We are so happy to announce the birth of our 4th child! Christian Ryan Smith was born Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 4:27 A.M. He weighed 7lbs, 9oz, and was 20 inches long!
This is an account of the labor and delivery. If you are not interested, skip the next few paragraphs.
On Sunday morning at approximately 2 A.M. I woke up with a strong contraction and decided to get up and see if it would continue or ease and discontinue. As I was moving around contractions continued, but were not too strong or too frequent. I decided to pack a bag for the hospital in case it continued, and then thought, since I couldn't sleep, I would tidy the house. Luckily I have been trying to keep everything neat and organized. After putting shoes away and loading a few cups into the dishwasher, etc., I squatted down during a contraction and felt pressure and a pop. My water had broken! I stood there a minute to think about what to do next. (Fortunately I was in the kitchen and had absorbant sweat pants on. :)) This was at 2:45 A.M.
I went upstairs and woke Matt up, explaining the events. When asking what he needed to do, I said that maybe he should wake up and get dressed. :) I decided to take a brief bath and called Tasha to see if she could come. She said she would be here in 10 minutes. I told her not to rush. She came quickly, and Matt gave her some basic information while I dressed and got ready to go. We headed out to the hospital as contractions became stronger and about 4-5 minutes apart. On the way the intensity increased as the time between shortened. The drive to the hospital was about 15-20 minutes but may have been shorter because there was little to no traffic. I definitely was starting to vocalize through contractions and I may or may not have told my husband to run a red light after a quick stop first. :) I don't like to be in intense labor in the car. After arriving at the hospital, Matt was able to give me a short priesthood blessing in between contractions. We headed into the hospital, pausing in the parking lot for a contraction. Matt was wonderful to counterpressure by pressing on my back.
Once at the hospital they got some basic information and then wheeled me up to Labor and Delivery. Upon checking my progress we learned that I was dialated to 8. My contractions were about 1-2 minutes apart. I got the IV and shortly thereafter was dialated to a 9. Doctor Cote arrived quickly and told me I could begin pushing. I was surprised that it was already time to push. I didn't push for long when our baby boy was born. He arrived 19 minutes after we arrived at the hospital at 4:27 A.M. Matt was able to cut the cord after a few minutes and I was able to hold him as soon as I was ready. It takes me just a minute to let the pain subside. Dr. Cote did a great job of assisting me when needed but respecting my wishes regarding pitocin afterward. I was encouraged to nurse Christian, and right away he was nursing like a champ! The nurse, Sarah was wonderful about watching me closely pre and post delivery, so that we wouldn't have any complications. She seemed calm, collected, and very competant. I appreciated her great bedside manner and thoughtful care! We were able to stay and rest in our room for a few hours as the nurses switched. We then moved to our recovery room and continued to have excellent nurses, Beth and Rachel.
Here are some pictures of our first moments with Christian.
I think my expression in this picture was of adoration, but it could have also been mixed with discomfort. I can't remember. :)
Meanwhile back at home, Tasha helped the kids get ready for church and then brought them back to her house. She made pancakes for them and her family, including 6 adorable kids. She then helped Eve prepare a talk for primary (which we found out about Saturday evening but didn't have time to prepare since we were at the temple.)
Then Tasha and her husband took all the kids to church and after church brought them to her house where she had lunch in the crockpot waiting. Matthew met her there, enjoyed lunch with them and then brought the kids to the hospital.
- I must pause here to say that Tasha was truly a ministering angel to me at this time. I had previouly had great concern about who I could call when I needed to go to the hospital. Tasha put me at ease with her desire and ability to come help in the middle of the night. I also have many other friends who have offered to help at various times throughout the day depending on where the kids were. I appreciate them all for the the piece of mind that I had once I had the options in place. I am so grateful for all that Tasha did to help me. I am so grateful that she came speedily. My children had a wonderful time playing with her children and were very well cared for. She told me that the kids were well behaved which is also very good news for a parent to hear. I am so grateful to her!
Here are pictures of the kids' first visit.
Check out Sterling's dragon face. Does he have Murray blood in him or what? I decided to include this picture since it is comic relief.
Sunday evening, Matthew took the kids home and put them to bed and then my good friend, Cristina stayed with the kids while Matt when to pick up his mom. Wendy was so wonderful to fly in right away to help. I also wanted to mention that Cristina took some of these family shots for us when she visited me in the hospital. I am grateful for her and her friendship! I also enjoyed a visit from Sherrie and Jay Johnson. Sometimes a visit just makes you feel so cared about! I am so blessed to have so many caring and supportive friends and family members!
I also want to say, in conclusion, how grateful I am for my husband! He always shows me such love and is supportive in every way! I would never want to deliver a baby without him by my side. I love my family and am so grateful that Christian Ryan Smith has joined us!
