Welcome to the World: Lincoln's Birth Story

Your due date was November 25th, two days before Thanksgiving. That day came and went and you still weren't here. After being four days overdue, we decided to induce labor. You dad and I went to the hospital on Saturday, November 29th at 5:00 p.m. It felt very surreal to be walking into the hospital as a family of two, knowing we would leave as a family of three!
We checked in at the nurses' desk and they got us settled in our room where I would deliver you the next day. They came in at eight o'clock and gave me Cervidil to start my induction. After a few hours it made my contractions very strong. You didn't respond well to it, so they decided to take it out around one in the morning. By that time it had made my contractions one to two minutes apart and very intense. At five in the morning my water broke on its own and by seven I was in desperate need of an epidural. Each contraction would make me grab the bed rails and your dad’s hand from the pain, only able to close my eyes and breathe through it. Shortly after seven the doctor came in and administered the epidural. It immediately gave me relief, and I began to feel normal again.
Around eight o'clock our families began to arrive at the hospital. There was such joy on all of their faces, as the anticipation of your arrival had set in. By noon I had progressed wonderfully and the nurses were saying I would start pushing very soon. I asked all of our family and friends to come in my room one last time before I started pushing. They were all amazed at how calm I was, even with the intense contractions they could see on the monitor. I kept saying, "Epidurals are a miracle!" They all left the room, and the nurse checked me one last time.
At one o'clock I started pushing. I had my eyes closed, focusing on my breathing for most of it. One hour passed and no baby. Two hours passed and no baby. By this time I was growing very tired. Dr. Bridges (your great aunt) said you were face up, which can make for a longer time pushing. She kept trying to turn you, but you were quite cozy how you were. By this point I needed 100% concentration and asked everyone in the room to be quiet. I also asked your grandparents (who had been listening at the delivery room door) to move. I felt mean, but all of that was breaking my focus.
The last thirty minutes were so intense. I was leaning forward to push with every contraction: holding my breath for a count of ten, taking a breath and repeating once again. The last five minutes were so exhausting and painful. I had to pull strength from somewhere. I let out what your Aunt Kristin called a "primal" scream! After two more pushes you entered the world. At 3:30 p.m., on the last day of November, you made us parents. You had a head full of dark hair, and were screaming and crying from the moment you took your first breath. They immediately began cleaning you and suctioning out your mouth because there was meconium in the fluid that had surrounded you. After a few minutes you were in my arms, nursing for the first time. Tears streamed down my face as I held my beautiful baby boy for the first time. You were perfect.