Monday, July 19, 2010

Nolan's Birth Story: Part IX, The Finale

       Parts I, II, and III. Enjoy!

       With the labor pains now painless, the clocked ticked away. Friends visited. My parents arrived. I sipped sprite. Jon snacked. Nurses changed shifts. The sun set. Shortly after my epidural was administered the doctor broke my water to keep things moving along. And move along they did. At about 6:30 pm the doctor again checked my progress (which is a more pleasant experience when you are all numbed up, I might add). 5.5 cm. Now we were getting somewhere. 
       We had the lights dimmed in the room. Jon set up our itunes player and we turned on a small fan that we brought along with us. Between sending texts and making phone calls, I napped and rested my eyes. I'd love to say that this part of the process was noteworthy, but to be honest it was relaxed and dare I say, peaceful. On this note, after having wavered between the epidural and natural birth during my nine months of pregnancy, I can now say that I am a big advocate for the latter. While I can understand the beauty of a natural labor, resting, talking with friends and family, and spending time with your husband are all amazing bonuses to the epidural. 
       At 9:15 pm, my new nurse checked my progress. Deb was in her fifties and had seen her share of deliveries. She spent her time rotating between shifts taking care of moms postpartum, delivering the babes, and caring for newborns. Needless to say, we were in very good hands. Not to mention her kindness and friendliness towards two completely unknowing soon-to-be parents. As she checked me she looked up at Jon and I, "9 cm," she said. Huh? How was this possible? We weren't sure we were THAT ready to be on the doorsteps of parenthood. "Wait, wait, more like 8 - 8.5 cm".  We let out a deep breath. 8 cm gave us a bit more time to digest the quickly progressing labor. We looked at each other, wide eyed. The baby was in 0 position and getting very ready to make his entrance into the world. 
       It was just thirty minutes later that the doctor reappeared in our room. All I remember hearing was "It's time to do some work!" Again, I couldn't believe it. It was still July 11th. We had hours to go. This was going much faster and easier then I expected."Oh yeah, if you sneeze this kids going to come out!". If I sneezed? It was time to do some work? To be honest, I was enjoying resting my eyes and the light breeze from the fan. I didn't know if I wanted to do any work yet. But whatever you say doctor. Lets get to it. 
       At 9:55 pm Deb sat down on my bedside and helped get me into the proper birthing position. My mom came into the room and we assigned her to camera duty (hence the wonderful-fully cropped to avoid being on the too graphic side- photos). Jon positioned himself next to me with a smile on his face. We were giddy. We had waited 38 1/2 weeks for this boy. And now, here we were about to meet him. And more amazingly, I couldn't feel A THING! Deb clued us in to proper breathing and pushing techniques. This woman was a saint in scrubs. All of the sudden, before I knew it Team Milam was on the brink of welcoming its third member.
       Deb and Jon worked together to coach me through the pushing. I was at their disposal. Deb explained to me that when the baby was near to arriving I would use a few short fast pushes to bring him into the world. Okay Deb, whatever you say. Deb, for the lack of a better way of putting it, brought Jon in for a closer look. He got his first peak at Little N's brown hair. With each wave of contraction, Deb advised me on when to start my pushing. I felt strong and rested. Between pushes I remember smiling. Yes, smiling. Was I, Meg Milam, a girl that somewhat dreaded labor for nine months, actually smiling through the process? Well, yes, yes I was. 
Here's Team Milam, in between pushes.
       The pushing flew by. Before I knew it the doctor entered the room along with a second nurse and the respiratory specialist. I remember joking "It's a party in here now." To which the respiratory specialist raised the roof with his hands in the air. I kid you not. Everyone was so calm. So quiet. It was about now that I became sick, and I've failed to mention, that this was the third time that day. Someone provided a sick bag. As I emptied my stomach, they told me that it was helping the baby make great progress. I guess my sensitive stomach finally paid off as Baby Milam was really moving into position now. Quickly, the bed broke away and a bright light was pulled up closer for the delivery. I remember pushing for only a wave or two while the doctor was in the room. Deb then mentioned to me that I needed just a few short fast pushes now. I knew what that meant! That meant baby was right there, seconds from emerging! And so he did. At 10:48 pm, Nolan Kelley Milam came out quietly, then letting out an amazing cry. Music to our ears. 
Absolute shock is the only way to describe 
my reaction upon first seeing him.
I know, absolutely ridiculous, right? 
Here we are, making our introductions.
And the very happy daddy.
The Milam Family
Here are a few more shots from our experience:
Getting weighed and measured.
Our first nap together.
Big daddy and little boy.



Daddy, attempting to get Nolan swaddled
(something we've yet to have success with).
Daddy on diaper duty.

Nolan's first party.
 His Tahoe aunts and uncles stop by to meet him. 
Packed up and headed home.

       We are smitten by every little piece of Nolan. 
He's completely perfect and much more then we hoped for. 
We're very blessed to have a healthy little baby boy at home with us. 

Thanks for reading!
Lots of love from Tahoe.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my god, I am going to cry! I love your first reaction photos! Thanks so much for taking the time to share the story, I loved reading it. Can't wait to see you all in August.

    Much love

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  2. I love it! Thanks for sharing Megan congrats to you both.

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  3. WOW- this was very entertaining (in a good way) thanks for sharing such a special story! Congratulations. (Sara Maskivish)

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