My Birth Story: Welcoming our Second Son

Happy February!  In some ways it’s hard for me to believe that today is February, and in other ways not so much.  Today is officially my due date for our littlest one.  He decided to join us a couple of weeks early though, so we’ve been enjoying him a little extra.  To celebrate his due date, I thought it only fitting to share his birth story with you all.  

What better way to start a new month than a brand new season?  Am I right? 

[ RELATED: You can read Little’s birth story here.]

I shared in my 37 week pregnancy update that I hadn’t had any signs of labor. The doctor told me I was between 1-2 centimeters dilated, but I didn’t think much of it since I was 4 centimeters before any signs of labor with Little.

I was really looking forward to my 38 week appointment though, because even though I hadn’t been having real contractions, I had been feeling a lot more pressure and I was hoping to find out if I had progressed any.

Fast forward a week, and we had a big snow storm in NC.  As a result, my appointment was rescheduled for the following Monday.

A Friday to Remember

Instead of a doctor visit, Little and I stopped by Hubs’ work for a fun little shower thrown by his co-workers.  Little skipped his nap and I spent the whole day intentionally enjoying every little bit of time with Little.  I know so many people reach a point in pregnancy where they are “so done” and I definitely was starting to be uncomfortable, but y’all.  It was important to me to really savor every little bit of time with Little.  I knew that life would be changing soon and even though I knew it would be great, I wanted to savor all the bits of our current season too.

We spent the whole day playing.  Hubs worked late since he had missed a couple days in the office due to snow so it was just Little and me all day.  I never want to forget it.

We went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner so I wouldn’t have to wash dishes and I worked on the blog after Little went to sleep and I waited for Hubs to come home.

Early Labor

At about 11, I started feeling like what might be contractions.  But because we were just 38 weeks, I assumed they were Braxton Hicks and would subside once we went to bed.  They hadn’t stopped at 12:30 and I let Hubs know that we might end up in the hospital.  (I still didn’t know if it was time, but I knew we needed to be prepared.)  

When the contractions hadn’t stopped by 2:00 am, I had Hubs call his brother to come stay the night at our house still just in case.  We packed the car, got dressed, and talked with his brother for a few minutes.  At 3:00, I suggested that we try to rest for another hour.  And by 4:30, we were on the way you the hospital.  My contractions had been consistently 5 minutes apart and about 1 minute each at this point for 4 hours.  I wasn’t completely sure that this was it, but I knew I needed to be checked. 

Once we made it to triage, the doctor confirmed that I was 100% effaced and about 5 cm dilated – we were having a baby!

We’re Having a Baby!

I labored until 7:30, but knew I wanted an epidural so I opted to get that before things became really painful.  My anesthesiologist was excellent and once the epidural kicked in, I was able to get some rest.

Unfortunately all the fluids put my labor at a standstill for the next couple of hours.  My contractions spread to about 8 minutes apart and I wasn’t making any progress.  I was able to rest though, so while I was a little disappointed, I was thankful for rest since I hadn’t slept the night before.  

To be honest, my main goal was to have the baby at least for a late lunch because I was starting to get hungry.  (Just keeping it real.)

Finally, I could see on the monitor that my contractions were starting to organize and get back to 3-4 minutes apart. The nurse began a drip with the lowest dose of pitocin possible and within a couple of hours, I knew we were close.  

I began to feel increasing pressure and told Hubs that he needed to go get the nurse.  She was in the room by noon.  I asked her to check me since I felt so much pressure.  She checked me and immediately called the doctor in.  I pushed through one contraction with her and two more with the doctor before our sweet boy was born – all 8 lb 12 oz and 22 inches.  

Labor and delivery felt so much simpler this time around.  Pushing actually felt really empowering to me.  I knew what my body was doing and I felt so strong and capable.  I had a huge surge of energy when I knew it was time to push.  It might have been because he was smaller (compared to Little who was 9 lb 2 oz) or because I knew more what to expect.  I am thankful for a great team of nurses, doctors, and Hubs who helped me have a simple and dare I say somewhat restful labor (thank you epidural).

The Days Following

We spent the next week or so in a whirlwind of readjusting to newborn life, running back and forth to doctor visits, learning to use a biliblanket, and watching the doctor stick Hug’s sweet little heels to check his bilirubin levels (this has been the hardest part).  I am learning to adjust to being a mom of two and how best to divide my attention.

Little suddenly seems like such a big boy and has really taken to being a big brother like a champ.  He has gone to doctor visits with us.  He has listened and obeyed.  He has had his share of adjustments, but has overall been really great.

We could not be more thrilled to welcome a new member to our team.  Welcome to the world, sweet baby Hug.  [Nickname given by the best big brother, Little.]  We could not be more thankful to be your parents.  

I love being mama to these boys.  I am thankful every single day for the joy that they add to our lives.