Jackson Timothy Eyre

We are so excited to add little Jackson Timothy Eyre to our family. He was supposed to come on March 6, according to our ultrasound, but was so eager to enter (and change) our lives he came early. Here’s the story of his arrival.

We thought we had plenty of time. After all, don’t most first babies come late? In fact, we were banking on it and planned a weekend getaway on President’s Day weekend, our first anniversary. We checked with our OB then took off for Catalina Island. It was a lovely weekend. We toured the town of Avalon, lunched at the Country Club, went on a cruise in a glass-bottom boat, rented a tandem bicycle to ride along the coastline, and took long leisurely walks. Then Clarice went back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday to finish up some administrative tasks for her absence and Ian went back to work on “Spider-Man 3.” We planned on cleaning house and setting up his living space the following week. Maybe we overdid it a bit...

On Wednesday night, Feb 22 (12 days before the due date), Clarice started experiencing some mild contractions and the sense that the baby was “dropping.” These contractions lasted throughout the night and felt different from the Braxton-Hicks contractions she had experienced the previous few months, so Thursday morning she called to make an appointment with our OB just to make sure everything was okay. Because we asked for an updated estimate of due date to make sure Ian’s parents wouldn’t miss anything before their journey from Atlanta, the doctor did an exam and was very surprised to announce that she was dilated 1-2 cm, 70-80% effaced, and that the baby was at station 0 (for those of you who know what all that means). He said that made things very unpredictable, but thought that there was a 70% chance that the baby would come in the next 7-10 days.

That night when Ian came home from work at 10pm, the parents-to-be scurried about with final preparations, setting up the bassinet and doing last minute laundry for the “hospital suitcase,” hoping for the weekend to clean house and move the clutter to the garage. Ian fully expected to finish the workweek on “Spider-Man 3” and we hoped Ian’s parents could come early just in case.

An hour later, Clarice’s water broke! So much for wishful thinking. We checked into UCLA Medical Center at midnight and were told that if the baby didn’t come within 24 hours, they would most likely induce labor because of the risk of infection with the breaking of the water bag. We pretty much knew this day would be his birthday.

By about 10am, Clarice was 8cm dilated and 100% effaced. The contractions were strong enough that we were finally sure that inducement would not be necessary. As the nature of the pain changed and moved to the lower spine, Clarice was pretty sure she would ask for an epidural. She even signed informed consent just in case. Fortunately, the midwife knew a pressure technique to help her deal with the back pain for 60 seconds at a time. Soon after, Clarice decided that she could handle the pain and chose not to have the epidural. During each contraction, Clarice would close her eyes and concentrate hard, but not make a sound. She was so focused.

At 11:30am, Clarice was 9cm dilated and soon felt the urge to push. Her back pain eased as the baby’s head continued to lower and by noon, pushing felt better than not pushing. Soon the 2 minutes between contractions slowed and Clarice was able to recover and catch her breath, even snoozing for a moment. She tried several positions for each contraction, sometimes squatting, sometimes leaning on a bar, before finding the most comfortable position on her side. Heavy pushing began around 12:30pm and finally the hard work began. Clarice was unbelievably strong and determined to finish naturally.

After the head began to appear, Ian was asked if he wanted to participate in the delivery and he said “sure.” The nurses told him to wash his hands and suddenly commanded him to grab the head and pull. Within seconds, Clarice was holding our little purple son, who cried instantly for a few seconds and then turned into the most content, peaceful boy for the rest of the day. We were happy to be joined in the delivery room by Clarice’s parents and her brother Randy and sister-in-law Amy. Only Ian’s parents were missing. It was a wonderful family affair.

Birth was pronounced at 1:26pm. Weight was 6lbs, 4.3oz. Length was 19.5, although later corrected to 18.5”. Jackson is healthy in every way. We marvel at all the reflexes that God created into him. So far we are just learning what ails him when he cries. He’s feeding and pooping and peeing just fine. Ian even changed the first four diapers with a smile (ask him about meconium).

We named our son Jackson because of a strong tradition in the Eyre family of naming the eldest son a derivative of “John.” Ian’s dad is the third John in a row, with several other Johns in previous generations. Ian is the Scottish form of John. Jack is the diminutive form of John, making Jackson the “son of John.” Timothy is the name of Clarice’s father. Together, his name means “God’s gracious gift” and “one who honors God.” He’s truly a blessing, joy, and miracle. It is our prayer that he would indeed honor God.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and for sharing in our exciting news.

Clarice and Ian