Luke's Birthstory

I have had the opportunity to photograph two births, but I wasn't certain if I wanted a photographer at one of my deliveries. I ended up deciding to have a photographer and I am sooooooooooo glad that I did. I love that we have these pictures of such a life changing moment in our life.

Here's the story in pictures, followed by the story in words. Don't worry, the words and pictures won't be too graphic.

Luke was born three weeks earlier than his due date. I hoped and expected he would be a little early, but I was not expecting three weeks early. The day before Luke was born I walked to school to pick Ben up. On the way home I was thinking that maybe it wasn't such a good idea that I walked, as I was really hurting. The next morning I ran a few errands and I was feeling a lot of physical pressure and a sense of really needing to take care of some things.

In the afternoon I went to my doctor's appointment. The nurse said they didn't need to check my progression as they had checked it the week before, but she said they could check if I wanted. Since I had felt like things were going on I asked to be checked. The week before I was dilated to a two and 70% effaced. The doctor, not wanting me to get my hopes up, told me that many women stay at a two for weeks and I was only 37 weeks. He was actually surprised that I was dilated to a four and 80% effaced, on the verge of active labor.

The doctor told me that this time around I was Strep B positive (I wasn't with my two other boys) which meant I needed to have IV antibiotics starting about four hours before I delivered. When I had Jack I dilated from a five to a ten in twenty minutes. Needless to say the doctor was a little worried, so was I. He said he wanted to send me to the hospital right then, but couldn't because I was only 37 weeks along. But he stripped my membranes and told me if I went to the hospital of my own accord he would tell them not to send me home. He told me not to worry about the Strep B too much because they can do things after the baby is born if necessary.

I left the doctors office and ran a few errands. I was having contractions pretty regularly but they didn't hurt. I went to my sisters house and after taking with her, my aunt, and my friend Kristi I decided to go to the hospital.

At 5:30 we went to the hospital and just over six hours later Luke was born. I progressed in labor without Pitocin, so it was good I went to the hospital when I did. I got an epidural around 8:30 and other then a few minutes when my blood pressure dropped, and I felt like I was going to throw up an pass out, the labor and delivery was easy. I only had to push four times.

And just like that, our little Luke entered the world and I wasn't very surprised when Chad told me it was a boy.