Hey everyone! I'm sorry I'm not very good at keeping up with this blogging stuff! So, it's been 5 weeks since little Ian came into this world and I figured it was past time to blog about it, so here goes! =)
Let me back up a little and give you a little background about what was happening before Ian came along. At the last few doctors appointments, my blood pressure had been on the rise. It got to the point where my doctor was watching it closely because high blood pressure is a sign of a serious problem that can come with pregnancy, called preemclampsia. Preemclampsia is when some of the mother's organs are shutting down (I can't remember which specifically, but I think it's something like the liver or kidneys), and the only cure for it is to have the baby. Well, I never exhibited any of the other signs of preemclampsia, but my blood pressure was borderlining it. I had a doctor's appointment the day after our due date, which was October 12th, and she stripped my membranes a second time to try to get my labor to start. She said that if I didn't go into labor on my own before Thursday, then to come in as early as possible Thursday morning. She wanted to check my blood pressure again and if it was still high, then we would be able to be induced that day! I was SOOO excited!
Well, needless to say, I didn't start on my own. So, Matt took Thursday-Monday off of work and accompanied me to the doctors office Thursday morning. We were Dr. Blackett's first appointment on Thursday morning, and, of course, my blood pressure was still really high so she called the hospital for us and sent us over.
Matt and I were so excited as we drove through the parking lot to the hospital. We checked in, and the nurses got us situated. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30 AM, were induced at 10:30 AM, and my water was broken at noon. The labor and delivery went really well. Matt and I relaxed and watched TV and movies all day. I was able to handle all the labor pains pretty easily, which kind of surprised me. The contractions definitely didn't hurt nearly as bad as I had expected! We only had to use the breathing techniques for less than an hour and a half. I only had really hard pains for about half an hour and then we got an epidural around 4:15 PM. Epidurals are heavenly! Being numbed for the epidural was the worst part of the whole experience for me. That was the only time when I wanted to cry, but it was totally worth it when the medication started to work and I would do it all over again.
After that, everything progressed pretty quickly and we were able to start pushing at 8:30 PM. Ian arrived at 10:27 PM after 2 hours of pushing. He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 inches long when he was born.
It was such an amazing feeling when he finally arrived! I remember the feelings of wanting to cry and awe at the miracle of what just happened, mixed with the feeling of "Oh my gosh! That's my baby!" I can't even begin to describe the feelings in my heart then, but I can perfectly recall them now. Every pain, every sickness leading up to that moment when I first saw him was SO worth it and I would do it all over again and more to have him! It was such an incredible feeling when they first placed him in my arms. Love for him just swelled in my heart as I tried to comfort him while he was trying to adjust to life in this world.
I think the looks on Matt's and my faces say it all!
We just love being parents to Ian! There is nothing more fulfilling to me. His being here has filled holes in me that I didn't even know existed and he brings so much joy into our lives. Every day, I look at him and marvel at the miracle of his being here. We couldn't have asked for a better baby and we're so grateful to have him here!
Here are some more pictures to document his first five weeks of life.
Alert from the very first minutes.
One proud daddy! =)
Grandma Jo and Ian
Great-Grandma Patsy and Ian
Family picture
Cute little guy! Less than 24 hours old.
I won't caption the rest, but here's just a TINY amount of the other pictures we have from the past 5 weeks.
This last one is a picture taken today, when Ian is 5 weeks old! Time flies! He is getting so big and healthy. He is soooo cute!
And last but not least...
I'm SOOOOOO very grateful to have this wonderful man in my life!! I can't imagine being without him. There's no way I would have been able to go through some of the things I have without him and I'm so grateful for his love and support. I love you, Hun!!!
