Welcoming our Baby Boy

If anyone ever tells you that being a parent is easy from the start then they must have a secret I don't know. These first three weeks have been full of highs and lows. But lets start from the beginning...labor and delivery. It was Wednesday night (15 Jan 14) and we had ordered Chinese take out as we were both exhausted from working a full day. It was business as usual in our house. Art had the next morning off as I was supposed to have an OB appointment, since I was going to be 4 days past my due date, and he was going to go with me because we anticipated discussing induction. I went to bed on the earlier side as I was just exhausted while Art was savoring the fact he could sleep in the next morning and stayed up later than usual. I woke up around midnight with cramping feeling, but I thought maybe it was just the Chinese food. So I didn't wake Art up because I didn't want to read too much into it, since I have had zero signs of labor to this point. When the cramping started getting a little stronger and were pretty constant 6-8 min apart I realized this was probably not just cramping but contractions. After 2hrs I decided I need to wake Art up and let him know I think I was having contractions. So over the next hour they started to increase in intensity. When people said you will know that you in true labor they were not kidding, there is no mistaking a true contraction. They started getting really painful but still about 5 min apart, so we were advised by labor/delivery to not come in till they were 2-3 min apart for 2 hrs straight. By around 4:30 I wanted to die. So we finally decided it was time to go in. We got the car packed up and headed to base, for what seemed like the longest car ride of my life. When we got up to labor and delivery they hooked me up to monitors and checked my cervix. They said my contractions were still about 5 min apart and only 3 cm dilated. Seriously, this was going to be a long night...so I thought. But around 6am (I think but really time was all kind of a blur at this point) they moved me into one of the actual labor and delivery rooms, so I guess they did believe I was in true labor at this point. I was in so much pain I was having a hard time breathing through my contractions. Yeah my idea of an all natural labor out the window I wanted the drugs and I wanted them now. I finally got an IV with some drugs and man the world was a much better place. I actually fell asleep for a little while it was awesome. The nurse said they had decided to give me some pitocin to speed up the labor as it wasn't seeming to progress very much. Then all of a sudden I don't know how long I was out of it for (maybe an hour) but all of a sudden the medications were not working anymore. I was in the worst pain of my life, I think I was literally screaming/begging the nurse for more drugs. I must have seemed like a crazy person. They checked my cervix again and low and behold in about an hour I had gone from 3 cm to 9 cm, ummmm no wonder I was in pain. This baby was on his way and fast. I wanted my epidural and I mean I wanted it like yesterday...the anesthesiologist could not make it up fast enough. But I did finally get it and let me tell you he was my new best friend. I think the nurse said I got another hour or so of rest after that. Then she woke me up and told me it was time to start pushing (around 11am). I pushed for less than an hour and our beautiful baby boy joined us! It was the most amazing thing to see him for the first time. I remember the team (nurse/techs) saying they were surprised at how fast it went, they all thought that maybe I would deliver by the end of their shift that night because in the beginning I was progressing so slowly. So the nurse told me, if I ever have another child be aware that once I start active labor it could go real quick. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so thankful for my amazing husband who helped me through everything. I am thankful for the staff who were also amazing at getting me through it all and taking amazing care of all us in the hospital.
Welcome to the world Ryan Valeri 16 Jan 14 at 11:52!

Let the Waiting Game Begin

So tomorrow will mark the start of week 39, which means baby boy could be here any day. I don't know how I feel. I mean I am anxious, excited, nervous and scared all at once. I can't wait for baby boy to be here, but definitely have moments of sheer terror. I mean I will be responsible for this precious little one, that is scary. I know everyone tells me the minute I see him it will all come naturally, but I can't help and worry.
Lets do a quick stats update
Weight: about 25 lbs gained
Names: TBD
Due Date: Jan 13, 2014
Days left of work (potentially): 5, and yes I am still working full days with a full patient load.
Sleep: uncomfortable
Movement: he is running out of room, but still moving like crazy
Cravings: food in general. I am always hungry...but I get terrible heartburn.
I hate taking photos of myself but here is one from a few weeks ago (35 weeks).