Dylan Lee Harrison

We are over the moon excited about our precious new arrival! 

On September 2, we welcomed (a little early) our precious BOY, 

Dylan Lee Harrison. 

 But, let me backtrack just a little bit to post the last couple baby bump pics I got to take. I intended on doing one last baby update prior to delivery but, that didn't exactly work as planned :) This is my doctor's office selfie at my last dr appt with Martin (6 days before giving birth) where I was not effaced or dilated AT ALL. 

 Just sitting tight and looking good to deliver 2 weeks later (as scheduled)

   

35 weeks

   

36 weeks

   

37 weeks (4 days later I had a baby) 

 

 It was like God was helping me prepare for an early arrival because for some reason, in the midst of Ty's birthday party prep I felt like I needed to work on the nursery a little bit. 

 I needed to go through and organize all the diapers we got at our diaper shower and just put something on the walls since we were about to have a lot of people at the house for Ty's party. 

 So, here is the nursery as it is now. 

 Since Dylan is a boy, we will add some more boyish stuff soon and Ben thinks we should get rid of the polka dots. But, I haven't decided yet. 

 

Ok, if you don't like labor and delivery details...just skip to the pictures 

(or just skip this post all together). 

 But, I want to write down the day while I remember it so fresh on my mind because I am likely to tell it over and over again on Dylan's birthday every year. :) 

 We had just wrapped up Ty's train party and put the kids in bed and cleaned up a bit when I really started feeling heavy. 

 It felt like the baby had dropped finally, like that day, and I remember telling my mom at the end of the night...I am just feeling tired and heavy and I can't wait to lay down. 

 I got ready for bed and all night long didn't sleep too comfortably. 

 It felt like I was having one long continuous contraction all night long. Every time I would get up and go to the bathroom it seemed a little hard to walk and my stomach felt super tight. 

 I didn't think much about it at the time. 

 I just thought I really needed some rest and that my blood pressure was probably rising and I needed to keep my feet up. 

 I have never actually gone into labor on my own. 

 For both Kinley and Ty I was scheduled and admitted to the hospital before my water broke and I delivered. 

 I woke up early in the morning with the plan to get Kinley up for school a little early and bathe her. She had run around like crazy at Ty's party the night before and was sweaty and sticky and had bug spray all over her and I wanted her to take a bath before school. 

 By the time I got up to bathe her, a bath sounded really great to me too so I ran us both a warm bath and we relaxed for a few minutes. 

 Then I dried her hair, got her ready for school and finally woke Ben up around 7. 

 I told him not to panic, that I wasn't in labor but that I really needed his help with Kinley to feed her, get her teeth brushed and take her to school because I was having some slight contractions and needed to lay down. 

 He, of course, told me to call my mom and he called Martin. 

 I called mom and immediately told her not to worry, I was not in labor but, that I was having some slight contractions and I might need her help with Ty today. 

She, of course, told me that I was probably in fact in labor and to go get it checked out.

 Ben and I talked to Martin, who was dove hunting out of town for opening day, and he told me that third pregnancies often feel much heavier and braxton hicks can feel very real but, that if my contractions were consistently about 5 minutes apart to go to the hospital and check into triage and let them determine if I was in labor or not. He subtly let me know he was 3 hours away and that my labor tends to go very fast and so if they got to 5 minutes apart, I really needed to go in. 

 So, we waited about 20 minutes, and with contractions steadily 5 min apart, we dropped off Kinley at school and Ty at my moms and headed to the hospital. 

 After some initial questions and paperwork the nurse asked me when my last check up with the dr was and if I was dilated at all (6 days ago, no).  She told me that if she checked me out and I was at a 1 or a 2 she would probably send me home. 

 After the exam, she told me I was 90% effaced and 4 1/2 cm dilated and they admitted me for labor and delivery.

   

I put this picture on instagram

   

and immediately got a text from Leslie telling me she needed a picture of me with a shocked face because we were so surprised that we were actually going to have a baby today.

 

After this is when the panic set in. 

 They moved me to my delivery room and already I was a 6. 

Progressing very quickly. 

 The hospital then called Martin to tell him, yes, I was in fact in labor. 

 I panicked some more. 

 I have never, nor did I ever intend to deliver with anyone other than Martin. (and for those of you who don't know...he is my doctor and a very close family friend...basically Ben's 2nd dad because he grew up next door to him) 

 I cried to Ben that this wasn't supposed to happen today, not with Martin out of town. He prayed over me and read me scriptures in the hosptial room just trying to get me to be peaceful and rejoice in the moment. 

 It helped so much. 

 And just a few minutes later the lead nurses came in and told me Martin called and he was coming! 

 He was on his way from out of town to deliver the baby! 

 He was about 3 hours away and they were instructed to slow down my labor. He gave strict instructions to give me a heavy dose of an epidural, not to check me unless absolutely necessary so as not to break my water (which was still amazingly in tact), and not to give any pitocin. His regimen worked though and I pretty much stopped progressing for those 3 hours he drove in town. 

 At one point a nurse had to check my dilation and she said; I quote "I am going to be extremely careful because I do not want to break your water or I will have one angry Jamaican on my hands!" 

During this waiting period we had lots of people arrive at the hospital and it was so fun. Mom had gone to Kinley's school to pick her up and bring her to the hospital so it was great to see Kinley and Ty before the birth.

   

We all took last minute votes on what we thought the baby's gender would be.

   

Aunt Jan brought a cookie cake before the baby was even born especially for Dylan. We were going to name the baby Dylan whether a boy or a girl so it was fun to have a personalized cake either way! 

 I was starving after I delivered and I am pretty sure I ate half of that cake myself. 

 

At one point, I got a second concoction from the anesthesiologist for my epidural. 

 I was still feeling every contraction on my left side and so they pumped me with a little more and whatever it was literally made me pretty much paralyzed from the stomach down and I could not.feel.a.thing. 

 I did not like it. 

 Plus, I was super out of it after that...very woozy and even got a little nauseous from the medicine. It definitely helped with no pain and my water didn't break but, I did not like it at all. 

 At about 2:15 Martin walked in the room. 

 We were all so, so happy to see him. 

 I am not in any way exaggerating when I say that he walked in and within 5 minutes he broke my water and I was dilated to a 10 and pushing out the baby. 

 I pushed a total of 9 times; 3 sets of 3. 

 It seemed like forever, even though the whole pushing was maybe 5 minutes. 

During that time it was very scary. 

 The baby's heart rate was dropping and dropping and dropping. 

 We could hear the heartbeat monitor go from a strong horse-like running sound to just a small beat. 

 I had a room full at this birth. 

 In the room with me were Ben, Mom, Cheryl, Kristen and Mendy. 

 It was so tense you could hear a pin drop. 

 We were all crying. 

 Ben had to back away from me at one point and just hit his knees in prayer. 

 Mom was holding hands and praying. 

Kristen was crying.

The NICU was called and a team rushed in. 

It was very quick but very intense. 

 On the third set of pushes Martin said "this is it...the baby is coming out on this one" and Praise the Lord HE did. 

 Martin pulled him out and said "It's a BOY!" and Dylan cried and we all cried. 

 It was the biggest swing from terrified to elated in a matter of 30 seconds. 

 I am so, so glad Martin was there for the birth. I could not have stayed calm and done it with any other doctor. 

 He is an amazing, calming force in the delivery room. 

 I am so thankful for him. 

 

Here is Dylan...it's a BOY! Born at 2:26 pm on Tuesday, September 2. 

 

Getting checked by the NICU team but fortunately did not have to go to the NICU!

   

Dylan is my smallest baby yet: 7 pounds 4 oz and 18 inches long. 

 

This is me so relieved that Dylan was out and crying and ok and Ben wiping his tears and then kissing my hand 

 

I got lots of cuddle time with Dylan to nurse and just hold him. 

 

This is Ben walking out into the waiting room to tell Kinley & Ty that it was a BOY! 

 They were both SO excited. 

 

When they first got to meet him was pretty special. 

 

First pic as a family of 5 

The rest of the hospital time was filled with lots and lots of visitors and tons of cuddle time with sweet baby Dylan.
 I felt pretty bad about it on day 1 because I was on strict orders from all the nurses to have Dylan skin to skin until he passed 3 glucose tests.
 His glucose levels had to be above 50 three separate times before they would bathe him and until then, he had to be skin to skin.
 So, no one but me (and Ben a little bit) really got to hold him on day 1.
 That is why there are lots of pics of me with the baby on me and my sweet family and friends that came just leaning over us.
  These masks were hysterical.
 We were not really this quarantined. I am not sure if they got masks in the hospital or if Jeff just brought them but, they were a hit with the kids.
 Kinley even took hers to school the next day to show her class.
 
By day 2 he could be held by anyone and Kinley and Ty were itching to hold him. Kinley told my mom before going to school that morning that she couldn't wait to get out of school to go home and hold baby Dylan.
 It was such special sibling time.

Dylan passed his hearing test

More visitors
I just love the time in the hospital.
 I love lots of visitors.
 I love help from all the nurses.
 But, most of all I just love the night time when its just me, Ben and the new baby and we hold them and get acquainted and nurse and just have nothing.else. on our plate except to love on the baby.
 It's so focused and intentional and precious.

Day 3 we headed home!
 
We went the day after we got home to see our pediatrician, Dr. Scott, for a weight and bilirubin check.
 He weighed 6 pounds 13 oz and his bilirubin was right on the edge but we didnt need to do lamps or sun exposure for jaundice.
 I can't wait to go to his 2 week checkup to see what his weight is then.
 
Ty went with us to the doctor too


Dylan has not hurt for attention since being home.
 He gets held a lot.
 We have stocked up on hand sanitizer and it is pretty much in every room of the house.

Love this view

These are just the most fun times just sitting and holding and being together.
 
It's amazing how any baby gear that's new or we have gotten back out is now fun again for K & T too.
 
He had his first sponge bath and he did great. He had a little bit of an umbilical cord yuckiness and after cleaning it with alcohol a day or two it just fell off.
 
I love that we have the option of watching church online from home while Dylan is still little. I will be so ready to get back to singing and corporately worshipping when he is a bit bigger but is so nice to stay connected and know whats going on from home.
Feeding is going really well so far. He is eating every 2-3 hours and i love it when I can tell he is full and peaceful.

Overall, these first few days have been such a constant source of joy and overwhelming gratitude.  I am just humbled and and overwhelmed with thankfulness for my three children.  We love you so much Dylan Lee!