Hayes’ Birth Story

Here is the story of how our last baby came into the world.

There is a bit of a backstory so stick with me.

Nick is an amazing step-dad to our two older kids. This guy was MADE to be a dad. He has always loved them unconditionally and treated them as his own. Watching him with Jackson and Presley, I knew I wanted him to be able to experience pregnancy and a raising a child from birth, so we began the process of growing our family soon after we were married.

I have REALLY tough pregnancies that consist of home health, picc lines and a continual dose of IV fluids….hyperemesis is NO joke. I knew what I was getting into, but I am not so sure he was prepared. We got pregnant after a few months and we were both over the moon.

We went in for our regular checkup at 11 weeks, all excited to see the baby’s progress only to learn that there was no heartbeat. We were devastated. It was the hardest thing we had ever been through in our marriage. I went in for a D&C on the weekend of the fourth of July. A few days later I was having a lot of pain and ended up in the ER with an insane amount of bleeding. They admitted me and said I had an infection in my uterus. 3 days of IV antibiotics and I was released. I went for a follow up 2 weeks later hoping for the green light to be able to travel (Nick and I planned a trip to NY for a weekend getaway). She ordered a sonogram and I received the news that I was going back into surgery for another D&C. It was a really, really hard time.

We made it through by God’s grace and were not expecting this to happen only 4 weeks later….

I told Nick that I accidentally put something in the oven with plastic on it and it was stuck…he was annoyed with me and made his way to the oven to clean up my mess. It took him a minute to notice the “bun in the oven” his reaction is priceless.

We were much more nervous this time around and kept the news a secret until after the first trimester. Well as much of a secret as possible when dragging an IV pole around.

We announced it to the world through our Christmas card.

Nick really wanted the baby’s gender to be a surprise so I agreed. My friends could not believe I was able to do this. I hate not knowing things and not being prepared but I went with it. If you are on the fence let me just say this was the best surprise of my life!!!

The perks of having a bestie that’s an amazing photographer. So many memories that I can cherish forever.

At this point in my pregnancy I was feeling great. The picc line was removed and I had no more sickness.

I went into labor with Jackson at 38 weeks and Presley at 37 so I was getting antsy by my 38 week appointment. When there was no change and I was only dilated to a 1, we made the plan to be induced the next week.

All checked in and ready to find out if its a boy or a girl…

I started Pitocin around 8am. By 9 am I had an epidural, I don’t mess around.

Around 3pm it was go time! I think I pushed for about 10 minutes. It was easy and pain free. We talked between contractions and I remember thinking it was taking longer than my last two. Labor is such a beautiful thing.

At 3:28 pm I saw my baby’s face for the first time and Nick said “It’s a boy!” Then he repeated it one more time because I think he was in total shock.

Love at first sight. There is truly nothing like it.

This may be my favorite picture ever. So much emotion wrapped into one image. I love this man, I am so glad I was able to give him a son.

We made a plan to have Jackson and Presley to be the first ones in the room to meet the baby. I had little boxes of pink or blue confetti and they would be the ones to announce it to the waiting room. It was a special way for them to be involved and they were so excited about it.

Meeting their brother for the first time.

These next pictures make me cry every time. My sister in law had just had a baby boy (Wade) 5 weeks before. Wade and Hayes pretty much act like their twin dads and have such a special bond.

BLUE!

My mother in law was just a little excited. And so was my sister in law.

Meeting their grandson and nephew for the first time. We aren’t an emotional family at all…;)

Weighing in at 6lbs. 12 oz, Hayes was my biggest baby.

So much love around us that day! My Aunt Linda is on the left and my Dad on the right.

We stayed at the hospital for 2 days and finally agreed on a name at the last possible moment.

We settled into our new normal pretty quickly. Hayes was such a great newborn and ate and slept so well. Older kids that can help out is also a major perk.

At 10 days old we headed to Paige for newborn pictures.

The hair, the lips, the little baby feet, ugh this is making my ovaries ache. No more babies for us though. Hayes is our caboose.

I cannot imagine life without this rainbow baby of ours.

This is the verse I clung to during our miscarriage and now I know it to be true…

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28