Introducing: Will Matthew Pridgeon

HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE! 

Will Matthew was born on March 17, 2016 at 9:16 pm.  He weighed 6 pounds, 14 oz and was 19 inches long. A little more about his birth, mostly to help me remember (feel free to skip to the bottom for pictures if you don't want all the details)...

I was due March 20, with baby #3.  I went to my OB in the morning on the 17th and was dilated 3-4 cm and 90% effaced.  He said baby boy would be coming any day, but that's what the midwife had told me the week before, too, so I wasn't super hopeful.  But, around 5:00 pm, I started having contractions.  This was the third time I'd had them, and the first two times, they stopped after about an hour, so I was surprised that I was still having them when Matt got home around 6:00.  We started timing them and getting ready to go to the hospital.  The contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, and had been going for over an hour, but they still weren't lasting more than 30-45 seconds each.  I wasn't sure what to do, so I called my OB.  He said to come in, but it wasn't a huge rush.  We waited for my parents to come over to stay with the girls (they were out to dinner in Holland - sorry, Mom and Dad!), but once they got here, I didn't really want to leave.  I fully realized it was the last time it would be just the four of us, and I was a little bit sad.  Everything was changing.

Matt and I finally got in the car and arrived at the hospital at 8:00 pm.  On the way in, he could tell the intensity of my contractions was quickly rising, and I made the comment, "I think we may have waited too long."  I was dilated to 7 cm upon arrival, which was a big surprise to my triage nurse, so they rushed me upstairs with gloves on (just in case something happened in the elevator!).  My L&D nurse was awesome.  She made sure my OB was on his way - like now! - and helped get everything ready in the meantime.  Everyone seemed to think this boy was coming fast.

Once my OB arrived, I had to breathe through a few more contractions to try to finish a dose of antibiotics (I was positive for Strep B), and then he broke my water.  A few pushes later, and Will was in my arms.  Sweet relief.

Liv 'doctoring' baby brother during contractions:)

first picture together

our little Shamrock baby

My mom brought the girls up to the hospital the following morning to meet their baby brother.  They were seriously SO excited.  Both girls wanted to hold him and sing to him and just love him.  My heart was so happy (and a little terrified because of their lack of awareness of personal space and Will's fragility).

We were supposed to stay 48 hours for monitoring in the hospital because I only got one dose of antibiotics in (instead of 2) for the Strep B, but thanks to my awesome husband being a pediatrician, they let us go home around 40 hours instead, which was Saturday afternoon.

ready to go!

Now we're home.  And there are five of us.  So crazy.  Thank you, God, for a healthy baby boy.  We are so, so blessed and excited to get to know this little guy.