He's finally here!!!

It all started on Monday, November 7th, at 8:30 AM when Sean and I went into our doctor's for our weekly U/S and check-up. Justin looked great on the U/S but after the nurse took my vitals, it was discovered that my blood pressure, which had been perfectly normal throughout the pregnancy had now crept up. In addition, I had gained 6 pounds in water weight in 1 week! After visiting with the doctor, it appeared that I was 3-4 cms dilated and my blood pressure was not going down. The doctor decided to send us to Labor and Delivery to get hooked up to the monitors for observation and bloodwork.

Checking into Labor and Delivery, we had to do all the paperwork. Sean and I looked at each other, wondering if this would be the day!

They brought us into the room, where I had to get undressed and put on a hospital gown. The nurse looked at me as if I was crazy when I asked her "Do I need to take my uinderwear off?" She replied with something like "Well, that will make it a bit more challenging to have a baby but..." Obviously, it still had not hit me that there could be a possibility that we could go that day!

We waited for what seemed like forever to hear about the results from the bloodwork and what the monitors were showing. About 10:30 AM, it was decided that we were going to get to stay and Justin was going to be induced! Sean and I were excited for what was to come.

I was hooked up with an IV and given my epidural. A steady dose of Pitocin, the drug that helps to induce contractions, was started. Now, all Sean and I could do was wait. We were told to try and nap and get some rest. (Like that was possible with all the excitement and anticipation and visits from the nurses?!?!?!) I was 4 cms dilated. We asked about an estimated time of delivery, gathering if everything went textbook. We were given a time of about 6 PM and we might have a baby!

Around 3:30 PM, as labor progressed, it seemed that Justin was not liking the contractions, as his heartbeat would drop down low after each contraction. The doctor stopped the flow of Pitocin, which slowed the contractions down greatly. Justin seemed to like this better. At this time, I was only about 5 cms dilated (and you have to be 10 before they will let you start pushing). It seemed like this was going to take a bit longer than we were hoping.

A couple hours later, my contractions were still not the strenght they needed to be. The doctor restarted the Pitocin. At this time, I may have been 6 cms.

We continued to be monitored through the evening. 10 PM came and went. 11 PM came and went. And then, it was midnight. We were not having Justin that day!

About 3 AM, we finally had reached 10 cms! Now, the hard part was about to begin.

For 3 hours, Sean coached me through each contraction while I pushed. I only took a break from pushing through 2 contractions and then decided I would much rather just continue on. I did not intend to push for that long...I just kept thinking "Okay, on this next one, he's coming closer." But he just would not come out!

At 6 AM, the doctor said that we should rest for a half hour and then we would try a couple more times with the suction and the forceps. Sean and I quickly fell asleep.

Around 6:45 AM, we tried it again but with no luck. The doctor told us that we had worked very hard and had done everything that we could. But, Justin was not going to come out on his own. We would have to do a C-section.

Finally, on Tuesday, November 8th, 2005, nearly 24 hours later, at 7:33 AM, Justin Baskin Taylor was born! He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. He was a beautiful, healthy boy!! It was an emotional experience for all that were there. Sean's parents were troopers as they had come to the hospital as soon as they had heard we were going to be induced. They remained there until Justin was born. They were determined not to miss the birth of their first grandson!

Looking back, just 13 days ago, we never would have been able to guess the amount of love and joy that we have experienced so far. Every day, when we look at our beautiful boy, we stare amazed at the wonderful being that we have created. We look forward to each and evey moment that we spend with him and we already can't imgaine what life would be like without him. Already at 13 days old, he has become an inspiration to us both to be better people. We only hope that we can make him as proud of us as we already are (and will continue to be!) of him. We love you Justin!!