Mitchell pictures & "the story"

Todd & Mitchell shortly after he was born.
Julie, tired but happy to be done with the delivery!
Mitchell finally awake the evening of the 11th.
Dressed & ready to go home on the 13th.
Sarah & Mason could not hold Mitchell enough when we got home.

Mitchell got his name because I like the name Mitchell & why not give him a last name since Mason's got one. Jay is my dad's middle name & was my big brother's name, the last baby on my side of the family born in July (he was 2 months early & only lived 2 days, so I have not met him yet).

Mitchell's arrival story (sorry it's kind of long, but it's so I don't forget it!).

I had been having some contractions/cramping on Thursday & a little on Friday. Nothing to get excited about though.

Saturday morning the kids slept in for a change. Around 8 they all came in to get me up. I was not feeling too great, just kind of crampy. I carried Emma from my room into the kitchen & that just did not feel good.

Todd made us a big breakfast. I kept feeling crampy, not having real contractions, just feeling tight. I showered right after breakfast & told Todd he'd better too. I kept debating if I was in labor or not. Finally around 10 I called my sister Lori. She picked up the phone after one ring with "Is it time?" I answered, "I sure hope so!"

She, Megan, & Allie hurried over while I packed my bags & still debated if I really was in labor on not. I did not want to sit down, for fear that my contractions that were coming would stop.

Megan & Lori did not think I looked like I was about to go have a baby, but were hopeful for me.

I had two contractions on the 10 minute drive to the hospital, but they were not bad at all.

We arrived at the hospital shortly before 11 & I feared being sent home in false labor. At the labor & delivery desk they were very nice & did not give me the look of "you can't possibly be in real labor" (like I'd been given with Mason).

I was taken to a triage room to be checked. I told the nurse I'd had a baby in an ambulance & maybe was being over cautious. Luckily, I was at a 5 & was staying for sure, yeah! I still did not feel like I really was in labor though.

I got an epidural a little after noon. I've never had an epidural this early in labor, meaning before I was in terrible pain. It was not too hard to be all hunched over & still. The poor nurse anesthetist was a bit nervous when he learned my husband is an anesthesiologist. He did great though. Having dead weights for legs is quite the feeling.

My doctor came in to break my water around 12:30 or so. I was at a 6 & feeling great. Todd & I thought we'd be there for a while.

My sister Lynda was texting me random messages & I was having contractions about every 4 minutes. Around 1 I had a big contraction & Mitchell's heart rate dropped, so my nurse came running into my room. I was complete & ready to push, I did not feel like it at all, it was so weird (even with an epidural I usually know when I need to push).

So, she paged my doctor, they got all set up, then we waited for a contraction. I pushed a few times, Mitchell's head popped out, pushed again & the rest of him came, whew, what a great feeling! He was born at 1:18pm.

Mitchell weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces & was 19 1/2 inches long.

Around 1:30, Lynda texted me again telling me to call her on her cell after I had my baby. Little did she know I already had!

We called home a little before 2 & surprised everyone that Mitchell had arrived so quickly. We finally told everyone his name too (we'd kept it a secret because we were not totally decided on it & it's fun to at least have something to surprise with since we knew we were having a boy).