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steve and i are ecstatic to introduce justin andrew eichele to the world.  he was born on January 10, 2012 weighing 9 lb, 8 oz and measuring 21 ½”.  when they refer to babies as little bundles of joy, they don’t nearly do our little love any justice.  he’s the most amazing, beautiful thing i have ever seen in my life.  we are so lucky he’s ours.  his entrance into the world wasn’t exactly how we planned it, but that doesn’t matter anymore b/c he’s here and he’s everything we ever dreamed he could be and so very much more.  here is justin’s birth story:

justin was due on january 2nd but i kept insisting to everyone that he would be early.  he had been measuring in the 70-80th percentile for size during his sonograms, and for some reason i thought this meant he would be done cooking early and would make his appearance some time between christmas and new years.

christmas and new years came and went, and still no baby.  i went to the doctor and he told me that since the baby was measuring at over 8 lbs we would have to induce on january 9th to make sure he wasn’t too big and we could have a safe delivery…but the doctor was sceptical about justin’s weight, and told me that by the look of my belly there was no way an 8½ lb baby was hiding in there, and that he MIGHT be born at around 8 lbs (ha!).  But he insisted we do the induction anyway.

i prayed for baby to come on his own, as i had read unfavorable things about inductions, but january 9th came and it was time to go to the hospital that night.  they started the meds and from 11pm through 5am nothing much happened to progress me, but my contractions were very close together so they couldn’t give me any more medication.  instead, they made a non-drug attempt at dilating me which sent my contractions into hyper-drive and i was in excruciating pain w contractions 1 minute (sometimes zero minutes) apart for 3½ hours.  i was only 2 cm dilated but the pain level was too intense, and the nurses and Dr’s agreed that a milder pain reliever would not help me at that pain level, and that the only thing that would help was an epidural.  i was relieved when the epidural kicked in and for the next 4 hours i labored until the doctor noticed i was only dilating to 4 cm and wouldn’t budge.  an hour later, he told me that the baby’s heart rate was dipping, and while this would usually indicate the baby trying to push down and be a positive thing, my body wasn’t dilating enough for the baby to progress and if he continued trying to drop without being able to for too long, it could put him in danger.  the doctor told me if there was no progress by 6pm, we would have to do a c-section.

i was not happy with this news, being that surgery has always been my greatest fear.  i had told my Dr from the beginning that i wanted to avoid a c-section at all costs, for the baby’s health and for my own sake.  20 minutes later, the Dr came back and told me he didn’t want to wait any longer, and that it was time.  this was the point at which the person having the baby turned into the baby.  my body began shaking and my blood pressure shot up.  i was freaking out and telling the nurses how afraid i was.  they told me to remember that the result of whatever was ahead was having my baby in my arms, but i couldn’t even focus on that.  i couldn’t stand the idea of having surgery, and of being awake for it!  they wheeled me into the OR and began prepping me.  i started feeling nauseous and dizzy and told them i felt i might pass out or vomit.  the next thing i knew, steve was next to me in scrubs and they said they were beginning.  once i knew it had started, i felt myself fainting.  i told steve i couldn’t stay awake and that i needed to pass out.  he tried to keep me awake by telling me our baby was coming, but i felt myself drifting off.  i was nearly passed out, and then all at once the doctor announced, “he’s here!” and i heard my son cry.  suddenly i was wide awake and overjoyed.  steve told me later that in a moment i went from my eyes rolling back, to them being wide open, with a huge smile on my face.  i didn’t care what they were doing to me anymore, all i cared about was my baby.  they brought him over to show us and there he was – this enormous blue baby!!  i worried this meant that something was wrong.  they took him away where i couldn’t see him, and steve kept assuring me he was fine and said over and over, “he’s SO BIG…he’s HUGE!”  the doctor even peeked over the surgery tent and told me it was the right choice to do the c-section, b/c he may have been too large for me to push out.  finally they got him cleaned up and put him in steve’s arms.  it was the greatest sight i’d ever seen…the love of my life holding the new life we’d just created.  and little justin was absolutely beautiful.

they told me i was all done and that they’d be wheeling me out soon.  they also told me that i would be holding justin as they wheeled me down the hall.  i became frightened because i couldn’t feel my arms and i told them i was going to drop him.  they assured me i wouldn’t and they put him on top of my chest.  i still couldn’t feel my arms but somehow was able to hold my little angel and we were off toward recovery.  as they wheeled me i heard the excited familiar voices of my mother and my sister in law melissa, and felt kisses on my cheek but i could barely tell what was going on.  once we got to recovery and steve held the baby for a bit, they took him away to weigh him and check him out and we had some time to rest.

we got to our room some time before 10, and i was grateful that the rooms are private and we had it to ourselves. they finally brought justin into us at 10:30 and we stared in awe at the beautiful little person we’d created.

justin is a week old today, and this has officially been the greatest week of my entire life.  taking care of him is the greatest joy i’ve ever experienced.  i am happy to wake up for feedings during the night…once i see his little face looking up at me, i know i’d rather be taking care of him at 3am than doing anything else at any other time of the day.  even steve, who is typically a grump when he wakes up at any hour, now wakes up for diaper changes in the middle of the night with a smile on his face and a sweet and gentle tone in his voice, to take care of his son.  i’ve never seen a man so in love with a child in my life.  it’s so beautiful it makes my heart melt.

justin is already the sweetest thing i could ever have dreamed of and i feel so blessed to be his mommy.  never in my life have i known or imagined a love like this…and it’s been just one week.  i can’t wait for the rest of our lives together as a family – steve, justin, and me.  ❤

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