Best. Nap. Ever. Just woke up and we're all doing great. Joey is milking away and Lindsay is bright eyed and bushy tailed. Since things got a bit crazy during the night/morning, I thought I'd give you a recap and fill in some of those missing hours.
5 am - Turns out that my experience at 4 am was kiddy league. That was tee ball and we were stepping up to the big leagues. Lindsay kept throwing up and started to become faint. Her determination never wavered, but I did. Unbeknownst to her, I had to psych myself up in the mirror when I snuck off to the bathroom. After a few slaps to the face, I managed to mask my terror and headed back out.
6 am - More of the same, just way more intense. Things were getting worse on Lindsay and I have the claw marks on the back of my neck to prove it. Because of the vomiting issue, Lindsay was totally spent for energy and was starting to break down. She began asking about an epidural, but Laura, our fantastic doula, calmly stepped in and suggested that we find out how far along we are before making a decision. Turns out she was at 8 cm, so Lindsay decided to dig down deep and continue on without an epidural since we were nearing the end.
7 am - Pushing time. Lots of people in the room now. Nurses keep telling me to look. I don't want to. A lot of grunting ensues. Lindsay cracks jokes between pushes. Nurse insists that I look down yonder while the baby begins to show. I want to cry. Mid-push, Lindsay yells, "He doesn't want to look!" Nobody bothers me again about that and I focus on Lindsay's face the rest of the way, trying to pump her up between pushes. She turns purple with effort. The nurses cheer her on. They're so good at motivation that my adrenaline flows and I begin reliving high school football glory days. Joey's head makes an appearance. In a primal rage, Lindsay grabs his head and pushes/pulls the rest of his little body out and yanks him onto her chest. Done deal. Don't mess with my wife because there's a very real savage side that lurks just beneath her pretty exterior. What I witnessed at that moment is very real proof that Lindsay wasn't lying about her Native American blood (1/32 Omaha according to her).
7:45 am - Success. Full success.
More pictures to come...
he is PERFECT! Congrats & get rest while you can!! love you linds - way to go! xoxo p.s. your husband gave quite the analysis... can't wait to meet Joey!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats you two! What a beeeeeautiful baby! Beallymon - You are one amazing Mama already. So proud of you! xoxo
ReplyDelete-Ashley Stone
i am so happy for you guys! he is precious, and matt your play by play was great.
ReplyDeleteoh whoops, i forgot to say my name,
ReplyDelete-destiny
Holy Cow! No wonder you guys needed a nap!!! Love it! What an awesome story!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Joey is absolutely perfect! We can't wait to meet him. Hugs to the new mommy and daddy!
ReplyDeleteLove, Emily and Jeff
Love it.
ReplyDeleteIncredible! Cov, you are something else! I know now who Walter gets his primal fighting skills from. Can't wait to meet this little guy.
ReplyDeletelove,
sarah
What a wonderful birth story! I'm so privlidged to have been a small part of it! You two are a wonderful couple, and a wonderful team! When ever things get tough you can reach back to this amazing acomplishment, draw stregnth from it and know if you can do this together... you can do ANYTHING together! Can't wait to give lil one a squeeze, he's a keeper :)!! Also of note... Lindsay is the ONLY mom i've ever seen who could still make jokes durring both active labor and pushing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great birth story!
ReplyDeleteErica (Hubby) sent me the link to your blog because I'm expecting in July, am a doula, and am just in general really empowered by awesome birth stories, which this is. I love the description of your wife and her strength. And I'm sure you did alright too. :)
Congratulations!