The First Entry!

Okay - I finally have either gotten enough rest or I have become "acclimated" to no sleep. So, here I am trying to squeeze the past few 17 days since our lives have changed.

The birth story.
It was a long labor, it was tough, but we made it. On Sunday, July 1, at 11:30 p.m., little Benjamin decided to start his entry into this world when my water broke. I was lying in bed reading when I heard this loud rubber band popping sound in my belly. I was thinking, "what the..." and then realized I think I should rush to the restroom. Sure enough...it was what I thought it was. Lots of water!

I woke Frank and told him my water broke. We were both very excited because we realized that we had only one more day till we were going to have to be induced. I called my doula and told her the news so she could prepare for the labor journey, as well.

Frank and I had our bags ready to be packed - it was rainy outside - so Frank loaded the vehicle with our stuff. Frank went back to sleep (or at least tried to get some rest) and I ate some cereal as the contractions were still tolerable. I slept on the sofa in between the contractions. I also took a shower because I knew I was going to have a long day ahead of me. I labored at home for roughly 7 hours. I woke Frank up at 6:00 a.m. and told him he should start getting ready. I also called my doula at 6:00 a.m. and told her it was a good time for her to start heading our direction. I ate breakfast again because I knew I needed fuel for energy.

At 7:00 a.m., we all headed to the hospital. It was exciting and "scary" at the same time. We arrived in the valet parking and we were wheeled to the triage nurse station. They were not pleased when they had learned that I had been laboring at home for hours. I was sent to a room to monitor the baby and check my vitals. Everything was fine and we were ultimately sent to the delivery room where we would be for the next 12 hours...

I cannot go into detail about those long 12 hours because half the time I was not cognizant of what was really going on. However, I do know that my support team - Frank and Kathleen (doula) were absolutely amazing. They rubbed my back for hours, rubbed my head, arms, and guided me through each contraction for HOURS.

I pushed for 3 hours - yes 3 hours - to get Benjamin out. It was exhausting. Finally at 7:00 p.m., he arrived. When I heard his cry and the announcement, "it's a boy" - I really felt like I was in a dream state. I couldn't believe it. We now had a son.

The "pain" instantly ended when Benjamin arrived. He was worth the natural birth - I am proud to have gone the route that I did to ensure a healthy arrival for my son and a fast recovery for myself. As my ob-gyn said, I can chew nails, now.

Ben is a big boy - he weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces and had 22 1/4" inches in length. Not to mention he has a full head of brown hair. His hair is awesome - it's already long.




Life has really changed (as expected). I expected the no sleep thing but I admit I didn't expect how "hard" the transition would be for both me and Frank. It was tough. Sleep deprivation - playing detective to figure out why Ben is crying - and not having that "me" time that I have had for 32 years. I still look at Ben and am amazed that he is my son. He is our flesh and blood.

Ben's Story:
So far Ben has lost his umbilical cord, has had his first bath, his first car trip, his first stroller experience, his first grocery store trip, first restaurant experience...the list goes on.

Thanks to Heather for helping with Ben, doing my dishes, relieving me from my maternal duties, and a HUGE thanks to my mom for helping me get some sleep, rest, breaks, showers, etc...


We will post more and do our best to keep up with our lives as they revolve around this amazing little person !