I got to experience one of the most beautiful things in my life this weekend. I had asked my sister only a few weeks into her pregnancy with Maddox if I could photograph the birth, well the part that the hospital will allow anyways. We had been planning on this for months, so when this weekend arrived, I packed my swimming suit and everything else I was told to bring. Andrea and I had plans to go to the movies, take Aidan swimming and more, that is my sister for you. She's the only woman I know who has more energy than she knows what to do with.I was woken on Friday morning with a text message from Allan saying to bring my cameras, Andrea might be going into labor. I packed my stuff as fast as I could, and headed to San Antonio. Andrea's midwife had told her to eat breakfast and rest and to see how she feels by the end of the day. I don't know if "rest" is Andrea's vocabulary, so we laid on the couch and talked and caught up about things going on in our lives, soon enough, the contractions came on again, and I went to wake up Aidan from his nap, while she called her midwife. Her midwife told her to come in before the office closed for the weekend. Andrea called Allan (he was in class) and we all got in the car to see what was going to happen next. Yep, turned out she was dialated to a "3" Lois, her midwife, told her it was going to be tonight, but because she wasn't in major pain yet she should go walk this baby out and drink lots of fluid, so what did we do? Well took Aidan to Chucky Cheese and played a few rounds of mini ski ball, then headed to Jason's deli for dinner and soon we were on our way to check into her hospital room. I called my mom to come down, because we for sure thought it would be by midnight that Maddox would arrive. Well we were REALLY wrong. Instead we had a wonderful slumber party in her room. She stayed dilated to a "7" for hours, even the midwife seemed surprised. Maddox wasn't ready to turn over, oh but soon enough at 11:00a.m. the next morning he did, and when he did, it all happened so fast. All along I knew I would be in the room ready to document this major event, and even I was a tad nervous to be in the room to see my sister in this much pain. I'm a fainter....so I had warned her that I may have to step out and not be able to do this. Well things sure did go a little different as planned. Knowing that I couldn't photograph anything until after the cord was cut (by the hospital law) I was prepared to stand by my sister's side. Oh but Andrea's midwife Jan had other plans for me, she told Allan to grab a leg and for me to grab the other leg, we were to hold it the entire time and push it back to her when she started to push with the contractions. So I was ready to see this baby come out. Apparently I turned a bit white, and Andrea (between nerves and contractions, said to me you don't have to do this, i know you weren't expecting to) I froze and said, NO, i want to do this, still not sure i was going to be able too. I stared into my brother in laws face for what seemed to be forever, but then he said, "did you see his head" and knew this was my chance to actually watch my first birth. I took a deep breath and witnessed the MOST beautiful part of life. Watching Maddox take his first breath, made tears pour out of my eyes. He was finally here, and he was so beautiful.
Maddox Alexander Braxdale weighed 7lbs and 13oz, and his final arrival time was 12:38 on August 29th.
I couldn't be more happy for my sister and brother in law and my sweet nephew Aidan, they are truly blessed to have another addition to their family.
Good luck sis with all those boys! :)
