The Details and Pictures

Alright so here are the details. I started labor around 4:30 Tuesday morning. I've had a few false starts over the weekend, so I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not. I woke Steve up around 5:30 to help me. I wanted to labor at home as much as I could. Steve gave me a blessing, and we both got the impression that we would have a baby by the end of the day. We finally got up and took showers and walked around outside from 7 to about 8. The funny thing, I had a doctors appointment at 10:30. By the time we left to go to the doctors, I had stopped feeling my contractions. I had lost faith and was pretty sure that she would send me home. We get in there, and Dr. Falk asked how we were doing. We told her, and she said, "Let me check where you are and maybe we can get you upstairs to see if you are still contracting. We might have to give you pitocin. Are you ok with that?" Now, I didn't want any drugs of any kind. To start or help with the pain. But I said fine. She called to Labor and Delivery and they said give them 15 minutes. So we walked around the hospital. Went to the baby gift shop and then headed up stairs. Now at the doctors she called me a "stretchy 3" she told me to tell the nurses upstairs that I was a 4 and has was having contractions every 3 to 5 minutes. Well, we didn't have to tell that little white lie. By the time we got there I was feeling my contractions again and when they checked me, about 45 minutes later, I was a 6!!! That was at 11 o'clock sometime. From there I went pretty fast! By 2ish I was 9. And that's when all the bad stuff happened. I stayed at 9 for 2 1/2 hours. Now I didn't have any pain meds. So at the beginning of 9 cm, I was fine. At the end of 9 cm I was in terrible pain. I did get a shot of some meds right at the end to take the edge off. Both the nurse and Dr. Falk said I did great. So the problem was I had about 1 cm left on the anterior wall of my cervix. Finally around 4 the nurse push that lip back while I pushed. That seemed to do the trick! I did three sets of three pushes and out came Leo!! Pushing never felt better! And I actually opened my eyes to see him be born. I didn't with Jake or Zoe. So that was awesome to see. I tore just a little bit, but I'm ok with that. He did come out pretty fast.

So there you go. All the details. Steve and my nurse Wendy, were awesome coaches there at the end. My first nurse, Dee, was great too! I hope I wasn't too much of a pain in the butt for either of them. Steve says I wasn't, but when you're stuck in the hospital for 4 days right outside the nurses station, you over hear a lot about other women and how they handled the labor, and what the nurses thought of them.

We came home last night. Leo did really well for our first night home. Slept most of the night, but wanted to eat non-stop from 4 to 6 this morning. Jake and Zoe are doing really well with Leo. They both gave him kisses this morning and patted him. And they both came up to him while he was crying during a diaper change! What sweet big brother and sister Leo has!

So there you go. All the details, and now the pictures. 

Me and Leo after he got a little cleaned up.

Grandma and Leo. She was there for the birth. Mom you are a great helper! I love you!!!

Boppie and Leo. Thanks for watching the kids during all this! I love you!!!

Leo Snow Richins!