It's a BOY...C'est un garcon!

It was four weeks ago today that our lives were blessed with the arrival of our beautiful and precious Baby Ryan Philippe Chamberlin. In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday (I know I will always remember it like it was yesterday) yet in other ways, it feels like he has always been a part of this family. It all began on Monday, August 17th, 2009. Robert and I went to the hospital together at 2:00pm for my scheduled, every-other-day check-up (since I was past the due date - 7 days late according to the US pregnancy calendar/3 days late according to France). The midwife hooked me up to the machines, checked contractions for one hour, checked blood pressure, dilation (still 2 cm after one month!), etc. and told us that everything was fine with the baby, but decided to schedule me to be admitted the following day at 4:30pm with plans to induce labour in the early morning of August 19th. However, approximately 6 and a half hours later, after just having tucked Andrew into bed, I began to feel some cramps. When I told Robert, he was already to jetset to the hospital! I immediately told him to hold his horses, and wasn't even sure if it was labour pains I was feeling, as three weeks prior, I had felt some cramping in my tummy which turned out to be nothing but gas! However, as time progressed, and the cramps became stronger and more frequent, I was pretty sure this was the real thing this time and began timing them. They were less than 10 minutes apart. We called the next door neighbour who had previously agreed to watch Andrew for the night, we both took showers, finished packing up the hospital bag, and were heading out the door shortly past 11:00pm that night. The contractions by that point were 5 minutes apart and pretty darn painful! Again, I was hooked up to the machines by the midwife, and since I was still only 2cm dilated, she was not even sure that I would be admitted that evening. After one hour of contractions, SEVERE labour pains (primarily in my back, as expected) and tears streaming down my face, the midwife returned, admitted us into Room #2111 and graciously gave me a shot of morphine! Robert had nothing but a small, uncomfortable chair to sleep in, and I was, of course, in the bed right beside him. Despite the shot of morphine that helped tremendously with the pain, I still felt the contractions all night long, was boiling hot, and did not manage a single wink of sleep. By 5:00am, the morphine had pretty much worn off, and the pain was becoming increasingly intense. So...I buzzed the little nurse button and kindly demanded more drugs!!! I was no further dilated than I was the previous afternoon, but fortunately my cervix had begun to thin out; I could therefore be taken to the labour and delivery room and after another two hours of rather excruciating labour pains, I was dilated enough to be given an epidural! In France, visitors (i.e. Robert) are not allowed to be with the patient while the epidural is being administered (which kinda scared me since my epidural experience with Andrew was not at all pleasant). Anyway, it worked out well, as Robert took that time to go home, give Andrew his breakfast, and take him to his daycare. He was back with me in the labour and delivery room with plenty of time still to spare! The midwife, who was going to be delivering the baby, (and who could not have been a day over 25, but was absolutely fantastic) kept coming in and out of the room, periodically checking in on me in between her other deliveries. I subsequently learned that the midwives handle all of the deliveries with exception to forceps or c-sections, in which case a Doctor would be called in. Anyway, shortly before noon, she let us know it was almost time to start pushing. Once I translated this to Robert (all of the hospital staff were solely french-speaking), we both looked at each other, held hands, and the tears of pure joy trickled down both of our faces. At 12:07pm, nearly 16 hours after contractions began, yet only after a few short minutes of pushing, our bundle of joy entered this world, weighing 8 lbs, 1 oz (3.68 kilos) and measuring 20.9 inches (53 cm). I looked down, asked what it was, and Robert was the first to see..."It's a BOY"!, he so proudly stated!
Editor's note: Robert (who is currently off on his paternity leave) just came in and suggested we go watch a movie. Both boys are in bed, dinner dishes are done, great idea...so, more to come on the hospital experience and the weeks following soon!