Baby Leo

Where to begin? Well, I guess it all "started" on the 23rd of June. I went to bed with braxton hicks contractions that through the course of the night strengthened in intensity and became closer and closer together. I sat in the rocking chair dozing between contractions until 3:30 am, when they were no further than 3-4 minutes apart. That's when I called labor and delivery. They said it was up to me whether I came in. I waited another hour before waking up James and asking him to check my cervix (sorry if that is TMI for some of you). It was dilated to a "3, maybe 4" so we decided to go in. I'm going to go ahead and make a long story short here. 12 hours after the contractions started, after 5 hours of walking around the hospital, my cervix showed no change and the contractions stopped. It was SO hard to leave the hospital after all of that- with nothing but fatigue to show for it.

Still pregnant and walking the neighborhood.... again!

The next day, the contractions started - lasted about 5 hours (conveniently in the middle of the night)- and then stopped. I was exhausted! I decided to visit Joella Pettigrew - a friend and chiropracter. I had been told by a number of her patients that she could possibly help my labor induce naturally. Plus, I am her visiting teacher, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to kill two birds with one visit! ;-) She adjusted my hips, pelvis and spine and did some accupressure. An hour or so later, contractions begin, only to cease a few hours later. TWO MORE DAYS of this and I'm at my wits' end. However, my Mom is now here and I'm feeling some peace of mind about that at least. Monday the 27th is my OB appointment. I went feeling discouraged and left feeling defeated! The OB told me that I was only dilated to "maybe a 2" (impossible) and that they could to NOTHING to induce labor- even if I went past my due date. My only options were to go into labor on my own or have a c-section. This news (which incidentally was mis-information) devastated me. I cried ALL my makeup off in the car before leaving the hospital parking garage!

Ok, so I get home and I'm determined to go out and buy castor oil, primrose oil, pineapple, a big gulp, and then run a mile or so. At that point, those were the ONLY suggestions I'd been given that I HADN'T already tried! My mom (in her infinite wisdom) advises me to get on my knees and ask the Lord what it is that I should be praying for. I want to pray for labor to begin immediately, but maybe I should be praying for patience? After my prayer, I remembered something that I had recently taught in a Relief Society lesson. Its was about serving one another in Relief Society. The new manual says we should pray for one another and to know how we can serve one another. In my lesson I emphasized this and even shared examples of miracles that have happened as a direct result of collective prayers. I decided to ask friends and family to pray for me. I didn't say for what, but just that I really needed some peace.

The MIRACLE:

Everyone was so sweet about offering their prayers and sending messages of love and support. The power of prayer is AMAZING! About an hour after requesting this of them, familiar contractions begin (around 6:00 pm). I had an appointment to visit Joella again that night and by the time we got to her office, I was having regular and quite uncomfortable contractions. She begins her treatments and half way through I am having to stop and really breathe (or pant - whatever you call it). By the time she's done, they're coming hard and fast- 2 minutes apart! We rush home to grab the bag and hug the kids (who were more than slightly freaked out by my distress). By the time we get to the hospital, I can't walk and James has to run and get a wheelchair. They rush me to a delivery room and check my cervix- 7 -!!! This thing is finally happening! I figure since I'm so far along I'll go "natural." Oh man, one more hour and these contractions are KILLING me. I'm all but screaming and despite James calm coaching and encouragement, I BEG for an epidural. Luckily, he's there withing a few minutes and 4 or 5 contractions later, I'm pain free and able to enjoy the last 2 hours of my labor.


LEO SHAWN MATHEWS was born at 2:35 AM. He was 9 pounds 0.6 ounces and 21.25 inches long. His apgar scores were 8 and 9. He was by far the hardest to "push out" but only 6 hours of labor!






No one had guessed near nine pounds - we all were guessing mid -eights. He showed us! When they placed him on my stomach, I felt this enormous sense of Joy and relief! He was finally here and we both made it through! He was so warm and pudgy and purplish pink. He cried a little, but was pretty happy once they had him wrapped up. Through our tears James and I exchanged kisses and welcomed the baby we had longed for to complete our family - our new son, Leo.




We called James' brother Shawn shortly after the delivery - despite the crazy time of day - to ask if we could give Leo his name as a middle name. James and Shawn are so close and Shawn and Kathy are so dear to us. We felt like giving Leo the middle name, Shawn, would be a small way we could express how much these two people mean to us. I hope they know it. Shawn gave consent and we've had nothing but positive feedback about the name. Well, except for Dustin who insists he will be calling him "Leo-tard."

The kids and Grandma came the next morning. They were so cute, saying, "Welcome to the family Leo!" and giving him lots and LOTS of kisses. My mom stayed with me for a while and had a chance to bond with Leo as well. The hospital stay was actually quite pleasant. Leo took to nursing pretty well and the staff at the Bremerton Naval Hospital is excellent. Food- not super, but I've had worse! ;0)


This one is my favorite (look at Annie):

Coming home was surreal as it always is. Of course all three of the other kids somehow appeared to have grown several inches overnight. With Grammy's help they had made signs and put balloons up.



It was so sweet- they were SO excited. They all scrubbed their hands and took turns holding Leo.



As the day wore on, despite my Mom's help, the scope of my new responsibilities on top of the old ones overwhelmed me. At the same time, it was really exciting. We had been through so much to get to this point. I think about the last year and a half and can see how we were led through it, but remember still the times when we both felt like giving up - or like it was too much.

As usual, it was SO HARD to see my mom go. She really took over the kids, meals, and most of the housework! I was spoiled I guess. We were blessed to have several ward members bring dinner that second week. It made catching up on the housework much less overwhelming not to have to worry about fixing a big meal every day.

I absolutely LOVE the newborn stage. I could ALWAYS have a newborn and be so happy. This time, however, getting that afternoon nap has been an extra challenge. With all the kids home for the Summer and James not home until dinner time, there have been a couple of days when I have had to hire a babysitter just to catch up on sleep! Its worth it, though. If I'm not sleeping, I'm ornery and yelling all the time and really everything/ everyone suffers.

Leo is a sweet boy. He smiled at me for the first time when he was only 1 week old! Now he smiles at all of us and for the most part is a happy baby. He is fussier than my last two babies, but not nearly as fussy as Dillon was, so I'm counting my blessings. When he's upset and wants to be held all day, I just put him in the sling and he usually calms down pretty well. Hopefully soon we'll get on a good schedule.

Tuesday was his 2 week check-up. He weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces, so he's already growing super fast. He's a solid guy and can hold his head up really well. I'm sad that the newborn phase is coming to an end because I think this is the last baby for us. I guess its bound to happen some time! Every day I can hardly believe I have four healthy children. Amazing.