Elijah Charles Hulet
January 12, 2013 at 7:18 AM
8 lbs. 12 oz.
20 inches long
Birth story...
So as I reached full term in my pregnancy I was getting more and more anxious (as all pregnant women get) about my due date getting closer. At my 37 weeks check up I was only a finger tip dilated and 60% effaced. At 39 weeks I was 2.5 and 70% and had my membranes stripped... my doctor gave me the option of being induced the next day since my cervix was favorable but we (Jordan and I) decided to wait until after my due date. She didn't think I would make it to the next available induction date (the 12th) so I held out hope. At 40 weeks I was at 3.5 and 80% effaced and had my membranes stripped a second time. I was getting pretty discouraged at that point because I had been hoping and praying (literally) that I would be able to experience going into labor on my own... if you remember, I was induced with Noah almost a week past my due date so I only knew what pitocin induced labor was like.
We scheduled my induction for the 12th at 8 AM and decided to have Jordans mom fly in the day before. She was originally flying in on the 8th (my due date) but we knew I'd go over.
So the 11th we picked up my mother in law at Sea-Tac and had lunch in Southcenter. That afternoon, Jordan went back to work and we went home to chill. Since we had one last night until baby came, Jordan and I decided to go on one last date (for a while at least).
Well just as he got home at about 6:30 I started having mildly painful contractions. As we walked out to the garage Jordan jokingly asked me if I was going to have a baby tonight... I laughed and said probably not... they seemed to only happen when I was walking and would stop as soon as I sat down. They didn't feel significant so I didn't think anything of them. We went to the movie and just as it started at 7:15, I decided it wouldn't hurt to start timing them since they seemed to be picking up. They were coming every 3 to 10 mins and were an average of 45 seconds long so when my phone died half way through the movie I wasn't too concerned. By the end of the movie they were still happening, getting stronger, and Jordan kept asking me what we should do. I was starting to panic just a little bit at that point because I didn't want to overreact and run to the hospital for nothing but this felt different and I also knew things can happen much more quickly with a second+ pregnancy. So Jordan talked me into going to the hospital. We got to our room and they hooked me up to the monitors by 10:30. Then they checked me and I was still at 3.5. So the nurse called the doctor that was on call (my doctor wasn't) and she wanted me to walk around to see if it would help me progress. I was really hoping they wouldn't send me home since I would be coming back in the morning anyway. I walked the halls of the hospital from 10:45 to midnight (Jordan ran home to get the laptop and my phone charger- my hospital bag was already in the car) and at midnight they checked me again and I was just barely at a four. My nurse was great and said she was going to try and talk the doctor into letting me stay. Pretty soon after that they admitted me and put my iv in. The doctor wanted my contractions to be closer together before she would approve me for an epidural and at that point I wasn't in that much pain. Well about 10 minutes after I was admitted my contractions started getting really intense. I began breathing deep and before long I was moaning and breathing deep through each one.... it was so painful and that was the only way I felt I could stay in control. I had a jacuzzi in my room so I labored in that for about 45 minutes until the warm water no longer took the edge off the pain and when I got out I couldn't stop shaking. Jordan helped me back into the hospital bed and after another hour my nurse checked me and I was at a six (about 2 AM) with contractions about every two to four minutes. I still couldn't stop shaking and my moaning was getting louder- I've never been in so much pain (kudos to all the women who have med free labor/deliveries!) At around 3 AM, an hour later, I got my epidural and it kicked in a half an hour after that. I was finally able to get some rest. Before my epidural I kept telling jordan how tired I was and that I didn't think I could do it anymore. It was such a relief.
Jordan and I both rested and dozed until about 6 AM when the doctor came in to check on me. I was at a 9 and she wanted to see how my pushing was. I bared down and with one push my water broke. Then she said lets get ready to meet your baby! They set the room up and my new nurse came in. I started pushing at 7:13 and with two contractions he was out! Elijah was born at 7:18 AM on Saturday morning. His delivery was so fast that he didn't have time to get the excess fluid out like most babies do so they had to give him some suction. But as soon as he was out they layed him right on my chest and they wiped him down a bit and Jordan cut his cord. It was incredible. I couldn't have hoped for a better birthing experience. Elijah started nursing almost as soon as he was out and we had skin to skin immediately.
He is such a mellow baby. Only fusses when hes hungry and sleeps without a pacifier.
I feel so blessed to have been able to have that experience. It was amazing having Jordan there to hold my hand through every single contraction.
Noah has been doing great with the transition and he loves his brother already. Most of the time he doesn't pay much attention to him but sometimes he'll walk up to me and point to Elijah and say "baby!" and he gives him kisses. Its so cute.
I love my little family of four :-)
January 12, 2013 at 7:18 AM
8 lbs. 12 oz.
20 inches long
Birth story...
So as I reached full term in my pregnancy I was getting more and more anxious (as all pregnant women get) about my due date getting closer. At my 37 weeks check up I was only a finger tip dilated and 60% effaced. At 39 weeks I was 2.5 and 70% and had my membranes stripped... my doctor gave me the option of being induced the next day since my cervix was favorable but we (Jordan and I) decided to wait until after my due date. She didn't think I would make it to the next available induction date (the 12th) so I held out hope. At 40 weeks I was at 3.5 and 80% effaced and had my membranes stripped a second time. I was getting pretty discouraged at that point because I had been hoping and praying (literally) that I would be able to experience going into labor on my own... if you remember, I was induced with Noah almost a week past my due date so I only knew what pitocin induced labor was like.
We scheduled my induction for the 12th at 8 AM and decided to have Jordans mom fly in the day before. She was originally flying in on the 8th (my due date) but we knew I'd go over.
So the 11th we picked up my mother in law at Sea-Tac and had lunch in Southcenter. That afternoon, Jordan went back to work and we went home to chill. Since we had one last night until baby came, Jordan and I decided to go on one last date (for a while at least).
Well just as he got home at about 6:30 I started having mildly painful contractions. As we walked out to the garage Jordan jokingly asked me if I was going to have a baby tonight... I laughed and said probably not... they seemed to only happen when I was walking and would stop as soon as I sat down. They didn't feel significant so I didn't think anything of them. We went to the movie and just as it started at 7:15, I decided it wouldn't hurt to start timing them since they seemed to be picking up. They were coming every 3 to 10 mins and were an average of 45 seconds long so when my phone died half way through the movie I wasn't too concerned. By the end of the movie they were still happening, getting stronger, and Jordan kept asking me what we should do. I was starting to panic just a little bit at that point because I didn't want to overreact and run to the hospital for nothing but this felt different and I also knew things can happen much more quickly with a second+ pregnancy. So Jordan talked me into going to the hospital. We got to our room and they hooked me up to the monitors by 10:30. Then they checked me and I was still at 3.5. So the nurse called the doctor that was on call (my doctor wasn't) and she wanted me to walk around to see if it would help me progress. I was really hoping they wouldn't send me home since I would be coming back in the morning anyway. I walked the halls of the hospital from 10:45 to midnight (Jordan ran home to get the laptop and my phone charger- my hospital bag was already in the car) and at midnight they checked me again and I was just barely at a four. My nurse was great and said she was going to try and talk the doctor into letting me stay. Pretty soon after that they admitted me and put my iv in. The doctor wanted my contractions to be closer together before she would approve me for an epidural and at that point I wasn't in that much pain. Well about 10 minutes after I was admitted my contractions started getting really intense. I began breathing deep and before long I was moaning and breathing deep through each one.... it was so painful and that was the only way I felt I could stay in control. I had a jacuzzi in my room so I labored in that for about 45 minutes until the warm water no longer took the edge off the pain and when I got out I couldn't stop shaking. Jordan helped me back into the hospital bed and after another hour my nurse checked me and I was at a six (about 2 AM) with contractions about every two to four minutes. I still couldn't stop shaking and my moaning was getting louder- I've never been in so much pain (kudos to all the women who have med free labor/deliveries!) At around 3 AM, an hour later, I got my epidural and it kicked in a half an hour after that. I was finally able to get some rest. Before my epidural I kept telling jordan how tired I was and that I didn't think I could do it anymore. It was such a relief.
Jordan and I both rested and dozed until about 6 AM when the doctor came in to check on me. I was at a 9 and she wanted to see how my pushing was. I bared down and with one push my water broke. Then she said lets get ready to meet your baby! They set the room up and my new nurse came in. I started pushing at 7:13 and with two contractions he was out! Elijah was born at 7:18 AM on Saturday morning. His delivery was so fast that he didn't have time to get the excess fluid out like most babies do so they had to give him some suction. But as soon as he was out they layed him right on my chest and they wiped him down a bit and Jordan cut his cord. It was incredible. I couldn't have hoped for a better birthing experience. Elijah started nursing almost as soon as he was out and we had skin to skin immediately.
He is such a mellow baby. Only fusses when hes hungry and sleeps without a pacifier.
I feel so blessed to have been able to have that experience. It was amazing having Jordan there to hold my hand through every single contraction.
Noah has been doing great with the transition and he loves his brother already. Most of the time he doesn't pay much attention to him but sometimes he'll walk up to me and point to Elijah and say "baby!" and he gives him kisses. Its so cute.
I love my little family of four :-)
 |
| Noah showing his dinosaurs to his brother |
 |
| Going home |
 |
| Brand new!! Still spitting out some amniotic fluid |
 |
| First bath |
 |
| Noah let Elijah play with his dinosaurs |
