Tate's Birth Story!

So... I was supposed to be induced on April 7th ( a day before Tate's due date). My doctor suggested it because I was already dilated to a 3 and was 90% effaced. After throwing in the towel at work, scrubbing my apartment clean, and making everything perfect for his arrival, the hospital had a very busy day so my doctor decided to cancel my induction and reschedule it for 5 days later without even telling me. I was sooo upset!

I had an appointment the next day and another one of the OBGYNs stripped my membranes. I started feeling contractions soon after, but they weren't consistent. Saturday night we had a date night and i started feeling contractions every 5-7 minutes apart. They went away soon after we went to bed.

I woke up at 2am because the contractions came back. They were a little more intense and were 5 -7 minutes apart again. I stayed awake for a few more hours and went to bed again at 4am because they started to space out much farther again. The second I got in bed I got the strongest contraction and they started coming 1-3 minutes apart. After half an hour we called the doctor and he told us to go to the hospital.

Once we checked in at the hospital they checked me and I was dilated to a 5 and 100% effaced. They wheeled me up to labor and delivery about 45 minutes later and I got an epidural. The resident checked me right after and I was dilated to a 7. They started me on pitocin, broke my water, and soon after my doctor came in and I was dilated to 8.5cm. (side note: there are 3 doctors in my practice and the doctor who is on call is the doctor who delivers you. I TOTALLY lucked out--the doctor I got was my absolute FAVORITE and I am crazy about him. He made the whole experience as AMAZING as it could have been!).

45 minutes later he came back in to check me and I was dilated to a 10 and it was ready to push! About half way through the pushing, Tate's heart rate was dropping so they gave me oxygen and had me rest through a few contractions. Turns out the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, but everything was fine. About 30 min after beginning to push I heard his sweet cry. It was the most emotional experience when they put him on my chest and I was able to hold him for the first time.

So that's that. A pretty boring birth story! I must also say that Chance was incredible throughout the whole process. He took quite a few punches from me (seriously-- contractions are painful!). He was amazing throughout the whole delivery and I have seen more patience from him in these last few weeks than I ever have. He's incredible and it's been so fun to watch him as a dad!

A few things they don't tell you:

Myth: real contractions start from your back.

Truth: mine just felt like very strong menstrual cramps. I never felt any pain in my back!

Myth: You are in so much pain by the time you get your epidural that it doesn't hurt at all.
Truth: I was dilated to a 7 when I got my epidural and it HURT SOOOO bad!! I'm so nervous about getting an epidural my next time around (wow-- I can't believe I'm even talking about a next time). It was a different pain than I've felt and it was awful. The right side of my body went COMPLETELY numb and tingly and the left was just normal numb. The left began to wear off and I started to feel contractions again and it was PAINFUL. The extra doses I was giving myself for my left side didn't seem to work at all as I felt like I could feel contractions on my left side almost as strongly as before the epidural right before I started pushing.

Pushing is so much harder than I thought it would be! It was completely INTENSE.

Breastfeeding is HARD. Why didn't anyone tell me that? It is not natural and it is not easy for the baby or mom. We had a lactation consultant come out to the house and it was worth EVERY penny. Today it's been more than 3 weeks since he was born and I still feel like we're both learning!

Post-par tum recovery is HARD. i just assumed I'd be one of those moms that was up and at it the next day. That was NOT my experience at all. 3+ weeks later and I'm still feeling it. All that tearing (just being honest) and trauma takes a while to heal.

Overall, I don't know what I would have done without the help of my wonderful husband, mother, and mother-in-law. The past 3 weeks have been very emotional, but some of the most amazing weeks. Out little man is a tough one, but we love him like crazy and I'm enjoying every moment the best I can. I already think he's growing. I can't believe we're a week away from a month old!

First family photo before we left the hospital. Yes I know I still look 7 months pregnant! =)

I still have not uploaded pictures from him past his first week. I'll try to do that soon and post them. (This mom thing is pretty time consuming!) =)