July 22, 2014

Introducing...

Rhett Anthony

Born July 22, 2014, at 9:20 P.M.

10 lbs. 14.6 oz. 21 in.

Proud parents, Michael and Kayla

We are beyond blessed, excited, and happy to announce that our sweet baby boy, Rhett, has arrived! The last week has been unforgettable and life-changing in the best ways possible. It really is amazing how one little person can make such an impact. 

I'm not going to go into real specific details of the entire labor/delivery process, but I'll share the general story of what took place on July 21-22, 2014.

Monday, July 21st, was Rhett's due date. We had an appointment at 10 A.M. and everything was looking good. It was a routine appointment, but we also went down to the hospital to check things out on the monitor. I was having a few contractions, but nothing major, and was also dilated to about four centimeters. The rest of the day and night came and went without anything out of the ordinary. 

At 2:30 A.M. on Tuesday, July 22, my water broke. I was sound asleep when it happened, but, of course, was soon wide awake! Fewer than fifteen percent of women experience their water breaking, so when this took place, I was extremely excited. I think Michael and I were both in a state of shock for a minute or two, but once we realized what was happening, our adrenaline was racing and we were ready to go. I didn't realize that when your water breaks, it isn't always one big "gush" and then it's over. There was a lot of fluid that came out over the course of a couple hours. Michael packed the car, called the hospital and told them what was happening, and let them know we would be coming in soon. He also called some family members to inform them of the big news (which resulted with a lack of sleep for most)! It was so nice to arrive to the hospital and be taken care of by my sister-in-law and good friend who are both nurses. They were both very excited that all of this was happening while they were working! The next couple hours consisted of painless contractions and walking the hospital hallways. I was dilated to about five centimeters. A few more hours passed and we watched the sun rise and one of my all-time favorite movies, Father of the Bride. I started to have stronger and more frequent contractions, but was feeling confident with how I was handling everything. Around 1:00 P.M. I was experiencing even stronger contractions and some pain. I decided to receive an intrathecal pain medication. I know people have various opinions on pain medication, but this was the best option for me. For those of you who aren't aware, an intrathecal is a shot you receive in the back, and it lasts for about three hours. Unlike an epidural, you are still able to move around once you've receive the intrathecal (that's why it is sometimes referred to as the "walking epidural"). I felt much more relaxed at this point, and Rhett was not negatively affected by the medication. Three or so hours passed, and I was ready to push. After what felt like an eternity, and some minor complications, we decided it would be best for me to rest and regain my strength, and try pushing later. I received an additional intrathecal and slept for about an hour and a half. Once I woke up, I felt some more pain, but was ready to push again. I felt very anxious that the pushing wouldn't work the second time around, but after an hour or so, Rhett was born. (I am not 100% sure of the timeline, because now looking back it is quite a blur.) I was SO relieved and SO in love! We were all pretty shocked to find out that Rhett almost weighed 11 pounds, when we assumed he weighed somewhere around 8-9 pounds. He is our everything.

We were able to go home on Thursday evening and have been doing great. We have survived our first week and aren't totally sleep deprived! Michael and I are so thankful by the amount of support we have received from family and friends. It has been very fun to have so many visitors within the first week. I am so lucky to be able to spend every day with our sweet little boy until my maternity leave ends in November (which I don't even want to think about). I plan to update this blog on a monthly basis, so please keep reading! :)

 Proud Dad

 Big boy!

Ready to go home from the hospital!