Our Son is Here!

Our son Jackson Ty joined us on Tuesday, February 7, and he's absolutely perfect.  The Lord has answered so many prayers over the last 16 days, and we have been overwhelmed with gratitude for the privilege of having this sweet baby.

Today was our actual due date, but I had progressed so far on my own in terms of dilation and effacement (without ever having felt a contraction) that we expected a fairly quick delivery which was problematic given that I was Group B Strep positive and required two doses of an antibiotic that needed to be administered at least 8 hours apart prior to delivery.  When we went to the doctor on Monday, February 6 I had dilated even further over the weekend (I was almost 5 cm), so the doctor suggested admission that night to begin the antibiotic and then breaking my water the next morning.  Since Group B Strep can be really dangerous for a newborn (and our 36 week ultrasound had shown that Jackson weighed around 7 lbs already) we liked this idea, so I went to work and tried to wrap things up in about 5 hours! My last day of work was suppose to be February 14, so needless to say, it was a whirlwind day at the office. 

I received my epidural the next morning and never felt any contractions until that afternoon  (and even then it was only pressure), and the only pain I felt was the last 30 minutes of pushing.  I threw up a good bit that day (any time I was on my back), but other than that it was an uneventful labor.  The resident said I had the easiest first time delivery he'd ever seen, and needless to say, I felt blessed by the (relatively) easy birth experience and even more blessed by Jackson's safe arrival and good health.  Jackson weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and has brown eyes and dark brown hair just like his daddy.  He has extremely long fingers and toes and loves to sleep.

Jackson had some respiratory issues that resolved within about 7 hours of birth (and later jaundice and weight loss that also resolved within a few days), and then we spent the next 7 days pretty much staring at him and thanking God constantly that he is ours.  And I've spent a lot of time thanking God for my husband too as he's been encouraging, supportive, and incredibly helpful.  Sharing this with him has been absolutely incredible.  The past 16 days, and really pregnancy too, have been the most powerful experience in my life of our Creator's perfection, plan, and goodness.

p.s. I'm thankful for our first non-medical outing with Jackson today (to Mellow Mushroom for lunch :)

Things You Shouldn't Say to a Pregnant Person

Pregnancy has been such an interesting experience for so many reasons--one of which is the change in how people treat me.  For the most part this has been a positive change.  For example, my coworkers and my mom frequently ask me how I feel and seem to genuinely care.  A few strangers have asked me when I'm due or congratulated me on expecting a child; I consider them brave as I'm always afraid of mistakenly assuming someone is pregnant which would be terrible for all involved!

And since my body has radically changed over the last 6 months it has received more attention from people than any other time in my life.  Fortunately most people are very kind and say the sort of things they probably think I would like to hear such as "You're all belly," "You're so tiny," etc.  The most negative comments I've received have been from two women who are overweight (and ironically carry their weight in their stomachs), and it's made me sort of dread being around one of them because I know that within five minutes of seeing me she's going to make some negative comment about my appearance.  It's a bit tempting to fire back with an equally ugly comment, particularly since these two individuals have been bigger than me for most of my pregnancy, and even when I'm not tempted to reply with snarkiness, I have no idea how to respond to such inappropriate, unkind comments--even though I may not necessarily disagree with them.  After all, just because something is true doesn't mean you should say it! In case you were wondering here are a few things you should NOT say to a pregnant woman (or any person for that matter):

"Gosh, you look like you've swollen up since I saw you last."

"I don't think you'll be able to wear that dress again."

"How much do you weigh now?" (if a close friend asked me this it's one thing but a casual friend in front of a large group = not very nice)

"You've gained weight all over." 

"That shirt sure is getting tight." 

"What are they feeding you?" (a man actually asked me this)

It's like good sense flies out the window because someone is with child! Thankfully these comments haven't really hurt my feelings so much as they have irked me a little, and regardless all of this is totally worth the immense privilege of having a son...this month! Only 21 more days until my due date and only 13 more days until my last day of work....what fun countdowns!

p.s. I'm thankful for lunch plans with friends.  Trying to do lots of socializing before Jackson arrives!