Kaden Mikal Shaffer 8lbs, 12oz, 21 in

It's finally over, and our baby is here!

Well I am finally sitting here at home with my son. What a journey this pregnancy and delivery has been. I was beginning to think I would never hold him in my arms. The past few days have been the hardest of our long and difficult pregnancy. But in the end God blessed us with a beautiful healthy baby boy, and I couldn't be a happier momma. I went to the hospital for the first time on the 25th. After they did a stress test on the baby they decided the best option was to induce labor. We were there for 5 hours and then they told us we had to go home because they didn't have enough nurses on the night shift. We were instructed to go home and come back at 7 am and they would start the induction then. So we came back Thursday morning and they started inducing me, but then once again all the night nurses called in and they had one nurse that night for the whole birth center. They stopped the pitocin and sent me home once again. My contractions were about 4 minutes apart and would continue for the next day and a half. The next morning we went back in because my contractions never stopped and I was having quite a lot of bleeding. By this time I had seen 3 different RNs and told all of them about the bleeding. They kept telling me that it was just normal bloody show that all women experience during labor. I thought it was weird that it didn't happen with Addi, and it was quite a bit of blood, but thought they knew what they were talking about. We got sent home for the third time. Later that day my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and the bleeding never slowed down. Gonzaga was playing in their Sweet 16 NCAA game, and we contemplated waiting until the end of the game to go in, but decided we better go. When we got there the head nurse checked me and said I was 4 cm dialated and she could feel the head. It was time for my epidural and to get ready to have a baby. She then sent in my delivery nurse, who ended up being my life saving angel. She checked me and was concerned about the amount of blood, and then I went to the bathroom and showed her the blood I was loosing everytime I went. She immediately called the doctor, he was there in about 5 minutes, and 20 minutes later I had an emergency c-section. The "head" the first nurse felt was actually my placenta, which if I had tried a vaginal delivery I would have delivered the placenta first and they would have had to cut the baby out anyways. During my c-section they cut a vein that was in an unusual spot so shortly after the baby was out I passed out from the loss of blood. I woke up about an hour later feeling horrible, but ready to see the beautiful baby boy I had worked so hard to bring into this world. They were ready to do a blood transfusion but luckily my blood pressure went up slowly but surely over the next two days, and I have been recovering well. When the doctor took the placenta out he found the tear that had been causing the bleeding. Luckily when you are prego you have 30% more blood than normal, so I was able to pull this whole thing off. It has been a journey, but now I am home and enjoying life with my new little baby boy, who likes to eat all the time and hardly ever cries. Addi is the best big sister and can't get enough of him. When she first met him she gave her dad a big hug and said, "Thankyou for my baby brother daddy!" We are enjoying life as a family of four.

Well the big day is getting closer and we are getting more and more excited. Yesterday we toured the new hospital in Pullman where we will have our son. It is so nice and I am happy that I get to deliver at this hospital, since my delivery with Addi was a little rough and I think I might have a panic attack if I had to go back to the hospital where we had her. The hospital will post pictures of our new bundle of joy, and you all can check them out when the time comes by going to (www.pullmanregional.org )then click on birthplace in the left hand column. Addison came with us, and she brought her baby doll. The nurses were so great with her and just fell in love with my sweet daughter. I was pleased with how much they tried to involve her since this will be a big day for everyone. The rooms were so big, and I especially loved the jacuzzi tub. I plan to have a nice soak before my epidural. :o) The doc has given the ok for a vaginal delivery which makes me very happy. I did not want to have a c-section. Afterwards we went out to lunch, making it the perfect afternoon. So everything is ready to go, now we just wait for the little man to decide when he is going make his big exit; or is it entrance???? We still don't know what his name will be. If you have any suggestions, let us know!!!