Samuel John

Our little man has finally arrived!  My impatience for Sam's arrival finally came to an end on Wednesday, January 22 at 2:53pm!  This is pretty much his birth story.  It is most likely not very exciting to many, but I always want to document what happened on the birth of my children so I don't forget anything.  Thankfully, Sam's birth story is rather boring, and in the pregnancy, labor, and delivery world--boring is good :-)

I had an appointment on Tuesday and my doc told me I was 4cm and 100% effaced.  We had an appointment scheduled for that Thursday to be induced at 6am.  However, my doctor told me that if I were having contractions 7 minutes apart--painful or not--that I was to head to the hospital because that was the best time to have my water broken.  Since I had been hoping for a VBAC, I was unable to be induced with pitocin, however my doc was more than willing to break my water to help me start labor since I had made so much progress on my own.  If this didn't work, then a c-section was in my future.

Wednesday morning I woke up with contractions 6 minutes apart and my doc told me to head in.  Paul and I arrived at triage around 1:30 am.  Of course, the contractions slowed down, and my nurse wasn't quite sure that I should be admitted.  She didn't realize that my doctor had told me to head in if I had begun consistent contractions.  She had me walk around for an hour, which brought me to 5 cm, but still attempted to convince Paul and I that we should head home and come back on Thursday morning for my induction.  We chose to stay anyway, since we were already there (Paul's parents had already driven over from the East side and my parents were already in Grand Rapids with the girls).

Paul and I were admitted and I was getting pretty worried, since it seemed my contractions slowed down significantly.  I was worried I had jumped the gun, and wasn't sure I made the right choice to stay.  By 8am my doctor arrived and I was shocked to hear I had dilated to a 6!  She broke my water, and again I began to worry.  My contractions didn't seem to pick up or increase.  How was I 6 cm dilated with my water broken and in very little pain?!?!  I had read that sometimes breaking the water won't help start contractions, and if things didn't move soon I was looking at a c-section.  Paul and I began to walk around, and thankfully the contractions began in full force.  Within 3 hours I was ready for my epidural.  Nothing is quite as amazing as an epidural and being covered in warm blankets!

By 2:20 my nurse informed me that I was fully dilated and ready to push.  I completed one contraction of pushing, and my doctor told me that on my next contraction we would have a baby.  Sure enough!  On my next contraction and my third push my doctor told me to reach down and I pulled our Samuel onto my chest.  A successful VBAC and a healthy son!

Sam weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces and measured 20 inches long.  He had a head full of dark hair, two sweet dimples, and a birthmark near his left ear.  Perfect.

It's crazy to think that we are now a family of five.  I feel equally blessed and overwhelmed.  There are so many fears I have about being home alone with three kids, but I know I'll figure it out :-)  Thankfully, Belle is insanely obsessed with him.  She wants to help any way that she can, and she has been so sweet.  She wants to burp him, give him his paci, and gladly grabs dipes and wipes when it's time to change him.  Evie, on the other hand, has been a handful.  I'm not sure if it is terrible twos, or her adjusting, but saying she has been rough is an understatement.  Hoping in a week or so she will mellow out.  Say a prayer!

Thank you to everyone for the prayers and the support with our new addition.  We love him to pieces and he has already been such a blessing to our family.  I am trying to soak in all the newborn scent, tiny snuggles and milk comas I can before he grows out of this short stage of infant hood.