Welcome to the world, Noah Jackson Baker

I am happy to report that my wishes from the end of my last post were mostly granted.  Our newest little baby did arrive soon (on his due date, in fact) and the birth was quick (3.5 hours) and though I cannot say entirely painless, the epidural was fantastic.  

On December 8th before going to bed, I was having Braxton Hicks contractions (as usual), but there was a slight bit of back pain too.  So, wondering if it would turn out to be anything, I took a warm bath to relax and went to bed.  I awoke promptly at 2 am when my water broke.  I excitedly woke Don up to tell him and we timed a few contractions.  They were consistently 3 minutes apart.  Knowing that the general rule of thumb is to go to the hospital when contractions are 5 minutes apart consistently for an hour, I suggested we time a few more just to be sure.  

We telephoned Don's parents, who were staying about a 45 minute drive away from our house and told them it was time to come over.  The plan had been for one of them to stay with Aiden and the other to accompany us to the hospital.  Ten minutes later, the contractions had ramped up in intensity to the point of me screaming and we decided it was time to go.  Don got Aiden ready and we phoned his parents to meet us at the hospital, mentioning they should probably'step on it' since things were progressing rapidly.  Aiden was rather chipper for being woken up in the middle of the night.  Don said, 'We're going to meet your little brother today!' and Aiden replied, 'Oh Wow!  Oh yeah!!'.

We arrived at the Bayfront Babyplace at about 3 am.  Don had to wait by the front desk with Aiden until his parents arrived and I was wheeled back to triage on my own.  They got me quickly up to labor & delivery where they told me I was already 8 cm dilated!  Fifteen minutes later, Don's parents arrived and Don was able to join me.  I was begging for some pain relief at this point and they told me it might be too late for an epidural.  I had not wanted one when I gave birth to Aiden and managed to deliver using a TENS unit (electrodes deliver electrical signal to muscles in the back to relieve pain) and 'gas and air' (mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen).  These pain relief options are not offered in the US as they are the UK, so I was more open to the idea of an epidural this time around.  Thankfully, there was just enough time to get one and I was able to focus on pushing.  Thirty-nine minutes later, our beautiful second son was born.  

The best part is that Noah is healthy and Aiden is adjusting well to being a big brother.  We have enjoyed three weeks of quality family time as a party of four.  Don's parents were here for the birth and a huge help during the first week.  Now things are definitely changing.  Don will be back at work tomorrow and hopefully, I can manage everything and avoid being a zombie mommy.