He's here!!!!!!!!!!

So being a week overdue, Cameron's eviction notice was served and the "authorities" were called. Wednesday night we go in for the cervadil. They start it up at 6 pm, and after 4 hours of intense contractions and NO progress (and being bed-bound due to extensive monitoring) we made the decision to take it out and start the pitocin in the morning so I could get some rest. There was no way I could sleep with these contractions and monitors!

Pitocin started on Thursday morning at 8 am. Unfortunately, just as was the case with the Cervadil, I couldn't move *at all* because every time I did, the monitors would lose the heartbeat and contractions - being bound to the bed gave me intense back pain. They tried Stadol (sp?) to help with the pain, but the baby's heartbeat dropped so they stopped that. After being on pitocin all day, with excruciating back pain and the inability to move, we opted to stop the pitocin and start again in the morning (so that I could put some food in my stomach and get some MUCH needed rest).

The order was about to be put in... 5 minutes later, at 5:00, my water broke!!! Holy hell, then the contractions started. QUICKLY and painfully. Excrutiatingly painfully. An Epi was ordered immediately. Unfortunately, the epi was a nightmare. They went through an extra layer, and I ended up paralized from the waist down, and completely numb from the neck down. I was bed bound for the entire labor/delivery process. I had a complete anxiety attack, I couldn't feel myself breathing (scariest experience of my life), I couldn't move my legs, and I was vomiting uncontrollably. My headache was unbearable... it was just awful. However, I wasn't feeling any contractions and I was progressing really quickly which made it all worth it. Because of the terrible placement of the epi, I had to let it wear off... so for the last 2 hours of my labor, I could feel every. single. contraction. Wow, kudos to ANYONE who can go med free, I don't know how you do it. So although the feeling of my body came back, so did everything else.

At around midnight, the nurse said the glorious words "time to push!" And so it began. An hour later, at 1:19 am, our beautiful son was born. I saw the whole thing through a huge mirror, which was an unbelievable source of motivation. Nothing can describe how I felt as I saw him coming out of me, or when I heard him cry, or when I saw his face, or when I stared at Brian after he was here.



A day after he arrived, I had the most terrible pain in my upper back, and a mind-numbing headache that I can't even explain. I couldn't feed or change my baby without getting a nauseating headache. I even needed help just standing up to go to the bathroom. I was told I had a "spinal headache" and needed a "blood patch" where they gave me another epidural, but injected my own blood into my spine to seal up a hole created from my original epidural which was the source of my terrible headache. Once they did this, it went away - but getting another epi was certainly not something I wanted or was ready for.

Brian and my mother were sooo amazing... both of them were there the entire day and night. They were so supportive, and loving, did everything right. It meant SOOO much to me that they could both share in that experience, and I know it meant the world to them as well. Even my dad got to listen in behind the curtain, and seconds after he was born he got to see his grandbaby and tears were flowing like a fountain. To get to experience this with my parents and husband was something I wouldn't change for the world. The love I feel for Brian now, and the respect I have for my mother, is greater than it ever has been.



Breast feeding is going flawlessly. He is a boob champ - my lactation consultant mother (and of course Bri) are quite proud of that :) He was born at 7 lbs, 5 oz and was discharged 2 days later at 6 lbs, 13 oz. Two weeks later, he's a fat and happy 8 lbs, 6 ounces!!!! Cameron is so perfect and healthy, not a thing "wrong" with him. He sleeps pretty well (3 hour stretches at night, only wakes to feed) but naps pretty inconsistently/infrequently during the day (which takes quite the toll on mommy when daddy is at work!).

We are so insanely in love with our son, adn I fall in love with Brian all over again when I see him interact with Cameron. He's such an amazing father. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us as a family.