At 4:54pm on January 26, 2012 our boy, Jack Lawrence, arrived almost three weeks early weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 18 inches long…

He is adorable, smart, brave and patient and keeps getting compliments on his beautiful head. Here is our detailed birth story…

Jack arrived by caesarean birth due to my ever-increasing high blood pressure. On Thursday morning, I went for a normal, weekly check-up, but my blood pressure had gotten progressively higher over 3 appointments, and on that morning was reading uncomfortably high. I’ll never forget how quiet and thoughtful my doctor got as he decided how to proceed…

Since I was still working (with just two days left before an intended 2-week nesting break), he said, “Ok, why don’t we make yesterday your last day; we’ll have you stop working, rest, and you’ll come back and see me again tomorrow afternoon. The great news is that you’re 37 weeks and so baby is full term, but I’d like to see if we can get a few more days before we consider induction”. I remember replying very calmly, “Ok”, but inside I was thinking, “WHAT!?”. Even though I was otherwise asymptomatic for Pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension, my doctor decided to send me to labor and delivery right then for an ultrasound and a non-stress test for baby and ongoing blood pressure monitoring for me. My doctor, R and I all expected the hospital visit to be a precaution, but after some monitoring showed my blood pressure was increasing despite medication to lower it, they finally told me, “You’re not leaving here today without delivering your baby”.

Those words rang out so loud, it was stunning and unbelievable. Unfortunately, at 37+3 weeks pregnant, I wasn’t dialated at all, so inducing labor would have been a major, uphill battle paired with my rising blood pressure. My nurse even said to me, “usually I am all for supporting a woman in her choice to labor naturally and birth vaginally, but honey, even with an epidural, pain causes spikes in blood pressure and you can’t afford to have those right now.”

Suddenly, all the labor preparation I had been doing with R was unnecessary and I was having surgery. Thus the caesarean I had been really hoping to avoid. I cried and R held my hand and told me I was brave.

Once it had been decided to move forward with the caesarean delivery I went through every emotion: laughter (at the fact that I had no hospital bag and I arrived at the hospital in a “cute outfit”), tears (as I accepted the method with which I would give birth), anger (at the idea of the method with which I would give birth), disappointment, elation, curiosity, fear, surprise, shock, denial, exhaustion, worry, excitement, etc, etc, etc. And my husband, bless him, was so present with me for all of it.

While this is not an attractive photo of me, it begs to be included because it shows that I was trying my hardest to wrap some things up at work with my phone while being prepped for surgery. I think you can see every emotion mentioned above in this photo…

Once the time came to get things started, R changed into his awesome surgery outfit, which I specifically requested him to capture a photo of, and he did…

My nurse, Jenny, was amazing and talked me through every step of the prep process so that I could stay on top of what to expect. Having never had any surgery before, I admit I was slightly terrified. Without my magically supportive husband, it all might have been too much. However, despite being petrified, when they allowed R to join me in the OR and he wanted to take my picture, I tried to keep my sense of humor…

My experience in the surgery was painless, reminding me that my imagination is powerful and the whole caesarean birth went by more quickly than I expected. Not too long after my lower body went numb, I heard a loud cry at which time, R reached his camera up and over the blue curtain and captured this amazing photo…
(don’t worry, not too graphic)

Then, the assisting doctor came around the blue curtain and showed us our boy for the first time. This was my first view of Jack Lawrence, which I will never forget…

R went with Jack to get cleaned up and to help cut the cord. He cried intensely with his strong little lungs and I listened with joy over his being healthy…

Finally, after he was swaddled up tight, R brought Jack over and we had some divine first moments of family…

After surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room to wait for feeling to return to my lower body and pretty soon, here came my husband and my son. Here I am getting to hold my boy for the first time. It was intense love at first touch…

I love you, RJ, my husband, and Jack-boy, my son. You are my everything.
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