Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 (Combined Group)

[MamaBoo]

Sorry I haven't posted any pics yet. My hubby will have to put them on my computer and help me. I am starting to do better. However, hormonal changes have started and I've been feeling a little down. Couple that with sleep issues and worrying about my older son's adjustment - he is doing pretty well, but his sleep habits are getting a bit off, and I've been a little down. I am very thankful for both my blessings, but it is also hard to accept that this was my last pregnancy. It was difficult and stressful and I couldn't wait to deliver, but I still miss being pregnant somehow. I am happy and feel my family is complete, but I am a bit depressed that I will never feel that precious kick of a baby inside of me again. I hope to post pics Monday.

[baby_blu73]

Ryann - The babies are super cute in their turkey bibs! So sweet to have them all together. I can't believe we're at the first Christmas already either! What are you and DH doing as far as gifts from "Santa"? I also wanted to find out if you have car seat covers for the winter. If so, what brand? If I remember right, you guys have the onBoard 35 seats too and I just want something warm that fits those mammoth sized seats.

Mamaboo - Hang in there honey, postpartum is emotionally tough enough without factoring in what you went through AND the outcome. I'm so sorry to hear you're feeling bummed. Have you considered talking to your OB about some of your options? I'll be praying for you to come out of your slump.

[blairwh58]

Stephanie- we have the On Board car seats and have the Cozy Cover brand seat covers. Even though its quite the stretch to get them on, and you may have to move them a little to snap the car seat in the car, they do fit. They are also apparently the brand approved by the highway safety.

[rypell1985]

Stephanie...Thanks! It was a crazy thanksgiving this year! DH and I are using Santa as an excuse to buy a jumperoo. Im not sure what else though since there ARE two babies! We got the JJ Cole Bundle Me Urban Collection-here's a few pics. We put the cover up over the canopy when going outside. We love it!




Hope that helps!!

[BlissfulCS]

Hey ladies...I had some more bleeding ( a lot more) and was transferred to to a hospital an hour and a half away from home where there is a NICU. I also have been having some contractions. Right now I expect that we will be monitored for awhile but I am guessing there is bedrest in the future.

Baby looks perfect and there could also be a vaginal delivery still in my future. They did give me a steriod shot and another one is scheduled tonight to cause the lungs to mature. So if the worst happens she will be ready.

Prayers to you all!

[blairwh58]

Alisa- I am so sorry to hear about the bleeding. I'm so glad they are staying proactive and transferred you to a hospital with NICU though. Even though it sucks to be an hour and a half from home, just keep telling yourself its best for you and Evie. Wishing you all the best and hoping she decides to stay put for a few more weeks. Are they thinking about giving you Magnesium or anything to stop labor?

[LYD10]

Hi Alisa - I am thinking of you and hoping that the baby will stay put for a few more weeks. I am glad your are in a hospital and are being taken care of.

[rypell1985]

Alisa-keeping you in my thoughts!!!!

[BlissfulCS]

Thanks ladies.

Blair- they don't want to stop labor because of the bleeding. They still haven't found a cause and given the amount of blood this time (it "pooled" around me in my sleep...TMI) they assume that it indicates something is wrong and would only try to stop labor at this point if they felt pretty confident that it wasn't just my body's way of
'knowing better than them" and getting the baby out. The bleeding has all but stopped though and so have the contractions which is great. If all continues as it is I will probably stay here a couple more days and be sent home on bedrest.

I did get another perfect ultrasound of her and saw her little face for the first time. She is so beautiful! I feel so good about the way things are going that I ordered her dresser when it FINALLY went on sale today.

The power of positive thinking!!!

Alisa

[Sweetpea614]

So sorry I have been MIA. I've been in and out of the hospital. Last Sunday was in for preterm labor and had dilated and effaced and had a round of steroid shots. Tuesday spent the day in the ER for possible PE. Than Wednesday went in for my regular weekly scan and had low amniotic fluid of 6.5. Friday it went up to 7.9 and today it went up to 8.9. Lucas has shown no signs of distress since Monday and has been very active so they have let me stay home and just go in every other day for fluid checks. The minute he shows any signs of distress or my fluid goes below 5 I will be having him immediately. I'm pretty overwhelmed right now and exhausted. I'm praying hard it does not drop and he makes it to 12/12. Unfortunetly at 34 weeks I should be at my peak highest amniotic fluid level and naturally a pregnancy's amniotic fluid would start dropping at this point. I don't have any to lose at this point

I will try and catch up with personals as soon as I have the energy to read through them.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Blissful I do see your last post and want to let you know I'm thinking of you and praying everything works out. Positive thinking helps. I keep telling lucas 12/12 and my fluid has been going up when the doctors were sure I would be delivering and are still doubtful I will make 12/12.

Kat

[BlissfulCS]

Kat- Well who knew we had so much in common (but still different scary situations)??? So sorry about all the issues and that we are both here, but both of our babies are strong and will make it. Evelyn and I are cheering for you and Lucas and DH and I are praying for you.

My fluid is "on the low side of normal" so Im going to follow your advice and coaching. Thanks!

Things continue to look good. May the same be true for you. Take care of yourself.

[lou71]

Alisa & Kat- praying for you both to hang on there a while longer.

Ryann- love the pics of the babies in their thanksgiving outfits!

AFM- just been super busy with family, life, christmas prep, and my baby. What age did you all start using the Bumbo? I've got one and she's close to being able to support her head well.

[HopeIsAllIHave]

Alisa & Kat - Hoping and praying that your babies stay put a bit longer. Scary situations, but glad everything is okay at this point. Hope it continues to stay so.

Okay.. so I never got to sharing my birth story, I realized. Here it is if anyone is interested in reading. Warning: It's a long one!

Despite drinking red raspberry leaf tea 2-3x a day and taking evening primrose oil 3x a day starting at week 37, Athena's due date of October 21st came and went. On October 22nd, at nearly 1AM, Dinand and I were watching Real Time with Bill Maher. A bit frustrated that I was still pregnant and having experienced no labor signs to that day, I attempted to take matter into my own hands, literally. I started nipple stimulation. I stimulated my nipples for about 30 minutes in total, bringing on some massive cramps. After a few minutes, I got up to use the restroom and to my surprise, I finally lost my mucous plug! I even asked hubby to come check it out. Although it brought on some excitement, I tried not to think too much into it because I knew from taking Bradley Method course and Prepared Childbirth class that losing the mucous plug did not necessarily mean labor was only a few short hours away. However, it was a step heading in the right direction. So, I got back in bed and continued watching TV with hubby.

A couple hours elapsed when I got the sensation to urinate again (oh, the joys of pregnancy). Like routine, I got off the bed with some effort, walked a few steps toward the bathroom when I felt a gush of water flow down my legs. I looked at Dinand and exclaimed, "I think my water just broke!" Dinand looked in my direction and asked if I was sure, and I said, "well, I can't really control this water that's flowing down my legs. I don't think I peed myself!" He rushed out of bed and got a towel for me to step on as the water continued to soak my yoga pants. We both stood there, shocked, amazed, and excited that within the next 24-48 hours, we were going to be welcoming a third member of our family. I cleaned myself up in the restroom and sure enough, there was some blood on my pantyliner. I jumped in the shower thinking what our next step was going to be and when my contractions would start. My water broke at or around 3:10 AM; I thought about calling the birthing center, but it was too late at night to bother a midwife. Besides, my contractions had not yet begun. Instead, I asked Dinand to text our doula, Tonya, to inform her about the "start" of my labor. She texted back telling us to go to sleep as we had a long day ahead of us and to give her a call around 9 AM. Of course I tried to sleep while Dinand packed his bag to take to the birthing center, but I was way too excited to actually fall asleep. Starting at around 4:30 AM, what I thought was a sensation to have a BM was in fact the beginning of my contractions.

I probably got an hour's worth of rest when I finally got out of bed at 9AM to give my doula an update. She suggested I eat a carb-rich breakfast, try to sleep till noon, and then walk up and down the stairs. I ate a cream cheese sandwich and then contacted the birthing center to notify them of my labor. Leslie Brown was on call for the weekend, who told me to purchase some castor oil and take 4 ounces of that with ice cream or mix it in with juice. She said that would irritate my stomach, which in turn would irritate my uterus to intensify my contractions. She said since my water broke, I was under a time clock of 24 hours to give birth at the birthing center, per protocol. The rationale behind this was because beyond 24 hours, there is an increased risk of infection to the baby. At that point, I only had 18 hours remaining, so we had to speed up and intensify my contractions. We agreed to meet at the birthing center at 3 PM. Dinand and I went to the local Walmart to pick up castor oil. My contractions were very mild at that point, and I thought to myself, hey, I can handle this! Little did I know what was to come. I mixed the castor oil with some Kern's mango juice and oh my, it was the most disgusting thing ever! I gulped it down nevertheless, and then again, attempted to take a nap. About an hour and a half later, I "woke" up to the most violent episode of vomiting. I then continued to clean up my stomach by having a BM (diarrhea). I contacted my doula and gave her an update. My contractions were picking up, but they still were not as frequent. She told me to walk sideways up and down the stairs. Dinand and I did just that, plus took a walk around our apartment complex.

A couple hours later, it was time to head to the birthing center. Dinand prepared all the bags including a big bag of protein snacks and fluids including orange juice, coconut water, Kern's juice, and Monster energy drinks. We got to the birthing center and Leslie performed an assessment to see how far I had progressed. She said my cervix was completely thinned out and I was about 2 and a half to 3 cm dilated. However, the baby was not completely centered on my cervix; she was on a tilt, called “acynclitic” in medical terms. Leslie suggested I take 1 tsp of Blue/Black Cohosh (Start Up) every hour to try to intensify my contractions and sent us back home to eat a meal and labor at the comfort of our own home. We were told to meet back at the birthing center at 9 PM at which point, she would administer an IV antibiotic as a prophylactic measure.

At home, mom cooked me some okra with roti, my favorite Indian food! By that time, it was already time to take another dose of the Start Up. I asked Dinand to get me my dose, which he gladly did, but to my surprise, it was 1 whole tsp of castor oil! I only realized this when I had already gulped it down. I couldn't believe he made such a mistake! I labored at home, which felt like forever as my contractions started to pick up in intensity and frequency. The pattern of the contractions was odd, however. One contraction would occur every three minutes followed by another one just a minute after. They would roughly last a minute in length. This went on for a while. And thanks to the castor oil, I was puking every so often as well. I probably puked at least 6 times before heading to the birthing center at 9. Initially, our plan did not include having my mom being there with us during my labor at the birthing center, but mom asked if she could join us. Hesitantly, I said yes, and around 8:30, we were on our way to the center. Dinand had been texting with my doula throughout the day to give her updates, and told her to finally meet us at the birthing center at 9. The ride to the center was absolutely horrible! My back was killing me and there was no way for me to get comfortable.

At the birthing center, Leslie hooked me up to IV antibiotics (Ancef, I believe) followed by a bag of IV fluids since I had been vomiting all day. While receiving the IV fluids, my doula suggested that Dinand sit behind me while on the birthing ball so he could apply back pressure while Tonya pressed on my knees to relieve the pressure in my hips and tightness in my back. I was checked again and told that I was 5cm dilated with the baby’s head still on a tilt, which Leslie thought is the reason why things were progressing so slowly and making my back pressure so intense. At this point, I was so tired, I just wanted to take a long nap! However, I only had 6 hours remaining to have this baby the way I planned on having it: at the birthing center and most importantly, naturally! The clock was ticking, and although what I thought were strong and frequent contractions, my midwife didn’t think so. Tonya suggested that I sit backwards on the toilet for a bit to rest while Dinand applied back pressure, and we did just that.

After getting some "rest", we went out for a walk to the back porch and parking lot. Tonya suggested I walk up and down the curb, which was very difficult during a contraction, but I tried to do the best I could while sipping on Emergen-C. The whole time we were “walking towards the baby” as Dinand kept saying, he was hugging and kissing me and encouraging me to take big, wide steps. I remember feeling so tired at this point and telling Dinand and Tonya that I just want to go to sleep. I believe I even yelled at Dinand at this point telling him that this labor is so difficult and that he does not understand! I spotted a bench in the back porch and told them that I was going to go sit down for a bit. Hesitantly, they “allowed” me to take a break. After a few minutes, Tonya suggested that we try some belly lifts (we aim for 10). After the first belly lift, I told Tonya it hurts too much and that I want to stop. She encouraged me to keep going, but I really couldn’t handle the pain past 3 tries, so we stopped.

Since I kept complaining about how tired I was, Tonya suggested that I try to get some sleep between contractions by sitting backwards on a toilet again while Dinand applied back pressure. They started giving me the Start Up again. Every so often, they had me sip on coconut water to keep me hydrated. Dinand preferred hydrating himself, or rather keeping himself awake by drinking Monster energy drinks. This entire time, I was oblivious as to what time it was and refused to ask because I thought it would only make me more anxious and, therefore, halt my labor. After getting some “rest” on the toilet, they had me lay down on the bed, almost on my belly with my leg extended over. I remember feeling the urge to push in that position and they told me to do exactly what my body was telling me to do, so I pushed with every contraction. They hoped that this position will ensure Athena was in a good position. Then Tonya started talking about finding a chiropractor for me to adjust Athena’s position and to speed up the process. She attempted to get in contact with any of the 3 chiropractors she knew, but was unable to get a hold of any. (I find out later that this was a little past midnight, go figure).

Leslie checked me again and determined that I was 8 cm dilated. I was encouraged to get off the bed and sit on the birthing ball for a few contractions. We then did some sifting with Tonya’s rebozo for a few contractions. I then got on the birthing ball again while Dinand held on to me from behind while sitting on the bed. Poor guy was supporting all my weight while I just let my body go limp to relax a bit. I then got on all-fours for a few more contractions. I don’t remember who suggested getting in the water at that point (I believe it was Leslie), but I immediately agreed. My initial plan was to give water birth and I did not want to miss out on the opportunity since they could not check me as often.

I got into the water tub and leaned into Dinand while I did some grunt pushing. At this point, we were hearing hail, thunder, and lightning, and the lights started to flicker in the room. Dinand feared the lights would go out so he quickly went to the car to grab a flashlight. Leslie then started lighting all the candles in the room and called the birth assistant. I labored in the water tub for a while, trying various positions to push this baby out. Some positions slowed down my contractions, while others helped me start them back up again. The birth assistant then entered the room, introduced herself, and suggested that I try squatting using the bedpost. I did just that while Dinand helped support all of my weight from behind, poor, poor guy! This is when I felt the most intense pressure and pain, which had me on the verge of tears and had me saying that I couldn’t do this. This pain was the worst pain I had ever experienced; now I know why they call it the “ring of fire”! Everyone around me started telling me all excitedly that they could see the baby’s head and to reach down and touch it. I was afraid to do so especially because I could hardly keep myself upright while squatting, so Tonya helped me reach down and touch her head. “Oh, my baby,” I screamed! I could not believe I was only minutes away from holding her in my arms!

They helped me get on the bed and onto my side to give a few final pushes. I remember giving one long, hard push after which her head emerged. To get the rest of her body out, I tried to give another long, hard push, but I saw Dinand cringe a little while looking at the baby, which had me scared. Turned out, the umbilical cord was wrapped around our baby’s head two times and Leslie was trying to unwrap it as fast as she could. In the end, everything turned out okay and they placed Athena Mariah on my chest very soon after her birth, and I was forever in love. She was born at 2:21AM, just 39 minutes before they would have transferred me to the hospital. Phew!

I ended up having 2 tears, one of which I was bleeding from profusely. Leslie stitched me up while I nursed my baby girl for the very first time. She latched on so easily. I could hardly believe that I was able to do all this naturally given the horrible pain, her awkward positioning, and most importantly, the strict time frame of delievering her within 24 hours. Of course I could not have done this without the help of my awesome, supportive coach, an amazing doula, and an incredible midwife. It was also great that I got to share this amazing, memorable experience with my mom by my side who was visiting us especially from California that week. We came home at 6AM that same morning and since then, our lives have forever been changed.. for the better.

[margi26]

Kat and Alisa: Sending you both prayers and positive energy. Keep up the PMA. Rest. Take total care of yourselves. Hoping you both can bake those LOs a bit more, but if not, all will be well.

[riogirl71]

Alisa and Kat keeping you in my prayers
Gorgeous pictures everyone!