Thursday, November 21, 2013

It's A Boy!! Welcome, Eli!


Hey, Blogosphere Friends!
 
I know that I have been MIA for a few weeks, but with very good reason. Prince Charming and I are happy to announce that our baby boy made his grand arrival on October 29, 2013 at 10:53 a.m. after a quick and easy labor. He weighed in at 8 lbs., 1 oz. (ambitious for a first baby, I know), and he was 20 1/4 inches long. He had ten fingers, ten toes, and as Mary Poppins would say, he was practically perfect in every way!
 
Being a mom has thus far been one of the most joyous, overwhelming, challenging, and incredible things I have been blessed to be a part of. I have had so many thoughts I wanted to share here on my blog, but I think it will be best to start at the beginning. This post will be all about Eli's birth story. I need to get this down before I am too far removed to remember the details.
 
I had a scheduled delivery because of the gestational diabetes. My doctor decided to induce me at 39 weeks to make sure his size didn't become an issue for our delivery. This turned out to be a real blessing! It took all of the stress of labor away because I didn't have to walk around wondering when my water would break or if I would go past my due date. Prince Charming and I checked into the hospital at about 9:00 p.m. on October 28th and were taken to our LDR room at around 10:00 p.m. I was introduced to my nightime nurse, and let me just say that all of my nurses and doctors the entire time I was in were amazing. I had the opportunity to change into my hospital gown and get ready for bed before getting my IV started. Once I was hooked up to the monitors, the nurse administered my first medicine, a suppository to soften my cervix, and my body naturally started contracting. The contractions were pretty mild. They were definitely stronger than my Braxton Hicks had been, but they weren't painful. They did make it impossible to sleep, so my nurse came in after a few hours and gave me a very mild sedative to help me rest. After a ridiculously loopy conversation with Prince Charming (that he caught on camera), I was able to sleep lightly for a few hours. At 2 a.m., the nurse started my Pitocin and my first round of antibiotics to treat the Strep B. The contractions got stronger and more frequent quickly with the medicine. At around 5 a.m., I took an epidural as I was scheduled to have my water broken by my OBGYN at seven, and my nurse said that I wouldn't want to feel that. The epidural was so much better than I thought. I was afraid it would make me completely numb, as if I was paralyzed, but I could still feel pressure and move my legs on my own accord. That was such a relief!

About an hour after receiving my epidural, my water broke on its own. (Praise be to God for that amazing blessing), and my body took over. Within a couple of hours, around 8 o'clock, I was almost fully dilated and ready to go. My mom and sister got to come back and see us for awhile. It was such a relief to have them there. My mom had come in town a week earlier to help me finalize my preparations, and my sister only had to take off one day to be with me. She fixed my hair for delivery (thank you, Cookie)! My dad didn't get to make it for Eli's delivery as his job called him out of the country. I was disappointed, but I knew he would get to have two weeks with us when he returned, so I didn't fret too much. The in-laws got to come in for a quick visit, too, and they documented our anticipation. Here is a picture of Prince Charming and me before delivery. (That calm face on me is the beauty of an epidural, ladies! I highly recommend them!!) 


None of the family stayed in the room for delivery. Prince Charming and I really wanted that moment for us, and it really blessed our hearts! By 9:45 a.m., I was fully dilated. We just needed my awesome doc to deliver! He arrived at around 10:15, and we got ready to go. I could feel, even with the epidural, my body telling me when to push. The nurses were so awesome! Our hospital was a teaching hospital, and we had an AMAZING nursing student helping with everything. (I hope to add more about my nurses later.) My main nurse laid across my belly to help me push! I only had to push maybe four times before Eli made his miraculous entrance into the world, and Prince Charming and I found out we had a son!! We both cried. I am still tearing up just thinking about that moment a month later. He was beautiful and healthy, and we couldn't have been happier.


He was such a sweet, gentle spirited newborn. He cried upon delivery, but once they took him to assess him and clean him for skin to skin time with mommy, he didn't cry again. 


His daddy got to trim his umbilical cord, and he stayed by his side every move as they took care of him in our LDR room. My doctor stitched me up (recovery will be another post), and when Eli was prepped, they brought him to me for skin to skin. 


He just gazed up at me with those big blue eyes. He was so alert and stayed that way for our entire two hour Kangaroo time. Before his first feeding, which was a great success (an answered prayer), we asked the family to come in and see him. They still didn't know what we had been blessed with, and we couldn't wait to tell them we had a baby boy in the family. Here are my mom and sister saying hi. Can you tell this is my mom's first grand baby? 


Bella and Aunt Cookie soaking in the amazingness of Eli!


Since my dad wasn't there, we called him to tell him he had a new grandson. He was thrilled! 


I couldn't take my eyes off of that sweet little face looking up at me! He was the most precious human being I had ever laid eyes on, and I had so much love in my heart for that sweet little baby boy! 


 Prince Charming was totally smitten, too, and he was able to get in some good skin to skin bonding time with his little man in our hospital room. These two boys have my heart! (Side note: Eli still looks like this when he sleeps on us.)


We stayed in the hospital for two nights with our new baby. He stayed at night in the nursery, but they brought him to me every two hours to feed. This allowed us to sleep and helped me as my recovery was a little bit more complex than I anticipated. He was with us from around eight a.m. To around eleven p.m. every day. His family came to visit him in the hospital, and he was so alert and sweet all the time! We checked out and went home on Halloween day, and my dad surprised us by coming home that afternoon! It was a great surprise, and I will post about our first weeks home soon. 


I can't believe it has been a month already, and Eli still amazes me every day. I can't believe how much he has grown already. I will (hopefully) get to post new pics and updates soon. He is truly a miracle and an extension of God's love and grace to our little family. 

In Christ Alone,
Brittney