As you can tell from the photo Omar shot out there yesterday, we had a baby! It's kinda crazy that after waiting 280 days, on the evening of my due date, little Leo started the process right on schedule. Not that I hadn't become a little mental waiting for my due date... and then went a bit more mental when early labor turned out to be what they apparently call "latent labor" - up to 20 hours of contractions without really getting the ball rolling. But after ~3 hours of sleep, Omar and I finally headed to the hospital at 9am... not entirely sure they weren't going to send me home.
They decided to check me into the hospital after verifying I was in fact contracting, but I hadn't dilated one bit since my previous 2cm measurement in the office visit the day before... a reality that almost brought tired tears. "Seriously, all that contracting for the past 13 hours and NOTHING to show for it?!?" But I was thrilled they decided to keep me, because that meant we were gonna have a baby at some point soon. One way or another.
I continued to contract, started to get more and more incomfortable, and by 1pm my dear friend, neighbor and OB-on-call Roxie was able to give me the first good news that I was 3cm. Then she sent my folks and in-laws away for lunch and worked her magic by breaking my water.
Let the tsunami of labor begin.
Instantly I was thrown into contractions every 2 minutes, and these were those real-deal doosies. Within 10 minutes I was clutching the siderail of the bed, needing cool towels on the forehead, wretching, getting IV anit-nausea medications and begging that the anesthesiologist high-tail it out of the c-section he was in to get his keister into my room for the epidural. Since I knew an epidural was the smart option having previously had a c-section, I hadn't mentally geared up for a tough-guy Max-style medication-free labor. I wanted some pain killers and I wanted them now! I could have kissed the man who placed the epidural 15 minutes later. By the time my family got back from lunch, I was laying there with a peaceful smile on my face... they had missed all the fire works.
The nurse checked me at 3pm, and informed me I was 10 cm! Since I was comfy and still contracting every 2 minutes, we let a bit more time pass to "labor down," trying to avoid the 3 hours of pushing I had with Max. I started pushing at 4:30 and Leo arrived in the world at 4:52pm!
Welcome to the world little man! May you not be smothered with love by the big brothers who already think you are ready for football style shinanigans. Tomorrow I take you home to the first day of the rest of our lives. We love you.
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