Speedy Delivery

I said over and over that I did not want to go past my due date. I was determined to have this baby in July so that all our boys could have their own birthday month. (I know that's silly, but it was important to me!) I thought at 35 weeks that I was going into labor, and ended up experiencing multiple false alarms for the remaining five weeks. I had my membranes stripped three times!! And yet, my little man was still determined to stay right where he was, warm and comfy in my belly. When I went in for my 40 week appointment on my due date, my doctor said it would be ok to go ahead and induce the next morning. As it turns out, that was probably the best thing we could have done!

I went in for the induction at 7:30 am after having contractions on and off the entire night before. At about 8 am, the doctor came in and broke my water, and soon after I was started on a pitocin drip. In no time, the contractions were coming 2-3 minutes apart and were really starting to get painful, so at about 9 am I requested an epidural. Of course, it took nearly 20 minutes for the anesthesiologist to arrive, and then it took another 20 minutes to get the thing in and the meds flowing. At around 9:45, the doctor told me that I should be feeling

more and more relief with each contraction. She checked me and told me that I was 6 cm dilated and would probably be ready to deliver at around noon. Then she left and told the nurse to page her when I was complete. With each contraction that came in those next few minutes, I felt less of the contraction pain but more and more of this horrible burning pressure in my lower extremities. This was unfamiliar to me, so I asked the nurse what was going on. She decided to check me again, and guess what--in five minutes I had gone from 6 cm to 10 cm!! I was ready to start pushing! Of course, the doctor had just left, so we had to page her to get her to come right back, and all this time the nurse is telling me not to push b/c it's my third baby and he might just pop right out! It was extremely intense for the next half hour, but with just three rounds of pushes once the doc arrived, our sweet baby Callan George Smith made his entrance into the world at 10:32 am! Once his shoulders were out, the doctor had me reach down and deliver the rest of him, and that was really amazing! I couldn't believe how perfect he was and how Brad and I could be so blessed yet again!

That evening, Callan met his brothers and his Oma for the first time. Brody and Leyton brought cupcakes, champagne, and presents. I was so worried, but I shouldn't have been at all. B and L took to their new little brother like I couldn't believe, and they are still lovin' on him every chance they get. Brody immediately wanted to hold him, and Leyton just wanted to pat his little head. It was so precious to see all of them together, and I really couldn't ask for anything more. They are going to be the best of friends!

We are so thankful for the many well wishes, gifts, and visitors that we have had over the last few days. Bringing another baby into the world is one of life's greatest gifts, and we are so honored that we have been able to add another healthy, beautiful little one into our family.