What I'm Grateful For

So I realized while looking back on my first post about Jackson that it sounded like I was complaining a lot! There are so many things about my birth story that I am so grateful for and can definitely see the Lord's hand in and I want to share a few of those things:

1. My husband Brian

Of course I am so grateful for him! As much as I went through, it could not have been easy watching his wife go through it either. He was so supportive and I didn't even know that he was having a hard time at all about me not having an epidural until after when he finally told me, "Kaitlin, I was freaking out inside." But one of us needed to be calm and he definitely eased my worries! We were also a little nervous because Brian gets a little queasy when it comes to pain and blood (not to get too graphic!) but when it came down to it Brian handled things like a champ! It was a huge blessing that he was able to stand next to me and even watch as things progressed, we definitely saw the divine intervention on that one!

2. Jackson was healthy and light

So most people wouldn't consider an 8 pound baby as being light, but the doctor had predicted that if I delivered a week early he would be 9 pounds! So since I had to go through it without the epidural I was grateful that he was only 8 pounds and not any bigger! There were also no other complications with the delivery, his heart rate was normal, the cord wasn't wrapped around his neck, and everything went smoothly! I don't know if emotionally I could've handled it if anything else had gone wrong and I'm so grateful that he was safe and healthy!

3. The epidural

No, I'm not being sarcastic!! I am very grateful for the 7 hours I did have the epidural and I consider it a huge blessing! I know that so many women go the whole delivery without one and I probably sound like a huge whiner but it just wasn't in my birth plan to not have one and I am so grateful for the 7 hours of pain relief where I could be with my husband, watch tv, read books, play cards, and even take a nap! That night ended up being a long one so the nap I took definitely helped me out!

4. The nurses

Brian later pointed out to me that we had a perfect nurse for each part of our time there. We ended up being in the hospital for 5 days so we went through a lot of nurses. The first nurse was fun and made us feel very comfortable there. The second was an older woman who made sure to explain everything to us and informed us on more than anyone else! The third nurse was our favorite, Lindy, who helped me through the night. She was so kind and sympathetic during a time I was in need. The fourth, the one who helped deliver Jackson, was, as Brian put it, "a little more brute." She was the perfect person to really push me! I'm grateful for the help they gave us and how we always ended up with someone perfect for what we were going through!

Most of all I'm grateful for our beautiful son who is such a good baby! He sleeps almost through the night, usually only waking up once at about 3 and then sleeping till around 7. At his 1 week appointment he weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces, so he had not only returned to his original weight but gained 3 ounces! He eats really well (obviously!) and I haven't had any trouble feeding him. He is just so perfect!