Welcome "Baby Brother"

{May 16}

(Sorry for the long story and lots of pictures that you may not care to see...They're for my own journaling)

I went to the Dr. to be checked for the first time on Friday, May 4. I was surprised that I was dilated to a 2 and 25% thinned. That weekend I felt awful. I was very crampy and just didn't feel normal. I didn't want him to come yet though, because that would be 4 weeks early. I just rested and took it slow.

I worked Mon-Thursday the next week and actually felt great all week.

On Friday I was checked again. This time I was dilated to a 3 and 50% effaced.

Dr. T said he didn't think he would see me at my next appointment.

Things got real. I had a lot I needed to get done.

I cleaned and did laundry about every day.

Monday I did a lot of dusting and up on the ladder, up and down the stairs, etc.

I felt fine while doing it, but it hit me in the middle of the night Monday night.

I had overdone things and my body was letting me know.

I couldn't even move because my back and my hips hurt so bad. 

Dev helped me out of bed and was worried about me going to work.

I told him I'd be fine because I just sit all day and it would be better than sitting at home.

I had to walk very slow and was in a lot of pain.

I was just ready to have this little man, and silently hoping I'd just go into labor while at work.

That night I still needed to vacuum and mop the house, then it would be ALL clean.

Gretch came over and helped with the vacuuming, while I did the mopping.

She was a life saver!

I was having steady contractions...ranging 4-10 minutes apart.

They were hard, but not hard enough to be the real thing yet...I wanted to stay up and walk, but I decided I better go to bed just in case I didn't go into labor and needed to go to work Wednesday morning.

I fell asleep and they went away...until about 3:30am. I woke up to strong back labor contractions.

They felt just the same as Ty's labor and I knew if they kept coming it was real.

They were about 10 minutes apart and I could fall asleep for a few minutes inbetween.

I text Whitney to see if she'd go in to work for me just in case. 

I told her if I didn't end up progressing, I would come in and she could go home.

At about 6 I fell asleep after a contraction and didn't wake up until 7:30 feeling perfectly normal. Bummer.

I told Devan I would go for a walk and if things didn't pick up I was headed into work.

Gretch said she would run to my house and then walk with me.

I got up and got on some walking clothes, came downstairs to eat breakfast, and they started...They started STRONG. I couldn't talk, I was trying to breath, and I couldn't stand through them. 

They were every 3-4 minutes right off the bat.

I called Gretch and said, "I don't think I'm going for a walk, I think I'm headed to the hospital".

It was about 8:45am at this point.

I put on some make up(thankfully I had showered the night before, because I didn't have time), Devan got Ty a bag ready, We dropped him off at Gretchen's, and headed to Labor and Delivery.

I had a contraction right before walking in, so I looked fine when we got in there to check in.

The nurses kind of looked at me like I was dumb and I could tell they didn't really think I was in labor.

They took me to the room to be monitored and checked me.

(Worst pain I was in through the whole delivery and after. I swear her fist went up to my throat mid contraction.)

"You're a 5. We'll just move you right over to the other room."

It was about 10:15am at this point.

I immediately asked for the epidural and they told me he'd be right in.

There were others who needed the anesthesiologist before me, so it was about an hour.

Dev let me just squeeze the life out of his hand through each contraction, and was able to give me a blessing with just the 2 of us there.

It was nice to be able to share this time with him(he barely made it for Ty's delivery) and go through it together.

The anesthesiologist came in for the epidural and it was the best epidural ever!

I could totally feel my legs and move them, I could feel pressure, but no pain. I was in heaven.

They checked me right after he was done and I was a 7.

Dr. T came and broke my water at about 12(he was on his lunch break).
I told him I would try and have this baby on his break so he didn't have to push any patients back. ha

I got SUPER nauseous and felt like I was going to pass out.

I was trying to breathe deep and holding the barf bag just in case.

Gretchen came at about this point to keep me company, be there for me, and take pictures.

They knew I was progressing quickly and the nurse just started moving things around and getting them ready for delivery.

They checked me at about 12:30 and I was ready to deliver.

We realized we needed someone to hold Skype for my Mom and Dad to be there from New Zealand.

Luckily Heidi was working in the mom/baby unit that day and wasn't too busy, so she was able to be there too.

Dr. T was close eating lunch and seemed like he was there immediately.

Everything was ready, I was feeling the pressure, and I was nervous and ready to meet this little boy.

I couldn't believe it was really happening.

I pushed through probably 3 contractions and he was here, covered in white, and they were handing that little man to me at 12:43 pm.

It was quick and perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better labor/delivery(besides maybe the epidural a little sooner).

He nursed great right from the start and just looked around.

They left us for about an hour to talk and I nursed, then we were moved upstairs, where Heidi was my nurse. I was SO lucky!

The numbness wore off, I was up and walking to the bathroom, and feeling great.

This recovery was night and day from Ty's and I was so happy!

Kael Pierce Partridge
Born May 16, 2012
12:43 pm
6 lbs. 3 oz.
19 in long