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 :)