Birth Story Part 2, July 31st...Truman's BirthDay!

So...after one trip to the hospital, 3 trips to my doctor, and another trip to the hospital, I was in active labor!!!  Thank goodness!  There is a good chance I would have hurt someone if I had been sent home that Tuesday night, ha ha.  No, that's not the case because I didn't have the energy to hurt anyone.  I don't think I was an angry preggo, more just a frustrated and tearful one.  But you'd have to ask Chris to get an objective opinion on that!  After the great news of being admitted to the labor and deliver floor, my next question was....you guessed it!  When can I have an epidural??  She explained that they would have to hook my up to fluids first, draw blood and do labs and then if all was well, she would call the anesthesiologist.  

I think just knowing that I was really going to have our baby soon relaxed me so much that I could dilate more.  I know that everything you read says to relax through your contractions, breathe, and that will help you progress.  I thought I was so prepared for labor, I read everything I could get my hands on while I was pregnant.  And you could safely say that I was obsessed with reading other birth stories in hopes of preparing myself.  Well..my time came and I could not relax through my contractions.  I had SOOOOO much back pain.  Everyone says back labor is the worst.  I have to agree!  Despite my best efforts, I would often hold my breath and Chris or Mom would be reminding me to breathe.  So, after my labs came back, I had been given a bag of fluid I was able to get my epidural.  And that shit is no joke!  I've never been so happy, ha ha.  I was a new woman after that.  And everyone is right...the pain of the epidural is NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING to worry about.  After you've been in labor for 40 gazillion hours with contractions from Hades, the needle is truly the least of your worries.  The hardest part for me was trying to hold still during contractions while he was placing it in my back.  They had me sit on the edge of the bed, leaning forward and hugging the nurse while he put it in.  And it stinks, but they wouldn't allow anyone to stay in the room with me while it was done.  But honestly, I didn't even care.  I just wanted relief...and that is exactly what I got.  After the epidural kicked in, I started texting people that it was officially baby time!  Before that there was no chance I could even concentrate long enough to send out a text.  That was about 1:30am.

  

 

Post epidural...hence the smile on my face :)

 After I settled down a little, we all decided we should try to get some rest.  Chris went down to the car to try and sleep a bit, Mom stayed with me in the room and slept in the rocker.  I dozed in and out of sleep, but I did get a couple of hours of rest.  That was the most rest I had had in over 24 hours so I felt great when I woke up.  I woke up to the screams of a girl next door :/  Eek!  That is not comforting at all.  Apparently she had woken up in the middle of the night to her water breaking and INTENSE contractions.  She was able to have IV pain meds but there was no time for an epidural.  POOR THING.  I laid there in horror listening to her.  Poor Chris was coming back on the floor as she was screaming.  When he went downstairs I was the only one up there, so when he came back and heard that he was terrified it was me.  He bolted into the room and then realized it was coming from next door, ha ha.  Nearly gave him a heart attack.  They checked me again early in the morning, and while I was making progress it was slow go.  At about 7am Chris left to go get his Mom and bring her to be with us.  The morning wore on.  The epidural had worn off quite a bit and I was getting very uncomfortable.  My favorite midwife, Kelly came on shift that morning.  She was the one I had seen Monday.  I was so very happy that she would be the one delivering our baby.  She was so encouraging and supportive and assured me that everything would be fine.  With the help of some Pitocin, I progressed throughout the morning.  Around 9am, one of my best friends came, Noel, and then my sister Melinda came.  At that point I was getting pretty emotional, tired, and anxious.  They took turns rubbing my back, talking with me and being helpful distractions!  I was so ready to get this show on the road.  The nurses checked on me often, constantly having me change positions.  Laying on my left side seemed to work the best, I dilated faster when laying on that side.  Kelly decided that since that side seemed to work best for the baby, I would lay on my side when it came time to push.    The last time I was checked was around 11am.  She said that I was in fact complete, 10cm dilated but that she would like me to sit up in the bed and let gravity do the work for a little longer.  She said that that baby still needed to come down a bit and as long as I could stand it, to let him move down on his own.  This would hopefully help me to not have to push for so long.  So up I went, sitting like Buddha in the hospital bed.  I tolerated that for as long as I could, but at about 11:45 I couldn't stand it anymore and felt like I had to push.  My sister went and got the nurses and Kelly.  They all came in, I said my goodbyes to my Mom, Tina, my sister, and Noel as we wanted the birth to only be me and Chris.  It was an emotional time but so happy.  

The last pic of us as a twosome.  Moments before I started pushing.

 Kelly and Chris helped me get into position.  Bless Chris, he saw what no man should ever have to.  Ha ha.  It's funny because throughout my pregnancy I said I wanted Chris to be by me head, no where near "down there" when I was pushing.  But, with him holding my leg, supporting me physically and emotionally, me half naked and the position I was in, there was no good way to be.  Oh well, at the time I didn't care and now I'm happy that he was able to watch the birth of our son.  He helped me more than anyone, there is no chance I could have done it without him.  Kelly explained to me how to push and we were off.  She had me hold my breath and push 3 times for 10 seconds at a time through each contraction.  We started pushing at about 11:55am.  I took a couple of breaks but for the most part powered though.  I had no idea if I was doing it right.  They were very encouraging but I had no clue if I would be pushing for 20 minutes or 3 hours!  I wanted to meet our baby and I wanted the pain to be over.  At the point that Chris told me he could see his head and that he had hair, that was all the motivation I needed.  I wanted to see him too!  When he was crowning, it was the worst burn I could ever imagine, but Kelly had me reach down and feel his head.  I started crying then and couldn't believe this was really happening!!  I looked up at Chris and loved him so much...it's surreal thinking back on it now.  Truman Jay was born at 12:06pm.

8 pounds, 6 ounces, and 21 inches long.

Chris holding him for the first time :)

Our first family picture.

We fell in love pretty fast.  He was so completely perfect and beautiful.  I couldn't believe that we made this little person.  Hearing him cry was the best sound I'd ever heard!  Chris cut his cord, and after we spent time bonding with him and doing Kangaroo Care, we wanted our Moms to come back in and meet him!  I was ready to show this handsome little thing off :)  The rest of our time in the hospital honestly was a whirlwind.  We were overwhelmed with company and love.  Everyone was so excited to meet this little guy.  I have about a bazillion pictures to go through but here are a few of my favorites from my iphone.  There will be many more to come later!!!

My Mom holding Truman for the first time.

My baby brother holding my baby :)

Going home outfit!

              

Truman's Newborn Picture's

39 Weeks!

Aaaahhhhhh!!  I can't believe I'm finally 39 weeks!  Wander if this will be my last belly shot!?  I sure do hope so :)  No real signs of labor yet but I did clean like a crazy person this weekend.  We are as ready as we will ever be for baby boy to arrive!  I've really enjoyed this pregnancy and I can honestly say that I will miss it just being baby boy and me.  But...it is time to share him with the rest of the world!  I cannot wait to see him!  Hard to believe I've been dreaming about him for so long and now we are so close to meeting him!  I have started to dilate and thin but that can mean we are very close or still a week away!  Time will tell :)  Until then I'll enjoy these last few days I have with this little joy in my belly.  I already love him so much!

38 Weeks & Getting Anxious!

Like I've said this whole pregnancy...I can't believe how fast this has gone!  We have been so lucky with this little guy.  He has already been so good to his Mama.  I have loved being pregnant with him and am going to miss it, but I cannot wait to get my hands on him :)  It's surreal to think that soon we will meet our baby.  

We've had another awesome week.  We continued celebrating my birthday with friends on Thursday night.  It was great to enjoy one of the last few times we'll be out without Baby Elie.  We have the best friends and I think they are all almost just as excited as we are for him to arrive! 

29th birthday celebration with Helen and Aileen :)

 We also toured our area daycare's and decided where we will be sending him when I go back to work.  It was a relief to get that accomplished.  We were really impressed with the one we chose, they have great security and the people there seemed wonderful.  I also am close to several people that have only good things to say about it.

Last Friday's doctor's appointment was an exciting one!  I had lost a pound which made me happy and blood pressure is still great.  I have started having some cramping in my lower back and across the bottom of my stomach, I can't say that they are contractions but I guess I'm also not sure they aren't.  Hard to tell when you don't know what to expect!  I let them know this and per my request, they did check me!  Good news is I am dilated a fingertip, 40% effaced, and he is at a -2 station, meaning he is very low.  The doctor could feel his head!  Wow, that made it seem real, real fast!  Ha ha :)  Also measuring 40 weeks.  Unfortunately Chris had to work so he missed out on all the excitement but my Mom went with me.  It was her first time coming with me to the doctor so I think she enjoyed it and was excited to hear his heartbeat.  The doctor said he didn't think anything would happen over the weekend but that maybe I wouldn't make my next appointment!  Well...so far, we are still here!  My next appointment is on Friday again (in 2 days) so it's looking like I'll make that one.  No signs of labor here.  Still just occasional cramping, but at least that is a good sign and hopefully means my body is preparing!

So, all in all things are still good.  I'm trying to stay busy so I'm not constantly thinking about when/ where/ how will baby decide to come.  Chris's parent's got here over the weekend.  His Dad stayed a couple of nights with us but has since gone back to NY.  His Mom is with us and will be until Baby is here!  We are all so excited for him to get here...but we are obviously working on his time, ha ha!  We celebrated Chris's Mom's birthday Sunday night by cooking out and then later with homemade vanilla ice cream :)  Yummo- Chris hit the jackpot when he got that for me for our anniversary.  We have been putting it to work!  Aside from that not much else is going on.  Trying to relax...going to get a pedicure with Aileen tonight after work which I am so looking forward to!  After tonight I'll definitely be ready, ha ha!  Have to make sure my toes are pretty for his arrival!

38 weeks

Classy bathroom shot!  Ha ha :)

     

37 Weeks and Full Term! Hooray, We Made It!

37 weeks+, on my 29th birthday!

I am so happy to have reached this milestone!  Baby is now 37 weeks and can safely be born at any time!  Come out come out wherever you are :)  It has already been a great week.  I had a super productive weekend and finished all of our freezer meals.  And now, the downstairs freezer looks like this:

It makes me so happy to have that checked off the to do list.  This week we are going to look at daycare's to decide where Baby Elie will go when I go back to work and then I think our chores are over until Baby Boy arrives!  I have already packed his hospital bag.  I'll post on that later.  I can't believe we are 2 1/2 weeks away from the due date!  I have started gathering things that I know I want to take and have them on the mantle in our bedroom.  All I will have to do is grab our last minute toiletries and a coming home outfit and we'll be ready to roll.  

Yesterday was my 29th birthday :)  I took the day off of work and ended up spending the morning power cleaning the kitchen!  All the cabinets have been reorganized and scrubbed inside and out.  Not that that is really a necessity for the baby to be born, I just feel like it's going to be a while before I have the chance to do jobs like that.  So what time is better than the present!?  The afternoon was much more relaxing.  Chris and I spent some time in the pool, caught up on the DVR, and then went out for a quiet and delicious dinner alone at a local winery.  He continues to spoil me!  This year he surprised my by getting a remote start installed on my new Edge.  AMAZING!  So exciting to not have to get into a cold car in winter, or a hot car in the summer.  Especially with the bambino on the way.  I know it will make mornings so much better when I'm taking him to daycare and then heading into work.  Thank you again love!

Chris's parents will be here by the weekend!  They are coming from NY to visit, his Dad will be staying for the weekend and then heading back, but his Mom is here for the duration until Baby E arrives!  Looking forward to hanging out with them and relaxing until D Day!  I'm so glad we got everything finished as early as we did, now we can kick back and enjoy the next couple of weeks without worry.  Here are some other pictures of the last week. 

A ginormous surprise cupcake from my awesome boss at work :)

      

Make Ahead Freezer Meals!

So today I tackled my to do list for the make ahead meals in preparation for Baby Elie's arrival!  Throughout this pregnancy I've been reading other pregnancy blogs, trying to find good idea's for organization, planning, and preparation for baby.  I guess with our future holding so many unknowns, I am comforted by doing what I can now, to plan and try to maintain some level of control of where our lives are headed these next few weeks and months.  I thought having meals on hand in the freezer for those nights when I don't feel like cooking, or when we have company would be so convenient, and definitely better than ordering out or eating store bought frozen dinners.  I amended each recipe to make it as healthy as I could.  Subbed whole wheat pasta, low fat cheese, reduced fat sour cream, fat free condensed soups, light mayo and wheat crackers.  I think paring these dishes with a steamed veggie or salad will make perfect dinners!  

I split my to do list by recipe's using chicken and beef.  Every thing that included chicken I made today, and will finish with the beef recipe's tomorrow.  With some swelling going on, I didn't want to be standing in the kitchen all day long.  Surprisingly, with an early start this morning, I whipped it out in no time!  I think the bulk of the work was in selecting recipes, making my shopping list, and actually shopping.  The cooking seemed to be much easier than I thought it would be!!  So, today I made the following: 

Hot Chicken Salad, recipe can be found here.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake, recipe can be found here.

Chicken Mac & Cheese, recipe can be found here.

Hash brown Casserole, I use my own recipe for that one!

Just getting started!

I used aluminum disposable pans and heavy aluminum foil to store these in.  Then just used a sharpie to write what each one is, and the cooking directions right on the package.  They are already tucked away in our freezer downstairs!  Tomorrow I will finish up with a pan of Baked Ziti, and a Lasagna.  Yum!  I also have been trying to stock up on basic household items so we aren't running out of something annoying in the first couple of weeks.  I got a few extra things just to make our lives easier.  Right now we have tons of toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, solo cups, laundry detergent, and trash bags!  I know I'm probably overdoing it, I do realize that we live less than 5 minutes from a dollar store and small grocery store.  I'm sure at some point I'll be anxious to get out of the house to grab a thing or two, but at least until then, we will be all set!     

Maternity Pics & 36 Weeks!

After scheduling our maternity pictures 3 different times we finally got them done!  Hooray!  This summer has been crazy with the rain so it's been difficult for an outdoor maternity shoot.  Kirsten with Captivated by Him did our pictures out of Mayslick, Kentucky.  If you are ever in her area she is so talented and wonderful to work with!  I highly recommend her!  We've only seen two of our pictures so far but I am thrilled with them and CANNOT wait to see the rest!!

36 Weeks

36 Weeks

So here we are, almost to full term!  I have to say I'm getting a lot more anxious for this little guy to come out.  The nursery is ready and his bag is packed.  Car seat is installed.  We officially have every baby item I think we will need for the first few weeks.  I've made a list of what I want to take to the hospital for Chris and I.  This weekend I plan on doing all the make ahead freezer meals...more on that later!  I'm stocking up this weekend on basic household items (toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, laundry detergent...basically anything that will make our lives easier those first few weeks at home.)  We are touring daycare's next week.  All in all, once he's fully cooked we are ready for him!!! 

For the most part I still feel good, but sleeping has become a nightmare.  I do okay for about 4 hours and beyond that my back feels like it's going to break.  The last two nights I've ended up in the recliner in the living room because that is one of the few area's I feel really comfy.  Hopefully it subsides a little, I hate to ditch my hubby and our bed for the recliner for the next 3 weeks!  Baby is doing great though.  At our appointment yesterday, he measured 37 centimeters which she said is perfect for 36 weeks and 4 days.  My blood pressure is still great but I have started swelling in my ankles and legs.  Hopefully that is partly to blame for my 4# weight gain in one week!  Boo on that :(  I'm making it my mission this next week to drink a ton of water (a TON more than I ALREADY DO!) and to eat even better.  I'm hoping by doing that and avoiding salt I can get some of this fluid off.  So that's about it!  It's been a busy week with visiting family, having our pictures done, and going to my good friend's baby shower last night.  Chris works all weekend but I'm still looking forward to the weekend.  I'll feel better to get these freezer meals out of the way, do a little cleaning, and hopefully a lot of relaxing in the pool.  Fingers are crossed for a nice weekend!     

34 Weeks! Only 6 weeks left (we hope!)

34 weeks!

 We've had another great week!  This Sunday we had another awesome baby shower!  My boss at work, Peg and my co-worker Melissa threw this one for us.  We have been so fortunate to have 3 baby showers!!  People have been so generous in showering us with love and support, and especially the things we need to get Baby E off on the right foot.  This shower was at Peg's house which was so nice!  We had great food and of course, got more awesome gifts for Baby E.  He now has the set up!  Ha ha, but really.  As soon as he is fully cooked he can come anytime because we are so ready for him!  We were thrilled to get his swing, some storage baskets, and of course more adorable outfits :)

My work crew!

 We have had a busy week educationally as well!  This past Saturday we had childbirth education class and then Tuesday night we had breastfeeding and newborn care class.  It sounds bad but I wasn't sure how much I would get out of these because I feel like all I do is read and try to educate and prepare myself.  I was pleasantly surprised!  I felt at ease after the childbirth education class.  I was happy to get a tour of the labor and delivery floor where we will be and to learn more about the various stages.  I guess my biggest goal is to try and practice relaxation techniques.  I do plan on getting an epidural but I want to wait as long as possible before I do.  Once the epidural is in place, I will be tied to the bed and unable to move around or walk.  I have calming music for us to listen to and Chris will be my number one masseuse!  I also plan on using the birthing ball.  I want to be mobile for as long as possible so that's why I will try to wait as long as I can. 

Watching the video's of newborns made me so anxious for him to get here.  I tear up every time I think about it.  I wander what it will feel like when we see him for the first time and finally get to hold him...I hope for a safe delivery for him and for me and for it to be as pleasant as it can be...I cry every time I think about Chris seeing his brand new baby son for the first time and the thought of just us becoming a family of three melts my heart.  I guess my pregnancy hormones are finally showing up!  Ha ha, I don't feel like I've been that emotional until now.

Breastfeeding and newborn care class was great too!  I guess I am most intimidated by breastfeeding but I think I have prepared myself all I can and I know who to call if I need help!  Chris and I were pro's at bathing our baby and dressing him in the class!  We won a pack of diapers with our record time of 8 minutes :)

Mock Baby E!

The doctor's visit went well this week too.  I'm now only measuring a little over a week ahead.  So bizarre!  Blood pressure is still good!  I'm up 8# now so hopefully it doesn't pile on in the next few weeks.  I haven't been doing as great as I was at eating healthy, so I am making a better effort now!  Chris and I went and took a long walk at the park with the dogs last night which they loved.  So I'm going to try to start walking more in the evenings!  This weekend we are looking forward to having our maternity pictures taken, a pool party with friends, and my great grandmother's 101st birthday!!!!!  Yes, you heard right....101!  That's reason to celebrate folks :)  Hope you all have a great weekend! 

33 Weeks!

33 Weeks!  Hooray!

 We are moving right on!  Here we are already at 33 weeks!  Things are still going great.  The nursery is practically finished with the exception of a couple small finishing touches.  My goal is to have it totally complete by the end of the month.  With the help of our baby showers we got so much stuff for Baby Elie.  He is going to be one well dressed little boy!  I spent one day washing all of his clothing, blankets, and towels.  I'm sure I will quickly get sick of the laundry increase but I had so much fun sorting through it all and folding his tiny little clothes.  I hope he fits into all of them!  We had a growth scan ultrasound this week to take a closer look at his size.  According to the measurements they do every other week on my belly in centimeters, I was measuring 4 centimeters ahead of schedule.  The growth scan eased my fears though, they said according to the ultrasound, he is exactly where he should be.  They estimated his weight at 5 pounds, and 9 ounces.  If he continues to grow at his current rate, he should be a little over 8 pounds.  I fully expect him to be that big with my family history of large babies :)  There's not much I can do about it at this point anyway, except to continue to eat healthy and take care of myself.  I have now gained 5 pounds but that's not too shabby for 33 weeks!  My blood pressure is still lower than ever so hopefully that continues.  We have another check up next week and then hopefully will be able to skip a week before the weekly checks begin at 36 weeks.  Eek!  It's almost time!

Baby laundry day!

 With the appointments and everything else going on this week it flew by!  We went to Babies R Us one night and finished up the last big purchases we had to get that we knew we couldn't get in town.  Then the following night went to a Red's game with Noel.  We had a ball but I was oh so tired by Friday! 

Reds won in the 12th inning!

My very greasy treat at the ballpark!

My water babies!

 Summertime has finally arrived!  Sadly Chris had to work the weekend but the girls and I were so happy to finally have a day in the sun to enjoy our new pool :)  Heidi isn't exactly loving it but I'm hoping she will come around!  Cali is all about it.  She seems to enjoy laying on top of me while I'm floating the best, ha ha.  They aren't spoiled at all!

Then even though Chris worked on Sunday, we tried to celebrate Father's Day with him anyway :)  He worked nightshift, but came home to this early Sunday morning!

His new hobby!

He loved it!  We also got him a sweet little mug that says "Fatherhood...giving a whole new meaning to all nighters."  So...glad to wrap up another busy week.  Seems like Baby will be here in no time.  I'm trying to soak up these last few weeks of pregnancy and enjoy the last bit of alone time Chris and I are going to have.  Hard to believe that our life as a "couple" is almost over!  We are so excited to welcome baby boy to our world but I am not going to wish these last few weeks away.