The Baby is Here!!!

OK, a little late as usual, but better late than never. Our little Jin-Su Rhys Woo was born on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 9:07am. He was 7 lb 2.5 oz and 20.75 inches long. I did about 3 hours of hard labor (the kind that feels like a knife is being twisted inside you - sorry, it's the only way to describe it) and pushed for 7 minutes and he was out. :) And he's PERFECT!!! I got my wish, he is an exact replica of his daddy, so sweet. I'm so in love with our little boy, and I can't even begin to describe how much deeper my love for Woo is. He has given me the most amazing gift I've ever been given, our beautiful son.

My Mom got in that very night from Hawaii, so she missed the actual birth but was right on time to be the first family member to welcome our little Jin-Su to the world.

So, the birth story, if you're interested...

I started feeling contractions Tuesday night, the 10th, at 11:33pm. They were roughly 30 minutes apart and a little inconsistent so I slept for a bit but wasn't able to sleep through them by around 1am. Woo was still at work and I didn't want to panic him so I labored at home for that time, showered and breathed, trying to remember all my relaxation techniques. By the time he got home around 3:30am, my contractions were about 2 or 3 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. We left for the hospital and got there roughly around 4, which is when they confirmed that I was about 7 cm dilated, about 80% effaced, and water still in tact. I went as long as I could without an epidural or pain killers but by around 6am and 8 cm dilated, I was finding it difficult to stand and not pass out from the pain. The nurse set me up with an IV drip with Stadol, which took the edge off (significantly less sharpness to the pain) but I still felt every contraction. I took an epidural about half an hour into the IV drip because the drip would last for an hour and I would only be allowed one more dose of Stadol if I wanted to go that route. By this point I was exhausted. After the epidural was in I passed out and slept until around 8, which is when our doctor was supposed to be there. The nurse had me do a "practice" push while we waited for the doctor but she saw the top of Jin's head even with that practice push so she had me stop. The doctor ended up getting there right before 9 and I dozed on and off for that last hour. I started pushing at 9 and Jin was out by 9:07. Our Doctor, Dr. Tamanaha (which we love, by the way, and who happens to be from Hawaii) had Jon pull Jin out and lay him on my stomach, and Jon cut the cord, of course. :)

Jin wasn't on my stomach for very long when the nurse whisked him away to the back of the room with another nurse and they started working over him feverishly. Dr. T tried to reassure us and let us know that baby had some blockage in his airways and that when babies come out that quickly, sometimes it doesn't allow for the birth canal to naturally express the fluids in their mouth and lungs and they can be a little shocked and have trouble breathing. Jin was turning blue quickly and the nurses actually paged the head nurse with a "code" something or other. I was trying not to panic and I could see Woo's face drop. Even now as I type I'm tearing up at how scared I realize that I was, but in those moments I fought with everything in me to stay calm and be strong for Woo, as I'm sure he was also doing for me. When Jin finally coughed and started to cry, I felt like a physical weight had been lifted off my chest and I remember closing my eyes and saying "Thank you God". They got him cleaned up and brought him to me naked to lay against my bare chest. I can't even begin to describe how amazing that felt. I realized at that moment that I was born for this very moment in my own life, to be the mother to this most amazing little being that has forever stolen my heart. To see Woo hold him later after everyone had cleared out and left our new little family to the quietness of that room was so fulfilling and beautiful. I have never been more proud and more touched. Thank you God for my greatest gifts.

So here's our new little family: the only man who knows what my heart feels like from the inside, and the only man who knows my heart. I love these two with all that I am.