Little Mason's birth story

Hi there friends. So if you are a friend of mine of Facebook, you already know that I gave birth to our third baby late last month. I've also shared these photos already on there but have never really talked about how he came to the world. I figured that since we are slowly getting into a schedule and I'm not a total zombie anymore due to lack of sleep, I might as well jot down Mason's birth story while it's still fresh in my mind. It will also help me when I finally start his scrapbook. 

So here it goes...

Mason's due date was Sept. 2nd. However my doctor and I agreed that because everything was going good with the pregnancy (no medical issues) that I can be induced after 39 weeks. I was super excited about this as I've never had that option with my other two kiddos.

So anyways, we got the induction scheduled for August 29th at 5am. That was a Friday and with the Labor day coming that following Monday, it would work out really well for us, especially with my husband not having to take too many days off from work. 

Everything was set for the 29th. We talked to a good friend and have scheduled the kids to spend the night at their house on Thursday night and help them get to school the following day. Mitch gave his boss the heads up and I was finalizing our hospital bag and other little things. 

The Monday (Aug. 25th) before our scheduled induction, I went about my regular routine. I walked Maddie to school. Took care of my "to-do" list that day and even squeezed in a nap after the kids got home from school. I didn't feel any pain, just the usual contractions (which were not at all painful). 

I finally decided to get up from bed at about 4:45 to start dinner. As I got a pan ready to bake some rolls, I started leaking (down there) and first I thought oh no! I have to make it to the bathroom soon. Well...I didn't quite make it to the bathroom. I stood there and water started gushing out of me. My shorts were soaked and I didn't want to move because I didn't want the water to go on the carpet. So I stood on my kitchen tile floor for a good 3-4 minutes until I thought it was all over. 

Finally I walked to the couch (where I was taking a nap at) and grabbed my phone and called my husband. I wasn't 100% sure it was my water breaking but with all of the amount that came out of me, that was my biggest suspicion. He told me he would be on his way. 

With my other two kiddos, my water always broke when I was already at the hospital so I wasn't sure what to expect or how soon he would be coming out after this. So with that, I called my good friend Christy and she drove me to the hospital and stayed with me till Mitch got there. 

After testing the "liquid" that was still coming out of me, the nurses confirmed that it was indeed amniotic fluid and quickly admitted me. They waited for a couple of hours before giving me anything to speed up the process because they wanted to see if I would go into heavy labor on my own. Finally after two hours the doctor came in and said that they will order some Pitocin for me. I quickly replied and asked for an order of Epidural as well since I knew that once that Pitocin kicked in, I would be in major pains. And sure enough that was what happened. 

I was in major pain when the anesthesiologist finally gave me my Epidural. The nurse checked me right after that and my cervix was at a 10 and I was ready to push. I didn't even have the time to "enjoy" my Epidural because it was time to get the baby out. 

And at 9:45, about four hours since I was admitted, Mason Allen Tolman welcomed us with his beautiful face and loud cry. 

Here are some pictures....

I found it rather interesting that both my boys were born with loads of hair and my sweet daughter didn't get any till she was close to a year old.

And here's some picture from the day after....

And some when the kids came to visit and met their baby brother for the first time....

Both were a bit shocked and didn't know how to react. I could only imagine how hard it might be to process the fact that one day Mommy was still pregnant and the next, the baby is out and they are holding him.

Mason and his proud daddy. 

So there you have it. The story of how Mason came to the world and how, even with the best planning, babies come whenever they want to.

Thank you for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace