Welcome, Wesley!

After nine months of waiting, our little man arrived.

Tuesday, May 21, my water broke a little after midnight.  I went to bed expecting contractions to start shortly and wanted to get as much sleep as I could before the next six months of being sleep deprived.

By 8 am, I hadn't started contractions and called my doctor and left a message with the answering service.  I got a call back at 10, still no contractions, and was told to head to the hospital.  We arrived about 11 am and I was hooked up on a contraction monitor and a heart rate monitor for the baby.

By 1 pm, still no contractions and my stomach had shrunk remarkably with loss of amniotic fluid.  The doctor on call was my own prenatal doctor which was a huge blessing for me.  She decided to start me on a very low dose of Pitocin to see if we could get contractions going naturally.  She also employed a device called a Foley Bulb to help with dilation.

By 4 am on May 22, the nurse said it was time to push.  I did so.  For three hours.  My contractions slowly started to spread apart and become less intense, making it harder for me to get this little guy out.  I took a break, the Pitocin dosage was increased with hopes of getting the contractions going again.

About an hour later, I started pushing again, kept at it for about an hour and a half, with the same results, contractions got weaker and farther apart.  Rest, up the Pitocin, try again.  Finally, my doctor came in, assessed the situation, and decided the baby was far enough/close enough to getting his head out that just a little extra oomph was needed.  A vacuum was attached to the baby's head, a mighty push from me, and Wesley Thomas Clements was born at 2:35 pm on May 22.  He was 7 pounds, 2.7 ounces and 20 inches long.

He's a pretty fussy baby.  It's a good thing he's so cute.