According to Eldridge: {our sweet baby}

{the birth story}

Our due date was July 6th. At my week 39 appointment no progress. At my appointment on my due date nothing, nada, zip. Waylon was extremely comfortable in my tummy. We had an ultrasound which showed he was healthy & predicted he was a whopping 8 lbs 11 oz! After the ultrasound we spent 30 minutes doing a non-stress test to make sure W wasn't under any stress. He wasn't. But my doctor couldn't be certain from the short version so she had me do another NST to get a more accurate read & it confirmed that he was just fine. My doctor then told me she didn't feel comfortable letting me go another week. We checked into the hospital at 8p on Thursday night & I was scheduled to be induced on Friday morning. I was given the first dose of Cytotec (a pill used to ripen the cervix - it was inserted into my cervix) around 10p. At around 2a, I was given a second dose because I hadn't progressed much. The second dose did the trick. By 4:30a I was having contractions. I hadn't had the first contraction my whole pregnancy but there was no denying that the pain I was feeling was the result of contractions. By 6a I was in serious pain & when checked I was dilated between a 3 & 4. They called the anesthesiologist & the Dr broke my water in the meantime. By 6:45a I had my epidural & finally begin to feel some relief. After giving birth myself, I am a advocate for the epidural. I understand some women want to do it all natural {my brave mother delievered all three of her children naturally & she is my hero} but that is not for me. I'm not sure I would have made it without the medicine.

We had a plan for advising our families it was time but it kind of went out the window because I progressed so quickly. It all worked out really well though because they didn't have to sit around & wait for hours. I never had the first drop of pitocin. Once the cytotec began to work my body kicked into gear & I was pushing by 10:30ish. Side note I forgot to mention. My doctor left on vacation the day that I was induced. She'd forewarned us that she was not going to be there for "the big show" as she phrased it. But she left us in really good hands. The doctor who delivered W was absolutely fantastic. He was the only doctor in the practice I hadn't seen in the nine months worth of visits. But it was completely a God ordained set up. And I had the best coaches & nurses a girl could ask for. Jake & my mom were in the room with me. Jake was right beside me holding my hand & encouraging me. My mom couldn't be right beside me but it was comforting just knowing she was in the room.

I pushed every other contraction for about an hour and at 11:43a on July 8, 2011 our precious baby boy breathed his first breath & let out his first cry. It was the most beautiful sound my ears have ever heard. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz & was 21 3/4 inches. My delivery was somewhat traumatic. W was head down but was facing the right side of my body. The doctors worked for an eternity {or what seemed like it} to get him turned face down. And he used forceps to help speed up the process for mine & Waylon's benefit. That was the worst part of the pain, the pressure I felt from Waylon's head trying to come out, the doctors' hands trying to get him turned, & the forceps. Not enough space for all of that, but I perserved with help from the Lord, Jake, & my nurses. For all of you who prayed for us, I felt your prayers! Thank you!
My epidural began to wear off toward the end of pushing because I began to anticipate contractions. They called the anesthesiologist but he didn't make it in time. The moment they laid my sweet baby on my chest for me to get my first baby sugar the pain I'd just been through was long forgotten. I did have a 4th degree tear, which is apparently as torn as you can be. All of my nureses throughout the weekend were sympathetic & took such good care of me that I've had a very manageable recovery as a result. I cannot say enough great things about St. Vincent's Birmingham. They are fantastic!

Waylon was absolutely perfect. He did not have any marks of the typical vaginal delivery {no cone head}. His complexion was perfect. The marks from the forceps were gone by Saturday morning. He passed all of this hospital tests with flying colors. We did send him to the nursery overnight both nights so that we could get some sleep. I don't regret that at all.

I really wanted to breastfeed but I'd decided that if I was unable to for any reason {if it was too much for me or W} that I'd be okay with formula. Thankfully, Waylon latched on the first try & was able to get what he needed from me. He only lost 3 oz in the hospital. Since coming home I've had my ups & downs but so far, so good. I'm starting to find my groove with feeding & pumping so that I don't feel so much like a feeding machine as I did in the first week or so.

We were in the hospital from Thursday night & were discharged around 10a on Sunday morning. We brought Waylon home in sweet little blue jeans & an Alabama t-shirt. He got a "Roll Tide" on the way out to the car.

I've always been told children change your life. It's not that I didn't believe it but that I didn't understand the extent to which it is true. It is the biggest blessing but it's a change you have to experience for yourself to truly appreciate the change & transition it brings about. Jake was off the first week after W was born. It was great having him home to help out during the day. We had lots of visitors in the hospital & in the first week after we were home. I experienced quite the emotional roller coaster during the first week. Life changed overnight. I should've anticipated that would have some type of emotional recourse, but I didn't anticipate it at all. My emotions were all over the board. I found myself crying thinking about going back to work. I cried when too many people came to visit. It really stressed me out for some reason. I cried thinking about Jake going back to work. I cried because I missed it being just me & Jake. And then I cried because I felt guilty for thinking that in light of the amazing blessing I'd been given. I had a touch of the baby blues. My mom, dad, sister & my friends have been my life savers. They allowed me to talk about it & have assured me that I am not abnormal for feeling the way I have. I am glad to report the emotions are beginning to calm down & I'm starting to feel like myself again. Motherhood is not an easy role. My best friend offered this insightful quote as encouragement to a fellow new mommy.

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” - Bhagwan Shree Rajnees