Our Birth Story

When we first got pregnant I started considering bringing my camera with me and attempting to take photos during labor. I wanted to have a record of that incredible experience and I hoped it would distract me from the pain. I had no idea what being in labor would be like, but I ended up taking a few photos and having Andy take some, and I thought others might like to see a bit of our labor story...

Jackson due December 6, but I was induced on the 12th since our little guy decided he was quite happy where he was. We headed to the hospital at 6:30 am on Monday, December 12 with all our luggage in tow.

The snack bag!

Heading to the hospital!

I get pretty anxious about needles (as in, I occasionally get so afraid that I pass out), so I wasn't sure how I would do with an IV and having blood drawn. It wasn't the best start of the day, but we managed and soon the doctor broke my water and got me started on pitocin to get the contractions going.

Before long I was having contractions and they amped up in intensity really quickly. I decided to get an epidural and was about 4 cm dilated by the time the anesthesiologist arrived. He did an incredible job, as I felt a lot of relief nearly immediately and eventually could just barely feel the contractions. This allowed me to relax enough to dilate to 10 cm over the course of the next 90 minutes. The doctor came to check on me and said I was complete, but Andy, the nurse, and I all thought she was kidding because things were moving so quickly. Fortunately, she wasn't.

The doctor had me wait about an hour to allow the baby to move down a bit more on his own, and then we started pushing. Twenty minutes later I was holding our baby for the first time - one of the most surreal experiences of my life.

After some skin-to-skin time Jackson was weighed and measured so we could introduce him to our families.

Jackson meeting his great-grandparents.

Ready to go home!

Jackson Titus Reynolds

When Andy and I went on our honeymoon we spent time in Montana and Wyoming, finishing our trip in Jackson (often called Jackson Hole), Wyoming. We loved being at the foot of the Grand Tetons, one of our favorite mountain ranges, so Jackson was an easy choice for us. Titus was Andy's grandfather, and is also Andy's middle name. We wanted a name that was connected to nature, as we hope our son will fall in love with the great outdoors, but also connected to our families, hence Jackson Titus. We've already started calling him by various nicknames, so we're happy to have people call him Jack, Jack Jack, etc.

What a joy this little guy is already! Though life is completely different for us now, it's hard to remember what it was like before we were a family of three.