3 Weeks!

We are well into the third week of Jackson's life and loving every minute of it. Up to this point, Jack has been, shall I say, "by the book." He has been sticking to a feeding, sleeping, and waking schedule of every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. This has really been great for me because it has allowed me to leave out all of the guess work. Unfortunately, we are starting to change up our great little routine. I'll explain in more detail, but first let's talk about the DELIVERY!!
I think I might have been a little misleading when I said that I labor for two days. My contractions started Sunday morning, November 16Th. It was the most odd feeling I have ever had and I knew right away that I was experiencing the onset of labor. Fortunately, the contractions were very sparse and not too painful. Brian and I had a full day of visiting family out of town and having painful contractions would have really put a damper on our plans. So, instead of listening to my gut and staying at home, we continued with our day. This was probably my first mistake. Having to slouch in a church pew clutching your huge, massive belly in pain while making an awful face is not the easiest thing to be discrete about, nonetheless, trying to be a good guest at someones house. After an entire day of random and inconsistent painful and not-so-painful contractions, we made it home. I started to freak myself out by the time we made it home and decided that we should go to the hospital. So, bags packed and the dog taken care of, we rushed off to the hospital, only to be told to go home and wait until Monday afternoon. (My original due date)I was given a mild sleeping aid and told to "get some rest." Yeah, right!! The next day, with my inconsistent painful and not-so-painful contractions, I was in full nesting mode. Everything, and I really mean Everything, was taken care of before I had to report to the hospital at three. Thanks to the help of Brian and my mom, we were completely ready for Jack to come home.


Now, in earlier posts, I had mentioned how I was not dilating AT ALL before this entire labor process began, so I knew that it could take a while before we had made any real progress. By Monday morning I was in full blown labor with constant and consistent contractions. Unfortunately, I was still not progressing and this meant having to wait for the epidural! Tuesday morning, around 3:00, pain relief finally arrived. I was able to rest for a while before the family arrived. Tuesday afternoon, the doctor made the decision to go forward with a c-section. Needless to say I was not progressing properly! They prepared Brian and I both for surgery and at 2:33 Jackson made his debut. It turns out, I was not dilating because Jack's head was turned a certain way and the umbilical cord was wrapped around it!


(I love this picture....our little monkey!!)

I will never forget the sound of his cry for the first time. It was the purest joy I had ever felt. Now, let me mention something here: I know that the epidural is suppose to relieve pain, and it did for me, but it seemed like I was so swollen by the fluids they were pumping in me that being literally paralyzed was just as painful. After the surgery I was a blimp!! (I have been a blimp this entire pregnancy, but I couldn't even see the outline of my knees in what appeared to be my legs!!)


(Swollen Much? It was out of control!!)

After two or three hours of recovery, they took me to my room and I was finally able to see Brian and hold Jack. We were a family. Brian was able to give Jack his first bath and hold him until I was brought up to the room. It was the most unbelievable experience to see and hold him for the first time!!!


Put your dukes up!!!

I have put in some pictures of Jack when he was born. Hopefully I will have some more recent pictures soon. He has grown so much after just three weeks. I just want time to slow down. Oh, but he is the perfect baby!!!!