He's here...just in time for the holidays!

Shekels831 · December 2011

Our perfect little man is here.

Went in for my regular 38 week appointment at 10 am on Thursday and I was 4 cm and 80% effaced. Doc stripped my membranes and told me to go home and wait. An hour and a half later I was bleeding a lot and my doc told me to go immediately to L&D.

As I had no timeable or painful contractions, I was certain we were going to be sent home. I was hooked up to the monitors and checked. To my surprise I was 6 cm and having contractions 2 to 3 minutes apart. I felt nothing (don't hate me quite yet).

Doc broke my water and that is when the real fun began. I basically went from 6 cm to 7 cm in another hour with strong contractions. I managed through those, but ended up stalling out a 8 cm and my contractions petered out to nothing for 3 hours when the doctor told me I'd either have to have Pitocin to bring my contractions back up or a c-section because Baby wasn't dropping at all and was thought my pelvis was too small for him to deliver vaginally. Plus I got a 101 degree fever about this time during labor. Not fun.

Pitocin was given and lemme tell you, those Pitocin contractions were horrible. I got the epidural after laboring through them for another few hours without dilating. Doc gave me another few hours to fully dialate or I had to get a c-section.

By this time, my epidural had worn off on my right side only. Having full feeling on only one side was the most annoying thing in the entire world and I was regretting that decision the entire time. About this time, 2 hours after doc last checked me, I was fully dilated, fully effaced and baby was at 0 station. It was push time! No time to fix the epidural so I gave birth with feeling only on my right side.

I pushed for 30 minutes and my beautiful Asher Leo was born at 9:50pm weighing 7 lb 11 oz (exactly my weight at birth) and 20.5 inches long. He is healthy, breastfeeding well and as you can see, has a headful of dark hair. He is basically his father's spitting image.

Post recovery has been a bit more painful than expected. I have a 3rd degree tear, was on pretty hefty antibiotics for 24 hours for my fever and a raging case of hemmies. Yuck, but I am blissfully happy with my new little guy and his father has surprised me beyond belief. He is so involved and so loving with his son. He's a complete natural and bonded with Asher immediately. Makes me even more in love with him.

I love being this kid's mom.