The Arrival.

Amazingly, my little baby is one week old. The last few months of pregnancy were pretty stressful. At 32 weeks, after several weeks of contractions with cervical changes (dilation with nearly complete effacement), there was serious enough concern that he wouldn't make it to 34 weeks that I received steroid injections to speed up his lung development. I literally lost count of the number of trips to L&D for monitoring. I cut back my work schedule considerably so I could work from home part time to remain compliant with partial bedrest and minimal physical activity. For weeks, I was told that he would be here any day. Each day, I kept hoping for the next milestone - my baby shower, my friends' visits, 34 weeks, 36 weeks - and finally 37 weeks. Term.

And then, at 37 weeks exactly, on a Monday, I went into active labor - 4cm dilated. We went to the hospital happy and exhilarated we had made it to term. Then, after a few hours, walking around the hospital, it proceeded to shift into prolonged early labor. (When our OB discharged us, she told us to get plenty of sleep, because we'd likely be back at 9pm that night.) Then, after nearly a week of regular contractions, stalled labor. My parents arrived *very* early Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving for the delivery (not knowing they had a 2.5 week wait ahead of them).

As the days and weeks and doctor's visits passed, our obstetrician began speaking about labor induction at the due date (December 10th). It is a really challenging mind shift to transition from doing everything to keep him in to trying your hardest to get him out. The Monday before our baby was born, I was walking around nearly 6cm dilated. I had been asked perhaps a thousand times by family, friends and coworkers if I was "feeling anything" or if "that baby" was "ever coming out".

The Friday before the due date arrived, my mom made me her much-loved broccoli casserole and a cake she had discussed making for us since their arrival. My friend Eduardo joined us for dinner, and he and Justin went to trivia while I went to bed. Fortunately. Because at 3am I began having contractions. Minor things - after all, I was having contractions pretty much every night. I went back to sleep and didn't even wake Justin up because he had only been in bed for four hours or so. 3:30, woke up again with still pretty unexciting contractions. Went back to sleep. And then - 5am. Intense contractions radiating from my back. I didn't want to wake Justin up, but he heard me with them. We managed them for a bit - with low expectations, as we had been through this routine a number of times at this point. But they continued to quickly progress. Too quickly for the usual shower. Or even to guzzle an Ensure. At 6am, we were headed to the hospital, with contractions every 2 minutes or so apart, on the phone with my OB. For the first time, the ED didn't even complete my admission, they sent me straight over to L&D.

My OB checked me - 7-8cm - and broke my water. At that point, the contractions were one on top of the other. Justin stayed by my side as we went about the process of a non-medication-assisted delivery with back labor. We had an amazing L&D nurse, Laura, whom we had met during perhaps our first trip to L&D. We were even in our very first room - room 9, with a covered window across from the delivery bed. And at 8:54am on 12/8/12, with a vacuum assist during the last push, our little baby burst into the world. A little too vigorously, as I'm still recovering. But nevertheless, out. And two days before our due date. And as I was being sutured, I held my (much cleaner than anticipated after those birthing videos) newborn baby against my skin, and breastfed him for the first time.

Parenthood has certainly been an adjustment. My husband has been amazing. Though i knew he would be a great father, I didn't know he would take to fatherhood this well. He is constantly oohing and ahhing over our child while he has been taking care of the two of us. I have been having a slower recovery than I had hoped, but I'm starting to get around a little easier and am hopefully taking a little more of the burden from my spousal figure, particularly now that my parents have returned to welcome my sister home for the holidays. One of our friends recently had a baby six weeks ago, and her insight has been invaluable with this transition. So for the time being, we are taking it day by day, hour by hour. And by doing so, I think it will get a bit easier each day.

It helps that he is the most adorable and precious child ever born. And I say this with absolutely no bias whatsoever.