New Life

As I'm sure you know by now, Randy and I had our beautiful son May 30, 2017, and we named him Owen Joseph Byers. He was 6lbs 12oz, 20.25in long.

If you go back to the original meaning of Owen (different spelling), it means "gracious gift from God" and Joseph means "addition or increase." If you read my last post, you know we struggled for a long time to conceive this sweet boy, so we very much feel like he is a gracious gift of an addition to our family. A gift from our Creator, who knit him together and knew his name even before we did. We are so in love.

I want to write his birth story before I forget, so some parts may be a little more than you'd like to know, but it won't be too bad. You have been warned! 😜

We were supposed to head to the hospital on the evening of May 29, 2017, which was also Memorial Day. So naturally we decided to throw a big party at our house so all of our family could get together and eat some burgers and hotdogs. Some of them were leaving town the next day, so we wanted to get everyone together before they left. We had to be at the hospital at 9pm, so everyone thought we were crazy, but it was so wonderful! We made sure to tell everyone ahead of time that it was going to be over AT 5 so we could get a little rest before we had to leave at 8pm, since the hospital was about 40min away. Setting an exact time made it easier to have a big thing that day without too much worry, and it was also a nice distraction. I didn't have all day to sit and think about the induction. I was super excited, but also terrified. When everyone left, Randy did rest a bit, but I decided to hang up the pictures and decor I had been meaning to put up in the nursery. My nerves were catching up to me, so sitting still wasn't really an option. 

On our way, Randy had to get gas, so I had him drop me off at Subway first so I could get a sandwich for some protein and carbs. It was a great decision and I INHALED it. Subway definitely isn't my favorite sandwich place, but this one was incredible. The bread was fresh and fluffy and everything else was perfect...but I digress. I didn't eat much at the party because I was so freaked out thinking about that night. I knew I'd need a little energy, though. Like I've said before, the idea of going through something promised to be extremely painful was daunting.

When we got to the hospital and settled into our room, we took our very last bump photo before I changed into the super attractive hospital gown. It took a while to for our nurse to come in and get everything going, and that was a little discouraging for me. My doctor had said he thought there would be a possibility of Owen coming by noon on the 30th because of how my body was already progressing, but at that time we were planning on getting the medication to begin the induction by midnight at the very latest, but possibly at 10. Each hour that passed by made me more and more anxious. I was so ready to meet our baby. They finally started the medicine around 12:30am, and the waiting began. Once I dilated to a certain centimeter, my doctor was going to come in and begin pitocin, which is a medication that kicks off contractions. He also broke my water at this time, which I felt was one of the most painful parts of the whole process. This began active labor around 8-9am or so. The clock began ticking at that moment.

One of the best decisions I could have made was staying ahead of the pain. When the original medication, which is designed to basically amp up dilation began making me uncomfortable, I decided to get the pain meds. I was supposed to be getting some rest, but my anxiety wouldn't let me. Even with the ambien (sleeping pill) my doctor prescribed. I began to get more uncomfortable and I knew I needed all the energy I could possibly have later on. I desperately needed sleep. I also had them go ahead and give me some nausea meds because I know my body and extreme abdominal pain makes me throw up...a bunch. I eventually found out that he also prescribed nubain, which was the medication he gave me the last time I went into labor. I knew that med would make me extremely tired and completely take away the discomfort, so it was extra appealing. I was right. Right before they gave me the pitocin and once they started increasing it, I was in some pain from the contractions, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I asked for another dose of nubain before it got unbearable. The nurse warned me that it worked less and less the more you take it. I had already decided it wouldn't be too long after that before I would get my epidural, so I wasn't too worried about it. I eventually got the epidural once the contractions really started hurting, and the entire left side of my body from my waist down went mostly numb. The right side felt numb except for one random spot around my right hip, which was HORRIBLE. Contractions are painful by themselves, but having them concentrated to one part of my body was almost more painful than having them across my whole stomach. They got it fixed and I was fine after that. I was a little anxious that it would stay that way. I had more feeling in my right side, but I didn't have any pain. Honestly, one of the worst things for me during labor was the numbness/tingly feeling in my legs. It gave me a restless leg feeling that drove me insane! After a while I decided to take a quick nap, so Randy went with my dad and stepmom to grab a quick bite to eat. I had started the induction process about 11hrs earlier at this time, and the nurse decided to turn me on my side with this thing called a peanut ball between my legs to try and encourage everything to open a bit more. She came back after 30min to flip me onto the other side, and I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure. She decided to check me before she flipped me over and she looked at me with a shocked expression and said, "you're complete! It's time to call the doctor and push!" With perfect timing, Randy came back and we all geared up for the big moment around 12:30pm. The nurse, Randy, and I did "practice" pushes for about 20min while we were waiting on the doctor. The nurse held one of my legs and Randy held the other throughout this process. Randy and I didn't know this would happen and it was kind of just like "hey, do this now." I actually loved that. I loved that he was a part of the process of our son coming into this world.

One of the most incredible parts of pushing was that the Lord put the song "You Are God Alone" on my heart, and I was singing it in my head and praying prayers of thanksgiving the whole time. It will always be one of my favorite memories and one of the best experiences of my life. 

By the time my doctor got there, Owen was almost completely out. He was pretty surprised, but I could hear the excitement in his voice. The epidural helped keep the pain away, but I could feel the pressure of the contractions. I was actually pretty grateful for that because my body knew when to push even before they told me. They were going quickly and he was coming! By the time he was crowning, the contractions slowed for some reason and he was sort of stuck. It was during this time I began to feel some stinging pain. I knew I was tearing, and it was the only time that I began to feel a little nervous. I kept feeling like he was already out, so I was getting frustrated at this point every time they told me to push more. I also started to get a little tired. When he got stuck, my prayers became more urgent and I was begging the Lord to get him out. 

The next thing I knew, I saw him come out and I heard his cry. I can still see my doctor holding him up so vividly, as if it happened yesterday. They placed him on my chest and suddenly I was so overwhelmed. I was in a little bit of shock at first, and then it really hit me. I had a baby in my arms. My baby. My son. He was absolutely beautiful. My doctor immediately stood up and said, "well, it seems this is exactly what your body was made to do" because it had gone so well from start to finish. From the beginning of my pregnancy, to his birth, it was actually an enjoyable experience. I was only in active labor for 4hrs from the time he broke my water and the contractions began. With my health, everything has been so difficult. My doctor actually said that he was nervous when I first told him I wanted to get pregnant. Labor and delivery were the perfect book end to a wonderful pregnancy. I am so thankful for all of this. 

Next, they asked for his name, something we hadn't told a single person. Randy looked up and announced it with so much pride. 

From the moment he was born, my doctor exclaimed that he looked just like Randy, and he does! It's actually crazy how much he looks like him. I call him Randy's little clone. One of my favorite things he got from Randy is his beautiful red hair. It's so gorgeous! Randy took a video of me right after he was born, which I don't remember at all, and I said, "I got my ginger baby!" haha. I really hoped he would have red hair. We have a lot of red/blonde/light hair in our family, so I knew it was at least a possibility. It's also starting to curl a little at the ends, and I'm so excited! I know I'm biased, but he is SO CUTE! One of my favorite things in this journey has been seeing Randy as a daddy. He is absolutely wonderful, and seeing him with our boy is one of the greatest joys of my life. The happiness, pride, and joy just shines from him.

Randy's baby picture and Owen, one week old

After his birth, we decided to gather our family together so we could introduce him. We knew from the beginning this was something we wanted to do. No one knew his name or gender, so we wanted it to be an extra special moment once they finally knew. Randy went with Owen to the nursery, where they bathed him and all that, and they fixed me up and took me to our room. After a bit, our family came in so they wouldn't have to be in the waiting room anymore. It was almost 4 hours from the time he was born until Randy wheeled him to our room! I hadn't even seen him in 2 hours! It was crazy. I remember passing the nursery in my wheelchair and seeing Randy sitting next to him in his little bassinet. It suddenly hit me that I had never been away from him up to that point from the very beginning of his existence. It was a little surreal. I got into my room and soon after all of our family gathered around and tried to get info out of me, but I still kept his name and gender secret until Randy brought him out! I threw them a tiny bone by letting them know he had red hair, but that was it. Randy finally wheeled him in and asked me to introduce him to the family. I really hadn't expected him to ask me, so I immediately started tearing up. Randy told me later that since he had announced it when he was born, he wanted me to have that moment as well. We have this video of it, and I will cherish it forever. I tried to attach it below, so you will hopefully be able to see it if you want to.

So there's the story! Owen is absolutely precious and a great baby. He is so chill and sleeps a ton! He may look just like daddy, but a little bit of mommy is starting to come out. We are so thankful for this precious boy.

I hope they work! Here are some of my favorite photos 💛 😍
I also attached a couple videos at the bottom.
***I just found out the videos won't show up on a mobile device***