The arrival of Noah Scott Howell

He is here!!! I can't believe it! Sean and I have a baby and they just let us take him home. Its so crazy, wonderful, exciting, a little scary, and all the other good things. First off. He is just perfect in every way. He has the most cute little coo and even his cry is just adorable. Its not even a real cry. Just kind of a hyena laugh. We are both in love with him. <3 So you want details? I can give you details. I'm not shy at all. Here is how it all went down.

Tuesday July 26th at 6:06am I awoke to an unpleasant feeling in my tummy. I at first thought that I had to poo. So I got up and tried but to no avail. I then laid back in bed because I still had a couple more minutes til I needed to wake up for work.Then about 15 minutes later I had that unpleasant feeling again. That time I knew that poo was not the culprit. I nudged Sean and told him that I think I had a contraction and that I'm in labor. His response, "oh ok" and he rolled over and went to sleep. He said to me later that he reasoning was that he knew it was going to be a long day and he should get his rest. haha He is so funny when he is sleepy. Then 15ish minutes I had another one. I decided that they didn't hurt to bad so I could go to work and see how they progress. I only have a few precious days of PTO saved up that I intended for maternity leave. I did not want to risk not going to work due to false labor. So I got ready for work and kissed Sean goodbye. He said to me "let me know how things progress. I love you." And he kissed my tummy.  On the way to work I called Amanda, my sister, and explained what I was feeling. I told her that it was a sharp pain in the bottom of my uterus and up the sides and I could feel my stomach tighten. She confirmed that's what labor feels like and that I was in fact in labor. I got to work at 7:39am and they were about 10 minutes apart still. I informed my boss that I would be leaving when they got too bad for me to be there. I did my work for the morning, which involves printing batches, standing at the stuffing machine and putting checks in. The whole  time there I was texting Sean, Amanda and Andrea letting them know how I was and how far apart the contractions were. At 9am they were 7 minutes apart. Sean, Andrea and Brittany came to pick me up from work and take me home to labor there. They contractions were becoming more intense but I could still talk during them and move a little as well. When I got home Andrea and Brittany started to get a pretty (because they knew pictures were going to be take once he was born so they needed to look cute haha) Amanda called and let me know she was also getting pretty. This is funny because when she had her baby Andrea and I took forever getting ready for the same reason. So any way, I labored at home until about 12pm when the contractions where getting more intense and consistently 5 minutes apart. While I was home Sean held my hand, gave me water to drink, helped me move to the bathroom and all the other wonderful coaching things he and I learned in our Bradley class. I mostly sat on the toilet and leaned on the couch during contractions. Sean was so great at timing the contractions and letting me know when another one was coming so I could get in a comfortable position. By comfortable I mean, didn't hurt as much as it could have had I been in a different position. I also laid on the couch for a couple of the contractions as well and had Sean stroking my hair.

I even fell asleep in between some of the contractions. Sean kept telling me that I was doing so great and that gave me the strength to keep going.

When my contractions got to 5 minutes Andrea and Brittany grabbed the hospital bag and my other things while Sean helped me into the car. Car labor is the worst! There is no way you can get comfortable. Luckily the hospital is only 14 minutes away so I only had a couple contractions on the way there. We went into triage and I had the vaginal exam. I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. The nurse took my vitals and said I could labor there for a while and get to 5cm so I could be admitted. The contractions were really intense by then. The nurse was really impressed by how I was dealing with them. I was quite during every one of them and just counted them out in my head. I knew there were lasting 60 seconds so it was comforting to know when it end was coming. Sean let me squeeze his fingers and he had Jenny Phillips music playing for me. I think the combination of Sean's love, his encouragement, the spirit brought by Jenny Phillips music, the control felt from knowing when the contractions where going to end and pure concentration that got me through each contraction. Also I knew that with each one the cervix was opening more and that I was that much closer to having my Noah here with me. Sean tells me that while we were in triage the nurse said that I've obviously taken classes and how impressed she was with my concentration and control. I labored in triage for awhile (Sean and I can't remember how long but we just know it all went by so fast) Most of my contractions were in a lunge position with my right knee pushed up against the toilet, right hand on the toilet seat propping me up, left hand holding a steal bar on the wall and my left leg lunged out to the far left. Sean had his hand on my back and held my hand during them. Then when the contraction would end I sat on the toilet until Sean told me the next one was coming and I would move back into my lunge position. This is one of the TMI moments: It was nice to be on the toilet in between each one because I had to pee after every one of them. Sean was giving me lots of water to keep me hydrated. At one point I got back on the bed so the nurse could give me an exam and she did my blood pressure and it was really high. She said it could be a sign of preclampsia and that would mean I would have to be on a IV and have blood drawn. I got myself calmed down enough for the next two blood pressure tests though and it went down to normal. I did throw up during one of contractions because it was so very overwhelming.

I had a couple more of those overwhelming contractions and I was dilated to 6cm and ready to be admitted. Walking down the hall was pretty hard but we got there. I had to stop during one contraction and grab onto the railing on the wall. I even accidentally pushed during it because it hurt so bad. I told the nurse and she said that it was ok but not to do it again or I could bruise my cervix but that its natural to want to push when its that much pressure.  Sean texted the girls, meaning My Mom, Sean's Mom, Amanda, Andrea and Brittany, that they can come to the room.

This is them looking cute whilst I'm laboring away. Beautiful group of women that gave me support and love. I honestly didn't even notice them very much during the labor because I was pretty zoned into myself and Sean and baby Noah. I did see them shuffle in, in between a contraction and knowing that they were there was comforting. I had my eyes closed during most of the labor and only opened them a couple times. Andrea told me later that Brittany was crying and was just amazed at what was happening. Amanda kept praising me and saying how well I was doing. Andrea wrote down all the important things that happened (when I was fully dilated, water breaking, pushing started) and some things that were said during. I'll put what she wrote on here after I finish what I remember. I'm so happy that I was able to do it completely drug free because I have a better recollection of things that went on and I felt more in control. So I was at 6cm dilated when I got into the room. I had more contractions and felt like I needed to push. I really really felt like I needed to poop too! It was really bad. But they kept telling me that I couldn't push yet. I didn't yell or scream at all but I did at one point during the strong longer contractions make a low, soft grunt sound. All the while Sean was by my side holding my hand telling me how much he loves me and how we get to meet Noah soon. I asked one more time if I could push and they checked me and saw that I was completely dilated to a 10 and that I could start pushing! That was liberating!! I was so happy to be able to get the show on the road. Oh and my Doctor actually didn't make it to the delivery. I had to have the other Dr that was on call because Dr Hazelrigg wasn't on until 6pm. It was 3:45pm when I started pushing. The Dr was at the front on the bed and then was informed that my waters had not broke yet. She then moved to the left. Even in the state of pain I could appreciate the humor in that. I had a couple more contractions with pushing but still the waters were intact. She then asked if I was interested in having her break them for me and that if I did the labor would progress faster. I tried pushing 2 more times with no avail and then said for her to break it. Mom came and held my leg while Sean held the other as I pushed. I was pushing and I didn't feel like I was having much progress. I just felt like I had a really big poop that would not come out. TMI, again, I know. But this is a labor story, if you don't like it you are in the wrong blog. Turns out I actually did poop a little as well. I knew it! haha Sean told me that he could see Noah's head but that it slipped back up the canal after I stopped pushing. I asked if they could just pull him out and my mom said every so sweetly "no honey thats not how it works". The Dr asked if I wanted to be cut (Also known as an episiotomy)  I thought about it for two pushes and then said yes just cut me. She did and right away with the next push Noah then made his way into the world. The Dr made a comment about how fast it went and that it was a text book delivery with no pain medication. Everything went perfectly. I was in labor for 10 hours and only pushed for 35 minutes of that. Noah Scott Howell was born July 26th 2011 at 4:20pm. He weighed 6lbs 2oz, 19in long.

 Do I look tired? I so was!! Oh my goodness. But oh so happy as you can see. Sean is a proud Daddy too!!

 Me pushing with mom and Sean supporting my legs. Glad the Doctors head is positioned where it is. haha

Noah was tired too! He had a long day of being pushed!!

 Sean holding my hand and whispering to me 

 Thats my "ow" face

 Grandmas watching the work

 Yes i know, very attractive. This blog is real,  so I'm fine with the ugly pictures to show my hard work.

 This is right after Noah came out. I just look so relieved. Its because I am 

 Look! Its a baby! We made that! 

 Brittany was so happy to be apart of it all, and Happy Grandma holding her

 Skin to skin right away. I love that he is holding daddy's finger

After me holding him for an hour they took him to get him weighed and measured just across the room while I watched

 Happy Grandma holding baby Noah

 Another Happy Grandma!

 Cousin Cortney holding Noah. She just loves him and thinks he is hers 

 My dad got done with work finally and made it to see him about an hour and a half after he was born Happy Grandpa

 Auntie Drea

 Auntie Brittany, she also thinks this is her baby haha

 The sisters! I wish my sister Robyn could be there as well. She sadly lives in Wyoming. She is also preggers! Expecting Sept 11th a little boy.

Proud Daddy! Noah just loves his daddy so so much!

 Flowers the Ward girls sent us. I mean ward as in a last name not from our ward at church.

 Our Favorite nurse from our hospital stay. She was so sweet and helped us with breastfeeding, swaddling, and pretty much anything we needed. 

 Noah in his going home outfit. We stayed until Thursday the 28th because the first night he didn't eat enough and was a bit jaundices. Then Wednesday he wasn't able to get circumcised because the pediatrician wasn't there. He got circumcised Thursday. He did really well! We have such a tough little guy. The doctor said that he didn't even cry during the procedure and he didn't cry when they brought him back either. He was only gone for about a half hour. He latched right on for his feeding a couple minutes later too. Guess that smashes all the theories that circumcision messes with bonding and breastfeeding.  He is a champ feeder! At first he was having a hard time catching on to breastfeeding. He would thrust his tongue at my nipple and push it out as he was trying to suck and he was only getting the tip of my nipple and smashing it. That didn't feel too good, to say the least. We had to supplement with formula a couple times the first night because he wasn't getting enough from me since he was latching on wrong. We used a shield, which is a plastic cover thing that suctions the nipple out and helps babies to latch on the right way, and he did great. He is now having regular feedings and we don't have to supplement with formula. yay!

This is our happy little family.