The Birth Story

Well, as most of you already know I started having contractions about 3 weeks before the little guy was born. They would come at night and would be every 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes...for a couple hours and then nothing. It was getting pretty frustrating. Even the doctor kept telling me that the baby would join our family any day. On Monday the 28th the contractions started around 11 in the afternoon. That was the earliest they had ever started before. I still ran my errands, cleaned the house, etc. By the evening they were stronger, but I still wasn't convinced it was time yet. Scott still packed his stuff and called a friend, just in case. The contractions stopped around 11:00pm and I went to bed. I woke up having a dream that my water had broken and I was in the middle of having a contraction. That had never happened before. I went to the bathroom and had another contraction. Wow, that was fast I thought. I went back to bed and had another one. Wow. I looked at the clock and the contractions were coming every minute. They were pretty strong, but I was still calm and breathed through them. I woke up Scott and off we went. Scott called the hospital while we were driving to update them on our arrival. We got there and the contractions were still every minute. They checked me and I was only a 6! WHAT? But they said my water had broken and rushed me to the delivery room. I asked for an epidural and within 20 minutes she was there. YEAH!! At first the medicine made me really sick and I kept dry heaving. Yucky. I also had the shakes really bad. I usually do when I get an epidural. They checked me again and I was an 8. Moving right along, and fast! Good, I was relieved it was going quickly. They called the doctor and he was on his way down. They checked me again and I was ready. The doctor came right in, put his gown on and my legs went up in the stirrups. The epidural was pretty good, I couldn't feel anything. They told me to push and I did. I looked up at the mirror and I saw his head crowning and then pop out of me. That was weird and a little gross. I took a deep breath and pushed again. His entire body slid right out of me. Again, what a weird feeling that is. Aww, it's over. Finally. I am no longer pregnant! We arrived at the hospital around 12:45 am and he was born at 2:27 am. When I first looked at him he was a spitting image of Gavin. The mouth especially. I kept calling him Gavin which lasted a few days. I cut the umbilical cord, which is another funky thing to do. It feels rubbery and thick. We had made bets on the baby's weight. I guessed 9 lbs. 10 oz, but after I saw him I knew I was off by a lot because he was so tiny. The nurse weighed him, and he was exactly my guess, 9-10. WOW! After the nurse poked and prodded him for a while I had him back in my arms and he was as good as gold. Such a sweet baby doll. So snuggly. His cheeks aren't as chubby as the other brothers, but they are still so soft and kissable. He latched right on and nursed. I still wasn't sure of a name. I liked Preston and Nathan still, but it was still hard for me to decide. I don't know his little personality yet. The boys and Scott liked Nathan Joseph more than Preston Joseph, so we went with that. The next day he was a little yellow and we ended up staying in the hospital an extra day. Now that we're home he is still doing really well. For the past 3 nights he has slept really well. When he wakes up I'll nurse him both sides, bundle him up and he'll fall right to sleep on his own. It makes such a difference when the baby sleeps well. Then I can sleep well which means life is good! :) We picked up the boys from school right after Scott had picked me up from the hospital and they were all super surprised to see us both. The boys all thought we might have to stay in the hospital one more day. They all sat in the middle row of the suburban so they could keep an eye on the newborn. The boys ran in the house to wash their hands as fast as they could so they could hold their brother for the first time. (They were not allowed in the hospital and this was their first time seeing him!) It was so cute to watch the other brothers examine the new baby. The all thought his belly button was disgusting and his feet were long. We then laid him on a blanket on the ottama and the boys just sat around him staring at him. It was real cute to watch. Now, we're home and life is slowly going back to normal.

Welcome home sweet baby NATHAN JOSEPH THOMPSON!!! We LOVE you!

Many friends have asked what were the weights of the other brothers...

Will 10 lbs. 6 oz

Jackson 9 lbs. 8 oz

Tyler 9 lbs. 12 oz

Gavin 9 lbs.

Brigham 9 lbs. 11 oz

Nate 9 lbs 10 oz