Hi Everyone!

I'm so sorry about the delay in posting. I wanted to share the details of our new baby's arrival with you all.

He arrived on April 27 at around 6 am. This was a very different birth for me (and my husband..LOL). This was different from all of the other births in many ways.

First of all, it may be worth mentioning that I am 41 years old. No spring chicken. And this can certainly affect pregnancy and childbirth in "interesting ways." My blood pressure wanted to creep up towards the end of the pregnancy, and this interfered with my ability to relax. Sleep was limited factor, and anxiety became a prominent and annoying friend. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time praying when my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest and I literally broke into cold sweats from anxiety.

As labor commenced, I could not relax through the pain, and announced to the nurse at the hospital that I wanted the epidural. My first ever epidural. My husband paused and looked at me. Always wanted to accommodate my wishes, he said "Whatever you need."

The epidural immediatly took the edge off the pain, yet I could still feel contractions and had a "hotspot" where the anesthesia didn't take. I like this because I knew when to push. However, my labor slowed down immensely. I normally get to the hospital and give birth within an hour. This time, it took 6 hours. I know many of you have much longer labors!

Little Silas James, 8 lbs. 9 ounces & 21 1/2 inches long, arrived as I was standing in the bathroom. I caught his head and announced to the doctor (who was waiting outside the bathroom) that he had crowned. The absence of pain (from the epidural) made this a very pleasant experience. I even offered to cut the cord and give the baby his bath, since I felt so wonderful. LOL!

It's funny how natural childbirth was so important to me with all of the other children. Actually, I had wonderful births, for the most part, with a tolerable (most of the time) level of pain. This time was entirely different!

Silas is now 4 months old and weighing in at a hefty 17 1/2 lbs. He is a big boy! I still have no photos to share...Sorry! He is a joy to us all.

Had to share!

Blessings,

Camy