Baby Tucker's Arrival
It's been a few weeks since we brought little Tucker home and I'm finally starting to feel like a human being again. For any mom I'm sure you know what I mean when I say that I've felt like the walking dead the last couple weeks. Although I am still pretty tired, I'm not nearly as zombie like as I have been. Since I have a short bout of energy, I figured I'd take the moment (while he's sleeping in Daddy's arms) to share our story of Tucker's arrival.
My due date was October 23rd, but as it got closer to the date, I was more and more miserable. I truly believe that the Dr. got the date wrong and Tucker was supposed to have come the week before, so that being said, I was more than ready for him to come out by the time the 23rd came around. Since Tucker had no idea he was supposed to come that day, we decided to give him a little push and induce. We scheduled the induction in the wee hours on Saturday morning, October 25th. The night before Tony and I anxiously waited for time to pass and we could go to bed so we could wake up to head to the hospital. Since I was being induced, they advised me not to eat after 12am, so I had some dinner at 7pm and just drank water for the rest of the evening. I wouldn't normally discuss something as boring as my dinner time, but you'll understand later in the story. We finally went to bed so we could wake up and be at the hospital at 3am. I have to say I sort of missed the whole "my water broke let's head to the hospital!!" deal by inducing, but ultimately, I'm happy with the decision. Tony and I were able to calmly make sure we had everything we needed and were able to make plans for the dogs while we'd be gone. When we arrived at the hospital we were notified that there was an emergency that took priority over us, so they couldn't get started until they had more staff. We settled in the labor room for about three and a half hours before a nurse finally came in and said "let's get started!". Sitting there in an uncomfortable bed, anxiously and uncomfortably waiting to go into labor was not only annoying, but a little disappointing. But alas, the nurse started my induction and away we went. I had steady contractions for about an hour but I wasn't dilating very fast, so the Dr. decided to go ahead and break my water to move things along. I have to admit that I was sort of thinking the whole labor thing wasn't a big deal since my contractions weren't painful at all. How silly I was! Because as soon as my water broke (which by the way, EWW! Not a pleasant thing) I started feeling intense pain! Oh my gosh, I could never have imagined that kind of pain was possible. My goal was to make it as far as I could before getting an epidural so I could experience true labor and know what to do when it was time to push. I only made it about...15 minutes before the nurse talked me into getting it sooner. Her reasoning was, which I completely agree with, "you're planning on getting it anyway, might as well be somewhat comfortable and be able to hold still for the needle than later being in a lot of pain and can't hold still". I am a very stubborn person so I can honestly say I'm surprised I agreed to get the epidural so soon, but I am so glad that I did. While I was pregnant I went back and forth about getting the epidural. So many people had told me so many different things, I was confused and unsure. After it all, I can say from personal experience that the epidural was a good thing. I was coherent throughout my entire labor. I was comfortable for the first time in months! I was actually able to sleep a little bit which was so great because I hadn't slept for the two weeks before. And when it came time to push, I was able to focus.
Things progressed typically and by 2:30 pm it was about time. I prepared as much as I could for what to expect during labor, but one thing that I never read about was the complete exhaustion your body goes through. Even though I had the epidural, I was still able to feel pressure as Tucker got closer to being born. And my body was going through an immense amount of stress getting ready. It had been almost 20 hours since I'd had anything to eat and suddenly I started to feel very sick and got extremely shaky. I knew it was getting closer to being time. The nurse had told me she was going to come back in an hour to check on me and see where we were at, but after about 20 minutes, I told Tony to go find her, this baby is coming! After a little running around, a nurse came in, said "yep! this baby is ready to come out!" and she went to get the Dr. I'll spare you the gorey details of the process, but in short; Tucker was ready ready to be born and so was I. Once it was time to push I remember I was in a zone of complete focus. I was determined to get that baby out in a timely manner. Thirty minutes later, Tucker Anthony Danielson was born. <3 Tony and Jillane held my hands and encouraged me and fed me ice chips when my mouth was dry, and we finally had our little angel. I can no more explain the feelings that I had when they placed Tucker on my chest for the first time than I could describe what God looks like. It truly is a complete miracle to have a child. The instantaneous love and connection between a mother and her child is amazing. I cried and cried and cried and Tucker gripped my finger as he took his first breathes and cried along with me. He was (is) perfect. 9lb 6oz and 21 in. A big healthy boy! Thank God.
The time spent in the hospital was less than comfortable. Between less than stellar hospital food, uncomfortable beds, extreme exhaustion, and the complete terror of being a new parent...we were ready to get out of there. We brought Tucker home Monday afternoon and spent the day trying to get used to having another member of the family. The girls adjusted well! Ava slurped his face as soon as she had the chance and Daisy just kept a safe distance. Although now, she likes to hang out with us while we nurse.
Overall I have to say we couldn't have asked for a more perfect pregnancy and delivery. Both Tucker and I are doing well and learning new things every day. I am truly thankful for our new little family. Stay tuned for the next post where I'll let you in on the days after his arrival. <3
My due date was October 23rd, but as it got closer to the date, I was more and more miserable. I truly believe that the Dr. got the date wrong and Tucker was supposed to have come the week before, so that being said, I was more than ready for him to come out by the time the 23rd came around. Since Tucker had no idea he was supposed to come that day, we decided to give him a little push and induce. We scheduled the induction in the wee hours on Saturday morning, October 25th. The night before Tony and I anxiously waited for time to pass and we could go to bed so we could wake up to head to the hospital. Since I was being induced, they advised me not to eat after 12am, so I had some dinner at 7pm and just drank water for the rest of the evening. I wouldn't normally discuss something as boring as my dinner time, but you'll understand later in the story. We finally went to bed so we could wake up and be at the hospital at 3am. I have to say I sort of missed the whole "my water broke let's head to the hospital!!" deal by inducing, but ultimately, I'm happy with the decision. Tony and I were able to calmly make sure we had everything we needed and were able to make plans for the dogs while we'd be gone. When we arrived at the hospital we were notified that there was an emergency that took priority over us, so they couldn't get started until they had more staff. We settled in the labor room for about three and a half hours before a nurse finally came in and said "let's get started!". Sitting there in an uncomfortable bed, anxiously and uncomfortably waiting to go into labor was not only annoying, but a little disappointing. But alas, the nurse started my induction and away we went. I had steady contractions for about an hour but I wasn't dilating very fast, so the Dr. decided to go ahead and break my water to move things along. I have to admit that I was sort of thinking the whole labor thing wasn't a big deal since my contractions weren't painful at all. How silly I was! Because as soon as my water broke (which by the way, EWW! Not a pleasant thing) I started feeling intense pain! Oh my gosh, I could never have imagined that kind of pain was possible. My goal was to make it as far as I could before getting an epidural so I could experience true labor and know what to do when it was time to push. I only made it about...15 minutes before the nurse talked me into getting it sooner. Her reasoning was, which I completely agree with, "you're planning on getting it anyway, might as well be somewhat comfortable and be able to hold still for the needle than later being in a lot of pain and can't hold still". I am a very stubborn person so I can honestly say I'm surprised I agreed to get the epidural so soon, but I am so glad that I did. While I was pregnant I went back and forth about getting the epidural. So many people had told me so many different things, I was confused and unsure. After it all, I can say from personal experience that the epidural was a good thing. I was coherent throughout my entire labor. I was comfortable for the first time in months! I was actually able to sleep a little bit which was so great because I hadn't slept for the two weeks before. And when it came time to push, I was able to focus.
Things progressed typically and by 2:30 pm it was about time. I prepared as much as I could for what to expect during labor, but one thing that I never read about was the complete exhaustion your body goes through. Even though I had the epidural, I was still able to feel pressure as Tucker got closer to being born. And my body was going through an immense amount of stress getting ready. It had been almost 20 hours since I'd had anything to eat and suddenly I started to feel very sick and got extremely shaky. I knew it was getting closer to being time. The nurse had told me she was going to come back in an hour to check on me and see where we were at, but after about 20 minutes, I told Tony to go find her, this baby is coming! After a little running around, a nurse came in, said "yep! this baby is ready to come out!" and she went to get the Dr. I'll spare you the gorey details of the process, but in short; Tucker was ready ready to be born and so was I. Once it was time to push I remember I was in a zone of complete focus. I was determined to get that baby out in a timely manner. Thirty minutes later, Tucker Anthony Danielson was born. <3 Tony and Jillane held my hands and encouraged me and fed me ice chips when my mouth was dry, and we finally had our little angel. I can no more explain the feelings that I had when they placed Tucker on my chest for the first time than I could describe what God looks like. It truly is a complete miracle to have a child. The instantaneous love and connection between a mother and her child is amazing. I cried and cried and cried and Tucker gripped my finger as he took his first breathes and cried along with me. He was (is) perfect. 9lb 6oz and 21 in. A big healthy boy! Thank God.
The time spent in the hospital was less than comfortable. Between less than stellar hospital food, uncomfortable beds, extreme exhaustion, and the complete terror of being a new parent...we were ready to get out of there. We brought Tucker home Monday afternoon and spent the day trying to get used to having another member of the family. The girls adjusted well! Ava slurped his face as soon as she had the chance and Daisy just kept a safe distance. Although now, she likes to hang out with us while we nurse.
Overall I have to say we couldn't have asked for a more perfect pregnancy and delivery. Both Tucker and I are doing well and learning new things every day. I am truly thankful for our new little family. Stay tuned for the next post where I'll let you in on the days after his arrival. <3
Comments
Post a Comment