Landon's Birth Story!

Well, here I sit with a little boy who isn't so little anymore and 8 months pregnant! I figured if I don't get Landon's birth story written, when would I find the time to get both Landon AND Layla's done!

On the evening of June 14th, 2009, I sat at home with Dane, my mom & sister Brandi watching the clock waiting for 9pm to come around for the hospital to call me to tell me they had a room available for me. Let me tell you, those are the longest hours of your life. I sat there, so ready to go deliver my baby, not nervous one bit. 10, 11, 12 rolls around. No call! Could they have forgotten about me?!?! So I decided to give them a call! Sorry, no room for you at this time, wait for us to call you! Ahhh! OK. Maybe I'll try and get some sleep. I swear it seemed like 2 minutes after I closed my eyes and fell asleep that my phone was ringing. It was the nurse telling me to come in now, they had a room open! Annnnd the nerves set in. I was so nervous to leave the house. I had prepared for this moment for what seemed to be a lifetime, but suddenly I wasn't ready!!! Grandpa Dane drove of course, so I had plenty of time on the ride there to get even more nervous! It's now around 3am once we got settled into our room.

Dang! That's one big belly! :)

4am They start the pitocin and I am checked for the 1st time. At a 3 and ready to go! They told me if nothing is happening by 7 or 8 am that my doctor would be in to break my water.

Around 4:30 my sisters went to get me something to drink and next thing I remember is my sister Amber leaning over my bed asking me what flavor juice I wanted and I heard "pop" it sounded exactly like a water balloon busting!! I said "what was that???" and I was soaked! I shouted loud enough for everyone on my floor to hear "MY WATER BROKE!!" I was so excited, well for about 5 seconds, then I realized Holy crap, this was really happening. and I am soaking wet! Like literally, they had to change my bed 10 different times because there was so.much.water!!!!! I decided to hold off on the epidural until I felt actual labor pains. they told me the anesthesiologist was just minutes away so whenever I decided to get it, let them know!

Let me just tell you this, contractions when your water is not broke compared to contractions when your water is broke IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT. They were 50 times stronger within 2 minutes! Holy cow, Yea.. I'm no super woman.. I'll take the drugs! and thankfully he was in the room ready to hook me up within 5 minutes!!!!

From there I progressed 1 cm per hour. Around noon I was fully dilated and ready to push! So I pushed with the nurse a few times. Landon didn't like this! his heart rate was dropping dramatically. after trying different positions of pushing, his heart rate was getting lower, and lower.

Dane was a nervous wreck. He was rearranging the room and going to the bathroom in between every contraction. I felt sooo bad for him! But I guarantee we had the cleanest room out of anyone on our floor. He cleaned that son of a gun 700 times LOL

The nurses decided that putting a internal monitor on Landon's scalp would be the best thing to do. Apparently I had lost too much water too quickly, and he was basically sitting inside a deflated balloon. So in went the water again. Everything was such a blur to me, I honestly had no idea what was going on, I was so out of it, there were nurses everywhere and I WAS SCARED!!! A c-section was the last thing I wanted, but I knew if it was the best thing for Landon, I would be more than ready to have one!

After putting the water back in and monitoring him internally, he seemed to be doing ok again and I was able to push! 2 hours of pushing later, here comes God. aka Doctor Snowden. Why hadn't he been in the room this entire time. I would have felt much more comfortable with him than the nurses. He lightened the mood, and told me he wanted a baby, and he wasn't leaving that room without one. He meant business-- and that is exactly what I needed because 2 hours of pushing, I was exhausted!!!!!!!

Landon had decided last minute that he wanted to be born sunny side up! Thats why I was pushing for sooooo long, and getting no where. He was in a position that doesn't like to bend very well in the birth canal. and only about 5% of women are able to deliver a baby vaginally so I definitely got lucky!!!!!

My epidural had worn off at this point so he had to give me a shot, and do a little dirty work with the knife, and 3 pushes later he placed this in my arms...

I suddenly had no more pain, no worries, no other thoughts other than this little guy that I was holding. Every problem I had in the world was GONE so quickly! Definitely love at first sight!!!!

He didn't make a sound. I kept asking if he was Ok, and they kept telling me he was perfect! Landon didn't make his first sound until they took him out of my arms.

His first cries.

Daddy's little boy!

Landon Craig was born on June 15, 2009 at 2:51pm

weighing 7 pounds 9 oz, 21.5 inches and absolutely perfect!

This little boy has forever changed my life.

So handsome at 1 day old.

ps. I absolutely love his chunky wrists. hehe!

true love <3