Benson's Birth Story

I can't believe this baby boy is finally here. It was a very long 39 1/2 weeks but it was so worth it.
My amazing friend Jessica Fuhriman came to the hospital after I got my epidural so she could be there for the birth and to take pictures. I had talked to Jessica about birth photography earlier and I was on the fence about it. It seemed too personal, but she kept assuring me it would be done tastefully and that I would love the pictures. Of course she was right, I do LOVE the pictures and I'm so happy to have them since this is our last baby and my last labor. 

So I'm going to tell the story of Benson's labor and birth through pictures. Enjoy the gorgeous images Jessica captured. 

So Chris and I went into the hospital at 6:30 am and checked in. When I got there I was only at a "2"- which is where I was the previous week at my checkup. The nurse started me on a "foley bulb catheter" in hopes that it would help me dilate faster. Around noon the nurse removed the catheter and I had dilated from a "2" to "3.5". Not great progress but not surprising for me. Then I got my epidural. I was excited because typically, after I get an epidural, I dilate quickly. I was so anxious to meet this boy. After the epidural I was given a bladder catheter. It was a bit uncomfortable, which I thought was weird, since I was supposed to be numb. But I survived. I was feeling pretty good. I wasn't feeling the contractions anymore and that was a huge relief. I was able to take a short nap but I was woken up by some mild pain. I was starting to feel my contractions again and that was so frustrating. I was supposed to be getting more numb, not less. So I pushed my button to get an extra dose of the epidural medication.
After a couple hours of this I was in a lot of pain and I was convinced the epidural just hadn't worked. I was disappointed  because I've always had such easy labors. At this point I pushed the button one more time and Chris noticed the iv machine flashed "No dose available. Pump has stopped." What the heck? So we called the nurse in and then she called the doctor who called the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist came in and was shocked to realize he had forgotten to turn on the epidural pump. 

So at this point, my epidural had all but worn off. This was around 3 pm. The anesthesiologist started the pump and he told me it would take a while for me to get completely numb. We were basically starting from scratch. The initial shot through my back had worn off and the epidural pump would take longer to take effect. This was pretty hard to hear. I was in a lot of pain at this point and I needed some relief.  This was basically when Jessica showed up. So these pictures are from when my epidural was started but hadn't taken full effect yet.  

It was basically a waiting game. I was feeling every contraction and I was just waiting for my belly to go numb. I am kind of wimp and I don't do pain. 

I coped with the contractions by squeezing my bed rail. That was the only way I wasn't screaming/yelling.

Poor Chris. He was feeling pretty helpless. He just sat there while Jess and I talked and she snapped pictures. I was hurting but there was nothing to be done. 

Finally the contractions dulled a little bit. I was able to relax 

I love this picture of my nurse and me. She was the best. I really loved her. She was so sweet and sympathetic. She look great care of me. She held my hand the whole time while I pushed. 

Here she is checking the monitor for baby boy's heart rate. 

Then the real pain started. So turns out, even though my belly was numb, the rest of me wasn't. Benson dropped into the birth canal and my tailbone started aching so bad. Every contraction felt like my tailbone was going to break. It hurt so bad. But then it was time to push and pain took on a whole new meaning. It was incredible. I've never felt what women call "the ring of fire" but now I'm well acquainted with the term and it's meaning. I pushed through two very painful contractions and baby Benson was here. I'm so grateful it was only two contractions, because I can't imagine it lasting longer than that. I couldn't believe they expected me to push during the worst pain of my life. I couldn't think straight, let alone push. I really don't know how I did it. It's kind of a blur of pain and me crying but somehow I managed to birth this perfect baby boy. I'm so glad he's here. 

Isn't this picture beautiful? I love the look on my doctor's face. Dr. Dittmeyer is a great doctor and you can tell he really enjoys his job. He gets to bring life into the world. How amazing is that? 

Then he laid baby Benson on my chest so I could meet him. Unfortunately, I was shaking so bad that I couldn't hold him. So Chris had to help steady him. 

There's my sweet nurse again, smiling at Benson. 

I finally calmed down enough that I got to hold him all on my own. I love this picture of Chris looking at us. Standing guard. He's the best daddy. 

I couldn't believe how similar he looks to my other kids. Jessica kept saying "He's Tucker's twin" as she snapped pictures. She was right. He really does look just like Tuck. It's kind of crazy. 

Then one of the other nurses took him and got him cleaned up. 

He did not enjoy this

Sweet screaming baby. Look at those little fingers. 

Benson weighed in at 7 lbs 15 oz - my biggest baby!

Here's the nurse getting Benson's footprints.

Sweet sweet baby. 

Finally he was cleaned up and ready to be snuggled.
I love this picture of Chris and Benson together. It's my favorite. 

And this one of him showing me our sweet boy. 

Again helping me hold him. My shaking didn't stop for a couple hours after his birth. It was crazy. 

Chris and I are both so in love with our new baby boy. 

Benson has a crazy amount of hair. More than any of my other babies. I love it so much. It looks a little curly when wet too. SO CUTE!

We tried nursing right away and he latched right on. Such a champ!

Then we just spent our time staring and smiling in awe at the beautiful baby we created.

At this point, Uncle Joseph, Aunt Julieta and Aunt Sarah showed up to meet their new nephew. Then a bunch of my friends showed up to meet him too. Jessica got the first snuggles since she was already there. Then Tori Caresia, Lacey Quale and Stephanie Lanoy all  came and they passed him around and loved on him. Eventually Mini came to meet Benson and she brought me my beloved Chick-Fil-A. She's so great.  I was completely ravenous. Then Uncle Joseph and Aunt Julieta left to relieve Nanny at our house, so she could come meet her new grandson. Nanny got lots of snuggles in and then she headed back to our house for the night. 

We were moved to a recovery room and after chatting with everyone for a while, everyone left and we basically passed out. I was exhausted from the early morning and the intense labor. 

And that's it, that's the birth story for our sweet Benny boy. It's a good thing he's so cute because that labor was terrible! We are so in love with our sweet Benson Boy.