Noah's Birth Story

We're only three days away from our due date with little Kraut #2 and now that it can happen any time, the day Noah was born has of course been constantly on my mind. I'm both anxious for it to finally happen and nervous about not knowing how things will go this time around. With Noah's birth on my mind I decided to share his birth story with you all. I wrote all of this down a few weeks after he was born. I felt a bit awkward re-reading it the other day; I feel like it doesn't even sound like me. But - I decided not to rewrite it but to just share it the way it is. I hope you like it. 

(pictures by www.taylorandersonphoto.com)

The Day You Were Born 

We were scheduled for an induction on August 30th, 7 days after our due date, July 24th, and our 3rd wedding anniversary. Thankfully, you decided to show up the day before on July 29th which turned out to be the happiest day in my life. Early in the morning I could tell something was up – I had a feeling in my stomach I hadn’t felt before. We had been waiting for you to arrive for so long that I got really excited. I told your dad right away that today might be the day. Knowing that your arrival could still be a long time away, we started our daily routine – your dad went to work and I started working on my laptop in the basement. More and more I felt little cramps and I started to realize your arrival might not be that far away so I decided to run a few last minute errands – go to the post office, get gas, and a trip to the grocery store. Now looking back at it, I was in labor during all this and had contractions while at the post office. Back home I decided to set up my out of office email at work and at around noon let the team know that I would send out some last emails and then go on maternity leave (because we knew you’d arrive the next day at the latest). Your dad came home around the same time and would not go back to work for a week. Contractions started to come a bit more often and stronger, but I felt like we were just at the very early beginning of things and would have a long day of labor ahead of us. So I called my mom and sisters and let everyone know that today might be the day (2pm). Soon after, contractions started to get painful and only a few minutes apart – we used an app to track everything. Even though they happened every 4 minutes or so, they lasted only about 30-40 seconds on average. So we thought it was not yet time to go to the hospital (according to the 5-1-1 rule, you’re supposed to stay home until contractions last 1 minute, 5 minutes apart). However, at about 2:45pm, my contractions were so painful that your dad decided to call the triage unit to ask for advice. While on the phone, I had a contraction, they heard me, and said we should go to the hospital right away. The car ride there was like hell, having to endure quite a few contractions on the way, and another one happened right as we got out of the car. We arrived at about 3:15pm. People looked at me funny but I didn’t care one bit. We rushed up to the triage unit where we spent maybe 10 minutes (usually one stays here for an hour or so, but my contractions were so serious, they decided to send us straight to the delivery room). Once there, everything happened extremely fast. The pain was incredible, but it was amazing how it just disappears between contractions. Your dad was right by my side the whole time supporting and encouraging me and I may have squeezed his hand a bit too hard. I think he was amazed of how well I handled the amount of pain I was going through. Everything happened so fast and while I remember parts of it very vividly, some of it is just a blur. I was 100% focused on you and didn’t think about anything else. I wasn’t even able to make any decisions at that point. Our nurses were great and helped my utilize the pain and the contractions to push you out. When the doctor said they could see your (very hairy) head, I got excited and knew that the end was near. A few more pushes and the pain would be over and I would hold you in my arms. I wish I could look back at it and watch your dad watching you be born. I know it was the happiest day of his life and I wish I remembered the look on his face. Seeing you for the first time was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. You were placed on my stomach right after you were born – still looking grayish and you cried right away. I was nothing but exhausted and extremely happy to finally be holding you in my arms. 

We spend the next couple of days at the hospital getting to know you where you never left our side. From the very beginning you were a very happy sleepy baby and we enjoyed every moment with you. While I was still recovering, your dad proved right away that he is a natural. He took great care of you, changed your diapers and gave you tons of love. On August 1st we finally got to take you home and our life as a little family began. We’ve loved you since the day we knew you were on the way and couldn’t be happier to have you in our lives.