscles when you can't really feel anything, and it took a little bit to get the hang of it. About half way into the pushing they turned my epidural down even more and I could feel the contractions again. I think I'm a pretty strong woman, but it still took a solid hour and a half to push all of Jonah's 8 pound 5 ounce body out of mine. At 1116 Mr. Jonah graced us with his presence. You can see this exact moment captured on video (no money shots I promise). I've watched it at least a dozen times and cry every. single. time :*) We also have my and Jonah's first skin to skin experience shortly after birth on video as well. Another tearjerker.
My cousin Jenni is an amazing photographer, and had offered to take photos of Jonah's birth if the timing was right. I'm so glad it was. I'm so glad she did. She is so talented. We're very fortunate to have this special moment captured to relive over and over. You can view the still shots of our labor & delivery on her Jenni O Photography blog.
So now Jonah is 6 days old and Dustin and I are really loving parenthood. We had some pretty rough times with breastfeeding but I believe we've just about got that conquered. We're also lucky in that Jonah is a great baby... at night he wakes up when he's hungry, but after burping and a diaper change he goes right back to sleep :)
I am forever grateful for this little miracle. I am humbled at the opportunity to be Jonah's mother. This whole experience has given me a new appreciation for the wonderful man I married. I am so truly blessed <3
No comments:
Post a Comment