welcome baby Ethan

I feel like we've been in a time warp for the last few days, especially our time in the hospital.

On Monday, I had my 39 week checkup with our doctor at 9:00 am. I went to work afterward (as usual) and worked through some mild contractions. I had a really hard time figuring out how far apart they were because I was working, so I left shortly before 3:00 so I could rest a little and time my contractions. They came and went sporadically between 3 and 5, so Austin and I went on a walk to see if we couldn't inspire them to keep coming. We were afraid of showing up at the hospital again and having another false alarm (we haven't gotten the bill for that yet, but we aren't looking forward to it!), so we waited on going to the hospital.

At around 8:00, I decided my contractions were way too painful to wait out at home anymore. When we got to the hospital around 9:00, after dropping Bear off with my parents, we learned we'd dilated from 3 cm that morning to 5 cm. Austin, still fearing that we'd be making another trip to the hospital in vain, asked the nurse what the chances are that we could be sent home. She laughed and said that they don't send people home when they're dilated to 5 cm. I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me cry - I was finally going to meet my baby, one way or another!

It took two hours from the time they checked us in until the time I got the epidural. In that time, I dilated another 2 cm to 7 cm, cried like a baby over the contractions, and asked over and over when I would get the epidural. They kicked Austin out to give me the epidural, because husbands become a liability when they see how big the needle is. My back was sore where they put the needle in for two days after Ethan was born!

The contractions slowed significantly overnight after we got the epidural. We didn't change dilation between 11 pm and 3 am. They checked me again at 5 am and I was about 8-9 cm, but my water hadn't broken yet. At 9 am, I was 9 cm, and they broke my water to try to get things going. Ethan hadn't dropped because the amniotic fluid was padding him. At 11:00, I'd dilated to 10 cm and it was time to push. We started at 11:15 and finished at 12:04, when Ethan made his arrival. He didn't cry for five seconds (maybe even less) after he entered the world, but it felt like an eternity waiting to hear him. He scored an 8 on his initial apgar test, and a 9 on the second test (no one gets a 10, so I was pretty happy!).

We struggled with feedings while we were in the hospital up until our last day there. I was glad they kept us those two extra days because the extra time with the lactation specialist has made our lives at home a little easier.

We were not happy campers when we learned Ethan needed to stay at the hospital an extra 5 hours to get phototherapy for his jaundice levels. It was a preemptive attempt to keep up from having to stay another night, but I knew that checking his jaundice again at 5:00 pm meant going home at 7:00 at the earliest. We actually didn't make it home until 9:00 on Thursday, but we were thankful that Ethan's jaundice was under control and that we were clear to go home.

Since then, my mom and Austin have combined to be what I call the "dream team". They take turns soothing Ethan at night (ironically, he does not need soothing during the day..) so I can sleep as much as possible. Between feedings last night, I got around 11 hours! Having labored through the night on Monday night, I feel like a new woman getting this much sleep. I don't know how we'll transition to not having my mom here, or when Austin goes back to work.. but we will cross that bridge when we get to it!

For now, I'm just enjoying my cuddle time with this guy:

And it's time for a diaper change (you know it's going to be nasty when you can hear him doing it on the baby monitor...).

love,

our long night

We certainly didn't think that Ethan would come so early, but last night there were lots of signs that he might! After timing my contractions, I determined that I'd had them about 5 minutes apart and I was in a lot of pain. With that much pain, sleep certainly wasn't in the question. I called the on-call line for our doctor's office and they instructed us to go to the hospital for monitoring.

We arrived around midnight, waited for a room, and were monitored all night (long story short there). Around 3 am I got a shot for pain, which eventually helped slow the contractions but I was still in pain for a while. By the time my doctor came to check this morning at 9 am, my contractions had spaced to 10 minutes and were slowing. After determining that my water had not broken and that I had not dilated any more, I was released this morning at 9:45 am on about one hour of sleep accumulated between contractions. I was exhausted, and so was my poor husband. He did manage more sleep than I did, but he was working at the hospital to meet deadlines for today, and being my gofer when I needed more water or had questions.

Austin sleeping on Ethan's nursing pillow. He said the chair wasn't bad!

We've been home sleeping and resting all afternoon, and look forward to a relaxed weekend. I return to the doctor Monday, when she will check to see if we are any more dilated. The contractions have subsided for the most part, and aren't as painful when they do come. Unfortunately, we decided to call off the baby shower we had scheduled for this weekend, as we have instructions to take it easy and rest, but we have to do what's best for Ethan!

The doctor said it may have been early labor, or just preparations for labor, though early labor can last for days. Needless to say, we're on high alert! (And we learned a couple lessons on our dry run, too!)

We appreciate the prayers, and we will keep you all updated!

love,