Our new addition

Labor

39 weeks came and went, just like that ;) and we were very excited to meet our baby.  We went to the hospital at  6pm Thursday the 6th to be induced.  I'd been having contractions throughout the day, but nothing different than the past two weeks.  Once I was hooked up to my I. V. the contractions started feeling much more regular and intense within minutes.  This was just fluids not pitocin.  Then we got to start the penicillin.  Oh the misery of penicillin, I had forgotten about the burning arm, but it does distract you from contractions.  The doctor came to break my water at 8 and I was a bit nervous, with Bronson and Levi I had already had the epidural when she broke my water.  It was one of many crawling to the top of the bed experiences I had that night.  They started pitocin after that, which they should have done earlier but uh . . . . forgot I guess.  Then the evening  started to get a bit more exciting as the contractions started getting stronger and stronger.  By 10:30 I'd had enough fun and was ready for relief.  I'm glad I didn't wait any longer ask because the epidural wasn't in until 11:30.  This was definitely the furthest I'd gone as far as pain endurance before medication.  

Then the beautiful feeling of buzzing, tingling legs.  Contractions feeling less and less and buzzing legs, so weird.  I still hadn't progressed much so I was glad to have some relief so we could rest as I knew it would be a long night.  At midnight we turned off the lights to get some rest, at this point I was only a 4.  I didn't do any sleeping but did get to rest pretty well for about an hour.  Then the leg buzzing took a wrong turn onto concrete street.  By 1:30 I could take it no longer.  I can't even describe how miserable and helpless it felt.  I couldn't move my legs, at all!  I can only describe it as being stuck in concrete.  I wanted nothing more then to be able to move them, I would have Jared help me and it just wasn't working out.  With Bronson and Levi I'd been able to still move my legs pretty easily and turn from side to side if I needed.  There was nothing I could do, it also made moving the top half of my body very hard.  It was like I couldn't do anything without the use of my legs, it was really a horrifying feeling.  The nurse kept saying but at least you're not feeling pain of contractions.  This however was way worse and still very painful in a different way.

So we turned off the epidural, I guess they can't turn it down but have to turn it completely off ??????

I was thinking what happened to having a button that gives you more medicine if you need, rather than a huge dose?  After an hour my left leg was feeling much better but my right leg still pretty dead.  The hour we were laying down no progress was made, but once I was sitting up again and the epidural turned off things started moving much faster.  At 2:15 I was a 7, by 3 am things had heated up quite a bit and I was ready for the epidural to be back on.  After a few minutes the anesthesiologist came back in, flipped a switch and walked out.  I was expecting the pain to disappear pretty quickly as it does in the beginning, getting less and less intense after each contraction and after about 10 minutes feeling pretty good again.  No such luck.  I couldn't tell the slightest difference except things were getting worse because I was getting close to having a baby.  I could tell I'd been progressing and a little before 4 they called the doctor.  As delivery was approaching the nurse is literally squeezing a bag of penicillin into me.  This is when I thought I might die.  These contractions were crazy and I knew it was too late to be able to receive any kind of relief, then my arm catches fire!  Was I screaming, no.  Crying YES!  And would someone please take this damn blood pressure cuff off.  Honestly being strapped to a bed when you are in so much pain SUCKS, A LOT.  I was ready to rip that I.V. out.  My arm ahhhhhh!  About 5 minutes before the doctor gets there Jared notices this button wrapped around my bed post.  Isn't this the epidural button he says.  UH YES!  That stupid anesthesiologist didn't ever tell me that I had that there.  So we of course pushed it but knew delivery was right here.  I really wanted to punch the guy, hard, in the face!

Anyway I just looked at Jared and said, this is gonna hurt and then we started pushing.  Poor little baby did have a good size head and it wasn't coming down, it was also turned sideways.  I really felt like my head might bust, I'd never pushed so hard in my life, and wasn't making much progress.  The doctor is trying to turn his head and figure out which way his face is, again, me crawling up the bed.  We finally got him past my pubic bone and he started moving down.  Still pushing insanely hard, and feeling so tired.  Finally his head is about out and what a feeling that was, having his head right there and waiting for the next contraction to get him out.  This would be the watermelon coming out a donut hole feeling.  

Then at 4:25am, on Friday the 7th his head came out with his whole body sliding out immediately after.  Thank heavens!  Then, there he was, the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen.  I looked at him for the first time and couldn't believe he was our baby.  He was an angel, even covered in slime.

 I've never experienced unmedicated childbirth so I really can't tell you how much I felt compared to an unmedicated delivery.  But I know it was enough for me.  Looking back it was a neat experience to be able to feel more.  I never felt like I was going to die,(except maybe when my arm was on fire) but there was a lot of pain and exhaustion.  I was only pushing for about 25 minutes, but they may have been the longest 25 minutes of my life, I think Jared's as well.  I could tell how concerned he was when the baby just wasn't moving, he was also really trying to help by holding his breath with me :) poor husbands.  That must be such an experience for guys as well.  In the end however it was a good thing that the epidural was turned off, I can't imagine having to push like that with my legs they way they were, I don't think I would have been able to do it, honestly.  So I'm sure it could have been much worse, but thankful that it wasn't.  Does being induced suck? Yes, but I'm still glad we did it when he did.  If he had gotten much bigger . . . I don't know, and I'd worried the whole time about his position,  from the way my body was feeling.  Anyway the doctor said that birthing a baby with his head sideways is much worse than face up.  Lucky for us our baby is a tough little trooper.  

Just after checking in

First family photo

I think my favorite response when people would ask me how I was feeling when I was pregnant, was 

"About how I look."  This picture would also follow that rule.  

But because there is such a sweet reward at the end, the 9 months of total misery, the crazy labors and deliveries, and the super fun recoveries of sore bums and boobs, and no emotional control.  Well it's all worth it.  Oh how I love holding my babies on the outside so much better then the inside.

BABY

We have had a very hard time coming up with a name for this little guy.  We weren't ever able to find that magic fit as we had with the other boys.  So we finally decided to go with Trace Jared.  But after we met him I just wasn't convinced and we started mix matching all the names we'd tossed around before.  I'm not sure how long it took us maybe 3 or 4 hours but then we found it, that feeling of a perfect fit.  It was kind of neat to find the perfect fit after we'd seen him.  So we are very happy to welcome Blake Sydney Buckley to our family of boys.  He weighed 7lbs 15.9 oz - his birth certificate says 8 but I like 7.15 better :)  He was 20.5 inches long and the cutest baby in the world.

 Froggy feet.  This boy doesn't like to straighten his legs, he is usually positioned like this or indian style.  It explains a lot when I was trying to figure out how I was getting kicked in so many directions.

He has very long toes too.

    

 His hair is so cute, and a curly.  His hairline comes connects to his eyebrows

 and he has cute little sideburns and fuzzy little shoulders.

Two more babies on the way, I can't wait.

The curious onlooker

Bronson had a cold so they weren't able to get close, but 

they were pretty excited to come see him.

                           

 My favorite way to hold him, I think he likes it too.

 We came home Saturday around 5, I couldn't take one more night in that horrible bed. I think his car seat must be smaller than our other one because he was pretty snug in there.  Speaking of car seats, I don't think I'm sold on car seat covers, they are so annoying, at least blankets can be easily removed.  

 The welcoming crew.  When Bronson saw me he asked if there was another baby in my tummy.

Then started pushing on it because he didn't believe me.  What a disappointment, he thought I'd be skinny after the baby came out.  But it is a great feeling to lose 20 lbs in a week.  Some of us just have a gift for retaining water I guess.  If only the next 20 could come off that fast.

 Great helpers!

 When we were at the hospital Blake started getting a little yellow.   The skin test said he was at 11, so they did a blood test which said he was at 8.  We went in again Monday morning at it was at 13, then Tuesday at 16.  So we had to start him on the bili lights.

 He did so well, much better than me.  He was a great little patient.

 After 2 days he was back down to 11 so we've been able to stop the lights and hold him again, hooray.  Hopefully that will be the end of jaundice and feedings will continue to improve. 

So cute, even stuck to a board.

Inside he was my pumpkin, but outside he is my peanut.  My little froggy peanut.

Bronson held Blake last night for the first time.  Until now they have been content just to know where he is.  Bronson was a great coach as I was trying not to scream nursing.  "Just take lots of deep breaths mom."  And when the baby would cry, " you need to tell him rock-a-bye over and over."  He has naturally had a lot of questions this week learning about babies.  He's a great big brother.  He had a great time holding him last night, and they have now officially bonded I think.  He loved it, and was so cute talking about him and all the things he would teach him, like karate (yikes) riding bikes, doing flips etc.  Levi loves him too but hasn't wanted to hold him yet. It's crazy to see your baby being held by your other baby.

 Blake also had to have his hearing rechecked as his left ear failed the test in the hospital twice :(.  Luckily he did pass on Wednesday.  I'm assuming his ear just picked up some debris as he was coming out - sideways.  We are headed to the doctor again today, and I will be glad when this week is over, we've been to the doctor every day, no fun getting poked all the time.  We sure love this boy he is a sweet addition to our family!  We are so blessed to have him.

In case you were wondering who he looks like.