A week ago today...

My bebe was born.

My labor was different this time around. I labored pretty hard for about 6 hours, then asked for the epidural. In less than 40 minutes I went from being dilated 3cms to complete. Crazy. Four pushes. *I love this next part* When Jackson was born, my doctor put him straigh on my chest... just like in the movies. It was magical. I'm so glad I had that experience. Soon after, they took him away to the warmers to access him.

During delivery, there was some worry that he might have broken his collarbone. Can you imagine? That dampened things a bit. While he was under the warmer, the initial accessments looked good. He didn't show any signs of a broken collarbone- but they ordered xrays to confirm. But while they ran his apgars, he was showing signs of rapid breathing.

To make a long story short, we wanted him to transition out of this breathing pattern in about 5 hours- but it took about 6 hours. That was a bummer bc they thought he would have to stay in the nusery over night--- *yikes*

I was able to visit him in the nursery after the epidural wore off. He was hooked up to all sorts of monitors... I felt terrible and helpless and scared. They were running a heap of blood test for infection. But around 9pm he was cleared of things and I got to bring my bebe boy into our room and nurse the night away.

All those helpless feelings... wisked away. Our God is good and we went from broken collarbones, repiratory distress, and infection... to nothing at all. Just a perfectly healthy brand.new bebe with his momma, doing the best that they can together. Incredible, really.

Although things started off somewhat scary, my experience was amazing. My hospital stay was a dream. The nursing staff was fantastic... I mean, truly amazing. I chose a small hospital in my little suburb of Zachary. Baton Rouge has a great birthing hospital that serves the majority of the city. But I wanted a more personal approach. The facility was beautiful... the doctors and staff were so fantastic. I went with my gut, and I was really rewarded with an experience I'll always cherish.

I'm recouperating like a champ. Seriously. Things are SO MUCH EASIER the second time around. Don't get me wrong, I'm hooked to the dermoplast and epi.bottle like no.body's.business, but I feel great. Much better than I ever did this early with James Neal. Breastfeeding is a breeze the second time around... I'm happy. So happy. I've never imagined having so much in my life... so much opportunity. So much to look forward to. So much to cherish right now. There is so much more I want to share, but for now, I bed down.

So here we are, happy, healthy, and celebrating our first week together.


Thanks for encouraging me.

Peace, love, and being full.to.the.brim,
xo
lmkw