crystalll

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I'd let you know that my little guy came into the world on September 9th at 5:43 p.m., just two days shy of my due date. He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz, is 21 1/2 inches long, and is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!

Here's the story...
On the morning of September 8th I started to feel a little "off", like I was having gas pains. By 10:00 p.m. that night I knew I was having contractions, so hubby and I went to bed in hopes of getting some sleep before the real pain began. At 3:30 a.m. on the 9th I was admitted to hospital. My contractions were about 3 minutes apart and I was dilated 2 cm. Yippee! I was on my way! At 6:00 a.m. I requested the Nubain to help take the edge off. Unfortunately, my contractions slowed down and became less productive, but I was able to sleep until 7:30 a.m.
At 8:30 a.m. my doctor showed up and checked me again. I was STILL dilated 2 cm! She broke my bag of waters to help speed things up and told me to do some walking. The contractions got stronger again, but by 12:30 p.m. I was still only dilated 2 cm. So they gave me an I.V. drip to help make the contractions more efficient and gave me a second dose of Nubain.
By 2:30 p.m. I couldn't take it anymore and I begged for an epidural. Now let me just say one thing. I was dead set against an epidural during my entire pregnancy. Now I can't say enough good things about it! If you have the choice, take the epidural! Not only did it eliminate the pain, but it helped me to relax enough that I was dilated to 10 cm almost immediately. I had to have it administered twice because the first time it only froze my right side. And I've had absolutely no side effects from it.
Anyway, getting on with the story - At 4:45 p.m. I was ready to start pushing, and baby Connor was born at 5:43 p.m. The epidural really made it a pleasant experience. I had a wonderful doctor and nurses, and we were playing "Baby's First Classical Music" in the background.
Connor had to stay in the nursery overnight because he had some fluid in his lungs, but he was fine the next day. I also ended up with a 2nd degree tear that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But it was all so worthwhile!
Every time I look at the little guy I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I didn't know that much love could exist.

I hope you're all doing well.

Crystal