Maxwell Bryon Biggs

June 16, 2020 | 7:44 am

8 lbs 14 oz | 21 inches

Completely perfect.

I was surprised how many people said they wanted to hear about Max’s birth! I mean, I guess I shouldn’t have been because I love reading/hearing other mamas’ birth stories, too. I did my best to make it not too boring! It was so short that there isn’t a whole lot to tell, but it was such a wonderful experience bringing my sweet little boy into the world.

On Wednesday the 10th, I began having contractions that were fairly painful and were about 4 minutes apart. We decided to go to the hospital since I had never experienced the slow ramp-up to birth before. (When I went into labor with Jack, I had one little contraction and then my water broke like in the movies! There was no question I was in labor. Haha.) When we got to the hospital, they asked us to walk the halls for two hours and then they would check me again. Because of COVID, we had to wear face masks in the halls…the entire time we were walking. Masks are fine, but when you’re in pain/it’s stuffy, it’s really not that fun to deal with. 

Unfortunately my contractions slowed down and just became Braxton Hicks contractions. At the end of the two hours, I was had not progressed at all. No change. They sent us home at midnight and it was both a terrible disappointment and a relief because we got to sleep in our own bed. Haha. 

At my 40 week appointment with Dr. Champine on Friday the 12th, we scheduled an induction for 6 am on Tuesday June 16th if Max didn’t come before then. My parents got to town on the 13th. When my mom and dad got here, we did so much walking. Jack had so much fun playing with them and looking for birds. It was so cute to see them together. It’s amazing that they have such a strong connection in spite of the thousands of miles between them! 

On Monday night, I did all the pampering. I showered, washed my hair, shaved my legs as best I could, and really did everything I could to make myself feel human before pushing out another human. It’s hard to feel super great about yourself when you’re so big!  And then I went to bed, knowing that I would meet my little Max the next day!

At 2:30 in the morning, I woke up and had to pee. I went to the bathroom and had what I thought was really really painful gas. It was coming and going and it made me curl my toes. I finally realized I was having contractions (duh) and at about 3:15, I woke up Ben. I didn’t even call the on-call doctor, we just went to the hospital. 

We got to the hospital at about 3:45. Once we got all checked in and my bloodwork was taken to the lab, I just had to wait out the contractions until the anesthesiologist could give me my epidural. I was at a 5 when we checked in, and things were progressing really quickly. I made Ben pray that I could get my epidural because of how quickly things were going! Luckily, I was able to get the epidural. It was so helpful and gave me a ton of relief! I could still feel the pressure of the contractions, but it wasn’t painful like it had been. I was even able to fall asleep a little bit.

I woke up at 7 am to some pressure. I really felt like I wanted to push! It was confusing because my water hadn’t broken yet, and that was the first thing that happened in Jack’s labor. People say that every pregnancy/labor/delivery is different, and they’re right.

Dr. Champine came into our room and she checked me. She thought I’d be able to get Max out pretty quickly, so she and the nurses decided to get ready for the actual delivery! Dr. Champine broke my water at 7:30. All she had to do was flick it just a little bit and it popped! I felt a huge gush and Max’s head was able to fully engage. Then Dr. Champine and the nurses got all dressed. (They had to wear extra coverings and stuff because of Covid.) Once they were in place, I was ready to push with my next contraction. Max crowned so easily! With the following contraction, I pushed his head all the way out.

At 7:44 am Dr. Champine said, “Grab your baby!” 

I reached down and grabbed my sweet baby and pulled him up to my chest. It was such a beautiful moment – meeting the little boy I had carried for nine months. When Jack was born, I felt so much relief after a long and hard labor. With Max, I felt complete joy. Just bright and happy and sparkly joy that filled me to the brim. Like the glitter emoji hearts that I love so much. 🙂 

We decided to name Max after a friend from college. I never knew him, but Ben’s friend Maxwell was one of those people who enter your life for a brief little moment and completely change everything. He was a great person and because of that he was an amazing influence on so many people. Years later, we still think the world of him.

Max’s middle name, Bryon (pronounced Brian), is Ben’s dad’s name.

Our time in the hospital was beautiful. The best nurses, the best doctors, the most perfect baby. I’m not really sure how to end this post, because the story doesn’t end in the hospital. My little Maxwell has an entire life ahead of him! And I’m so blessed to be his mama. So I guess I’ll end this post with a “stay tuned”…because there will definitely be more stories of Max to come. 🙂

All black & white photos are film. 🙂