Cooper Knox arrived June 2, 2018 at 8:17pm weighing 8lb 3oz and measuring 21 3/4in tall. Mommy and Daddy are so in love already! Here's my birth story:

My due date was May 31 and my OB/GYN ordered for me to receive prostaglandin gel on June 1 to see if it would help kick start labor. It was supposed to be given daily for three days but I only needed one dose. Friday I received the gel and had mild contractions afterwards.

On Saturday June 2 I woke up at 6:30am with pretty regular contractions about 7 minutes apart. I didn't want to wake my hubby yet so I walked around, bounced on a medicine ball and did some breathing techniques. By 8:30 they were 3-4 minutes apart so I woke my husband up. By the time we were ready to leave, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and becoming more uncomfortable (maybe a 5/10).

When we got to the hospital, they decided to admit me. They were going to break my water, but as I was getting up to the wheelchair to go back to my new room, my water broke. My contractions immediately became unbearable 9-10/10 with severe stabbing pain in my back. I caved and got an epidural and it was the best decision ever! I was able to relax and my doc said it probably made my labor progress quicker.

Within a few hours I had progressed from 5cm to 10cm. My epidural did only really work on the left side so my right side did start to get a little uncomfortable as I got closer to pushing. My little guy's heart rate did drop into the 70s but this improved after I was placed on oxygen. Within 20 minutes, I was able to push him out (and thank God I didn't feel anything). She did have to do an episiotomy though I couldn't feel this. They immediately brought him up to my chest and it was the best feeling in the world! He was able to breastfeed right away.

Later we had a few hiccups with elevated bilirubin levels and he had to be under phototherapy. It was a little scary because he was pretty lethargic and not feeding well. But this improved a bit and we went home the following day with bili blankets. Since then his levels have improved and he's back to being a very sweet and cuddly baby! Here's my sweet boy! 😍