My Name Is Jonas

He finally made it! Jonas McKay Hufford was born Thursday, September 1st, 2011 at 7:39 pm. He was a whopping 9 lbs 6.5 oz (yes, I'm getting credit for every.single.ounce!). He was 22 1/2 inches long and his head circumference alone was 39.5 (average is 35). Like many before him, he carries on the huge Hufford noggin (his sister included). We just love having him in our family and can't stop hugging, kissing, squeezing, and smelling him. Read on for his exciting (and overdue) birth story!

So, after a week of extra cooking in Mom's belly, we decided to finally evict Jonas last Thursday. We were all excited as the day approached but I think I was the MOST excited. It was all still surreal honestly. I was definitely looking forward to not having to lug a huge belly around any longer but it was so hard to wrap my mind around the fact we would be meeting our newest family member after it was all said and done. Needless to say, in all the excitement of the big awaited day I did not get enough sleep the night before. I was more excited and nervous than a giddy child on Christmas Eve. I tossed and turned and then by the time it was actually time to head to the hospital - I was ready to lay down and sleep some more. Thankfully, adrenaline kicked in and carried me the rest of the way!

Grandma Bell had came up the evening before and she and Addison only took 2.5 seconds to pick up where they left off. They had a blast together and she has been a wonderful assistant all along the way. (Along with many others I might add). Anyway, we finally got all our gear ready, breakfast eaten, and van loaded and hit the road. First on the stop was dropping Addison off with her other favorite grandparents, Mama Jean and Papa Joe. I was actually more sad about this part than Addison was. I tried to hide my tears but I kept thinking about how much I'd miss her. I couldn't remember the last time I left her for a whole day! Luckily she was in great hands and she was very excited to play with Grandma and Grandpa so it made it easier for Mommy.

After we dropped her off, John, Myself, and my Mom headed on to the hospital to check-in. They got us all set up, I got comfortable and we waited. It was very interesting how similar the whole schedule and day's events were to Addison's induction day as well. Maybe that means he will be just as easy a child as his sister has proven to be?! :D

The nurses finally got the Pitocin started at 11:00 am and then our wonderful Doula (and sister-in-law) Sarah arrived. Not only did she bring along her amazing skills but also some of her humor to help take my mind off the pain. And I definitely was having it at that point. Nothing major in the beginning- very similar to the mild contractions I had the weekend before - but it definitely validated my questioning if those were legitimate or not.

We all took advantage of the down time and quickly began placing bets on when Jonas would arrive, how much he'd weigh, and how long he'd be. Most were kind and submitted lower weight numbers - others were not (including John who guessed the weight exactly) and guessed in the higher numbers. All of this was not leaving a good taste in my mouth. At the time I couldn't imagine birthing any child bigger than Addison's weight at 8 lbs 8 oz.

It wasn't long before the contractions got harder and more painful and as many times as they checked me, I had made NO progress. However, he was spending his time floating around in my belly so at least he continued to get lower and stationary with each contraction. It was hard not to be frustrated at all the pain and no actual dilation. I was almost at a 4 at this point and I opted for the epidural. With Addison's situation, I jumped from a 5 to a 9 within 45 minutes and I didn't want to chance the epidural not taking effect in time like before. I really wanted to try and enjoy this birth instead of spending it barfing and in searing pain. So, luckily the epidural was ready and waiting. I remember being in a little bit of pain with the poking but mostly I was a hormonal mess and couldn't keep it in any longer. I had the anesthesiologist and nurse quite concerned when I was covered in tears after they were done. I quickly recovered and laid back to enjoy the pain relief.

However, even with the epidural, and being free of pain, I was not making progress dilation wise. My doctor was busy with other deliveries and by the time he made it back to me he decided it was time to break my water. However, it managed to break itself just by him checking my progress. And it was a TON of water. He even thought so. Right away I could see part of my belly just deflate and the pressure I'd felt for the last month finally lessened. It was quite nice.

Just as I had expected, contractions came on harder and longer once the water was broken. Part of me was excited since I was confident I was finally dilating more from it all. However, I was also feeling the pain creep back in more as well. Just like I had with Addison. I immediately called the nurse to ask for them to up my epidural dose and couldn't find a single person. Apparently the lady next door was delivering her baby and had managed to take my nurse AND my doctor in the process. It seemed like forever as I kept feeling each contraction like I had never even had an epidural. Other nurses kept coming in and trying to suggest other remedies such as rolling over, changing position, giving it time, etc etc. Nothing worked for me. And I vividly remember going from a 5 to a 9 with Addison within 45 minutes and feeling the same exact pain. I did NOT want to relive that experience. They finally fulfilled my request, and sent the anesthesiologist back to up the dosage. It couldn't have come soon enough. Luckily it all finally started to settle in and the bliss of numbness came back just in time. So much so that each time they asked me to roll over, I had to call a small crew to come assist me with my legs. No complaints here.

However the worry soon returned as I could see my contractions getting stronger (on the chart :-) and they were having a tough time keeping track of his heartbeat. Once they would find it, it would drop. I kept trying to read the eyes of the two nurses to see just how "serious" the situation was and I couldn't help but get worried. Of course everyone acted like it wasn't a big deal but I had a feeling they were just humoring me. By that time, my doctor came in, checked me, told me I was at a 9 and with a few pushes felt confident I could get myself to a 10. I pushed a few times and he seemed to get more vocal with each push. Typically he is a quiet and reserved doctor so I didn't know if this was also a bad sign or not. No one would tell me anything except to keep pushing etc etc. I did as I was told but it was definitely different to push when I couldn't feel anything and had to have my doctor tell me when I was actually having a contraction.

Things were finally moving along and they began setting up the area for delivery. It was all very exciting but I was still concerned with the heart rate situation. I think I pushed for a little less than an hour when Jonas finally arrived. He came out quiet and no one seemed alarmed but me. The doctor just started wiping him down and set him on my belly where he finally started crying. It was a muted little cry just like his sister's cry had been. I got to hold him on my stomach long enough for him to poop all over me. Then they took him to the warmer and started suctioning him. Apparently he had pooped while coming out and had ingested just a little of the meconium. And apparently the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck as well (which was why the heart rate would drop with each push apparently). My doctor assured me he'd be fine. He said if it weren't for my fast and effective pushes he'd have resorted to either forceps or lastly a c-section to get him out. And here I thought they were all just humoring me with compliments on my effective and beautiful pushes. Regardless, I'm glad whatever I was doing helped bring this little guy here safe and sound and quick.

It was so surreal once he had arrived. I couldn't believe he was MY baby and he just came out of ME?! I actually didn't tear up as much with him as I did with Addison. With Jonas I was just in a very peaceful and content place and just watching everyone around me as they did their thing. It was nice to see John, Sarah and my Mom googling over the sweet boy while I sat getting stitched up from a 2nd degree tear. Thankfully, the epidural was still going strong and I couldn't feel the stitches either. I must say epidurals are wonderful things when they actually WORK! :D

Within a few minutes we had called Grandma Jean, Grandpa Joe, and Addison and were anxious to have them come down to meet our newest family member. Addison was sooo excited and never skipped a beat when she met him. Daddy brought her in the door, she looked at me, and at the baby and said "Ahhhh Baby Brudder!" It was so sweet to see her immediately love and kiss on him. I thought for sure she'd be weirded out by the experience, me in a hospital bed, other people around, this new baby with her Mommy, etc. But again, she proved me wrong. She couldn't stop loving on him and kissing on him. She is going to be a great big sister and I think he'll just adore her as well. She especially liked the present she got - her own "baby brudder" doll...just like the real-life version! Now we both get to tend to our babies together.

It's amazing to me how easily it is to just welcome in a 2nd child to our family. How surreal yet how perfect it all is - like it was meant to be this way all along. Overall, I remember just having this overwhelming feeling of peace and contentment and happiness. Jonas is such a cute little boy. He definitely has similar features as Addison did when she was born yet he is still very masculine in his tiny (er big) 9 lbs 6 oz frame. I can't believe I birthed a two-month old! All I can say is thank heaven for epidurals. The nurses couldn't stop talking about how big he was, how they were amazed he was a vaginal delivery, and how big his head was. They also couldn't stop talking about how cute Jonas and Addison were. Honestly, multiple nurses told me multiple times throughout our stay. I couldn't help but agree and be proud of our beautiful little family. I'm so excited to figure out life as a family of four!

Here is the amazing birth video Aunt Sarah put together for Jonas (get your kleenex's ready!):

Jonas McKay Hufford

**Random sidenote: We were between two different names for Jonas before he was born and I still couldn't decide even after he arrived. Luckily it didn't take long before John and I decided to name him Jonas McKay (even though we had practiced: Mason James for the last few months). Jonas was John's family nickname as he was growing up. And McKay was the middle name of a close friend of John's as he was growing up. I'm so thankful to have our little boy named after his Daddy and such an amazing friend. It's so neat when both names can have such a special meaning.