And Then There Were Four...

If you haven't yet heard - Baby Dane has finally arrived!

He was born on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, at 9:01 am,
weighing 7 lbs and 15 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.

But that is only the very end of the story...

I have struggled to write this blog post, because I couldn't decide what
to put in it. There is so much to tell, so many details that have significance to us.
But without writing a novel, it may not all make sense to anyone else. :)
So, I have decided to write a detailed account of Dane's birth story to be published
at a later date. But for now, the Cliff Notes:

Tuesday evening, the night before, I noticed there was something going on. I had no idea
how long things would take, so I called Sarah (my doula/friend/photographer/etc.) and
Becky (babysitter for Jacob) to give them a heads-up that it could be happening soon.
We all went to bed, wondering what the next day would bring. Around 3:30 or 4am, I woke
up with contractions strong enough to keep me awake for good. I putzed around the house,
tidying up and gathering things for the hospital that hadn't already been packed. At 5:30, I
decided it was time to call in reinforcements. I called Sarah to ask her to come, and then
called Becky.
I attempted to wake up Gary and tried to find more ways to cope with the strengthening contractions. At 6:30, Sarah arrived and we called the midwife to let her know things were progressing. She said to keep her in the loop and to let her know when we left for the hospital.
Thank heaven she was already there when we finally did leave. Becky arrived at 7 to occupy Jacob. By that time, contractions were getting pretty serious. Sarah and Gary were a great support to me as I labored with this baby. I didn't want to get to the hospital too early, so we stayed at home until no one thought it was a good idea anymore. :) Around 8:30 we decided to leave, and Gary RUSHED me to the hospital (only a good 3 blocks away, but I think I must have had 5 contractions during that time!) We screeched into the parking lot and someone from the ER helped us navigate some lesser-used hallways (and maybe even a shortcut) to labor and delivery, though it did take us probably 10 minutes to get there, as I kept making them stop when I had a contraction to let me get out of the wheelchair. During one of these contractions, in a dark hallway in the bowels of the hospital, my water broke. I was so surprised, as were Gary and the ER lady! A minute later we arrived in the birthing room. The midwife walked in and asked to check how far I had dilated. "Oh! - There's the head!" she said. Another contraction started, and I exclaimed with GREAT surprise, "Oh! - I'm pushing!" They quickly got me on the table, and in two more pushes, Baby Dane was born. I looked up at the clock and said, "Hey - He was born at 9:01!" After all, I was the only one facing the clock. :) And with that, we welcomed our new, precious son into the world. It was an awesome moment.

So, from the time we pulled up at the hospital until little Dane was born, it was about 16 minutes, total. We certainly gave the labor and delivery nurses a shock. That was probably the most excitement they had seen in awhile! We both felt great, and decided to go home the next day. Dane had to deal with a little bit of Jaundice, since he and I have different blood types, but that was quickly resolved. He is a happy, content little snuggler, who has already stolen our hearts. Even big brother Jacob loves him. Please enjoy these photos.





As I mentioned, Sarah was there to snap photos, as well as help me through the process.
She has created slideshows of Dane, both from that day, and a week later.

Photos from the hospital: http://imagesbysharp.com/extra/birthingDane/

Photos from his newborn session: http://imagesbysharp.com/extra/Dane/

Here are a couple of teasers, compliments of Sharp Images Custom Photography: