April 27, 2009

After midnight, I was still resting pretty easily. The contractions were strong but bearable. The nurse came in and asked if I want my epidural. Being new at the birthing thing, I decided that since I had reached the "epidural point" (4cm), I would go ahead and get it. So, they came in and gave me the epidural. I don't recall any of it - labor, contractions, getting the epidural - being extremely painful. I may be blocking stuff out, but my labor, from my point of view, was very easy. So, we went through the night, progressing slowly but steadily. By noon, I was still hanging in there, probably at about 7cm by then. Time went on, and at 2:45ish I had reached 9cm. In a matter of minutes, though, I felt like I needed to push. My sister ran to find my nurse and my midwife, they checked me, and sure enough, I had reach 10 and we were ready. My mom and sister left, Jeremy returned from visiting with the welcoming crown in the waiting room, and we got ourselves ready to meet our son.

I remember DeEtte telling that it wasn't unusual for women to push for an hour or more. I looked at Jeremy and said, "I'm not pushing for an hour!" My goal was 30 minutes or less. So, I pushed...and since my epidural had weakened, I was able to feel the contractions and know when I needed to push and needed to rest. Our nurse was fantastic and so encouraging. DeEtte, my midwife, was such a cheerleader and a constant calming presence. Since I had never given birth before, I was scared, nervous, and had no idea if what I was doing was correct. She continued to assure me that I was doing a great job. I stayed true to what I said, and 30 minutes later, Ayden was out and screaming. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

He was perfect. 7 pounds 14 ounces, 19 inches long. Nearly a perfect APGAR score, and born with a healthy set of lungs. He calmed down as soon as they put him in my arms and he heard my voice.






Once we had a chance to settle things down a bit, we invited everyone back to meet Ayden. He was passed from person to person; so many pictures were taken. Proud granparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends crowded in to meet our first child - our Ayden Brooks Jones.



We already loved him, but the unconditional, breathtaking adoration hit us the moment we laid eyes on him. This is our child. We made him! He is one person made up of the two of us! He is our love personified! It was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced and will always be my most favorite moment of my entire life.



Happy Birthday Ayden! We love you so much, and we are so proud to call you our son. You have blessed our lives in so many ways, and you will continue to do so for a lifetime. Our memory of that day is forever imprinted in our minds. It was the day we held a sweet baby boy, a baby boy we loved more anything in this world, a baby boy who was prayed for, hoped for, planned for, and created just for us.