Having a baby is exhausting...but the BEST kind of exhausting EVER!!On Sunday, January 30, 2011, Maxwell Dean McConda was born at 6:01 a.m. at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV. We were so blessed to have a healthy baby!! As promised, I will leave out "the gross stuff" and give you only the basic synopsis.
Hospital Test Run #2:
On Friday morning, I began having light contractions. Mom and I were shopping for a baby book, and I shopped right through the uncomfortableness. Later that night David and I went to dinner and a movie... Only I didn't make it to the movie. At dinner my contractions began to get worse, and I went straight home and to bed. Only I didn't sleep... starting at 10:00 that night, my contractions began to be more regular and more intense. David stayed up and kept me company. At 6:00 a.m.. we decided to pack our bags and head to the hospital.
Only...I didn't stay at the hospital for long. The doctor said that while I was having contractions, they weren't being very effective. I was not dilated enough to really constitute staying in the hospital. He said it could be hours or even days until I was ready. The doc said to go home and come back "when I'm ready." This was so vague to me! He said I would "just know" when it hurt bad enough to return.
Frustrated and crying I tell him "I'm in pain now! I thought this time was it. How much worse does the pain need to be to come back?"
So we went home where I labored until I couldn't take it anymore. My mom, dad and sisters came in town and they were a huge help!! They were a great distraction to the pain.
Ok, Seriously, this time!!
By the time we got back to the hospital, it was around 7:00 that night. The only person I wanted to see was the anesthesiologist. At this point, contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, lasting about a minute. I had never been in so much pain my entire life. I just couldn't handle it. I decided to get an epidural, and I ended up being very happy with that decision. Before the epidural, all I could focus on was the pain. I wasn't even aware or concentrating on the fact that our baby was about to appear in the world!! Once the pain was relieved, it became an enjoyable experience where I could focus on the present and enjoy the moment that my son was born. As I told david after I received the epidural, "I love you again!"
At 6:01 he arrived!! There were about 12-15 nurses, doctors and assistants in the room. It was crazy, but I actually felt comfort in knowing there were so many set of hands. David was a GREAT help!! All anyone kept talking about during delivery was the baby's hair!!
When he was born I just couldn't stop saying "awww." I think that's all I said for the first fifteen minutes. I will never forget the first time I held him. Also the first time I fed him was just as special.
The hospital stay was not what I expected. The staff was amazing...especially the nurses. But we got absolutely zero rest. Between morning rounds, nurses, visitors, people checking my vitals, someone asking questions for the birth certificate, etc, etc, it seemed there was constantly someone in the room that needed something from me, the baby, or david. No one ever talked about or prepared me for that...it's one thing I wish I would have known to expect.
Home sweet home:
Once we got home, we began to catch up on some rest (thank you grandma cathy!!) Over the next few days, we started feeling like, "hey, we can do this!" and grandma cathy left. we were so fortunate that David got an extended period of time off work. It was really nice spending some time just the three of us. we want to thank our families though for all their help!! especially my mom... we couldn't have done it without her!
Ever since:
We have the best baby!! It's not that David and I know what we are doing...it's that Max does! He makes mommy look good :) He eats like a champ, and has since day 1. I haven't had any problems breastfeeding and it's all because of him. He's a great sleeper too. Of course we are tired, getting up for feedings every 2-3 hours, but I'm grateful that he eats well and falls back to sleep (eventually.) That's all we can ask for!
We are absolutely in love with little Max. Everything he does is adorable. He is already changing, and every day he seems a little older and wiser :) Basically we just sit and hold him and stare at him! And kiss him!
David went back to work, so it's just mommy and max now. We are getting the hang of it, but we miss daddy a lot!!
We are so thankful for a healthy, happy family!!!
