The Beginning

I created this blog for John and also for all of you to share in this wonderful new world that has just begun. I can't believe that he is six weeks old already. Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning. John Elliot Hawver was born on Saturday, September 8th, 2007 at 4:29 PM. My due date had been August 27th and I was almost 2 weeks overdue. I was trying to avoid an induction and my labor started just in time. I went into labor on Friday night. I started early labor around 6:30 PM and my contractions really got going around 11 PM. I took a few baths and labored at home all night. My contractions were becoming more and more intense but not consistent in their timing. I started noticing that I was having back-labor. My labor was progressing and becoming very painful around 7 AM. Joe and I got to the hospital around 9 AM. When they checked to see how dialated I was in triage, I was 9 1/2 cm but they said my water hadn't broke. They rushed me to the labor/delivery room thinking I was going to start pushing any minute. We had the greatest midwife- Linda French, CNM who I highly recommend. Anyway, we labored all morning trying to get the baby to drop. My back pain was intense and the back-labor becoming unbearable. I was really hoping for a natural birth and didn't want to use any medications and wanted minimal interventions. Joe and I took the Bradley Method- which is a 12 week class about natural birth. By 1 PM, I was still 9 1/2 cm dialated and we decided to have our midwife break my water. Things started really progressing after this. My contractions became extremely intense and painful, and more frequent. I was dialated to 10 by 3 PM and started pushing.
John was born at 4:29 PM. It was the longest day of my life. It was the most difficult and painful experience I have ever had. And it was AMAZING. I am in such awe of the human body- and what it is capable of. When I look at John, I still can't believe he came out of me. I don't know how anyone can experience childbirth and not believe in God. John was born healthy and when he came out he was so alert. He nursed right away. It's been six weeks and I still remember vividly being in the hospital and feel like we just left and brought him home. I call him Johnny and his daddy calls him Jack. I don't really know who he looks like, but he definitely has both of us in him. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.