My little monkey is here!!!

Noah Andrew Sheller made his debut on February 3, 2010 at 11:15, and I was instantly in love with him!! He weighed in at 7lbs and 1oz and was 19 inches long. It was a particularly special day for him to arrive because my cousin Veronica was also born on 2/3 at 11:30pm, only 23 years before hand.

I woke up Wednesday morning around 4:45am with regular contractions that felt different from my Braxton Hicks contractions. SO I woke Eric about 5:00am and said I think something is going on. We got up and kept an eye on the time and my contractions were coming about 8 minutes apart really hard, with a milder one in the middle around 4 minutes. So about 7:30 we went to the hospital. They checked me and I was dilated to a 2cm, and they hooked me up to monitor the contractions and the baby's heart rate. After a while they said my contractions weren't very regular (FYI they NEVER got regular) and they gave me a shot of morphine, said I was in early labor and to go home and relax and come back if/when they were closer and more regular. Supposedly the morphine is supposed to relax the uterus and make the CX more regular. They did not check me again (weird and I think dumb at that point) and sent me home at 11:30am.

We went home and I ate a half PB sandwich and tried to sleep every 8-9 minutes in between the CX. They slowed to about 12 minutes apart. Then after a couple hours they started coming faster and harder and the morphine had worn off. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't talk or walk through the CX's at that point so Eric called the hospital and they said to bring me back in. The ten minute car ride to the hospital was HELL and at that point I realized walking around and "Dancing" with Eric helped me cope more. We checked in to triage, they checked me and I was at 4cm and fully effaced "paper thin" she said. They got me a admitted and took me to my room around 3:30-4:00, and asked me what I wanted, to which I replied "I want the drugs, please." More specifically an epidural. STAT! Well.........that didn't happen.

The tough stuff began at about 4:30pm for which I labored on my own while I waited for the anasteasiologist to get out of a c-section and administer my epidural. Eric was SUCH an awesome labor coach! I know he was scared to see me in so much pain but he kept holding me, and rubbing my back and using a cold wet cloth on my forehead. He truly was a saint, I couldn't have made it so long without him. The doula the hospital provides was also totally helpful! Long story short, there were a series of emergency c-sections in the hospital that day and the epidural queen kept getting called away before she would make it to my room. I started to feel the urge to push around 6:15 and I started stressing that I would have to have this baby naturally. My CX were horrible ones that piggy-backed on each other so they would spike, start to come down, and then go back up again. There was also only about 30 seconds of rest between each set. I was becoming exhausted, I hadn't opened my eyes in two hours because the pain was so bad I was in my own head trying to picture myself any where else and begging God to help me get through this.

Around 6:45 the anaestesiologist FINALLY came to rescue me. The problem was, I hadn't been checked since 3:30pm when I was 4cm already. My nurse was SO awesome, she told the anasteasiologist that I was "a 4 last time they checked" and omitted the part about the time of day. She got the epidural in and THEN the Dr. came in to check me and I was 8cm! I had labored on my own without drugs from 4cm to 8cm in about 2 1/2 hours. I had to dig DEEP, as most of you know I am a pretty big woos. But labor was the most incredible thing I have ever done, I was more proud of that than any other thing I have done in my entire life!

Once I got the epidural they realized I had some severely low BP something like 80 over 40 and my heart rate was in the 200's to keep blood pumping. But they got in under control really quickly and I was able to relax a couple of hours. Around the same time my mom and sister and Eric's mom got to the hospital, so YAY everyone made it on time. Around 10:00 they wanted me to practice push and after about two CX of pushing the nurse had to get the doctor because his little blonde head was already showing. It took about 45 minutes to push him out. The epidural had been shut off so by the time his head came out I was able to feel his shoulders, arms and legs as he came right out into the doctor's hands. It was the most memorable moment of my life so far, completely indescribable so I won't even try. But there he was!!!! After nine months of waiting, his big blue/black eyes were starring up at me like he had known me all along! Instant love! No other way to put it.

The rest is sort of a blur. They put him on my chest for skin to skin contact and I just couldn't stop looking at him. Apparently my placenta would not dislodge from the uterus, despite pitocin and tugging the cord, so the doctor had to dig it out piece by piece. I was especially greatful for the epidural at that point since I felt pressure but no pain as the Dr. spent an hour taking the placenta out. Eric said it looked like carving a pumpkin! There was just so much blood everywhere! I had to get a round of antibiotics because of it, but it doesn't seem to have left any long term damage. I had one first degree tear that the Dr. stitched up and then Eric went to go get our families from the waiting room. At that time Noah got a bath, got weighed and then got to be loved on by his new Grandma and Auntie and Nana.

We were released from the hospital on Friday 2/5, and Noah weighed 6lbs and 10oz. On Monday he had his first outing to the pediatricians office and he weighed 6lbs 13oz. I was so relieved because I wasn't sure if my milk had come in and if he was getting enough. The pediatrician was really impressed with us! It made me feel a lot more confident about my mothering skills so far.

Today Noah is one week old!!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! We are starting to get used to 7 hours of sleep spread out into three chunks of time. And a newborn is pretty demanding. But becoming a mom has made me feel like there was this whole part of life that I didn't know I was missing until now. I knew I wanted to BE a mom, but when it actually happens, it is sort of peaceful like, this is exactly how the world should be. Both daddy and I are more in love with him, and with each other, every day.

For now, I have to go eat a snack before the little one wakes for a feeding. Sending internet love from Noah and his parents. XOXOXO