Friday November 11, 2011 started out like any other normal day. After having a leisurely morning at home, I went in for yet another weekly Dr. appointment with my OB. At that point I was only a little under a week away from my due date. After a delightful assessment of my cervix, the Dr. informed me that I was "a good 3 centimeters" dilated. She then told me that if I chose to, I could have my labor induced that next week, and that she would be on call on that following Sunday if I wanted to do it then. Throughout my entire pregnancy I kept telling everyone how much I really did not want to go past my due date because I did not want to be induced, as opposed to going into labor naturally. However, after a long nine months, the thought of being pregnant just one more day was sounding less and less appealing...and with the opportunity dangling in front of my face to have a baby three days before my due date, I just couldn't say no. Mr. Bo and I spent those next two days getting everything ready, and trying to relax as much as possible.
My induction was scheduled for 7 a.m. on Sunday November 13, but I received a call from the hospital around 6 a.m. letting me know that labor and delivery was full, and that my induction would have to be pushed back to noon. Talk about a long morning! When we finally got to the hospital, and were nice and settled in, things started moving pretty quickly. After having my I.V. placed, the Dr. broke my water and in a matter of minutes I began having contractions. I have a very low tolerance for pain, so after about an hour I requested an epidural. The rest of the afternoon and evening passed pretty uneventfully, with lots of family to keep us company. Then around 9:00 p.m. I was told it was time to start pushing! The first hour of pushing was really not too unpleasant. The epidural was still going strong, and everything seemed relatively easy and relaxed. That was until around 9:50 or so, when my epidural drip ran out, and I continued to push for another hour.
As someone who has had two bouts with Kidney stones, as well as Ovarian cysts, let me tell you: Worst pain of my entire life. That was until 10:51 p.m. when every ounce of pain left my body and my sweet, healthy, 8 lb 3 oz baby boy was born.
. Our first few days home from the hospital were somewhat overwhelming, as Mr. Bo and I both had "hospital withdraws." We loved our Dr. and nurses so much. Tomorrow Baby Bo will be two weeks old and I can hardly believe it. He has been so much fun to have around, and we often find ourselves just sitting and staring at him. I'm still having a hard time putting him down, and just want to hold him in my arms all the time. Mr. Bo is a wonderful dad, and has proven himself to be somewhat of a natural...It helps that he has six weeks paid paternity leave from work! So far Baby Bo's favorite thing to do is sleep. Even though all anyone told me before he was born was how much newborns sleep, they all still seem surprised by how much he actually does sleep. When he is awake he is such a delight. So far he has proven himself to be somewhat of an "easy baby," rarely fussing except during bath times, changing times, and when he has to be put in his car seat. Sometimes he cries when he feels like I am taking too long getting to him for meal times, but mostly he just makes snorting noises while rubbing his face, which we find quite amusing! He is eating well, growing well, and we consider ourselves very blessed!
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| After his first bath at the hospital. This picture still brings a tear to my eye. |
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| And baby makes three... |
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| Four generations of Bo men (Also Baby Bo's first Thanksgiving!) |
