Introducing baby William Justice Butler…the newest addition to our family!

His birth is an interesting story…interesting enough to be featured on the news before he’d turned 24 hours old!  I woke up Sunday in labor…my husband woke up with swine flu.  I didn’t realize I was in labor (contractions were painful, but spaced too sporadically) until 11:30 that evening.  I went to see my midwife and she told me I was a nine! This was a shock (and bad news to me, as I hadn’t slept in a long time) and I called my husband who was trying to rest off the flu at his parent’s house.  He drove to the birthing center and watched the birth of his son through the window.

Will was born at  3:31 am after a very exhausting labor, but he was pink and screaming and perfect.  They had to put him under the incubator because he was hypothermic and my body heat wasn’t doing enough to warm him.  He seemed to get better and we went home before noon that day.  But more problems were in store…by the time Will was 19 hours old, he still refused to eat.  He had nursed (barely) twice since he’d been born.  We visited our midwife who confirmed we needed to go to the ER.

Watching strangers give my tiny newborn son an IV, catheter, and spinal tap was very difficult.  (I actually had to leave for the spinal tap.)  They hooked him up for fluids and we waited in the hospital for three days while cultures formed from his blood, urine, and spinal fluid.  In those three days they took him off fluids and he began nursing and keeping down fluids.  When his cultures came back negative, we were allowed to go home, and he’s been thriving ever since!

On top of that, we had just bought a house before Will was born, and had to move amidst all this craziness!  We had a ton of help from family, friends, and our church, and we’re all moved over (though not even close to unpacked)!

Today we took a walk around our new neighborhood.  I can’t get over how gorgeous this place is!