Welcome, Lincoln!

Lincoln joined the world on December 4th. He weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches long.

So how did it all go down? Here’s my extra long labor story for those interested (or bored at work)…

On Thursday I woke up to go to the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning and my water started breaking. It wasn’t a gush, just a leak. I had no idea at that point. I woke up as usual with the alarm clock (aka Chris) and got ready for work. Eventually, I realized that this might be my water breaking so I shared my news with Chris. I came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be a good idea to go into work. We agreed that Chris would drop Ava off at daycare and run into work to tie up some loose ends and I’d keep him posted once I talked with the doctor. Long story short, my water was indeed breaking which meant I had to head directly to the hospital and we were going to have a baby within the next 18 hours (water breaking means risk of infection to baby). I also started to experience mild contractions at the doctor’s office. At 10:30 a.m. we were headed to the hospital. We made a quick detour to Chick-fil-A because I know that once you’re admitted to the hospital they only give you clear liquids. That’s just crazy talk! My body needed fuel to deliver this baby and I filled her up!

We arrived to the hospital and checked into our room that they had ready for us. I changed into the oh-so-flattering hospital gown and we took some time to look around the room. We patted ourselves on the back for “doing it right this time.” In other words, we actually arrived to the hospital before the baby was literally being born. As we sat there and waited for the nurse to come back and tell us what was next I started to feel a bit of anxiety. That’s an understatement. I wanted out. I wanted to go home. I wanted to transfer powers to Chris at the very least. I expressed my concerns to Chris and explained that I really didn’t think I could do it this time. I told him that I thought I would need pain medication this time because I just wasn’t ready mentally or physically to endure labor this time. I was fighting a cold, which didn’t help matters. He looked shocked. He reminded me that I’m strong and that he thought I can do it but that the decision is ultimately my own. The nurse came traipsing into the room at this point with hospital bracelets galore, which only made this more official and more impossible in my head. I expressed my concerns to her and she nonchalantly went about her business getting everything ready and telling me stories of this happening all the time. I guess that made me feel better and reality hit that this is going to happen whether I want it to or not.

Much to my discontent, the nurse hooked me up to what felt like a million monitors and unnecessary contraptions. Really, it was only a contraction monitor, a heart-rate monitor for the baby and an IV line thing. She drew some blood. I was all plugged into the wall and uncomfortable. I kept asking how I’m supposed to go to the bathroom and she made it sound all easy…so long as you have an army to help. At some point during all of this my Mom and my brother Ryan showed up– we call them our “birthing crew” now since they were there for Ava too. We were all old pros this time. Ryan set his laptop up to work and Mom carried on normal conversation. This was all very reassuring to me and I immediately began to feel better. When the doctor came in to check on us I still insisted on asking her my pain-relief options. I vaguely remembered my options from when I researched them 3 years ago. As she started explaining the side effects and possible complications all my worries went out the window. I immediately remembered exactly why it was important to me to do this without drugs. It was just the pep talk I needed, even if those weren’t her intentions or mine. I started to feel like “the Hulk” again, as Chris so lovingly describes me now. I began to prepare myself mentally.

After I re-assured the doctor that I’d be doing this without the use of pain medication she continued to explain that because my water broke, it was important that this baby be delivered within 18 hours from 2 a.m. or I’d then be hooked up to antibiotics to protect his environment from infection. Being that my contractions were still mild and I was only 3 cm. dilated we discussed the option of starting Pitocin. Given the timeline we were now forced to be working on I could see how things progressed in the next hour on their own – but after 1 hour if I still hadn’t progressed I’d need Pitocin. Since I was mentally pumped now I opted to get the Pitocin sooner rather than later. The nurse got it hooked up to my IV thing and it instantly felt cold going into my veins. My hand got cold. I realized, once again, there was no turning back. It was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. I then lay in bed and waited for the Pitocin to do its thing. We talked and laughed so hard that we were causing blips in the monitors. Chris had to assist me to the bathroom. He wheeled the silly Pitocin contraption while I carried a wad of wires and tried not to get tangled. That was an “I Love Lucy” episode if I ever lived one myself! We had a good laugh in the bathroom together.

At this point my contractions were no laughing matter anymore. I opted to stand and labor since sitting or lying was much too painful. The nurse offered a birthing ball, which provided instant relief for the back labor between contractions. Between contractions, Chris gently suggested I wear my robe over my shoulders to “stay warm.” Little did I know he was really trying to cover my bum, literally, which was exposed to anyone who walked into the room. Hahaha! Labor was serious at this point and I became very demanding – no talking during a contraction and don’t you dare touch me! Ryan decided to exit at this point. Shortly thereafter I had a contraction complete with strong pressure. I shook it off and decided to see what the next contraction would bring. Wouldn’t you know the next contraction was complete with a pressure and a slight urge to push? In a panic I asked Chris to buzz the nurse and tell her. Thankfully, she responded quickly and ran into the room. It was 3:00 p.m. The doctor was due to check me again at 3:30 p.m. The nurse said, “Let’s not wait for the doctor, and let’s check you out now.” Sure enough, I was 8 cm. dilated and unintentionally pushing. My Mom left the room to go update Ryan on my progress and to let him know that it won’t be long now. I apologized to the nurse for pushing and explained that I didn’t have a choice. She popped her head out of our door, ran back in putting on latex gloves and said that she called for any doctor because she wasn’t sure our doctor would make it in time. I had a little internal laugh at this point because even when we “do it right” we still manage to panic everyone.

Thankfully, our doctor ran into the room putting her gear on at the same time. She sat at the foot of the bed and checked my progress. As she was checking one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced happened! We felt Lincoln spinning down the birth canal! She could feel his head spinning and descending against her fingers and I could feel his feet inside. It was amazing and exhilarating! She gave me the green light to actively push with each contraction. I pushed with all my might at the next contraction and could feel considerable progress. I pushed again and his head was crowning. Chris was beside himself. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him so excited. He was more scared with Ava since it was our first experience and it happened so quickly. The look on Chris’ face gave me all the energy I needed to carry on. It was better than any drug they could have administered. I caught my breath for 10 seconds until the next contraction. Then I pushed his head out. The doctor started suctioning his nostrils. I pushed again and his body flopped onto the bed. He let out the most beautiful cry and then he carried on crying in healthy baby fashion. I asked Chris if everything was OK and he smiled from ear to ear and said, “Yes!” I looked down and there he was in all his purple-ness. The nurse immediately noticed his dimples. I, on the other hand, was making sure he was in fact a he.

At this point my Mom popped her head through the door in complete disbelief that from the time she walked out of the room when I was at 8 cm. and returned Lincoln had arrived. She ran back to tell Ryan the news and they both quickly returned. Just like his experience with Ava, Ryan walked in as the placenta was being delivered. Poor guy. Because he’s part of the “birthing crew” it didn’t faze him this time. I warned him when he walked in and he said, “Oh yeah, been there. No big deal!” I held Lincoln for quite some time before the nurse took him to the other side of the room to get his stats. Chris stayed by his side the whole time, talking to him and rubbing his leg. The nurse returned him to me all bundled up in his blanket and I began breast-feeding him. He rooted and latched on like a champ!

It's funny how I've heard horror stories about Pitocin but I have to say I was impressed and wouldn't hesitate to go that route again. After everything was said and done the nurse shared her disbelief with us that I went from 3 cm. to 8 cm. in under an hour. I guess that's pretty rare. The nurse also recommended that I not walk the halls during my stay because I wasn't very popular among the other laboring women. Guess our story made its rounds!

I’m thrilled to be home now. It’s like torture for me to stay cooped up in a hospital room like that. I began getting major cabin fever. We’re adjusting well to being a family of 4. Ava is great and she loves her baby brother. She has been a big help. Chris is home with me this week and I’m so thankful for that. He’s been my brain and my 3rd arm.

It’s time to get the kids showered and bathed. I’ll do my best to keep the updates coming. So much to write about, just so little time…


The oh-so-flattering hospital gown...


Laboring...


Brand new Lincoln...








Brother & Sister...