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| JOSEPH MICHAEL BARRA JULY 27, 2012 6:16 pm 8lbs 8 oz 19 1/2 inches |
OK, so how did Joseph make his appearance? Here is the time line of how things happened:
- Thursday, July 26th: I had gone to bed around 10:00 and said to Josh that I didn't feel very good. I didn't know what was wrong, but I just felt sick. He said it was probably from the heat and that I had worn myself out running around all day. I woke up about an hour later and went to the restroom. On my way back to the bedroom I felt my water break and I loudly said "uh oh." This woke Josh up, and he yelled WHAT? I said I thought my water broke, but I wasn't sure. We waited a few minutes and then it was clear that my water had broken and the contractions started immediately. I knew we had some time before we needed to get to the hospital, so I took a shower and cleaned up the house a bit. Josh did not like waiting around and didn't like that my contractions were increasing in intensity and we were still "cleaning." We finally headed to the hospital around 12:30 and called our parents to let them know.
- Friday, July 28th: Once we got to the hospital, my contractions were only a few minutes apart, but they were short-only about 30-45 seconds. Unfortunately, I had gone to Old Chicago for dinner with Josh's parents and that food did not settle very well in my stomach. For about 4 hours, I was dealing with the contractions and the getting rid of everything in my stomach. I had intended to try and hold off on the epidural as long as possible, but by this point I was so exhausted from the constant contractions and the vomiting, that I gave in and got the epidural. I would be very glad I got it later because labor lasted 19 hours.
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| Josh trying to comfort me during labor |
- Friday, late morning: Once I got the epidural, things progressed normally. I was dilating about a centimeter per hour and was on track to have the baby around noon. Well, Joseph had another idea and decided at the last minute he wasn't ready :) Once I got to 9 centimeters, everything stopped progressing. I was at 9 centimeters for 4 1/2 hours before they finally decided to give me Potocin to help move things along. Once I got the Potocin, there was no stopping Joseph from coming out. I was lucky enough to only have to push for about an hour. Joseph arrived at 6:16 pm and our lives have never been the same since.
The first few days with Joseph are a blur. Actually, the first few weeks have been a blur. I knew we would be overwhelmed with emotion, but I don't think I was nearly as prepared for all the feelings I would have. From exhaustion to anxiousness to unconditional love....every minute brought a new feeling. I also think the hormones running through my body didn't help the emotional reactions :)
The first few weeks were difficult because we were having some feeding issues. Joseph would not latch to me, so we ended up having to finger feed him first with a tube and then a syringe. Last week he did latch, so we are working on figuring out the whole breastfeeding thing now. He is a very smart kid because he knows it is easier to get his food from a bottle than it is from the breast :)
We are finally settling into having a newborn. The lack of sleep does make me kind of cranky, but Josh has been phenomenal with working with Joseph and dealing with my craziness. I am so blessed to have a husband who thinks of himself as an equal in the parenting business and really steps up to help make the transition to parenthood smooth. Josh is not scared of Joseph's crying or his poopy diapers. It is so neat to hear Josh talk to Joseph about sports, cars, and other "boy" things. It will be great to watch him grow up and learn about so many things.
Well Joseph....we finally got to meet you and we will thank God for the rest of our lives that you are our son. You are already amazing in so many ways and we pray that everyone gets to experience the joys you have brought into our lives!
