the night before the big event - 38 weeks pregnant
6:45 am: I woke up much earlier than usual, unable to sleep due to the typical pregnancy aches and pains, but other than that, it was like any other Saturday.
8:30 am: Andrew joined me, and we talked about what we’d like to do that day. We already had plans to go to dinner at Cowfish that night to celebrate John’s birthday, but aside from that, the day was ours.
9:00 am: I dropped Andrew off at the gym and I headed to the vet for a checkup with Bangs. He'd been in and out of the vets office due to some urinary issues, so we figured we'd get him a clean bill of health before the baby arrived!
10:30 am: I brought Bangs home and decided to treat myself to a manicure at Polished. The technician there was so awesome, and when she asked my due date, I jokingly said "oh today! hahaha"...not so funny. I totally thought I was in the safe zone, seeing as my due date wasn't for another 12 days.
12:00 pm: Picked up Andrew at the gym, and we decided on Moe’s for lunch before we headed to South Carolina to get fireworks for my father-in-law’s birthday present.
12:30 pm: After getting our order at Moe’s, we sat down, and I immediately felt like I had wet my pants. I told Andrew I’d be right back and made a b-line to the bathroom. As I reached the doorknob, I put the pieces together and turned right around to inform him what was going on and that we needed to leave....NOW! It was followed by an “Are you serious!?” and I rushed out the door to the Jeep. Andrew did his best to clean up the table of half-eaten food and met me at the car frantic and excited. As we drove home, I called the hospital answering service to get our instructions as the water continued to pool up in the back passenger floor mat. Thank goodness for leather seats.
1:00 pm: When we got home, Andrew threw together some additional toiletries and grabbed our overnight bags for the hospital as I took a quick shower to wash off.
1:30 pm: We arrived at the hospital, were able to skip triage and were admitted straight to our delivery room where James would be born. I was administered an IV, and we met our wonderful delivery nurse, Kim. At this point, I was only 1 fingertip dilated.
2:30 pm: My brother and his girlfriend stopped in to visit. We chatted about James’s arrival and they left once things started to get a little more intense. Plus, I knew I wanted a little more time with Andrew before it was no longer "just us two".
3:15 pm: Nurse Kim administered my Pitocin to get things moving along. I had been having some smaller contractions, but they needed to be longer and stronger before the epidural could be given.
4:00 pm: Mom and Dad arrived and the contractions picked up more. They helped soothe my aches and calm my nerves, but I just kept thinking "they're going to get worse!" Nurse Kim gave me some pain medication to take the edge off, and we met Dr. Jones for the first time. She was the on-call OBGYN, who we loved! Up until this point, I had only seen Dr. Wilson, but she was on vacation (in NAPA/the Super Bowl!!) this weekend.
5:00 pm: Mike & Avery, my in-laws, arrived and the contractions were getting very intense. This was the most intense pain I’ve ever felt - even Andrew said he'd never seen someone in more physical pain. I was 5cm dilated and getting more nervous.
6:00 pm: Dr. Jones checked and informed me that I was now 7cm dilated and could have my epidural!! Hallelujia! Contractions at this point were very very intense and extremely painful. I only remember 4 or 5 of these intense contractions, but I’m sure there were more. Dr. K, our anesthesiologist arrived and administered my epidural. I was instructed to sit on the side of the bed and lean over without moving an inch. He administered a shot in my back which felt like a pinch, compared to the pain I previously felt. Even though contractions were coming in the midst of the shot, relief was in sight and that was enough to hold still. The first shot, went to the left a little too much, so another shot was required. At this point, the pain from the epidural was so minimal, I didn’t mind one bit. The second shot took perfectly, and I was able to lay back in bed and welcomed the “fuzziness” in my legs that Dr. K described; the pain from my contractions melted away. Despite the epidural, I was still able to move my legs and feel the urge to push that’s required to deliver the baby. The only way I knew a contraction was coming was a slight pinching feeling in my left butt cheek - so random.
6:45 pm: I started pushing. We pushed in increments of 3’s. I would start with a cleansing breath, then one big breath. As nurse Kim counted to 10, I would push. The first push was always the hardest – by 3 I was losing momentum. Andrew was an excellent coach and helped hold my leg and encouraged me all along the way. At this point, it was Dr. Jones, Nurse Kim, Andrew and me in the delivery room. I remember it being much calmer than it is in the movies. It was perfect. We continued to push since I was making progress (albeit small). At the 1-hour mark, I was feeling frustrated and needed a little pick me up. Andrew put on Biggie’s Pandora station and we danced and pushed to everything from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Return of the Mack. At one point, OPP came on and we all waved our hands in the air. It was definitely a priceless moment I’ll never forget. You can't even make this up.
8:45 pm: Dr. Jones made the call to bring in the full team to prepare for James’s arrival. Two (maybe more) nurses came in and we started our big, productive pushes to get James out.
9:15 pm: After 3 or 4 BIG pushes with the full team and Mrs. Tammy (James’s nurse), he arrived. James was immediately placed on my chest, all white and gooey from delivery. He held on to my bra strap (I remember frantically trying to count his little fingers) and Andrew and I looked lovingly at our new baby boy. We spent time, just the 3 of us doing lots of skin to skin and some initial breastfeeding while Dr. Jones stitched me up. I had a 2nd-degree tear from delivery but didn't feel a thing. James latched like a champ and was a perfect baby from the start. We submitted our dinner orders, and John ran out to get us food. My request -- Subway (8 months is WAY too long to go without a cold turkey sandwich).
4:00 pm: Mom and Dad arrived and the contractions picked up more. They helped soothe my aches and calm my nerves, but I just kept thinking "they're going to get worse!" Nurse Kim gave me some pain medication to take the edge off, and we met Dr. Jones for the first time. She was the on-call OBGYN, who we loved! Up until this point, I had only seen Dr. Wilson, but she was on vacation (in NAPA/the Super Bowl!!) this weekend.
5:00 pm: Mike & Avery, my in-laws, arrived and the contractions were getting very intense. This was the most intense pain I’ve ever felt - even Andrew said he'd never seen someone in more physical pain. I was 5cm dilated and getting more nervous.
6:00 pm: Dr. Jones checked and informed me that I was now 7cm dilated and could have my epidural!! Hallelujia! Contractions at this point were very very intense and extremely painful. I only remember 4 or 5 of these intense contractions, but I’m sure there were more. Dr. K, our anesthesiologist arrived and administered my epidural. I was instructed to sit on the side of the bed and lean over without moving an inch. He administered a shot in my back which felt like a pinch, compared to the pain I previously felt. Even though contractions were coming in the midst of the shot, relief was in sight and that was enough to hold still. The first shot, went to the left a little too much, so another shot was required. At this point, the pain from the epidural was so minimal, I didn’t mind one bit. The second shot took perfectly, and I was able to lay back in bed and welcomed the “fuzziness” in my legs that Dr. K described; the pain from my contractions melted away. Despite the epidural, I was still able to move my legs and feel the urge to push that’s required to deliver the baby. The only way I knew a contraction was coming was a slight pinching feeling in my left butt cheek - so random.
6:45 pm: I started pushing. We pushed in increments of 3’s. I would start with a cleansing breath, then one big breath. As nurse Kim counted to 10, I would push. The first push was always the hardest – by 3 I was losing momentum. Andrew was an excellent coach and helped hold my leg and encouraged me all along the way. At this point, it was Dr. Jones, Nurse Kim, Andrew and me in the delivery room. I remember it being much calmer than it is in the movies. It was perfect. We continued to push since I was making progress (albeit small). At the 1-hour mark, I was feeling frustrated and needed a little pick me up. Andrew put on Biggie’s Pandora station and we danced and pushed to everything from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Return of the Mack. At one point, OPP came on and we all waved our hands in the air. It was definitely a priceless moment I’ll never forget. You can't even make this up.
8:45 pm: Dr. Jones made the call to bring in the full team to prepare for James’s arrival. Two (maybe more) nurses came in and we started our big, productive pushes to get James out.
9:15 pm: After 3 or 4 BIG pushes with the full team and Mrs. Tammy (James’s nurse), he arrived. James was immediately placed on my chest, all white and gooey from delivery. He held on to my bra strap (I remember frantically trying to count his little fingers) and Andrew and I looked lovingly at our new baby boy. We spent time, just the 3 of us doing lots of skin to skin and some initial breastfeeding while Dr. Jones stitched me up. I had a 2nd-degree tear from delivery but didn't feel a thing. James latched like a champ and was a perfect baby from the start. We submitted our dinner orders, and John ran out to get us food. My request -- Subway (8 months is WAY too long to go without a cold turkey sandwich).
10:15 pm: Our families were allowed back to the delivery room where everyone oohed and ahhed over James. They took turns holding him, and he received his first bath from Nurse Tammy. She took his measurements and performed his heel prick test, along with checking his other vitals. She let us know what we already knew – he was perfect.
12:00 am: Everyone said their goodnights, and we got ready to move into our recovery room. I was able to get up from the bed and walk assisted to the bathroom.
1:30 am: We arrived in our recovery room and settled in for the night.
James Ryland Wyatt
February 6, 2016, 9:15pm
6lbs 12oz, 19.5”
James Ryland Wyatt
February 6, 2016, 9:15pm
6lbs 12oz, 19.5”
On Sunday, after a sleepless night, we spent the day meeting with nurses, lactation consultants and visiting with family again. Mike & Avery came by around 10, and Mom and Dad came with John around lunch. Christina visited and brought beer (!!!) and a sweet gift for James - adorable baby moccasins! That afternoon, we relaxed around the room, held and snuggled James, and got ready to watch the Super Bowl that night. The Carolina Panthers were playing the Denver Broncos and all of Charlotte was watching. I slept through the first half, snuggled with Andrew on his cot, while James slept in his hospital bassinet. Andrew slept through the second half. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost, so we didn’t miss much. That night, we sent James to the nursery so we could get a few hours of rest. The nurse would bring him in at 2 and 5 am to eat, but it was definitely worthwhile to feel rested and refreshed again.
Monday, we prepared to head home. James was circumcised that morning and Dr. Squires, our wonderful pediatrician, informed us that not only did he do amazing during his procedure, he only lost 2% of his body weight during our stay at the hospital. I cried - and I would continue to cry anytime anyone asked about our experience that weekend. "It was just SO perfect", I'd say. He was discharged at 6lbs 9oz. Before we left, we hopped next door to visit our friends Kristin, Tim and new baby Hudson, who was born the night before!!
In the week following James’s birth, my mom stayed with us to help get acclimated to life at home. Our first night at home, we had a bit of a scare when James spit up a bit of red-tinged spit up. After a call with the 24/7 pediatrician’s nurse’s line, we were instructed, as a precaution, to take him to the emergency room at 5am. After a full check by the doctor, we were simply told to keep an eye on things, that it was likely fluid ingested during delivery. We never had another incident. The first week, James was your typical sleepy baby. When he wasn’t eating, he slept like a rock and gave us the perfect first week at home. Friends, Alex, Lisa and Kate, were our first visitors at home. Wednesday was James's first checkup at the pediatrician. James was looking great and had even maintained his discharge weight. By Thursday, I was feeling more like myself and even made it to supper club for a night out with the girls. We had settled into a schedule and James was eating at 3, 6, 9 and 12 – eight times a day and pooping and peeing like a champ. My dad came to visit Friday (2/12) night to celebrate my brother, John’s birthday (a day late) and left with mom on Saturday (2/13). We celebrated Valentine’s Day the next morning, now the 3 of us, with coffee, bagels and girl scout cookies! Mike and Avery arrived that afternoon and spent time loving on James. Mrs. Avery stayed with us through the week and helped out around the house and snuggled sweet baby James on demand. On Wednesday (2/17), we saw Dr. Squires again for another routine checkup. James had gained 9oz in the past week, up to 7lbs 2oz – eating like a little piglet! Again, everything was perfect!
In the midst of his second week on Earth, James is more alert during the day and naps much less than he did during week 1. He sleeps in our room in the Rock 'n Play and has even had a few naps in his crib. We’re testing out the crib when we can but haven’t had the courage to move him there for a night's sleep. No one tells you how noisy a newborn baby sleeps - seriously. He’s continuing to eat great, and Dr. Squires even gave us the thumbs up to begin letting him sleep as long as he wants at night.
We're so blessed with this sweet baby boy and just can't believe we're fortunate enough to be his parents.
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