Alec's Birth Story

 Since I shared Ian's birth story with the NJAM How I Became a Mom post I figured it was only fair to share each of my boys' birth stories on the blog.  Alec's could not be more different from Ian's if I tried!  From day one everything about my pregnancy was different too. 

I had "morning sickness" (though why is it called that even when it lasts all day?!) for the entire 9 months. In fact I had a check up on the day I ended up going into labor and I remember my doctor saying she was glad I had at least another week before my due date because she was hoping I would put on just a few more pounds before having the baby.  I never even gained 20 pounds. I went to a baby shower just a few months prior for one of my best friends and no one in her family thought I was even pregnant!  

My whole family was convinced Alec HAD to be a girl since the pregnancies were so vastly different-- they nearly had me convinced too!  But just in case we still went with neutral themes for the nursery.  I forgot to mention in Ian' birth story that I made wall murals for each of my boys' rooms.  Ian's was painted with frogs and cattails and dragonflies while Alec's was a jungle theme. 

But anyway; back to the actual birth story!  After getting home from my doctor's appointment where she had had managed to strip a few membranes and said I was already at 3 cm and 40% effaced,  I took Ian who was not quite 2 at the time up for a walk to our mailbox.  Our mailbox sits at the end of the private road we live on so with toddler this was a good 45 minute activity.  Only problem was that 1/2 way through the walk he wanted me to carry him.  I started having contractions off and on the whole walk but didn't think too much of it.

Alec was born long and skinny; just like he is now!  Though his hair was much darker.

I called the doctor after we arrived home and the contractions hadn't stopped. She recommended I lay down and take it easy and see if they went away (I did mention I had a nearly 2 year old at the time-- so that was not real doable but I did try!).  By 5:30 when my husband arrived home I was still having somewhat regular contractions that were 5 minutes apart so the doctor asked us to come in to the hospital.  We dropped Ian off with my mother in law and I fully thought they were going to send us back home.  Despite hours of contractions I was still moving and feeling fine. 

They told us that the ward was full and they were not going to admit us unless I went into full-on actual labor.  They stuck us in a little room with a monitor attached, hooked me up to an IV, and each time my contractions seemed to stop I'd have a long coughing fit (it was January and I was fighting off a nasty cold) and they'd start right back up again.  

I was on antibiotics after testing positive for strep B and the doctor decided to go ahead and break my water  when I reached 5-6 cm dilated.  I had an epidural around 7 cm though I could still feel the contractions and they never moved closer together (in fact my contractions started spacing further out!) but I began to feel so sick to my stomach and complained that the contractions were painful.  A nurse finally took pity on me and decided to check; only to find that I was at 10 cm. and ready to deliver.

He finally started turning blonde around 5 months.

With just a few pushes and less than 20-30 minutes later I had Alec.  It was such a relief to have had such an easy delivery after Ian's whole ordeal. Considering I started noticing my contractions in the late afternoon and didn't even get to the hospital until dinner time that means that when Alec was born just shy of 3 am I had been in labor for less than 12 hours and active labor for just a handful of them. 

So he was 8 days early with a short/ easy labor compared to Ian's whole long ordeal.  Both boys were the same length but Alec was a full 2 lbs  and one ounce lighter at 6 lbs 12.6 ounces and 21" long. 

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