Soon after getting to triage a nurse took me to a little room and had me get changed into my lovely hospital gown. She quickly got me hooked up to the contraction and baby monitors and got the IV started.
The worst part about being in the hospital while in labor is being stuck to a bed while having contractions. It's just plain miserable. There's nothing you can do to get any relief and the only thing I could think about at that point was getting an epidural.
The nurse checked me to see how dilated I was and I was at a 5. I was actually quite surprised that I had made that much progress. I was expecting to still be at a 3 or possibly a 4. I was very encouraged by that news and knew that I was halfway there to meeting my baby! Jorge called Mom to let her know I was in labor and to let her know how much progress I had made so she could get to the hospital in time before the birth. Now that it had been confirmed that I was without a doubt in labor the nurse wheeled me up to labor and delivery and got me checked in.
The contractions were coming stronger and harder and lasting longer. I couldn't believe how painful they were. Saying that they were like bad menstrual cramps is far from the accurate. Cramps have nothing on contractions!
Mom got to the hospital soon after I got to my room. With JJ I had to wait for quite awhile before getting mine due to the fact that the anesthesiologist was in an emergency c-section. Thankfully it was a quiet morning in labor and delivery and I was able to get my epidural quickly. Since only 1 person could be in the room while I got the epidural Jorge, JJ, and Mom went outside to wait while Kelly stayed to get pics. It seemed to take forever to get the epidural in place but once it was, I quickly and thankfully felt relief. Epidurals are my friend!
The nurse checked me soon after I received the epidural and I was at an 8 1/2! I could not believe how quickly things were going. Now we just had to wait for me to get to a 10. Jorge had not brought our bags in when we first got there so he got that done and got some breakfast while we waited. I was too anxious at that point so seeing him eat didn't even bother me.
Before we knew it I was at a 10 and ready to push. It was 7:55 am. The nurse had me do a couple practice pushes then told me to stop because the baby was right there and they needed to get the doctor. This time I could feel the pressure of the baby's head. It wasn't painful but it was obviously there. With JJ the epidural was so strong that I couldn't feel a thing. I much prefer being able to feel a little bit of what's going on.
The Doctor arrived and within a few minutes it was time to push. We wanted JJ to be in the room and be part of what was going on but we didn't want to traumatize him so we made sure that he couldn't see anything that could upset him.
At 8:10 am, after only 9 pushes (3 sets of 3), my beautiful Jack was in my arms! It was such a quick delivery that I was in a bit of shock at first and couldn't believe that he was actually here.
I don't think JJ knew what to think at first. He was very quiet and calm and just watched his brother for awhile. The nurse took Jack after a few minutes to weigh him and get his foot prints. Our perfect little boy weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 in. long.
It didn't take long for JJ to warm up to his brother. Pretty soon he wanted to hold him and hug him. Now, he can't keep his hands off of him. I'm pretty sure Jack gets dozens of hugs and kisses from his big brother every day.
When JJ was born I took a picture of my parents holding JJ under a clock showing just a few minutes after he was born. We were sure to get a picture like that this time as well.
Mom and me with my Dad's precious namesake. It was so special to me to have my Mom in the room while Jack Lee was born.
Our first picture as a family of 4. I love that there are now 4 in our little family.
I am so incredibly blessed and thankful for this new little boy that God has given us. He is such a joy and a light in our lives and we are so deeply in love!
