Sometimes the best gifts in life come in the tiniest packages! Trenton Barrett Stidham came into our lives on August 29th and weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. He was actually a rather large baby considering I was only 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant when he was born.
The day before his birth started just like any other. I miserably got myself ready for work and wondered how many more days I would have to endure my enormous belly and uncomfortable pains I had been feeling. It was a Friday and I was scheduled to be induced exactly two weeks later. So I had told myself that morning, "Just 14 more days. I can do anything for 14 days."
As I drove to work, I began to have small contractions but thought nothing of them. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for several weeks and just thought it was more of the same. It was a work day at school so I spent the morning working in my classroom and trying to get everything ready for the upcoming school year. At about 9:30, I had a sharp pain while standing up and told another teacher that it no longer felt like Braxton Hicks. However, the contractions were super irregular and would just come and go periodically. I shook them off and just continued working.
At noon, they were coming more frequently but were still irregular. I called the doctor who told me to sit down for 30 minutes and just focus on what the contractions were doing. After a while, they stopped altogether but Trent had also stopped moving which had me a little worried. I called the doctor again and she told me to come on in to be checked that afternoon. Meanwhile, Kevin was up in D.C. working for the day so he was frantically trying to get home just in case I was in labor.
I got off work at 1:00 and called my mother-in-law to see if she would ride with me to the hospital. As soon as I picked her up, my contractions began coming 6 minutes apart the entire way to the hospital. Then as soon as we got there, they stopped once again. The doctor monitored me for a while and then told me that she couldn't confirm or deny that I was in labor. It was about 4:00 at this point and she advised me to hang out in Richmond for a little while (since we had such a long drive home) and get rechecked at the hospital at about 6:00. Kevin had made it back at this point but had to take his work truck back to the shop. So my mother-in-law and I decided to go eat some Mexican food and then visit Target to pass the time. My contractions began intensifying but had gone back to being irregular once again.
At 6:00 pm, we went to the hospital where I was admitted into Triage. Sure enough, my contractions were coming about 3-4 minutes apart but I was't dilating very quickly. They monitored me for a few hours and the doctor told me that although she hated to send me home, she wasn't sure that I was in labor and that she wasn't comfortable inducing me since I was only 37 weeks.
I stayed hooked up to the monitor and at 8:00 pm I suddenly had 3 major contractions that were about 45 seconds apart. I told Kevin to go get the doctor. They had recently had a shift change so the new doctor came in to check me. I told him that if he intended to send me home, he would have to give me an epidural first. He checked me and although I was only slightly more dilated, he said that was good enough for him. He wasn't going to risk having me drive an hour back home.
I immediately got my epidural and things began progressing. Kevin and I were both able to get some rest and at 3:30 am I began pushing. Twelve minutes later at 3:42, Trent was born! It was such a surreal feeling having a little boy placed into my arms. I immediately felt that mother/son connection and was overwhelmed by the love I felt for this precious third child.
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| This was the best family photo we could get! Rowan was a little uncooperative. |
Blakely and Rowan got to meet him later that day. Blakely took to him immediately but it took Rowan a little longer. We have to be really careful when she's around since she is still so little and doesn't recognize her own strength. But overall, she has done great with him and is learning how to be gentle. She loves giving him kisses and peeking in on him while he's sleeping in his pack n' play.
So far, he is a really easy baby. He sleeps great and cries very little. Since he was early, he struggled with a little jaundice and his weight continued to drop during the first two weeks. We made several trips to the pediatrician early on, but his weight has started coming back up so the doctor is no longer worried.
Being a mom to 3 kids is not easy but man o man is it fun!
