Riley Blake is finally here!!! This is a very long post, but some people want details and I want to write it all down while it is still fresh in my mind...SO if you want the details, read on. They are not too gruesome, I promise...If you don't want the details, skip straight to the pictures of the little duffer...
THE BEGINNING
We went to see my midwife Monday the 19th and got checked...I hadn't progressed very far but we decided that we would try to induce labor Friday the 23rd... Blake and I got up early Friday morning and went to Heber to see my midwife at 9am...We still had not progressed very far, so she gave us some primrose oil and told me to take a long walk that morning and we would check back in with her that afternoon...So we headed over to Snowflake to hang out at my Aunt Trisha's house (THANK YOU TRISH!!!) and Trish and I took a 3 MILE WALK...What did that do??? Not a lot...So we went to see Wendy again (midwife) in Heber and she checked again and almost nothing had happened...But we were still determined to have him THAT DAY!!! So we went back over to Snowflake with an appointment to see Wendy in her Snowflake office at 5:30pm...We were pretty tired from getting up early that morning and we knew it would be a long night if we did have the baby that night so we both took a couch and fell asleep until about 5...When I woke up, my contractions were just barely starting to feel crampy...Wendy checked me out at 5:30 and I had finally dilated to a 3...I tested positive for Beta Strep culture so I needed to get a dose of penicillin 4 hours before I delivered so Wendy called the hospital in Show Low and told them that I needed to be admitted and I was on my way there! She told me to get checked in and started on the penicillin and she would come break my water at 11pm that night. My contractions still didn't hurt but they were 2-3 minutes apart...
THE HOSPITAL
We got to the hospital and were shown to our delivery room...We had been there for about 10 minutes or so when I went to the bathroom to change into my hospital gown and my water broke! The contractions started instantly and they were much more painful and not far between AT ALL...The nurse checked my progress and I was dilated to a four and my cervix was paper thin...The nurse looked at the monitor for the contractions and she was very surprised at how close they were...So they called Wendy and told her that my water broke and contractions were pretty close. She said she was on her way!
The contractions got harder and harder...It seemed like they got worse and worse so fast...So fast that I didn't know how I was going to handle it if they were getting that bad in such a short amount of time...I was preparing myself to endure it for the next few hours and I was not looking forward to it...Wendy got to the hospital and let me get in the whirlpool bath...It was like instant relief!!! But the contractions still got harder and more intense!!! All I could think about was how much they hurt and how it would be a long night...Boy was I in for a shock...I got out of the tub and Wendy checked me and let me know that I was dilated to a nine!!! "At least I am getting a little closer," I thought, but I didn't know how close I really was!!! All the nurses started running around and panicking because nothing was set up...
SHOW TIME
I got on the bed and tried my best to get through the contractions...I had my mom's hand in one hand and Blake's in the other and I would just squeeze them as hard as I could...Wendy suggested I lay on my side and Blake massage my lower back through the contractions...HE WAS GREAT...Seriously...I couldn't have asked for a better support system :)...I hadn't been on my side for more than 10 minutes when I felt like I needed to push...So everyone got ready and I rolled onto my back and pushed...I pushed and pushed and it was so hard!!! I never imagined it to be like that!!! And then there he was! He started to cry right off and I was so glad to finally hear his voice...I was exhausted and I looked at Blake and said, "That's our baby! We did that." We got to hold him and my sister Becky took pictures...My mom said, "Great job, Martha! You only had to push for twenty minutes!!!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!
SUMMARY
I have to admit I am pretty impressed with my self...Water broke at 7pm, Riley was born at 10:37pm, pushed out in 20 minutes, 8 lbs 1 ounce, 20 inches long...Now you may have noticed that this story is full of excitement and details, but it lacks something...MEDICATION...That is right people...I went ALL NATURAL...Why? I thought it sounded neat and the older I get the more I find myself becoming a health freak...In some areas, like having babies...POWER TRIP some of you may say...I won't disagree with you...I did it because I thought it would make the delivery go faster...I did it because I am DEATHLY afraid of needles (In fact the IV for my penicillin was almost less desirable than contractions)...I did it so that I could say that I gave birth to my boy and did it without pain meds...
So that is the story...I now sit here in my hospital bed waiting to be released...He is a great kid... And super cute...Think what you want about his looks but I am his mother and I think he is the cutest kid EVER...But everyone is titled to their own opinion...Oh and I know I look hott in all these pictures, but you would too considering the experience I just had :) ENJOY
I thought this picture was funny...I was trying to get a good picture of him and he kept closing his eyes because the flash was too bright for him...
He looks just like Blake
We went to Freestone Park and had a cookout with some friends from our ward...The guys played laser tag after the sun went down...
These guys are so full of it :)
This is one of the many pictures of Riley sleeping...Blake found him like this on the couch...He loves to stretch out when he sleeps...He doesn't like to be bundled up and he HATES if you tuck his arms inside his blankets and he will fight until he gets them out...
These last two pictures are of Riley in his swing...I know it doesn't look like it but he likes to swing a lot...
He is getting so chunky!!! I weighed him yesterday and he weighs about 12 pounds!!! He has been exploring his vocal chords lately and it is sooo cute...I feed him when he wakes up in the morning and then I put him in his crib and he just lays there and coos and makes funny noises... It almost sounds like he is singing and it makes me giggle :)
