Introducing Henry Andrew Boncek

Henry Andrew Boncek is here! He was welcomed into our family on April 5, 2017 at 11:28pm weighing 7 lbs. 11oz. 20 in. long. Henry was born at exactly 39 weeks joining us just a week before his actual due date!

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about my pregnancy and the hard time I had since being diagnosed with Sweets Syndrome. You can see that blog post here, Sweet Beginnings. As I mentioned in that post, once in labor, I would need to get a stress does of prednisone since I have been on it since February. Well, my water broke on its on at 1:30am on April 5. Contractions did not start right away, but I called the on call and they had me come in as soon as I could to get started on the IV medication of prednisone and antibiotics I needed. We woke up Ethan to let him know we were going on a hospital adventure and we all left about an hour later getting to the hospital around 2:45am. Ethan was very excited about this adventure. He loved going through the ER to get to maternity, we went up the elevator which he thought was pretty cool. I hugged him so so so tight as he sat on top of my baby bump for the last time. I cried and didn’t want to let go of him. He then went on a adventure to stay with our aunt and uncle.

I did some research and talking to others who had a natural birth with no pain medications a few weeks leading up to my due date. Many of whom I spoke to said that if they did it again, they would do it the same way. I felt like this is the decision I wanted to do, labor in as many different ways that I could, but if I needed anything to help, I was open to that. contractions were not too close and I was not really dilated several hours after already being in the hospital with a broken water, so I was given a medication to help speed up contractions, and also to help me sleep. After a few more hours I was still laboring in and out of bed, in the shower, walking the halls, on the yoga ball. We started some intermittent pitocin to help as well, which was fine. things got started moving and I requested to labor in the birthing tub. I labored in this tub for about 30mins. Still no epidural. For anyone thinking about this, I highly recommend it! While you still feel absolutely EVERYTHING, this did take some pressure off my back! At one point I felt the baby get in to place, I said something to my husband, nurse and midwife all who were holding cold cloths on my head and arms. They helped me out of the tub and it was time to start pushing! I pushed for 16 minutes.  3 big pushes….LOTS and LOTS of screaming, and there HE was! Yes HE! We did not find out the gender and I was so surprised! I think so many people convinced me it was a girl, and my pregnancy was so different, to hear “its a boy!” was a shock and I was so happy! It doesn’t matter to me! Healthy is all I cared about! Tears of joy poured down mine and my husbands faces! It was amazing! AND! I CAN’T BELIEVE I DID THAT!

To update you on the IV prednisone. I think that because it was an IV, and the dose was high, it really worked and my legs at the time were the best they looked! They are scarred which will take close to a year to fade, but I have not had any more breakouts of Sweets, and I am not in pain anymore with the lesions. I do not like the way they look, and all summer I will be wearing long pants and maxi skirts I am sure, but I am very relieved that it has not come back and I can now begin to slow my medication down and will hopefully be completely off prednisone in July.

This birth was SO different than my first. The recovery is also SO different!  I was up and moving within a few hours, and the next day I was standing, walking, sitting, holding Henry while standing! While yes, I still just had a baby, I was moving much better this time around then I was with Ethan, and I am so thankful! We had lots of visitors in the hospital and the next day Ethan came to meet his brother. I couldn’t stop crying, it was absolutely adorable! Since I was feeling pretty good and able to move around, I started working right away and I shot our own Fresh 48. I am so glad I have these photos and here we are, 7 weeks later and he already looks so different!

Here are just a few photos from my very own Fresh 48. Please help me in welcoming Henry Andrew Boncek to our family!

are you expecting and want to capture those FRESH moments of your little one?! Let’s chat! I LOVE babies!

Letter board: @letterfolk