Introducing Graham Morrison

Thursday, July 28, 2016

It is with great pleasure that T & I announce the newest addition to our family has arrived!



INTRODUCING 
Graham Morrison | Friday, July 15, 2016 | 6:37 a.m. | 7 lbs. 2 oz. | 21 inches long







THE BIRTH STORY
Early Friday morning, July 15, I woke up at 4 a.m. to a strong contraction and my water breaking. At the time, it wasn't obvious that my water had broken, and I was unsure if what I was feeling was an actual contraction, or just indigestion. When I had another twinge of pain seven minutes later, and then another, I decided to get up and shower since I was too uncomfortable to sleep. As the hour progressed, the length of time between contractions quickly dwindled down to four-five minutes between each one. At 5 a.m., I decided to wake T up and get his opinion on the situation. Seeing me sitting on the side of the bed, I think he had flashbacks to the day C was born, and he immediately jolted up to grab a quick shower and scramble to get an overnight bag put together with some essentials. Apparently, he was more convinced than me! By the time 5:30 a.m. rolled around, I was having contractions lasting 40 seconds about every two minutes. I told T to call his mom to come stay with C, and we were out the door within 10 minutes. We may or may not have met Grandma S on the way out of town. Luckily, C was sound asleep, so we were comfortable leaving a few minutes before Grandma arrived.




After the most uncomfortable 15 minute car ride of my life...(by the time we got to the edge of  town on our way to the hospital, my contractions were less than a minute apart)...we pulled up to valet parking and made our way to the OB unit. On the ride in, T had called the floor to let them know we were coming, and to get a bed ready and call my doctor. Once inside, I remember saying to T that by the time I was that uncomfortable on the day C arrived in this world, I most definitely already had an epidural. 




The next 20 minutes were a bit of a blur. This is what I remember: 

1. After riding the struggle bus a slow and very painful walk from the car to the OB Unit on the third floor...(I thought walking would feel better than sitting in a wheelchair like T had suggested), I immediately changed into a hospital gown and got checked by an OB nurse who told me I was 8-9 cm dilated.

2. Someone came in to start an IV, but of course had trouble finding my vein, so I got poked, and then poked again for an IV that we were hoping to get going at least four hours before baby's arrival. I tested Strep B positive (about 1 out of 3 pregnant women do), so four hours of antibiotics would have been ideal for protecting the baby from any possible complications that could arise from it. I maybe only got about a 1/2 dose of antibiotics administered at full speed before the IV ripped out of my hand and baby arrived. Chances are, there wasn't enough time for any of them to cross through the placenta to reach the baby before his arrival. Essentially, this meant that we were required to stay a full 48hrs after delivery for observation. On a side note, even if I would have been attached to an IV when my labor started, I still wouldn't have had four hours of antibiotics, so it was really a no-win situation from the start.

3. Being told there was nothing anyone could do for me pain wise was a real highlight of my morning. With C, I got an epidural a couple of hours before he was born, and escaped most of the pain that comes with the final stages of labor. By the time I got to the hospital this time, I was already experiencing the final stages of labor, so there was no time for an epidural or IV painkillers. T says that in our local area, about 95% of women opt to have some sort of painkillers or epidural. I guess I'm one of the lucky few to be an outlier! While I personally wouldn't recommend the no painkiller route, it did ensure that the pushing portion of labor went quickly, and after it was over, any residual pain I had was pretty insignificant in relation to what I had just experienced. Luckily, I did not need any stitches or pain meds after baby arrived, so my recovery was swift, and I was able to get up and shower just a couple hours after baby's arrival. Even better, it is true what they say...after you have that sweet little babe in your arms, you tend to forget...or at the very least set aside...the extreme pain and stress you just went through to bring a new baby into the world. 

4. About 15 minutes after arriving, my Dr. showed up and gave the OK to push. Three or four pushes later, and no more than 20 minutes after our arrival at the hospital, at 6:37 a.m., our hearts doubled in size, and we had the great pleasure of meeting our newest little 7 lb. 2 oz. 21 inch long bundle of love, Graham Morrison. Afterwards, the nurse who was at the delivery suggested that since it was so quick and easy for me, maybe we should have about four more! This suggestion was immediately commented upon by my doctor who suggested that it would be highly advisable for T to have a delivery kit in our home if we have any other children in the future...






VISITORS ARRIVE

Graham's very first visitors arrived just after noon. Grandma J and Uncle N had the honor, and snuck in a quick visit just before the afternoon quiet time started. We had considered having C come in right away, but by the time we were ready for visitors, it was C's nap time, and we decided to have him come after he got some rest.


During the afternoon, after recovering from their early morning adventures with C, Grandma S and Grandpa D stopped by to meet baby G.


Next came Great Grandma M and Great Grandpa K.


The final visitors of the day were C, Grandpa T, Uncle T, and a return visit from Grandma J. T & I were so looking forward to C's reaction upon meeting his baby brother, and he stayed true to form, and was just the cutest. At first, I don't think he noticed the baby in my arms (or he was in denial), and he walked into the hospital room like he owned the place. Shortly after, his eyes locked on mine, and he wanted to get up onto the bed to sit with me and meet this new little person I had in my arms. In true C fashion, after T & I introduced him to his little brother, he pointed out that he was wearing a hat...had eyes (a current obsession), and then after giving me a kiss, leaned down to give the baby a kiss. After his kisses, he pushed my head towards the baby to make sure he got a kiss from me too. Like I said, the cutest.










On Saturday, C stopped by in the morning with Grandma J, and was sooooo excited to give his baby brother a gift that he had helped to pick out. He walked in with the gift bag, and could hardly contain his excitement about opening it up to show T & I his special surprise for the baby. It was a Jellycat stuffed frog with big eyes.








Later, the rest of my family arrived, and baby G got to meet his aunts, uncles, and cousin J. After stopping in to say hi, the little boys were quickly distracted by all of the trucks and toys in Grandma J's purse, and they found a spot in the waiting room to play while everyone else got a chance to snuggle with baby G.

HOME










Late Sunday morning, after a bit of a rocky night where G spiked a 99.5 degree temp, was super fussy, and didn't want to eat, we were finally cleared to go home after the on-call doctor had a chance to check in with a neonatal specialist in Sioux Falls to make sure that there was nothing to worry about with the Strep B exposure and lack of antibiotics. Two days doesn't seem like the longest time to be in the hospital, but when it happens to be two of the nicest days of summer thus far, and you are missing your 'big' kid at home, it starts to seem endless. We were surprised to arrive home to a house that was anonymously decorated with blue balloons and a sign on the door saying 'Welcome Home Graham'...so sweet. C was home to greet us, and we tied him down in a stroller were able to  capture a quick family photo on the front porch before heading inside and getting settled in as a new family of four.

'Out of all the moments in my life, the ones I spend with family are my favorites.'

1 comment:

Thanks for visiting! Let me know if you have any suggestions of recipes I should try, fun ideas to do with the kiddo, or a suggested adventure to add to our bucket list!

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