Jordan Nicole’s Birth Story

Going through the family photos of Jordan Nicole’s birth brings back the flood of emotions like it was yesterday.  Granted, it’s only been a month, but already our lives have changed so much.  I’ve never shared such intimate moments before, but y’all have been so supportive and encouraging throughout this pregnancy that I wanted to invite you in.

Baby photo idea with flowers

In the last trimester of my pregnancy, I started worrying about what labor would be like and how I would know it had started, the pain factor, etc.  I’d been having tons of braxton hicks contractions and was induced with our son, so I just didn’t know what to expect.  Y’all were so reassuring and let me know that I’d know the difference, and you were right. 
The night before I went into labor, my husband, son and I were sitting in the living room and talking about what we were going to name our baby girl.  Up until then, we had all mentioned we liked the name Jordan, but it wasn’t set in stone.  We sat around and talked about other names, writing them down, and we all were laughing and vetoing other names and finally took a family vote and settled on Jordan Nicole before going to bed.  We had no idea that she would decide to come the next day! 
At 1:40 a.m., I was asleep when I felt a small squirt of water on my leg that woke me up.  “Did my water just break?” I thought.  It’s so surreal when it actually happens and I certainly didn’t expect it to happen then, at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant.  And it wasn’t a huge gush like I’d expected, so I wasn’t 100% sure that’s what it was.  I even got up to google “what water breaking feels like”.  Then those lower, abdominal cramps started coming and they definitely felt different than the braxton hicks contractions and I knew.  I called my doctor and got the doctor on call who said I probably was in labor and I should go to the hospital. “Right now?”  I asked.  Yes, right now.  OMG, we’re having a baby!!!!!! We’re having a baby TODAY!  Immediately, I’m thinking, is it too soon??  She’s not due for 2 and a half more weeks.  
It was then that I woke up my husband and told him what was going on.  I think he was a little bit in shock, but also excited as he woke up from his sleep. We’d had a plan in place that our good friends and neighbors would watch our 6-year old son if we needed it while I was in the hospital, but we never talked about calling them at 2am.  We decided that it would probably be several hours before anything significant happened, and we didn’t want to wake them, so I ended up driving myself to the hospital while my husband stayed home with James.  He’d come in a few hours when things got going.
I have to say that in retrospect, that was such a bad idea!  The drive to the hospital was fine, but when you get there, you certainly don’t want to be alone.  They quickly tested me and let me know that I was, in fact, in labor, checked me into a hospital room, and gave me Pitocin to move things along.  I let the nurse know that I definitely would want an epidural, so she said as soon as my pain started getting worse to let her know.  Within the hour, by 5 am, I was ready for that epidural (and should have asked sooner), but the doctor had two patients ahead of me so I had to wait.  The next two hours were horrifically painful.  I was clutching the bed rails and just hoping to hang on long enough to get the drugs.  I kept thinking of my friend Audrey who gave birth twice with no drugs and wondering how in the hell she did that?!?! I wasn’t prepared to labor without an epidural and didn’t know whether to breathe through the contractions or hold my breath or what.  It was so super painful.  
I was texting and calling my husband saying, GET HERE NOW!, and he ended up arriving by about 7am, as soon as he could get in touch with our friend and get our son over there.  Thank God, about 30 minutes later, I got the epidural and was finally pain free! #Iheartepidural!!!!!!  

Baby birth story photos
Around 11am, we were just wondering how long I’d be in labor when the nurse came in and said, you’re ready to push!  And my Mom had just gotten there, so perfect timing!  Within one contraction and two pushes, Jordan Nicole was born at 11:58 a.m.  She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces.  

Baby birth story photos
With our son, we both had complications, so I never got to hold him before he was whisked away to the NICU.  I was so thrilled that I got to hold Jordan immediately when they put her tiny little naked body on my chest.  It’s such an overwhelming feeling of love and joy that takes over as you see your baby for the first time.  She looked like a wet, furry little kitten.  She had a full head of dark hair just like her big brother.   

Baby birth story photos

I think with this second pregnancy, I was so consumed with being a mom to my son that I didn’t feel as connected or bonded with Jordan before she was born.  But, the minute I saw her, the feeling of love came over me like a flood.  I also couldn’t get over how such a perfectly complete little human being had been living inside me and now she’s out in the world for us to actually hold in the flesh.  It’s so amazing! 

Baby birth story photos
I ended up having some complications post-delivery that required medical attention and left me severely anemic.  I was so, so worried that I would end up in a recovery room without Jordan, but I was brought right back to her and she was in our room the entire hospital stay, which was just 48 hours.  I’m doing much better now and healing well.  Thankfully, baby Jordan is perfectly healthy. 
Baby birth story photos
Proud Papa!  Maybe that’s where all that glorious dark hair comes from!

Baby birth story photos

Baby birth story photos
All cleaned up.
Baby birth story photos

Watching James meet his little sister for the first time was the sweetest thing.  He was so giddy and excited, you can tell by the look on his face!

Baby birth story photos
And he couldn’t wait to hold her. So eager and excited!  I die over him!!

Baby birth story photos

Baby birth story photos
I never want to forgot how he kept saying how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.  He’s such a good big brother right from the start. 

Baby birth story photos

Baby birth story photos
Baby birth story photos
And now this sweet baby girl is already one month old!  What a blessing.  I love taking her picture, and I hope she doesn’t get sick of having a camera in her face!
Baby photo idea with flowers
We’re also thankful to have such a gorgeous nursery to call our own, designed by my friend Sita Montgomery and recently named one of the Top 10 Favorites of the One Room Challenge by House Beautiful.  Such an honor!  Hope you all have a great week! 
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keep in touch! 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

68 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing! Congratulations on your little girl. I love the photos with the roses – are they woven together, or just laid in a circle?

  2. That was so beautiful, Megan. One of my favorite posts ever. I know you keep your family life pretty private so I wasn't expecting such a personal post but I'm so glad you shared it. Makes me want to hear James' birth story. He's such an adorable boy…I swear as soon as they lose their first tooth they suddenly become BIG. You have such a precious family & I'm grateful for how you felt comfortable enough to share them with us. You inspire me every day. xo

    1. Thank you Maria. It's always vulnerable opening up and sharing so much, but I had to make sure it felt right and it did because y'all have been there so much for me. I never wrote down James' birth story, but I did document his babyhood from 4 months on and it's on the "baby" tab at the top of my blog. Thanks so much for reading and writing Maria.

  3. Beautiful story!! Makes me tear up (and want another one!). So happy for you and your family! XO

  4. Such a beautiful and sweet birth story. Perfect for your adorable little girl! I'm loving how excited James is to be a big brother! What a blessing.
    Thanks for letting us all experience this along with you!

    Visiting from LorimerLiving.Com
    XO, Jaclyn

  5. What a beautiful story! I love the excitement in James' face when he got to hold her for the first time. Precious!

  6. I have tears running my face…such a precious post, and James face meeting her brought me to my knees!! Love that sweet boy, and love you, friend!! xoxo

  7. What a beautiful baby, family, and story! Thanks for sharing. Someday you will be so glad you documented the details. You think you will never forget, but some stuff slips away. Your photos reminded me of my older kids meeting my youngest, and it is so heart warming. I also related to your name story. My husband and I decided to finalize a girls name and spent what seemed like hours discussing it. I really hated the name he liked, and finally said I was too tired to talk about it anymore. When I woke up from my nap my water broke, and my son was born 5 weeks early. To this day I say he was telling me not to worry about a girl's name! I look forward to seeing many more photos of your beautiful children and hearing more of their stories. Enjoy every minute!

    1. I agree, things do slip away and you forget! When one of the nurses showed me how to nurse Jordan "football style" I was all, oh yeah, I used to do that with James, but I had forgotten! That's so funny about your name story! Even at the hospital we didn't tell them her name until the next day, just to make SURE that was the one!

  8. Awesome story! It did give me anxiety reading about the epidural taking so long…with my third I also waited too long to ask for it and the anesthesiologist was in surgery. I never got it!! The horror!
    Glad you did and all went well!

    1. That sounds like a nightmare! You are a rockstar. The anesthesiologist was in surgery when I first asked too, then had two patients ahead of me. Lesson learned: ask right away!!

  9. Oh my gosh! Girl, you drove yourself? I burst out laughing when I read that, I can imagine some Seinfeld like scenario. I'm glad you made it OK! But terrible to have to do all of those contractions by yourself. 🙁

    Do you know why they started the pitocin so soon? You really didn't have to labor that long, which is awesome! Thanks for sharing.

    http://www.hautemommyblog.com

    1. Crazy, right?! What was I thinking?! I should have called those friends at 2 am and been all, sorry, but we're in labor! They totally would have understood! I'm not sure why they started pitocin so soon. It went super fast compared to the first time and she came so easily!

  10. I am in awe… you drove yourself to the hospital? You're a crazy woman! Have you seen the video of the woman giving birth in the passenger seat? Two pushes and the baby was out. I'm glad baby Jordan was patient and gave you some time 🙂 James looks like a big brother in love. So sweet!

  11. Thanks for sharing! She is so beautiful, just like your lil family of now 4!! My husband and I have a 5 year old son and have been struggling with getting pregnant and miscarriages for around 2 yes now. I always feel like it's getting too late or our son is getting so far away in age…should we really keep trying? Yes, we will, I think our son would be how James is. Maybe the age difference is a good thing?!? Wish you all the best with that new babe. Beautiful!

    1. I'm so sorry to hear of those struggles, it's got to be so hard and painful. I can say the age difference will be great, I have 6 years between me and my brother and we're super close. And James is really helpful and more independent now (but still needs lots of attention). Sending you much love!

  12. So amazing Megan she is such a beauty! And sweet baby James!! The part about not sure about if your water broke cracked me up. I had to call my mom and told her I was still "leaking pee," and she's like NO, your water broke!! Hahaha. Love you friend!

  13. Thank you for sharing her birth story with us. There is nothing more beautiful or wonderful than bringing a life into this world. Enjoy your beautiful family.

  14. Thank you for sharing your sweet story. I just LOVE hearing people's birth stories!!! I am like your friend & did both of my births w/o epidural…I laughed wen I read that part of your story!!! All those first pics are absolutely precious. Congratulations again your beautiful baby girl!!!

  15. Thank you for sharing your story! I started reading your blog just as you became pregnant, so I feel like a friend who's been with you every step. LOL. I am so glad the birth was as smooth as possible and that she is a healthy dream come true. You have a beautiful family and I'm glad we get a glimpse each post. I can't wait to see the kids grow up!

  16. What a lovely little lady! I love the pictures of James – you can just see the excitement in his eyes! With my son, my midwife broke my water, and I was heavily into labor with my daughter before my water broke… in the car… that big gush you always hear about that I was not ready for at all. Ha ha.

  17. Just precious! Reading your story made me so nervous for you! Driving to the hospital and giving birth alone or missing the chance to get an epidural in time we're both huge fears of mine! Congrats again!

  18. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like my number 2..labor and delivery went so much faster with my second little dude. My 2 are 5 1/2 years apart. I cherish the pictures of the older one holding his little brother and being so excited. He would always tell me that the baby was just so cute. He's 14 now and I certainly don't hear that anymore about his little brother ;)! Congrats on your precious baby!

    1. We have nearly the same age difference! He's been less excited about her now that we're home, but I'm sure when she can interact more, he'll be loving it. I have 6 and 12 years between me and my brothers!

  19. You are so brave, girl!! Driving to the hospital alone and in labor?!! Lol. I loved reading your story, thanks for sharing. Oh and the pictures of James made me tear up.

  20. I love, love this post! I finally got the chance to sit down & read it! Thank you for always sharing! What a wonderful story & the pictures are just beautiful! I can tell you that little girls are such blessings. You are going to have so much fun with her… God is good!! Much love!

  21. I finally got around to reading Jordan's birth story! I'm so glad everything worked out so well! Jordan is a precious gift! How cute is James with her? She is a lucky little girl. 🙂

  22. I love your birth story and Jordan is absolutely beautiful (just like her mama)!! Brings back memories of my days as a NICU nurse (preblogging days…Ha!). I miss taking care of those sweet and precious newborns. Glad you made it to the hospital okay after driving yourself! Crazy!
    xo

  23. I'm not pregnant and not emotional, but I cried as I read your story. It brought back a flood of sweet, funny, scary and the most beautiful of memories. Thank you for sharing and God bless your family! #iheartepiduralsalso

    1. Oh thank you for letting me know! I get hesitant to share such personal moments, but comments like yours make it worth it and happy I shared. Thank you Susie.

  24. THIS IS MY FIRST TIIME READING YOUR BLOG BUT I LOVE IT!! I THINK IVE BEEN READING FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR!! THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BIRTH STORY, GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FAMILY!!!!

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