One

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today, little Henry is one year old! He's been such a joy to our family, he really is a dream baby, we love him to pieces and can't imagine our lives without him. Since this is my journal of sorts, and I've never recorded Henry's birth story, I'm going to do it here, so if reading that isn't your cup of tea, by all means, look at this precious picture and make your way to the next blog.

Still here? Here goes....

I had planned all along that Henry's birth would be different from the first two, I was going to go "all natural" and have no drugs. I intended to do that with the first two, but I just couldn't handle the pain. I vowed to make Henry's birth a different experience, I switched to a midwife, and convinced myself from day one that I was going to make it work. My contractions had started at about 9 pm, after a long, busy day. I was looking forward to a night of sleep, not a night of labor! Henry was a few days overdue, and I was getting increasingly uncomfortable. When the contractions started so late in the evening, I thought just maybe by morning our family of four would be a family of five. Boy was I wrong! Little did I know that 2 short hours later, Henry would be in my arms. When the contractions didn't slow and became more intense I suggested Tadd call his mom to come stay with the kids. I paced the floors, wondering why the contractions were so intense, I didn't have so much as a minute break between when one would end and the next would begin. They had just begun!! I thought I was in for a long night of good old fashioned pain and suffering. Tadd's mom showed up at 10pm, we hopped in the car and headed to the hospital, I remember thinking that I couldn't handle the pain much longer and I was most definitely getting an epidural when we got to the hospital. I just knew the midwife would check me and pronounce me dilated to a 2, and say we would be in for a long night. After a (forever!!) drive to the hospital, I made my way to the room where I was checked and told I would be delivering shortly. I was dilated to a 9 and nearly ready! It's a good thing I wanted a natural childbirth, there wasn't any time for the epidural anyway! Henry was posterior so I definitely felt the pain of his birth, but it was over so quickly and he was born beautiful and healthy at 11:16 pm, just 35 minutes after we got to our room at the hospital, and just over two hours after the first contraction!  Now that was fast! I was so happy to have him here safe, I didn't sleep a wink that first night...

 

Happy 1st birthday Henry! Mama loves you.....