On March 4th we officially welcomed our first child into the family and those first few days were eye opening to both Jackie and myself. The original due date was March 2nd but we both had decided to go in to the hospital so Jackie could get induced. She was admitted the next day around 3 in the afternoon. We had packed all our things well in advanced yet we had no idea the marathon we were in for.
At around 5:30 pm the doctor had come in to break Jackie’s water and had let us know she was about 3 – 4 cm dilated. For the next few hours she was feeling the contractions building up taking the pain until she couldn’t take it any more. At about 9:30 pm Jackie had requested the epidural be administered to her. After the procedure the nurse had checked her dilation and had changed to 4.5 cm.
The epidural helped alleviate the pain for the time being but Jackie was still feeling the pressure. Fortunately the epidural did provide another benefit in that it helped speed along the process. By 1:30 am the contractions had increased in intensity to the point the effectiveness of the epidural had waned and we had to notify the nurse. At this point Jackie was 8-9 cm dilated and it was showtime!
The doctor was notified but had to drive back to the hospital and didn’t arrive until roughy 2 am. By this point Jackie was roiling in pain and my anxiety had hit new heights. I had been standing next to her for 2 hours but once the doctor showed up I had to sit down and make sure I wouldn’t pass out. Thankfully my mom was there to step in to support her. After about an hour Jackie had gotten a little frustrated (our labor and delivery nurse did not help with this) and her mom and I stepped in to keep her focused on pushing our baby out.
Finally on March 4th at 4:08 am, our son made his debut crying like a healthy baby does. Once I knew he was out, I started crying just like him. I was so relieved that Jackie had gotten him out and I was relieved that he came out healthy. I was then given the task to cut the cord which was awesome. The pediatrician at the hospital inspected and weighed our little lad, coming in at a solid 7 lbs 13 oz.
After he was out both Jackie and I were tired, obviously she was a lot more tired than I was after doing the most intense and unique 2 hour workout of her life. The following days were a blur of getting 3 hours of sleep or less and getting interrupted by all different types of hospital staff. The nurses who came in were either poking and prodding Tristan or they were poking and prodding Jackie. Though I will say that the nurses who took care of us over those 48 hours were really great and I am thankful for all the help that they gave us.
When the 48 hour observation was over with, we were finally able to all go home. I remember the drive that Friday was surreal. It was a gorgeous day and just knowing that we had Tristan there with us was unbelievable. Nearly two weeks later, it has felt like a roller coaster. The diaper changes alone have been a hilarious experience for both Jackie and myself. And of course, everyone was right when they said the amount of sleep will go down, but we have managed to get by so far.
We have gotten to know our little one very well in the short time that we’ve been together and yet there are still many things left to learn. As of now though I know Jackie and I are doing the best that we can to help each other out. After all, it took both of us to bring him into this world and it will take both of us to raise him in it.