He's Here!

When the day started I didn't think he would be arriving today as when we called at 6:00 am to confirm our induction the hospital said they were full - I was so disappointed! But I left it up to God and figured He knew what day he wanted our baby to be born. Thankfully 50 minutes later I got a phone call telling me to arrive at the hospital by 8:30 am! I was so happy! It actually worked out pretty well as we were able to wake the kids and see them to our friends house and reassure them that things were going to be okay. Poor Daniel was a bit upset about leaving us, but seemed to do well once he was dropped off.

We arrived at the hospital and things started moving quickly. I was already 5 cm dilated and so ready to have this baby! They started the pitocin at around 9:30 am and things kicked into gear pretty fast. I am a wimp when it comes to pain and requested the epidural at 11:00 am! The doctor finally arrived at 11:50 am and made my life so much better! What I hadn't counted on was the epidural causing my blood pressure to plummet making me feel absolutely horrible. They soon corrected that and things progressed normally. I was able to sleep, rest, and relax while my body did the work of getting ready to deliver our boy.

Finally at 3:15 pm I was given the go ahead to start pushing. Now with Matt I pushed 3 1/2 hours - you know first kids! With Sarah and Daniel it was a breeze - delivering them in about 3 pushes. This one was a bit more difficult. I pushed for about 30 minutes and finally got his head out - massive cheeks! But then the drama started (we can't have a kid without a dramatic entrance!) His shoulders got stuck. All of a sudden the doctor is calling for help and there are twelve people yelling at me to push harder and pressing on my belly and pulling on him to assist in his birth. They were finally able to pull him out and immediately took him over to give him oxygen. It seemed like forever before he finally cried - but never a sweeter sound was heard. He is currently in the NICU with a fractured left clavicle - very common for these type of births. He is, however, already gripping with his left hand and starting to move the arm more. They believe he will make a full recovery and have full use of his arm. His stats are:Name: Andrew Elijah Schultz (we'll call him Drew)

Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz.

Length: 21 1/2 inches

Head: 14 inches

Chest: 14 inches

And his shoulders are wider than 14 inches! He is doing well. Andy and I were able to go down tonight and hold him for about an hour. We praise God for bringing our baby safely into the world. The doctor told Andy that this was one of her most serious deliveries in her 10 years of practice - only one other compares to ours. We thank you all for praying for our son and his arrival. Please continue to pray as he grows and develops - that things would progress normally and he would grow strong and healthy.