It is a cold, rainy December day. My boys convinced me to setup the indoor jumpy in our living room. Best. Purchase. Ever. Five minutes later with kids occupied, I open my laptop to write a story I've been longing to write for months now. On the day he arrived, I scribbled down notes on my phone so I could remember the important details. This is the story of Benjamin's arrival.


Maternity Photos by Kaela Rodehorst Williams

THREE DAYS BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL

Our official due date was June 22nd. I had a doctor's appointment on the morning of June 10th at 8:15 a.m. where Charles joined me. At my previous appointment, my doctor discussed the pros/cons of being induced. I was not ready to make a decision that day and decided to delay scheduling anything. But, as the days passed over the last week and my uncomfortableness grew, I was ready to schedule an induction.


My appointment went as usual, and we scheduled the induction date. Then I decided to have my doctor check me. She turned to me with a smile. I was 4cm dilated, and she estimated I would go into labor naturally sometime over the weekend. Charles and I decided to keep the induction date just in case things did not happen as she predicted. I remember walking out of the doctor's office that day relieved and making a list in my head of last minute things we needed to do.


ONE DAY BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL

It was a warm, slow Saturday morning. I had no contractions or signs of going into labor. So we decided to make it a day for Trace. We took Trace to breakfast at our favorite spot to get biscuits and breakfast tacos. We decided to make a quick stop at the splash pad before it got to hot and crowded for the day. We were the only people there, and Trace loved running around splashing the water. We took a long, afternoon nap together and savored one of our last slow days as a family of three.


HIS ARRIVAL DAY

It was a little after midnight when I woke up with contractions. At this point in my pregnancy, I was having contractions almost daily, but usually if I laid down or got in the tub the contractions would stop. I rolled over in bed and decided to try to sleep a little longer.


I slept for another hour or so and then decided to move to the tub to see if the contractions would stop. Just like on the day I went into labor with Trace, our lab Bruno was right by my side. I like to think it was because he knew what was happening, but really he was probably just embracing the opportunity to get more pets.


A little after 3:15 a.m., I woke Charles to let him know I was having contractions, but they were infrequent. They did not stop while I was in the tub, and at this point I decided to jump in the shower for one last shower just in case we were heading to the hospital soon.


I packed a few last minute items in my bag. The contractions continued. Still infrequent, but never stopping. We decided at 5:00 a.m. to call the hospital. I let the on-call nurse know that my contractions were coming, but not consistent. They were becoming more intense, but didn't necessarily occur every few minutes. She recommended since this was our second baby to head to the hospital.


We called my in-laws to pick up Trace and Bruno. Charles woke Trace, and we let him know what was happening. We were going to meet his baby brother soon. I gave him one tight hug, and we said goodbye before heading to the hospital.


The car ride was really calm with it being so early in the morning. I remember having three really intense contractions between parking the car and checking into labor and delivery. With both of my pregnancies, I was always nervous we would be heading to the hospital too early and they would send me home. But, that was never the case with either of my deliveries.


They placed me in a triage room and asked Charles to head to the waiting room. He would be allowed back once it was determined I would be admitted. When she checked me, I was 8 cm. I think the on-call doctor was just as surprised as I was with how far along I was. At this point, the on-call doctor gave me two options: Option 1: She could break my water, and we could have the baby out in about 3o minutes. Option 2: I could get the epidural, my doctor could make it in, but it would be a couple hours before the baby would arrive. With Trace, I labored naturally for a while, and I was exhausted. I got the epidural for Trace at 9cm, and I remember feeling much calmer after I had it. So, the plan with this baby all along was to have the epidural once again.


After that decision was made, everything happened pretty quickly. I was admitted. They did some last minute bloodwork. The ansethelogist arrived to give me the epidural. Then Charles was finally allowed back to join me. My doctor arrived shortly after and broke my water. My contractions slowed some, and I had a dose of poticin. About an hour later, it was go time.


I remember feeling excited and rested. The nurse came in for one practice push. Three pushes later, he was in my arms. At 10:39 a.m. that Sunday morning, Benjamin joined the world! The first words I remember the nurse saying when he arrived were, "Wow, look at those three neck rolls!" He was so chunky and cute!