The story of the birth of Seth:
Thursday afternoon/evening Ryan and I went to go hang with Poppy and CC at the condo after his nap. We were planning eating dinner and visiting so Daddy could get some good studying done in a quiet house. Once we got there I started having some lower abdomen pain that didn't feel like any of the contractions I have previously had. They started getting pretty steady and consistent. I started timing them and they became about 5 mins apart but weren't too painful, just uncomfortable. Ryan and I hurried and ate dinner so we could pack up and head home to Daddy just in case this was the real thing. Yep, it was. On the drive home the contractions became a bit stronger and were becoming closer together. And wouldn't you know I would get stopped by the bridge!! I called our close friend Bec whose profession has mainly been in Labor and Delivery and she confirmed that it sounded like the beginning stages of labor. She suggested timing them and if they were getting stronger and were remaining consistent (2 mins apart) for an hour to go ahead to triage. By the time I got home and we could pack our bags it was very apparent that we were having a baby that night. Poppy and CC were on their way to sit with Ryan while we headed to the hospital. We were all braced for the fact that the baby was coming!! Lee's parents headed to Wilmington at that time too. My contractions were 2 minutes apart and getting a lot stronger and stayed that way from then on. Once we confirmed that we were going to be admitted, Anna came over to spend the night with Ryan so we wouldn't have to move him to her house. Thank goodness her mother in law was in town so she could do that for us. What a relief to know your child is in good hands and is going to be taken care of!! Thanks Anna!!!
We labored all night: Lots of pain, 2 epidurals because the first one didn't work, seriously intense pain with hard and fast contractions that were 2 mins apart the entire night from the very beginning, lots of support from our parents, concern for trying for a VBAC....could I really do this if my epidural didn't eventually work and if Seth's heart rate couldn't handle the strong and fast contractions? We were grateful that the doc that delivered Ryan would also be the one to deliver Seth, grateful that our friend Bec came to the hospital at 5am to help us birth our second son and for the calm that she brought our families, grateful for awesome nurses, a crazy game of tug of war I had to play with my nurse while pushing for an hour and a half (which is not for the faint of heart or weak), and grateful to God for letting our little guy's heart handle the delivery part of labor so we didn't have to go to surgery at the last minute.....we were so close to a c-section. After all of these emotions and challenges I finally delivered our precious little guy at 8:04am after a LONG night. He was 7lbs, 9 ozs. Seth Murphy Craft made us fall in love all over again. The love for a child is so hard to describe and is awesome. We stayed in the hospital until Sunday--I had some birth injuries and Seth had a fracture in his right clavicle that we needed to have looked at and monitored. We are both doing well and are settling in at home. Life is busy and breastfeeding is at the center of our world right now. Seth is so far a very easy baby. He's sleeping and eating well--something we are so grateful for. We will settle into a routine soon and life will have a new normal for our family. Ryan is being super sweet to Seth and seems to genuinely love his brother, kissing him unprompted and talking to him unprompted. A brother's bond is already forming and it is awesome to witness :)
We labored all night: Lots of pain, 2 epidurals because the first one didn't work, seriously intense pain with hard and fast contractions that were 2 mins apart the entire night from the very beginning, lots of support from our parents, concern for trying for a VBAC....could I really do this if my epidural didn't eventually work and if Seth's heart rate couldn't handle the strong and fast contractions? We were grateful that the doc that delivered Ryan would also be the one to deliver Seth, grateful that our friend Bec came to the hospital at 5am to help us birth our second son and for the calm that she brought our families, grateful for awesome nurses, a crazy game of tug of war I had to play with my nurse while pushing for an hour and a half (which is not for the faint of heart or weak), and grateful to God for letting our little guy's heart handle the delivery part of labor so we didn't have to go to surgery at the last minute.....we were so close to a c-section. After all of these emotions and challenges I finally delivered our precious little guy at 8:04am after a LONG night. He was 7lbs, 9 ozs. Seth Murphy Craft made us fall in love all over again. The love for a child is so hard to describe and is awesome. We stayed in the hospital until Sunday--I had some birth injuries and Seth had a fracture in his right clavicle that we needed to have looked at and monitored. We are both doing well and are settling in at home. Life is busy and breastfeeding is at the center of our world right now. Seth is so far a very easy baby. He's sleeping and eating well--something we are so grateful for. We will settle into a routine soon and life will have a new normal for our family. Ryan is being super sweet to Seth and seems to genuinely love his brother, kissing him unprompted and talking to him unprompted. A brother's bond is already forming and it is awesome to witness :)
Mama the day before Seth was born! 38 weeks, 5 days pregnant!
Ryan meeting his baby brother for the first time. He didn't like the hospital so that part was a challenge but he did like Seth and loved on him with a kiss or two.
Mama after birth. Feeling a little rough but very excited and overwhelmed with emotions.
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