Hello World 👶🏻⚡️

Hello World!! I am so happy to be able to share my story with you.

My little guy was born on the 1st of March, at 40 weeks and 1 day. I came into the hospital for induction at 5am. I nearly passed out from the IV, so I got off to a bit of a rocky start. Once contractions really started, everything was rolling smoothly though. Dilation went from 3 to 6 in a couple of hours, and then 6 to 9 in the next couple of hours. I had received my epidural pretty early, mostly because I had progressed very quickly. The contractions had been getting more intense, and I was having to really focus and breathe through them. When I was getting the epidural, the doctor said, “I’m going to test, but I think we’re in a blood vessel. Yep, we’re in a blood vessel. We’ll have to try again.” I was holding my SO’s hand, and he started shaking a bit. If you knew him, you’d know that it wasn’t like him. He’s very strong and doesn’t usually show a lot of emotion. Once I had it in, it was instant relief. It worked, and it worked well! I could barely move. The excitement was settling in, and I spent the time talking to my parents and SO. Through the whole thing, I didn’t really want it to get too loud. I didn’t want any music. I just listened for that little heartbeat, paying attention to it quickening and slowing with every contraction and pressure I could feel. The doctor came in to check me, and I had just a tiny bit of cervix left on one side. Baby was just a bit crooked for crowning, so the doctor wanted to wait. But he told me that he thought we might have baby in arms around 2pm. The hours passed, and the nurses and I tried a few different things. I used a peanut and rolled to that side to try and straighten baby out more. My two nurses that stayed with me, Tammy and Lauren, were absolutely amazing! My boyfriend’s daughter arrived and his family checked on me. I was happy, laughing, and very patient. Dark clouds were rolling in, and it started storming. It was very fitting, since my baby’s name means “God of Lightning.” So we made jokes about that and enjoyed the time together. The hours just kept passing, and we kept trying. I was eventually laying on my side, almost on my belly. I was getting pretty exhausted. The contractions were stronger, and I started to feel like I absolutely needed to push. The nurses checked me around 5:30pm, and the doctor came in to follow up. It was time!!

Starting out, I was already pretty tired from the long day. I could feel the pressure of baby wanting to come out, so it was pretty easy to tell when I needed to push. I got sick and had to throw up my food from the night before, but I was able to keep pushing through it. The nurse told me that throwing up is not pleasant, but some of the best pushing you can do. Giving birth is not exactly a glamorous event, and you just have to work with what you’ve got I guess. I was tired, like I had been running a marathon. I was listening to the feedback of the doctor and nurses. They kept telling me “You’re doing great! Keep pushing! You’re almost there!” At one point, my nurse Tammy tied a knot in a sheet. She grabbed one end, and I grabbed the knot and we both pulled. I was so tired, I couldn’t feel the contractions anymore and couldn’t even tell if I was pushing. But everyone was telling me that I was doing great. My body kind of took over and did what it needed to do while my brain couldn’t process it anymore. My SO was right by me the entire time supporting and encouraging me. The end was kind of a whirlwind. I had one last push, I felt a small relief of pressure, and then I felt baby come through. I heard his little cry, and my SO got to cut the umbilical cord. At first, he said “no,” but the doctor encouraged him to. He did so well. Before I knew it, my baby was plopped down on top of me being wiped down quickly, and I had him in my arms. His little face was so scared, but his eyes were open. He had a big wet dark glob of hair stuck to his head. He looked right at me and then right at his father, and I felt so relieved. At some point I felt a really big gush, what I assume was the afterbirth. But I was pretty distracted watching my son. They took him to be weighed and measured, and the nurses started cleaning me up.

After just over 13 hours, my little Raiden was born at 6:38pm on March 1st, weighing 7 lbs and 7oz. He is a very peaceful baby, just like his mama. He was circumcised yesterday morning, and the doctor and nurse said he didn’t wince or make a sound. They had never seen a baby that didn’t, and he’s just a very tough and content little guy. He has been super popular with the nurses. Everyone keeps talking about how cute he is.

His father and I love him so much! I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can while in the hospital, soaking up all of the information as a first time parent. Rai is breastfeeding well and doing great. Needless to say, once the epidural fully wore off, I was very sore! All over aches. But I feel like I am recovering well. It was the longest day of my life waiting for him, but absolutely worth it. My little one is finally here, and he’s more perfect than I could’ve imagined. The hospital I’m in has been really wonderful to us, and it has made everything smooth and enjoyable. We had a candlelit dinner brought to us last evening, a photographer came and took some pictures for us, and our hospital experience hasn’t been anything short of amazing. I feel so much love right now; I am just bursting! 💕 This is my son!!