L&D afterthoughts...

So, now that I've told you all the story about my labor and delivery, here's what I think about it all:

Looking back at my entire hospital stay, I have nothing negative to say (except maybe that the beds were uncomfortable). I had such a great experience from the beginning of my stay right through to the end. I had the BEST nurses. I really liked them all, and I especially LOVED 2 of them, one of which was with me through my entire labor and delivery and was such a great support. My doctor was not on call the day I went into labor, so I was assigned some random OB who was there that day and we happened to love him...so much so that I'm going to look into becoming one of his patients in the future.

My labor, while uncomfortable (obviously) could not have gone any better. It was FAST and relatively easy. My body did what it was supposed to and I needed very little medical intervention. I didn't need any help in speeding up my labor or getting the baby out, which I was very happy about. As mentioned before, I DID go ahead and get the epidural and I'm still really glad I did. Even though I got it at the end, it numbed me for the part I was most worried about - the pushing. It made the whole pushing experience stress free and kind of peaceful. There was no yelling or screaming, I just quietly buckled down and got to work. I'm sure if I was feeling the "burn", it wouldn't have been such a calm environment. I appreciate that some people are super against epidurals, but I just don't think natural labor is for everyone and I don't feel like I missed out on a thing!

The best part of my hospital stay was THE BABY! Um, I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect baby. He was perfectly sized...after all my nightmares of having a huge baby, I was SO excited to see his tiny (but healthy and appropriately sized) little body. His feet are huge and his toes and fingers are SUPER long, so we know he's a Neilson and he's going to grow into them (like a puppy). I don't mind if my kids GROW to be huge, I just like that they come out relatively small :) Brady's temperament is also perfect. He hardly cries and is often soothed just by being swaddled. The nurses kept telling me how good he was and one night when  he went to the nursery for a few hours, they said he was the best baby in there! When he's awake he just sits and stares at you or at his surroundings to take it all in. He's also a great sleeper...so much so that I get a little bored during the day. I know that will all change soon enough.

My reaction to him at birth surprised me a little. I knew I would cry, but I pretty much sobbed...like the pictures are embarrassing. I was just so happy to have this little guy join our family and I couldn't believe how much I loved him already. I was, and still am, totally enamored by him.

SO, those are my thoughts about my experience. I can only hope the next one goes as well.