Emmett's birth story

So Emmett ended up coming ten days late, which you all probably remember, because I couldn't stop complaining about it :) We were scheduled to be induced on Monday, August 29, but I was praying that it would happen on its own. Mostly I wanted to experience the process the way it happens when it's allowed to do its own thing (with the exception of an epidural). So we were at Sport's Authority on Saturday, August 27, shopping for boots for Chad for his new job. I had been having contractions earlier in the day, but they weren't regular (so basically, old news). But I can honestly say that something felt different that day. I even remember saying something to Chad about it before everything started. It was almost like everything felt heavier; like the baby was even harder to carry. I felt more weighed down. 

But anyway, as Chad was trying on boots, I started having contractions again. They kept coming, and on the way home Chad finally said, "Maybe we should start timing these?" He looked so hopeful :) So we started timing at 4:39pm. They kept coming throughout the evening, getting closer together and stronger. They actually kind of came in sets; like I'd have them at fifteen minutes apart for a while, then they would stop. Then half an hour later, they'd start again but be consistently closer together, etc. Finally around 8:30 or 9, they were getting painful and pretty close together; I was basically curled up in a sweaty mess on the bed while Chad squeezed my hands to help me through them. By 10pm we started grabbing the last minute things to throw in the hospital bag. At that point, they were about 5 minutes apart and I could hardly stand up during them; Chad had to come up behind me and help me stand a few times. By the time we got on the road, they were 4 minutes apart and there was no talking through them. Lots of gnashing of teeth and sweating, but no talking (except to briefly tell Chad I was ok when he looked at me with that worryface). 

There was a big thunderstorm coming in, and when we got on the highway, it really started raining. The windshield wiper on the driver's side has had trouble in hard rain before (it popped off and we had to pull over and wait until the rain slowed enough that we could put it back on and drive home). So naturally, I was pretty nervous. And also naturally, the wiper popped off during this storm too :) So we had to get off the highway (construction = no shoulder) and find a place to pull over and fix it. But fix it Chad did--while I was still having contractions at about 4 minutes apart--and we got back on the highway, both of us praying like crazy that the wiper would stay on and the rain would hold off. And we got both in return! The rain waited until we just barely got to the hospital.

[Side note on the rain: I love thunderstorms. I've always felt so much more comfortable and at home in the rain and thunder. And when we got to the delivery room, one of the first things I noticed was that we were up on the third floor, and there was a nice big window looking out on the storm (with a privacy shield at the bottom--no worries :) That was such a blessing, and another testament to me that Heavenly Father knows us and takes care of us, even in the details. I got my own personal thunderstorm.] 

By that point, I was in pretty serious pain. And carrying a Wal-Mart bag in front of me because I was sure I was going to puke. Chad had to help me walk, and when we went into the lobby, the after-hours security guard looks at us over the front counter and very casually says, "Labor and delivery?" So Chad helped me shuffle over to the elevators, we get up there and into a triage room, I get changed, and after checking, my nurse says I'm dilated to a 4. She also removes the trash can from where I'd scooted it to the side of my bed and gives me a barf bag instead :)

After a little bit, she moved me to my delivery room, got me all hooked up to an IV and monitors, and we wait for the anesthesiologist to come back. He had just left for home, because before I came, no one else was there delivering. So Chad held my hand some more and helped me through the contractions. By the time the anesthesiologist got back, I was in transition, and I was shaking like crazy. I didn't have much of a break between contractions anymore, and they were really getting down to business. So they sit me up, start cleaning my back for the epidural, give me a pillow to hang on to, and tell me to be as still as I can. Which is not very still, as I was still shaking like mad and couldn't stop. I asked the anesthesiologist if that was a problem, and he said, "Not as long as I'm shaking too." We really liked him; he had a really dry sense of humor, and he did a great job. And PS, epidurals are not as bad as they sound/look in the books. But maybe my opinion has something to do with having a really good anesthesiologist. It feels really weird, but it doesn't hurt that bad. It's like the very first prick of a bee sting.

Anyway, after the epidural kicked in, the contractions didn't hurt anymore, and basically, I was feeling pretty peachy again. I was still shaking, but that was due to being in transition. After that experience, I am pro-epidural, all the way. Chad and I were able to doze while my body finished dilating, which happened a bit faster than my nurse was anticipating. She checked me at 4am, expecting me to be at 9cm, but I was at 10. So, she got me ready, and I started pushing. My doctor was still on vacation, so the on call doctor (Dr. Jones, who was great) got there a little later. All in all, I pushed for less than 40 minutes.

Chad was great during everything. That man has a strong stomach :) But I really couldn't have done it without him. He was so strong during everything, and he helped me to be strong too. He was also able to go and stay with Emmett when the nurses took him to the nursery afterwards, and I was so grateful for that. 

Emmett William Jones was born at 4:38am on August 28 at 7lbs 14oz and 19in long. 

The first 4 weeks

Can you believe it's already been 4 weeks? That's incredible. Emmett will be a month old in two days. Crazy. We have so much to learn, but that's definitely not to say that we haven't learned a ton. Some snippets of that:

On poop: baby poo does not come out of clothes (his or yours) without a fight. Pre-treat, pre-treat, pre-treat, and scrub. That's all I have to say.

On sleeping: next time around, we're not letting our little one sleep on us unless there's no other choice (like we're at church, etc.). It's the crib from day one. Emmett's in a not-so-cool habit now of only being able to sleep soundly on either me or Chad. We can get him to sleep in his bouncer for a little while sometimes, but that's definitely a battle we're in the thick of. Which is why Emmett's currently lying on the couch and wailing. Not so fun. 

On eating: also next time around, we're not giving our baby a bottle unless he/she becomes dangerously dehydrated. Emmett was having trouble latching on to nurse from the beginning, and we supplemented with formula when we brought him home. After the first bottle though, there was only one other time when we could even get him to try to latch on. I pumped for a while, but it wasn't enough, and my milk went away. So to all my gal friends looking at motherhood in the future: if you want to breastfeed, don't give up, even if it's not working at the beginning. Talk to a consultant, be careful and make sure your baby isn't getting dehydrated, but keep at it and no bottles. Emmett's a totally formula baby now, and that is definitely not what I wanted. 

On strangers being fascinated with your baby: it happens, and everywhere. Sometimes it's fine. Like nice little old ladies in the grocery store telling you how lucky you are, 19ish-year-old girls wanting to come up and touch his head, and people smiling down into your stroller as you pass on the sidewalk. Sometimes it's not so fine. Like the very strange woman in the library who came up behind me, pinched the shoulder of Emmett's shirt to try to angle him toward her, and said, "I'm sorry but I have to see him." That definitely weirded me and Chad out. She was just another lady admiring our baby, but that wasn't exactly the way to do it. 

Four weeks can work wonders in the postpartum realm too. It's amazing how much I feel "back to normal" already. At two weeks, I was able to mostly do pilates (while still working around stitches). I've lost all my water weight, which is sooooo wonderful. I have feet and ankles again! Before, they looked like tree trunks. My face has deflated, my nose has shrunk back to normal (weird yes, but I promise you, my nose got bigger during pregnancy! So weird.), I can wear my wedding rings again, and my face and hair are no longer oil factories. Basically, it's wonderful. And on top of all of that, we have a perfect little boy. Motherhood is so much better than being pregnant. 

Anyway, things around here are pretty great. Parenthood rocks. It's funny; it's only been four weeks, but we can't imagine life any differently now, and I can't imagine being without our Emmett. Despite some frustrating habits, he is absolutely perfect. And adorable. He's starting to smile more; he's always smiled in his sleep (from day one in the hospital, he smiled in his sleep), but he's smiled at us a handful of times in the past week. And he has some strong little legs. It's easy to see now why it hurt so much when he'd push his little feet against my side while I was pregnant :)

Mustache courtesy of Katelynn :)

Have a great day!

More pictures

I'll try to write an actual post soon. Meanwhile, here are a bunch more pictures :)

Waiting no more!

So life with a newborn is not exactly conducive to blogging. ...Which explains why I'm typing this post with one hand :)

He's here! And it was so worth the extra wait, because he is absolutely perfect in every way.

And now for a picture overload, because that's what I do.

More on how everything went down next time. That's a job for two-handed typing.