Mother of Two

My due date was April 16th. The Dr had me scheduled to be induced on my due date. She says that I have "big babies" and she didn't want me to risk having complications.  On the 14th, I started having stronger contractions in the afternoon. I timed them and kept track.  They were about every 10 minutes.  Then my sister-in-law came over with her baby.  We talked and played.  I was distracted and didn’t think about the contractions as much.  After she left, Josh came home and we ate a late dinner.  Around 8pm, a really strong contraction hit.  The next one was about 6 minutes later and it was so strong that it scared me.  I walked into the kitchen and told Josh, “we’re having a baby TONIGHT!”  We packed up our stuff, dropped Adriaan off next door, and drove to the hospital.  I wasn’t completely convinced that I was in labor.  I was worried that they would turn me away and send me back home.  So, I kept praying that this was the real deal.  After we arrived at the hospital, the nurse came in to check me.  She said that I was dilated to a 6.  It WAS really happening!  The contractions in the car ride and at the hospital were strong, but manageable.  The anesthesiologist came in around 10pm.  I was so comforted and at peace when I saw that it was the same guy who did my first epidural.  He is amazing!  At one point he told me to “look at the ground”.  So since I couldn’t see past my tummy, I kept looking across the room to where I could see “the ground”.  Everyone was like, “Sarah, look at THE GROUND!”  I was like, “I AM!”  When I finally realized that he just wanted me to look straight down, I said, “why didn’t you just say so?!”  I had a good laugh and I thought that I was so funny. 

It was pretty much smooth sailing after I got the epidural.  The nurses turned off the lights and left.  Josh laid down and took a nap.  I tried to nap, but my brain was too hyped up to sleep.  Around 2 am I started feeling some lower pressure.  After waiting several minutes, I finally pressed the “nurse” button.  She came in and confirmed that my water had broken, I was at a 10 and this baby was ready to come.  My Dr. showed up, even though she was not the on-call Dr. that night.  She also delivered Adriaan and she is AMAZING!

They had me push a few times, then I pushed once more.  Our baby was born on April 15th at 3:00am.  He was 8 lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.  They wiped him down and placed him on my chest.  I just started crying.  They only left him there for a minute, because he was breathing weird.  They rushed him off to the NICU.  I sent Josh to follow and I sat up in bed, in awe of what had just taken place.  I didn’t fully understand what was going on with him, but I felt at peace.  I knew he was going to be okay.  A few hours later, they pushed me in a wheelchair to go see him.  It seemed unreal that I had a baby.  Everything went so smoothly plus I didn’t even have the baby with me.  Was it just a dream?  So when I saw him on the warming bed, this flood of emotion rushed through my body and I bawled (and bawled and bawled).  I was just so excited to have this little spirit join our family.  He had this tiny body and he looked just like his brother.  It was such an amazing experience!  Once I started crying, everyone in the room was like, “he’s going to be okay, don’t worry.”  The NICU nurse was really bothered that they had brought me in there and was trying to rush me out.  I turned to my nurse and said, “I’m not crying because I’m worried about him.  I JUST HAD A BABY!  I finally got to see him!”

It was hard to get much sleep after that.  So, I was really grateful that our baby was in the NICU for 5 days.  It was seriously a tender mercy.  Josh left to work and take care of Adriaan.  They put me in a “guest room” down the hall.  I was no longer a patient, but I got to stay there and see the baby anytime.  I had so much time to sleep and recuperate.  I didn’t have to take care of a toddler or a newborn.  It was a nice experience (except the fact that I was bored to death!)  After that experience I was grateful to leave, but also grateful for the time that I had to rest and heal.  Such a blessing!  Our baby was in the NICU, because he had pneumonia.  He was well taken care of and I didn’t worry about him too much.  They slowly weaned him off of everything and we were able to take him home after 5 days.  He had to continue the antibiotics at home for 2 more days.

The night before we were released, we finally decided to name him Samuel Sharkton Smith.  He definitely looks like a Samuel and its fun to call him Shark, Sharkie, or his cousins call him Jaws.  His relationship with Adriaan had a rocky start.  Adriaan’s whole world fell apart when we brought the baby home.  He was angry and emotional.  It took about 2 weeks to adjust, and now he can’t keep his hands off.  He loves his little brother so much.  I am so grateful for my 2 little boys!