The Arrival of Nathaniel David Zschunke

Well, we all knew I wouldn't be pregnant forever. :) Here is Nate's birth story:

3:15 p.m., Weds 7/23 - I started having contractions, sort of regularly, every 10-12 minutes apart. They didn't last long but I was sure they were contractions. My mom stayed on to make dinner and stay over since we figured this might be it.

7:00 p.m. - Contractions continued to get closer and stronger, but not unbearable. We called the doctor, who said to come in whenever, she'd be expecting us.

10:00 p.m. - In the Labor & Delivery room, having my water broken. Not fun. Actually, not too too bad, but when she said she had to move his head to get the thing in there to break the water - oy. I felt bad for the baby!! I was at 3 centimeters dilated.

10:05 p.m. - 7:30 a.m., Thurs, 7/24 - We walked the halls. I showered. I bounced on the ball. I had to be monitored (which slowed the contractions down). I was checked and was only at a "strong 3". WHAT?! I'd spent all night AWAKE doing what I could. The contractions were definitely stronger but not long enough to get me more dilated. The doctor suggested Pitocin at the lowest level to kick start things.

8:30 a.m. - Pitocin is begun at 2 (whatever that means). Almost immediately (maybe it was my exhaustion/imagination), I feel like the contractions are insane -- of course, I have strong memories of the Pitocin pain from James, so who knows. So through tears I throw away my plan to go all natural and ask for the epidural. Greg is very supportive as he knows how tired I am and he is. He'd been a great partner all night, rubbing my back, putting on heat, helping me walk around with "Slim" (the metal holder for the IV/Penicillin).

The next hour and a few minutes were supposed to be relaxing so I could rest - the epidural would take the edge off. Greg went down for breakfast and I planned to watch some TV. We figured getting another 6 centimeters would take a while, although our goal was to have Nate by 12 noon.

HA HA HA HA HA.

HA.

The next hour and a few minutes were filled with pain. Not back pain but internal va-J-J pain. She checked me after a few minutes and I was at 5 -- what?! After another 40 minutes she checked and I was at 9. 9?! The pain I felt was basically the dilation happening very quickly. The doctor was called and I was prepped. I got a delivery "boost" of pain meds - didn't help. I was SO ready to get this kid out of me!

9:50 a.m. I'm ready to go. The nurse asks, "Do you want to push?". My response was an emphatic "YES!". I pushed 9 times and voila! There he was! Greg and I were both overwhelmed with tears and happiness when they put Nate on my chest. He was and is perfect. However, not the 9 pounder they predicted...he weighed in at a nice size of 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Perfect. With dark hair (yea!) and super long fingers.

So he was born at 10 a.m. on the dot. I felt so great afterwards and still do, although a bit tired. Nate is a good eater and barely lost any weight in the hospital. We got home yesterday - James is very sweet and interested in the baby. Since my mom was here and so is Greg, I have a feeling the sharing of Mommy won't be an issue until we're on our own. I know it will be okay and I'm not the first person to have two children (nor the last) but hopefully we will all adjust into a sort of routine very soon.

Photos will be posted next!