Damani Amir Noel

Damani Amir Noel is here! He was born November 23 at 2:11pm. He was 7 lbs, 2 oz and measured in at 20".

The Saturday before I went into labor, we were thinking that Damani was taking his time coming and he would probably arrive late (past his due date). Saturday was his due date. I went to pre-natal yoga that morning and in the afternoon my mom and I ate at Cheesecake Factory. That night, I got a migraine, which was strange because I managed to not have any the entire time I was pregnant. I was up most of the night dealing with the pain of the headache. By around 4am, I noticed that I was having cramps. By 6am, they were significant contractions and were about 8 minutes apart. At 8am, they were 5-6 minutes apart. Jamaal and I were both surprised at how fast everything was moving, we expected to labor at home for a handful of hours before heading to the hospital. But...we learned that no labor is normal, and babies come when and how they want to!

We got to the hospital around 9am. They monitored Damani's heartbeat. I was dilated 1cm at the time I got to the hospital and they usually don't admit anyone until 3cm. However, Damani was showing signs of stress- his heart rate would drop after some of the contractions. The doctor decided to admit me. They broke my water and saw that the level was low, so they began delivering a saline solution to him in the womb to see if that helped things. It did, but they still saw a few drops in his heartrate. They suggested that if things continued like this, the best thing would be to have a c-section. I was fine with it...I knew it was a possibility and knew that we were willing to do whatever it took to deliver a healthy baby.

My contractions were intense by around noon, so I asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist came in a little while later. He was really nice and ended up being like a second coach throughout the rest of the delivery. He explained the epidural procedure and when the instruments arrived, I was ready to scream or cry from the pain of the contractions. I kept my cool and Jamaal and I focused on breathing through them. The anesthesiologist got me into position on the side of the bed, told me to curl my back like a shrimp when he inserted the catheter for the epidural. I sat still as he cleaned my back, draped it, and gave me a few numbing shots. We were all set to put the catheter in after the next contraction, aaaaaaaaaaaaand he gets called to Trauma and had to leave for the ER. I was devastated. So close to relief!! He made it back about 20 minutes later, thank Goodness. I got the epidural, and within minutes I was good to go, feeling no pain. I watched the monitor register a contraction and took delight in not feeling it. They measured me and I was 3cm dilated at that point. The doctor opted to do a c-section, explaining that she thought it would be best to get him out and not stress him any more. I told her that was OK. Within minutes, I was in the operating room. Jamaal came to me in full scrubs and they got started. The anesthesiologist was with us and gave me the anesthesia that numbed me from the chest down. That was the weirdest feeling. I didnt feel much as they went in to deliver Damani. When they got him out, we heard the loudest wail! We both were overcome with emotion and so happy to hear him- he was finally here. My mom was waiting in our delivery room and heard him wailing down the hall! It was a joyous moment that is hard to put into words.

Things have been going very well the first week. We are enjoying getting adjusted to having a baby who needs us for everything. It is more rewarding than I can say. He is the love of our lives and we can't believe we made him. He looks just like Jamaal, it's so sweet! We can't wait to see all of the things Damani will accomplish in life, and are so happy to have him in our arms.

Damani means "thoughtful", Amir means "prince".