Already, only 5 days into this family of 7, I can't imagine life any other way.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
5 days.
I'm sitting here rocking my 5 day old baby thinking about the decision Ryan and I made after Mason was born not to have anymore kids because "4 was enough." Wondering what we were thinking. We had no idea what life would be like a few years down the road. How could we possibly know?
Already, only 5 days into this family of 7, I can't imagine life any other way.
Already, only 5 days into this family of 7, I can't imagine life any other way.
There are a few shows on TV that Ryan and I like to record and watch together after kids are in bed. One of the shows we watch is Greys Anatomy. Sometimes we get behind and will have 3 or 4 episodes of the same show to catch up on and Greys is one show that we've been behind on lately. We finally got around to watching the season finale tonight and boy am I glad that we didn't watch it before Cameron was born.
In the show one of the main characters goes into labor and the doctor determines that her baby is in a posterior position (front facing) and has to be delivered by c-section.
I didn't mention it in my original post (I've updated it now so that it's accurate) but Cameron was occiput posterior (or front facing) which was one of the reasons they were considering a c-section. Watching the show (even though I know it's totally dramatized) made me even more grateful that things turned out okay. I looked up a few articles about posterior deliveries (including this one) and learned that the baby facing forward was probably why I was having so much back pain last week- and it was definitely why my labor wasn't progressing as quickly as it probably should have. The more I read the more grateful I feel that I had an epidural. I've read in multiple places that delivering a baby that's in a posterior position is extremely painful.
In the show one of the main characters goes into labor and the doctor determines that her baby is in a posterior position (front facing) and has to be delivered by c-section.
I didn't mention it in my original post (I've updated it now so that it's accurate) but Cameron was occiput posterior (or front facing) which was one of the reasons they were considering a c-section. Watching the show (even though I know it's totally dramatized) made me even more grateful that things turned out okay. I looked up a few articles about posterior deliveries (including this one) and learned that the baby facing forward was probably why I was having so much back pain last week- and it was definitely why my labor wasn't progressing as quickly as it probably should have. The more I read the more grateful I feel that I had an epidural. I've read in multiple places that delivering a baby that's in a posterior position is extremely painful.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Labor and Delivery: Cam
Saturday: I'd been feeling what I thought were cramps off and on this afternoon. I took Mason to run some errands and to get his hair cut. This evening after kids were in bed I started having super minor contractions. After a while I started timing them and realized that they were about a minute long and 5-6 minutes apart.
I didn't think too much of it since they weren't painful but I thought it was odd that they were so consistent.
At about 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning I laid down and googled information about contractions and at about that time my contractions got stronger. Not super painful- but just a lot more uncomfortable. After 4-5 somewhat painful contractions, my water broke.
That has never happened to me.
I woke Ryan up, he called my mom, I jumped in the shower, called my midwife, packed a bag and off we went. Got to the hospital at about 3:00 a.m. Bre woke up in the process and wanted to come, so she's here too.
Baby's heart rate is fairly low. 100-110. His baseline heart rate has been about 115-120 for the past few weeks, so they aren't worried. They said that some babies' (especially boys) heart rates are just low. I don't remember Mason's being that low.
Contractions are getting stronger and more painful.
11:30 a.m. When I was dilated to a 6 I decided to have an epidural. I was going to try to deliver without one (like I think I can every time) but my contractions were pretty painful and I was worried about how bad they would get. I was really nervous during the epidural... and especially when I felt pain down my left leg. That's what happened during my epidural with Bre. But the pain went away and the epidural seemed to work well. My left leg is more numb than my right leg, but I can't feel my contractions as much which is lovely.
Ryan took Bre home at around 9 because I didn't feel comfortable having her here during the entire labor and delivery. She really wanted to stay but I just didn't feel good about it.
1:30 I'm feeling really relaxed. They've started me on a low dose of pitocin to help my contractions get stronger because the baby is too high and needs to move down. I've also been on oxygen off and on which is helping his heart rate.
Delivery: Baby's heart rate throughout labor has been low. Especially during contractions. When I'd have a contraction, baby's heart rate would drop down into the 60's, but would always come back up as soon as the contraction ended. When I was dilated to an 8-9 baby dropped lower and his heart rate dropped with him. Into the 60's and low 70's and wouldn't come up. The nurse and my midwife continually had me changing positions to help the babies heart rate but at that point they had me get on my knees because the other positions weren't working. Another complication was that baby was posterior (front facing) which makes delivery much more difficult. Sometimes babies who are facing the wrong direction will rotate during labor, but our baby hadn't. The nurse and midwife became increasingly concerned and called the on call doctor to come in for a possible c-section.
Within a matter of minutes the room filled with medical staff to help with the c-section. Anesthesia- who had his team in the hall, the dr. with his team on their way, lab people for blood work, the pediatrician and the nurses. I was pretty emotional at that point. Very scared. Not so much about the c-section, but just that baby wasn't getting enough oxygen. Worried about his health. I just kept watching the monitor hoping that his heart rate would come up. The dr. on call (who looked and sounded SO much like my little brother that it really tripped me out) said that he would try to deliver the baby- but that we really only had one shot because his heart rate was so low- dipping into the 50's at that point.
Side note: I was impressed with how calm and efficient the staff was. I was impressed with their response time. Impressed with how they handled the whole thing and grateful I was there.
After some major pushing (and suction) baby was born at 3:07, 7 lbs, 6 oz, 21" long. Healthy and strong... with a big ole bruise on his noggin. They suctioned out his mouth and nose, handed him to me briefly and then took him to get him cleaned up and make sure that he hadn't inhaled any meconium. I wasn't as sore as I have been after past deliveries, partially because I didn't have to have any stitches. Hooray for that. The doctor made it very clear that it was a miracle that the delivery had turned out as well as it did. If this had been my first or second baby it would have definitely resulted in a c-section because of the posterior positioning of the baby.
Monday morning: Tired and fairly sore but doing great. We decided to name baby (who is also doing very well) Cameron Dean after his grandpa, Steven Dean. Will spend the rest of the day resting (which I'm so looking forward to because Cam didn't sleep last night) and will head home this evening.
Very grateful for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy.
I didn't think too much of it since they weren't painful but I thought it was odd that they were so consistent.
At about 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning I laid down and googled information about contractions and at about that time my contractions got stronger. Not super painful- but just a lot more uncomfortable. After 4-5 somewhat painful contractions, my water broke.
That has never happened to me.
I woke Ryan up, he called my mom, I jumped in the shower, called my midwife, packed a bag and off we went. Got to the hospital at about 3:00 a.m. Bre woke up in the process and wanted to come, so she's here too.
Baby's heart rate is fairly low. 100-110. His baseline heart rate has been about 115-120 for the past few weeks, so they aren't worried. They said that some babies' (especially boys) heart rates are just low. I don't remember Mason's being that low.
Contractions are getting stronger and more painful.
11:30 a.m. When I was dilated to a 6 I decided to have an epidural. I was going to try to deliver without one (like I think I can every time) but my contractions were pretty painful and I was worried about how bad they would get. I was really nervous during the epidural... and especially when I felt pain down my left leg. That's what happened during my epidural with Bre. But the pain went away and the epidural seemed to work well. My left leg is more numb than my right leg, but I can't feel my contractions as much which is lovely.
Ryan took Bre home at around 9 because I didn't feel comfortable having her here during the entire labor and delivery. She really wanted to stay but I just didn't feel good about it.
1:30 I'm feeling really relaxed. They've started me on a low dose of pitocin to help my contractions get stronger because the baby is too high and needs to move down. I've also been on oxygen off and on which is helping his heart rate.
Delivery: Baby's heart rate throughout labor has been low. Especially during contractions. When I'd have a contraction, baby's heart rate would drop down into the 60's, but would always come back up as soon as the contraction ended. When I was dilated to an 8-9 baby dropped lower and his heart rate dropped with him. Into the 60's and low 70's and wouldn't come up. The nurse and my midwife continually had me changing positions to help the babies heart rate but at that point they had me get on my knees because the other positions weren't working. Another complication was that baby was posterior (front facing) which makes delivery much more difficult. Sometimes babies who are facing the wrong direction will rotate during labor, but our baby hadn't. The nurse and midwife became increasingly concerned and called the on call doctor to come in for a possible c-section.
Within a matter of minutes the room filled with medical staff to help with the c-section. Anesthesia- who had his team in the hall, the dr. with his team on their way, lab people for blood work, the pediatrician and the nurses. I was pretty emotional at that point. Very scared. Not so much about the c-section, but just that baby wasn't getting enough oxygen. Worried about his health. I just kept watching the monitor hoping that his heart rate would come up. The dr. on call (who looked and sounded SO much like my little brother that it really tripped me out) said that he would try to deliver the baby- but that we really only had one shot because his heart rate was so low- dipping into the 50's at that point.
Side note: I was impressed with how calm and efficient the staff was. I was impressed with their response time. Impressed with how they handled the whole thing and grateful I was there.
After some major pushing (and suction) baby was born at 3:07, 7 lbs, 6 oz, 21" long. Healthy and strong... with a big ole bruise on his noggin. They suctioned out his mouth and nose, handed him to me briefly and then took him to get him cleaned up and make sure that he hadn't inhaled any meconium. I wasn't as sore as I have been after past deliveries, partially because I didn't have to have any stitches. Hooray for that. The doctor made it very clear that it was a miracle that the delivery had turned out as well as it did. If this had been my first or second baby it would have definitely resulted in a c-section because of the posterior positioning of the baby.
Monday morning: Tired and fairly sore but doing great. We decided to name baby (who is also doing very well) Cameron Dean after his grandpa, Steven Dean. Will spend the rest of the day resting (which I'm so looking forward to because Cam didn't sleep last night) and will head home this evening.
Very grateful for a safe delivery and a healthy baby boy.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Any day now. But not really.
I've told myself from the beginning of this pregnancy that our baby would be born late. One to two weeks late. That's just been the plan. The best predictor of the future is the past and in the past, my babies have been born late.
And I've been okay with it this time around. I haven't felt anxious about it. Not even a small part of me thought that my due date really meant anything. I wouldn't let myself think that my due date really meant anything.
But then my back started to ache and the pain got worse and worse and I started to wonder if I had been wrong about this baby. Maybe he'd come sooner than I'd thought. Without realizing it, I allowed myself to fall in love with that idea. The idea that I might not have to hobble around for another week or two and instead I'd get to hold a sweet baby in my arms.
That was a lovely idea.
I went to bed last night with the thought in my head that maybe, just maybe, I'd wake up with contractions and have to pack a hospital bag in a hurry. But nope. I slept through the night. My back still hurt all day today, so I called the midwives and went in to have them check things out.
I got my hopes up. Like I've done every pregnancy. Like I swore I wouldn't do this time. I thought that I might be one of those girls who finds out she's dilated to a 6 without even knowing it.
But I'm not.
I'm at a 1. Just like I was with the last three babies for a week past my due date.
And maybe it's because my back is killing me which makes it really tough to deal with things around the here (i.e. kids, house, dinner, laundry, drama) or maybe it's because I feel like this baby has his feet tangled in my rib cage, or maybe it's because I walk like someone who needs a walker and none of my shirts seem to want to cover my huge belly. Whatever the reason, I really would like to have this baby soon. Like tomorrow. Like tonight.
I'm tired of being pregnant.
Tired.
My body is tired. My body aches. And I'm ready for the next chapter of this story. The chapter that doesn't include heartburn. Or backaches. Or swollen feet. Or sleepless nights. Or OB visits.
I'm ready for that.
And I've been okay with it this time around. I haven't felt anxious about it. Not even a small part of me thought that my due date really meant anything. I wouldn't let myself think that my due date really meant anything.
But then my back started to ache and the pain got worse and worse and I started to wonder if I had been wrong about this baby. Maybe he'd come sooner than I'd thought. Without realizing it, I allowed myself to fall in love with that idea. The idea that I might not have to hobble around for another week or two and instead I'd get to hold a sweet baby in my arms.
That was a lovely idea.
I went to bed last night with the thought in my head that maybe, just maybe, I'd wake up with contractions and have to pack a hospital bag in a hurry. But nope. I slept through the night. My back still hurt all day today, so I called the midwives and went in to have them check things out.
I got my hopes up. Like I've done every pregnancy. Like I swore I wouldn't do this time. I thought that I might be one of those girls who finds out she's dilated to a 6 without even knowing it.
But I'm not.
I'm at a 1. Just like I was with the last three babies for a week past my due date.
And maybe it's because my back is killing me which makes it really tough to deal with things around the here (i.e. kids, house, dinner, laundry, drama) or maybe it's because I feel like this baby has his feet tangled in my rib cage, or maybe it's because I walk like someone who needs a walker and none of my shirts seem to want to cover my huge belly. Whatever the reason, I really would like to have this baby soon. Like tomorrow. Like tonight.
I'm tired of being pregnant.
Tired.
My body is tired. My body aches. And I'm ready for the next chapter of this story. The chapter that doesn't include heartburn. Or backaches. Or swollen feet. Or sleepless nights. Or OB visits.
I'm ready for that.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Back Labor?
So my due date has come and gone and I'm still betting that this baby won't make his appearance until at least next week, but today I'm feeling some major discomfort/pain in my lower back. I've never experienced back labor before so I've been googling it to see what I can learn and it's hard to tell if that's what I'm experiencing. I've walked quite a bit today and so I'm thinking that that might be what the pain is from.
Either way, I feel miserable so I'm planning to take it easy for the rest of the evening.
Update: Friday morning- back is still sore, but just when I'm standing. I think it's just a backache. No baby yet.
Either way, I feel miserable so I'm planning to take it easy for the rest of the evening.
Update: Friday morning- back is still sore, but just when I'm standing. I think it's just a backache. No baby yet.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mother's Day, 2013
Every year for Mother's Day my step-dad, Eric, gives my mom a big, beautiful hanging plant of flowers that they hang out on their front porch. Every year I love it. This year I especially loved the color combination.
The weather has been so nice for the past couple of weeks and yesterday was no exception. It's nice to finally see things starting to grow and bloom. I love the signs and colors of summer.
Yesterday morning Ryan made breakfast and after church he made lunch and took care of the kids so that I could just rest. Eric and Ryan planned a Mother's Day dinner, which was lovely. I didn't have to do a thing. I pretty much just hung out the whole day.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Mason
Today we drove past the water tower and Mason asked me why there is a fence around it. I said that it was to help keep people from climbing the tower and getting hurt. He said "Well my friend Jackson, from school, climbed the water tower once. And he fell. And he got really hurt and had to stay in the hospital for two years before he could come back to school. He does a lot of bad stuff like that."
I love his imagination and story telling. I will miss him being this age. He's my little buddy. I love the time that I get to spend with him in the mornings after the girls are at school.
I love the way he talks and how sweet he can be. Tonight I was so tired and made a totally lame dinner. Mason came up to me and gave me a big hug and said "thanks or the great dinner mom! And thanks for all the stuff you do like cleaning the house and playing with us!"
So sweet.
He's excited for his little brother to get here. But he doesn't want to share a room with him quite yet. He's concerned about all the crying and the diapers. He has a real issue with diapers.
Speaking of his baby brother- I'm really feeling the effects of being so pregnant. My feet and back get so sore when I stand for too long. It's a little frustrating because this is such a busy time at the shacks and I need to be there training and working. I feel pretty silly when I do work because I'm just not as fast as I need to be. I'm worried about how things will run after the baby gets here and I can't just run in and work when they need help.
I still don't think the baby will come on time. He's due Wednesday but after the last three late babies, I'm feeling fairly certain this one will be no different. We shall see. I should probably pack a bag just in case.
I love his imagination and story telling. I will miss him being this age. He's my little buddy. I love the time that I get to spend with him in the mornings after the girls are at school.
I love the way he talks and how sweet he can be. Tonight I was so tired and made a totally lame dinner. Mason came up to me and gave me a big hug and said "thanks or the great dinner mom! And thanks for all the stuff you do like cleaning the house and playing with us!"
So sweet.
He's excited for his little brother to get here. But he doesn't want to share a room with him quite yet. He's concerned about all the crying and the diapers. He has a real issue with diapers.
Speaking of his baby brother- I'm really feeling the effects of being so pregnant. My feet and back get so sore when I stand for too long. It's a little frustrating because this is such a busy time at the shacks and I need to be there training and working. I feel pretty silly when I do work because I'm just not as fast as I need to be. I'm worried about how things will run after the baby gets here and I can't just run in and work when they need help.
I still don't think the baby will come on time. He's due Wednesday but after the last three late babies, I'm feeling fairly certain this one will be no different. We shall see. I should probably pack a bag just in case.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Randomness
Baby is due in 10 short days. I'm fairly certain he'll show up in closer to 20. Maybe more. I'm planning to let him take his time as opposed to being induced like I have been for the last three. Maybe that will make things easier. But probably not. Wishful thinking.
Last week at his appointment baby's heartbeat was slow. Freaked me out a little bit because that hasn't happened before. After a non stress test, though, everything seemed fine. He's been moving quite a bit. Unless anyone wants to feel him move. Then he stops. It drives Bre crazy.
My legs are sore and my feet feel swollen, but other than that, I feel good. The third trimester has definitely been the best of the three.
The shacks are up and running. We're off to a good start. I even worked a shift on opening day because we were so busy.
There's still so much to do around the house. Ryan and I (mostly Ryan) have been working on getting the garage under control. I'm still trying to get things unpacked and put away. And we're continuing to have to make repairs around the house. Most recently, the faucet on the kitchen sink fell apart and sent a river of water all over the kitchen floor. That was pleasant. Fortunately we know a good plumber.
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