Oliver's Birthday

 After several days of false labor, I knew Monday night was going to be the night to head into labor and delivery. After all the contractions I had on Sunday that ended in NOTHING, Monday rolled around without a peep from my little man. Walked a few miles and not a single contraction. This was playing out quite similar to my delivery with Emma. Just after dinner, I started to have more regular contractions and put Emma to bed around 8:30. I was still having some contractions at this point, but nothing too intense. Since I knew the whole check in process took some time, we finally decided to head in to the hospital around 10:30 pm. Contractions were about 6-7 minutes apart but I could still talk and walk through them. I was worried that I wouldn't be dilated enough to get to stay but was at 4 cm upon check-in. Since they wanted contractions to be stronger and closer together, they sent us up to the looooooooong hallway on the labor and delivery floor to walk for awhile. They suggested I walked for an hour or two and return to triage to get rechecked to see if I was dilating any further. Well, the cervical check when I arrived was TORTURE. Seriously one of the most painful things I experienced while at the hospital, so I was bound and determined to walk my ass off and not return to triage until the contractions were about to drop me to the floor. Larry walked by my side for almost two hours. I stopped as needed when the contractions were getting more painful but was determined to keep walking. We probably walked a good 4 miles, baaaaack and foooooorth. The scenery was getting pretty boring. There were 16 sets of turquoise and purple tiles amongst the white tiles on the floor, 6 white tiles between sets. Yep, I stared at the damn floor so much I counted tiles. Lol. We walked from 11:45 pm until about 1:45 am. I stopped and timed contractions on my phone and they were 3-4 minutes apart the whole time we walked but near the end were lasting closer to a minute and a half. My back was starting the hurt and my butt cheek was cramping so I decided to head back to triage and PRAY I had made some progress.

Once back in triage, they said they weren't going to check me and just send me up to the labor and delivery floor. They asked if I could still walk or if I needed a wheelchair. "Oh, I can walk still" I proclaimed. And then I got into the elevator with one of the worst contractions ever and thought that's what I was going to get for being pompous. We got to our room and they checked me. I was pretty disappointed to only be 5 1/2 cm along. I was hoping to have been at least at 6 cm. =( When I had Emma, things progressed so much quicker so I had a feeling we were going to be in for a long night as my little man took his sweet time making his way into the world. It was only 2am on Tuesday morning and I began to get worried that I wouldn't even have this kid until Wednesday.

My IV was put in at 2:30. For once it was not a horrendous experience from a bald paramedic intern so I was happy that the nurse put it in almost painlessly. Contractions were getting stronger so I requested an epidural about 2:45. While waiting, the nurse gave me some Phentanol (again, I never know how to spell this!) through the IV. She said it wouldn't take away pain but would take the edge off and make me feel like I had a few glasses of wine. After that, it took me almost 10 minutes to fill out the epidural consent form as I was a bit loopy. The anesthesiologist came in about 3:15 and gave me the magic medicine. I mean, I respect those that choose to go without medication, but good lord it made me so much more comfortable. The doctor came in to see me shortly after this. Oddly enough, the doctor on-call was the same doctor that delivered me with Emma (There are 5 doctors in my practice that I saw throughout my pregnancy but there are 3 nights a month where they rotate in a doctor out of the practice. I got this doctor both times...what are the odds!). She said she knew my labor went pretty quickly with Emma but she would be back around 6 am to check to see how I was progressing.

At 3:30, after the epidural had kicked in enough, the nurse went to put in the catheter since the epidural left me unable to get out of bed. She said, "Wow, that's a big jump" and low and behold I had reached 8 cm. =) She had me lay on my side and just as Larry and I decided maybe we should catch some shut-eye, my water broke. It felt like a giant explosion and thank goodness for the blanket over me or I probably would have soaked my poor husband like an amusement park ride. I called for the nurse to come back in. "I think my water broke". "Well, I wouldn't be surprised because you are having some pretty crazy contractions up there! I"m going to check you again". Voila, 9 1/2 cm and almost ready to have a baby. She told me to roll over to my other side to help that last piece of cervix move back and said she was going to go get the doctor to come up because I would probably have a baby within the next two hours. By 4:15, I was fully dilated and ready to push. The doctor came in and the nurse said, "Okay, let's set a goal to get this baby out exactly two hours after I put your IV in so push like a champ so he can be born by 4:30." Five or six good pushes later, Oliver was born....2 minutes late according to the nurse, at 4:32 am on Tuesday October 23. After having Emma, I thought it would be impossible to love another baby as much as I loved her. But the feeling was unexplainable and I was so in love with this little boy already I felt like my heart might explode. He laid on my chest for about an hour before they weighed and measured him. 7 lbs 5 oz and 19 1/2 inches long (about 1/2 lb bigger than Emma and 1 1/4 longer).

Not happy about being so cold

First photo of my red-faced little man

Proud daddy and his little boy

Our first family photo (Dang I look tired!)

Skin to skin with Mama

 

Can't help but stare at this little guy! Waiting for sister to come to the hospital to meet her brother

Emma is so eager to hold her brother for the first time!

Love at first sight

"Aw, he's so cute!"

"Guys, his eyes are so beautiful!"

Our new family of four

I was so overwhelmed with emotion when holding my two kids together for the first time.

Taking our little peanut home. He was an angel for his first car ride!

 Oliver turned a week old this morning and I can't believe how quickly time is flying already. I feel so very blessed because he is a wonderful, easy going baby. He still sleeps most of the time and eats like a champ. Fortunately breastfeeding is going much better with him than it did with Emma. I guess that's where the second baby is easier because you know what to expect. Emma adores her brother and smothers him with love whenever she can. She is super helpful and the best big sister ever. I am so filled with joy and love and am loving being home with my new little family. Larry will be home for another week and then I will be on my own during the day. I am excited to watch this little guy grow and to see the kids grow up together. It is such an unexplainable feeling but I want to ride this "high" as long as I can. =)

Overdue

Apparently due dates mean nothing to my children because October 20th has come and gone and here I am, still fricking pregnant. I wouldn't mind the waiting so much if my comfort level was a bit higher. I have been experiencing "early labor" crap since Wednesday. Larry and I were ready to head to the hospital Wednesday night after a few hours of consistent 6-7 min apart contractions. Not breath-taking painful, but not comfortable. Then they stopped. We were SOOO certain that Oliver was on his way that Larry stayed home on Thursday. Nope, still no baby. Same on Friday. Saturday came and went and our official due date was pretty uneventful. Yesterday (Sunday), I would have put money on the fact that Oliver was going to arrive. I woke up in the morning and the "bloody show" was in full effect. Contractions started about 9:30 in the morning about 10 minutes apart and continued until 12ish about 6-7 minutes apart. We were ready to go but I told Larry I felt like I should wait until I was in a bit more pain. I was uncomfortable but not dying by any means. I put Emma down for her nap, certain that we were going to be leaving shortly for the hospital. By 3 pm, contractions were continuing at the same interval but not with increasing intensity so I told Larry I wanted to try to wait it out and stay at home until after Emma went to bed. "Babe, that's 5 hours away, no way." I just didn't feel ready to go yet. Again, more emotional to leave my baby girl than to actually deliver a baby. Contractions waxed and waned for the next several hours. I had zero appetite and anything that I did eat gave me almost immediate bubble guts and exited the premises. I couldn't eat dinner. I had been spotting on and off all day. Contractions were not letting up. I asked Larry to go on a walk with me after dinner (I passed on the pizza) and I had to stop 3 times around the block with contractions 5 minutes apart. "I don't think you're going to make it until Emma goes to bed, hon." I was determined to tough out the last hour before her bedtime. I laid down with her in her room and contractions seemed to subside. Right before I put her to bed, Emma said, "Mom, I want to talk to Oliver." She lifted my shirt and said, "Oliver, this is Emma speaking (yeah, she's only 3!). I want you to come out now because it's taking too long and mommy is going to take care of you." I almost wanted to cry. Well, he didn't listen. She fell asleep. Larry asked if I was ready to go and I, again, insisted on waiting. I waited an hour for contractions to pick up. Well, they didn't. I went to lay down in our room because quite frankly, I knew in my heart this was not happening tonight. AND, it didn't. I maybe had four contractions the whole night. When I woke up pregnant this morning, I thought it was just a bad joke. I cried. I know, so selfish, right? I should be grateful to even be able to go through this experience. Buuuuut, I am DONE. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I'm uncomfortable. I am sick of being toyed with. I am ready to hold this baby. I am frustrated. Come out Oliver! I don't need you to compete with your sister for who can come out the furthest past their due date!

Strep B or not Strep B...that is the question

Yesterday I had my 39 1/2 week check up. So my first Strep B culture at 37 weeks came back positive but they "forgot" to run sensitivity tests on the culture to see which antibiotic they could give me in lieu of penicillin (awesome allergy runs in the family). So they re-did the culture last week. At my appointment yesterday, the doctor told me the culture came back negative for Strep B so they were not able to run the sensitivity test. She therefore wanted to do ANOTHER culture. I know, I'm so lucky. She said she wanted to go ahead and treat me as if I had it just because it can be harmful to the baby but they didn't know what medicine to give me yet. She asked how I had been feeling and the report I gave her went a little something like this...

Me: "I'm sick of false labor." (I thought we were going to end up in labor and delivery the night before because I had been having contractions 6-7 minutes apart for about 2 hours, but then they stopped)
Dr: "Yeah, that's typical. Good practice for your uterus."
Me: "My back is killing me."
Dr.: "Labor is probably coming soon. Do you have any questions?"
Me: "Yep, can you tell me when this kid is coming out? They've told me the past couple weeks that I wouldn't make it through the weekend and welp, here I am."
Dr: "Well, perhaps I can give you a better idea today after I check you."
Me: "Oh yeah, about this whole 'checking' thing. Good luck finding my cervix. They've had a hard time getting to it the past couple weeks because little mister's head is blocking the way."
Dr: perplexed look, "Well lets see where we're at....." After a moment, "Woah, how are you still pregnant!? His head is practically falling out! Well you're 2 cm dilated (cervix was closed at previous appointment) so I think he'll be here by the weekend." =)

We went ahead and scheduled an induction for next Thursday Oct 25th in case he has not arrived yet. I feel like giving my kids deadlines speeds their ass along. =) However, after another long night last night of contractions on and off, a gnarly back ache and the icky falling out of the mucous plug since last night, I have a feeling we will be having a baby either today or tomorrow. I am excited and scared shitless all at the same time. Experiencing labor once gives you some degree of "expectations" and now I have Emma on my mind all the time too and how to keep things consistent for her.

She has been a bit more challenging lately. I'm sure she senses that her baby brother will be here soon and life as she knows it will be changing. She is extra clingy with mommy, excessively defiant and pretty emotional. Any redirection lately has sent her into a crying spiral. It has been hard to be patient with her but I know she needs me to be as patient as possible right now (easier said than done!) I am excited to see her as a big sister and to watch my kids grow up together. I know she will be amazing and we will all need time to adjust but things will work themselves out. She is also a pain about taking pictures so that is why I don't have very many lately. Here are a few from our trip to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. 

 

She is such a cheese ball!

 

"Fine, I'll sit with you but I'm not looking at the camera!"

 

Perhaps the last belly shot?

And as comparison, here was my 40 week belly with Emma. She was still sitting up way higher than brother!

Now we wait

39 weeks. My last day of work was Tuesday. Tuesday was a kick my ass kind of a day. No amount of planning or prepping was going to make it easy for me to relinquish control of my classroom for the next three months. Emma was an angel and hung at at work with me from 4 until 7 when I finally threw in the towel. "Mommy, I feel very hungry now." So after feeding her three mini cupcakes from my students, I got her a McDonald's Happy Meal and called it a day. Great parenting, right?

I got home. Let out a sigh. Laid in bed with Emma for a bit before I fell asleep. Woke up and crawled into my own bed. Cried away all of my stress. Fell back asleep and then woke up with a gnarly sore throat to begin my maternity leave ill. Clearly the weight of the world finally caught up to me. I keep telling myself super teacher needs to go hibernate and mommy mode needs to come back to the forefront. Maybe now that I am officially un-allowed in my classroom I will actually relax until my son arrives. Yeah right...you have all met me before. =)

Yesterday I had a checkup at the doctor. The cervical checks at this point seriously suck due to my posterior cervix and Oliver's big head being in the way. He is still super low but I am not dilated. The best way I could describe it to Larry is like having someone repeatedly hitting my crotch with an aluminum baseball bat and that throbbing pain just being a part of my constant state of being. Don't be jealous. =) My Group B strep also came back positive. Apparently this only occurs in 30% of women which just means they will administer IV antibiotics before I deliver so it doesn't pass along to the baby. Buuuuut, I'm allergic to penicillin and apparently they didn't do a "sensitivity test" to the Group B culture so they had to obtain another culture so that they could determine which antibiotic to give me that would not be resistant. So I fall into this 30% category and apparently only 20% of women have Rh-negative blood which requires a shot right after delivery and yep, I have that too. I am just so special. =) I go back to the doctor next week if I am still pregnant. That was maternity leave day 1.

Day 2. I realized that I hadn't gotten all of the components of Emma's Tinkerbell costume yet. So I did that this morning. I hadn't "preadmitted to the hospital". Check. Needed to finish some testing protocols for work. Check. Reimbursement forms finally filled out. Check. Oh yeah those PTA membership dues that the teacher rep on the board should PROBABLY pay. Check. I topped that off with catching up on Season 4 of Parenthood and now I am a sobbing mess of awesomeness. I will just patiently wait.

37.5 Weeks. Get low, get low, get low!!!!

 

Here it is folks. The big belly shot (even though I'm still measuring small). 3 weeks left until D-Day. Yep, starting to feel like a bowling ball is between my legs and this kid is going to fall out any day. This all made more sense after my doctor's visit last week when they informed me that Oliver's head is so low that I may not even make it another week before delivering. Me=sudden freak out mode.

 

The basketball belly =)

Up until this point, I have actually been feeling okay but now life is just kicking my ass. I am sooooo tired, it is almost unexplainable. I don't remember feeling so tired with Emma but I also didn't have an Emma to run after when coming home and could nap whenever I felt like it. Naps happen in my life if I'm lucky to catch a few zzz's while Emma is napping on the weekends. 

I wish my overachiever teacher brain would disappear and then I would probably feel more at ease. Fall babies are not the easiest for us teachers. Ask most of your May/June birthday friends and I guarantee that most of their parents were teachers. =) It is just a more "convenient" time to go out of work. Leave, have a baby, have the summer off and return to start fresh for a new school year. Well, I'm currently understaffed in my class and have been fighting to try to get another assistant before Oliver arrives because I don't want a totally effed up schedule and psycho students when I come back from maternity leave. Reality is, once I return, I still have FIVE months to finish out the school year and I don't want to come back to a hot mess. Things have not exactly gone my way in the "get all the ducks in a row" department so I am having to exercise my use of "OH WELL" at least 10 times a day. I am at the will of this baby. If my schedule sucks, oh well. If they place an idiot in my class, oh well. If I don't finish IEP meetings early because it "is the responsible thing to do", oh well. If I come back to a hot mess after the baby, oh well. Ugh, sorta sick of saying oh well all the time when I have TRIED to be so proactive. Yeah yeah, oh well.

So now that I am in official freak out mode at the realization that my son can be here ANY day now, I kicked it into high gear and finished most last minute things for Oliver. It's amazing how devoted we could be to preparing for Emma and well, things were not as well laid out for this little man. At least his room is finished. And his clothes are washed. And the hospital bag is finally packed. Here are some pics of the nursery transformation.

 

Mama and Emma shifting from green to blue

 Not so kid-safe yet....

 

Oliver's clothing explosion post baby shower =)

 Painting completed, dresser built and filled with tiny baby boy clothes

 

Crib built and being kept warm by the giant bear that Emma got from Uncle Kenny for her birthday and is too freaked out to actually have in her room

 Hawaiian flavored curtains sewn by Larry's mom =)

 

Now I'm just waiting for this wall decal from Etsy arrive to apply to the wall over his dresser. His name will be white instead of blue =)

I'm not going to rush to be unpregnant but I must say that triple digit weather and being super pregnant has not been the highlight of my life. I go to the doctor tomorrow for another checkup and Friday may just be my last day of work (a week earlier than originally planned). One day at a time right now, but so so eager to meet Oliver soon!