It's been 15 sweet days since our third baby boy, Grayson Patrick, came into the world and we are absolutely over the moon in love with him! It's no secret that this pregnancy was my toughest...I wrote all about back in November (click here if you missed it!), so to say that I am thankful this baby boy is now laying on my chest and no longer in my belly is a huge understatement.
Backing up a bit, this pregnancy was very different from my first two (which were also very different from each other!) and I started having loads of Braxton hicks contractions around 31 weeks. I assume they were Braxton hicks but they would definitely come at consistent intervals, sometimes for hours at a time, and then fade away. They were never painful, just a very obvious belly tightening. By the time I hit 36 weeks, I was pretty convinced this baby could come out at any point. I was wildly uncomfortable and felt like things were definitely progressing. While I had made some progress at that appointment, 1 cm and 50% effaced, my doctor said everything was looking good and each week we could keep him cooking would be a plus.
On week 39, I woke up and got ready for work. I had been pretty crampy all weekend and was having some more uncomfortable contractions. Some sticking around for a few hours at a time before tapering off. I was convinced I'd wake up in the middle of the night like I did with Duke and my water would have broken, but no dice. I had been talking with a friend of mine who is a nurse and she said it sounded like I might be in early labor and she was on call that Monday and hoped I'd be making my way to labor and delivery. Unlikely. My doc came in to the appointment and agreed that my body was likely gearing up for labor and when she checked me and found that I was 3 cm and 70% effaced, she stripped my membranes and suggested I go down and get hooked up to a monitor to see if it was picking up any of my contractions. She casually said "maybe we can break your water and get this show on the road" or something to that effect and got a nurse to walk me over to the hospital.
I will be 100% honest in that I did not think they would actually let me stay. By this point, I had imagined labor happening in a dozen different ways and while I loved the idea of it happening on that day, I didn't get my hopes up that it actually would! It was also so surreal just casually walking down the hallway to the hospital room. It was around 9:30 that I got into the room where my friend had been setting everything up and I opted to stay in my work clothes while I got monitored, assuming they would be sending me on my way after a bit. I had been texting Dennis to keep him updated and his excitement was my favorite. We were both a little shocked that we could be having a baby that day, albeit still skeptical. When my doc came down to check on me a bit later, I got changed into a gown and she asked if I was comfortable with them breaking my water. My contractions were picking up but weren't terribly strong or consistent and this would surely kick my body into gear. I excitedly agreed and told Dennis he might want to leave work and come on over because apparently we really were having a baby today! It was around 10 a.m. that she broke my water and my nurse quickly started getting paperwork together.
Surely enough, my contractions picked up quickly. I recognized them as feeling the same as my contractions had felt with Duke when I went into labor on my own- strong lower abdominal menstrual-like cramps. My contractions with Theo were never strong enough on their own after my water broke and I ended up getting put on Pitocin which was a very different experience from letting my body do it on it's own. I hung out and filled out paperwork, chatted with my mom and Dennis, and sent a few messages out to people at work letting them know I would not be in today and to consider my out of office in effect. By 11:30 I was 4cm and 80% effaced. I got up to use the restroom which completely changed the intensity of my contractions. My nurse had warned me that they tend to pick up when you get up and move around and shortly after I asked if she would get my IV started so I could be ready for an epidural when things got more uncomfortable. I was still in a weird state of denial at this point- I was breathing through pretty painful contractions and mentally gearing up for it to be a really long day. While I had a quick labor with Duke, my labor with Theo was a bit more drawn out (still quick compared to standard labor times!) so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect this go around.
I don't remember exactly what time I got my epidural- I think it was between noon and 1 p.m. and my contractions were really painful at that point. I couldn't talk through them and struggled to hold myself still while she administered everything in my back. It was painful but not as bad as I had been building it up in my head. I tend to labor very privately if that makes sense...I don't like to be touched or talked to when I'm having a contraction. I was silently thinking self-affirmations You can do this, you're okay, you've got this and breathing through each contraction with my eyes closed before coming back to being present in the room. Once the epidural started to kick in, I immediately relaxed. My blood pressure dipped a little so I started to get really sleepy and light headed. I laid on my back and side for awhile while my body adjusted and while my blood pressure stayed lower than it had been, I started to perk back up. Eventually I could drink some chicken broth, chat with my mom, sister, and Dennis and just relax. My dad had been by to check in that morning and told us he had an appointment an hour away that afternoon and hoped he wouldn't miss all the fun. I assured him I wouldn't have the baby that quickly and I'm sure he would be out in the waiting room when Grayson came into the world.
My nurse was struggling to pick up some of my contractions on the monitor and worried they had really slowed down since the epidural started- totally normal but they didn't want it to slow down too much. I was still feeling pressure, just enough to know when contractions were happening, but had no gauge of how powerful they were. At 2:15 p.m. my doc came in and checked me again and found that I was about 6-7 cm and 95% effaced. She was very happy with that progress and said there wouldn't be any need for Pitocin. #praisehands For the next 30 minutes, I was feeling intense pressure that would only pause for 30 seconds before starting again. My sister and mom were watching the contraction monitor and could see that the pace was pretty fast and furious. At 2:40 a nurse asked if I was feeling any pressure and I told her I had been feeling tons of pressure so she decided to check me and quickly declared I was complete and ready to go. They called the doc and quickly got the room prepped for delivery. I had gone from 7-10 in about 20 minutes (and from 4-10 in just 3 hours!) and all of the sudden we were gearing up to actually welcome this baby into the world! I was shocked at how fast everything was happening.
I was a little nervous about pushing- knowing this was the third time I was giving birth in 3.5 years, that seems a little silly but every time I've doubted if I was going to be able to do it. It's just an overwhelming feeling- being so close to the finish line but not knowing just how hard it would be or how long it might take. Thankfully, this time around, it took all of about 15 minutes! Grayson was face up, just like his brothers, but since my body had been to this rodeo a few times, he still came out relatively easily.
Gray was immediately placed on my chest and I just kissed his forehead and practically melted into him. It was like it was only he and I in the room, my sweet third baby finally here and ready to be smothered in kisses. He cried briefly and then just snuggled in, attempting to open his eyes and shortly after, he started to root around and try to nurse. I couldn't believe how quickly he wanted to latch on but we rolled with it - clearly my boy was ready to come into the world! After 45 minutes or so we let the nurses take his stats so Dennis could hold him for the first time. He weighed 7lbs7oz (1dsoz more than Theo) and measured 19inches long. I couldn't believe he was that short! Nearly 2 inches shorter than Theo and 3 inches shorter than Duke. Such a peanut!
Grayson was born at 3:02 p.m., just a quick 6.5 hours after I had checked in for my doctor's appointment that morning. Since we were all feeling great, we had my parents bring the boys over to meet him after daycare that night. Duke was very concerned about me- he didn't like the band aids I had on and asked tons of questions- the first being "Does this mean you don't have a baby in your tummy anymore?!" Theo said "BABY" about 400 times and brought Grayson everything he could get his hands on...stuffed animals, blankets, cookies, etc. I loved getting to see them both and introduce them to their baby brother at just a couple house old. After the visit my parents took them back to the farm where they got to spend 2 nights while we holed up in the hospital and got to know our new nugget.
By Wednesday morning, after countless vitals checks and too many hours in a hospital bed, we busted out and headed home. Dennis and I spent the afternoon resting and settling in at home. I took a hot shower and immediately felt so grateful to be back at home with a sweet, healthy baby. Since then we've been accepting all the help we can get with daycare pickup, meals, errands, etc. and adjusting to life as a family of 5. So far, it's wonderful. The boys truly love Grayson, Duke wants to hold him all the time and does a surprisingly great job at being gentle. Theo loves to check on him and ask about him but quickly moves on to play with his toys. As long as he can still snuggle up with mama, he's content, and he's only had a couple of instances of being a bit too rough. It broke my heart because his little face was immediately devastated when he thought he hurt his baby brother. He has a big, caring heart, and I know he will do just fine as he adjusts to his new role!
In the past two weeks, we've been able to welcome Dennis' parents into town, celebrate Theo's 2nd birthday, take Grayson to his first restaurant, and venture out to the grocery store. I'm dying for the weather to warm up so we can go on more walks and get some fresh air, but other than that I am just soaking up these days that go by so so fast. I plan to pop in again soon with an update on life with 3 under 3, but until then, I'll get back to this...
Until next time...
-T-
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