Layton is here!!!!

This was the morning we left for the hospital. It was 4:00 a.m.



Holding Layton for the first time. . .
First family photo of 3
Daddy holding Layton for the first time
Getting checked out in the nurseryEnjoying every minute of him in my armsWide eyed in Daddy's arms
So tiny and preciousDaddy changing Layton's diaperLeaving the hospital with our new bundle of joy All buckled up in his new car seat.

Sorry it has taken me a week to post but needless to say things have been a little crazy at our house. The first week has been a lot of fun and very tiring at the same time. We are slowly figuring out what works with Layton and just trying to get as much rest as we can when he is sleeping. Here are all the details from Tuesday June 16th his birthday.

We were induced because my doctor thought he might be a little bigger than average. We had to be at the hospital at 5 am so we were up at 3:30 that morning getting ready so we could leave the house by 4. Surprisingly I think I slept a couple of hours that night but that morning I woke up and was so excited and nervous. It hit me on the way to the hospital I kept thinking wow today we will get to meet our son and I was a little emotional. I managed to pull it together by the time we got to the hospital. We got checked in and they started the pitocin by 6 am I didn't really feel any contractions until about 8. The nurses told me I would probably have him by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. My doctor came in at 7:30 and broke my water and that was a little painful. By 9 I was really feeling the contractions so I went ahead and requested the epidural. The labor and delivery unit at the hospital was so busy that day I was third in line for the epidural. I finally got the epidural at 10:45 and was feeling no pain which was amazing.

My parents, my grandma and Deborah all showed up in the mean time. It was nice to have more people to talk to while I waited for the epidural. It took my mind off the pain. We tried watching a movie but I couldn't concentrate on anything my mind was going a hundred miles an hour. I tried to sleep but couldn't I was too excited. It was a really long day and they told me not to eat anything that morning so I was starving all day. The only thing they would give me were ice chips. My epidural slowly stopped working on the left side so they came in and adjusted it several times before it started working again. My doctor checked me at noon and I was only 3 cm and I was 2 cm the day before at my doctor's appt. so I hadn't made much progress all morning. The nurses continued to increase the amount of pitocin I was getting but the intensity of my contractions weren't increasing enough for me to dilate. The nurses told me I had wimpy contractions but I don't care what they said they still hurt before I had the epidural. We hung out all afternoon and just talked and the nurse came in and checked me around 2:00 and I still hadn't made any progress and they started warning me that I might have to have a c section. I was okay with that I had already prepared myself for either because I just wanted a healthy baby I didn't care how he got here. At 4:00 they checked me and I was 5 cm and they all seemed encouraged that maybe my body would start to dilate. By 5:00 I was at 7.5 cm and I knew then that I would be able to have this baby without a c section. About this time one of my monitors started beeping and I slowly started to feel the contractions which were coming right after another at this point. I called the nurse and my epidural had run out so they came and replaced it and then I was good to go again. The anesthesiologist wasn't very happy with the nurses because they should have been watching it closer.

At about 6:30 my brother Daniel and sister n law Lauren showed up and they came to the room and talked just for a minute. At this point my body was shaking uncontrollably I was so nervous and excited I started to get red and blotchy all over my chest. It was like I knew it was about to happen and couldn't calm down. I told my mom it felt like I needed to go to the bathroom and I was feeling a lot of pressure so she went and got the nurse and they checked me and I was finally at 10 cm. Clifton told everyone that it was time for them to go to the waiting room that we were going to have the baby. Clifton was so good to me all day long getting me whatever I needed and he was really trying to calm me down at this point I was so nervous and shaky.

The nurses came in and started getting everything ready and we started with some practice pushes. They were so encouraging and said we would have the baby in no time at all. It was a strange feeling because I didn't feel any pain but I felt lots of pressure so my body knew when it was time to push. The nurses finally decided they better call the doctor because he was coming after about 30 minutes of pushing so they had me wait a little bit until she got closer. Once Dr. King came in I was determined to get him out. They were all calling him the inch worm because his head was slowly coming out. Finally after an hour of pushing Layton made his way into this world at 7:46 p.m. They immediately put him on my stomach and he was so warm and the doctor made the comment wow he is so big you just had a toddler. Then the nurses were all placing bets on how much he weighed. He weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long. As soon as they cleaned him up they handed him to me and I was crying this whole time I just couldn't believe that he was finally here and was just perfect. While Clifton and I were taking it all in they began to play the lullaby over the speakers at the hospital. Everytime a baby is born they play it and we kept hearing it go off all day so that was really emotional when we finally heard Layton's lullaby we both cried. I called my dad to let everyone in the waiting room know that he was here and was healthy. The doctor stitched me up I had some minor tearing and then I was able to nurse Layton right away. Then our families came in to meet the little guy and I got to hand him off so I could eat some dinner. I was starving after all that hard work. Everyone went to the nursery window to watch him get checked out and get his first bath. Clifton went in the nursery to take pictures of everything. In the mean time the nurses got me all cleaned up and ready to move to my post partum room. Everyone eventually came back and told us goodbye and then they moved us to our new room. My legs were still not working because the epidural hadn't worn off yet so they put me in a wheelchair to transport me to our post partum room. They brought Layton to our room finally and I got to nurse him again. We were up until about 1 am just staring at him and enjoying our time with him.

We stayed in the hospital 2 nights so we were home by Thursday at noon. The nurses took such great care of both of us and I was really happy with the way everything turned out. I am so thankful I didn't have to have a c section after all. Clifton changed almost all the diapers while we were in the hospital and was so helpful with everything. I was really sore the next day so it was a challenge getting out of bed by myself. I was able to get up and shower the next morning which made me feel so much better. We had lots of friends and family come see us which was so nice. Layton has so many people that love him so much already. Above are some pictures from the hospital. Enjoy!