The newest installment to the Hall family joined us yesterday, January 17th at 8:43 am!
First the stats, with Felix's to compare:
gestational age: 37 weeks, 5 days (F: 37 weeks, 1 day)
weight: 5 lbs, 14 oz (F: 5 lbs, 3 oz)
length: 18 3/4 in (F: 19 in)
eyes: nondescript gray (F: ditto...his turned bright blue after a few weeks)
hair: tons of soft, dark, wavy hair, with some serious sideburns (F: a fair amount of dark straight hair)
features: Laura's eyes, nose, ears, mouth we think (F: a little Brian clone!) [this is so subjective, and could and does change over time!]
labor: 5 hrs start to finish--all of it pretty intense (F: 10 hrs--5 hrs of it intense)
Now the story:
I'd been having contractions off and on for a few days, but nothing continuous, although I knew from my last two OB checkups that I was moving in that direction. Then on Thursday I woke up at about 3:30am to increasingly strong contractions that were first 10, then 8 to 6 minutes apart. I tried to rest in between contractions, and began to realize that this was really labor!
By 6:30 things were getting painful, and so I let Brian know. I took a nice warm bath, which really helped me through those moderately intense contractions. I guessed I was at about 5 or 6 cm when I was through with my shower at 7:00, because the contractions took a lot of focus and effort to sort of “stay on top of” mentally, but they weren't horribly painful.
By 7:30 Brian was up, Felix was getting ready to go to our friend's house (with all of 5 minute’s notice…thank you SO MUCH, Shakespears!), and I was really having to work to get through the first few contractions of transition (7 to 10 cm), in between drying my hair and putting on makeup, of course. Brian was very supportive and helpful, switching from “super dad” mode to “super labor coach” mode as he got Felix ready and the car loaded up. From then on the contractions came about every 2 minutes, and lasted about 90 seconds… so not much regrouping time in between! And boy were they intense; it took everything I had to work through them. But I just kept thinking about the light at the end of the tunnel—how we’d get to meet our baby boy in just a few minutes!
So we arrived at the U of M hospital triage at about 8:15: 9 cm, 100% effaced, with the baby at a +3 station (as low as possible before pushing), and the amniotic sac bulging. So after about 4 more super intense contractions I was in a delivery room, and they broke my water. That triggered the urge to PUSH, and so I did! The doctor told me to “bear down” continuously, but I chose to listen to my body and line it up with the waxing/waning muscle tension during the contractions. (This might be too much info, but that really helped me not to tear much at all, the only thing I wanted to do differently this second time around!)
Well, after 2 or 3 pushes Ezra was born!!! He was placed him on my chest, and all I could think was how GORGEOUS and perfect and tiny Ezra is—and what a beautiful miracle labor, birth, and families are!
Momma and Ezra, a few minutes old
A rare glimpse of Ezra awake!
Brothers
My little boys! 
First bath--should I use the whole bottle of shampoo?!
Sweet baby Ezra
There's nothing in the world like a newborn babe
