Thursday, August 18, 2011

Introducing..

Joshua Boyd Nelson
Born August 17, 2011
8:30 PM
8 LBS 5 OZ and 22 1/2 inches long

Wow, what a wild 24 hours. We are so happy that Joshua is here. He has already won our hearts.

Yesterday morning at around 3:30 AM I woke up with slight contractions and continued to contract every 10 or 15 minutes. They were uncomfortable. But, because I had done something similar a week or so ago and it turned out to be false labor, I didn't think much of it.

The contractions continued to weaken and I was able to go back to sleep. I probably wouldn't have gone in except that I already had an appointment with my midwife. So, my mom (Thankfully, my mom and dad arrived the night before) and I went to my appointment to learn that I was already 5cm dilated.

Because of my history of extremely fast labors combined with the fact that I needed to be put on antibiotics because I was Strep B positive, the midwife decided to have me meet her at the hospital 3 hours later. So, my mom and I went shopping, grabbed some lunch and some pinkberry, and then went home to grab my bag. We then went back to the birthing center at the hospital.

I was put on antibiotics. They didn't want to start laboring any more if possible until I had received my medication for 4 hours. We took a nap and hung out. At 5:00 they did a few things to help further labor along. I will spare you the details. Then at 6:00, they broke my water.

I thought I would start contracting right away, but It took a about 1/2 hour and then I was contracting 5 minutes apart for about an hour. So, at about 7:30, things started to get more intense. The pain started to be pretty unbearable. I was checked at 8:00 and they told me I was at 7CM. I was pretty discouraged, but remembered that with Gavin, when I was at a 7, I went to a 10 in 5 minutes.

Sure enough as we were talking about ways we could move the labor along, I started having contractions right on top of one another. I started feeling like pushing. I don't think my midwife believed me entirely. Sure enough, while standing next to the bed pushing down, the baby came sliding out, with just enough time for the midwife to catch the baby while Boyd was calling for the nurse.

It was all over and I had the most beautiful little boy in front of me crying. It was a beautiful moment. I was so glad it was over too.

The night was a little rough. He had a hard time settling in, so we were up most of the night until about 4 when he finally settled down.


We really struggled with naming Joshua. Joshua has been on our list since Gavin. We had chosen Gavin, Eli, and Joshua when we were pregnant with Gavin. We liked all the names, but chose them based on how we felt when we saw them. We were still considering Joshua with this baby. But, it never settled with us completely. About 3 weeks ago, Oliver was added to the list after I saw it on a birth announcement at my midwives office. I really felt attached to it. We thought we might name him Oliver. At the end of the day, we just didn't feel it would be his name. We had 3 names picked out at the start of our child rearing and it turns out we had 3 boys. Plus, Oliver would be a tongue twister with Eli. As, we put the name on the birth certificate, I was still hesitating, but now that we are home with him, Joshua feels so right even if I still feel a bit attached to the name Oliver.

The boys were so excited to meet him at the hospital. Boyd went home and picked them all up, including Grandma and Grandpa, where they met Joshua for the first time. I can tell they will be extra helpful. .




Because we gave birth at the birthing center, we were discharged this morning.

Boyd made a celebratory meal of king crab legs, roasted veggies, and cous cous.
We are so happy, but I admit I am nervous about being a mother of 3. Luckily, I have help for a the next few weeks. Thank goodness because we are moving to our new apartment upstairs in a week..

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

20 comments:

Liz Green said...

What a handsome little guy. I'm glad to hear that everything went well and that both Mom and Baby are healthy. That's awesome that you got away with being discharged the next day.

Way to go Boyd on the fabulous dinner making skills.
Can't wait to meet Joshua!

Lesley said...

What a darling baby boy you have. I love the name Joshua! So sweet.

And can I tell you how impressed I am that you're home and BLOGGING? You've really got it together, woman.

See you soon!

Lynda said...

i can't believe you blogged the day after giving birth. :) love you!

Erica said...

Congratulations! We were so excited to hear about Joshua being born. I love the pictures of the boys holding him, they are so sweet. And I'm happy you guys finally get to move into your new apartment - too bad it's a week too late!!

Monica Rich said...

I love that babies just slide out of you. Did I say love? I mean, I'm totally JEALOUS that they do!

He's adorable. Looks a lot like Eli in a few of those photos. Can't wait to meet him in person!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Good luck with the move and all other craziness. I look forward to getting all your tips for dealing with 3 somewhere down the line :)

Mackenzie said...

He is beautiful! Congratulations. It sounds like it was fast. Wish I was there to come meet him! xoxo

M. Moore said...

He's so gorgeous! Congratulations!!!

mysomedaylist said...

Congrats, em, and family! He is so beautiful! I'm glad that things went so well for you. wonderful! i found that with three, it wasn't as hard as it seemed it would be. our third slept so much at the beginning and that helped until i was able to recover and get a hold of my new life. you'll do just fine...

nell

Kelsey said...

He looks so sweet. It was so cute to see the pictures of him with his big brothers. Sounds like everything went quite well. Good job, Em--you'll do great with 3.

David and Jana said...

CONGRATULATIONS!! What a sweet little boy! I love the pictures! I am so imptressed that you delivered standing up! Thats awesome!! And you were a 5 and went to lunch. Oh man. What a day! I'm so glad you parents are there! What a precious time to spend together! I am so so happy for you.

Lisa PG-13 said...

Emily,
Congratulations. I just found your blog and am so delighted to see that your #3 has arrived safe and sound. Wish I could be around to help you with the move upstairs.

Unknown said...

Oh Em, he is so cute!!! Your labor experience was crazy, I am glad the midwife was there to catch him! You and your three cute boys...congratulations and good luck with the move, I am glad your parents are there to help!

Linda said...

Aw.... congrats! That's so exciting. He's a doll. I like the name too!

By the way, I made my blog private. If you want an invite, my e-mail is Linda_Seth (at) yahoo

The Snead Family said...

so happy for you guys! so happy your mom and dad are there too! and your moving??oh wow- we moved when ollie was 6 weeks old- sooo hard to do-hope all goes well:) love the name joshua. he is adorable. hope you are doing well- congrats congrats congrats! love you guys!!

Kourtney said...

Congratulations guys! What a beautiful family you make. Fun to see the birthing center. Love that place! If we ever live in NYC again, we'll have to have another baby just so we can go there again. ;)

You'll be a great mother of three. Honestly, it was a tough adjustment for us but now it is super fun. Good luck and congratulations again.

Ami said...

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!

Tisha said...

wow! what a beautiful baby and what a great story! I hope you are recuperating quickly! Our delivery and newborn experiences seem way to similar :-) your boys are so handsome! I'm sure they will be amazing little helpers! love to all the nelsons!

Errin said...

Yea congrats Emily! SO happy for you! He is adorable. I am so happy everything went well & everyone is healthy!

Melanie said...

I'm finally catching up... Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!! He's beautiful. =)