xo,

I am so excited to be writing this post about our sweet baby’s birth (and I am the luckiest to be looking over at Andrew while he naps as I write this)!  It was a lot longer of a process than we ever expected but it was well worth it when we finally held Andrew on February 5^th.

My whole pregnancy I was convinced he was going to come before his due date so I was constantly trying to prepare all that I could every weekend leading up to February. I could barely handle the anticipation! My doctor asked if I wanted to schedule to be induced and I said absolutely. In my mind, I was so ready to have this baby, I was having a hard time continuing to work, and I liked the idea of knowing when the birth could happen. So, my doctor scheduled us to go to the hospital on Andrew’s due date at 5:30pm to start the process of induction.

Monday, February 3^rd rolled around and I was so excited! I headed to my regular appointment fully expecting to be ready to go into labor- unfortunately nothing was happening. Five o’clock finally rolled around, we said our goodbyes to Oakley, and Tyler and I headed to the hospital. The nurses got started right away and gave me Cervidil to get things moving along. We tried to relax and watch The Bachelor and settled in to go to sleep. I was having minor contractions but nothing terrible.

Around 1 A.M. I began experiencing contractions that were coming every 4-5 minutes and were very painful. The pain was in my back and it was impossible to rest. Tyler tried multiple ways of rubbing my back and trying to help. We tried stretches and everything. I thought for sure this meant Andrew would be here so soon! At 5 A.M. my midwife came in and asked if I wanted my epidural- there was no point in acting strong at this point-  so I said yes please!! Getting an epidural was very weird but I am very thankful I did!!!

At this point it was around 7 am on February 4^th and we were so ready to meet our baby. My doctors kept checking but unfortunately no progress was being made. They started me on Pitocin to help induce labor and my water broke around 7:30 am. I was so excited!! We were headed in the right direction. The Pitocin made me very nauseous and I began to run a fever and get sick. They then gave me antibiotics and the rest of the day is really a blur. I do know that at one point my epidural fell out and I had to get a second one! Haha!! Luckily, I didn’t feel much in between. I was in and out of sleep and preparing for Andrew’s arrival and knew both Tyler and I needed rest. Our parents were in the room and keeping us company all day. It wasn’t until late in the evening where I was only dilated 4-5 cm and we were getting worried. They turned up the Pitocin but mentioned if I didn’t begin to dilate more I would need a c-section. We were getting close to the next day and typically you should have the baby within 24 hours after your water has broken. We kept sleeping and like magic, my doctor came in and discovered that I was completely dilated! It was time to begin pushing!

We were rested and excited and ready to start. I thought it would last maybe 2 hours and I could see the clock right in front of me! It was 4:30 am on Wednesday the 5^th. My nurses, doctor, and Tyler, were all so incredible and so helpful. My contractions never went past 3-5 minutes apart so I was able to rest in between each contraction. Somehow, it had been five hours of pushing (I don’t even know how that happened- it really went by fast!) and my doctor said I could have a c- section if I wanted because I had pushed past 4 hours. I asked Tyler what to do and he said it was my decision to make. I felt like we had made it that far and I felt motivated to continue that way. My doctor had us look in a mirror to help encourage my pushing. I was super hesitant for that at first, but I will be honest- it 100% helped me deliver Andrew!!

 I continued pushing until about 10:40 am and finally I heard Tyler, my doctor, and the nurse cry out “He’s out, look at his head!!”. I immediately looked into the mirror and saw our sweet baby’s head and within what felt like seconds his whole little body was out and being placed on my stomach. It was the most surreal feeling in the world. I was overwhelmed with emotions and began crying. I could not believe I was finally holding my son. He was so small and alert. They had Tyler cut the umbilical cord and took him away to the warmer to measure him and wipe him off. Watching Tyler’s face as he looked at Andrew was incredible. It is true when they say you love your husband even more when he becomes a father. I could not have done any of this without him. He was the biggest help throughout the whole labor. We have been so blessed with the sweetest baby boy and I am so grateful for our little family.

I will never forget this day and holding Andrew for the first time. The rush of him coming out and the cord being cut is something I can never fully describe. I also cannot believe what my body was capable of in those long hours. To any other soon to be mommas out there, I hope you have a safe and easy delivery and can love on your sweet baby so soon!