Our first family photo<3
6/22/13
I LOVE reading other mommy's birth stories! I am dedicating this page to any fellow mommies who want to share their birth stories. We can all benefit from others experiences! I want to thank every mommy who was brave enough to share her story with me. I truly appreciate your honesty and willingness to share something so private. You are amazing!
* You can find Liam's story on his page here on my blog!
* Jennifer and Declan
First of all, LOVE his name! Second of all, Jennifer has a great blog I highly recommend following! Especially if you like The Bachelor/Bachelorette Series. She has great commentary after each episode, and she's hilarious! Click on the link below to check out her birth story with Declan and then check out the rest of her blog!
Declan’s Birth Story | Stick Girl JAM http://stickgirljam.com/2013/12/10/declans-birth-story/
* Jenny and Andrew and Caitlyn (Samantha coming soon)
Jenny has three beautiful babies - Samantha, Caitlyn and Andrew. She's my hero for having three!! She's also super crafty and artisitc. Follow her blog for great crafty tips, family advice and just an overall good read! Check out her birth stories for two of her babies below!
http://www.jennyikari.com/caitlyns-story/
http://www.jennyikari.com/andrews-story/
* Kristen and James
This is my sister-in law and my nephew's story. SO glad we were able to wait until little James made his debut so we could meet him on the day he was born! Such a cutie and kudos to my sister-in law for driving herself to the hospital...contractions and all!
My husband and I were trying to get pregnant for almost 2 years. I had gone through a fair share of infertility tests and got some bad news. Medication, acupuncture, and prayer were the answers. We were considering fertility treatments after our trip to Canada, but luckily it wasn't necessary. I broke the news to Derek on Sunday, March 24th (less than 1 week before our trip to Canada). I took a test for the hell of it and it was positive. In disbelief I took 2 more (including a digital test) and they were also positive. I got all nervous and panicked. Derek was calm and tried to keep me calm by telling me to take another test tomorrow and not to get too excited. I work in a doctors office so I had my coworker draw my blood for a serum hcg. The next day, it was a big number. My doctor told me to do another 1 day later and it multiplied by 5! We went to Canada being 5 weeks pregnant. Derek got "morning sickness" once when I turned 6 weeks lol. I was unbelievably lucky not to have thrown up ONCE in my pregnancy, but I did feel nauseous a LOT especially at night. Boring cheese sandwiches with lots of mustard helped me. I had a fairly easy pregnancy, but did experience the aches and pains and common complaints. Braxton Hicks contractions were felt as early as 17 weeks and continued daily until the end. I first felt James move at 16-17 weeks I think. We found out the gender at 20 weeks and had a 3D ultrasound at 32 weeks.
On Friday, November 29th I woke up early (as usual, I didn't sleep well in the end) and felt different. I had more back pain and cramps. Derek went to sleep (he works nights) and I got things done. I was obsessed with nesting and felt I had to get so much done. I ran errands, went shopping, and dropped by my Mom's for Thanksgiving leftovers. By about 4pm I was breathing heavier through the cramps. Derek left for work at 6pm and I kept cleaning and doing laundry. 7:30-10:00pm I had strong cramps and back aches every 10 minutes on the dot and I was in denial. These were contractions and I kept telling myself they're just cramps and to keep cleaning. The idea of labor/delivery scared me. Then it got to be 5-10 minutes apart when I called my mom and the doctor. He said to go to the ER to get checked. I called Derek and he left work (its a 45 minute drive). I had my bloody show and felt I couldn't wait for my mom to get to the apartment so I drove myself to the ER lol. I don't recommend that, but I was scared. In between contractions I made the 5 minute drive.
Around 11:00pm the ER didn't check me, but sent me straight to L&D. Good thing too, because contractions were 2-3 minutes apart then. They were so quick I was in a gown within minutes and checked quickly, 2-3 cm already! Derek and my mom got there and I was in so much pain I was shaking, contractions got to 1-2 minutes apart. Contractions wouldn't ease up and were consistently 60-90 seconds apart and long, no breaks. At 2am I was 4-5 cm and ordered the epidural. I did get an IV push of Fentanyl, but that only made me feel drunk. I still felt all the pain. The epidural was magic once it finally worked. I didn't sleep, but I could finally relax. Around 5am I was 7-8 cm and I started feeling pressure. Contractions continued and by about 8am I was 10 cm, fully effaced, and ready to start pushing.
The doctor checked me and popped the bag sometime between 8-9am. There was meconium so the NICU team would be present for delivery. Pushing was hard because my ribs were killing me and I was exhausted, but I didn't feel any pain down below. James was born at 9:10am with the cord around his neck and no cries. The doctor didn't let Derek cut the cord and the NICU team took him away. I was out of it, but ok. Derek watched the whole delivery (I feel like there's nothing too embarrassing to talk about now).
James was suctioned, cleaned up, and had good Apgar scores (7, 9). He was 8lbs 8oz and 20" long. I was able to breastfeed quickly, although his latch didn't last long and is bottle fed with breast milk these days. We picked his name about 5 years ago and always knew our first born son would be named James. His middle name, Daniel, is for my big brother. If we are blessed with more children (I can't even FATHOM that thought right now lol), I think I have the next names picked out already. I got sick within the first 2 weeks of being home with a breast abscess and am still healing. James is 5 weeks old now and is healthy and fiesty :)
* Beth and Dylan
A Preemie Story
This is one of my best friends, whom I am so excited to raise our little boys with! She has quite the story! Preterm labor and no time for an epidural! She's hardcore and a trooper to say the least. I would have stopped everything and found the epidural guy myself! HAHA
Enjoy!
Luis and I decided that as of the January 1st 2013 we were going to start trying to have our first baby. Initially we said February, but I just couldn't wait. I was one of those girls who was over consumed with trying to get pregnant. I was using a calendar system at first and then changed over to ovulation strips. Every month I prayed to not get my period. With 3 failed attempts, finally our wish was coming true on our 4th attempt. I want to say that I am VERY THANKFUL that it only took us 4 months because I have a friend who went through a much harder process to have her baby, but to me 4 months of trying seemed eternal.
On April 19, 2013 I looked at my calender checking to see what day I was supposed to be getting my period because it seemed like it should have come already. The minute I opened my calendar I noticed I was 3 days late. Now I didn't want to get too excited because this happened the month before and I ended up not being pregnant. So as I had promised myself the month before, I was not going to over think it and just wait and see what happens. The next morning (April 20, 2013) I woke up and still no period, but I had this gut feeling that I was pregnant. Since Luis was at work I decided to give in and take a test. The first test results were in and they were POSITIVE! I did not believe it so I took a digital test that gave me a big clear PREGNANT result! I immediately started crying. I was so happy, my dream of becoming a mommy was coming true. I had already decided how I would tell Luis if I found out before him, so I ran to the store and bought a pink and blue onesie. When he got home from work I was hiding in our bedroom with both onesies laying on the bed waiting for him to walk into our room. Once he did I said, do you think we will need a blue or pink onesie. He just looked at me with shock and I showed him the test and he grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug ever. (I think there may have been a tear or two, but we will leave that as speculation) :) That Monday I called my doctor to set up my blood test appointment to confirm my at home tests and to get my prenatal care started.
Finally at 7 weeks and 2 days we had our first prenatal appointment. Luis and I both left work early to go. We were so excited, but nervous since twins run in both our families. We arrived at the doctors office and sat nervously in the waiting room looking around at all the other, very pregnant, women. I kept thinking to myself, will I really get that big? (And boy did I!) My name was called and we were escorted back and I had my blood pressure taken and they weighed me (one of the only times I didn't mind them weighing me). Then we were placed in a room to wait to meet our OB for the first time. My doctor came in and she was very nice, asked all the basic questions and then told me that she would be performing the transvaginal ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and see how far along I was. The minute the wand entered I saw 2 babies! The doctor quickly moved the wand to focus on one, the bigger one (my little boy Dylan). Once she got the age of the embryo she moved over to the second one and explained that I did, in fact, have twins growing inside of me and that they were in different sacs. However, the second baby was much smaller than Dylan and there was a chance that it may just disappear. She scheduled us for a follow up appointment to check on the kiddos in 2 weeks. I drove home in shock. I was excited, yet so terrified. How was I going to be a first time mom to two babies at the same time? How will I physically carry two babies to full term? How am I going to birth twins? Can we afford two very expensive little humans at the same time? Once Luis and I got home we just sat at the kitchen table staring at the ultrasound pictures and we instantly fell in love with both babies. We decided not to tell our families until Mother's Day, which was the very next weekend. (Boy did our moms have an awesome Mother's day!) Our 2 week follow up appointment came and I was just as nervous as I was on the day of our first appointment. Were both babies still going to be in there? Was there going to be just one? Well the ultrasound answered all my questions and we did lose the littlest one. My doctor told us that it was completely normal and to not feel like I had done something wrong. I must admit that I was sad and felt like crying my eyes out. Although I had only known that there were two babies growing inside of me for 2 weeks, I still established this love for both. I realized that God had a different plan for me and for that baby and that I just needed to trust him and move forward with the baby growing inside of me that would become my little man.
At 12 weeks I saw the specialist for the California screen testing. That was the first time I got to see Dylan move and boy he was having a ball. It was the most magical thing ever. The doctor told me that he could tell me what we were having, but since my mother was with me because Luis had school, I told him no. I already knew it was a boy. I knew from the moment I got pregnant. I had 2 very specific dreams, before I even knew I was pregnant, that showed it was a boy. And honestly, the doctor confirmed it by telling me he could let me know the gender. I mean, that early on if you see something then it has to be a boy. The next week we had our 3 month check up (at 13 weeks) with our regular OB and she told us, and showed us, that we were having a boy. Luis was so excited. He couldn't wait for the little man to get here so they could play sports and video games together. :) Later at our 20 week mark we went back to the specialist for our anatomy scan were we found out that I had placenta previa and was put on pelvic rest, aka no sex for 8 weeks until my follow up appointment. The doctor explained that this happens to a lot of women and 95% of the time the placenta moves as your tummy grows. Of course being the worry wort that I was, I started freaking out that mine would not move and I would have to have a C section even though that was the very last thing I wanted. Luckily, 8 weeks later at the follow up appointment, the doctor told us my placenta moved!!! Now my chances of having a natural vaginal birth were back up! And from that point the rest of my pregnancy was meh. Since the first trimester was over I didn't have anymore morning sickness, or should I say all day sickness?!?! (Mine was worse at night) Although I had the basic complaints of being tired, feeling extremely fat; especially towards the end, not being able to sleep, not being comfortable and then the swelling. Oh goodness the swelling was horrible from about 6 1/2 months on. None of my shoes fit, I couldn't wear my wedding rings anymore and it just plain hurt. Not to mention how embarrassing it was to have to wear slippers to work. I complained a lot, mostly about the weight gain, but enjoyed every movement of Dylan's. Him reacting to music on the way to work, to me singing, to his daddy reading him a bedtime story. That is truly the best part of being pregnant. As each day passed and we got closer and closer to the due date I got more and more excited and would say, " I hope he comes early. I am tired of waiting to meet him." I didn't think that Dylan was actually listening to me when I would say that, but he was.
On November 22nd 2013, I woke up with Luis at 4:30am as I always do to put his lunch together and make his coffee and see him off to work. Once he left I went to use the bathroom and noticed I was bleeding. I instantly called him and told him he needed to come back because we needed to go to the hospital. We got to the hospital at about 5:30am and I was placed in a room for observation while they called my doctor. At this point I was only 1cm but was having constant contractions. I didn't feel all of them, but the monitor sure showed them. My doctor asked I stay for observation until 8:30am and then be sent across the street to her office for her to check me. The nurses in the hospital kept telling me that the blood was no big deal, that I was just probably in early labor. So 8:30am came and Luis and I went across the street to my doctor for a check up. She performed an ultrasound to make sure that Dylan was OK and also physically checked me and at this point I was 2cm. She was unhappy with the amount of blood and told me that she wanted me to go back to the hospital immediately for more observation. She left the room very fast and seemed worried, which in turn made me worry. After I got dressed and exited the room to meet her, she was on the phone with the hospital telling them to expect me. She told me that she would come check on me in the afternoon. So Luis and I went back across the street and I was admitted into the hospital. They hooked me back up to the monitors and within that first hour of being there my contractions started to get stronger and more frequent. By this point I was so happy to have packed our bags and had them in the car in case we were going to be there all night. By about 1:30pm I passed my mucus plug, which looked and felt horrible. Still the nurses kept telling me that I wasn't going to have the baby today, that I would probably walk around for the next 2 weeks at 2cm with contractions. I looked at Luis and said, God I hope not and if one more of them tell me that I will punch them in the throat. My doctor came at 2:30 to see me and said I was still at 2cm. She told me to stay 1 more hour and if I don't progress to go home. 3:30pm came and I was still at 2cm yet contractions were still getting stronger, but they sent me home. As the hours went by, the contractions got stronger but not close enough in time for me to go back. At about 11:30pm we decided to try to go to bed to get some rest. At 1am I woke up for one of my normal bathroom trips. When I got back to the bed I was having terrible pain in my lower back, so much so that I had to lean over onto the bed for some relief. Then I got a really strong contraction. I laid back down in the bed hoping that would help and suddenly it felt like Dylan kicked me really hard and then I heard and felt a pop and at that moment my water broke. It wasn't a huge gush like I was expecting, but a decent amount of fluid came out. Luis heard me say ow so he woke up and I told him my water broke. We changed and got our pillows and were on our way to the hospital. All those contractions I was having earlier were nothing compared to what I was feeling now. They were so strong they stopped me in my tracks walking to the car. All I could do on the way to the hospital was hold the door handle really tight and breathe through each contraction. It took us 30 minutes to get to the hospital (thanks to construction on the freeway) and had to enter through the ER since it was the middle of the night. They wheeled me up the the L&D floor and I was admitted immediately. They checked me and I was already at 4cm so they took my blood so I could get my epidural. They inserted my IV and hooked me up to all the monitors. The contractions kept coming faster and stronger. By 3:45am I felt the strongest urge to push so I made Luis call the nurses in. They checked me and I was a full 10cm and ready to go. At this point my blood work still hadn't come back so I still had no epidural and by this point was too late to get one. Almost instantly my doctor walked in and I was relieved. I was worried she wouldn't make it in time and some random doctor would be delivering Dylan. As soon as she walked in she said, boy he is ready to make his arrival isn't he? I think I giggled, don't really remember. Just like I don't remember what papers I signed while in labor. (Why they make you sign papers when you're in that much pain is beyond me.) With 6 strong pushes and a small snip, he was here! Lucky for me I did not experience pushing through the "ring of fire". On my 6th push I was able to push him out completely. Luis watched the whole thing, I do not know how he did that.
Dylan was born on November 23, 2013 at 4:12am at 6lbs 1oz and 21.25in. He did have the cord around his neck so Luis did not get to make the first cut, but got to make the secondary cut. Dylan was here a WHOLE month early, to the mark, but he was healthy, adorable and perfect. We were all shocked that he was blond and blue eyes, Luis still says he looks nothing like him.
Although I did not enjoy pregnancy like I thought I would, I would do it all over again for Dylan if I had to. He is our pride and joy. He truly is the best gift from God. Even though I want to keep him little forever, I can't wait to see how he grows up and develops into a little boy. Maybe if he is lucky he will get a little brother or sister one day. :)
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SO precious!!!
* You can find Liam's story on his page here on my blog!
* Jennifer and Declan
First of all, LOVE his name! Second of all, Jennifer has a great blog I highly recommend following! Especially if you like The Bachelor/Bachelorette Series. She has great commentary after each episode, and she's hilarious! Click on the link below to check out her birth story with Declan and then check out the rest of her blog!
Declan’s Birth Story | Stick Girl JAM http://stickgirljam.com/2013/12/10/declans-birth-story/
* Jenny and Andrew and Caitlyn (Samantha coming soon)
Jenny has three beautiful babies - Samantha, Caitlyn and Andrew. She's my hero for having three!! She's also super crafty and artisitc. Follow her blog for great crafty tips, family advice and just an overall good read! Check out her birth stories for two of her babies below!
http://www.jennyikari.com/caitlyns-story/
http://www.jennyikari.com/andrews-story/
* Kristen and James
This is my sister-in law and my nephew's story. SO glad we were able to wait until little James made his debut so we could meet him on the day he was born! Such a cutie and kudos to my sister-in law for driving herself to the hospital...contractions and all!
My husband and I were trying to get pregnant for almost 2 years. I had gone through a fair share of infertility tests and got some bad news. Medication, acupuncture, and prayer were the answers. We were considering fertility treatments after our trip to Canada, but luckily it wasn't necessary. I broke the news to Derek on Sunday, March 24th (less than 1 week before our trip to Canada). I took a test for the hell of it and it was positive. In disbelief I took 2 more (including a digital test) and they were also positive. I got all nervous and panicked. Derek was calm and tried to keep me calm by telling me to take another test tomorrow and not to get too excited. I work in a doctors office so I had my coworker draw my blood for a serum hcg. The next day, it was a big number. My doctor told me to do another 1 day later and it multiplied by 5! We went to Canada being 5 weeks pregnant. Derek got "morning sickness" once when I turned 6 weeks lol. I was unbelievably lucky not to have thrown up ONCE in my pregnancy, but I did feel nauseous a LOT especially at night. Boring cheese sandwiches with lots of mustard helped me. I had a fairly easy pregnancy, but did experience the aches and pains and common complaints. Braxton Hicks contractions were felt as early as 17 weeks and continued daily until the end. I first felt James move at 16-17 weeks I think. We found out the gender at 20 weeks and had a 3D ultrasound at 32 weeks.
On Friday, November 29th I woke up early (as usual, I didn't sleep well in the end) and felt different. I had more back pain and cramps. Derek went to sleep (he works nights) and I got things done. I was obsessed with nesting and felt I had to get so much done. I ran errands, went shopping, and dropped by my Mom's for Thanksgiving leftovers. By about 4pm I was breathing heavier through the cramps. Derek left for work at 6pm and I kept cleaning and doing laundry. 7:30-10:00pm I had strong cramps and back aches every 10 minutes on the dot and I was in denial. These were contractions and I kept telling myself they're just cramps and to keep cleaning. The idea of labor/delivery scared me. Then it got to be 5-10 minutes apart when I called my mom and the doctor. He said to go to the ER to get checked. I called Derek and he left work (its a 45 minute drive). I had my bloody show and felt I couldn't wait for my mom to get to the apartment so I drove myself to the ER lol. I don't recommend that, but I was scared. In between contractions I made the 5 minute drive.
Around 11:00pm the ER didn't check me, but sent me straight to L&D. Good thing too, because contractions were 2-3 minutes apart then. They were so quick I was in a gown within minutes and checked quickly, 2-3 cm already! Derek and my mom got there and I was in so much pain I was shaking, contractions got to 1-2 minutes apart. Contractions wouldn't ease up and were consistently 60-90 seconds apart and long, no breaks. At 2am I was 4-5 cm and ordered the epidural. I did get an IV push of Fentanyl, but that only made me feel drunk. I still felt all the pain. The epidural was magic once it finally worked. I didn't sleep, but I could finally relax. Around 5am I was 7-8 cm and I started feeling pressure. Contractions continued and by about 8am I was 10 cm, fully effaced, and ready to start pushing.
The doctor checked me and popped the bag sometime between 8-9am. There was meconium so the NICU team would be present for delivery. Pushing was hard because my ribs were killing me and I was exhausted, but I didn't feel any pain down below. James was born at 9:10am with the cord around his neck and no cries. The doctor didn't let Derek cut the cord and the NICU team took him away. I was out of it, but ok. Derek watched the whole delivery (I feel like there's nothing too embarrassing to talk about now).
James was suctioned, cleaned up, and had good Apgar scores (7, 9). He was 8lbs 8oz and 20" long. I was able to breastfeed quickly, although his latch didn't last long and is bottle fed with breast milk these days. We picked his name about 5 years ago and always knew our first born son would be named James. His middle name, Daniel, is for my big brother. If we are blessed with more children (I can't even FATHOM that thought right now lol), I think I have the next names picked out already. I got sick within the first 2 weeks of being home with a breast abscess and am still healing. James is 5 weeks old now and is healthy and fiesty :)
* Beth and Dylan
A Preemie Story
This is one of my best friends, whom I am so excited to raise our little boys with! She has quite the story! Preterm labor and no time for an epidural! She's hardcore and a trooper to say the least. I would have stopped everything and found the epidural guy myself! HAHA
Enjoy!
Luis and I decided that as of the January 1st 2013 we were going to start trying to have our first baby. Initially we said February, but I just couldn't wait. I was one of those girls who was over consumed with trying to get pregnant. I was using a calendar system at first and then changed over to ovulation strips. Every month I prayed to not get my period. With 3 failed attempts, finally our wish was coming true on our 4th attempt. I want to say that I am VERY THANKFUL that it only took us 4 months because I have a friend who went through a much harder process to have her baby, but to me 4 months of trying seemed eternal.
On April 19, 2013 I looked at my calender checking to see what day I was supposed to be getting my period because it seemed like it should have come already. The minute I opened my calendar I noticed I was 3 days late. Now I didn't want to get too excited because this happened the month before and I ended up not being pregnant. So as I had promised myself the month before, I was not going to over think it and just wait and see what happens. The next morning (April 20, 2013) I woke up and still no period, but I had this gut feeling that I was pregnant. Since Luis was at work I decided to give in and take a test. The first test results were in and they were POSITIVE! I did not believe it so I took a digital test that gave me a big clear PREGNANT result! I immediately started crying. I was so happy, my dream of becoming a mommy was coming true. I had already decided how I would tell Luis if I found out before him, so I ran to the store and bought a pink and blue onesie. When he got home from work I was hiding in our bedroom with both onesies laying on the bed waiting for him to walk into our room. Once he did I said, do you think we will need a blue or pink onesie. He just looked at me with shock and I showed him the test and he grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug ever. (I think there may have been a tear or two, but we will leave that as speculation) :) That Monday I called my doctor to set up my blood test appointment to confirm my at home tests and to get my prenatal care started.
Finally at 7 weeks and 2 days we had our first prenatal appointment. Luis and I both left work early to go. We were so excited, but nervous since twins run in both our families. We arrived at the doctors office and sat nervously in the waiting room looking around at all the other, very pregnant, women. I kept thinking to myself, will I really get that big? (And boy did I!) My name was called and we were escorted back and I had my blood pressure taken and they weighed me (one of the only times I didn't mind them weighing me). Then we were placed in a room to wait to meet our OB for the first time. My doctor came in and she was very nice, asked all the basic questions and then told me that she would be performing the transvaginal ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and see how far along I was. The minute the wand entered I saw 2 babies! The doctor quickly moved the wand to focus on one, the bigger one (my little boy Dylan). Once she got the age of the embryo she moved over to the second one and explained that I did, in fact, have twins growing inside of me and that they were in different sacs. However, the second baby was much smaller than Dylan and there was a chance that it may just disappear. She scheduled us for a follow up appointment to check on the kiddos in 2 weeks. I drove home in shock. I was excited, yet so terrified. How was I going to be a first time mom to two babies at the same time? How will I physically carry two babies to full term? How am I going to birth twins? Can we afford two very expensive little humans at the same time? Once Luis and I got home we just sat at the kitchen table staring at the ultrasound pictures and we instantly fell in love with both babies. We decided not to tell our families until Mother's Day, which was the very next weekend. (Boy did our moms have an awesome Mother's day!) Our 2 week follow up appointment came and I was just as nervous as I was on the day of our first appointment. Were both babies still going to be in there? Was there going to be just one? Well the ultrasound answered all my questions and we did lose the littlest one. My doctor told us that it was completely normal and to not feel like I had done something wrong. I must admit that I was sad and felt like crying my eyes out. Although I had only known that there were two babies growing inside of me for 2 weeks, I still established this love for both. I realized that God had a different plan for me and for that baby and that I just needed to trust him and move forward with the baby growing inside of me that would become my little man.
At 12 weeks I saw the specialist for the California screen testing. That was the first time I got to see Dylan move and boy he was having a ball. It was the most magical thing ever. The doctor told me that he could tell me what we were having, but since my mother was with me because Luis had school, I told him no. I already knew it was a boy. I knew from the moment I got pregnant. I had 2 very specific dreams, before I even knew I was pregnant, that showed it was a boy. And honestly, the doctor confirmed it by telling me he could let me know the gender. I mean, that early on if you see something then it has to be a boy. The next week we had our 3 month check up (at 13 weeks) with our regular OB and she told us, and showed us, that we were having a boy. Luis was so excited. He couldn't wait for the little man to get here so they could play sports and video games together. :) Later at our 20 week mark we went back to the specialist for our anatomy scan were we found out that I had placenta previa and was put on pelvic rest, aka no sex for 8 weeks until my follow up appointment. The doctor explained that this happens to a lot of women and 95% of the time the placenta moves as your tummy grows. Of course being the worry wort that I was, I started freaking out that mine would not move and I would have to have a C section even though that was the very last thing I wanted. Luckily, 8 weeks later at the follow up appointment, the doctor told us my placenta moved!!! Now my chances of having a natural vaginal birth were back up! And from that point the rest of my pregnancy was meh. Since the first trimester was over I didn't have anymore morning sickness, or should I say all day sickness?!?! (Mine was worse at night) Although I had the basic complaints of being tired, feeling extremely fat; especially towards the end, not being able to sleep, not being comfortable and then the swelling. Oh goodness the swelling was horrible from about 6 1/2 months on. None of my shoes fit, I couldn't wear my wedding rings anymore and it just plain hurt. Not to mention how embarrassing it was to have to wear slippers to work. I complained a lot, mostly about the weight gain, but enjoyed every movement of Dylan's. Him reacting to music on the way to work, to me singing, to his daddy reading him a bedtime story. That is truly the best part of being pregnant. As each day passed and we got closer and closer to the due date I got more and more excited and would say, " I hope he comes early. I am tired of waiting to meet him." I didn't think that Dylan was actually listening to me when I would say that, but he was.
On November 22nd 2013, I woke up with Luis at 4:30am as I always do to put his lunch together and make his coffee and see him off to work. Once he left I went to use the bathroom and noticed I was bleeding. I instantly called him and told him he needed to come back because we needed to go to the hospital. We got to the hospital at about 5:30am and I was placed in a room for observation while they called my doctor. At this point I was only 1cm but was having constant contractions. I didn't feel all of them, but the monitor sure showed them. My doctor asked I stay for observation until 8:30am and then be sent across the street to her office for her to check me. The nurses in the hospital kept telling me that the blood was no big deal, that I was just probably in early labor. So 8:30am came and Luis and I went across the street to my doctor for a check up. She performed an ultrasound to make sure that Dylan was OK and also physically checked me and at this point I was 2cm. She was unhappy with the amount of blood and told me that she wanted me to go back to the hospital immediately for more observation. She left the room very fast and seemed worried, which in turn made me worry. After I got dressed and exited the room to meet her, she was on the phone with the hospital telling them to expect me. She told me that she would come check on me in the afternoon. So Luis and I went back across the street and I was admitted into the hospital. They hooked me back up to the monitors and within that first hour of being there my contractions started to get stronger and more frequent. By this point I was so happy to have packed our bags and had them in the car in case we were going to be there all night. By about 1:30pm I passed my mucus plug, which looked and felt horrible. Still the nurses kept telling me that I wasn't going to have the baby today, that I would probably walk around for the next 2 weeks at 2cm with contractions. I looked at Luis and said, God I hope not and if one more of them tell me that I will punch them in the throat. My doctor came at 2:30 to see me and said I was still at 2cm. She told me to stay 1 more hour and if I don't progress to go home. 3:30pm came and I was still at 2cm yet contractions were still getting stronger, but they sent me home. As the hours went by, the contractions got stronger but not close enough in time for me to go back. At about 11:30pm we decided to try to go to bed to get some rest. At 1am I woke up for one of my normal bathroom trips. When I got back to the bed I was having terrible pain in my lower back, so much so that I had to lean over onto the bed for some relief. Then I got a really strong contraction. I laid back down in the bed hoping that would help and suddenly it felt like Dylan kicked me really hard and then I heard and felt a pop and at that moment my water broke. It wasn't a huge gush like I was expecting, but a decent amount of fluid came out. Luis heard me say ow so he woke up and I told him my water broke. We changed and got our pillows and were on our way to the hospital. All those contractions I was having earlier were nothing compared to what I was feeling now. They were so strong they stopped me in my tracks walking to the car. All I could do on the way to the hospital was hold the door handle really tight and breathe through each contraction. It took us 30 minutes to get to the hospital (thanks to construction on the freeway) and had to enter through the ER since it was the middle of the night. They wheeled me up the the L&D floor and I was admitted immediately. They checked me and I was already at 4cm so they took my blood so I could get my epidural. They inserted my IV and hooked me up to all the monitors. The contractions kept coming faster and stronger. By 3:45am I felt the strongest urge to push so I made Luis call the nurses in. They checked me and I was a full 10cm and ready to go. At this point my blood work still hadn't come back so I still had no epidural and by this point was too late to get one. Almost instantly my doctor walked in and I was relieved. I was worried she wouldn't make it in time and some random doctor would be delivering Dylan. As soon as she walked in she said, boy he is ready to make his arrival isn't he? I think I giggled, don't really remember. Just like I don't remember what papers I signed while in labor. (Why they make you sign papers when you're in that much pain is beyond me.) With 6 strong pushes and a small snip, he was here! Lucky for me I did not experience pushing through the "ring of fire". On my 6th push I was able to push him out completely. Luis watched the whole thing, I do not know how he did that.
Dylan was born on November 23, 2013 at 4:12am at 6lbs 1oz and 21.25in. He did have the cord around his neck so Luis did not get to make the first cut, but got to make the secondary cut. Dylan was here a WHOLE month early, to the mark, but he was healthy, adorable and perfect. We were all shocked that he was blond and blue eyes, Luis still says he looks nothing like him.
Although I did not enjoy pregnancy like I thought I would, I would do it all over again for Dylan if I had to. He is our pride and joy. He truly is the best gift from God. Even though I want to keep him little forever, I can't wait to see how he grows up and develops into a little boy. Maybe if he is lucky he will get a little brother or sister one day. :)
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