Say hello to the newest addition to the family! He arrived very early Thursday morning. Here’s my husband’s account in the email he sent out to friends and family:
“It was an exciting and unanticipated delivery. As Laura had never done spontaneous labor, we were scheduled to be induced Thursday at 7 am. Instead, at 12:30 am as I finished a final email push and a scotch, Laura announced that she might be in labor. We debated whether we were jumping the gun and called the doctor who called back relatively promptly. Then, on the 20 minute drive to the hospital, Laura announced contractions were at a 3 minute interval then 2 minutes. My attention was grabbed. For those who know Laura, she insisted on no speeding or other rule breaking, and we parked in the lot at 1:13 am. After wandering around the hospital we found the right delivery floor as two were labelled maternity! As Laura filled out the forms, including that your child can get a pacifier — absolutely critical question — she started to get more agitated. After what was pretty much a scream the resident realized we should speed up. Minutes later, after I helped Laura onto the delivery bed/chair and our doctor popped in to say hello but stayed, it was a two push affair. 1:32 am and [the little dude] made his appearance screaming and ready to nurse.”
[Laura’s note: the doctor “popped in” after running down the hall — I’m not sure if my husband overheard the nurse say that part].
Yep. There is so much that could have gone wrong with all this. For starters, my husband had been in Washington D.C. the night before and I’d been alone with my kids. Fortunately, my mom had flown in Wednesday, because there wouldn’t have been time to get anyone to come stay with them. Indeed, with my decision that we should call the doctor coming precisely one hour before delivery, my husband would have been hard-pressed to make it home from his Philadelphia office and get me to the hospital.
But in any case, I managed to actually give birth in the hospital delivery room with a doctor in attendance. So, phew. And an upside of my accidentally natural childbirth is that recovery was easier with no IVs tethering me to my bed. He’s perfectly healthy and beautiful, clocking in at a nice 8 lbs 7 oz at just shy of 39 weeks. The kids are thrilled to have a little brother, and they all came to get me to bring me home from the hospital. The 3-year-old was singing a lullaby in the minivan on the way home.
Holy smokes! That is incredible!!! Congrats to all of you:)
Amazing — you’re even efficient at childbirth! Congratulations!
Aww, he’s absolutely beautiful, congratulations! Also, for someone who has never gone into labor spontaneously before, it seems that you were spectacularly efficient. I’m glad to hear you and the whole family are safe and well!
Congratulations! How wonderful and very terrific that everything worked out.
Many congratulations all around. After reading this column for about a year, I would expect nothing but the smoothest!
Congratulations! Hurrah for babies that choose a (relatively) convenient time to turn up. Plus it’s good to keep those doctors on their toes – especially residents who think *everyone* will take hours in labor & there is plenty of time to fill out forms!
How exciting! Congratulations!!
For my littlest one, I had an induction scheduled at 9am, but I showed up at the hospital about 3am in labor. Fortunately, my husband found one of his coworkers still up to watch the other kids and he caught up to me at the hospital and helped with some of those interminable questions.
Congratulations! And what an exciting story that will be to retell! Best wishes to your family
Congrats!
Congratulations on your beautiful new baby! I’m sure you’re glad he did not decide to make his appearance while you were in NYC last weekend. =)
This is such wonderful news! Congratulations :).
Congratulations, Laura! Your youngest will have quite a birth story to hear someday.
Congratulations, Laura! We have all been anticipating the birth with you! enjoy these sweet and tiring days!
Wonderful news, Laura! Congrats to you and the family.
Congratulations, he is a charmer! Glad all went smoothly (as you say, easy to imagine ways it might not have but isn’t that always true?). Life’s unpredictable!
Congratulations! I’m glad everything worked out well.
Congratulations to you and your husband on a beautiful, healthy boy!
Congratulations!!
Fantastic news. Many congratulations to you and your family Laura. He is beautiful.
How efficient, so just like you! So glad everyone is healthy. Congratulations!
He looks just precious! Congratulations
Sweet blessing! Congratulations!
Congratulations! What a story. Glad your mom was there. 🙂
Congratulations! Glad everything went well.
Such an efficient use of your time 😉 Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Congratulations! He looks great, and I’m glad it went so well!
Congratulations!!
Congrats! What a beautiful baby boy!
I love you sharing your husband’s story! Congratulations!!!!
Wishing you all the best (which, of course you already have) with little “Quattro”!
LOL on the no rule breaking. Sounds like the person you were complaining about the other day who described your last book nailed it.
Congrats!
@omdg – in my defense, the roads were icy. And bad as it was to almost give birth in the parking lot, I think crashed on the side of the road would be worse!
Congratulations Laura! What a lot of hair he has. 🙂 I hope you’ll have a wonderful time getting to know each other.
YAY!!! So glad to hear of his safe arrival.
(Oddly enough, my last kiddo’s birth was very similar. Scheduled for an induction, she came early and rather suddenly in the middle of the night, weighing almost exactly what your little guy weighed.)
Soak up all his wonderful small-baby-ness!
@The Frugal Girl – yep, fourth kids have a way of being fast! I wasn’t optimistic given my lack of action on that front in the past, but whoa! Guess I was wrong.
Congrats!
Hope this little one make your life as exciting and as perfect (perfectly timed) as his birth.
Congratulations!! I gave birth to my kids in a similar fashion. In fact, one was born in the doctor’s office…never made it to the hospital. Quick (but intense) is the way to go!! So glad for you that all the details lined up to make it a smooth and exciting event for the family!! Blessings!!
Congratulations, so happy for you.
Congrats Laura! I’ve had a couple of those precipitous deliveries a couple of times myself. He’s gorgeous!
@Carrie – and congrats on your little one’s homecoming! Just saw the news on the blog. He’s adorable!
How lovely he is! Mazel tov. So glad everything worked out as well as it did, and hope your recovery is continuing to go well and everyone is settling in nicely. 🙂
Congrats Laura!! He is super cute!!
Congratulations!!! This little boy is so handsome!
And I had no idea, but your husband is a pretty good writer too :)! Great story and great story-telling! And I am so glad you made it to the hospital!