He is finally here!

He is here and he is absolutely wonderful!
So for those of you who did not know, we were planning on inducing on the 4th. Our other option was the 31st but we just did not want a Halloween baby - well, God has a funny sense of humor and reminded us that he makes the plans and we just follow - so we did.
Friday morning i went to work but was not feeling too well, so i went home at lunch. Good thing because around 4ish my water broke. And FYI, I have been asking God to give me a sure sign I was in labor since i had been in "actual labor" since the storm i was really nervous I would not recognize it. Well, he made it very clear. I called a friend and the nurse on call to verify and then we headed to the hospital. When we got there (around 5:30) I was dilated 4 cm. They sent me upstairs and checked again and was dilated 5 cm. They asked if I wanted and Epidural but I wanted to see how long i could go before getting it. Then they told me they needed to start pitocin (I think because my contractions were not regular) and suggested getting the epidural then; so i did. This was about 8ish. The next time they checked I was 8 cm and 30 min later I was complete. The hardest part was the IV - they had to stick me about 5 times and was not pleasant. Around 10pm we started pushing and he was born at 11:07 - our beautiful 6lbs 12.8 oz Halloween baby - and we could not be happier!
OH, and dad (Adam) did absolutely awesome!
That is all for now - I think he is hungry so we better go
love yall!
Em, Adam and Madden!

Update...

Sorry I have not posted in a while. I had an apt yesterday - I am dilated 1cm and the ultrasound tech was impressed at how low he is. Not sure what that means. And she said he looks excellent! Everything is working properly and he is practicing breathing - Aunt Natalie was there and she was telling him to come out and play - maybe he will listen!!

Bed Rest...

I apologize for not posting lately....the hurricanes kinda threw things off a bit. So I went to my regular appointment Monday and they tested me for bladder/UTI infection (I had been having some cramping). Tests came back negative. So I went back yesterday when they tested to see if i was at risk for pre-term labor - those tests came back positive. They also hooked me up on the fetal monitor thinking my cramping was just braxton hicks (practice contractions/false labor). Well, come to find out, they were actual contractions. I am not dilated but he is in position and is really low. So, they put me on some medicine to slow down the contractions and bed rest to see if that helps. I have another appointment Monday and will hopefully know more then.
Ok, so that is all for now.
Keep us in your prayers and we will keep everyone updated!
Love,
Emily, Adam and Madden
oh, and Patch!!

Home Stretch...

So I have entered the 3rd trimester - and only 11 weeks left. I went to the doctor yesterday (8-19-08) and had gain 7 lbs since my last visit (two weeks ago)!
It is ok since the last time I did not gain any weight - I am currently at 121 and have gained a total of 23 lbs - not bad so far.
I also passed my glucose test with flying colors and my iron levels are perfect - no anemia - yeah!! I told the nurse that my Hot dog cravings helping my levels - he he!
So, something interesting. I have been feeling fine and all of a sudden, last Monday-ish, after i hit 28 weeks my stomach blew up - could no longer fit into half my clothes, my appetite tripled and i get hot flashes and overheated like crazy. She said this was all normal, but no wonder i gained so much weight in such little time. It was nuts!!
I will put up another picture soon......he has grown so much and so fast!

MADDEN JOSEPH BRAUD

Yeah! We finally decided on a name!!

Getting Ready...

So we went to our first baby class on Sunday! It was so much fun - very informative and somewhat overwhelming. They covered everything in 4 1/2 hours: what to expect after birth (a little intimidating), how to tell when to call a doctor, signs for infection, how to bathe, feed, etc.
And even though i have heard most of this from school, when she got to the part about SIDS-it still freaked me out. Almost everything could play a role: from a stranger in the parking lot smoking a cigarette to soft objects.
I walked out feeling like, to care for my own child, i need to wear a sterile outfit and plan to do absolutely nothing but feed and watch him.
Being the studious person that i am, i of course went home and typed the notes. This made me feel a little better because i could group everything the nurse talked about and able to make more realistic since out of everything.