Ezra Charles Griffin - birth story

Our little boy, Ezra Charles Griffin is here! 

He came in to the world on Friday, June 5th at 1:26pm.  He was 8lbs, 9oz and 19 inches long.  He's  all sorts of wonderful.

His birthday was very different than his sister's - we were induced.  I had set the induction date for 39 weeks and really didn't think I'd get that far. His pregnancy was different than his sister's - the beginning was sicky and the same but the end was much more sore than his sister's.   There were many false alarms and lots of sick days at the end but no real labor.  I was smaller with him than I was with Piper - but I think the soreness came from him being a bigger baby.  About a week before the induction - at my last OB appointment when my cervix was still unchanged (dilated to a 2, 80% effaced since 36 weeks) -  I resigned to thinking it was just going to be an induction and I was starting to feel better about it.  I took a few days off before and was able to spend time with Piper and rest at home.  They were a great few days. I was emotional about Piper and how all of this was going to change her, and change us.  I put her to bed on Thursday and spent awhile just crying and loving her.

I tried to sleep Thursday night but was mostly anxious and spent lots of time awake.  Our alarm was a welcome sound at 5:30.  It was time to get up and go have a baby!  We left the house around 6 to take Piper up to grandma's.   She was awake and happy and I wasn't emotional when saying goodbye! :) 

I was ready.  

We got to the hospital at 7 (the first ones there) and we were put in to Labor and Delivery Room 1.   It was a bit surreal.

They started my IV and checked my cervix - I was still at a 2, 80% effaced.  I was happy and it was weird to not be in any pain and just be able to be excited about baby brother. 

They started pitocin (4) at 7:45 and upped it at 8:15 (8).  I started to feel contractions but nothing painful.   The doctor came at 8:45 to break my water and it was ouch! He had to try for a couple of minutes (which is a long time for that sort of activity) and kept apologizing for hurting me.  I think it was abnormal for it to be painful.  They joked that my water would never break on its own and I must eat a lot of iron (my diet of only cereal is apparently a good thing).   I was dilated to a 3 when they broke my water.

They upped my pitocin again at 8:55 (12) and after my water was broke the contractions were getting more painful.  I would say ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch during them.  I told Colton he had to start paying attention to me.  (Side story - we were getting our sprinklers done that day and he was keeping tabs on that.. The rule was he couldn't talk to me about sprinklers).  The contractions were NOTHING like the contractions that brought us to the hospital with Piper.  I never felt any contractions in my stomach with Piper (thanks back labor).  I asked for my epidural not long after they upped my pitocin. 

I got my epidural at 9:30 and was happy happy.  I wondered if the epidural wasn't bad last time because I was already in so much pain - but it wasn't bad again this time.  The numbing shot hurts but it's very temporary and I just got to squeeze Colton's hands.  (He wanted to watch but I made him stay in front of me because I needed him to squeeze).   The placing of everything else wasn't bad at all.   And it was a welcome relief to the contractions that were getting stronger.  It made me giggle and feel a little fuzzy.    Colton kept telling me I was being weird. :)  The epidural was really great.  I could completely move my legs, I could lift the up and sit myself up the whole time, but didn't feel any pain. 

They upped my pitocin at 9:45 (16). 

At 11:20, I was dilated to a 6.  Right around then, I started feeling a little sick.  I told Colton I felt "heavy". 

At 12:05, I was dilated to an 8.  I was feeling a lot of pressure/contractions at this point.  When the nurse checked me and I was at an 8, I decided to push the epidural button to get some relief.

At 12:20, I was dilated to a 9++. 

At 12:40, I was still a 9++.

And we felt stressed.  With Piper, I was stuck a 9++ for hours.

Oh!  Our nurse was wonderful the whole time.  She was attentive and let us know when to expect things.  She seemed to really care about us.  She could tell that we were stressed about the 9++ thing and kept checking on us and telling us we wouldn't be stuck long. 

At 12:50, she said we would sit me straight up and see if gravity would do the work but I was already fully dilated!   

...And I was feeling it.  I felt ready to push.  And the doctor was delivering a baby in the other room.  So we had to wait.  And I was squirming during every contraction.  I had Colton sit right next to me so I could just hold on to his back and focus on not pushing.  

Colton was very sweet.  Last time, my mom and sisters were with us.  And it was nice and different for it to be just the two of us.  He was especially good at the very end when I needed him.  I love that baby daddy of mine.

 The doctor came in around 1:10 and I started to push at 1:15 and baby brother was born at 1:26.  I wasn't sure I was making any progress until they said, this next push will be the last one.  I was hurting but I was happy to be able to move around and feel the process.  The nurses and doctor said he was a big boy with a big head and blonde! They gave him to me and I was instantly so in love with him.  There is nothing like your brand new baby.  They took him away for a minute to weigh him and put a diaper on him and then we were left alone pretty quickly and the three of us got to just enjoy each other for almost 2 hours.  My favorite few hours.

We made it down to our room around 3:00 and Big Sister and Grandma came a little while later.  We had a new toy for Piper and she didn't acknowledge baby brother at all.  :)  She was worried that mom was hurt but used her new tools to give me a check-up.  (Fast forward to now - and she is pretty much the same.  She tries to comfort him when he's squawking but when he gets too loud, she tells me he's scary.   She randomly tells us he is cute and then goes about doing whatever it was she was doing.  She is really the same as she was before he came.  I miss her at night (Dad is on Piper duty) and she misses me but she's doing better than I thought she would.  I think she'll like him when he is bigger and can interact with her more).

We spent the rest of the night with visitors (and my sister came and took pictures - all of the pretty ones below are from her, getting no sleep, and we headed home the next afternoon.

This second baby thing is pretty great.  He is wonderful and this time I know that this newborn stage is so short and I've tried to enjoy it more.  I'm emotional but I also know that it's normal and it goes away too.  I think having a summer baby also helps with the baby blues. Nursing has been going well now that we're past the first couple of days...  I love the quiet moments we get together.  He is still sleeping like a newborn but he will sleep without being held which is so unlike his sister.  

He is perfect, we love him so much.