Winston Michael Fox

























WINSTON MICHAEL FOX
November 19, 2012
5:37 PM
7 lbs 7 oz 21 inches long

Birth Story
for all you over achievers who want all the details

I started to feel contractions around 12:45 am Sunday night but I kept going back to sleep because I was so irritated. After five days of back labor, and already getting sent home from the hospital once with nothing but a shot of morphine to show for it, I was not in the mood for more Braxton-Hicks. They didn't stop though. By 2:00 am I started keeping track, 10 minutes apart and impossibly painful. I knew the rule. Wait until your contractions are consistently 3-6 minutes apart and painful enough for you to breathe through for an entire hour before you go in to the hospital. By 3:45 they were 7 minutes apart but I couldn't wait any longer. I swear it felt like I was going to have the baby right there in our room. I figured during our half hour drive down to Provo they would pick up and we'd be set to be admitted. But of course by the time we pulled in to the parking lot they had slowed down to ten minutes apart and weren't anywhere near as painful. I was So. Mad. This was not happening again! I told Evan and my Mom to wait in the car and got out to walk laps around the parking lot to see if I could kick them back into gear. I couldn't bear the thought of going through all the motions just to get sent home because my cervix wasn't dilating. I didn't even make it past the first row of cars before I was doubled over in pain. Success! We went up to labor and delivery and got set up in a room. I was dilated to a 3 and the contractions were around 4 minutes apart according to the monitor. By 5:30 am (an hour later) I was still a 3 but considering it was my due date and the nurse who checked me in was sure I was in labor, they let me stay. Yes! We're having a baby! Today! They asked me if I wanted my epidural, and let me be clear I wanted that epidural, but I was hoping to make it further than a 3 before getting pain meds involved. Mom and Evan set up camp and settled in for the long haul. 6:30 came and went and I was still a 3. By 7 am I was starting to believe the nurse who told me a lot of times epidurals speed up the process because it helps you relax. Give me the drugs. Unfortunately, for some reason my epidural only worked on the left side. It took the edge off enough that I didn't have to breath through every single contraction so I decided just to go with it. Heather came to visit on her way to work and Kirsten popped in to distract me for a while too. By noon, I had only made it to a 4 so they decided to start pitocin and the epidural had completely worn off. The anesthesiologist was in a c-section so I would just have to wait "5-8 minutes". Evan was amazing, always staying by my side, letting me squeeze his hand and coaching me through the worst ones, but by 1:30 I was in tears and positive I would never survive this whole experience. I guess that made an impression because next thing I knew the anesthesiologist snuck out of the c-section and shot me up with the biggest syringe I have ever seen. Um, epidurals that actually work are incredible. Seriously? Labor could have been this easy all day? A long three hour nap later and I was a 9 and 3/4.  Game time. They let me start "practice pushing" at 5:00 pm reasoning that I was a first time mom so it would be a few hours before we got anywhere, but I'd delivered enough wimpy pushers to know that was not something I was interested in doing. After 5 contractions the nurse told me to stop so she could get the doctor, then 5 more contractions with Dr. Grover in the catchers spot and Winston was born! Every baby I delivered while working in Payson always made me tear up, but doing it myself was a totally different experience. It took so much focus and concentration to make it through the labor all day and the delivery that I was just exhausted by the time he was born. My favorite part was watching Evan's reactions. Let's be honest, growing a baby for nine months is a little one sided. I always had him feel the baby kick and he was great about going with my food cravings or rubbing my back but seeing that little precious human in his arms was like magic. It was finally real, for all of us. I can't believe how much we love him. It is the most amazing feeling to hold a perfect little baby half me and half the man I love more than anyone in the world. I can't believe how adorable he is to me, I finally understand all those moms I had to unfollow on instagram for their constant flood of seemingly identical pictures. I'll try and restrain myself, but I'm not making any promises so consider this your warning. I could just stare at him all day. I can't believe we get to keep him forever. I couldn't be more thankful. He opens his big blue eyes and stares. Evan says he's looking at angels. I think we are.


Comments

  1. Ooh he's DARLING!!! Congratulations! He just looks so perfect. All that dark hair--so adorable!

    And in that first picture, you hardly look like a woman about to have a baby! So tiny still! :)

    Congrats again and I can't wait to meet him!

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  2. Congratulations to you both!! We are s very happy for you! You described becoming a mother for the first time just perfectly. Yes, now we understand after having our own, don't we? Next come all those lessons the baby will teach us! I know you and Evan will be up for it, and will make wonderful parents. Congratulations again! He is so precious and cute!! Glad you're both doing great! :)

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  3. oops - meant to change my 'posting name' - this is Teri 9. :0)

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  4. He is adorable! I'm sorry your labor was so long, I don't know what that is like. I do agree with you, epidurals ROCK! I was induced and after the 2nd contraction I was in tears, you are one tough girl!
    I'm happy he is finally here, your lives will not be the same, its official, welcome to the mommy club.

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  5. Congratulations!! He is such a beautiful baby boy. You guys will be great parents!!

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