For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
- Psalm 139
Our son Grayson John Paulovkin was born at 5:39pm on January 4th measuring 21 1/4 inches long and weighing 9lb 3oz! We are over the moon in love with this little guy and grateful I was able to have a safe delivery.
Going into this pregnancy I knew I wanted to get induced a few days earlier than my due date because Hallie was such a big baby. At 40 weeks and 5 days I was induced with Hallie and she weighed 9lb 8oz. I did not want to go late with Grayson and potentially have a 10lb baby so I was very happy when we were able to schedule my induction for 4 days before my due date! The week of Christmas and the days leading up to the induction I had lots of braxton hicks, especially at night, and I wondered if I would go into labor on my own. Pregnancy gets very uncomfortable at the end! But apparently my babies like to stay in the womb as long as possible.
We put the girls to bed at my parents house on January 3rd and woke up bright and early Monday morning January 4th to head to the hospital. One of the hardest parts of being induced is not being able to eat while you are in labor in case you have to end up getting a c-section. I had to get a COVID test a few days before the induction which thankfully came back negative! Kevin didn't have to get a test but he did get his temperature taken when we got to the hospital. They started me on Pitocin around 8:30am and from there it was a waiting game.
My contractions started to get painful when I was around 3cm which is when I decided I was ready to get the epidural. They gave me the epidural around noon and it made the pain of the contractions much less uncomfortable. An hour later around 1pm the doctor came in and broke my water to keep things moving along. I started progressing more quickly after he broke my water which was encouraging. I watched "It's Complicated" and shopped the Lilly Pulitzer online sale HA! I was also able to take a short nap which was great. PTL FOR THE EPIDURAL! By this time I was so hungry and I was ecstatic when they brought me a grape flavored popsicle. It is the little things right?!
Around 5pm the doctor came in to check me and I was 8cm. He told me I would probably have the baby within the next two hours. I was so happy because with Hallie I was induced at 7:30am and she wasn't born until 9pm. Fifteen minutes later I started feeling lots of pressure and knew it was time to push. The doctor came back in and after two pushes our baby boy was born at 5:39! A LITTLE TMI COMING UP SO SKIP AHEAD IF NEEDED. With both the girls I had a second degree tear and one stitch but with Grayson I didn't tear at all. I couldn't believe it! Probably because Grayson weighed a few ounces less than Hallie did. Not having to get any stitches was definitely a huge relief and has made my recovery so much easier.
After a few more hours we were moved to the recovery room. It was strange not having any visitors able to come see the baby, but thankfully my parents were able to drop food off for us at the front of the hospital. I inhaled a Panera Bread pizza and salad and it was the best thing I had tasted in awhile! Because of COVID, the hospitals don't have a nursery you can send the baby back to when you want to sleep. It was hard not having a break in the middle of the night to sleep when we would hear him stir and make noise all night but we were thankful that he was safe with us. The next day we had him circumcised and he did great! He got the most upset when they gave him the Tylenol after the surgery. Our little champ!
Since we couldn't use the nursery and have extra help we decided to leave the hospital after 24 hours. It was so nice to come home and sleep in our own bed on Tuesday night! And not have people coming in our room to check vitals every hour. My parents kept the girls for a few days so we were able to have time with Grayson without the girls. This was especially helpful the first night when we were home and Grayson was up ALL NIGHT. He peed all over the wall that first night and Kevin and I were completely delirious. Oh the newborn stage! Wednesday afternoon my parents brought the girls back to our house to meet Grayson. Payton was SO excited to hold him and she couldn't get over how cute and small he was. Hallie didn't really know what was going on but kept copying Payton wanting to hold him because she was holding him.
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. The first week felt like a month which was actually sweet because time has been going by slowly. We are enjoying all the newborn snuggles and learning how to balance being a family of five. The girls have been adjusting well and fight over holding him but also give him kisses and hugs when they can. This past week they have been very loud and wild, probably trying to get attention, which has been a little difficult to navigate. We are trying to give each of them their own attention which is harder than it sounds! Overall it has been such a sweet time and we are grateful for the new addition to our family.
Grayson is quite the savage eater and wants to eat every hour and a half. The first week was rough because my milk didn't come in until the end of the 4th day, but since then he has been doing better. He loves to nap and definitely lets us know with his loud screech when he needs a diaper change or needs to eat again. I have started pumping and we have been giving him a bottle every few days because I have my first newborn session next week!
We are grateful for all of you who have checked in, made/sent us meals, and been praying for us. Enjoy these images from his first few days of life!
