Firstborn

I got this survey in an email from my friend, Melissa, and thought it'd be fun to use to start a meme.  If you so desire, feel free to call yourself "tagged" and play along!  Answer the questions below about having your firstborn and tag others when you're done:

1. Were you married at the time? yes
2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant?  I got teary and was so happy, but yet couldn't believe that it was actually happening to me even thought I thought that I probably was!
3. How did you find out you were pregnant?  a routine physical at the dr.'s office...I told her I was late and so they did a test and not 3 minutes after the dr. came in to do the physical the nurse knocked on the door, the dr. went out and came right back in with a smile on her face and said, "Kelly, you are pregnant!"
4. Who did you tell first?  since Jeff was getting a physical at the same time, he found out when I did.  So, then we told his sister Jennifer because we were meeting her for lunch and wanted her to know first!

5. Did you want to find out the sex?  I didn't want to but Jeff wanted to.

6. Due date?  November 8, 2006

7. Did you deliver early or late?  10 days "late"

8. Did you have morning sickness? no

9. What did you crave?  Ice cream 

10. Who irritated you the most!  No one, really.

11. What was your first child's sex?  Male

12. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?  39

13. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?  No, I was very blessed with healthy and easy pregnancies both times

14. Where did you give birth?  At home, on the bed

15. How many hours were you in labor?  almost 14

16. Who drove you to the hospital?  Ha!

17. Who watched?  Jeff, my Mom, my friend Kelly and our 2 midwives

18. Was it natural or c-section?  all natural

19. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?  no

20. How much did your child weigh?  7 pounds, 7 ounces

21. Did your child have any complications?  no

22. What did you name him/her?  Jeffery Alan Knapp, II  (nickname:  JAK)

23. How old is your first born today?  will be 2 years old in a few short weeks!  My how time flies.

24. Who does your child look like?  a great mix of both of us

*Labor* Day

Playing along with Shannon and sharing the hardest work I've ever done! Here's a meme about the kind of labor you don't get a day off for!


How long were your labors?

Kid #1 about 14 hours
Kid #2 about 4 hours (I get satisfaction just writing that)

How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1 mild contractions (textbook labor)
Kid #2 I thought maybe I could be starting labor when I woke up with very mild contractions, but then they came and went throughout the day. They came a bit more forcefully around 4pm but were still quite infrequent, sometimes spaced out a few hours. I figured the real deal would start at night when the barometric pressure dropped, and I was right. At around 8pm, they were quite strong although still sporadic. They became regular at around10pm. My Mom, who came over for dinner with her dog, kept telling me to call my midwife but I insisted on waiting a bit longer just to make sure. I finally called at 11ish. And yes, my Mom ended up staying and the dog watched the entire thing from the couch.

Where did you deliver?

Kid #1 at home in Maryland, on the bed
Kid #2 at home in New York, in the birthing pool

(I had always hoped to be able to deliver my babies in the peace and intimacy of my home, and am so blessed to be able to say that I did and each experience was more than I ever dreamed of!)

Drugs?

No, drugs scare me.

C-section?

No

Who delivered?

I delivered my babies!!! My midwife in MD caught Jak, and I caught John here in NY with my midwife verbally coaching me. John's entire birth was unassisted and it was amazing!

These are quite possibly the worst pictures of me and my hubby ever (and I cannot believe I am posting them!!), but the feeling I get from looking at them makes my heart surge. Aren't our boys precious? I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I hope to write thier entire birth stories soon, so check back!