This is a beautiful story of strength and support.
The story of the birth of Noah Montgomery LaCroix has many smiles, deep conversations, surges of fear, leaps of joy and lots of love...
lots and lots of love.
I named Kelly's IV "Bertha". Since Kelly is not a fan of needles, it caused her quite a bit of anxiety in the beginning. Probably more than contractions. It is funny how the little things get to us. Before too long, Bertha was obsolete.
But this woman, ya'll, she is so strong.
Sometimes in labor, the room can change. One minute, you are watching netflix and laughing in between contractions, the next minute, you need an oxygen break.
Labor is not easy. No matter the story. Kelly handled contractions with strength and determination...
and Jello.
and Ben.
A woman needs her partner in birth. To witness this bond is a gift. This man provided support in ways he didn't realize he knew. Kudos to Ben for jumping in.
Now, back to Kelly. She did do most of the work, you know.
And this was the moment when everything stopped.
There is a time in labor where mom hears her progress and is either energized or defeated. This mom was about 12 hours into contractions (on pitocin, which, let me inform you, makes a difference) and her news of only 6 cm dilation was it. Bring on the epidural.
Except this funny thing happened. The epidural decided to only numb one side (I call it a "halfidural"). So after about 3 more hours of that, they got the problem fixed. Kelly was at 9cm.
Kelly is a person who will not feel the need to explain herself on her decisions in birth. No one should need to. But I am here to toot my own horn on how incredibly strong she was and how she handled labor so well. Getting an epidural is not defeat. Labor is not a contest; it is a journey that each woman must take. Kelly is strong. You are strong. Let's celebrate that.
"Hey Steph, will you take our picture before we have a baby"
Welcome to the world, Noah.
