Saturday, May 2, 2009

Sawyer Rafe Larson

Well the big day has come and gone...and it all went perfectly! We went in for our induction as planned at 3 am on Wednesday the 29th. After lying in bed for about 3 hrs trying to fall asleep, and maybe one successful our of sleep, I was pretty anxious to get the show on the road. For those of you out there who enjoy hearing the details of a labor & delivery story (I know I do), I'll give a brief recap. At 3:15 am we placed a prostaglandin gel to help ripen the cervix. At that time I was still only dilated about 1.5-2 cm. I knew this going in so I was planning on a fairly long day--hoping to deliver sometime in the evening on night shift with all the girls I work with. With the gels you spend an hour walking around and 3 hrs after the insertion you reevaluate and either place another gel or move on with pitocin. I had already told my doctor that if nothing happened with the gels I would rather go home than push it by breaking my water and committing myself before my body was ready. So pretty much within 15 min of putting the gel in I starting contracting every 1-2 minutes...and I'm not gonna lie...they were pretty intense. That hour I spent walking up and down the hallway seemed like an eternity. I had planned on waiting to get my epidural until after my water was broken so that I could really "experience labor" a little bit. Well by the time the nurse checked me again after my 3 hours and told me I was 3 cm I was like...that's good enough! Let's commit and let's get me an epidural! Haha! Wow...what I learned that morning is that my patients aren't lying--labor really does hurt! And that was just the beginning! I guess I'm not as tough as I thought I was. But I'm over it. That epidural was the best thing ever! I finally got to feel all the warm and tingly sensations and the feeling of relief that my patients always rave about! And I whole-heartedly agree! I can't describe how good I felt after I got that epidural and how nice it was to finally be able to rest for a bit. And I totally lucked out and my favorite anesthesiologist was on call that morning. He did a fantastic job placing it and even explained the whole procedure to Nathan while he worked (which Nate loved). Anywho...an hour later my doctor came and broke my water and said I was 3-3.5 cm. I then flew from a 4-8 cm in another hour (which I realize is totally common with second and third babies but pretty fast for a first...not trying to brag or anything :P ). And from 8-10 in the next hour. It was 11 am then and I knew that my doctor (who was not on call that day but who was so nice to come in special for me) was hoping to come deliver on his lunch break. The baby's head was low enough to start pushing but I was super comfortable with my epidural and totally fine with waiting for Dr. Walter to finish up at the office first (...actually this is done with pretty much anyone's first baby once they hit 10 cm...let the uterus continue to push the baby down for an hour or two so that you don't have to push as long). So he showed up shortly after 12 and we started pushing. 4-5 contractions later we had a baby! I seriously could not have been more pleased with the experience. I didn't quite make it to night shift (about 6 hrs too early, actually)...but it was so nice for it to go so quickly and smoothly. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing pregnancy and delivery but I am very grateful. Nathan loved the experience as well. And my mom and Kristie were able to watch from the side lines during the delivery (on I-chat!). Definitely a first for my doctor, he said...delivering on the world wide web! I was so glad they were able to be part of it in a way.

So our baby boy was born at 12:13 on April 29th. :D He weighed a whopping 7lb 15oz (small for my family but a pretty good size for a week early and bigger than we thought he would be). He's 21 inches long and has his daddy's big feet and hands and his mommy's blonde hair. We finally named the poor thing two days later. Sawyer Rafe Larson. In case anyone is wondering...Rafe is the British variation of the name Ralph. This little boy is, therefore, named after his Grandpa Schindler. We figured he had a better chance of being cool with a name like Rafe than with the name Ralph (don't worry...my dad agrees). We love him so much and are so grateful he is here with us. Nothing can describe the feeling that comes when you bring a child into the world. Even Nathan said to me the other day how surprised he was at how instantly he loved this baby. It is so true. I am so grateful to be a mommy. I love him more each day and am so excited to continue getting to know him.

Ok so that was not so brief but hey...now I've at least got it written down somewhere cause it'll be forever before I actually journal it. Recovery has been ok. I will say that for me, the recovery has been the worst part of the experience. I would much rather be pregnant for another week than recovering from childbirth. Nothing that I won't survive (I'll spare you the details) but let's just say I'll be glad when it's over. We came home from the hospital on Friday afternoon and we've been getting settled here. Sawyer has been such a great baby so far. He eats like a champ and pretty much only cries when he's got a messy diaper or he's hungry. I know this first week is not at all indicative of his future temprement but it sure is nice for now. My mom comes in town tomorrow and I can't wait! When I told her I was being induced on Wednesday she asked if I would be ok without her until Sunday. At the time I was like, 'of course! I'll be totally fine...we'll only have like a day and a half alone at home before you come...no problem'. I'll be the first to admit that my ego has been shaken and my mindset is changed--Hurry up mom! I need you! :) This mommy stuff is harder than I expected. Nothing like your own mom to teach you the way. I'm looking forward to her getting here.

Here are a few pictures...just the start of our new lives with Sawyer. It's a whole new set of adventures from here on out...Hearing Test--Nathan likes to call this picture "The force is strong with this one"

25 comments:

Meghan and Tyler said...

Hurray!!!! Oh my goodness, he is a cutie. He looks a lot like Nathan. I personally think all babies look like their daddys at first then morph into looking like their mommys. Although Kait still looks like her dad when she sleeps so maybe it is just a sleeping thing...hmmm. I may have to re-evaluate my hypothesis. Thanks for giving us the details. I love hearing about them, and do have to say that I am uber jealous that it went so smoothly!

I also LOVE the name, and can I say that I called the "Sawyer" thing. Rafe is such a cute name and I am sure the ladies are going to love it when he gets in High School.

I am also really jealous about how great you look. Man, you even had ankles. I was like Kristie and had HUGE ankles. What a Cute Mommy.

Well, this is long, but we are SUPER EXCITED for the two of you (3 I guess). I can't believe all of us are parents now. Enjoy your mom, we love you guys and can't wait to give Sawyer kisses.

The Thelins said...

Oh Jess. This post made me laugh then cry then laugh again. I'm so happy for you guys. I love LOVE Rafe. I didn't know it meant Ralph. Sorry Uncle Ralph, Rafe is a lot "cooler". I really am just so so happy for you and so excited for your next big adventure. He is so cute and I'm looking forward to more posts and more pictures! Make it a priority because even if it seems silly to post, you'll be thankful you did later! CONGRATS! We love you guys.

jax from the harmon squad said...

Congrats!! I'm glad it went so smoothly too. He is adorable and I love the name and I wish you guys were on this coast so I could go squeeze him. Oh, and for future reference, recovering from a "natural" childbirth is a lot easier and quicker than with an epidural, so if you want to tough it out next time it's totally worth it after the baby is out:) Congrats again!

Kendra said...

So cute!!! Congrats, congrats, congrats! Love the pictures. Love the L&D details. Love the darling little boy! Love the name!! Oh - I am so excited for you. I can't wait to see more and more pictures of your little Sawyer. :)

Andrea Forsyth said...

hmm. so they sure didn't have me walk around with the gel. they just kept me laying there for 18 hours...oh well - it turned out alright:) and i totally relate on the wonder of anesthesia! when i got my spinal, it was one of my happiest moments. honestly, my first thought was not, "oh good! now i can have my baby!" but, "oh good! now i can take a nap!" whoops...

have so much fun with him! and good work - that's a pretty good sized baby! you hid it well:)

congrats!!!

Coburn Ohana said...

Congrats! He is adorable. Glad to hear everything went well. I was induced with both mine one week early and had epi's with both. The first one worked great (maybe a little too great, but I wasn't about to let the doc know that!) and my second one didn't work at all. Mind over matter baby. However...my recoveries were the EXACT same...quick and easy. Everyone is different that's the beauty of it all!

When we brought our babies home from the hospital, they were really easy at first. They stayed easy. I figure it was more our laid back personalities that helped us to have laid back kids
;) so remember that!

Mark and Jana said...

Congratulations! I'm so happy that everything went so well for you. I loved reading your labor story. You lucky little primip. If only everyone's labor could go so smooth. He is adorable. You sure make cute babies.

Karen said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!! He is adorable. I am so proud of you for having such a healthy and perfect pregnancy/delivery. I have honestly been checking your blog 10 times a day since I got your text saying you had him. I was dying to see pictures of this cute little guy!! He really is a good lookin' kid...I LOVE the blonde hair. And I love his name. When I saw it on facebook and told Brandon I said...'that is such a Jessica name!' Anyways, CONGRATS again! Good luck with adusting to being a new mommy and daddy.

KevandChels said...

He's really cute, which I'm sure you already know! Congratulations! Isn't it funny how routine it seems to follow all those instructions you give your patients about baby care, etc. until you have to do it...when you're exhausted! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll catch up on sleep a little bit and feel on top of things in no time. Best of luck:)

Marta said...

Congratulations!!! He is beautiful! I am so glad that your delivery and pregnancy went well! All the girls here are so excited for you! What a cute name! We miss you here, but are so happy for you as well! Have fun with your new, sweet little family and cherish EVERY moment!

Jerai Moulton said...

I am so glad that you posted the story and all of the fun pictures! I can't believe that he has blonde hair! It's adorable! He'll be a toe-head for sure!! I'm so glad that you finally are a mommy! It is so much fun and he'll bring you so much joy--I'm sure he already has! It's great that you mom is coming out to help! I totally agree with you on the recovery. That was the worst part for me too! I would totally do pregnancy and delivery over again, no problem. But I hated the recovery! That's why it was so great to have my mom come too! It's just so hard to have to take care of yourself while you're recovery, your new baby, and you're husband and house! Yikes! Thank goodness for amazing moms!! Is your ward going to bring you dinners when your mom leaves? I loved that! It was so helpful!

I SO wish that I could be down and there and help you too! I love you guys and am so excited for you! Hopefully we'll get to spend some good time with you in August!

Oh, also, Boyd was born on Sept. 29, so Boyd and Sawyer are EXACTLY 7 months apart! That's kind of fun!

Love you!

Caleb and Jessica Sainsbury said...

Congrats!! You look great in all your L&D pictures. Being a mommy is so fun! Challenging, yes, but very fun.

Kristie said...

Ok, I feel like such a loser because I'm your sister and i missed the comment punchline by 12 people. yikes. But, Thanks for giving us the play by play, and thanks for letting mom and I have a sideline view of the little miracle. Truly an amazing thing. And as far as the recovery goes, if you are reading this jackie, props for being a rockstar and toughing out a natural childbirth, but i can't really see how doing it that way can make a stitched up bum and cracked boobs feel better. All the sucky parts are worth it though huh? Thats one sweet little Sawyer you've got there :)

Sydney Marné said...

It's ok Kristie, at least you beat me. That has to count for something. All I gotta say is Sawyer is going to be a total babe magnet. Both you and kristie had such great deliveries...I hope that runs in the family, but knowing me I'll probably be in labor for like....3 days. Fantastic.

I love you Jess! and I love little Sawyer. And I love natedog too I guess. :)

Ralph (a.k.a., dad) said...

Great stuff Jess. Consider your pregnancy a long training run. The marathon has just begun...

Love you.

Dad (just call me "rafe" ) :o)

Marianne Thelin said...

Congrats, Sawyer Rafe, I love the name....I too am a believer in Epidurals....who needs to be a sucker for pain when it isn't necessary! Enjoy your new babe and your mom's TLC. We are excited for you and Nathan, you have a beautiful boy...maybe I'll start calling my baby brother Rafe:)

rnichols said...

Sawyer is beautiful. Congratulations you guys! Hooray for moms, I'm glad you're mom is there to help. What would we do without 'em? Thanks for your birth story. I loved reading it and I'm glad everything went well. How cool that you're a nurse and know everything that is supposed to happen. I also had the gels and it was really painful. My nurse at Timp had her whole hand up me. Was it painful for you?

Tracy and Odie said...

ok, congratulations a thousand times over!!! truly, we can't wait to meet sawyer. what a cool name! and i personally loved reading the birthing experience. can you be my nurse when i have a little one? :)

we have something for your little sawyer when you get here. finally. remember how we said we were getting you a present like 5 months ago? :) so hurry and come!

and that last photo is too funny...

Rachel said...

Many congrats! Sawyer is so cute! I'm so glad to hear that everything went so smoothly with your delivery. What a blessing! You made such a cute pregnant girl! Maybe all that running helped you look so good and feel so good throughout your pregnancy. I'm 17 weeks pregnant and hoping to keep up the running as long as possible. Do you have any tips for later on? And, when my belly gets really big, is there such a thing as a belly bra? ;)

Danny and Lauren's Blog said...

Yeaaaaaaaaaaah! Congrats! Love the name too. All the best. Lauren (Nate's MD friend)

Valerie Hall said...

Congrats! He looks so cute. I am glad it all went so well for you. Hope we can meet him soon!

Kirsta and Morian said...

Congrats Nate and Jessica! He's a cutie! And I totally hear ya on the recovery thing! Although, since I had already gone through an extra week of being pregnant, I dunno if I woulda done it instead of the recovery, but yeah. You will be soooo glad when you are feeling all better! Enjoy the new baby! P.S. I really like the name you chose!

- said...

congrats! hes a cutie- and you look great! life will never be the same!

Molly said...

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. I'm glad everything went well and you're all healthy. Feel better soon! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

ricksdl said...

Congrats!! we were thinking it was about time. You look great Jess, We are so excited for you guys. I love the pictures. You are going to love being a mom and dad!
Happy Mothers day Jessica!