Introducing William Douglas Porterfield

This Christmas, Doug & I received the most incredible gift of our lives, as we welcomed our precious baby boy, William Douglas Porterfield, into our family.  William was born on Christmas Eve at 4:34 am, weighing an even 8 pounds & measuring 20 3/4 inches long.  

Our lives changed forever that Christmas Eve morning, as we brought him into the world & held him for the first time.  The first few days & weeks of his life have been filled with such sweet moments that I never want to forget.  It's hard to believe or wrap our minds around the fact that we have been blessed with such a tremendous gift.  

The experience of William's birth is the most amazing thing Doug and I have ever been a part of.  I wanted to share our birth story on my blog because it's an experience that changed our lives forever, and left us with a new perspective on life- a feeling any parent can probably relate to.  Our birth story may be way more information and pictures than you are interested in, so if that's the case- please don't feel obligated to keep reading.   

During our pregnancy, Doug & I took Bradley classes.  I was really interested in learning more about natural childbirth, and knew several people who had taken the classes, loved them, and had wonderful experiences with their labor & deliveries.  I don't think either of us were prepared for how much we would learn from the classes, and how they would shape our desire to have a birth that was free of unnecessary interventions.  My doctor was very supportive of this, and so, we wrote our birth plan, hired a doula (which we would highly recommend to anyone!), and anxiously awaited our little guy to come when he was ready.    

Our due date was December 22.  All along, I'd told myself we probably wouldn't have a baby until New Year's Eve.  I knew the baby would come whenever he was ready, regardless of our due date, and by telling myself he was coming late, I wouldn't be disappointed when my due date came & went.  I would recommend this strategy, as it worked well for me.  :)  Our doctor knew we did not want to be induced, and she was supportive of letting the baby come when he was ready.

On Thursday, December 20th, I went in for what would be my last pre-natal visit with my amazing doctor, Dr. Rempe.  (Side note, I seriously LOVE my doctor.  At one of my last appointments, I mentioned that I had seen her more than my own sisters over the course of the year, and that I was really going to miss her.)  :)  Due to the fact that Dr. Rempe was not on call over the weekend, and off for several days because of the Christmas holiday, she scheduled the visit with me on Dec. 20th to check progress.  At this appointment, we learned I was dilated to 2.  She told us that she would be on-call on Christmas Eve, starting at 8am, and that if baby boy hadn't come by then, she wanted us to come in to the hospital for some monitoring, since she would be there.  We agreed, and left the appointment thinking that the next time we went to the hospital would be Christmas Eve morning, to see Dr. Rempe.

On Saturday night (my due date), Doug & I went to bed around 10:30.  It always makes him crazy when I'm restless.  The man can sense that I'm not sleeping, or that I'm not ready to sleep, even when I'm just laying quietly in the dark. This night was no exception.  He told me I needed to try & get some rest, and I told him I couldn't get comfortable & wasn't feeling tired.  Eventually I dozed off, and about 2 hours later, woke up to what I knew were my first contractions.  Doug had downloaded the handiest of all apps to his iPhone, to help us time contractions.  For about two hours, I had a contraction every 8-10 minutes, that lasted about a minute.  I was able to talk through them, so they were manageable.  Following the information we'd been given in our Bradley classes, I made myself a snack, for a little energy boost in case the contractions turned into something more serious.  After two hours of contractions, I texted our doula, Mandy, to let her know what was going on.  She called me right away, and told me I was in early stage labor, which meant I needed to try & get some rest, and to keep her posted if anything changed.  I settled in on our couch, and had contractions until about 6am Sunday morning, when they finally tapered off enough for me to nap for a couple of hours.  

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, I called my mom to touch base.  She assured me that they were all praying for us, and would be anxious for an update.  My mom had been such a big support system for me, especially in the final days & weeks of my pregnancy.  Knowing she & my dad were praying for us gave me such a sense of peace, which I was very grateful for.  Doug & I went for walk that afternoon, and later in the day, I texted my friends Sarah & Lexy, to see if they would be willing to come by for a visit.  In retrospect, I think I was subconsciously aware that things would be happening soon, and just needed a bit of reassurance from those close to us.  Lexy had taught our Bradley classes, and Sarah was a dear friend from work who had natural childbirth with her daughter, Jessie.  They both dropped what they were doing for a last minute visit, and came to our house for a visit.  Doug & I both felt a sense of relief after talking to them, and as we were saying goodbye, I started having contractions that required a bit more focus.  

I think Doug & I both thought these contractions were the same as the night before, so we were both pretty relaxed about everything.  He went to the store around 6:00, and made dinner.  I tried to eat, but my contractions were becoming a bit more intense, and closer together.  During contractions, I was most comfortable sitting at the kitchen table, on the exercise ball.  As the contractions picked up, Doug sat with me and helped me relax & focus on breathing.  We turned on one of my favorite Coldplay albums, and took each contraction one at a time.  Finally, at 8:30, Doug suggested we call Mandy to let her know what was going on.  She talked to me for a few minutes, until I had to give the phone to Doug because I couldn't talk through a contraction.  It was at this point that Mandy said she would be right over, and she arrived about 30 minutes later.  I remember standing at the head of the table, in the middle of a contraction, when she walked into the door.  She looked at me, and helped me relax through a contraction by holding my stomach (which sounds so weird but felt so wonderful!).  What I don't remember is the part Doug told me later- that she looked at him during this contraction, literally moments after she'd walked in the door, and asked him if our hospital bags were packed.  He responded that they were, and she said "Then you need to get them.  This baby is on his way."  (We had told Mandy we wanted to labor at home for awhile, but still allow enough time to get comfortable at the hospital before it was time to push. :) She could sense the point I was at in labor just after being with us for a few minutes, and that it was time to head to the hospital.)  From there, I remember Doug rushing around the house- gathering our bags, unplugging Christmas lights, getting last minute toiletries out of the bathroom.  I remember shaking as we walked out to the car to make the drive to the hospital.  (I thought this was because it was cold outside, but really it was because I was in very active labor).  As we made the first turn off of our street, Doug (who is very serious about always triple checking to make sure our doors are locked & lights turned off anytime we leave the house), said that he wasn't even sure if he shut our front door behind him, but that he really didn't care.  I still laugh when I think about this.  On the way to the hospital, he called my parents & siblings, who had a 2 1/2 hour drive, and his parents to let them know the baby was on his way.

After a short 10 minute drive, at about 10:30 pm, we arrived at the hospital.  We checked in, met our labor & delivery nurse, and found out that I was already dilated to 7!  I was over the moon to have progressed so far at home.  Part of our birth plan was that we wanted to labor at home for as long as possible- and we had definitely done that!  We spent the next several hours laboring.  I can't put into words how incredible Doug & Mandy were at helping me to relax & take each contraction one at a time.  I labored on an exercise ball, by resting on Doug, and even on my hands & knees.  Being able to labor in different positions helped me to relax, and not being hooked up to an IV & take fluids by mouth (also part of our birth plan) allowed me to move around easily.  It was pretty amazing how the different positions helped to ease the intensity of the contractions.  Mandy commented on how calm & peaceful Doug & I were, and how well we worked as a team.  In this instant, I remember thinking how blessed I was to have Doug as my husband & what an incredible dad he was going to be.  At about 2:00am on Christmas Eve morning, about 3 1/2 hours after arriving at the hospital, I was dilated to 10, which meant it was time to push.  Dr. Rempe's partner, Dr. Rockamann, had arrived shortly before, as she would be the one delivering our little guy.  Shortly before I started pushing, we found out that our baby boy was OP (occiput posterior), meaning he was face up.  This position explained the back labor I experienced, and also meant that the little man was basically getting caught on my pelvic bone.  Simply put, it was going to take more than a few pushes for him to make his debut.

This picture makes us laugh out loud- taking a break in between contractions.  "Water Boy" was just one of many roles Doug played during labor & delivery.  (On a serious note, he was such an amazing coach & support system.)

Sitting on the ball through a contraction.

I believe they call this "the labor dance."  :)

After I had been pushing for about an hour, Mandy asked if we'd like to turn some music on.  My phone was nearby, so Doug turned on my Pandora app.  The last station I'd listened to was the one that started playing- my "Michael W. Smith" station.  My mood completely changed as the first song began to play... it was Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God." I felt an indescribable sense of peace, encouragement & faith as that song began to play, and before I could say anything, Dr. Rockamann looked at us & said "I love this song," and started to sing along softly.  This was one of my favorite moments from our birth story- it set such a peaceful tone in the room.  Not only is the song one of my favorites, it was played at our wedding, and used as the background music for much of our wedding video.  Hearing it reminded me not just of the joy that we felt on our wedding day, but also that the experience Doug & I were sharing in that instant, as we prepared to welcome our baby boy into the world, was part of God's incredible plan for our lives.  It still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. And remembering Dr. Rockamann singing along, in her scrubs, in between pushes... makes me smile & love her that much more.

Finally, after 2 1/2 hours of pushing, at 4:34 am, our precious baby boy made his grand entrance into the world.  I will never forget what it was like to see him for the first time.  We went from wondering how life would change & what he would look like for 9 months, to laying eyes on him & feeling as if we'd known him our entire lives.  It was the most incredible feeling & moment we've ever experienced. 

Cutting the cord!

Very proud papa displaying William's footprint.

Our first photo as a family of three.

Our new family with Dr. Rockamann, who delivered William. (Complete with Christmas lights in the background, outside the hospital!)

I love this man more than I can put into words.  I'm so grateful to call him my husband & best friend, and William is blessed to have him as his dad.

LOVE this picture of my boys.

We could not have asked for a better labor & delivery team.  Our L&D nurse, Kara, was amazing and so supportive.  Here is she getting William into his "Santa's Little Helper" outfit, which is what he wore when he met our families for the first time, just two hours after he was born.

Snuggling with my little guy before introducing William to his family, who waited all night in the waiting room to meet him.   

Grandpa & Grandma Porterfield getting their first glimpse of William.

Meeting Papa & Mimi (Grandpa & Grandma Koch) for the first time...

Aunt Nanna meeting William.

Followed by Aunt Jennah. (Uncle Tim was here, too- but wasn't captured on camera.)

Grandmas.

My dad was so excited about his new grandson that he didn't sleep in the waiting room, and only took a 45 minute nap later in the day.  My sisters said he spent the rest of the day smiling, whistling Christmas songs & texting/calling his friends to share the news of William's arrival.  :)

One of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on Gary's face.

Lots of snuggles from his doting aunts & grandparents!

Aunt Nanna loving on William.

Cuddling with Mimi.

With our amazing doula, Mandy, who arrived at our house around 9:00 Sunday evening, and didn't leave the hospital until just before 9am Monday morning.  Not only was Mandy an incredible support system to both of us during labor & delivery, she also served as our photographer- so many of our favorite pictures from the morning William was born were taken by her.  We would highly recommend her to anyone

William made his television debut at just 12 hours old, when KMOV came to do a story on the Christmas babies born at Missouri Baptist.  The story & photos can be viewed here!

William meeting Baby Uncle Ethan for the first time.  We have a feeling these two are going to be best buddies.  Ethan is overjoyed that with the addition of two brother in laws & a nephew, the number of men in the family finally exceeds the number of women.   

Celebrating Christmas with the Kochs on Christmas Eve night. 

Celebrating Christmas with the Porterfields on Christmas Day night. We didn't think to get a shot of the entire family- but I do love this one of Doug, Uncle Jeff & baby William. 

The best Christmas morning ever, with my boys at Missouri Baptist.

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."  -George Santayana

We're not even a month into life as a family of three, but we believe this now more than ever...  Family is a masterpiece, indeed.  

Welcome to the world, William!  We already love you so very much.

It's safe to say there will be many more posts & pictures about our sweet William on this blog to come... so stay tuned.  :)