Tuesday, November 30, 2010

My (LONG) Labor Story.

After my OB appointment on Wednesday, I knew I was ready. I even told my doctor as much. She asked how I felt, and I just sighed and said “I’m ready. I’m not ready for the chaos, but I am sick of peeing every 2 hours, sick of having to heave myself over just to roll onto my other side, sick of the hemorrhoids (not that childbirth makes them disappear!)… just READY.” She laughed, and said, well we’ll see what happens! I left the appointment not really thinking that much. I mean, yes, I was ready for Connor to arrive, but wasn’t so ready that if he still waited till his due date I wouldn’t be upset about it. Later that afternoon B and I headed to Target for our weekly outing, enjoyed popcorn and soda and browsed around. I noticed I was having contractions, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Later that evening I realized I was having contractions every 10-12 minutes apart. I went into nesting/planning mode and swept, mopped and vacuumed the house again, thinking it would be the last time I would get the chance to do it for a while. As I went to bed, I thought that perhaps this was it and I would wake in the middle of the night asking Drew to take me to the L&D ward. Unfortunately though, the contractions piddled out in the middle of the night.

I woke up Tuesday morning around the same time Drew did for work and was having painful contractions. So much so that I interrupted Drew’s breakfast for him to massage my back because it was really painful. But like the night before, they piddled out. I called my mom that morning and told her that I was going to be one of those women who walked around in active labor for two weeks. We laughed about it and I hung up and headed out for errands. They weren’t really anything out of the ordinary; I mean, one was at the mall, so I took it upon myself to walk around a bit more than normal, and at a faster pace. The rest of the day we hung out at home, I grabbed my afternoon nap, and we played in B’s room together for a while. Around 5:30, I noticed I had a REALLY strong contraction. Even stronger than the night before, and strong enough that I needed to breath through it. After about 3 of them coming minutes apart, I emailed Drew to make sure he was coming home on time… trying to breath through and time contractions when you have a 19 month old is nearly impossible (although Brayden did find my breathing and rocking pretty funny, so I tried to make it a game). Drew got home around 6:30 and I told him I really needed to time my contractions, so he took over for me with Brayden and I started timing. After about 30 minutes, it was pretty apparent I was in active labor-- my contractions were coming 4 minutes apart consistently and they HURT (thankfully though it was NOT back labor, which I had with B, and which is a horrid, horrid feeling). I went back into nesting mode, and quickly grabbed up the ingredients for oatmeal chocolate chip muffins (I had set it all out earlier that day), whipped it together in between contractions, and called my best friend Stephanie to let her know I thought I might be in labor. When I laid down to check my contractions again, they increased in pace, coming every 3 minutes apart, and I knew it was time to go. So we made a quick call to my Aunt to have her come and stay with Brayden, and our neighbor headed over to be the buffer between when we left and my aunt arrived. And we set out.

We got to the hospital around 9:45 and were quickly seen by a nurse in triage. The best part of seeing that nurse was recognizing her! It was Abby, the same nurse I had had in triage when I went to the hospital in labor with Brayden. Consequently, I was right at ease. When I was checked, I had dilated to 4cm, so Abby went to check with the on call doctor to see what they wanted to do. About an hour later, they decided to go ahead and admit me since my contractions were still coming at 4 minutes apart. Thankfully I was not having back labor this time, so although the contractions were painful, they weren’t near as bad as the contractions I had with Brayden. We headed down the hall and got settled in for the night.

I got the epidural immediately-- I wasn’t really needing it at that point, but didn’t want to wait until the pain was intolerable to make the decision. The anesthesiologist was great, and the epidural went in without a hitch! I woke up an hour later to numb legs J She did her job well! I slept for the rest of the night off and on, and at 6am was checked again and was at 8cm at that point. My nurse Abby left her shift at 7am, which I was sad about, but was so happy that when the new nurse came in it was my nurse Meredith from when I had had Brayden. Drew and I had just talked about how good Meredith was during Brayden’s birth, so the fact that we had Meredith again was an answer to prayer. We also found out that my doctor was on call that day, so we were pretty much assured she would deliver Connor.

They figured I’d have Connor just a few hours later, but by 10am I still had not dilated. They then said by lunch time. But by noon when I was still a 9, we were thinking I might have needed what my nurse called a “whiff” of pitocin. Thankfully by 12:30 when my doctor came in to check me, I was complete, so pitocin wasn’t needed, and we started prepping for pushing.

I started pushing at 12:35. Everything was going swell. Then Connor dropped into my pelvis. OH. MY. WORD. My epidural, for whatever reason, had not numbed my pelvic region. At first I tried to be strong. But the pain was UNBEARABLE. To hell with the ring of fire. This was the ring of death. I started crying. Not a mean cry, but a desperate, I need my mommy cry. It hurt so freaking bad. Meredith had to leave the room at one point to change scrubs (something about some weird hospital policy-- I was out of it too much to understand what happened, only that I couldn’t push through about 2-4 contractions). She came back and I resumed pushing. Then she asked me to slow down the pushing. When someone feels as though a watermelon is about to come out of their vagina AND butt hole at the same time, the last thing they want to hear is to hold on. I started crying harder and saying “get it out of me! Just get it out of me!” They had to run and get the doctor, who was in triage. It seemed as though it took her forever, and then she slid in to take over the baby catching. I was again asked to push slowly. I came to find out later that the cord was wrapped around Connor’s neck twice, so the doctor had to finagle the cord off of his neck while I was pushing (this is also why Drew was unable to cut the cord). Connor was born at 12:53, which means that I pushed through about 10 contractions (probably less if you consider the time my nurse had to change scrubs and the time I couldn’t push because the doctor wasn’t there). When they laid Connor on my belly he wasn’t crying, which I knew was not a good sign so I asked about it and they took him over to the side to get him to cry. Music to my ears when he let out a little sqeak-- and that was all he really let out! He didn’t make a peep through the shots, the cleaning, the eye ointment… he just laid there and looked around! It was the funniest thing-- even our OB made a comment about it! And after they weighed him-- 7 pounds 14 ounces-- I was SO glad he had come early. I am almost positive that my body is not made to deliver large babies. With both Brayden and Connor they got hung up (that’s why I didn’t dilate with Connor at the end because he was hung up and not pushing on my cervix when I was contracting), and both were under 8 pounds.

In the video of Connor being cleaned off and weighed, you can hear me in the background saying “oh my God that hurt so freaking bad.” I think I say it about 4 times. I can’t decide if I would rather the tense moments of back labor in the beginning or having a smooth labor and a horrible last 10 minutes of delivery. Either way, I have come to decide that child birth is by far the hardest thing I will ever have to do in this life. And that’s my second labor story. And the last labor story-- for a few years at least :)

Don't Forget About B

I feel like so many of my recent posts have been about Connor. Which is expected I suppose, since he is the newest kid on the block. But we still have lots of fun Brayden moments around here, and I don't want people to think we've forgotten about our first born son. So without further ado, I give you the latest B-man pics...


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Monday, November 29, 2010

More Newborn Goodness

Eat your heart out people....
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Lovin' on Gigi

I have been blessed to be surrounded by family during Connor's grand entrance into the world. I am not sure what I'd do if my mom wasn't here to help... especially considering I have two now! My boys sure do love their Gigi!


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PS-- Brayden now "smiles" for the camera... is that not hilarious?!?!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Pics from the Hospital

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Thank goodness he was early!
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"Geez. I kind of liked it in Momma's tummy!"
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ignore the hair... it's aweful. But so was the last 10 minutes of pushing, so I am giving myself grace.

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meeting Granddad
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Watching his first Hogs game... it was a nail biter into double overtime against Mississippi State!
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lovin' on Daddy!
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Meeting Gigi and Poppa D!
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All ready to go home!
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Hanging Around the House

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Meeting his cousin Sophie
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Such a rough life isn't it?
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Brothers!
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He smiles A LOT in his sleep-- I wonder what he dreams about?

Tiny Fingers, Tiny Toes

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Connor-Man

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This year
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we are thankful
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for the sweet gift
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of new life...
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...regardless of how sleep deprived we may be :)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Brothers



Friday, November 19, 2010

Baby Connor

Well, I find myself completely and utterly exhausted tonight... not that that is a surprise to anyone, including myself. But I didn't want to leave you guys hanging without any news. I sat at 8-9cm for quite a while, and finally was able to start pushing around 12:30. He was born 20 minutes later, healthy as a lark! Here's the stats:
Connor Andrew
born 12:53 on November 19th
7lbs, 14oz (for those of you wondering, that is 14oz more than Brayden weighed at birth)
19.75 inches long
A head full of spiky black hair! We've taken several pictures, but haven't loaded them due to visitors and trying to rest as much as possible. Here's a sneak peak (this was my first time to hold the little guy)... you know I'll post more as I am able! Thanks for all of the sweet comments and prayers-- we definitely have felt them!
PS-- please continue to pray that he would eat well. Brayden started eating like a champ, but Connor is a bit more laid back and would prefer to just sleep the day away. This has caused somewhat of a hiccup in the beginning of breastfeeding, which kind of stresses me out. Also, he's slightly tongue tied, which means that I am a bit sore... pray for that to be minimal so that I can focus on getting him to eat right and latch well! Thanks you guys!

At the Hospital

Hello Dear Readers! I just wanted to let you all know that I've been in the hospital since last night at 9:30. My contractions started around 5:30 yesterday evening, and have been steady ever since. I got an epidural at midnight last night and have slowly but surely been making progress. I am currently at 9cm, so basically anytime soon we'll be welcoming baby Connor. Bear with me as I labor through everything... I promise to update as soon as possible!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

38 Weeks

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38 weeks with Connor
37.5 weeks with Brayden


Well, from the two pictures it's clear of at least one thing: once I hit 38 weeks, I look as though I've not slept in years. I guess my body just realizes it will look like this in two weeks, so it prepares a little early... LOL.

I had my weekly checkup today at my doctor. I was hoping for HUGE change, although I know that much more than what I already am means I am entering into active labor. Last week I was 2cm, and this week I was 2, almost 3cm dilated. I had also increased to 50% effaced, up from 25% last week. So I guess I am making progress. I had pondered the idea of having her strip my membranes this week, but decided against it since I am only 50% effaced. I don't really want to rush things, and since I am only 38 weeks I figured I'd just let everything go with the flow. My next appointment isn't until late next Wednesday, so unless something happens before then, I'll be going in to get checked RIGHT before Thanksgiving :o/ I'll be sure to update yall with any news as it happens... until then, I guess just pray that my mind will be ready when it does :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Final Touch

While everything in Connor's nursery has been ready for about 2 weeks now, it was still missing the final touch. And that final touch, Connor's life verse on canvas, was delivered today by my good friend Rachel. Isn't she so talented?!?! I was so excited to see the final product, and was giddy to see it today... it's even cuter than I had envisioned it in my mind... thanks so much Rach!

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Elmo

It's getting cold around here
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Which means we needed some slippers
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And what better slippers
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Than Elmo.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Monday Musings

I decided not to do a weekend in review post like I normally do on this fabulously overcast Monday morning. We had a pretty laid back weekend (which was fine by me!) and so nothing out of the ordinary happened. Friday I did enjoy a day of pampering thanks to my awesome husband-- a massage and a pedicure on the same day is pretty much equal to Heaven. Or as close as you'd get to it on earth I've decided. Friday evening Drew and I had our "last supper" (the last date before the baby comes) and went to Red Lobster to get endless shrimp (a promise Drew made good on when that ad first came out!). It was incredible, although we were both slightly sickened by the fact that we probably each consumed an entire stick (or more) of butter. That was pretty much the most exciting things of the weekend. The rest was monotonous and nothing that you, my loyal readers, would care to read about.

This morning I find myself doing the monotonous as well-- laundry, picking up around the house, changing poopy diapers and wiping snotty noses (tis the season!). We have no set agenda for the week. This is slightly planned, as I really don't want to bog myself down with hustling and bustling right before Connor arrives. I'll give you a pregnancy update by Wednesday, which is when my next appointment is... I'll officially be 38 weeks tomorrow. If you remember correctly, I had Brayden 1 week early, so I am pretty much in the ready and waiting game now.

Speaking of ready, I feel like I am finally at a place of peace regarding my anxiety with two. Not that I still don't have panic attacks, because I do (like when Super Nanny came on on Friday night and the lady had 4 boys, 5 and under, and one of them was a newborn. Drew made me change the channel because I was almost on the verge of tears). I just decided that since Connor is coming whether I am ready or not, I might as well TRY to be in that mindset. So I am trying. I'll let you know how it goes :)

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Best Friday EVER.

TGIF. It's been a LOOOOONG week. Fortunately I can say with confidence that I was SUPER productive. One of my best friends offered to take care of Brayden yesterday so I could clean my house (and when I say clean, I mean scrub the baseboards, clean the window sills, mop till the floor sparkles, shampoo the carpets... CLEAN!) and finish cooking the last of the meals to freeze (I now have two meatloafs, 3 casseroles and 4 containers of soup on the deep freeze for after Connor is born). It took nearly5 hours to complete everything, and honestly it only really stayed sparkling clean for 5 hours (Brayden threw rice all over the floor during dinner)... but the fact of the matter is, it's clean. Which means I can say with confidence that my house is ready for Connor. To top off my productive week Drew is treating me today and sending me to get a maternity massage and a pedicure, and then is taking me out to dinner tonight. It's going to be a good weekend.




1. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?
There are two things that come to mind when I read this question. The first is when I fell down the stairs in 10th grade (yeah, don't ask) and sprained my sciatic nerve. it killed for weeks. But I am pretty sure that childbirth beats the sciatic nerve sprain. Holy mother. I am definitely not looking forward to child birth in the next 2 weeks.
2. How much sleep do you get at night?
I average about 8 hours. Sometimes more, hardly ever less, otherwise I am like a mean bear woken from hibernation too early. It's not pretty. Ask Drew :)
3. How long did you believe in Santa Claus? How did you find out that he does not exist?
You know, I was just thinking about this the other day, and I honestly don't even remember. And I don't remember how I found out he didn't exist. I mean, I still get presents from Santa :)
4. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
Iron Man 2. We RARELY go to the movies. Mostly because it's way too expensive, but also because Drew's not much of a movie person, so usually when we do go it's because he is humoring me :) We Redbox ALL the time though!
5. What do you wear to bed?
Boxers and a t-shirt. In the summer I skip the t-shirt and just wear a sports bra and boxers.

Be Jealous

I've always known that I have an awesome family. It's really a no-brainer. But watching these videos, I am assured of the fact completely. Be jealous. Be VERY jealous.




Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fear and the Unknown

As the last few weeks of my pregnancy dwindle down, I find myself more and more anxious. I've tried to pinpoint exactly why, and unfortunately have not been that successful. On a big picture scale, I can truthfully say that I feel like the anxiety comes from the fear of having two children. Two children under two, with the oldest being one of those kids who is CONSTANTLY moving. Brayden is curious. Brayden is vivacious. And Brayden needs physical activity. While none of those things are inherently wrong, it puts me in a place of fear as we approach a winter season with a newborn... meaning that I will just not be able to pick up and go do whatever because (a) it will be blistering cold and (b) I don't want to go out during flu season with a newborn. So I face my new found situation with fear. It's overwhelming really. Just thinking about it makes me tear up. I am scared for where I am mentally; I fear that I will be prone to post partum depression, something that I was far from when I had Brayden. Quite honestly, all of these emotions are so new to me and make me feel a bit guilty since I know full well there are thousands of women who are dying to have a newborn. Why God has chosen ME to enter into this is beyond me. I feel beyond incompetent for the task at hand.

Last night as I was on my way home from my haircut, I was listening to Focus on the Family. Steven Curtis Chapman was on the program speaking about adoption. Something he said really jumped out at me. He said a lot of people question adoption with fear of the unknown. But what's interesting is what he said after that; he said that when we become Christians, Jesus calls us TO the unknown. As I have pondered that statement, an aha moment was born. I always question WHY God does something. Why would God call us to the unknown? Because He wants us to be in situations that we HAVE to call on Him. The unknown puts us in a situation that we HAVE to reach out and grab someone's hand. It makes us realize that we are not in control and that someone else is sovereign. At least it does me. That's where God put us before Brayden was born; I had always assumed you just get pregnant. After several months it was apparent that becoming pregnancy wasn't completely in my control. And I was in the unknown. Now I find myself shaking with fear over the fact that I am not sure I am cut out to be a mom to more than one child, especially two children who are so close in age. But after hearing SCC last night, I finally feel like God has yet again placed me in a situation that I will daily have to look to him for strength, wisdom and patience. It's the only way I am going to make it through.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Connor's Nursery

The nursery is FINALLY done. I just finished steaming the carpets, and everything is in it's place, ready for the little man's arrival. Well, there is one minor detail missing (besides the babe of course!). My good friend Rachel is making a canvas to go over his changing table. Since I dragged my feet in getting her the info she needed to make the canvas, it's still not finished yet. But I figured I better get this little tour done before I actually have him... because at that point we all know that I won't have the time or energy to "show" you around his room. It's pretty much the same as Brayden's nursery (well, the same room actually), but here goes nothing!


connor's nursery


FIRST COLUMN (starting at the top and proceeding down):
-The crib is borrowed from a friend, since B is still using his. The bedding is Wendy Bellismo and is the same as what I used for Brayden (the crib skirt is with my friend Rachel so she could get the colors for the canvas). I bought the bedding at TJ Maxx for $15 for the entire set. My favorite part about the bedding is that the bumpers are slip covered, meaning I can take them off and only wash the fabric, not all the cotton. Totally recommend that! The letters are from a lady on ebay. She makes them by hand, and will paint them any color you want. I had the same exact letters with Brayden's name over his crib.
-The little sign that was on my diaper cake from my shower with my church friends. I love it. Right now I have it hanging on the changing table since Brayden likes to pull on it on the door handle and I am afraid it will rip.
-some of the (many) shoes that this little guy has. I keep them in the changing table. I just had to show yall because I seriously LOVE baby shoes.
SECOND COLUMN:
-the sign that's over the door. This was also used in Brayden's nursery and I decided to keep it there because I really find peace in remembering that Jesus is watching over my little one. My Aunt and Uncle gave this to me when we found out we were pregnant with Brayden.
-the little cross is from Walmart, and I used it in Brayden's nursery. The only reason that i don't have it in Brayden's room is because Brayden likes to pull on it and I am afraid he'll break it. It was the first thing I bought after I found out I was having a boy (when I was preggo with B).
-the changing table. Probably the piece I am most proud of. I bought this changing table on craigslist for $25. It was honey oak (I should have made a before picture) with porcelain handles that had roses painted on them. Drew painted the table white with some leftover paint from Brayden's dresser, and we purchased a set of knobs at Target for $15. Drew also had to fix one of the drawers, which was missing some ball bearings. In all, I think we spent about $50 for the table, and it's good as new. The changing pad (and cover) were purchased off of craigslist also, for $10 (I actually got two covers with it, but one of them is not shown).
THIRD COLUMN:
-my recliner, which is one of the most comfortable chairs you'll ever sit in. It's not a recliner that's made for a nursery, but I wanted it that way. The ones made for a nursery generally don't have a high back, and a lot of them don't have a foot rest, which is IMPERATIVE when you are waking up in the middle of the night to feed. This one reclines all the way back, which is especially nice when your baby will only sleep on you if they are sick (can you tell that's happened before?!). And just for the record, the animal print blanket is mine... I keep a blanket in the nursery for me to cover up with during MOTN feedings, in addition to a blanket for the baby.
-speaking of blankets, I got this blanket at my shower with my church friends... I LOVE it! It's from Walmart if anyone is wondering. I had it embroidered with his name and big initial and love the way it turned out!
-the basket of diapers and lotion. The basket is from Walmart. I couldn't find anything I liked as far as an organizer goes, so just decided to stick to wicker. I used one of the little tags that was on my diaper cake from my shower to add a personal little touch to it.
FOURTH COLUMN:
-the nightstand, AKA tv tray. I looked for something used to use as a night stand and could not find anything I liked, or if I liked it, it was more than I wanted to spend. So we'll just use a tv tray. The books on the table are: A Pig Takes a Bath (Connor's first and only book that was given to him by some dear friends), Babywise (couldn't live without it!), What to Expect the First Year, and a few breastfeeding books that I found helpful when I was starting out with Brayden.
-one of the blankets hanging on Connor's crib. It was also given to me at a shower, and also from Walmart. I had his monogram put on it.
-Another blanket, that my MOPS table leader made for me and gave to me at my MOPS shower. I love it because it's a HUGE square... perfect for either swaddling OR playing on the floor! She also made a matching burp cloth that is super cute!

And that's his nursery. Of course there's a closet full of clothes, but it's still kind of messy so I decided to forgo showing you all of that (you'll see the cute outfits soon enough on little man!). It's all ready and waiting... now it's just a guessing game as to when he'll decide to come!

Wordless Wednesday: Me & My Boys

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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

37 weeks

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I meant to update you all last week, but alas, my life has been a blur. As I guess it should be with me trying desperately to get things done that I know won't get done once I have a newborn. So today, I give you my update. I am 37 weeks. I have gained more weight than I care to share. I feel good, and no I'm not ready. Not ready because my house is a mess. Not ready because I have things on my to-do list. Not ready because emotionally I feel like a basket case and I haven't even had a newborn. Just. Not. Ready. Being pregnant right now seems far more appealing to me than dealing with a toddler AND a newborn. That's just where I am. Like it or leave it.

That being said, I am progressing (now that I am getting to endure those LOVELY internal exams). Last week (at 36 weeks) I was 2cm dilated, but not effaced at all. This week I was still 2cm dilated but had effaced just a wee bit to 25%. It's probably a good thing I am not progressing super fast, seeing how Brayden woke up this morning having thrown up, and immediately upon me cleaning up him and the mess, he threw up AGAIN. I am assuming he has some stomach bug, since he's not really wanting to eat that much and he wants to cuddle (neither of those things are like him... AT ALL!). I feel bad for him, and am so worried that Drew and I might get it. Lord have mercy on me if I get a stomach virus 3 weeks before giving birth. I'll try to update you guys next week after my next appointment!
 

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