Hey Jude (here comes the "son")

Hello everybody! Dave here to tell the tale of Jude's arrival into our family. The date for the induction was set for December 16th, after my finals and with enough time before Christmas. We became a little nervous when Brook began to have contractions, albeit irregular and pretty spaced out, a few days before my finals. Lucky for me, the contractions didn't become regular until the day after my finals, December 15th. Brook and I began to write down the times of her contractions, waiting to see if they would begin to get closer together, thus requiring an earlier trip to the hospital. Finally, around 10:30 pm, we decided to go to the hospital to see if Brook was progressing enough for her to stay the night since she was scheduled for induction the next morning. Side note: the room was huge and had a pretty comfortable fold-out bed. Brook was checked by the nurse and was told she was only at a 1+ and would probably be sent back home. We waited around for an hour, watching old tv shows, and then the nurse came back to see how Brook was doing. She said she had been experiencing stronger contractions, prompting the nurse to check her again. The result: 3+ and a reservation to stay the night.

Brook had decided a week before to go through labor without an epidural. Many thought she was crazy and would eventually get one when labor became more painful. Brook's reasoning was that the epidural didn't work for her when Carter was born and was one of the more stressful parts of labor, due to her fear of needles. She also didn't want to pay for a procedure that didn't work. Brook's water was broken at 8:00 am, as planned, and we knew that the fun was about to begin. As the day progressed, so did her contractions. They still weren't close together, but they were still effective. By the late morning Brook was at a 7 but no further. Enter the evil PITOCIN!! Labor then went from tolerable to overpowering in a matter of minutes. Even with the increased pain, Brook still refused to get the epidural. After what seemed like an hour, the nurse said the time was drawing close and she would call the doctor. The doctor came, checked, and disappointed us with her findings: still a 7! Dr. Robinson predicted another 30-45 min before pushing could commence, but Brook wasn't having that. After a few more contractions she was at a 9 and then, without waiting for permission, Brook pushed Jude out and that was that. I was so proud of Brook and the courage and strength she showed during the whole ordeal. The stats: 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20" long, healthy and completely adorable. Now begins our journey down the long and winding road.