Sweet Baby Jake!

Our sweet baby Jake is here!  It's been so fun having this new little angel baby in our family, we love him so much!  We started his birth day celebrations with a birthday celebration for Grandma Grace.  Jake's birthday is 2 days after Grace's, which is funny because Sam's is 2 days after Lon's.  The kids had so much fun playing with Osie and Jane!

Grace was on call for us the morning of the 15th.  When I called the hospital at 6:00 am to see if they had room for  me to be induced, they told me to call back in a couple of hours.  Then they called me back and told us to be there at 8:00.  I was so happy!  I panicked at the thought of not eating all day while I waited around for them to have room for me.

As soon as Jake was born they put him on a warm towel on my chest.  It looks a little gross, but it was actually really neat.

Our healthy baby boy!  6 lbs 10 oz, 19 inches, born at 1:14 pm.

So, not to be outdone by his siblings, Jake's delivery was far from the relaxing, fun, easy deliveries that I always hear about.  Here's how it all went down.

Mike and I got to the hospital at 8:15 am on Oct. 15th.  I chatted with my nurse, got changed, gave her information, and settled into my bed for my IV and epidural.  After a failed attempt in my left arm, and a failed attempt in my right arm, my nurse grabbed someone else to give me an IV in my left hand.  I got started on a bag of fluid and antibiotics, and at about 9:20 they started my pitocin.  I started having contractions right away, and after about an hour or so I told them I wanted my epidural.  With my history of fast deliveries I didn't want to risk not getting it.  :)  And since I was dilated to a 4 when we got there, I knew there wouldn't be much time!  (Interesting...the nurse told me that a 4 is considered active labor.  Since I was dilated to a 3 just a few days before, Jake was probably coming that weekend either way)

Mike and I were watching the U v Pitt game when the doctor came in to administer my epidural.

Lesson:  If your doctor is a U fan, turn off the tv.

As soon as the medicine started flowing, my right leg went numb.  My left leg never went numb, so I told my nurse.  She put me on my left side and said that should help.  When my left side still wasn't numb she told me that as long as I couldn't feel my contractions then I'd be fine.  I had a sinking feeling that she was wrong, but I really hoped she wasn't.

Lesson:  Sometimes you really, really want to be wrong.

After a while I started feeling a lot of pressure.  After a few more minutes it started to get really uncomfortable.  Then I started feeling A LOT of pressure and it was getting really painful.  Just from the hips down, mind you.  Mike called the nurse in to check me, and I was full on ready to deliver a baby!  She called my doctor in, and after a few minutes of pushing, Jake was born!  Sunny side up. Amazingly, I just tore a little off to the side, and it probably only took 5 stitches to put me back together.  (My other posterior babies did some pretty extensive damage).  Pushing him out was more painful than not having an epidural at all (I would know since I didn't have an epidural with Will).  When Will was born the doctor made me wait to push for a few minutes so he could numb me a little.  Well, since I had an epidural, why would he numb me?  Ring of fire?  Now I know what that means.

Lesson: You can push a baby out really fast when you're not numb!  And then the urge to kill the doctor that messed up your epidural but will still charge full price...that urge will begin to subside.  

We were both feeling much better at this point!

I fell in love pretty quick.  One look at that face and I melt!

Will was so excited to hold his brother.  Except that it's hard to concentrate on babies when cartoons are on tv!  Will was so funny, the first thing he said when he walked in and saw Jake was, "Hey, he has spiky hair!  Like me!"

Aunt Jane with her newest nephew.

Still hard to believe...we are a family of SIX!

Our beautiful babies!

Jake's delivery was kind of a whirlwind...intense & not quite what I expected, but we're so happy he's here!  He's an amazing baby...calm, sweet, beautiful, and so fun to hold!