Walter Royal Cornwall

Tuesday, April 15th

Previously in the week: I had my 39 week doctor's appointment on Monday, April 11th with Dr. Rees. After checking my cervix, it was determined that I was dilated to 3 cm which gave me hope that this little boy would come sooner than later. I tried to use my time especially well the next few days, focusing on enjoying my time with Jeff and Wendy. The realization that our little family would soon be experiencing great change filled me with a mixture of emotions. Time with these two become more precious as the arrival of this little boy drew closer. We had some fun family outings with a visit to get an old-fashioned ice-cream cone, a walk around the Provo City Center Temple grounds, a visit to the duck pond with cousins and some good old family time at home. During all of this I couldn't help but think about how it might be our last day as a family of three. While trying to make the most of our time I felt especially pregnant and exhausted and knew we were getting close to having this little boy.

6:58 am: After lying in bed for a few minutes listening to Wendy sing out "Boom Shock-a Lock-a" over and over again from her crib in the adjacent room, I realized it was indeed time to start the day. I had gotten up a couple times during the night and noticed my belly was rather tight, but having felt other Braxton Hicks contractions in previous weeks I didn't think too much of it. This tightening sensation was noticeable but not enough to keep me awake, so I was able to go back to sleep and get a full night's rest. By the time I woke up for good, it was hard to ignore how sore and achey my back was. It had been sore for the two previous days but it was more intense now, especially after laying in bed all night. We went about our normal morning routine with Jeff getting ready for work and myself tending to Wendy. I made breakfast and was sitting up to eat with Wendy when I felt a prominent tightening sensation in my abdomen. Having experienced contractions with Wendy's labor and delivery I was more confident in what I was feeling. I wanted to make sure of what I was feeling before telling Jeff so I started timing contractions and realized they were about 5 minutes apart.

7:45 am: Just as Jeff was about to leave on his bike for work I suggested he stay home a little while longer to see if my contractions continued. He obliged and after a couple more we determined that he should indeed stay home. I was quickly coming to a point where contractions were uncomfortable enough that I preferred to stop and breathe a little more deeply for the duration. We put a few more essentials in our hospital bags and tossed them in the car as we got ready to drive to the hospital. The realization that this may be the last time seeing Wendy as my only baby made me very emotional and I just wanted to hold her close. Although the possibility of having a baby today was exciting, saying goodbye to Wendy before leaving for the hospital was really hard. Really hard. I tried not to cry too much as I gave her a last hug and kiss.

8:30 am: Fortunately, Jeff's sister Sarah lives right next to us and was able to come over at a moment's notice to stay with Wendy while as we left for the hospital. It was reassuring to leave Wendy in such good hands as we pulled away from our home. We arrived at the hospital quickly since we only live a few blocks away and walked right in (and up) to labor and delivery. We got checked in after a few minutes (and a few contractions) and got settled in our room.

9:00 am: After settling into our room, our nurse Haylie came in to assess my progress and confirm that I was far enough dilated to be admitted. I was dilated to 5 cm which meant we were going to stay and have this baby! I was hooked up to the monitors and started on my bag of antibiotics (since I was group B strep positive). Jeff was right by my side as I practiced breathing through my contractions. They continued to grow more intense and came more frequently, which made me very grateful to have Jeff by me to hold my hand, stroke my arm and breathe with me. Just as with Wendy's birth, he was exactly what I needed to stay calm and relaxed as more and more effort was required to move comfortably through contractions.

10:00 am: It was getting harder and harder to stay relaxed during contractions which made me nervous about my ability to make it through without additional pain relief. I decided to have Dr. Rees, who had just arrived in the room, check my progress to gauge where I was at and to my relief I was at  9 cm. The doctor broke my water and almost immediately my body took over and started pushing this little boy out. He came quickly, each contraction almost immediately following the next. This final stage of delivery only lasted about 10 minutes and goodness it was an intense 10 minutes. I'm thankful for Jeff and the doctor/nurse giving encouragement as our little boy came closer and closer to being in our arms.

10:23 am: Walter was delivered and placed on my chest. As soon as he was out I cried so many tears. Tears of joy, relief, happiness, gratitude. I just looked at Jeff and felt such an immense love for him as we welcomed this little boy we'd been waiting for. There are no words to describe how I felt to have his little body placed on mine. All of the worry and anxiety over this anticipated event was gone. It was replaced by a sense of peace and calm as we enjoyed those first few minutes together. An immediate and overwhelming love for this little boy grew within me as I held him close.

Date of Birth: April 15, 2016

Time of Birth: 10:23 am

Weight: 7 lbs 11 oz

Height: 19.5 in.

My heart is filled with gratitude for the miracle of this little boy's arrival. Everything just came together so perfectly to make for a smooth arrival. A full night's rest, a good breakfast, our dear sister Sarah taking care of sweet Wendy for the entire day, Jeff's student teacher easily covering his classes, arriving at the hospital with enough time to get settled and a quick delivery with no complications. From the time I woke up to the time Walter was in our arms, a short 3.5 hours had passed. It was inarguably the most intense experience of my life, both physically and mentally, but also the sweetest and most awe-inspiring. The divinity of the human body is so manifest in the process of labor and delivery while the heavenly presence of a new little baby testifies of a loving God. The fullness of joy that comes with family is undeniable. I am so grateful for this sweet spirit who has joined our family. We love him so much already and are ready to start our new adventure as a family of four.

Walter

Like the naming of Wendy, Jeff and I made a list of names we both liked. In December, we were in Washington for the holidays. In the third (and final) hour of our church services, the men and woman separate. After that meeting, Jeff told me that he had another name he felt we should add to the list. The name was Walter. Surprisingly, I had also thought of the name Walter during that same hour. This was a pretty good sign to us that Walter would probably be the name of this little boy. Similar to Wendy, we like that Walter is well know, but not well used, plus Wendy and Walter sound pretty cute together.

Royal

I have three relatives with the name Royal on my maternal side:

Royal James Cutler
Royal James Cutler Jr.
Royal James Cutler III (my great grandfather)

A very, very big thank you to my dear friend Hannah who took the photos during labor and delivery.