he's here!

Our Little Long, Logan James, was born Wednesday February 3rd at 10:30 AM. He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21.5 inches long.

It was a bit of a rough journey getting him here. Jennifer started feeling contractions Tuesday around 11 AM. She labored at home like a real mama goddess for a while. I tell you, I was really in awe of her. She was the picture of tranquility, strength and determination. By about 3:30 or so her contractions were already 1 minute long and 2 minutes apart. The rule of thumb is to go to the hospital once they're been a minute long and 5 minutes apart for 1-2 hours. But since things were moving so quickly, her doula Regina made the call that we should go ahead and go in.

Just as we were leaving the house, Jennifer's water broke. When she got to the hospital we learned she had about a 101* fever, which was disconcerting. They started her on IV antibiotics right away. She was feeling pretty nauseous, occasionally throwing up. We weren't sure if that was because she was sick or just part of labor. Her contractions remained intense and frequent. She soldiered on naturally for quite a long while.

About midnight she made the call that it was time for the epidural. It was so amazing to see her go from the fog of labor back to her normal hilarious personality. She had the nurses and us in stitches. It was a relief to see her pain reduced - although not gone entirely. It allowed her to get a little intermittent rest from midnight to the wee hours. And the epidural also had a pretty immediate effect on getting her dilation to progress. She went two more centimeters almost right away, and continued steadily through the night to 10 cm by morning.

But the baby started to experience some heart decelerations, so they put her on oxygen and he evened back out. Then later he gave us a couple scares with some big decels. At one piont a whole cadre of nurses ran into the room to make sure all was well. Everyone kept a close eye on the little guy, but for the most part he really hung in there. As labor went on, he seemed to get stronger.

Things started heating up Wednesday morning around 6 or 7 I think. After being up all night it's a little fuzzy for me. Jen's normal doctor wasn't able to be there because her child was home sick throwing up, so we met a fellow OB from her practice named Dr. Z. He was a real wisecracker, and helped keep the mood light. I think by 8 or so she was ready to start pushing. It was such an incredible privilege to be a part of this amazing time with Jen and Micah. Jen pushed with such strength and determination it seemed for sure that baby would be here in no time.

After about an hour and a half, though, nurse Cindy noticed that the baby's head was having some swelling, and she was having difficulty getting him past the pelvic bone. That combined with Jen's fever and the presence of meconuim meant they had to keep a close eye on things. Dr. Z talked over the options with Jen and Micah and they agreed to try the vacuum extractor first. After a few pushes when it was clear that wasn't going to work they made the call that it was time for a c-section. Jen remained as she had been throughout - pragmatically focused on whatever was best for the baby's outcome.

Around 10 they wheeled her away for the c-section and we waited anxiously out in the hall. I have to say, I was really surprised throughout the process at how clueless and helpless I felt, even though it wasn't that long ago I went through labor with Roan. It is really hard to watch someone you care about be in pain and have so little you can do to help them. And once she was in the OR it was hard not knowing what was going on. I tried my best to stay focused on positive thoughts and not think about all the things that can go wrong.

Just before 11 nurse Cindy invited us into the recovery room, where we got our first look at the little guy. He was so mellow, he really seems to have his daddy's outlook on life. And his coloring as well. He got to spend some time with Dad and Mom in recovery. The c-section had gone pretty smootly, except that the little guy aspirated some meconium. They did their best to suction it all out, but knew they'd have to keep a close eye on him. Jen wasn't feeling well at all. Her fever was up and she was puking again. And the spinal was already wearing off, so her pain was increasing. Gradually she started coming back to herself though.

Around 4 hours after he was born, they did some tests and weren't happy with his numbers. They determined he'd have to go into the NICU for at least 48 hours for antibiotics and observation. Jen and Micah were pretty devastated to have Logan taken away just as they were finally getting to know him. But the great thing about the hospital they're at is the NICU there can provide top level care to Logan, and it's not far from their room. I think they can go in as much as they want. Although Roan will have to wait to meet Baby Cousin until he's out.

I just got an update from the hospital and it looks like Jen's fever is gone. She is taking her first walk. Logan has taken to breastfeeding and has already gotten in a few meals. He seems to be looking good. So hopefully the new family will be reunited soon!

Thanks everyone for your well wishes for Jen and the baby. All of the Longs greatly appreciate your love and support!