Well, it's 3:30AM on Thursday morning, is that close enough to the Wednesday update I promised? What an amazing few days we have had up here in beautiful Victoria, BC! We wanted to share Paden's birth story with everyone as well as some photos and video of his first days. He is an incredible baby boy and we can't wait for you to meet him. By the way, many people have asked, the pronunciation is Pay-den.
I finally went into labor at 11PM on Thursday May 8th. By about 4AM the contractions had strengthened enough to check in with our midwife Uta. She suggested a bath to ease the discomfort and I gladly obliged, knowing that I intended to labor primarily in the water.
Uta came by in the morning to check on me and had the unfortunate job of reporting that after 12 hours I had only dilated 2cm. During that time, my contractions were intense and between 60 and 140 seconds long, but anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes apart with no real pattern or progression. I kept working with the surges and tried to get some rest in between them as Uta explained I was in for a long early labor and dilation would be slow coming. At about 24 hours into it we decided to try some positions outside the confines of the tub, but after emerging from the water, I had a contraction that was over 5 minutes long and 12 minutes later another that was 4.5 minutes, both very debilitating. Forrest called Uta immediately and she came over to see the progress. Unfortunately, at this point she could only stretch my cervix to about 3cm. Uta stayed with us as we labored through Friday night. I say we, because the process for Forrest had to be incredibly exhausting. His physical and mental support was unwaivering and kept me going strong. My mom was also there offering support and nourishment throughout the process. She had all three of us girls naturally and knew my struggles from personal experience. Again, the contractions were generally 75 to 180 seconds long, but anywhere from 4 to 8 minutes apart and no real pattern or progression. In the morning (after 30 hours), we made the decision to transfer to the hospital. The plan was to continue to attempt birth vaginally, but under the aid of an epidural as fatigue was setting in. We thought that the pain management may help relax my cervix and allow the baby to get moving.
For those interested in the socialized medical system in Canada, Forrest and I have some real perspective. We checked in at 9AM for pain management and I got an epidural 12 hours later! Needless to say, I spent an unintended 12 hours laboring in the hospital, but I did get a drug-induced nap and at 6PM my water broke during a contraction. This was exciting, as I figured I must finally be making progress. But alas, my next check I was only dilated to 4cm.
Throughout the labor, all the medical professionals kept commenting on what a strong baby we had. To take such intense contractions for such a prolonged time and maintain a very steady heartrate was quite impressive. But after about 48 hours of labor there were a couple of instances of a slowed heartrate. Just after midnight at the beginning of Mother's Day, we were advised to undergo an urgent cesarean section. Forrest and I both knew in our hearts that it was the right thing to do for both me and the baby.
I'm sure everyone is wondering why this happened. A perfect pregnancy that ended so differently than we expected. We knew prior to delivery that the baby was turned "OP" or occiput posterior. This means his face was towards my front rather than by back which is the preferred birthing position. We had tried a series of chiropractic techniques to turn him weeks before delivery, but it was a tight fit when we started. Paden was also a large baby for me. At my last pre-natal appointment I had gained 16lbs and Paden weighed 8lbs 1oz at birth. He was 22in long and was even difficult for the surgeon to remove via cesarean. Uta said she has never seen one where they had to manipulate the ribs so much to get a baby out.
Paden Forrest Beck was born at 1:19AM on Sunday May 11, 2008. He was deemed "lazy" by the O.R. staff as they could not get him to cry. He was breathing and content, yet they wanted him to cry to make sure his lungs were clear. It turns out he is just one cool cat (or totally exhausted after 50 hours of labor). So easy-going, we got just what we ordered! It was so special to find out that my dad, sister, and niece arrived just minutes after I was transferred to the recovery room.
At four days old we hit a few milestones. Paden has already exceeded his birthweight and was up to 8lbs 2oz. He is a breast man for sure as he began nursing while I was in the recovery room and has taken his newfound profession very seriously. He has a determined and almost angry look on his face as he sucks. It is very funny. He also slept really well on day four and we look forward to more of the same! Today was a big day for me as Uta removed the staples from my incision and I went back to wearing some of my old clothing! Yeah!
We are so incredibly fortunate to be able to spend this time so present for each moment of our new lives together. It is an amazing experience to say the least and we are enjoying almost every minute of it (1AM to 4AM may be excluded). Please take a minute to enjoy the following photos in video form. He is an absolute joy and we can't wait for you to meet him!
Love and Peace to All!
Forrest, Nicole, and Paden
At nine days old we packed up and made the trip back to Port Townsend. Paden's first international travel - we didn't even have his birth certificate yet - just paperwork from the hospital for our little Canadian. Apparently, his baby blues did the trick on the homeland security agents and we were able to cross without issue.
Oh sweet sleep....you are precious to us. 
On day thirteen, Forrest, Paden, and I went to the farmer's market and then Paden and I laid in the sun and watched Forrest play tennis for the first time in months!
