Dylan Zachary Presner - 4lbs 15 oz. and 16 in.

Last time we talked, I was preparing for my second induction on Sunday. And then, you may have noticed I went MIA. So what a wild ride it's been...

On Saturday, you may recall I was 1 cm dilated. Well, on Sunday, I woke up and immediately went back on the Pitocin. The contractions felt stronger and were properly spaced. But two more exams that day revealed that I was still just 1 cm dilated, with no change in my cervix. In other words, there was no way I was going to deliver a baby vaginally. So after more than 24 hours preparing for and trying to induce labor, the game plan changed - which I was ready for.

After speaking to the anesthesiologist about my pain management options, it was determined that I'd have a spinal block. The advantage of this method over the epidural is that it supposedly more intensely manages the pain.

Around 4:30 pm, I was wheeled back to the operating room. I was very nervous, simply because no amount of preparation can really ready you for surgery. But the doctors and nurses made the experience as pleasant as possible, playing music and making conversation. Frankly, it was a real party in there, with about 8-10 medical team members in the room.

You receive a spinal block by sitting on the edge of the operating table in a c-curve position. This is actually more uncomfortable than the administration of the drug, because you have to remain like this for 10 minutes. They numb the lower area of your back, and then inject you - but only after a lot of other steps have been taken. I suppose it's a good thing they take their time stabbing you in the spine.

After the drug had been administered, they had me lie down, and shortly thereafter, I began to feel the sensation of the drug. My legs were getting numb and tingly. "Great!" I thought. "It's working." After a few minutes, they performed a series of prick tests to determine whether or not I was fully numb. Um, yeah, so I wasn't. "No big deal," they said. "You're tall - it'll take longer." Okay, fine. Another few minutes pass, and I feel more pricks. After a few rounds of this, one thing became clear - the spinal block failed me, and we'd have to move to Plan B.

Plan B sucks. It's general anesthesia, and was mentioned to me pre-surgey only as a "last resort" that carried with it a series of drawbacks - the main one, in my mind, being that I'd be out for the entire procedure, and Brad could not be in the room. As it turns out, it also sucks because it only lasts for as long as you are unconscious, which means that as soon as you wake up, you feel all of the pain - more on that later.

At 5:36 pm, Dylan was born. I woke up in a recovery room (which I initially thought was the operating room, simply remodeled), where it was expected I'd be for 2-3 hours. However, I was in such severe pain, and being treated with so many different pain medications, that I was there for 8 hours. I suffered like I have never suffered before. The worst pain came with the contractions I was being forced to have by the Pitocin they administered. The reason for this is that the uterus needs to keep contracting post-delivery, and decrease in size. Unfortunately, with every contraction, I experienced a horrible muscle spasm that made my entire body shake in agony. They tried at least 4 or 5 different pain meds to soothe me - including Morphine - and none of them worked.

At 2:00 am, after coming in and out of painful consciousness, they broke protocol and wheeled me back on my stretcher to see Dylan in the NICU. This truly wiped away the pain. Holding his little body in my arms was a transformative experience I cannot describe.

After the first sleepless night in my new postpartum room, I awoke to the same pain. Not until mid-afternoon did I finally get some relief, largely as a result of Percocet and the cessation of Pitocin. I finally got out of bed and on my feet around 5:00, with a great deal of nurse help. And then came the sweet reward - another visit with Dylan, this time with Brad.

On the second day, he already looks so different! His cone-shaped head and crooked nose, apparently the result of him having wedged himself face-up in my pelvis (and the reason my cervix never changed) are quickly correcting themselves. He also began receiving phototherapy for mild jaundice, a very common newborn condition.

Dylan is definitely a fighter. He received a perfect 9/9 Apgar score - pretty atypical for a preemie. In fact, the one problem he does have is unrelated to his young gestational age. This week, Dylan will undergo surgery for Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula. Essentially, his esophagus does not connect to his stomach, which means that he has to be fed intravenously. It is a serious but straightforward condition to treat, and the sooner it is taken care of, of course, the better.

It has been a very long road, but I'm confident that the past 5 weeks and the weeks ahead will only make me stronger and even more appreciative of so many things. We're excited to get back to San Francisco, but we're taking it one day at a time.

Thank you, once again, to all of you for your support!