He's Here!

Maxwell Alexander Morris

Born June 14, 2006 @ 1:01 am

7 lb 7 oz 21 inches

We are happy to announce that Max has officially arrived! He is doing well, and we're getting adjusted to life with baby. He's actually been very good so far (knock on wood) - he sleeps most of the day in 3-4 hour blocks and is getting into a solid routine of eating, sleeping, and diaper messing. He's not too fussy, and if he is, it's usually for more food. Totally gets that from his father!

So....how did he get here? Well, after 15 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing! My water actually broke on Tuesday 6/13 morning. Fortunately, it was only a trickle at that point, so no major mess or embarassment. I came home from work and called my doctor to explain what had happened, and the doctor on-call had me come into the hospital to get evaluated. When I got there, they confirmed that my water had broken and admitted me at around 10 am - once your water breaks, they won't let you leave due to risk of infection. My contractions were very mild, and did not end up progressing very quickly, so they administered Pitocin to get things moving. The contractions started to intensify at around 6 pm (yes, I of course got an epidural then!) and by 9 pm I finally began to dialate more - I had been stuck at 2 for so long. At around 11 pm, I was able to start pushing. This was by far the most strenuous and painful part of the birthing process! Unfortunately the pushing was not too successful because of the positioning of the cervix, and I ended up having to get an episiotomy (yep, the dreaded cut from which I am still recovering!) and the doctor had to use the suction device to get Max out. By the end, I was totally exhausted and looked like I had been through a battle, but it was so worth it once I saw the little guy. Although this sounds like such a cliche, it is truly such a miracle to experience bringing a new life into the world.

Anyway, I plan to keep posting new pictures and developments as Max continues to grow.