Welcoming Isaiah

I wanted to journal about the day our precious little Isaiah was born before I started to forget any of the details. This will probably be a long post!

Wednesday morning I called the Labor Unit and was given the green light to show up for my scheduled induction. The weather was absolutely freezing and we were experiencing below zero temperatures. We made it to the hospital with no trouble and quickly got checked in.  I was only one centimeter dilated when I first got there but it didn't bother me. I figured I would have to get some Pitocin this go round and whatever it took for him to be born was okay with me.

The nurse I had on the night shift was new so I'm not sure if she gave me correct information. I asked if we could hold off on the Pitocin and just let Dr. R. break my water like last time. I was told that the baby's head was not down far enough and if she broke my water before that happened, there was a risk of cord prolapse. So they started the pitocin off on the smallest dose at around 7:00.  Not much was happening. I think around 8:00 they upped it and I started having some contractions.

I was so anxious that morning.  I was anxious about hurting. I was nervous about pushing. I was scared about having pitocin which I had never had before (and FYI totally ended up not being a big of a deal at all. My contractions were no worse than I had experienced with Olivia). I was back and forth to the bathroom for a while because I was sick.  But then Dr.R. came and everything was fine.

Dr. R. came in at 9:00, said I was 2-3 cm and that the baby's head had already been down so she wasn't sure what the night nurse meant! The contractions really picked up then and were really strong. I labored until about 11:30 before asking for an epidural! I was about 5 cm at that point and the anesthesiologist came within 10 minutes of my requesting it! Ahhh, whoever you were my anesthesia friend, you are my hero! I guess around 4-5 cm is all my body can handle in terms of the pain. I was expecting things to really pick up. They had already stopped my pitocin by that point. But after my epidural, the contractions seemed to slow down by a litle. So they put me back on pitocin at the smallest dose and that was all it took. I think I started pushing around 1:40 or so and pushed through about 4-5 contractions and he was here at 1:51!!!!

Isaiah has a hydrocele (fluid in the testicular sack) which caused his little man parts to be rather NOT little and that was the first thing I saw when he came out! I knew immediately he was a boy and Theo and I were so surprised! We were truly shocked. I don't think we really ever considered that our baby would be a boy even though Theo will tell you he really wanted another son. Carter really wanted a brother. And it truly didn't matter to me. I really believe God knew Theo's heart and the heart of a sweet four year old and gave them what they wanted!

I held him on my chest and was instantly in love!

Theo is such a proud daddy and although I know he would have been proud to have a daughter, there is such a pride for him to have another son.  All of the anxiety I had about bringing Isaiah into this world and having another baby to care for was instantly gone. I felt God's peace wash over me like I have never felt before. Maybe that's also what comes with having a third! I have been mediatating on the verse: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" and I'm so thankful for God bringing Isaiah into this world safely. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above" and Isaiah is definitely our gift!

Due Date

My due date has come and (almost) gone. I'm thankful I did not have to get out today because the wind chill is negative 30 degrees today. But there is always tonight! :)

The plan is for me to call the hospital at 5 a.m. and make sure there is a bed. If so, we'll head up there. As of Friday, I was the only one on the schedule so we'll see. Hopefully this crazy weather won't have cause a lot of women to go into labor and I can "get in" tomorrow.  With Olivia, it was such an emotional rollercoaster of a week. I called almost everyday for five days and there was no room for me. I guess I should have been thankful not to go into labor on my own or I might have had to birth Olivia out in the hallway!

 

Very well may be the last time I ever see myself with a pregnant belly!

I am a hormonal ball of emotions right now. I feel like I have held it together pretty well for the most part. But I am excited, overwhelmed, anxious, relieved, and a whole lot of other things. I am anxious about bringing home another baby when Olivia still seems like she's a baby. I don't worry about Carter. He's such a big helper. But I worry about how to handle the demands of a newborn along with a very demanding 16 month old.  I worry about feeling trapped in my own home because it's too cold to go out. I miss the support system, both family and friends, I had when I delivered Carter. I was telling Theo earlier today that the only baby gift I've gotten this time was a blanket from my friend Evie from church. (Oh, I did get cloth diapers from my good friend Georgette today) Not that I need anything.....that is the good thing about having a boy and a girl, but it was a little sad to me. I know that's ridiculous!

We still have not decided on this baby's name, mostly because we don't know the baby's gender. Hopefully we'll decide something tomorrow but for any of you who know my husband also know that may not happen! :)

Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow. I feel mostly at peace that everything will be okay but I want to hold our precious baby and see that everything is okay and that he or she is healthy. I'll keep you posted!

39 weeks

One more week to go! I am ready to have this baby. My mother-in-law is arriving this afternoon so I'm ready when this baby is ready. If not, either way, hopefully by next Wednesday, our third child will be here.

I am miserably uncomfortable these days. I toss and turn all night long. Everything hurts! I went from feeling pretty good to miserable overnight. I'm sure it's because the baby has dropped and putting pressure on everything. But I don't want to complain too much since this may be the last week I ever carry a baby in my womb. It's bittersweet at this point.

We are praying for a safe and healthy delivery. I'm not too anxious about it. I'm going into it knowing I'm going to get an epidural so the anxiety of trying to have a natural childbirth is not there this time. I know what I can and can't handle and labor without drugs is not for me :) More power to my friends who did do it. I am jealous but I don't have anything to prove anymore!

I have an OB appointment tomorrow so I'll post if anything has changed. I'm not expecting any changes but we'll see!

38 weeks and an unexpected hospital visit

I'm 38.5 weeks! I think I only have 10 or 11 days to go...something like that. I don't have a picture for this week yet. I've been too tired to worry about it. But hopefully this weekend, I can get Theo to take one for me.

Yesterday, I met a friend from church for breakfast at Chick-fil-A. We had a wonderful time. I have been feeling very isolated so it was great to have some adult conversation, even though Carter and Olivia were tagging along. When I came home though, I was hanging our coats up and I slipped on a plastic hanger that had fallen on the floor. I tried to catch myself but landed pretty hard on the hardwood floor on my left side. I called my OBs office and she said I need to go to the Labor Unit to be put on a fetal monitor. I wasn't having any bleeding, cramping, contractions, leaking, and I had been feeling the baby move but they wanted to play it safe. I knew the baby was okay. What I was worried about was who was going to watch the kids. I had called up to the Labor Unit and the nurse said I would be there anywhere from 4 to 24 hours!

I of course called Theo at work. He met me at the hospital, stayed for a while and then took the kids home. I stayed on the monitor for about 3 hours and everything was fine. They also drew some lab to determine if I was having any placental bleeding and that all came back fine. So I was able to go home. Praise the Lord. I'm pretty sore and I feel like I can hardly walk but I think that's being 9 months pregnant and not necessarily from my clumsy fall.

I had my regular appointment today and everything was fine. I've really dropped. The baby's heartbeat was great. My cervix on the other hand.....completely closed! Oh well. I am 100% not anxious about it all this time. I would still like to go into labor on my own but have absolutely no problems with getting induced this go round. The plan is to induce on Feb 2nd at this point. I don't want to get induced early because I still want to give my body a chance. But it won't hurt my feelings if I have to have some help starting the process! I was a nervous wreck about it with Olivia and remember crying one time after an appointment because I wasn't dilating. Uh, no, not this time! My mother in law comes next Wednesday so as long as the baby will hold off until then, I really don't care when or how it happens and long as I have a safe delivery.

I had the strangest dream the other night....I dreamed I had given birth but I wasn't at the hospital. I don't know quite where I was. But I was just carrying the baby below my ya know, girly parts, and the baby was just hanging on by the umbilical cord. I was calm, not too worried about it.  But I called up to LSU and talked to one of the neonatal nurse practitioner's I used to work with and asked her if I should clamp the cord and she said not to worry about it (which is NOT right!) I don't remember how the dream ended but it was wild! I didn't get to see what the baby's gender was either. Oh well!

Anyway, so that was my week. I am utterly exhausted. I think I'm going on strike. No more cooking, cleaning, or laundry for a while. I will feed my kids, change and bathe them but that is probably about it at this point. Mother-in-law better get here soon!

36 and 37 weeks

The baby is now considered full-term! Hard to believe. Not that I want to the baby to come early, because I honestly don't (I'm not quite prepared!) but it's nice to know that if he or she does come now, it's okay.

 Belly Shot:

I have finally picked out some fabric for the baby's room if baby is a girl. I'm still looking for boy fabric. I think it's perfect! Mom is going to make the bedding. I'm so excited. I haven't been able to find that perfect bedding for either gender so I'm thrilled she's agreed to take on this task. Baby will be sleeping in our room for a while in the pack-n-play until we decide whose room he or she will share. We have a 4 bedroom house but one room is an office/guest room. So baby will have to shack up with either big brother or big sister. But with Olivia's awful sleeping habits, if baby is a girl, who knows when that will happen?

My mother-in-law will be here on the 26th. I'm thinking I won't ask to be induced before my due date but by the 1st or 2nd, hopefully the baby will be here. That way we have a few days with my MIL still here to get adjusted. I think it's going to be a lot harder with this baby then it was with Olivia since Olivia is at an age where it's all about her and she is quite the demading drama queen :) I'm praying everyday that we will all just survive the next several weeks and bond as a family!

35 weeks

The time is really starting to speed up! I am ready to meet our baby but am a little overwhelmed right now at the thought of getting even less sleep than I do now! And the demands of those first few weeks of breastfeeding are plaguing my mind. But I'm up for the challenge and nursing is definitely worth it.

I'm feeling pretty good considering but am getting pretty uncomfortable. I can say, I'm not near as uncomfortable with this baby as I was with Olivia. I'm not in the mindset of "I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore" like I was with Olivia. Probably because there is a good chance this will be the last time I carry a baby within me. So I don't want to whine or complain about it. I cherish every little movement even the ones that hurt!

I can't believe we're about to have another baby! Watch out world: here comes another member of the P family :)

34 weeks and surprise pictures!

Yesterday I had my routine 34 week appointment. I've gained 14 pounds ( I knew the scale was wrong last time!) I assumed I was cruising along as expected. But yesterday Dr. R said I had been measuring small (that was news to me) so she sent me for an ultrasound today just to check everything. I wasn't too terribly worried about it. Carter always measured 1-2 weeks smaller than what I was supposed to be. But with everything else that has gone on this pregnancy, I couldn't help be a little paranoid. I was so glad Theo was able to go. I think he went mostly because he was afraid I'd find out the baby's gender and not tell him! Ha!

25 weeks and 34 weeks

It was such a wonderful thing to see our sweet baby's face again. How different he or she looks from the last ultrasound at 25 weeks. The baby is about 4 pounds right now and is in the 37% for growth. So everything looks great! My placenta and amniotic fluid are normal and the tech says the baby has a headful of hair! Maybe the whole lots of hair and heartburn thing is actually true this time. I've never really had heartburn before but this pregnancy has been totally unlike either of my other pregnancies!

Sorry about the quality of the pictures but I took a picture of the pictures so it's not great. In this one, the baby is puckering up and I think looks a lot like Olivia in my opinion.

In this one, you can see baby sucking his or her thumb:

What a great Christmas picture to be able to see our baby!

And flashback to the 25 week picture:

31-33 weeks

I've been so behind with this blog. I figure it's probably more interesting to see pictures of Carter and Livie than my rapidly expanding belly!

Things have been going smoothly. I'm now going to the OB every two weeks. My last visit was two weeks ago. I go back tomorrow. But at my last visit, I had gained 15 pounds, the baby's heartrate was 136 and we briefly talked about induction. I was so set against being induced with Carter and Olivia. And I ended up giving in (sort of) with Olivia being 5 days late (although technically, I only had my water broken and things progressed from there). But this go around, I feel like I want to be more in control. I know it's because of everything with my heart and I'm being overly paranoid and I KNOW everything will be fine. But I always have morbid dreams right before I am about to give birth. I did with Carter and Olivia so I'm sure this time is no different. Anyway, Theo's mom is planning on coming although no plane tickets have been purchased so we'll see. I am most concerned with having someone to watch Carter and Olivia while I'm in labor. So if that means I have to get induced to make that happen, I am totally fine with that!

Here is my growing belly:

I forgot to take a 32 week picture so this is at 31 weeks and 33 weeks.

30 weeks

10 more weeks to go! I had a routine OB appointment on Wednesday. I've gained 12 pounds total. The baby's heartbeat was 156. My diabetes screening came back normal. Everything is going as planned so far! From now on, I go every two weeks! Whoa. That really makes me feel like everything is happening so quickly!

I'm so excited to find out whether we're adding another son or daughter to our family. Theo and I both think it's a girl. Carter thinks it's a boy and so does Omaw! We'll see in a couple of more months. What fun!

29 weeks

I'm playing catch up for the past couple of weeks. Short and sweet post for this one....mainly just wanted to throw a picture in there!

28 weeks

12 weeks to go! Man, that's amazing. I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable. I'm trying not to complain because this may be the last time I ever get to experience a little life growing inside of me and I want to be grateful for all of it! But the baby is moving and kicking so much I feel like I have bruises on the top of my abdomen. I remember feeling like that with Olivia too. I just might have a gymnast on my hands :)

I still haven't heard back about my glucose screening so I'm assuming I don't have gestational diabetes. I should be going back for a regular check up in the next week or so.

Some of my maternity jeans are getting a little snug! I can still wear some of my non maternity sweaters for now which is great seeing as how it's 15-30 degrees here right now! I have a lot of coats that I can hopefully make it through the winter with. I hate to go out and buy a bunch of new clothese in case we don't decide to have another one.

Anyway, not much else to report. My days have been consumed with house hunting and that's about all I can handle right now. But I'm so excited to meet our new little one in the next couple of months!

27 weeks

The time is just flying by faster and faster. Now that I am actually able to sit back and enjoy the pregnancy without thoughts of something being wrong with the baby, the weeks are flying by!

I can't wait to find out if we're having a son or daughter. I have always assumed I would have another daughter. But I'll be thrilled either way. It's fun having this element of surprise.

I will not however be nesting much this go round. As with Olivia, we'll be moving right before this baby's born so there will be no nursery setting up or putting away the baby clothes. That makes me a little sad but there is nothing we can do about it at this point. We at least hoped to be moved before the baby comes. We have had one stress after another this past year. I'm hoping I've shielded the baby from it all. I try so hard to provide a good "environment" for him/her but all of this stress (and the boxes of brownies I've consumed) are probably not helping.

I did go for my glucose test this week. I didn't hear anything from my OB's office so I can only assume everything went fine. But just in case, I've stepped up my junk food eating in the event I may have to give it up :) Ha!

26 weeks

Another late post....what can I say, we've had a really stressful week in our house and taking picture of my pregnant belly hasn't been top priority. But I digress....

Not much new to report. I had a regular OB appointment and everything is going as expected. I will go do my glucose screening test soon. I'm not too worried about it since I've never had any trouble before. But with the way things are going, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if I did have gestational diabetes this time!

I've gained 10 pounds! Whoa Nelly! I better slow down. I don't feel that big. I am wearing a lot of my non maternity winter clothes for now. I don't know how much longer that will last. But I don't have many sweaters so I'm squeezing (sometimes to the detriment of the threads on these clothes!) into some of my non maternity winter stuff.

I am having a hard time bending over these days. I get very winded carrying Olivia up and down the stairs. But overall, I feel pretty good. I'm still working out. But I told the childcare workers that the bigger I get, the more likely I am to skip working out and use my time to sit and read a book! They said it doesn't matter how I use my time as long as I stay in the building!

Because Theo insisted on a belly shot:


And because this former baby bump insisted on taking a picture with his mommy:

25 weeks and a good report

Wooohoooo! 25 weeks along, only 15 weeks to go. In other exciting baby news, my new niece Ava was born today. I am so thrilled to have another precious niece and am so excited for Jackson and Kayla!

We went for our repeat baby echo today and the pediatric cardiologist said everything looks good! Praise the Lord. This has been a difficult time for us and a hard lesson for us all in trusting God but he is so faithful! I'm hoping our appointments with the high risk OBs are now over.

And because I'm feeling skinny today, here is a belly shot:


The newest memeber of our family to play peek-a-boo!


Baby must know his or her older brother and sister love that game! :) And is it just me or does this baby look like he/she has huge hands?

24 weeks

Yes, I'm backdating yet another post because I have not been blogging much this past week! Theo actually took this picture on time but I'm just now uploading it to the computer. I will say that even though I'm fully dressed and have make-up on, I didn't spend much of last week that way!

With the stomach virus running rampant in our house, I lost 5 pounds but I'm pretty sure I've gained most of it back already. :)

24 weeks is always a good point in pregnancy for me. I guess it's the NICU nurse in me but I know that if the baby were born right now, he or she would have a good chance of survival, albeit with a lot of problems down the road, but a good chance to live. I pray each time to go to 40 weeks, although 38 sounds good too! But I'm always thankful when I get to the 24 week mark.

Not much new except I will go for the baby's second echo on Wednesday. I'm not at all anxious about it. Carter will be in school and Theo will bring Olivia just like last time.

Well, that about sums it all up!

Side by side (by side!)

Ok, so technically, I'm 23 weeks in the last picture. But my 22 week picture was taken at 9:00 at night and I look awful :) This weeks picture was taken when I actually had make-up on!

I guess if I end up having a #4, I'll be even bigger...maybe I better stop at 3! My 22 week picture with Carter looks like my pre-pregnancy belly this time aroud!! Ha!

23 weeks

17 weeks to go! Wooohoooo!

I don't have much new to report except my weight gain! I think I've gained a couple of pounds just since last week. Theo keeps buying these delicious brownies from Whole Foods and I keep gobbling them up!

I just may end up with some stretch marks this go round. Oh well, marks of love, right? Either love or brownies. Well, brownies are love in my book :)

Two lil' punkins'

22 weeks

I actually took a picture this week (well, Theo took it) on Tuesday which is technically when I started week 22! I can't believe I only have 18 weeks left! Whoa. Am I really ready to start all over again? Not much choice now, right? :)

I do know some things I will do differently this time. I will not beat myself up about breastfeeding. I will not kick myself for giving the baby formula if that means I can have a solid night of sleep. I will try my best to nurse successfully. But if my past record is any indication, my babies don't always thrive on breastmilk. And I am not going to go 9 months without sleep before giving in to formula!

I will relinquish all hope of having a natural childbirth. Again, the whole past record speaks volumes. And now that I have this whole aneurysm thing, I think I'll be a wee bit paranoid. Despite the cardiothoracic surgeon telling me all will be fine and I don't need any extra precautions, I can't help but wonder.

I will not spend a lot of money on newborn, or 0-3 month baby clothes. Olivia was stuck under a blanket in her carseat the whole time so what was the point in having her dressed cute? Plus, we already have boy and girl clothes. I will save my clothes money for when he or she is not confined to the carseat and people can actually see my well-dressed baby! :)

I will try very hard not to complain my last trimester about all of my aches and pains. Since there is a goodd chance I may never be pregnant again after this, I really don't want to take a minute of it for granted. Easy to say now that I'm only 22 weeks and relatively comfortable until I try to bend over!

My friend Amy and I were talking the other day and I was telling her how much more mellow I am the second time around (with Olivia). I have a more "if it ain't gonna hurt you or destroy the house, then what the heck" kind of mentality now. She said by the time baby #3 is here, I'll be so mellow I'll be borderline comatose! Ha!

If I would have known with Carter what I know now, I would have been soooooo less anxious! I have taken the kids out to eat by myself several times. With Carter, I was so paranoid to take him places by myself for fear I wouldn't know how to handle if he had a meltdown. With Olivia, I just knew when to go out and when to stay in and tried to work around her little schedule. At least as a brand new baby. And things flowed so much more smoothly. Since this baby is due in the middle of winter, I don't imagine we'll be making too many outings anyway at first.

So those are my thought this week. I'm trying to document as much as I can so I can cherish this time years from now. Have a good week!

21 weeks

I am trying to get back on track of taking pictures on time (instead of when I'm 20 weeks and 6 days like I have been!)

I had a routine OB appointment and everything is going as expected. The baby's heartrate is good but I keep forgetting to ask her the rate and she doesn't voluntarily tell me :(. I have gained about 4 pounds which was surprising to me considering I lost a few last week.

The baby is moving around like crazy. I tried to get Theo to feel the baby move the other night while we were in bed but he says he didn't feel it. I don't know how, it felt like I was a punching bag!

I should be going back for my repeat baby echo in the next 3-4 weeks or so. I'm not near as anxious about it as I was before our last ultrasound. But I'm still praying for a healthy baby.

No more crazy dreams for me lately which is a little unfortunate since I was dreaming about a total hottie! This weekend I dreamed about football and shopping at Whole Foods! I'm crazy. But you all already know that.

Well, that's all folks until next time....