Nathan Arlo Washburn, born December 5, 2012, at 4:55 pm. 8 lbs. 15 oz, 20 1/2 inches. A FULL head of red hair!
My delivery was actually very easy! I had my induction scheduled for Dec. 4th at 8 pm (my due date) and when it came time, the hospital was full! So we waited for them to call when there was a room available and at 10:30 we were finally on our way! I was given cervidil (sp?) to soften my cervix for 12 hours, so that night we just slept in the hospital. By morning I was having regular contractions, which wasn't supposed to happen on cervidil, so I must have gone into labor on my own anyway. By noon they were getting intense, and I was at a 4 by 1 pm. At 3 pm I was given an epidural at 5 cm dilated. I told the doctor that once my water breaks my babies come within two hours, so he broke my water right after the epidural. They also gave me pitocin, which I don't think I needed at all! By 4:30 my contractions were so strong--the epidural was not taking all the pressure away and it was INTENSE! I've never felt anything like it. I'm pretty sure he was posterior, or facing my back, because I really felt him. Around 4:50 I felt so much pressure that I told the nurses I had to be really close. They left to get the doctor. Meanwhile Joel didn't even realize how close I was--he was in a chair across the room. All of a sudden I felt something--I asked Joel and he said, I think that's the head? He called the nurses back in and sure enough, little Nathan decided to make his appearance on his own--I had not even pushed at all! The nurses rushed in and Nathan literally came out without one push--I was never told to push once. The doctor wasn't even there yet! So three nurses delivered me, and they did an amazing job. So I went from a 5 to a 10 in less than 2 hours! And for the third time now, the first thing I hear from the nurses is, "you've got a redhead!" So we now have three redheaded kids! Nathan is SO cute and reminds me a lot of Blake in his behaviors and need to EAT! Since this is mostly family and close friends reading, I feel like I can share this: he was born with a bilateral cleft palate--they found it after delivery. It is something that can be corrected through surgery when he is very young, and it is solely in his mouth. The problem is he cannot breasfeed, so I am pumping for him, and he has to work harder to feed because he does not have the same suction as a typical baby. So I am learning a lot about this condition and he will be seeing specialists until it is corrected. But we are so proud of him so far--he has a healthy appetite and wants to eat a lot! I am getting the hang of feeding him with his special bottles and syringe/tube feedings. Joel is also able to feed him, and the kids, too, which is fun! We love our little Nathan and can't wait to see him grow! We love having him in our family.