Thursday, December 22, 2011
Our Little Boy
A picture post (finally).... some photos from the last few weeks of our handsome, growing little boy.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Making a Comeback
I have wanting to do a blog post for weeks now, so apologies for the delay and the quick summary of events from the last month (I will post pictures in a separate post) . Here is a bulleted list of what we have been up to (in no particular order):
- Grammy (Terri) & Poppa Jim Jim (Jim) came to meet Jake for the first time for Thanksgiving! It was awesome to have them in town for the holiday and watch them love on and hold little Jakey Boy.
- Nick & I got a date night while Terri & Jim were in town to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. It was so fun to go out with my husband and dine on sushi and wine knowing that our little boy was in good hands. We had a wild night and were home by 8:45pm. Ha.
- My parents Nanya (mom) and Poppa (dad) also came to Chicago for Thanksgiving with their families, so it was great to get to see them even though their visits were brief before they went home to Boston.
- Nick & I are going to be an auntie & uncle again! Christa & Tony are pregnant with Jake's cousin. We are so thrilled! Our kids will be the same grade in school too, as their baby is due late June/early July (just in time for Christa's sister's wedding). Very exciting.
- We hired a nanny! This is big news & a huge relief based on the riff raff that came thru in the interviews. We are doing a nanny share with another family (Mia is just 3 weeks older than Jake) and we found an incredible woman, Beth, through another mother's recommendation. I feel much more at ease knowing that my sweet boy will be in good hands when I have to go back to work in January. Beth is 53, a Filipino woman with lots of spunk and energy and more than 15 years experience in being a nanny.
- Jake has had a couple of nights with 6, 7 and 8 hour stretches in the last month! So exciting... he almost is able to sleep thru the night. We are so proud (and feel well rested).
- He also has started to smile and coo and is a very strong boy and can hold his head up. Hanging in the bathtub and watching his mobile that Grammy & Poppa Jim Jim got him are a bit hit & source of entertainment these days.
- Nick picked up his tutoring sessions again and is studying like crazy with the goal of taking the GMAT early next year. I am so proud of him.
- I am going back to work January 17th after MLK weekend. So I am just trying to enjoy these last 6 weeks of my leave with my son. We are a lot more adventurous these days and have been taking advantage of the awesome winter weather we have had so far (think sunny, not a cloud in the sky and cold).
That is about it for the last month's activities for the Montgomery fam. Kelly Craft comes into town for a visit tomorrow afternoon... I am SO excited to see her and hang out. We have lots of fun girls activities to come this weekend. Look out Chi-town.
- Grammy (Terri) & Poppa Jim Jim (Jim) came to meet Jake for the first time for Thanksgiving! It was awesome to have them in town for the holiday and watch them love on and hold little Jakey Boy.
- Nick & I got a date night while Terri & Jim were in town to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. It was so fun to go out with my husband and dine on sushi and wine knowing that our little boy was in good hands. We had a wild night and were home by 8:45pm. Ha.
- My parents Nanya (mom) and Poppa (dad) also came to Chicago for Thanksgiving with their families, so it was great to get to see them even though their visits were brief before they went home to Boston.
- Nick & I are going to be an auntie & uncle again! Christa & Tony are pregnant with Jake's cousin. We are so thrilled! Our kids will be the same grade in school too, as their baby is due late June/early July (just in time for Christa's sister's wedding). Very exciting.
- We hired a nanny! This is big news & a huge relief based on the riff raff that came thru in the interviews. We are doing a nanny share with another family (Mia is just 3 weeks older than Jake) and we found an incredible woman, Beth, through another mother's recommendation. I feel much more at ease knowing that my sweet boy will be in good hands when I have to go back to work in January. Beth is 53, a Filipino woman with lots of spunk and energy and more than 15 years experience in being a nanny.
- Jake has had a couple of nights with 6, 7 and 8 hour stretches in the last month! So exciting... he almost is able to sleep thru the night. We are so proud (and feel well rested).
- He also has started to smile and coo and is a very strong boy and can hold his head up. Hanging in the bathtub and watching his mobile that Grammy & Poppa Jim Jim got him are a bit hit & source of entertainment these days.
- Nick picked up his tutoring sessions again and is studying like crazy with the goal of taking the GMAT early next year. I am so proud of him.
- I am going back to work January 17th after MLK weekend. So I am just trying to enjoy these last 6 weeks of my leave with my son. We are a lot more adventurous these days and have been taking advantage of the awesome winter weather we have had so far (think sunny, not a cloud in the sky and cold).
That is about it for the last month's activities for the Montgomery fam. Kelly Craft comes into town for a visit tomorrow afternoon... I am SO excited to see her and hang out. We have lots of fun girls activities to come this weekend. Look out Chi-town.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Prince Jake
Nick and I have quickly realized that this is Jake's world and we just live in it :) We are now lovingly calling him, Prince Jake.
It feels like we have groove going (kind of) as we have started to figure each other out. Jake LOVES to be held. He isn't a fan of being alone in his stroller, or the swing or the pack and play. So in order for me to get up off the couch and not feel like a complete sloth all day, I have figured out that the Ergo carrier is my best friend. He crashes within minutes and I am hands free able to do things around the house, walk with Lyla, do laundry, etc. Amazing. And I love having his little head on my chest so I know he is still breathing.
Nick got our little boy to smile at him yesterday morning! So cute, and I wish I had the camera nearby to capture it. Ill make sure to snap a photo next time. I can tell that Jake's vision is improving every day. I can see his eyes follow me across the room (well until he loses focus) now. I can't tell if his witching hour(s) are decreasing and honestly, I don't want to jinx it if it is! He is also getting to be quite the noise maker... serious grunter, especially in his sleep. It cracks us up.
In other news, my friend, Elina, and I have started interviewing candidates for our nanny share (her daughter is just 2 weeks older than Jake). We had our first interview earlier this week and reality set in that we are trusting someone else with our child's life - terrifying. Both Elina and I got a strange sense about this girl... not sure what it was, but that was enough for us to pass. We have a couple more interviews lined up for tomorrow afternoon as Elina is going back to work mid December, so the clock's ticking. We have registered on several nanny match websites in the city, so I am pretty confident we will find a good one pretty quickly. More to come on that.
Yesterday was a big day for me... I got the OK from my doctor to workout (my sanity back!). I decided to venture to the Stroller Strides class to try to put myself out there to meet some other moms. I was SUPER nervous that my baby would scream and cry and disrupt class, but the instructor assured me that it was no problem and it was likely just me that would hear him anyway. She let me know that I can always take a break from the workout to do a lap around the gym to get him to calm down if it was necessary.
So, I begged Jake to let momma get her sweat on, we got started and I crossed my fingers that he would sleep for the next 60 minutes. Well... I got 35 minutes in before my son had a complete meltdown - as in face turning purple, screaming at the top of his little lungs, kicking and failing meltdown. I was so embarrassed and unprepared that I just quietly left class. Ugh. But, on the bright side, I do have to say that I was expecting my first workout to be really, really hard after almost 6 weeks without activity and it was totally fine. I am encouraged for the next sweat session.
And a cute pic to conclude the post.... little blue bear (it's really cold here today)
It feels like we have groove going (kind of) as we have started to figure each other out. Jake LOVES to be held. He isn't a fan of being alone in his stroller, or the swing or the pack and play. So in order for me to get up off the couch and not feel like a complete sloth all day, I have figured out that the Ergo carrier is my best friend. He crashes within minutes and I am hands free able to do things around the house, walk with Lyla, do laundry, etc. Amazing. And I love having his little head on my chest so I know he is still breathing.
Nick got our little boy to smile at him yesterday morning! So cute, and I wish I had the camera nearby to capture it. Ill make sure to snap a photo next time. I can tell that Jake's vision is improving every day. I can see his eyes follow me across the room (well until he loses focus) now. I can't tell if his witching hour(s) are decreasing and honestly, I don't want to jinx it if it is! He is also getting to be quite the noise maker... serious grunter, especially in his sleep. It cracks us up.
In other news, my friend, Elina, and I have started interviewing candidates for our nanny share (her daughter is just 2 weeks older than Jake). We had our first interview earlier this week and reality set in that we are trusting someone else with our child's life - terrifying. Both Elina and I got a strange sense about this girl... not sure what it was, but that was enough for us to pass. We have a couple more interviews lined up for tomorrow afternoon as Elina is going back to work mid December, so the clock's ticking. We have registered on several nanny match websites in the city, so I am pretty confident we will find a good one pretty quickly. More to come on that.
Yesterday was a big day for me... I got the OK from my doctor to workout (my sanity back!). I decided to venture to the Stroller Strides class to try to put myself out there to meet some other moms. I was SUPER nervous that my baby would scream and cry and disrupt class, but the instructor assured me that it was no problem and it was likely just me that would hear him anyway. She let me know that I can always take a break from the workout to do a lap around the gym to get him to calm down if it was necessary.
So, I begged Jake to let momma get her sweat on, we got started and I crossed my fingers that he would sleep for the next 60 minutes. Well... I got 35 minutes in before my son had a complete meltdown - as in face turning purple, screaming at the top of his little lungs, kicking and failing meltdown. I was so embarrassed and unprepared that I just quietly left class. Ugh. But, on the bright side, I do have to say that I was expecting my first workout to be really, really hard after almost 6 weeks without activity and it was totally fine. I am encouraged for the next sweat session.
And a cute pic to conclude the post.... little blue bear (it's really cold here today)
Monday, November 14, 2011
97th Percentile
Holy Smokes! Jake is a whopping 12 pounds, 23 inches long & in the 97th percentile for both. My goodness, what a growing boy! On to Month Two....
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Month One
Well, it's been one month since our sweet son came into our lives... I can't believe how SLOW time went when I was pregnant and how FAST it goes now that he is here. Everyone told me it would fly by and well, everyone was right. His 1 month doctor's appointment is next week so I will be able to post the stats then, but here are some updates and milestones from the last 30 days.
Happy 31st Birthday Daddy!
Celebration!
- Jake consistently sleeps 4 - 5 hours on his first nighttime stretch before feeding (this is keeping us sane and not feeling too sleep deprived)
- He is a great eater... I have a feeling the scale will confirm this next week. Newborn size clothing is getting too small already
- We have one strong little boy, he can hold his head up for brief moments in time although he is not a huge fan of 'tummy time'
- I think we are going to have one busy little boy with how much seems to be going on in that little head of his (see pics below)
- The sounds that come out of his behind are shocking :)
- We gave him his first real bath, not sure that he actually enjoyed it though.
- Jake & I can successfully run a couple errands a day outside of the house. I even figured out how to walk Lyla with Jake (hey, it's the little things)
- What Nick and I like to call the 'witching hour' usually starts sometime between 4pm and 6pm (this is about when I stare at the clock and impatiently wait for Nick to get home from work :))
- Our favorite pasttime is talking about Jake, staring at Jake, holding Jake or thinking about Jake. We are obsessed with our child. Love him more than words!
The 1st Bath
Post Bath Relaxation
Momma & Jakey Boy
Tummy Time
Happy 31st Birthday Daddy!
Living the Life
One Month
Celebration!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
For Our Tiny Angel
Tiny Angels
Tiny Angels rest your wings
sit with me for awhile.
sit with me for awhile.
How I long to hold your hand,
And see your tender smile.
Tiny Angel, look at me,
I want this image clear....
That I will forget your precious face
Is my biggest fear.
Tiny Angel can you tell me,
Why you have gone away?
You weren't here for very long....
Why is it, you couldn't stay?
Tiny Angel shook her head,
"These things I do not know....
But I do know that you love me,
And that I love you so".
Dear Ella,
While we never got to meet you in person, we know you so well and love you so very much. On September 26th we became an aunt and an uncle for the first time! We will never forget the excitement of that day! You were born to the most fun loving and amazing parents who love you more than words.
While you may be gone little one, you will always be present. It’s like a branch from our family tree was ripped off. Without it we are lopsided and off balance. No one else will ever be our first niece, the first grandchild and your parents first love. Our hearts are broken, but we know that you soul is watching over us every moment of every day.
Please look after your parents and help to heal their hearts. They miss you so much, sweet girl. You are a gift. Now that we have been forced to give you up, we promise to make sure your little life is loved, honored and your presence is always known and felt in our family forever. Ella means bright light or torch. Ella, you will always be our light.
Keep dancing like little girls do, up in Heaven, healthy and strong. Make sure you show the others how to do the air electric guitar move like your momma. We miss you and love you so much.
Love always,
Auntie Em & Uncle Nick
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Home Alone
Well, Jake & I survived our first day completely alone yesterday... barely.
Nick had to leave the house at 4:30am to catch a flight to Newark for the day. From the minute the little guy woke up (4:30am), he was out of sorts and very fussy, which unfortunately lasted all day until he fell asleep for the night around 10:30pm. It was an overwhelming first day home alone, and I found myself very frustrated since Jake was either nursing or crying. I lost it last night and just hoped that we would wake up today and it would be a new day. Sure enough, it has been.
Nick is so amazing, supportive and encouraging. I am enamored by him and how incredible of a father he is to our son. Each day I feel our marriage & love strengthening more than I could have known - it's really breathtaking and powerful.
So, here it is, day two.. and it's going really well. Jake's temperament and activities today seem to be more 'normal' based on what we have experienced since bringing him home. We are BLESSED, I must say. This boy sleeps a good 4 or 5 hour stretch each night before his nighttime feeding. Then, typically goes back down for another 3 or 4 hours before we get up for the day. Nick and I are taking it night by night, but very thankful for each night with some sleep. Maybe this is one of the perks of a baby that was 9 days late and almost 9lbs?! Speaking of, Jake had his 2 week appointment this afternoon and he is as healthy as ever and packing on the pounds. He has gained 1lb and 2 oz above his birth weight and a full inch already. Growing boy!
I am learning that while I may have a whole list of things I'd like to accomplish for the day, I need to just let it all go. If I shower and get dressed (or do this blog post), that's an accomplishment and I am OK with it. I am so thankful I have these months at home with my baby to just feed him, hold him, stare in amazement at him and nap with him. I still can't believe this is our child and he is ours to keep forever.
Here are some more photos from his 2nd week of life. Love him so much.
Nick had to leave the house at 4:30am to catch a flight to Newark for the day. From the minute the little guy woke up (4:30am), he was out of sorts and very fussy, which unfortunately lasted all day until he fell asleep for the night around 10:30pm. It was an overwhelming first day home alone, and I found myself very frustrated since Jake was either nursing or crying. I lost it last night and just hoped that we would wake up today and it would be a new day. Sure enough, it has been.
Nick is so amazing, supportive and encouraging. I am enamored by him and how incredible of a father he is to our son. Each day I feel our marriage & love strengthening more than I could have known - it's really breathtaking and powerful.
So, here it is, day two.. and it's going really well. Jake's temperament and activities today seem to be more 'normal' based on what we have experienced since bringing him home. We are BLESSED, I must say. This boy sleeps a good 4 or 5 hour stretch each night before his nighttime feeding. Then, typically goes back down for another 3 or 4 hours before we get up for the day. Nick and I are taking it night by night, but very thankful for each night with some sleep. Maybe this is one of the perks of a baby that was 9 days late and almost 9lbs?! Speaking of, Jake had his 2 week appointment this afternoon and he is as healthy as ever and packing on the pounds. He has gained 1lb and 2 oz above his birth weight and a full inch already. Growing boy!
I am learning that while I may have a whole list of things I'd like to accomplish for the day, I need to just let it all go. If I shower and get dressed (or do this blog post), that's an accomplishment and I am OK with it. I am so thankful I have these months at home with my baby to just feed him, hold him, stare in amazement at him and nap with him. I still can't believe this is our child and he is ours to keep forever.
Here are some more photos from his 2nd week of life. Love him so much.
Faces, Lots of Faces...
Tummy Time
Nap Time On Mommy's Chest
Good Morning
My Loves
Go Ducks!
Game Face
Monday, October 17, 2011
Jake's First Week
It's already been 1 week with as the Montgomery family of 3, and an eventful week at that! We had lots of visitors in the hospital and in the first days at home this weekend. Jake is such a good baby and loves being passed around!
Grandma Patti, Grandpa Bill, Uncle Tony, Aunt Christa, Auntie Sarah, Great Aunt Casey, Great Grandma Joan, Great Grandma Tony, Great Aunt Amy, Great Aunt Jodi, Great Uncle Steve, and cousins Grace, Tori & Jack have all come to meet you, sweet boy. Auntie Maggie is on the way this Wednesday before we fend for ourselves next week. Yikes! Let's not think about that....
My mom has been staying with us and it has been amazing! I can't even think of what it is going to be like without her! My dad was able to come back this weekend to meet Jake (since he didn't make his appearance in time last weekend) so it's been really wonderful for Nick and I to have the extra hands & help. So far, the first night at home was rough, but the last 2 nights (and hopefully I am not speaking too soon) have been much better than we expected. In fact, I have had to wake him up to feed in the night while he sleeps soundly. If the wives tales are true, the bigger the baby, the better they sleep, then we are in luck! But we take it night by night. Team Montgomery (Nick & I) are really enjoying learning how to be parents. Our super sweet dog, Lyla, has been a bit jealous of all the attention the baby gets, but also very protective of Jake and I. She sits right at my feet while I nurse and stands guard. I see these two being partners in crime someday. We have bought her tons of special treats and bones as to not to neglect our puppy in this transition.
Here are a couple of pictures from the 1st week, going home from the hospital and Jake's first bath at home today!
Grandma Patti, Grandpa Bill, Uncle Tony, Aunt Christa, Auntie Sarah, Great Aunt Casey, Great Grandma Joan, Great Grandma Tony, Great Aunt Amy, Great Aunt Jodi, Great Uncle Steve, and cousins Grace, Tori & Jack have all come to meet you, sweet boy. Auntie Maggie is on the way this Wednesday before we fend for ourselves next week. Yikes! Let's not think about that....
My mom has been staying with us and it has been amazing! I can't even think of what it is going to be like without her! My dad was able to come back this weekend to meet Jake (since he didn't make his appearance in time last weekend) so it's been really wonderful for Nick and I to have the extra hands & help. So far, the first night at home was rough, but the last 2 nights (and hopefully I am not speaking too soon) have been much better than we expected. In fact, I have had to wake him up to feed in the night while he sleeps soundly. If the wives tales are true, the bigger the baby, the better they sleep, then we are in luck! But we take it night by night. Team Montgomery (Nick & I) are really enjoying learning how to be parents. Our super sweet dog, Lyla, has been a bit jealous of all the attention the baby gets, but also very protective of Jake and I. She sits right at my feet while I nurse and stands guard. I see these two being partners in crime someday. We have bought her tons of special treats and bones as to not to neglect our puppy in this transition.
Here are a couple of pictures from the 1st week, going home from the hospital and Jake's first bath at home today!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Jacob William Montgomery
Oh my goodness... the last 6 days have been the most amazing of our lives. We are so crazy in love with our son, it truly is blowing my mind. I feel like I need to pinch myself every morning that this isn't all a dream. I could sit and stare at Jake for hours on end or watch my love and amazing husband cuddle him and love on him. I have never been so happy. Pure Bliss.
First, the labor & birth story before I forget all the details!
By 9pm, the CRIB was in... and the 6 - 12 hour wait started. The doctors let us know that after 6 hours if I dilated to at least 3 cm, it would come out. If not, then it would stay in for another 6 hours. So we were advised to rest up... I got a little cocktail of some pain medication as the CRIB and contractions were getting much more intense and making it difficult to rest up. As 3am approached, Nick and I didn't think there was a chance that it would have worked, but sure enough, it did! I was at 4.5 cm and we were on our way to meeting our baby boy!
Shortly after, the nurses came in to break my bag of water.... it was an 'aggressive' procedure and resulted in Nick passing out, hitting his back and head! Terrifed me!! But, within 1 minute, 6 more doctors were in the room as the nurses paged - 'dad passed out, dad passed out!' Nick was fine, just got a little light headed with the graphic detail the doctor was providing while attempting to break my water. After his blood sugar was monitored and he was stabilized, the nurses came back for a 2nd attempt, and then a 3rd. Finally, success! Water broken at 5:45am.
They warned me that my contractions would now start to get much more intense and I was hooked up to Pitocin. Around 6:30am, I asked for the epidural... maybe a bit later than I would suggest. The pain was more than I wanted to feel. Shortly thereafter, I was in a much better place. Although no one warned me that the epidural would make my skin itch from the inside out for 2 full days. Small price to pay in my eyes though.
The doctor came in to check my progress around 11am, I had made more progress and was now officially in active labor at 6.5cm and 90% effaced. They expected me to start pushing in the next couple hours.
As the hours went on, the labor was getting harder and harder. Despite the epidural, I was feeling immense pain in my hips and back although the baby's head was not engaging. I started to lose control of my muscles and was shaking uncontrollably as well as getting sick.... all normal for labor. However, after that 11am check, nothing ever changed. I felt like I was there just to be tortorued and I was never going to meet our son! The doctor then said, if I hadn't made more progress around 4pm, then we would talk about Plan B. Mind you, my doctor wasn't present on Monday, as she had personal matters to tend to, so this was another one in the practice. 4 turned into 5, and 5 turned into 6pm. At 5:59pm the Dr Kelsey came in and let me know that he had spoken to my doctor and we were going to do a C-section, the baby's head was too large and my pelvis was too small. In fact, he was already lodged in there and may have a slight conehead at birth.
I then started to get prepped for the C-section. The shaking became a lot more intense and I was wheeled down to the OR. I mentioned that I am likely to get sick in the OR so they gave me more anti-nausea medication along with everything else. I just closed my eyes as the room full of doctor's introduced themselves to me so I didn't have to see anything.
Once the curtain was up, Nick was brought into the room to sit by my head and hold my hand. I told him, 'I just need to hear the baby cry, I just need to hear him cry.' It was all of 2 -3 minutes and there it was... my sweet boy's cry! I started to cry and Nick and I grinned ear to ear! Jacob William Montgomery born 10/10/11 at 7:25pm 8lbs 12 oz and yes.... a very big head! Our nurse, Sarah, brought Jake's face to mine so I could kiss him on the cheek and finished cleaning him up and handed him over to Nick while they put me back together. And like clockwork, I started to get sick for the next few minutes....
After surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room with my boys. Amazing. Nick put Jake on my chest and he went straight in for the kill and started to nurse. It was incredible. We were in awe. Our son, our miracle, was finally healthy and here with us. Perfection.
Around 10pm, once the feeling came back into my feet and toes, we were moved into our Maternity Suite where my mom, brother and Christa were able to come up to meet Jacob. I was still pretty out of it, given at this point, I had been up since 6am Sunday morning but I do remember the evening. Around midnight, the 3 of us finally went to sleep for the night... the happiest & most blessed day of our lives October 10, 2011.
- Wednesday the 5th of October, I woke up having regular, but not intense contractions every 10 minutes. I called the doctor and they advised me to stay home until I was having trouble breathing thru them and they were closer together. The back pain/labor was bearable, but was causing a lot of discomfort and achiness.
- Thursday the 6th, still laboring, I had a non-stress test to make sure the baby was doing well and to check on my fluid levels. The entire hour I was hooked up to the fetal monitor, I was contracting every 2 - 3 minutes. Jake's heartbeat was rock solid. The doctor made several comments that while I was uncomfortable, I had a VERY happy baby in there that was in no rush to come out. In addition, I had made no further progress with dilation or effacement. Baby's head was still high and she was 'pretty sure' that I would be having a C-section. In fact, I was in early labor and she expected me to be admitted later that day or by Friday for sure. But we set the induction for Sunday night at 8:30pm for my sanity.
- Friday, Saturday and Sunday - let's just say I wasn't a peach to be around. Still uncomfortable, unable to sleep and not wanting to talk to anyone about being pregnant anymore, I was just focused on the induction Sunday night.
- Sunday night at 8:15pm, Nick and I checked into Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern. By 8:30pm they had us settled into our birthing & delivery suite with the induction plan mapped out on the white board:
- CRIB
- Break Water
- Pitocin
- Pain Management
- Meet Baby Jacob!
Shortly after, the nurses came in to break my bag of water.... it was an 'aggressive' procedure and resulted in Nick passing out, hitting his back and head! Terrifed me!! But, within 1 minute, 6 more doctors were in the room as the nurses paged - 'dad passed out, dad passed out!' Nick was fine, just got a little light headed with the graphic detail the doctor was providing while attempting to break my water. After his blood sugar was monitored and he was stabilized, the nurses came back for a 2nd attempt, and then a 3rd. Finally, success! Water broken at 5:45am.
They warned me that my contractions would now start to get much more intense and I was hooked up to Pitocin. Around 6:30am, I asked for the epidural... maybe a bit later than I would suggest. The pain was more than I wanted to feel. Shortly thereafter, I was in a much better place. Although no one warned me that the epidural would make my skin itch from the inside out for 2 full days. Small price to pay in my eyes though.
The doctor came in to check my progress around 11am, I had made more progress and was now officially in active labor at 6.5cm and 90% effaced. They expected me to start pushing in the next couple hours.
As the hours went on, the labor was getting harder and harder. Despite the epidural, I was feeling immense pain in my hips and back although the baby's head was not engaging. I started to lose control of my muscles and was shaking uncontrollably as well as getting sick.... all normal for labor. However, after that 11am check, nothing ever changed. I felt like I was there just to be tortorued and I was never going to meet our son! The doctor then said, if I hadn't made more progress around 4pm, then we would talk about Plan B. Mind you, my doctor wasn't present on Monday, as she had personal matters to tend to, so this was another one in the practice. 4 turned into 5, and 5 turned into 6pm. At 5:59pm the Dr Kelsey came in and let me know that he had spoken to my doctor and we were going to do a C-section, the baby's head was too large and my pelvis was too small. In fact, he was already lodged in there and may have a slight conehead at birth.
I then started to get prepped for the C-section. The shaking became a lot more intense and I was wheeled down to the OR. I mentioned that I am likely to get sick in the OR so they gave me more anti-nausea medication along with everything else. I just closed my eyes as the room full of doctor's introduced themselves to me so I didn't have to see anything.
Once the curtain was up, Nick was brought into the room to sit by my head and hold my hand. I told him, 'I just need to hear the baby cry, I just need to hear him cry.' It was all of 2 -3 minutes and there it was... my sweet boy's cry! I started to cry and Nick and I grinned ear to ear! Jacob William Montgomery born 10/10/11 at 7:25pm 8lbs 12 oz and yes.... a very big head! Our nurse, Sarah, brought Jake's face to mine so I could kiss him on the cheek and finished cleaning him up and handed him over to Nick while they put me back together. And like clockwork, I started to get sick for the next few minutes....
After surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room with my boys. Amazing. Nick put Jake on my chest and he went straight in for the kill and started to nurse. It was incredible. We were in awe. Our son, our miracle, was finally healthy and here with us. Perfection.
Around 10pm, once the feeling came back into my feet and toes, we were moved into our Maternity Suite where my mom, brother and Christa were able to come up to meet Jacob. I was still pretty out of it, given at this point, I had been up since 6am Sunday morning but I do remember the evening. Around midnight, the 3 of us finally went to sleep for the night... the happiest & most blessed day of our lives October 10, 2011.
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