The Bloomin' Bauer's: Benjamin Brian Bauer

My beautiful son, Benjamin Brian Bauer was born on February 22, 2010 at 9:57 p.m., weighing 7 lbs 2 oz, and measuring 19 inches long.

This labor experience was like night and day how different it was compared to Lily's. I woke up at 5:30 am on Monday and felt a kind of leak, like my water maybe had broken. I wasn't totally sure so I went back to bed and thought I'd call the doctor when they opened at 8. I even sent Brian to work that morning I was so not sure my water had broken. After a couple of hours I was getting more and more sure that it was most likely amniotic fluid I was leaking but I was in no rush to get to the hospital because of the way that Lily's labor experience was for me. After calling the doctor I made an appointment at 1:00 pm to come in and to check to see if it was amniotic fluid I was leaking. I spent the day putting my bags together and getting last minute things done. I was having very irregular light contractions, so I was still considering what I was going through very early labor or even false labor. We got to the doctor's office and it was definitely amniotic fluid and I was dilated to 3 cm! They wanted me to get to the hospital right away. I was pleasantly surprised so me and Brian went back to the house and got our bags and headed to the hospital. We finally got settled there by 2:30 pm. They hooked me up to pitocin right away because I wasn't having regular contractions. The pitocin really started working and by 5:30 I couldn't handle the pain anymore and got an epidural. I am still amazed how people go through labor without one now. I was checked at 6:00 pm and was dilated to 4 and half cm. I was happy the pain being gone but I reacted pretty strongly to the epidural and was very numb to the point that I couldn't move my legs and would get very shaky and nauseous. But it was worth not feeling every contraction. And I really got to relax which was a good advantage for me because by 7:00 pm, I was dialted to 7 cm! I was ecstatic! I didn't even get that far with Lily! At 8:00 pm they checked me again and I was at 9 cm, and then by 9:00 pm I was fully dilated. I couldn't believe how quickly I progressed! It was an amazing experience. I was now excited to get the baby out, my shakiness went away and I was ready to push the baby out. Pushing was very easy for me, they said I was a natural at it! I was so relaxed and happy at this point I was actually laughing in between pushes. After about a half hour of pushing, I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy. They placed him on my tummy and I was crying tears of absolute joy. I had finally gotten the labor experience I had hoped for and I had this baby boy that I am absolutely crazy over. Recovery from a vaginal birth as opposed to a c-section is so different. I was so happy to be able to move around and get out of bed. I didn't have to take a drug cocktail that left me woozy and tired. Instead I had an incredible high and felt as if I needed to get up and clean the house. I feel so elated, proud, and almost powerful to have had my baby the natural way.

Just a few minutes old

Meeting my baby boy

So elated and happy

My sweet baby boy

What a sweetie

Proud Mommy

I am so impressed with the way Brian was such an awesome support for me during and after labor. He helped me through every contraction with words of encouragement. He's been so helpful with Ben and with Lily. He's done such a good job taking care of me as I recover from childbirth. I'm so happy to have a husband like him.

Proud Daddy

Lily couldn't come to the hospital to visit because the day I was going into labor, she had a fever and a bad cold. So when we finally got home, Lily got to meet her little brother. She was so excited to meet him. She runs up to me and says, "Baby Baboo is so cute Mama." She got to hold him for the first time and had the sweetest look on her face. She's such a proud sister.

Sweet new big sister

I really feel like the luckiest girl alive. I have a wonderful husband who can help me get through anything, and 2 beautiful children who I love more than anything.