Violet's Birth Story: part 2

Part One

I was in our bedroom getting the hospital bags out of the closet and gathering up my last minute toiletries to throw in there while my contractions continued to strengthen.  I knew I was not going to make it in time to have an epidural at this point.  I leaned over the edge of the bed, the bathroom counter, sat on the toilet, trying to get through the pain. As I leaned over the bed, trying to get those last minute items together was the moment I knew I wasn't going to make it to have an epidural.  I momentarily debated having George call an ambulance. For real.

When I stood upright again hoping to move quickly in between contractions, I shouted to George, " I think my water broke!"  Back to the toilet, I went.  I discovered I was bleeding and wasn't sure if my water had broken or I was just feeling the blood.  He yelled that we needed to hurry up and get going because we weren't having this baby at home.  I honestly do not know how long it took me to get from the bedroom to the car, but I know that every moment I tried to do something...walk, get out the front door, get in the car, I'd have another excruciating contraction and have to stop.

I am not one who is very vocal about pain.  I know I'm a wuss and tend to keep it in, deal with it and keep moving. Kind of like the day I broke my ankle at 31 weeks pregnant.  It hurt. Badly.

And I knew it was broken, but I didn't want Lily to be disappointed to not go to the park with our friends. So we went and my ankle hurt. I pushed through it.  There was no chance of that here.  I was crying, moaning, shouting, and swearing. I held nothing back.   I yelled at my husband to shut up after he told me I needed to get it together to get out to the car, but couldn't finish what I wanted to say because he had no idea that I wasn't just freezing up. The pain was debilitating and I had to wait to move until the contraction had subsided. Although I didn't have any more time except to say, "shut up!" 

In the car at 10:48am and we're off to the hospital!  Par for the course, we needed gas.  George was in list mode:  Get enough gas to get us there.  Make a plan for Lily to get picked up at noon at school. Not have a baby in the car. 

I found a position that was the most bearable and needed to lie back in the seat on my side facing the driver's seat.  Now mind you this did nothing to stop the pain or my crying, moaning, shouting and swearing.  Just was something I was able do.  When I tried lying back in the seat at first, the seatbelt was cutting into my neck.  So Ms. Always Wear Your Seatbelt No Matter What, shouted, "How do I get this fucking seatbelt off??"  Not a shining moment.

We called my good friend whose daughter goes to school with Lily and asked if she could take Lily with her after school.  George was on the phone with her, I was shouting they knew at school I was in labor and it would be ok for her to take Lily too!  That peace of mind knowing Lily was in good hands was the last piece of the puzzle I needed in place so I could to focus on nothing but this baby--  both keeping her inside until we got to the hospital and praying for a healthy delivery.

For the most part, I had my eyes closed on the way to the hospital.  When G was on the phone about Lily, I had opened my eyes to know where we were {approximately 7 minutes from home generally} and then again when we crossed the Vets Bridge through the city and once more when we had to slow down drastically for a car that cut us off merging into the one lane to take us to the hospital. 

The rest of the ride, which I learned we took at 105 mph, I was going through my cycle of crying, moaning, shouting and swearing.  Repeated theme:  "We're not going to make it!"  George was honestly the only thing that kept me from going over the edge.  Everytime I cried that we weren't going to make it, he'd reassure me that we would, we were almost there, I was doing great, and to keep breathing. 

The thing about Pittsburgh is that there is no rhyme or reason to traffic in this city.  I'm so thankful my husband used to be a police officer and was trained to drive at high rates of speed in this city. Truly.  However, nothing can be done when you turn onto the street to get into the hospital and it's backed up with 20+ cars waiting to turn into the parking lot.  I had opened my eyes again here.

So, what does any former police officer do?  Drives down the opposite side of the road.

It was clear until right before we needed to turn in when opposing traffic was there.  George honked the horn, rolled down his window, shouted that I was in labor going to have the baby in the car, "BACK UUUUUUUUPP!"   A security guard on my side of the car/street shouted he was going in to get a wheelchair and managed to get cars moved enough to get us up to the front door of the hospital.

For as much trouble as I had getting IN the car at home, it was just as difficult getting OUT of the car at the hospital. For the last part of the ride, I had been squeezing my legs closed tighter than I had ever before trying to keep this baby in and not deliver her in the car.

 Finally, I was able to get out of the car, but had to wait again before I could sit in the wheelchair as I contracted that closely again.  Again, more crying, moaning, shouting...I think I had stopped swearing at this point!

Once I was in the wheelchair, George ran me through the lobby while I {now embarrassingly} was screaming out in pain hoping we'd make it to deliver this baby in a bed instead of in the car, in front of the hospital, or in a wheelchair in the lobby.   I'm pretty sure I traumatized some first timers who may have been in or around the echoing lobby of the hospital. 

Labor & Delivery is on the 2nd floor, so luckily we were off the elevator quickly. George kept running, pushing me through the hospital. It was honestly like a scene from a movie where the registration clerk shouted out questions as we flew by... "What's your name?! What's your birthdate?! Who's your doctor?!"  George replied with my name and birthday and "She's been here before!" I shouted my doctor's name as the double doors opened and a nurse took over pushing my wheelchair down the hall.  It was a sea of people in blue scrubs parting the way for me. I kept thinking, "Wow this breeze feels so good," as whoever was pushing me was running to get me into a L&D room. I was so hot and sweating bullets all the while still shouting out in pain.   It felt like a scene from a movie where the camera is the essentially the character.  The doctors and nurses standing on either side of the hallway looking down at me as I blew past them in the wheelchair, people shouting about me to find my doctor and trying to gather details about my pregnancy. Very surreal.

Somebody helped me get my undies off as I was trying to get out of the wheelchair onto the bed and I felt no relief lying down at all.  I kept screaming, "I need to push NOW!"  A doctor told me they were trying to help me, but I needed to get in the bed before I could do that. I'm so grateful I was clean after having both showered that morning and then taken a bath.

The doctor I had hoped would deliver me was on call that day I already knew, so while they were calling for her, another doctor--Dr. Cheeks introduced himself.  George asked if I could get any pain medicine as they were checking me once I was on the bed and all I heard was... "She's at a 9 1/2, there's no time." 

I shouted some more while I cried.  Some things like, "It burns so badly!" {even then I used adverbs correctly} "I need to push!" "I can't do this!"  and a lot more incoherent moaning/shouting something or other.

I had my eyes closed trying to focus on something other than how painful this was and all I could hear was George when they told him to grab my leg. I also heard my doctor say, "I came running!"  

My love was so encouraging throughout the entire process {not that the process was a long time, mind you.} telling me I could do this, her head was coming, we were almost done, I was doing great, reminding me to put my chin to my chest and push, here she comes...

And finally the relief was there!

Our baby. Our girl.

Born at 11:23am.

We had just left our house at 10:48am.

When she decided she was ready, she was ready.  On her due date. 

I had referred to her as "our grand finale" many times throughout my pregnancy. 

She definitely made it ring true.

Violet ilyanna, my littlest love, born weighing 10 pounds even and 22 inches long. 

Thank God I didn't know she was 10 pounds before because I don't think I could have overcome that mental hurdle during my labor.  It was not my plan to give birth naturally. What's that saying about telling God your plans... :)


*Part 3 will have pictures and some more details from nurses, friends that I want to always remember

Violet's Birth Story: part 1

last picture pregnant: 39w4d
taken October 14, 2013

October 16, was a typical day of being nearly 40 weeks pregnant. 

Lily had preschool at the high school and then we hung out at home doing laundry and a little bit of cleaning. The baby clothes are neverending!   George was off from work.  He and I stayed up watching a couple of our shows together before he started doing some work on his computer while I finished working on Lily's Halloween costume.  I felt pretty good that night, commenting how I couldn't believe I was still pregnant, wondering when we were ever going to have this baby. I finally decided to go to bed a little after midnight.

I should have known that since she came into our lives surprisingly, she'd enter the world the same way.

October 17.

After sleeping pretty soundly, {given the weeks previously that I had been up every few hours} I was woken up around 6:00am, having some contractions.  Nothing too strong, nothing really timeable I'd say.  Just enough discomfort to stir me awake to look at the clock and see how much longer I had to sleep until it was time to get Andrew up for school.  45 more minutes.  Back to sleep I went... or tried.  I laid in bed for a few minutes then decided to check my email, and read through my Twitter timeline and maybe a game or two of Candy Crush hoping my eyes would get drowsy enough to go back to one of my last nights of decent sleep that I'd been having. 

I did manage to sleep a little bit longer before getting Andrew up to get ready for school. I laid on the couch half asleep, waiting until he left for the bus, all while having a couple more contractions.  I told him that I was having a few contractions and thought we'd end up at the hospital at some point today.  We made a plan for him for after school if no one was home and off he went. My first baby.

About 40 minutes, later it was time to get Lily up for school.  I started timing contractions finally about 8:15am.  They were anywhere from 6-8 minutes apart, sometimes 10, but still not too strong. I'd have to stop to catch my breath here or there, but was still able to walk, talk, get Lily out the door to school and drive.  When we got to preschool, I had one pretty strong contraction in the doorway where I did have to stop talking to her teacher a minute.  She asked me if I was ok to drive. I knew that I was, but also knew we'd for sure be heading to the hospital that day.  I kissed Lily goodbye, told her I loved her and off I went home...contracting just a little bit stronger.

When I got home, I woke George up to tell him that I had been having some contractions. When he asked how far apart they were, I said about 10 minutes or so and I was going to take a bath to relax some.  He came in a couple minutes later and asked if I had called the doctor's office yet. I had planned on it when I got out of the tub.  I sat back, closed my eyes relishing in the hot water that almost immediately relaxed me.  I kept my phone nearby to continue timing the contractions and had a couple more while I sat in the tub. George hollered in to ask me if I was ok a couple times. I told him he probably shouldn't head to his physical therapy appointment that was pretty soon.  He started gathering his things together for the hospital as I emerged from my blissful bath. I totally understand why people want to have waterbirths!

I immediately called my doctor's office and spoke with a nurse about when to head to the hospital. I explained that despite being a 3rd timer, 40 years old and capable, I had no idea when to actually head to the hospital with contractions. She asked how close they were currently and I explained 6-8 minutes mostly.  She told me that once they're 5 minutes for an hour, we should head to the hospital. Ok, easy enough.

Shortly after I was off the phone, our baby decided she was waiting no longer.  My contractions went from 6-8 minutes to 2 minutes apart just like that. 

It's funny the things you think you know about having a baby--especially when it's not your first time, but when it all comes down to it, there's much more reaction than anything.

My last timed contraction was at 10:26am. It was 2 minutes after the last one and lasted for 1 minute 17 seconds.

We live about 20-25 minutes away from the hospital...

She's Here!

 

 

Introducing...

 

Violet ilyanna  

 

She came into our lives as a surprise and entered the world the same way.

 

October 17, 2013

Birth story to come...

 

 

40 weeks ~ baby i2

Date:  October 17, 2013~~ Yeah, my due date.  **This post was written after midnight on 10/17/13...little did I know how the day would turn out. :)

How far along:40 weeks. WHAT?!?!

Total Weight Gained:  No gain this week for total:  9lbs.

How big is baby? What the hell is a jackfruit?  Baby is the size of a baby! haha
"Your baby's the size of a jackfruit!

In month nine, the average fetus is about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.19 inches (wow!)." 

39 weeks~ baby i2

Date:  October 10, 2013

How far along: 39 weeks--5 days longer than I have ever been pregnant!
And officially at the point where people ask me if it's time when I call...

Total Weight Gained:  One more gained for a total of 9lbs.

How big is baby? "Your baby's the size of a watermelon!

Baby keeps growing, despite being so crowded in there. He probably weighs around 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches.

38 weeks~ baby i2

Date:  October 3, 2013

How far along: 38 weeks ~

Total Weight Gained:  One more gained for a total of 8lbs.

How big is baby? "Your baby's the size of a pumpkin!

Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Her head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen."

37 weeks ~ baby i2

Date:  September 26, 2013

How far along: 37 weeks is full term!!!  She can arrive anytime now!

Total Weight Gained:  I gained 5lbs since my last dr. visit! Whoa. That was last week. ;)  Doc thinks it's water weight.  No biggie, really because I had zero protein in my urine and my blood pressure was good still...so that sudden weight gain alone didn't terrify me about pre-eclampsia.  Up 7lb total this pregnancy.

How big is baby? "Your baby's the size of a winter melon!  {whatever that is}

Yay! Baby has reached full term. likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. gaining about 1/2 ounce each day." 

**taken from The Bump

How baby is growing:

practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.

getting first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for first diaper.

**taken from The Bump
Maternity Clothes:  Without a doubt. And many shirts are too short. This last pregnancy is no joke! ha

Sleep: Insomnia has set back in. I've been up a lot in the middle of the night.  Thankfully there's Candy Crush to play and Law & Orders and CSIs to watch.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week:  Having a woman in the elevator tell me how great I looked for 40 and pregnant after asking me how old I was.  I'll take it.

Movement: She's a tumbler and I think for the first time ever, I've experienced a baby in utero with hiccups. She's able to be seen moving from the outside which freaks George out. haha  He is not one of those husbands who enjoys feeling a baby move inside.

Food Cravings:  frozen coke, ice cold water (like half frozen), chocolate, salad, cereal, strawberry yogurt.

Food Aversions: Nothing specific, but sometimes just the thought of food makes me sick.

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  My hips have been hurting while sleeping, but the baby has moved back up, so that super painful pressure has gone away thankfully. Heartburn still killing me. Lower back cramps have begun the last few days. 

What I miss:  Not wanting to go to bed at 6:30pm every night, having energy, and being able to do simple things like jump when my Lily says "Jump with me, Mama!"

What I'm looking forward to: An October baby, enjoying our last newborn time ever, Lily meeting her baby sister and how she embraces this new role in her life, getting through Andrew's last appointment for his wrist/getting his cast off before the baby comes, and being done with the crazy emotions that this pregnancy has brought on.

**Weekly appointment:  heartbeat was 136 {the lowest hers has ever been}, bp 120/80, cervix still closed, 40% effaced

36weeks 6 days

36 weeks~ baby i 2

Date:  September 19, 2013

How far along: 36 weeks = only one month to go woooooooo!

Total Weight Gained:  Still only up the 2lb from the beginning.

How big is baby? "Your baby's the size of a honeydew!

She's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up.  
**taken from The Bump

How baby is growing:

She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own.

Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid.

Her liver and kidneys are in working order.

Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.

She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath.

Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

**taken from The Bump and Babycenter
Maternity Clothes:  Without a doubt. And not too much fits over this belly anymore. Boooo!

Sleep: I've actually been able to sleep a little more the last week or so.  Thankfully.  The heartburn still blows.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week:  finally deciding on a middle name!!  Being out of my stupid walking boot!!

Movement: She definitely lets me know she's there. I can see her move from the outside.

Food Cravings:  frozen coke, lemon-lime powerade, strawberry yogurt, chocolate--around 9:30pm

Food Aversions: Nothing really is making me want to stay away except the heartburn, but my appetite is pretty minimal these days.

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  irritability--like shut the front door about your stupid pumpkin spice lattes,
heartburn like crazy--mostly at night,
Braxton hicks have begun,
waddling

What I miss: being comfortable.

What I'm looking forward to: having all this laundry done and organized, a new baby, seeing my husband more...I miss him.

35w1d

34 weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  September 5, 2013

How far along: 34 weeks = only 6 weeks left!

Total Weight Gained:  I'm finally over the beginning & have gained 2lbs!

How big is baby? "At less than two months to go, baby weighs in at about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. By week 34, she's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, if you're

32 weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  August 22, 2013

How far along: 32 weeks = rounding the home stretch!

Total Weight Gained:  Still down 1 pound from beginning.

How big is baby?  "Your baby's the size of a squash!

Still growing, your baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches"
**taken from The Bump

 

How baby is growing:

She's getting ready for her descent -- she's likely in the head-down position now.

And she's probably feeling a even more cramped

**taken from The Bump

Maternity Clothes:  I can still wearing regular comfy pants (read: no buttons/zippers) and big shirts for the most part. If I put on real pants/shorts, then they are most definitely maternity!  A lot of dresses and skirts oh and pajammies of course.  And now a walking boot. Grrrrrr

Sleep: I'm still worn out all the time.  The aches and pains at the end of the day make getting to sleep difficult and bedtime is usually when my heartburn kicks in. Adding a broken ankle into the mix did nothing for my sleep. ha!

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week:  I'm truly trying to embrace this pregnancy since it is my last, so I spend a lot of my time I'd love to be sleeping, thinking about who this baby will be and what her personality will be like.  It's pretty magical.

Movement: She's a mover! She doesn't really kick me though, she jumps and tumbles.

Food Cravings:  lemonade, chocolate, hotdogs, cereal, watermelon, canteloupe

Food Aversions: Nothing really is making me want to stay away except the heartburn.

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  irritability still, exhaustion, lots of low pressure especially at the end of the day when I'm trying to go to bed. I'm not easy to be around. :(

What I miss: not feeling exhausted all the time and being able to roll over in bed.

What I'm looking forward to: My ankle healing and not delivering this baby in a walking boot, watching Lily become a big sister, feeling better physically, Halloween, the baby being here, figuring out her middle name.

 

31weeks, 1day~ broken ankle day.

28 weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  July 25, 2013

How far along: 28 weeks = THIRD trimester yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Total Weight Gained:  At my last appointment on July 9th, I'd gained 3lbs more pounds of my original 8 lost, so still down 2lbs from the beginning.

How big is baby?  "your baby's the size of an eggplant!"
"Putting on layers of fat, your baby now weighs in around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches. . "

  **taken from The Bump

 

How baby is growing:

"She's starting to develop more fat, so her wrinkly skin will start to get smoother."

"Her lungs are mature enough that she'd probably survive if she was born now."

 "She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes."

 "With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb."

**taken from The Bump and Babycenter

Maternity Clothes:  I can still wearing regular comfy pants (read: no buttons/zippers) and big shirts for the most part. If I put on real pants/shorts, then they are most definitely maternity!  A lot of dresses and skirts oh and pajammies of course.

Sleep: I'm still worn out all the time.  The aches and pains at the end of the day make getting to sleep difficult and bedtime is usually when my heartburn kicks in.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week:     Hitting the 3rd trimester!

Movement: She's a mover! She doesn't really kick me though, she jumps and tumbles.

Food Cravings:  frozen coke, Lucky Charms, chocolate cheesecake, cherries, Chic-Fil-A. Apparently, we're representing the letter C these last few weeks.

Food Aversions: A lot of nights absolutely nothing sounds good for supper, so Lucky Charms it is.

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  irritability still, exhaustion, lots of low pressure especially at the end of the day when I'm trying to go to bed. It's super painful. :(   I failed my 1 hour glucose screen with a big score of 156 (135 was passing).  So last Friday, I did the 3 hour test and passed it! yay! That makes all 3 kids that I didn't pass the 1 hour and did the 3 hour.

What I miss: not feeling exhausted all the time...although I know this isn't going to go away for many, many years to come haha

What I'm looking forward to: Being settled in our new house, getting the girls' room situated and furniture painted, finally picking a middle name for this girl!  Also, I go back to the dr. next week, then start my bi-weekly visits!

27 weeks, 2 days

 

28weeks 1 day

 

 

24 weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  June 27, 2013

How far along:  24  weeks = viability...

Total Weight Gained:  As of my previous appointment I'd lost 8lbs. total. Last appointment, I'd gained 3lb of those 8 back.  So still at 5lb from start.

How big is baby?  "your baby's the size of a canteloupe!"
"Your 10.5-to-11.8-inch fetus weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces. "

  **taken from The Bump

 

How baby is growing:

"Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque."

"And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed."

**taken from The Bump

Maternity Clothes:  I can still wearing regular comfy pants and big shirts for the most part. If I put on real pants/shorts, then they are most definitely maternity!  A lot of dresses and skirts oh and pajammies of course.

Sleep: Still worn out all the time. Still been waking up a few hours in the middle of the night then falling back asleep shortly before it's time to wake up. I think I need a snoogle! :)

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week:     Lily and Andrew feeling her move!

Movement: Around 20 weeks, I started feeling her move more and more. Now she's kicking the crap out of me all day everyday. I love it!! She's my latest baby to feel. The previous few weeks it was very regular movement around 10am, 2pm, 6pm and 10pm.  Nothing at all like my other pregnancies.

Food Cravings:  frozen coke, cereal--mostly Captain Crunch, water, lemon-lime powerade, dill flavored anything--popcorn, chips mostly

Food Aversions: none really lately

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  irritability, exhaustion, swelling feet at the end of the day, lots of low pressure

What I miss: not feeling exhausted all the time...

What I'm looking forward to: Being settled in our new house and getting baby stuff ready! 

20 Weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  May 30, 2013

How far along:  20  weeks = HALFWAY!!! Wooooooooo!

Total Weight Gained:  As of my last appointment I'd lost 8lbs. total. Next appointment isn't until June 11.

How big is baby?  "your baby's the size of a banana!"
"Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches. "

  **taken from The Bump

 

How baby is growing:

She's got working taste buds.

Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before.

**taken from The Bump

Maternity Clothes:  Still wearing regular comfy pants and big shirts for the most part. I'm just lucky I don't have to put on real clothes.  I definitely have maternity shirts and a lot of dresses and skirts.

Sleep: Still worn out all the time. The last week or so I've been waking up for a few hours in the middle of the night then falling back asleep shortly before it's time to wake up. Blech!

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Our anatomy scan! Our baby girl is perfect! All parts accounted for and doing what they're supposed to be doing. This baby girl is a crazy mover! It took a little while for the ultrasound tech to find her heartbeat because she kept moving all over. She kept hiding her face which made it difficult to get a good picture of her. She did, however, keep stretching out her legs which appear to be really long!  I was 19w5d the day of our ultrasound and she measured 20w4d.

Movement: I still don't really feel much movement because my placenta is anterior which is crazy considering all the movement we saw her do! I did feel her last Friday kind of tumble/flip once. And a few more times last night, so I'm guessing the bigger she gets, hopefully I'll get more. :)

Food Cravings:  icees, cereal, water, lemon-lime powerade

Food Aversions: none really lately

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  irritability, exhaustion, sore boobs--does this ever go away???

What I miss: not feeling exhausted all the time...

What I'm looking forward to: A not-so-hot summer. :) Wishful thinking!

♥ our sweet baby girl ♥

 

 

Hormones are No Joke

Pregnancy is seriously weird.

I find myself ready to either smash someone's face in or I'm a blubbering mess over nothing.  It's annoying.  Even to me.

Case in point.

A couple days ago, George and I were moving a new bed into our room, getting rid of Andrew's and moving our old bed into his room.  Sounds simple enough.

Not too long before that I was watching the news coverage about the Oklahoma tornadoes and also about a Phoenix police officer killed this week.  The officers daughter was graduating from kindergarten and hundreds of police officers showed up to her school to watch her graduate that day. It was moving and I was emotional about it.

For lots of reasons. 
I have an affinity for kids...especially kindergarteners.
It's almost the 18 year anniversary since my own dad died.
I'm pregnant and hormonal and everything makes me cry.

As we were moving the old bed out of our room and sweeping up the dust that was under the bed {keeping it real, folks}, we ended up getting into a ridiculous argument.  And of course, in the middle I started crying.  I full on own that I was the one yelling and crying while trying to explain my point.

After a few more moments of ridiculousness, George said, "I don't want to fight with you about putting a bed together. I'm sorry."  As I was explaining what I was mad about, I kept on crying, saying how annoying it was even to me that I can't help the waterworks. 

G with a vacuum in his hand, me with a broom I'm sure he thought I'd ride away on, standing on opposite sides of the room, all the while I'm just blubbering mess trying to explain all of this.  He laughed and I laughed.  He's lucky he laughed in an okay moment though hahahahaha!

I cannot wait until we have this baby.

Thankfully I have a husband who loves me and does his best to be understanding to my crazy.

 

17 weeks~ baby i2

DATE:  May 9, 2013

How far along:  17 weeks

Total Weight Gained:  I had a dr. appointment yesterday and I have officially gained 0 pounds this pregnancy and lost 8 total.  {not to worry, I've just eaten better and had lots of water}

How big is baby?  "your baby's the size of an onion!"

"Baby continues to beef up. Now she's about 5.1 inches long and weighs about 5.9 ounces. "

  **taken from The Bump

 

How baby is growing:

• Her rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone.
• And she's growing some meat on those bones -- putting on some fat.
• She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord, too.
• She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

**taken from The Bump and Babycenter

Maternity Clothes:  some maternity shirts for sure. Tshirts and comfy pants are my general wardrobe. Can't wait for warmer weather and skirts and dresses. The weather has started warming up thankfully!

Sleep: These last few weeks have been ok other than I'm exhausted all the time. I have been sleeping well, for the most part.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: hearing the baby's heartbeat again at the doctor and then being able to find it easily at home with my Doppler!

Movement: I don't really feel movement yet. :(  My placenta is anterior and as they said and showed me during the CVS, it's also really thick, so even though I can hear her flipping and moving when listening for her heartbeat, I can't feel any of it.

Food Cravings:  icees, cereal, and German Chocolate cake.

Food Aversions: none really lately

Gender:  our second precious baby girl

Symptoms:  heartburn, irritability, exhaustion, sore boobs.

What I miss: not feeling exhausted all the time

What I'm looking forward to: Our anatomy scan on May 28

CVS & Gender

As I sat yesterday and thought about how I've been documenting this pregnancy, I felt badly.  Classic sign of the baby of the family getting the shaft already??  yikes!

On April 2, we had our CVS {chorionic villus sampling} testing.  We also did this testing with Lily back in 2010, so we had a clear understanding of what to expect.

A few days before I had called the hospital to find out who the doctor was that would be performing the procedure, hoping it was the same one as before.  No such luck.  I researched the doctor they told me would be doing it, considered rescheduling when the original one was available, and prayed about it.  Ultimately I decided that I didn't know the first doctor and trusted in him. This doctor is the head of the department and I would trust that too.

At first there was a little counseling about numbers with the genetic counselor before going in for an ultrasound to determine which way the procedure could be done.  The choices are either transvaginally or abdominally like an amnio.  I had no idea the needle through the belly was an option ack!!!!  It was all determined on the location of the placenta.

The ultrasound tech was awesome and made me feel comfortable by telling me that she'd want this doctor to be doing this out of all of them. 

Through the ultrasound, I learned that I have an anterior placenta. All up front.  Also, that it's really thick.  That bodes well for this procedure, but not for feeling the baby move.

With the placenta location where it was, they were able to do the procedure transvaginally.  I was relieved since that's what I was familiar with and knew what to expect with it.   The doctor showed me on the ultrasound screen where the needle would go exactly and what I would feel, what sounds I might hear.  His voice was kind, gentle, and comforting.  He told me what to expect and said although he knew I'd had this procedure before, he would explain it as if I hadn't. I appreciated that a lot.

I shared with him that my first experience the dr. hadn't gotten enough of a sample and had to come back to get more. He said, "I hope to beat Dr. Emery and get it the first try."  haha    He left to look at the sample under a microscope and came back in shortly and said, "Well, Stephanie, you're two for two. We have to get more."

The ultrasound tech checked the baby's heartbeat before the procedure and it was at 167.  Immediately after the first attempt it was 181, but after the second it was back to 164. 

I measured 12 weeks, 2 days, but was actually 11 weeks,5 days, so I'm curious to see if she measures a few days ahead the rest of the pregnancy.

Procedure complete.  No bleeding. Just told to take it easy for 24 hours and not to lift anything other than Lily.   Another fantastic experience.

They said I'd get initial results within 48 hours.  I said, "Well, last time I got them in 24, so I'm hoping for that this time too!"

Sure enough the next day, a little before 3pm, the phone rang.  {thankfully}

The genetics counselor said, "I have good news."  and that was enough for me!  The relief that flooded my body was indescribable.  I honestly didn't realize I was as worried as I truly was.

She said the baby had none of the trisomies and within the next week, we'd have the full results for all the chromosomes.  She asked if we wanted to know the gender and I said we did and learned we are having a girl!!

George was just as relieved as I was that everything was good!  That was the important part for us.  Learning the gender was just the icing.

About a week later, the genetics counselor called again and shared that everything is good! Only 2 sets of each chromosome!  Last time with Lily, we had "placental mosaicism," so learning we didn't even have this time was phenomenal!!

Yay for our new baby girl!!

12 weeks ~ baby i2

 

 

 



Hello last week of 1st trimester!

DATE:  April 4, 2013

How far along:  12 weeks

Total Weight Gained:  Not sure! Last dr. appointment, 3 weeks ago I had lost 5 pounds

How big is baby?  "Your baby's the size of a plum!

The average fetus at 12 weeks is about 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces. Now that she's got pretty much all her parts, her main job is to keep on growing."  **taken from The Bump *** I copied the baby info directly from The Bump...instead of using the word "it", they describe the baby with he or she. Those are not my words.

How baby is growing: **taken from The Bump

"Most of her critical systems are fully formed!

She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.

She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.

She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.

Her brain is developing fast!"

Maternity Clothes:  some shirts for sure. Tshirts and comfy pants are my wardrobe. Can't wait for warmer weather and skirts and dresses.

Sleep: Pretty interrupted. Lots of restlessness.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: finding results from our CVS! And learning our baby's gender and seeing the baby!  Big week!!

Movement: late last week a couple thumps and after seeing baby via ultrasound moving like crazy, it makes perfect sense!

Food Cravings:  icees and cereal

Food Aversions: none really lately

Gender:  We know, but we haven't yet revealed! :)

Symptoms:  heartburn, irritibility, bloated, exhaustion, sore boobs

What I miss: sleeping normally and not having heartburn

What I'm looking forward to: Revealing our baby's gender

 

 

 

6 weeks: baby i 2.0

We have a heartbeat!!!

Yippeeeeee!!!

This past Friday we headed for our first ultrasound. We were very excited and anxious to be able to see the baby's heartbeat. The baby is measuring right on time!

The u/s tech started with a regular u/s and said we'd have to do a vaginal because I was so early which I expected. She pointed out the gestational sac during the regular and said, "It's tiny." So, my nerves started to kick in and I said, "Like appropriately tiny?" and she replied, "I'm not sure yet, I have to see better with the vaginal." Ok, then...let's get on with it!

She did say, "There is something in there for sure!"  and the relief I felt was amazing...a baby in the right place.

When we started the vaginal u/s, she immediately went looking for the baby and I saw the flickering of the heart on the screen and shouted "Oh yay!!" and the same time, she and I said, "there's the heartbeat!" George said, "How do you see that?" to me and I told him it wasn't my first rodeo--I knew what I was looking for!

So yay! We're even more excited!!

The baby looked like a teeny little blob with a flickering heartbeat that measured at 124.
I cried as soon as I saw the heartbeat and then again on the way home with gratitude and the blessing of carrying this little life!
 

~Next appointment:  March 13 
 

~Gender:  unknown!
 

~Maternity clothes:  I am solely wearing comfortable clothes. Any pants that need to button are forgotten.
 

~Sleep: I could sleep all day long. All day. But I'm up a few times a night to pee and then wide awake around 5am. This sleeping pattern is for the birds.
 

~Food cravings:  tomato soup with cheddar cheese. cottage cheese.  water.
 

~Symptoms: exhaustion primarily. sore boobs although not too bad! bloating.  
 

~Movement: nope, too early. 
 

~Labor signs: nope, too early.
 

~What I miss:  not being exhausted all day. 
 

~What I'm loving: the blessing of being pregnant... 
 

~What I'm looking forward to: a continued healthy baby growing
 

~Best moment this week: seeing the heartbeat at our ultrasound
 

~Milestones:  1st ultrasound and seeing heartbeat 

Meet baby i 2.0...our sweet little blurry babe. ♥

 

We've Drafted a New Player

Surprise!

While I've been absent from the blog the above was only a small part. Truth is I've been sick with a cold and this horrible congestion. I was taking some medicine that was working somewhat until I discovered those two pink lines and stopped because I'm not about to take something that is unsure of being safe--especially in the first trimester. 

Anywho!

We're very early, but we've been to the doctor and originally had our ultrasound scheduled for today, but are pushing it back until next week by choice to be a little further along to see a heartbeat.

Today we're 5 weeks, 1 day.

I'm realistic in that I'm a 39 year old woman who will be 40 next month and coupled with my pre-eclampsia with Lily---anything can happen.

We are proceeding happily and do feel very positive that come October we will be holding our baby! And that is ultimately where we are.

After our miscarriage in 2009, and some of the complications with our pregnancy with Lily in 2010, George and I  feel that sharing our news early can only lead to more love, support, and prayers.  That is more important to us than the unspoken pressure to wait until 12 weeks to announce, for if something should happen, then we'll have that much more love, support, and prayer around us.

We're excited and having a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More details to come...how I told G, what the older kids had to say and Lily's funny stuff. :)