The SmithAldridge Blog: MYLES FLYNN SMITHALDRIDGE

BOB no longer, Welcome to the World

MYLES FLYNN SMITHALDRIDGE

born 9/1/12 at 4:17pm, 7lbs 9oz, 19 1/2 inches long

Myles Flynn, less than 1 day old

So, who had “Boy, September 1^st, 4:17pm?” That is when we became parents and nothing’s been the same. After 34 ½ hours of labor, we finally met the little baby boy who gave me such a smooth & kind pregnancy.

Many things did not go as planned during the labor & delivery and although Greg & I went into this with a natural birth plan, we also said that our ultimate goal was to leave the hospital with a healthy baby. And that’s what we did. Some things are out of our control and we would make peace with whatever decisions needed to be made to give us a healthy baby. Although I was able to avoid a C-section, delivery left me with a loss of blood that ended in convulsions & passing out (hey, I always wondered what smelling salts were like and I reacted just like in the movies!) I ended up receiving a blood transfusion the next day as my blood pressure & heart rate would not stabilize. However, 34 ½ hours of labor, 22 of which were “natural”, convulsions & one blood transfusion later, we got to leave the hospital with our wonderful new addition!

When people say it changes your whole world, they’re not kidding. Emotionally, physically, environmentally – everything looks different, from the minute to the monumental. The other day Greg said, “I never noticed all these crazy ass people on the street and shitty drivers til I had a baby in the backseat. Were these people here before we had Myles?”

And Myles is truly amazing! I cannot stop myself from staring at his perfect face and touching is soft skin, petting his full head of hair (that never once gave me heartburn! Thanks Myles!) and kissing his little cheeks. When I look at him I feel like my chest is going to explode and it can be completely overwhelming. I said to Greg, “I feel overwhelmed. Not overwhelmed as in ‘too much to handle’, but overwhelmed as in the feeling to do my best is the biggest thing I’ve ever felt.” Sometimes all I can think is, “I want to do my best for him. ALL I want is to do is my best.”

Mere moments after birth, Myles was placed on my chest where he was awake & yelling. When I held him, he immediately calmed, looked around alert & blinking and then "crawled" to nurse & fell asleep.