He's Arrived!

The last week has been a whirlwind....

But before I tell you about that, I'll update you on my most recent (and last) belly pictures.

My pregnancy was pretty easy up until about 37.5 weeks. That's when I started experiencing back pain. It was the kind of pain that was sharp and shooting and made me hobble because it hurt to walk. With that said, I'm thankful that's really the only issues I experienced during pregnancy.

So here are the last few belly pictures (I can't believe 39 weeks went by so fast)!

And yes, I'm wearing the same outfit in the last two - that's basically all I wore the last week :).

On Wednesday, May 11 I went to the doctor for a regular checkup. While there, they told me that my blood pressure was too high and sent me to the hospital for monitoring. My blood pressure had been perfect the entire pregnancy. As soon as we started the monitoring, my blood pressure was perfectly normal. But my  platelet levels were low - low enough that my doctor wanted me to come in the next morning to check them again. We came prepared to have a baby that morning because we knew there was a possibility.

My platelet levels were even lower that morning, which concerned the doctor. The nurse came in and told us we would be having a baby that day! It was exciting and scary at the same time. I didn't want to have my water broken, but I knew that was the safest option. The doctor came in at 11:30, broke my water and the process began :).

My doula showed up around 5pm when my contractions started to get to the point where they were fairly painful. I definitely could not have gone through that pain without Josh and her by my side helping me through each one. I'm also thankful that my doctor let me labor as naturally as possible. He said I didn't have to get pitocin because I was moving along quick enough. At the very end, he also let me spend some time through my "pushing" contractions before he came in and said it was time to really push.

It's such an amazing experience but incredibly hard. Our baby boy's heart rate was dropping so my doctor wanted me to get him out as soon as possible. I was exhausted and have never put so much effort into something before. At 11:14pm, Gunner Jameson Bone arrived. He didn't come out crying and just laid on the bed. Once again, I'm thankful for our doctor and nurses. They worked fast to clear his lungs and get out that first cry. There is so much that I could say about that day and the days following, but I'll keep this short. Josh and I are just overwhelmed my God's grace and love through this little boy. We've been praying for him for years - he definitely is our little miracle.