Baby Chayton Is Here!

We're home safe and sound, and little Anna and baby Chayton celebrated their first Christmas yesterday! 

The 20th was a long, long day, but at the end of it, we finally had our gorgeous baby boy in our arms!

Our induction was scheduled for 5:30 AM on December 20th, but in true Christmas-baby style, when we arrived at the hospital that morning, there was no room for us at the inn. 

They finally got us in there around 4:30 that afternoon, and we were already exhausted by that point because we, of course, weren't able to get any rest when we went back home for waiting for that phone call. My doctor broke my water around 5:30 PM (she just wanted to start Pitocin, so it wouldn't be so fast, but I was ready to get the show on the road), and by 9:15, I was at 6 cm without any Pitocin. Once they started that though, things got crazy (I didn't really think I needed it to begin with). The contractions got so strong and so close that I couldn't even come down to breathe!

I called for an epidural, and the time it took for the anesthesiologist to get from his house to my room felt like an eternity. By the time he got it in my back, I was ready to push. It was time! Though the nurse said it was just the baby moving down, I instinctively knew what that feeling meant. So, while she took her sweet time calling in my doctor, who was also at home, I fought to hold back the incredible urge to get our baby out. By the time my doctor got into my room, pulled back the blanket, and I helped her get my feet into the stirrups, in one push, Little Man was here and in my arms! They said that if I hadn't taken the time to get the epidural, my doctor probably would've missed it!

At 10:41 PM on December 20th, Chayton Mitchell arrived weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long!

Joseph was so attentive and supportive, and I am so very glad we had such an intimate experience alone together. Our baby boy is strong, healthy, and eating like a champ! We're so glad to finally have our Christmas miracle here with us!