After all the boys had their turn holding him they wanted to see the rest of him. They were adorable with their observations about how cute and small all his little parts were.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Hyrum meets the crew
Hyrum joined a family of baby lovers-- all the boys love to hold him. His big brothers were all anxious to meet him and hold him. Noah showed the least interest at the hospital but has more than made up for it since.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Hyrum's Birth
This is the first of an onslaught of posts with way too many pictures of little Hyrum. There-- you have been warned. Also, this post will contain references to my cervix.
Last Friday afternoon I started having a strange sensation that felt a little like my water was breaking/leaking. My mom was up and thought it best to go in and have things checked out. When I got there the ph test was inconclusive but the nurse thought that my bag of waters was probably still intact. I was having contractions off and on but they weren't really getting regular. That said, when she checked me I was informed that my cervix was very favorable, I was dilated to five centimeters and 90% effaced. My midwife was there delivering another baby and came in to talk to me. She suggested that we go ahead and break my water as I was clearly close and she didn't want to send me home and then have me turn around and have to come back in a few hours. I agreed and called Nat, who was on his way to down to Provo to attend the BYU Chemical Engineering homecoming dinner. He turned around, grabbed a quick dinner on the road and met me at the hospital. While I waited I got all the admitting things taken care of, was monitored and snacked on juice and crackers. My mom went home to get my kids in their pajamas and tucked into bed.
Once Nat was there my midwife broke my water and found that the baby had already passed meconium, which was a little worrisome. It is much more common for a baby who is past his due date to pass meconium. Contractions started shortly after she broke my water. About a half an hour later I was having serious contractions every two minutes and each one lasted a minute to a minute and a half. At this point my mom and sisters arrived at the hospital (having left my kids in the care of my sweet neighbor, Heather). I was still able to talk and joke between contractions. The hospital wanted about twenty minutes of monitoring to make sure the baby was tolerating labor well. I sat on the exercise ball while I was strapped to the monitors. During those twenty minutes I could really feel the contractions getting more and more intense. I sent Nat in to fill the tub so I could get in as soon as I was done with the monitors.
My wonderful nurse, Carolyn-- who had delivered four babies of her own without medication, came in to take me off the monitors and check me. I was at a solid six and went in to get in the tub. At that point, things were serious. I knew that I was entering the hardest part of labor. I always feel like 6-8 centimeters are the hardest earned. My mom and sisters stayed in the room and Nat and I were alone in the bathroom. I had entered the quiet time of labor, where I draw in and can only think about the next contraction and working with my body to relax instead of fighting it. The water was helpful and I was able to rest between each contraction and get ready for the next one. These were the most intense contractions.
Then it happened-- I hit the wall. I wanted it to be over, I wanted someone else to do it for me, I wanted to be doing anything other than laboring. I was ready to cry uncle. I got really quiet and pulled in even more. This lasted through five or six contractions. I should have remembered that this feeling almost always means that transition is almost over and the end is near. I felt like it was too fast and I couldn't possibly be as close as I felt I was. Nat later told me that he knew I must be close when I started to feel this way.
Then the intensity was over and I felt the clarity that comes with after transition and before pushing. My midwife came in at this point and I left the water to get checked. I was at an eight. She thought that I would be complete in about five more contractions-- she was completely right. I leaned on the bed and rocked through these last contractions. There was more time in between each contraction and they felt rhythmic and manageable.
Then it was time to push. I got into position and he was out in about three pushes. The whole thing was about two hours start to finish.
Because of the meconium, he had to go right over to get checked and I wasn't able to hold him right away. He screamed well and looked wonderful (Apgar scores of 8 and 9-- for any labor and delivery nerds like me), meaning that he hadn't aspirated any meconium and was breathing well. He was wrapped up and everyone else held him while the midwife took care of me.
When he was finally handed over to me I just melted at the sight of my newest baby boy. There was something so familiar about him-- he looked like a combination of all the other boys but the most like Noah, complete with long fingers and nails. Ashley was the designated photographer and caught some really sweet moments.
When I picture arriving in heaven I imagine it feeling something like holding your baby for the first time. The relief that labor is over and the joy at meeting this new little person is indescribable. It's a moment I would like to experience again and again.
I have had four nearly perfect deliveries (that's not to say they haven't been hard, just that things have gone along nicely). This is something I feel deeply grateful for, knowing it's a blessing to have things work so well. It was a blessing to share this one with my mom and sisters as well.
I love, love, love the look of a newborn fresh from the womb. I love the moist skin, swollen eyes, and misshapen noses. Hyrum was pretty perfect, having not lingered long in the birth canal. He remained in that magical state of quiet alert for a couple of hours after birth.
Last Friday afternoon I started having a strange sensation that felt a little like my water was breaking/leaking. My mom was up and thought it best to go in and have things checked out. When I got there the ph test was inconclusive but the nurse thought that my bag of waters was probably still intact. I was having contractions off and on but they weren't really getting regular. That said, when she checked me I was informed that my cervix was very favorable, I was dilated to five centimeters and 90% effaced. My midwife was there delivering another baby and came in to talk to me. She suggested that we go ahead and break my water as I was clearly close and she didn't want to send me home and then have me turn around and have to come back in a few hours. I agreed and called Nat, who was on his way to down to Provo to attend the BYU Chemical Engineering homecoming dinner. He turned around, grabbed a quick dinner on the road and met me at the hospital. While I waited I got all the admitting things taken care of, was monitored and snacked on juice and crackers. My mom went home to get my kids in their pajamas and tucked into bed.
Once Nat was there my midwife broke my water and found that the baby had already passed meconium, which was a little worrisome. It is much more common for a baby who is past his due date to pass meconium. Contractions started shortly after she broke my water. About a half an hour later I was having serious contractions every two minutes and each one lasted a minute to a minute and a half. At this point my mom and sisters arrived at the hospital (having left my kids in the care of my sweet neighbor, Heather). I was still able to talk and joke between contractions. The hospital wanted about twenty minutes of monitoring to make sure the baby was tolerating labor well. I sat on the exercise ball while I was strapped to the monitors. During those twenty minutes I could really feel the contractions getting more and more intense. I sent Nat in to fill the tub so I could get in as soon as I was done with the monitors.
My wonderful nurse, Carolyn-- who had delivered four babies of her own without medication, came in to take me off the monitors and check me. I was at a solid six and went in to get in the tub. At that point, things were serious. I knew that I was entering the hardest part of labor. I always feel like 6-8 centimeters are the hardest earned. My mom and sisters stayed in the room and Nat and I were alone in the bathroom. I had entered the quiet time of labor, where I draw in and can only think about the next contraction and working with my body to relax instead of fighting it. The water was helpful and I was able to rest between each contraction and get ready for the next one. These were the most intense contractions.
Then it happened-- I hit the wall. I wanted it to be over, I wanted someone else to do it for me, I wanted to be doing anything other than laboring. I was ready to cry uncle. I got really quiet and pulled in even more. This lasted through five or six contractions. I should have remembered that this feeling almost always means that transition is almost over and the end is near. I felt like it was too fast and I couldn't possibly be as close as I felt I was. Nat later told me that he knew I must be close when I started to feel this way.
Then the intensity was over and I felt the clarity that comes with after transition and before pushing. My midwife came in at this point and I left the water to get checked. I was at an eight. She thought that I would be complete in about five more contractions-- she was completely right. I leaned on the bed and rocked through these last contractions. There was more time in between each contraction and they felt rhythmic and manageable.
Then it was time to push. I got into position and he was out in about three pushes. The whole thing was about two hours start to finish.
Because of the meconium, he had to go right over to get checked and I wasn't able to hold him right away. He screamed well and looked wonderful (Apgar scores of 8 and 9-- for any labor and delivery nerds like me), meaning that he hadn't aspirated any meconium and was breathing well. He was wrapped up and everyone else held him while the midwife took care of me.
When he was finally handed over to me I just melted at the sight of my newest baby boy. There was something so familiar about him-- he looked like a combination of all the other boys but the most like Noah, complete with long fingers and nails. Ashley was the designated photographer and caught some really sweet moments.
When I picture arriving in heaven I imagine it feeling something like holding your baby for the first time. The relief that labor is over and the joy at meeting this new little person is indescribable. It's a moment I would like to experience again and again.
I have had four nearly perfect deliveries (that's not to say they haven't been hard, just that things have gone along nicely). This is something I feel deeply grateful for, knowing it's a blessing to have things work so well. It was a blessing to share this one with my mom and sisters as well.
I love, love, love the look of a newborn fresh from the womb. I love the moist skin, swollen eyes, and misshapen noses. Hyrum was pretty perfect, having not lingered long in the birth canal. He remained in that magical state of quiet alert for a couple of hours after birth.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Early Fall 2011
Before all my memories are lost in the day-to-day struggle of laundry, meals, and nursing a newborn I wanted to capture some of the sweetness that led up to Hyrum's birth. Here are some of the things that I want to remember:
Nightly soaks in the bath to relieve my achy pregnant body. This pregnancy, as I mentioned in an earlier post, left me in awe of the whole process. There is something majestic about the pregnant body and I appreciated it more this time around. I loved watching the water around my belly move as he jumped around and I connected with this life inside me.
Reading the basket of big brother books to the boys. Noah and Isaac loved reading our collection of new baby and big brother books. Once Hyrum arrived they quoted parts of the books to me when talking about their new baby. Precious.
The countdown chain-- this was a big hit and a topic of much conversation. I just pulled the remaining links down off the bulletin board today and smiled realizing that meant that he had come early.
The amazing September weather we enjoyed. It was sunny and warm the whole month. The sunshine kept my spirits up as the days wound down.
Nesting, nesting, nesting. I have never nested like I did this time around. Baseboards were washed, rooms were painted, kitchen hardware was installed, meals were cooked, rooms were rearranged and toilets were constantly scrubbed. It's been nice to sit around and nurse this little one with so much of the housework taken care of.
Baby boy clothes. I'll not pretend that I wasn't disappointed to find out that Hyrum was another boy. The disappointment wore off throughout the pregnancy and was completely gone after pulling the newborn baby clothes out of storage. I felt the greatest sense of nostalgia as I pulled out all the things that had clothed the other boys. I was excited for a new little life to put in them and remember the early days with my big three. I pulled out each of the boys take home outfits and we played a little matching game for family home evening with them. They loved it and Nat and I enjoyed remembering them as newborns.
I do love the time leading up to a birth and all the memories that come flooding back from the other boys' beginnings. It's an amazing process and I am grateful to be a part of it.
Nightly soaks in the bath to relieve my achy pregnant body. This pregnancy, as I mentioned in an earlier post, left me in awe of the whole process. There is something majestic about the pregnant body and I appreciated it more this time around. I loved watching the water around my belly move as he jumped around and I connected with this life inside me.
Reading the basket of big brother books to the boys. Noah and Isaac loved reading our collection of new baby and big brother books. Once Hyrum arrived they quoted parts of the books to me when talking about their new baby. Precious.
The countdown chain-- this was a big hit and a topic of much conversation. I just pulled the remaining links down off the bulletin board today and smiled realizing that meant that he had come early.
The amazing September weather we enjoyed. It was sunny and warm the whole month. The sunshine kept my spirits up as the days wound down.
Nesting, nesting, nesting. I have never nested like I did this time around. Baseboards were washed, rooms were painted, kitchen hardware was installed, meals were cooked, rooms were rearranged and toilets were constantly scrubbed. It's been nice to sit around and nurse this little one with so much of the housework taken care of.
Baby boy clothes. I'll not pretend that I wasn't disappointed to find out that Hyrum was another boy. The disappointment wore off throughout the pregnancy and was completely gone after pulling the newborn baby clothes out of storage. I felt the greatest sense of nostalgia as I pulled out all the things that had clothed the other boys. I was excited for a new little life to put in them and remember the early days with my big three. I pulled out each of the boys take home outfits and we played a little matching game for family home evening with them. They loved it and Nat and I enjoyed remembering them as newborns.
I do love the time leading up to a birth and all the memories that come flooding back from the other boys' beginnings. It's an amazing process and I am grateful to be a part of it.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Hyrum Anders
He's here and all seems right with the world. He arrived late Friday night, about 11 p.m. after a quick two hours of labor. He weighed in at 7lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches. He's a doll of a baby and we just can't get enough of him. More to come...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Best Brothers
Yesterday evening during the before bedtime rush I overheard the following conversation between my two oldest boys:Noah: Luke, are we still best brothers even though we argue sometimes?
Luke (while putting his arm around Noah): Noah, we'll always be best brothers.
Noah: That's good.
What a gift it is to be these kids' mothers.
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