HE'S HERE!!!! Grant Harrison Buria arrived promptly at 0259 on Sunday, May 20th 2012. What an incredible and enjoyable (yes I said enjoyable) experience the whole evolution was! It all began on Friday, May 18th when I left work slightly early because I simply was not feeling well and could not hang at work any longer. We had dinner plans and I knew I couldn't back out so I spent the afternoon napping on the couch until it was time to get ready to go out.
Feeling quite crampy and uncomfortable, I pulled it together, slipped on a dress, did my hair and my make up and headed to Morgans in downtown New Bern. We had a lovely evening out with our close friends in the area but I still could not shake the uncomfortable feelings I was having. As we got in the car to head home I told Ricky that I really thought our little man could make his arrival within the next 24 hours. Ricky had planned to ride in a Century (100 mile bike ride) the next morning and I suggested that perhaps he should consider not going if the cramps continued.
We headed to bed around 10:00pm and I was awakened at 2am with sharp pains in the same area that I had felt just hours prior. These pains or contractions continued every 20-25 minutes throughout the night. I woke Ricky up multiple times and his response each time was try to sleep through them because our nights of getting lots of sleep are coming to an end. At 4am the alarm went off for Ricky to begin getting ready to head to his bike ride. After the contractions that I had been having, he of course decided that it would NOT be a good idea to travel an hour away for a 5 hour ride. My anxiety began soon after when I realized that not one article of baby clothing had been washed in Dreft, the Pack N' Play was still in the box, the car seat was still in the nursery (the base was buckled in the Armada) and the diaper bag/my bag was only partially packed. At 6am Ricky, in normal fashion rose to the challenge and began taking care of all of the items that had not been completed. He even was out mowing the grass at 6:30am because he knew it could be days before we'd have a chance to tackle that chore.
To make things even more interesting, my adult Sunday school class had planned a baby shower for my friend Jennifer and me for Saturday morning at 10am. To go or not to go, that is the question. I called Amber ( my sister-in-law who also happens to be a Labor and Delivery nurse) to see how quickly she thought I may have this baby and what I should expect during the day. She recommended that I go to the shower, but not drive there and rather have Ricky take me and and drop me off. She also suggested that I continue to do everything as I normally would, and only to go to the hospital if I was experiencing unbearable pain or if my water were to break.
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The ladies from my Sunday School class. Thanks for coming!:) |
I went to the shower and I am so glad I did, because it was so nice. It was relaxing and intimate and everyone was very generous to us once again. The ladies that were there, truly care about Ricky and me and it was evident on this day. The only aspect that wasn't relaxing was that my contractions kicked it up a notch. When I wasn't laughing, smiling and partaking in the delicious food, I was doing squats in Melisse's kitchen or crouching on all fours in the living room, trying to breathe through the contractions. It definitely added a little spice to the shower and one I'll never forget. Everyone suggested that we go about our day as normal and just enjoy being a couple for one last day.
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My friend Chrissey, Connor and me. |
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Melisse (in the middle) hosted the shower for my friend Jennifer who is due in July, and me. Thanks Melisse! |
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My friend and running buddy Cailin. |
We headed home and continued to prep for the baby's arrival. By 4:00pm I felt like if he arrived, we would have prepared as best as possible. At 5:00ish my friend Michelle stopped by for some assistance with a job application/ resume. I assisted her in editing her application in between contractions. I think she was pretty shocked at the whole situation and kept asking if she should go. What she didn't realize is that having something to focus on, really helped me breathe through the contractions and consequently made everything easier. As long as I was on all fours the contractions were pretty bearable. Amber called around this time to check on my progress. When I explained what the day had consisted of, and that my contractions had been every 7 minutes for the past 3 hours she suggested that I head to the hospital to avoid being too far along to receive an epidural.
We arrived at the hospital around 5:45pm and I was admitted soon after the nurse checking my progress. I was 5 centimeters dilated (10 centimeters is the goal), 100% effaced and my anionic fluid was leaking, which meant that my water had probably broken. This is was really about to begin and was about to begin quickly!
My L&D nurse's name was Jill and she was so attentive and super sweet. She administered my meds and ensured that I received my epidural in a timely manner to avoid feeling any additional pain. She made the whole process enjoyable. My progress took off and I was 7 centimeters within a couple of hours and I had reached 9 centimeters by 10:00pm. My water had not broken by 11:00pm so they had me curl up on an exercise ball to pop it internally. At 1:00pm I had reached 10 centimeters. The doctor came in at 2:00pm and let me know that I would probably have the baby within an hour. When I was instructed to, I began pushing and 15 minutes later, Grant Harrison was born.
I have heard that the moment your child is born is the best moment in life, and I am now a believer. I just cannot believe how much I love him and how special he is to Ricky and I already. He is perfect and we could not be more blessed to have him in our lives.
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38 weeks-last of the series. |
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Last Pregnancy Photo before Grant arrived. |
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In the triage room after they decided to admit me. |
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The delivery room, prior to the epidural. |
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Totally in love! |
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Happy Birthday Little Man! The staff was wonderful. |
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Best moment of my life. |
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Wow. |
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Warming up for a bit. |
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Ricky's first baby diaper change. |
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First bath, he loves the running water but the wash cloth bath, not so much. |
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Finally in our room, relaxing. |