Mason's Birth Story
Whoo! What a whirlwind! There is so much to unpack in my blog. For starters, my pregnancy went by so fast this time around. Before I knew it, our baby boy Mason joined our little family. Since than, life hasn't been the same. Things have gotten very busy since we became a family of 4. (A good kind of busy of course.) Hence, why I am so behind on telling Mason's birth story. Between taking care of 2 kiddos, families visiting, Halloween, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the new year, it has been a wild ride!
Better late than never I guess. Let's dive in to Mason's birth story: It was October 7th. I was 4 days past my due date. My mom was already in town helping us out for over a week. (Last time, she came the day Autumn was born.) This time, she had a good amount of time to adjust to things before our baby was born.
I started feeling contractions that afternoon. I was feeling the contractions a few days prior, but none as real or intense as these. Once they started coming closer together, I knew it was the real thing. We than headed to the hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital, I remember thinking what if it's a false alarm and we have to go back home? The nurses checked my cervix and said I was dilated to a 4. That's a big deal since I was dilated to a 2 for over 3 weeks! No false alarm there! I was than admitted to get ready to have the baby.
As the nurses were helping me get ready, I was told that I had to take the Covid test. Because the nurses had to be in close contact with me at the hospital, they wanted to make sure I didn't have it. I was already feeling contractions so to have something go up my nose was a double whammy. It burnt and was super unconfortable, but I knew it had to be done. Overall, it wasn't too bad. I was just glad I tested negative.
Once I had my I.V., I was placed in my hospital room. This time around, I was able to walk around, eat, drink, and go to the bathroom whenever I pleased. That was nice compared to my experience with Autumn.
I was told by one of my nurses that I had to wait a while to get my epidural. They said that the reason being is because I was on blood thinners due to a DVT. Depending on what time I had my last injection, I had to get my epidural 12 hours later. The nurse helped me keep my mind off of the fact that I may not get my epidural. I prepared myself just in case I had to go through the pain of an unmedicated birth.
The nurses gave me a yoga ball and an oxygen mask (or "happy gas") to help take the edge off. Later, I was dilated to a 7 with really painful contractions. I was able to received my epidural before the contractions got too intense. Luckily the baby held out until my epidural was placed.
Once I received it, I couldn't feel the contractions at all. It was such a relief. They even broke my water and I couldn't feel it. With Autumn, my epidural failed so they had to redo it. I was happy it worked this time around.
From that time on, I couldn't eat anything solid. All we had to do was play the waiting game. We were able to get a some sleep before I started feeling pressure down there. Once I felt pressure, the nurses came in to deliver our baby.
After 13 hours in the hospital and 50 minutes of pushing, our beautiful baby boy entered the world! His first cry was a reassurance that he was completely healthy. They placed him on my chest and I immediately fell in love. We bonded with some skin to skin time. Breastfeeding was completely effortless with him. He latched on right away.
He came very early at 2:20am the very next day on October 8th, weighing 8 lbs 6oz and was 20.5 inches long.
We had 2 names picked out. When I was pregnant, we were torn about what we should name him. After he came out, he looked like a Mason. We liked Mason Scott, because it was a strong name for our strong little man.
My overall stay at the hospital was really good. It was so relaxing, not to mention, they served great food. I had really great nurses who took good care of me. I had an amazing recovery compared to after I had Autumn. Due to Covid, Collin was the only one that could be with me at the hospital. I was glad that he could be there through Mason's delivery. I can't imagine going through with it all by myself.
I was excited to come home and see Autumn. It was so weird to not see her for days. My mom was so kind to watch her while we were at the hospital. She deserves mega brownie points for taking good care of our girl.
Autumn was so excited when she met her little brother. Her face lit up when she saw him. She was so gentle and sweet with him. It made my heart melt.
It has been such a joy to have Mason in our family. He is such a sweet, cuddly, and chill baby. We really lucked out with him. He makes us all very happy. We can't wait to watch him grow this year.
Just a couple in masks waiting to have their 2nd child
Taken right before I was about to push
First Meeting
Collin cutting the umbilical cord
Skin to Skin Time
It's the best feeling to hold your newborn baby so close
First time opening his eyes
Getting his measurements. I couldn't believe I pushed out an 8 pound baby!
Daddy holding his son for the first time
He looks so peaceful
Birth Picture
I love these sweet moments
Mother and Son
Such a cuddle monster
Such a bright new world
Going home
Excited to meet baby brother
She loved interacting with him in the car seat
She is the best big sister
Big yawn for grandma
Beautiful story. As per you, you stayed strong and cheerful no matter what was thrown at you. I'm so glad the epidural worked out!
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