The last trimester has been hard for all of my pregnancies. I itch all over. Not normal pregnancy itchiness, but tear off my skin itchiness. My previous OB doctors all had me take blood tests to see if anything was wrong, and every time the results were normal, so when my doctor suggested I get a blood test I was skeptical. The initial results looked to be the same as previous pregnancies, but a more in-depth blood test took quite awhile to come back. On Sunday night I got a call from my OB telling me that the test results were in and that I tested positive for cholestasis. (Wiki link provided) They told me to come in the next morning to get evaluated. I came in Monday morning and there they decided that I needed to be induced the next day. Panic mode set in, and Nick and I hastily prepared for a baby. Luckily Nick's mom lives a short 3 hour train ride away, and said she could come up the next afternoon. A friend volunteered to watch my girls get on the bus, and watch Jack until Abuelita arrived. We got the carseat out of the box, and packed for the hospital.
I took this picture in between packing, because I knew it would probably be my last preggo shot. The next morning, at 6:30 we left for the hospital. It had been a busy night at the hospital because they didn't even have a bed for me until around 8am, and I didn't get a nurse assigned to me until 11am. (they had to call her in) That meant that the pitocin didn't get started until around 11:30. Since I wasn't even 37 weeks, it took longer for the pitocin to really do anything. My labor didn't really start until 4:30pm. Around then I asked for the epidural because I had begun to feel the contractions. Then there was a lot of sitting around and napping, oh yeah, and debating about names, since we still didn't have a name for our little guy. At 10:40 it was time to push, but as they put me into position to push he just sort of came out on his own. The doctor did have me push once to get his shoulders out, and then they gave him to me.
He was so little! and kind of blue, and really screaming!
After a few minutes they weighed him (6 lbs 13 oz) and measured him (19 in), then they gave him to Nick.
I think we are both in love with this guy.
Later the next morning, they bathed him (he hated it).
We had a few visitors while in the hospital. Abuelita came to visit; I think she fell in love very easily
I love the love in this picture!
Kat was won over very quickly too.
I think Jack loves him too much, which kind of scares me.
So much adoration!
Going home!
Look how small he is!
Oh brothers.
Newborn smiles are the best!
What's in a name?
Now the story of his name. I know you all are asking and so here it is. His name is Maxwell Nicolas Pulham. While sitting around waiting for my contractions to do anything, Nick and I were poring over baby name lists. I pretty much like most names and Nick pretty much hates most names, which is why we hadn't found a name yet. I had firmly decided early on in my pregnancy that his middle name would be Nicolas, so we were trying to find names that fit with that, when Nick came across the name Maximus. Maximus Nicolas has too much of a rhyme to it, so we were laughing about that when Nick said that he actually really liked the name Max. I liked it too, so we decided that it was a legitimate option. Nick wanted the name Maximilian and I told him I liked Maxwell better. Two things decided it for us. 1. I told Nick that if he could spell Maximilian (without looking it up) then it could be his name 2. Our nurse's son was named Maxwell (fate)
The morning after he was born we still felt good about the name, so it went on his birth certificate. And that is the story of Max.
