Wow, my life has changed so much since the last time I posted. I finished up my time at work with two very difficult assignments. Those last two nights were difficult but full of learning. I really enjoyed all the learning. So, I came home that Friday morning ready for Nolan to get here. On Saturday, I was 39 weeks. That evening Brett and I went to a surprise birthday party for a friend of ours. While we were there, I started having contractions. They were coming every 15 minutes or so. I, quietly, told Brett and we decided to head home. I talked to my parents about the situation. They decided it was best for them to just go ahead and make their way to Houston just in case this was the real thing. Little did we know, Nolan can be just as stubborn as his dad. My mom got on an airplane and my dad and Cosmo started their drive. My contractions were lasting through the night. I finally fell asleep around 4am. I woke up at 6am and my contractions stopped. We picked my mom up at the airport and we walked ALL day long. I was ready to get Nolan out! The next couple days were full of stronger and stronger contractions that would continue for hours and then stop completely. Ugh, it was so frustrating. Finally, that Wednesday I had my last doctor appointment. We decided that I would go into the hospital Thursday night to try a prostaglandin augmentation.
So, on Thursday night, Brett and I made our way to the hospital. We got little to no sleep that night. By the morning, the augmentation had not worked as well as we had hoped. We decided to try another round of a different type of prostaglandin. By 2pm, my doctor came in and decided that I was 2cm dilated. She felt comfortable enough to break my water. So, that's what we did. That is when the fun started. My contractions started full force. However, my body decided that I was not allowed to have a break. I would have four or so contractions without a break, followed by a minute break only to start up with four or so contractions again. It was very difficult to handle. My body was fading fast (especially with little sleep) because during the minute break I would fall asleep. It was such a weird feeling. After a few hours of this, I was in so much pain. I didn't know this at the time, but Nolan's heart rate started to drop. I decided to get an epidural (which I originally didn't want). I got the epidural, got put on my side, had an oxygen mask put on me, and got told that Nolan's heart rate was dropping all within about a 20 minute period. This was not good for my hormones. I was so scared! Eventually, the doctor decided that Nolan's heart rate just changed its baseline. That it was not that big of a deal as long as his heart rate stayed in the 110s. My epidural started to work and Nolan's heart rate got a little bit better. Things started to settle down a bit and it was just a waiting game. By 11:30pm, I was finally at 10 cm. I had to wait to start pushing until the doctor got to the hospital. By about 12:15, I began pushing. Brett did a great job staring at the wall behind me and holding my head up without looking. The doctor and nurses got a kick out of him. He kept joking around trying not to pass out. He did awesome! On August 20 at 1:21 am, Nolan, our 7lb 8oz 19 in baby boy was finally here! He was the cutest baby I had every seen. I could not control my tears. I was officially a mom. What a feeling!
That night Brett and I got no sleep either. We got to our room around 4am and tried to sleep. But between my nurse coming in and Nolan's nurse coming in, Brett and I got no sleep. By 9am, my parents were back at the hospital and visitors were on their way. We had so many friends and family come to see Nolan on his birthday! We are so blessed to have such great friends and family!
The next afternoon, after a night of no sleep again, we got to take Nolan home. It was such a weird feeling. Brett headed to his Fantasy Football draft and Nolan and I headed to my room to take a nap. It was heaven.
That next week was full of interesting things that happened. Nolan barely slept throughout the night. He was so fussy the whole night. It was quite an adjustment. On Wednesday, Brett got a surprise, his mom came in from PA. He had no idea! He was so surprised. She was here through the next Sunday. It was good to have her here to meet Nolan.
My parents were still in town. They stayed through September 3. It was great to have them here to help with our transition into parenthood. When they left, Brett and I were on our own. We were now a family of three. What a feeling!
Brett went back to work on Tuesday, after a long Labor Day weekend together. Nolan and I were on our own for the day. He had his two week doctor appointment. He is now 8lb 10oz and 20 inches long. Our boy is getting so big already!!! He is such a sweet little boy. He is getting more alert now. He will just lay there and stare at you. It is just so sweet. I love being a mom. After almost 3 weeks, I realize that it is full of ups and downs already. I look forward to what is to come. It is going to be such an adventure.
Enjoy some pictures of our new little one!
