The whole story (well, almost)

It is quiet at our house now. Aaron is putting a hyped up Jeremiah to bed and Nathaniel is doing what he loves to do - sleep in his bassinet.

So, I thought it was a good time to fill in the details of Nathaniel's birth. Don't worry, I won't put in gory, yucky details for the faint of heart. :-)

For those of you interested in all the pics go to http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.rapier/NathanielsBirth02?authkey=_FRBC7d4PyI

I left the blog with an update on Monday morning that I could go into labor at any time. I was still sceptical that it would be anytime soon, just because this pregnancy was so difficult and I just was convinced that I still had 2 weeks to go. So I got Jeremiah home and through lunch and finally down for a nap. I was exhausted and looking forward to a nap myself. An hour into the nap I woke up with the same contractions that I had the night before. They were not regular but were strong so I decided to get up and pack the rest of our stuff. An hour later I was calling Aaron and telling him that I was almost positive this was it - could he please come home. Brenda was on her way to get Jeremiah. I was sure I was in labor but scared I was causing a lot of trouble for nothing. By the time Aaron got home my contractions were regular and strong and it was time to go to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at about 4:45 and by this time I couldn't really walk through a contraction. My midwife was at the hospital delivering another baby and we laughed to see each other so soon again. She checked me and sure enough there I was, dilated another cm and almost totally effaced. This was it!

We were admitted and put in a room. By the time all the paperwork was done I was ready for an epidural. I was just too tired to do the whole natural thing and I was not doing a good job of resting and relaxing through the contractions. In no time a wonderful man named Jim had me all set and while I could still feel pressure of contractions there was no more pain! I love modern medicine! I was able to relax and things continued to progress. Aaron and I were still abit shell shocked that this was all really happening and happening so fast. The midwife and nurses kept saying, "things are moving pretty fast, you should be meeting this guy soon." A few hours later the contractions were peaking and I was feeling them uncomfortably even through the medication. It was almost time!

The part I dread most about delivery is the pushing stage. With Jeremiah it lasted 2 horrible hours. It is like being in the twilight zone where time telescoped and condensed at the same time. But I knew my body and knew it was time to push, and of course knew that it had to be done. I was not going to play around this time - I wanted this whole thing over with! My nurses and midwife were so encouraging. And Aaron proved his worth as a labor coach again. After just 20 minutes of pushing our second son was laid wriggling and crying on my stomach!

There are no words for that moment. He was beautiful! He quieted down the minute he heard my voice and just laid there making sucking motions with his mouth. After a few minutes Aaron cut the cord and went over to watch Nathaniel be cleaned. I started crying uncontrollably. My midwife looked at me abit concerned. But I told her that I was just so happy to not be pregnant, that our little boy was here, that everything went so well. When Aaron brought Nathaniel back to me I put him down to try and breastfeed and he latched on right away and has been nursing like a champ ever since.

God has showered us with blessing in the past few days. All the details that I had started to be anxious about were worked out as we went through the process. It seems that everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to worry about details. God's way of taking care of me.

Nathaniel is a good baby so far. I have had a quick healing process and really the most discomfort I feel at this point is in the muscles in my back from curling up to push so hard. Yesterday even the muscles in my neck and jaw were sore! Jeremiah has been adjusting well so far, although he is a bit hyper tonight. He likes to hold Nathaniel (don't worry, we are really the ones doing the holding), give him hugs, and touch his fingers and toes. He loves to look into the bassinet to check on the baby to see if he is still sleeping. He likes to help by throwing the dirty diapers away.

Well, that is the story so far. We of course will keep posting as the adventure of parenting two boys develops. But for now it is time to feed the little one and then get some rest.

Thanks to all of you for praying for us and supporting us through this process. We have grown in so many ways through seeing Gods work and provision even in difficult times. We are thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine!