My Baby Story....

1 week ago today I was cleaning my house in a frenzy.....I couldn't scrub the floors, wash windows or vacuum carpets quickly enough because I knew it was happening but I was in denial. And I wasn't ready, I had 10 days to still prepare for a baby!

It had been a weird nights sleep where all I did was have weird dreams. I wasn't awake but I wasn't restfully sleeping either. Even a couple of times through the night I was sure I felt braxton hicks, 7am I had enough. I got out of bed where the braxton hicks continued. Off and on all day they would show themselves, sometimes hard, sometimes soft, sometimes consistently and other times I'd go a few hours and feel nothing.

Around 4-4:30pm Saturday afternoon I went to the washroom and knew things had "changed"

Kristen insisted it was now time to start timing these braxton hicks which were now contractions. But I still wouldn't admit defeat...I kept busy. Afterall the midwives had advised me to do JUST that. If you're in early labour keep yourself busy and distracted because it will get worse.

We headed to the grocery store to buy some bread, milk and orange juice, just in case this was real labour and we didn't have a chance to get groceries yet that weekend. By the time we got home it was around 7pm, the contractions were consistently every 3 minutes but not lasting too long. By 9pm I called the midwives...Ellen one of my midwives came to the house to check on me. I was dialted 1cm but progressing well so she suggested I take some gravol, have a bath and get some rest because Baby Hann was definitely going to be born in the next 24 hours.

I couldn't believe it......

I went to bed around 10:30 and by 12am I "knew" the contractions had changed, they were lasting between 90 seconds and 2 minutes only 4 minutes apart and the pain was something I had never felt before or could compare to anything. I called Ellen again who advised us to meet her at the hospital. To all our surprise when she checked me again around 1:30am I was 7cm dialated....yeah go figure.....

So after a couple of hours of hard labour I was finally able to receive an epidural around 3:30am and seriously for you women who had your kids without pain relief....WOW! You are on the highest pedestal I could ever have for someone. I applaud you!!!

Kristen took a photo of me "working" through a contraction....

After the awesome pain relief...I could actually smile

Around 4:30 the midwives broke my water and 7am it was time to push, at this point I had let the epidural wear off enough that I felt everything...yeah...everything definitely not to the point of someone who didn't have an epidural but I had insisted to the midwives from the very beginning that IF I had an epidural I still wanted to feel as much as possible without "all" the pain (I think I ended up with 90% of it....LOL). And over two hours later at 9:14am Sunday morning, Sept 20th we welcomed Jesse Blaine Manuel Hann into the world.

Blaine after my only brother and sibling

And Manuel after Kristen's grandfather on his Mother's side

This is Holly another one of my AWESOME midwives just as Jesse was born

And this is Ellen on the left and Lindsay on the right. Ellen was with me from the very beginning even though I hadn't had a chance to meet her at my regular appts up to this point. We were scheduled to meet on Monday, Sept 21st

On the right is Lindsay a student midwife who showed up after Jesse's birth to assist with his assesment and getting us ready to go home.

I cannot go on enough about how amazing these women are.

Supportive, encouraging, just exceptional people who I have the utmost respect and love.

And now that little Jesse is 6 days old, Mommy is recovering & adjusting well, Daddy is loving being a daddy and the midwives are still doing at home visits with me until day 10

They've been a Godsent, truly.

We are so blessed to have this little boy, I know its a cliche but he really is a miracle.

Thanks to everyone who sent gifts, well wishes, congratulations, the whole nine yards.

ESPECIALLY to those who sent food (Stephanie, Holly & Sandra), you have NO idea how helpful it was and still is to us in these early days when life has completely changed.

From now on I know I'll be bringing food to any new parents, because we know how much we appreciated it.

Not sure when I'll be back to doing "regular" posts but I was feeling up to it today so here we are.

Please be patient, I hope to get some sort of routine in the coming months in the meantime posts may be irregular but I'm still around, just bear with me :)

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Today's Quote

A child fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty

~ Unknown