A new baby: Welcome, Joseph Andrew!

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 6am with some pretty rockin' contractions...as in, "wow, this is painful!".  At first, I thought, "Surely, I'm not going to have the baby today - the timing would simply be TOO AWESOME." After all, Xave was already at my parents since Tom and I went to a dinner the evening before, plus, it was Saturday...the perfect time to have a baby since it's the weekend and everyone is already off work!

Fast forward to 7am, and I start to rustle Tom up, since the contractions aren't letting up.  We decide to hang out at the house until around 10am or so, just to make sure it isn't false labor.  In that time, I did some things like...oh...UNPACK JOSEPH'S CLOTHES and FIND THE CARSEAT.  I was considerably less prepared this time (a side effect of having a toddler)!

We finally left at 10:15am, and got to the hospital at 10:50.  I was checked at 11:45am, and was 100% effaced and 4cm dilated - we were gonna have a baby! Yeah!

Tom and my mother stayed for the delivery while my dad watched Xavier at their home (again, so convenient!).  I made it through to 8cm standing and focusing on the contractions (sitting on a birthing ball, and sitting at all just made the contractions feel worse), but by that point I felt completely physically and emotionally drained.  I was started on a bag of fluid (a prerequisite to getting an epidural) and stood in the shower to tough out the next hour while it filtered in.

After the bag of fluid was done, I sat and got my epidural (after two or three attempts) and I was checked once more...9.75cm dilated!  My midwife suggested that we break my water and then allow an hour or so to pass, not only let me re-cooperate, but also allow the baby to move further down the birth canal naturally, rather than exhaust myself from pushing.

By the time my midwife came back in, it was definitely time to push and he came out in 20 MINUTES!  One of the things preventing him from progressing faster down the birth canal, was he was facing upwards, and everyone said it was fascinating watching him spin around (face side down) as he came out (I am one to forgo mirrors or graphic details of birthing...my husband finds it wonderful to watch...me, not so much!).

We did delayed clamping, and the baby was briefly wiped off, and put (umbilical cord and all) immediately on my breasts to initiate nursing and skin to skin bonding.

My experience with my midwife (Bjarni) was PHENOMENAL.  Not only did she have such a wonderfully bright personality, but throughout the birthing process, I felt completely in control of what I wanted to do.  Rather than things going along a regimented line, I was asked how I wanted things to progress.  When I said I wanted an epidural, she came in and said "I hear you're talking epidural, did you try the shower?  Okay, well do you want to stand in the shower while you get your bag of fluid to see if that helps?" but at no point did I feel like it was judgmental or that I felt like she was against the decisions I was making.  When I was at 9.75 cm dilated, she was like "I can break your water, and this will go faster, or we can let it break naturally...your call." and again, I didn't feel like either way I was being pushed to make one decision over another.  While I had my epidural she actually sat in the room with everyone, and we talked about some of the very large differences between midwifery in Maine (where she is originally from) and West Virginia - which I found fascinating.  It was truly and amazing experience...I really can't talk it up enough.  It was such a huge difference in how I feel my previous birth experience was - not that it was that awful persay, but that I felt with my increased knowledge of the birthing process along with a person more willing to go the direction I wanted to steer really made it something special.

So far Joseph has rocked at nursing and I am just now starting to feel really really sore...but that will all pass soon.  He seems much like his older brother in that he likes to sleep...a lot...but we'll see how that goes once we transition home tomorrow.  Tom's parents and grandmother came up today too which I thought was very nice.  Xavier is super excited over his little brother...but we need to temper that with being gentle.  I'm excited to see how it all progresses!!!!! :)

Two more interesting things of note before we get to the pictures...Joseph's birthday is 9.10.11 (which is pretty cool, I didn't even realize it until one of the nurses mentioned it) and also, that Xavier was born at 37 weeks and 5 days, and Joseph was born at 37 weeks and 6 days!

My midwife had no restrictions on what I could eat or drink...so when lunch arrived with a dutch apple pie, I didn't resist!

On the birthing ball, but I genuinely found this to be more painful than standing up and leaning against something, although it made my legs tired in the long run.

After my epidural, dinner came, but Tom was relaxed enough this time around to eat!

Immediately with the baby after birth.

The warmer was in the room with us as well, so the baby never left our sight.

My mom with Joseph

Daddy and Joseph

Such a proud father!

Morning - happy in his tupperware container.

Xavier with Joseph's Prize (present).

Seeing baby Joseph for the first time!

Four Bias Men

Kiss the Baby

Very happy

Our  Baby Dinner - Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Tail, Twice Baked Potato, and Asparagus

Snoozing...