Last Monday I mentioned how impatient I was to give birth to my son. I published that post around 2 p.m., after having had mild contractions since 4 in the morning. By 5 p.m., I was convinced that something was really happening and by 6, we were on our way to the hospital!

Introducing Charles Maxwell Hansmeyer: 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long (though we think that’s inaccurate…probably more like 19 inches)

Naturally, I was hoping for a smooth birth. Unfortunately, Charlie’s grand entrance into this world was anything but easy! As I said, we checked into the hospital around 6 p.m. on March 14. Labor was slow going, and I wasn’t dilated enough to receive an epidural until just after midnight. The epidural worked wonders until about 5 a.m. when suddenly, it didn’t. At that point I was fully dilated and the nurses assured me that my baby boy would be there after about an hour or so of pushing.

Something was wrong though, and the pain was unbearable. The anesthesiologist came back and gave me some extra happy juice (as I called it in my head). This kept me from yelling bloody murder every two minutes but had the unfortunate side effect of making me completely numb from the waist down (usually, you want to be able to feel just enough to push correctly).

Eventually, we determined that Charlie was oddly positioned: he was both posterior and asynclitic. That means that the back of his head was against my back, and that his head was tilted toward one shoulder. My doctor attempted to reposition him several times, but he kept sliding back. Finally, at around noon on Tuesday, March 15, we made the call: it was time for a C-section.

By 1:17 p.m., I could hear my little guy crying. I remember tears of relief streaming down my face. Then I remember them holding him near me so I could kiss his little head, after which I promptly fell asleep.

We recovered in the hospital for the rest of the week and I’m happy to say that we’re all doing great! For the past few days my husband and I have pretty much just sat around and stared at him, amazed at how adorable and perfect he is. I’m hoping to get back to work on Corgi Corral soon, but in the meantime I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s kind responses regarding Charlie. Here’s one last picture of him, all dressed for yesterday’s Apple event: