Welcome to the World, Max!

Maximilian Leroy came into this world this past Tuesday, January 14th, at 40w5d! He weighed 7lbs, 12oz and was 20.5 inches long.

Tuesday morning, I went in for a normal check with my OB. Because I was past my due date, I was having a second non-stress test done to make sure that baby was OK and we had no reason to induce labor just then. Everything looked good on the ultrasound, and the tech joked that she could see the baby's head bobbing against my cervix, like he wanted out. However, I was still holding steady at 2cm, where I had been for the past month. We actually went ahead and scheduled an induction for Friday (yesterday) because the fact of the matter was I was tired & ready to get the show on the road. There was zero pressure from my OB to do so (he's amazing) but I was done.

I joked to M on the way home that morning that now that we had scheduled the induction, things would happen on their own, because after all, isn't that how it's supposed to work? Looking back, it's funny to see all the indicators that things would likely happen on their own. We just weren't expecting it. I got home that morning and we went about our day, doing nothing really out of the ordinary. Lucas took a nice long nap, I watched some Netflix and relaxed, and we ran a couple of errands in the afternoon. I talked to a couple of friends and mentioned that I wasn't feeling too great, but this wasn't anything out of the norm for me in recent weeks. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions pretty regularly for a couple of months now, the past month specifically -- sometimes six or seven an hour. They weren't painful, but they were CONSTANT. One friend sent me a text saying that she had a feeling that "today was the day!" I laughed at her but also noted that anything was possible.

Around 6:30 pm, just as we were getting ready for dinner, I had what I thought was my first actual contraction. At the time, I wasn't quite sure (if you're new here, or just need a refresher, I was induced with Lucas at 41w5d never having progressed at all on my own. I had no idea what natural labor felt like) but I knew it was different. It was a little painful, so I noted it but went about our evening. I mentioned to M that he should probably get a bag packed, something he had yet to do, because I just felt off and why not since he needed to do it anyways. He laughed at me, said "it's not like you're in labor right now. We will have time!" (ha!) We ate, and around 7:00 pm I started having a couple more contractions.

It was at this point I started to worry a little. M & I talked, and we decided that I would hop in the shower, try to relax and then lay down to start counting them. If they were just Braxton Hicks, they would go away. If not, then we knew it was the real deal. At 7:40 I texted my friend (the same one who said she thought that night was the night) and told her to be on stand by. I told her that I didn't quite know what was happening, if it was anything at all (again -- no natural labor experience here!) but if she could just be on standby to take Lucas that would be great. I hopped in the shower and that's when shit got real, real fast.

My contractions started picking up quick & it was easy to notice that they were very regular. They were getting more and more painful, so I finished my shower, got dressed and laid in bed to immediately start timing. By 8:00 they were 3-5 minutes apart. I gave it 20 minutes of timing to make sure that it was regular and we decided that calling our OB to get his opinion was the best option at this point. M had already put Lucas to bed, so he called and when he got back to us, we were told to go ahead and head towards the hospital.

At this point, it was a mad dash, because I knew things were happening quick. M got his stuff together and car loaded, while I called N to let her know that we were on our way over. We all loaded up in the car, dropped Lucas off and headed to the hospital, where we arrived shortly after 9:00/9:15. When I was checked into triage, they did a quick cervical check and I was already 7cm dilated. SEVEN!

Cue being wheeled into the birthing unit. At this point I knew I had hit the transition, and my contractions were unbearable. Not long after being set up, I felt my water break and I knew that it was time to start pushing. I literally felt like the kid fell through my cervix when the water broke. The nurses told me to NOT push (hahahahaha!) but yeah right. A quick check saw that I was 10cm dilated and baby was coming, to which that point they yelled for someone to come help with the delivery. My OB had not arrived yet, but we had an amazing midwife who helped us out.

Two contractions and three pushes, and Max came roaring into this world in an all-natural birth at 9:40 pm. A mere three hours after having my first contractions.

I still cannot believe how quick everything happened. It was an amazing experience, so different than my last delivery, and I am truly in awe of how it all went. M & I still laugh at just the series of events that unfolded that day. I have no pictures of us from before the delivery, or during, and only a couple quick snap shots after (including the one above). We barely got family notified before Max was born, and it feels like it was over before it even began. It's surreal, and crazy all at the same time. But also wonderful. I got the birth that I wanted, and for that I am grateful.

Welcome to the world, little guy!