The Campbells: May 2012

Where do I even start with the story of Jacks arrival?

Mom arrived on Jacks due date, May 5th. We spent all week doing yard work, making trips to the store, going on walks and anything else we could think of to try to induce labor. We also ate way too many creamies. She came with me to the doctor on Wednesday for my "overdue" appointment. The Doctor stripped my membrane in hopes that would also get labor going. My induction was scheduled for Monday so unless Jack came on his own, Mom would miss his arrival. Nothing happened until Friday.

I have heard so stories about women's water breaking and a gush of water went everywhere and got their pants wet. And they were at the grocery store by themselves. Tragic. THANKFULLY, that didn't happen to me. It started with a trickle that I wasn't sure was my water breaking or not. That happened a few times before I started to feel faint cramps accompanying my Braxton Hicks contractions, which I had been having for weeks. These were different- the real thing. I called the nurse and she reassured me that it was time to go to the hospital!

We were checked into the hospital by 9:45pm on Friday. Mom and Sarah joined us around 11pm as my contractions slowly got more and more painful. I tried sitting on a birthing ball for a while before finally discovering that standing up and leaning on Colin was the best way to get through them. But when I started laboring while standing, my contractions came every minute and they were really painful. I was at the point where I couldnt talk through them. Sarah and Mom helped me to remember to breathe while Colin put pressure on my lower back and breathed with me. With each contraction, I visualized Jack getting closer to us! For a half hour, I had contractions every minute until I was so exhausted, I called in the epidural at 3am. I was dilated to 5cm before I fell asleep for an hour. That was the only decent amount of sleep I got between Friday morning and Saturday night- 2 days.

I hadn't put a ton of thought into whether or not I wanted Mom to be there but after spending a week with her and having her help me through contractions, I wanted so much for her to be there. I am so glad I made that decision. Jack is not Moms first grandchild but I know they will have something special together because she was there at his birth.

By 6:30 am, I was almost fully dilated and started pushing. The nurse, Sarah, Mom and Colin all coached me through pushing Jack closer to entering the world. Jack was stuck at the same point for 50 minutes. His heart rate was irregular which worried the doctor. She didn't know if his cord was wrapped around his neck. She thought forceps was the best choice we had at the point to get him out and avoid having a C-section. From the time she started with the forceps procedure, it was less than two minutes and Jacks little body was all the way out and he immediately started screaming. As Jack was coming out, I heard mom and Sarah both say, "oh my gosh, he has hair," but it wasn't until I heard Colin gasp in realization that his son was here that I started crying.

It's hard to pin down exactly what was going through my head because there were SO many things but I had just accomplished something I had wished for since I was young- I was a Mom. I felt so close to heaven as they put my baby's perfect body on my chest. He was purple and screaming. There were 10 fingers and 10 toes. He was beautiful. My sobs were uncontrollable and tears streamed down my face. I looked over at Colin's smile and tear-filled eyes as he couldn't take his eyes off of his wife and new son. It was the second time I have ever seen him cry, the other being when we knelt across the alter of the temple to be married. Two and a half years later, we are now a family of three.

Jack Scott Campbell was born at 8:07am on May 12, 2012.

Weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

Measured 21 inches long.

Head circumference measured 37cm.

He looks like Daddy.

Jack came the day before Mothers Day. What a perfect gift for my first Mothers Day.

I have the most wonderful husband in the world. I know for a fact that his number one concern is his family. He goes to work everyday and works hard so we can have the things we need to be comfortable as we grow together. I am so surprised at him as we went through labor, delivery and recovery. He did everything he could to make me comfortable when I was in such discomfort during labor. Although traumatic, through the delivery, he held me hand and kept his cool. While recovering, he has been up in a flash to get me anything I need. He has done the dishes, laundry and kept the house straightened. The first few nights at home, he got up with me every time Jack was up(the first night it was every hour). Breastfeeding has been difficult but Colin has been supportive through it all. Sometimes, I don't know how I got so lucky to have Colin as my husband.

You're everything I'll ever need. I want to grow old with you, love. Lets have a crazy house full of kids and have tons of fun.

Daddy came up with Jacks name.

'Scott' is Grandpa Ric's middle name.

More birth photos to come. Thanks Sarah for being there to document the event.