New Arrival

At Jen's last two doctors appointments, she was dilated to a 3, the baby was at a -1 station, and she was 75% effaced. As a result, we sent our kids up to Grandma Morrey's house the day that Ethan went off-track (thank goodness for year round school).  Just about every night for the next week, Jen had false labor pains, and there were a number of times when we almost decided to go to the hospital.  But, the pains always went away, so we kept on waiting.

We had an induction scheduled for October 23.  We called the the hospital the night before, and asked if they would be able to take us.  They told us that they had made an appointment at 8:30, but to call back at 7:30 the next morning to make sure it was still OK. When we called at 7:30, they told us they were too busy, and to call back at 10:00. When we called at 10:00, they told us to call back at 12:00.  When we called at 12:00, they said it would be all right for use to come in at 1:00.  It was nice to drive to the hospital without being in labor.

We got checked in, and they hooked Jen up. When they checked their progress, she was still dilated to a three.  One of the reasons that we decided to do an induction was that Jen tested positive for Group B Strep, and had to receive some antibiotics at least four hours before the birth to protect the baby.  She got the antibiotic, and at the same time started the Pitocin to induce labor. Within a couple of minutes, the contractions started.  They never were very painful.  The nurses kept checking her progress, and increasing the pitocin because she wasn't progressing very far.  They were going to break her water to speed things up. At that time, Jen decided to get her epidural.  This is always the scariest part of labor for Jen.  It worked really well. Jen felt like she was cheating a little bit.

At about 5:30-6:00 pm, they checked Jen's progress, and she hadn't progressed beyond 3+.  We started to get worried that they'd want to do a c-section because things weren't progressing fast enough. The nurses assured us that we didn't need to worry yet.
Shortly before 7:00, the nurses suggested having Jen lay on her stomach, because sometimes that will help move things along.  Within a minute of moving to her stomach, Jen got the urge to push.  She told the nurses, and they helped her roll back onto her back to check her. Sure enough, she was fully dilated, and it was time for the baby to come.

The doctor was in the room within a few minutes, and after five to ten minutes of pushing, the baby was born at 7:16 pm.

This was a really good hospital experience. Very little pain through the labor process, a very well placed epidural, and an easier recovery than with the other two kids made this the best delivery yet.

Probably the hardest part of the whole process was choosing a name.  We had it narrowed down to three names, but it wasn't until the night before we had to leave that we made our final decision.

And now, without further ado, we are proud to announce the birth of
Jonas Russell Morrey
Birth Date: October 23, 2013
Birth Time: 7:16 pm
Weight: 7 lbs 4 oz
Length: 21 inches
Duration of labor: about 5 1/2 hours

When Grandma Morrey heard that Jen was pushing, she gathered the kids together, and started the two hour drive to Salt Lake.  Around 9:30 pm, the kids came in to meet their new brother.  We could see the excitement in both kids eyes. Ethan looked at him, but didn't want to hold him. Brooklyn was eager to hold her new baby brother.  

At about 2:00 that morning, it was time for Jonas' first bath.

The next day, we had fun trying on a few of the different hats Jen had made for him.

 After two days in the hospital, it was time to come home

We are in love with him, and are happy to have him in our family.