Benjamin Maddox is here!

Benjamin Maddox was born on November 1st at 11:03 am and weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. We are so happy he is finally here!

The birth story:

At 9:30 on Saturday morning, we got a visit from the doctor who had a change in plans. She informed us that my blood work came back with a very low platelet count, and it was unfortunately too low for me to receive an epidural or a spinal for pain relief. Unfortunately, I was still considered unfavorable for induction, but because pain relief was no longer an option, a 2-3 day labor did not seem like an option anymore. She further informed that even if she induced, I only had a 50% chance of delivering. She presented the option of an emergency Cesarean section that would have to be performed under general anesthesia meaning I would not be awake for the birth and Jacob would not be allowed in the operating room. We opted for this because it seemed like the safest route to get our Peanut out in a healthy manner. At 10:30 am I was cathed, prepped, and wheeled down to the operating room for surgery. At 11:03, our son was born. He required positive pressure to get him breathing, as he did not get the hang of it on his own, but was otherwise very healthy. It was later said that when the incision was made, his ear was the first thing the doctor saw, so he was in no way engaged or ready for his birth. We were lucky that the doctors acted quickly to ensure that both he and I were safe.

Benjamin was taken to a room for vitals to be checked and to be cleaned up, and Jacob got to meet him at that time. He was also able to provide skin-to-skin contact for Benjamin in his first minutes of life since I was being sewn up and wheeled to recovery. I got to meet him about 2.5 hours later in our hospital room, and we've been inseparable ever since. His first day was met with lots of hugs and kisses from family members, and he did fantastically with all of the excitement. I struggled a bit more, as I was coming out of the anesthesia for most of the day and do not remember most of what was said or done during that time. I do, however, remember this:

It isn't a very good picture, but it's the moment that I met my baby Benjamin. I remember thinking that he is perfect, and he continues to be that way.

Parenthood has gone really well so far. We had the help of Jacob's family for the first week, which was fantastic, and my family has helped a lot in the first week and now that Jacob's family is back at home. Without that, the transition into parenthood would have been much harder - even with a perfect baby. He is a very laid back little guy who only cries when he needs something, and is easy to soothe once he's been satisfied. We struggled with breast feeding in the first few days but have the hang of it now. He's been to the doctor for his first check-up and is still healthy and gaining the weight back that he lost initially and is just doing very well. We are so thankful to have him - poopy diapers and all!

I've continued to heal after the c-section and am almost back to normal. My pre-eclampsia, diabetes, hypertension and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) have gone away and I've lost close to 30 pounds in 10 days. I feel great and continue to get stronger and can't wait to have my old self back! It's been a long 40 weeks since that chart started in February and I am so glad it's over, but would do it again in a heartbeat. Benjamin is such a blessing and we're so lucky to have him here :)