Levi's Birth Story

Well, he's here!!!  Our adorable little man--Levi Jude Linford-- was born last Tuesday afternoon.

The whole week previous to his birth I had lots of "false labor."  Some contractions were more painful than others, but after a few hours they'd peter out and go away.  It was a long, long week.  When I was far enough along in the pregnancy that I met all of the requirements for an elective induction I was ready to labor.

My induction was scheduled for 7:30 am (3 days before my actual due date), but when I called in at 7 am they were too busy to admit me; so they asked me to call back at 8 am.  At 8 am they were still waiting for a nurse, so they asked me to call back at 10 am.  Of course, I understood, but was a little disappointed.  The nurses assured me that there was still a good possibility of me being induced that day, so I stayed busy at home and hoped they were right.  When I called back at 10 am they said they were ready for me; so we rushed out the door before they could change their minds.

It took me about an hour to get checked in and situated in my room.  When I got to the hospital I was dilated 3 centimeters and had mild contractions (spaced about 4 minutes apart).  At 11:20 am my doctor (Russell Smith) showed up and broke my water.  Then at 11:45 am the nurses started my pitocin and by 12:30 the anesthesiologist showed up to give me my epidural.  I have to say, that I think the most painful part of labor is getting the iv and epidural placed.  This, by far, was my most painful epidural of the 3 I've had.   I had a pretty gnarly bruise almost right away at the injection site.  Between 12:30-4 pm I slowly dilated from 3-5 centimeters.  Then at 4 pm I started to have serious pain.  We called in the anesthesiologist and got a second dose of medicine right before we realized I was fully dilated and ready to deliver.  No wonder it was so painful!  I dilated 5 centimeters in a half hour!!!  The doctor showed up just in time-- literally!  Levi was ready to slide out.  I gave one practice push and they told me to stop.  Dr. Smith literally held his hand on Levi's head while he was setting up.  I laughed at something and he literally slipped right out into the doctor's hands.  So, with in 5  hours I had delivered baby number 3.

No matter how many times I do it, each labor is an amazingly beautiful, life-altering experience.  Nothing else I have accomplished has come close to creating and delivering life into the world.  I love hearing my baby cry and seeing him/her for the first time.
When they lifted Levi up for me to see, it was no different.  I was in love and overwhelmed with emotion.  And then I had to know what color his hair was-- red!  Brandon proclaimed, "We made another redhead!"  And, for the record, this little redhead looks a lot like his sweet big brother-- their baby pictures are almost identical!

Brandon was a great coach.  I was able to bravely face the pain because he let me squeeze his hands purple multiple times that afternoon.  And I was able to more fully enjoy the euphoria of birth because he was there to share in the joy.  I love that we share memories of that special sacred experience-- a tiny moment in time that bonds us together.

By 7 pm they had transitioned me out of the delivery room and into my long term stay room.  Other than numb legs and lots of swelling (because of the late extra dose of pitocin) I was feeling pretty good and in good spirits, so we were glad to have Grandma and Grandpa bring the kids by to come meet their new little brother.  They were thrilled!  They both wanted to hold him multiple times and couldn't stop loving on him.  They even decided that they'd help change his diapers and feed him when we brought him home.  Wyatt was the only one with concerns-- in the middle of a conversation he interrupted us to ask, "Where's his penis?"  I guess he wanted to make sure he really got a brother. lol.  Watching the two of them excitedly welcome their little brother into the world is a favorite moment in my life.

The next day our bishop, his wife, Grandma Mimi, and Grandma Dona also showed up to meet Little Levi.  We could have come home from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, but it was easier to take care of myself at the hospital and I have to admit that we love the nursery and extra help from the nighttime nurses, so we decided to stay for the 2nd day as well.  By the time Thursday came around, though, we were more than anxious to take our little man home and be together under the same roof.  Sadly, I was so swollen that the shoes I wore to the hospital didn't fit, so I had to walk to the car in fuzzy socks.  Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful trip home.

Birthday cupcakes in honor of Levi's birthday.

And now, here we are, almost a week later-- still so in love and feeling so blessed.  A new baby is always a blessing fresh from Heaven, but Levi is especially wonderful.  We love him and it warms our hearts to see how his presence has brought the spirit of love more fully into our daily lives and united our precious little family.  What a great start to a new chapter in our family history book.