‍I can’t believe it’s already been one month with our little Gio! Time just seems to be flying by with these boys. I documented Little Mo’s birth story when I had him and I always love looking back on such a special memory and remembering every detail, so I wanted to do that again this time.

This pregnancy I was considered high risk due to the fact I went into early labor with Little Mo. (You  can read his birth story here) I was having ultrasounds every couple of weeks from week 11 up until early third trimester. There was a possibility they were going to put me on progesterone, but we ended up not using it. My doctor felt it wasn’t necessary based on what they were seeing and it seems to have been the right choice because I made it to 38 weeks this time!

Since I delivered preterm my last pregnancy, my OB started checking me at 34 weeks. It wasn’t until my 36 week appt that things starting moving along. She checked me and I was 4 cm dilated at that point. She said I was 4 cm and it would be any day and didn’t expect to see me at my appointment the following week. Feeling slightly panicked, I called my mom and told her to make her way out to California because this baby was on his way! Based off of my last pregnancy my labor comes on quickly, so I knew we’d have to leave the house quickly, and I wanted to be sure Little Mo was taken care of.

The next week rolled around and I was still hanging in there. I did in fact make it to my next appt, none of us could believe it! This time she checked me again and I was 6 cm! She said that it would more than likely be soon and when I felt regular contractions to not waste any time and head to the hospital. I think it’s safe to say I was on pins and needles the next few days!

That appointment was on Thursday. Monday morning I woke up and had coffee with my mom before we went up to get the little guy up for the day.  I was feeling some light cramping again and then I felt a little wet, which being paranoid, made me question whether or not my water had broken. About a half an hour went by and then I started to feeling heavier cramping. I knew something was going on and decided I should probably call the hospital. Little Mo saw me go to the paper on the wall with the phone number and he knew something was up because he kept saying, “Mama call doctor.” Kids are so intuitive!

This time we were much more prepared so we grabbed our bags and headed out the door to the hospital. This baby was on his way! My contractions were getting stronger and were less than two minutes apart at this point. By the time we got there I was having some intense pain. They got me into triage pretty quickly to check me and sure enough I was already 7/8 cm! I was put into a room and prepped for my epidural, which couldn’t have come soon enough!

At this point the pain was excruciating! I was sweating so much my IV kept slipping out of my hand. Thankfully the anesthesiologist came in and got me set up for my epidural and a few minutes later I was out of pain and able to relax and enjoy the whole experience. I progressed to a 10 quickly like I did the last time and they said it was time to start pushing. This time they had to break my water, but I couldn’t feel anything with the epidural doing it’s job. They got me all setup and I started pushing, again like last time it was only a few minutes and at 11:17 am our little guy made his debut!

This labor was a different experience since Gio wasn’t preterm. They did have to suction him a bit, but I was able to get skin to skin time and enjoy bonding with him immediately, which I didn’t get with Little Mo since he had to go to the NICU. After about an hour they weighed and measured him, 7 lbs 6 oz, 21 inches long. We spent the next 24 hours soaking up all the newborn baby snuggles until we headed for home the next day.

I was excited and nervous to bring him home and meet his big brother. I think we were all hoping things would go smoothly! When we got home Little Mo was still napping. When he woke up he came downstairs and we told him we had someone who wanted to meet him. He sat on the couch and was so sweet with him, he even held him! I have a video on my Instagram documenting them meeting, it’s a tear jerker!!

We’ve spent the last month adjusting to becoming a family of four and enjoying our newest little addition! I think it’s safe to say we all just adore him! Even Little Mo! I can’t wait to watch these two boys grow up together!

Xoxo,

Danielle