And Then There Were Four

It's been a long time blog people (or person and family members who read this). I've been working on a summer project, and she is here! Sweet Eva Jane joined our family at 2:01 p.m. on Monday, July 20. Since I'll want to remember this story in some way or another, I am sharing the day of Eva's birth.

I've heard from 'them' that each pregnancy and birth is different. However, being my stubborn self, I didn't believe them as most things I have found in parenting are different for each individual. When I went to 40 weeks without any sign of labor, I was starting to think that things would go the same route as they did with Levi- induction.

I don't have any kind of a problem with medically-necessary inductions. I praise modern medicine for saving mothers and babies, when in the past going overdue would have adverse outcomes. I decided to schedule an induction date for 10 days past due- if my body wasn't going to go into labor, then I would get the little one out by an means necessary. I still held out hope that I just gestate my humans a bit longer but really had to defend my decisions to family members and co-workers. Why did I think I should wait? Because I have all the cool components of being a woman- and women make babies, and birth them. It's science.

Oh, and while we're at it, let me tell you about how to induce labor...there is no correlation between twirling on your tippy toes, walking hills, spicy food, hanging upside down, dancing on a full moon, or anything else. How do I know? I tried several experiments and nothing worked to get the baby out until it was actually time. All those old wives were drunk.

I was in good spirits for the most part, but at 40 weeks and 5 days, I was finally agitated. The constant texts, check-ins, reminders, questions, and all the other interactions that truly came out of concern were like nails on a chalkboard to a very pregnant, grumpy, painful me. This pregnancy, just three years later than my first was much harder on me than the last one. I had been under chiropractic care for extreme hip and pelvic pain from 30 weeks on and just felt more tired. I remember one incident when Levi went running from our private street and I had to chase him at about 36 weeks, resulting in sitting on ice packs for the rest of the evening, because ouch. Also, first pregnancies are made of magic and rainbows and unicorns. You can rest when you want to, sleep when you need to, and you have no worldly idea of what is to come.

Anyways, that day I was pretty much done. I asked Mike to take Levi to the two family events that I was bowing out of that day and I stayed home, ate Popsicles, and worked on my business expenses. I even joked with my boss that now that my expenses were done, I could go into labor. That night  I went to bed like I always did, with 12 pillows for my aching skeleton and belly and hopes of falling asleep long enough to catch a REM cycle before my bladder inevitably woke me up.

At 2:37 am, I was woken by a pain in my stomach, also known as a contraction. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. Exactly one hour later, I was hit with another slow cramp and went to the bathroom to do bathroom stuff, because that's just what it felt like. I decided that I would stay up and see if anything happened.  I stayed in bed and over the next half hour the contractions were coming about 8-9 minutes apart. Each time one hit, I would get into child's pose and wait it out while breathing deeply like I had learned in my prenatal class and basically all the years of yoga that I took. Once the contraction was over, I would rest and close my eyes. From then on, I went downstairs and wanted to see if things picked up if I moved around a bit. And yes they did. They went to 4 minute and 5 minute apart each time I got around to walk. Honestly, it scared the crap out of me because while I was ready physically, I couldn't believe it mentally.

I was now about an hour into this game at 3:50 am and decided that if it was going to be a long day, I needed to rest. I stayed on the couch and basically slept as much as I could, and when I did this, my contractions slowed down to 10 minutes apart. At one point, I heard Levi crying and I went to his room and stayed in his bed with him, getting hit with the waves closer to 15 minutes apart and just resting and sleeping in between them until about 7:40 when I heard Mike wake up for the day. I calmly told him that something might be happening and that he should probably take Levi to my mom's daycare for the day. I also sent my boss a text message telling her that we were having some excitement and that I likely wouldn't be coming to work that day.

Since I got up again, contractions sped up to about 4 minutes apart once again and I decided I should take a shower, put some makeup on, and perhaps throw some toiletries into the bag I started packing 3 weeks ago. I also ate two plain waffles for energy. This is also the part I regret- I should have had like 10 waffles, a cupcake, and maybe a shot. When Mike came home from dropping off Levi, I decided to call my OB- actually, he made me call them. They told me to go ahead and come in when I was ready, so I did what anyone else would do- I labored while finishing the movie we started watching the night before (Mud- it's a good one if you are looking for a movie rec). We finally got in the car at a little before 11:00 and drove the 2 minutes it took to get to the hospital.

I walked out of the car and promptly had a contraction while we waited to get signed in at the security desk. The guard asked if I was OK and I nodded and smiled at him. They reminded us where to go and we went to the labor wing. I was greeted but the calmest, sweetest nurse who started checking me into my suite. I was a bit surprised that they were planning on keeping me without doing a full check, but since I was already almost a week late, I earned a one way ticket to labor and delivery. I signed a crap ton of paperwork and laid down for torture while I was monitored. This whole time, on a scale of one to someone-is-ripping-off-my-limbs, I was at maybe a 6 or 7, partially because I was still getting breaks between contractions and forcing myself to completely relax. This was nothing like the hell of my induction contractions brought on by Pitocin. I was also fine if I was moving or in child's pose, so I did not enjoy being monitored in the bed. After 20 minutes, she finally checked me and I was at 6 cm. I could not believe it, but was grateful that I made it this far, free of pain relief and all on my own without any interventions.

The plan now was to labor with a wireless monitor (there is another name for this, but I forgot some of my words) so that I could move around. Since it was around 11:20 am and we were staying, we let our parents know and the nurse anticipated it would be a few more hours, maybe around 5:00 or so. I walked around the room, listened to music (hip hop and then some calmer yoga music because I thought the hip hop swears were somewhat unsavory for welcoming a child into the world), and I zoned out. We had considered hiring a doula, even interviewed two lovely young ladies, but in the end I knew myself and I don't like listening to people. Mike was there of course, but I preferred to be on my own and zone out, rather than anything else.

During this whole time, by OB was still not there- I had the same on-call doctor as last time with Levi. She had some kind of a lunch meeting and was running late. After a couple of hours, I was really in pain. My contractions were coming quicker and I felt the most intense pain in my legs and hips and I was completely over it. I couldn't wait for her to get there because I was ready to ask for an epidural, or vodka shot- whichever was available sooner. I still didn't have any IV fluids and knew that I would need at least a half hour before I could get anything. I didn't really voice any of this and felt a little silly since my nurse kept saying how calmly and peacefully I was handling labor.

The doctor finally came in at about 1:30, and this is where things get a little fuzzy. They had me get back into the bed to be monitored so I had to take a break from pacing, sitting in a rocking chair, hanging out in the bathroom (so nobody would bother me), and folding myself over the bed and chair. I was D.O.N.E. done.

She checked me and I was ready to go- complete and ready to push. I was shocked. And I still didn't have an epidural or a vodka shot. She broke my water and there was a little bit of meconium in it- this means that the baby had pooped in utero- it is usually nothing, but they called in the NICU team to be present for the birth so that the baby could be checked just in case.

The doctor specifically asked me if I needed to push and I told her that I would like to labor down for a few minutes. In my last rodeo, I pushed on and off for four hours and I was not going to do that. So she left the room to complete some paperwork from her last birth. As soon as she left, or a minute later, I felt my body pushing. This is kind of where I blacked out. I told the nurse that I needed to push NOW and she started calling the doctor back into the room. I'm usually a delicate flower and calm and collected, but with a giant baby emerging from my body, I was no longer quiet.

I don't know how long it took for her to get there- Mike told me it took a couple of minutes, but I could not control my body. The baby was coming now. The doctor finally ran in and started scrambling for her gloves. She got one on and I think got the second one on just as the baby came out on the second push. They told me to look down and I politely declined, but she was here! At some point, the NICU doctor yelled "Holy hell that was fast- get this girl a good push present!"

They checked Eva out quickly and made sure that she was OK- luckily she was fine and I got her for skin to skin just a few minutes later after the cleared her airways. She was perfect and I got to snuggle her while they worked on me. Ironically, I had to have fluids and two bags of Pitocin after labor to help my body stop bleeding, but I felt so much better this time. I got to nurse the baby and bond before family started coming in and this is just how we did it with Levi.

 

Eva is now 2 months old and we are all adjusting. She is such a sweet baby and the part of our family I never knew was missing. If I ever get to it, I'll do some more posts on pregnancy and some family updates but for now we are all bonding and getting used to each other. A belated (second baby) welcome to the world, Eva!

The Post I Haven't Written - Losing the Baby Weight

I wrote this post and erased it a few times, both in my head and on the blog.  Not that I really had time to write a lot (little people are needy), but I just couldn't find the words.  I think I was just mostly disappointed.  A little disappointed that it was taking too long, and disappointed that I wasn't able to put my full effort into taking care of myself. 

Something happens when you have a baby- it's a bit consuming and for me, it was all consuming.  When before, I could work out 7 days a week, I was now left with 3-4 days tops, if I could get out of the house with a little guy who needed to eat every 2 hours and I was his food source.  Between a very stressful job, my commute, and adjusting to life as a new mom, weight loss was not my top priority.

Slowly but surely, Levi became a bit older and finally stopped eating in such short intervals and I was able to get away a bit more.  I really hit my stride with workouts at about 8 months after the baby and really only did one yoga/pilates class a week, one Zumba class, and 2 sessions by myself combining cardio and strength training. I also walked the dog with the stroller at least 5 times a week, sometimes twice, and we always had family hikes.

Now looking back on the pictures, it's not a big deal and I know a lot of my feelings were influenced by a lot of outside pressure. My body grew and nourished a baby for 2 years and I'm really proud of myself.  My next mini goal is getting to a healthier and stronger me by my 30th birthday (just a short 6 months away).  As always, I'm open to any questions.

Here is my story in pictures:

Almost 42 weeks pregnant (that means really, really late), and up 35 healthy pounds

Home from the hospital, down 23 lbs by the time I came home. The baby was 8 pounds of the weight I gained 

About 3 months post-baby. Weight stood still with 12 more pounds to lose. I had to go to a wedding and felt pretty icky, but found a dress to hid the bump remnants, kinda.

About 7 months post-baby. I was down 5 pounds and had 7 more to go

9 months after baby- down another 2 pounds, with 5 more to go

About 10.5 months later, almost at goal weight, but a lot of toning to do.

My last official belly shot, about 1 year after baby- back to starting weight.

13 months after baby on the left, and 15 months on the right

Have You Had the Baby Yet?

Welp, I'm officially overdue.  According to the calculators that say baby cooks for 40 weeks (and no more or no less), I've surpassed my cooking time by two days.  I'm still feeling pretty fantastic, but if you ask the surrounding world, something has gone terribly awfully wrong.  It's awfully inconvenient that my body has not ejected the human in a timely fashion (and the long weekend is ending).  

I find it fascinating that everyone except for me is highly concerned about my state, especially women who have already had their own children and know that labor can be um...unpredictable.  I'm just an overachiever and have decided to be pregnant a bit longer.  Whatever it is, I'm enjoying my last few days with an inside baby.  There are a lot of perks if you ask me!

1. You get this awesome basketball that you wear under all your clothes:

You get to go play on the playground and spend time with your favorite people.

You get to use the extra calories excuse to eat dessert.

You get to spend extra time with your first born.

And you get to eat a delicious breakfast with both hands while feeling your little baby kick you.

Not a bad deal if you ask me!  But baby, you're welcome to come out when you're ready.  We're good people here- your dad and big brother will entertain you and I'll make you some cookies if you're good (and when you get your teeth).

Pregnancy Must-Haves

Hey hey! I'm still here and still happily pregnant at 39 weeks, 3 days. Our little boy is still cooking and I am on my second day off of work.  I'm feeling great for the most part and trying to adjust to my new non-schedule.  I've either been in school or working full time ever since I was 15 and not having a structure is nuts, but I'm sure I'll adjust as I get much busier in the next few weeks.

As I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy, I wanted to share my must-have list and the family photos we had taken at 37 weeks.

1. Exercise. I have definitely slowed down towards the end, but yoga, walking, doing the elliptical, riding the bike, and light weight training have been absolutely amazing for my energy levels and health throughout my pregnancy.  I knew weight gain would be a big part of the pregnancy, but I wanted to keep moving so that I felt better and even when I felt bad, I never felt any worse after a walk.

2. My personal trainer.  Now that I'm not feeling the gym so much, my main source of stress relief is walking with my Chino.  People know my obsession with him has no bounds, but this cute little face has lifted my spirits most days and he makes sure that I get out for at least 35-40 minutes every day.  These days he's keeping me company while I'm out on funemployment.

3. Good food.  I ate well during pregnancy.  I hated chocolate until the first 15ish weeks and then I started having some chocolate treats and other treats.  The rest of my food remained pretty much the same as before pregnancy.  Of note, I was hungry between 20 and 30 weeks- "eating like a teenage boy" hungry.  I am still not sure of the validity of pregnancy cravings.  I definitely had a love affair with Trader Joe's popsicles and watermelon and loved water, but I'm not sure the difference between a craving and a preference. I also ate some red meat  in an attempt to get my iron levels back up as I am borderline anemic and have to say I enjoyed it.

4. A few extra pillows.  I did not have one of those pregnancy sleeping contraptions.  I just used a few extra pillows to prop myself up and get comfortable. I don't know how you fit 2 people and a big worm in your bed. I may be one of the lucky people, but I'm still sleeping like a rock.

5. Other mommy/pregnant friends.  I belong to a facebook moms group and it's been so nice to speak to people who are also pregnant.  I also have a friend who just recently had a baby and I appreciate all the real advice.  There is a lot of crap that people don't tell you about and it's great to have a perspective from someone with real experience.

6. A supportive husband.  From dealing with my occasionally neurotic personality, to being there with me for the important medical appointments, I can't think of anyone else I would rather have with me on this journey.  I'm pretty low maintenance, but the husband has stepped up his game to make sure I'm well taken care of.  He is so protective and already a great father.  And he tells my round self that I'm beautiful on a daily basis- something anyone, let alone a very pregnant woman is lucky to hear.

7. A supportive family.  Our parents and my brother and sister-in-law (and favorite nephew) have been great throughout this experience.  They have offered any help we needed, spent countless hours helping during our remodel, and have been our biggest support system.  Most importantly, they have given us our space without trying to choke us- very important!

8. A sense of humor and a positive attitude.  Did you know that pregnancy is a "beautiful experience"?  It's also ridiculously awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright nasty.  You get to see your body change in months, sometimes weeks, and people say a lot of stupid sh*t to you.  They ask inappropriate questions, tell you you'll never sleep again, and ask about your weight gain- breaking a cardinal rule of talking to any woman ever.  Keeping a sense of humor and maintaining a positive attitude have probably helped me maintain some relationships and kept me going.  If anything, I have tried to fake it or kill people with kindness so that I don't say anything offensive.

We've reached all the milestones and are as ready as we can be.  Now I'm patiently waiting for the baby to show up.  If he's anything like his mama, he's going to be late, but hopefully he's a little more efficient like his father!

Full Term and More

Between being absent for three weeks growing a human and not doing much of food blogging, I have a lot to catch up on.  Things are finally winding down around the house and at work, and this whole having a baby deal is starting to get real.  I think for now I'll abandon the weekly updates since things are pretty stable these days.

First, let's catch up on the last 3 weeks of bumpage:

35 weeks:

36 weeks:

37 weeks:

My 37 week picture is from a set of family/maternity pictures we had taken this past weekend and while I was on the fence about maternity pictures, I'm so glad we have been able to capture these moments.  I have loved growing my little boy and I'm so happy to have these memories.

I'll be back with more pictures from our shoot as well as my pregnancy essentials in the next couple of posts, but I wanted to stop by and say hello!  Baby is still cooking and I'm still doing great.  What's new with you?

34 Weeks

This past Saturday I hit 34 weeks of pregnant lady status.  This is the big leagues- getting close and definitely through a big part of my third trimester.  Overall, I'm still feeling really well and in great spirits.

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I'm definitely up a couple of weight classes from my starting weight, but it is what it is.  The belly feels heavy!

Maternity clothes? Mixing and matching everything I have. It's the survival of the stretchiest in my closet for now, but I refuse to get anything else for the last 6ish weeks.

Stretch marks? None yet.

Sleep: Still sleeping well.

Best moment this week: I had a great week overall with no complaints.  We had a nice night out with friends and it was really good to be social and enjoy great company and a great meal.  Each night that I get to spend at home with my favorite boys is great.  I also finally picked out a couple of things for the baby that are my style.  I am incredibly thankful for all the clothing we have received, but 99% of it was blue and (shocker) I am not too into blue.

This week's comment of the week:

An older couple walking their dogs asked me if I had a baby under my sweater...then proceeded to tell us how euphoric the experience will be and how wonderful childbirth is.  This was a welcome change to some of the crazy shiznit people usually say, even if their comments are not intentional.

My advice for any idea/thought you have or if you ever want to say something to a pregnant lady: "You look beautiful." Simple and does the trick.
Miss Anything? Meh- not really.

Movement: Constant movement.  I can see when he's poking me and he's always rolling around in there.  The movements are now all bigger sweeping movements rather than the little jabs I used to get.

Food cravings: I'm so thirsty now, so lots of water, the occasional peach iced tea, and milk. Other than that I have been eating all the basics. The baby has been having a lot of roasted asparagus, but it's mostly because I like it and because we discovered Chino LOVES asparagus, so it's a snack the whole family can eat!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling good!

Sex: BOY!

Symptoms: I'm feeling great. I have a lot of energy these days and the body aches have not been anything to complain about.  I seem to be a human oven and get a little warmer these days.  I can also feel the weight of the belly towards the end of the day.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm feeling generally happy. Life is good.

Exercise: I went back to prenatal yoga and it was really good for me both physically and mentally.  I also made it to the gym a couple of times in week 34 and have spent lots of time walking with my favorite personal trainer- you would want to take this face on a walk too!

33 Weeks

Well it's been another couple of weeks and I'm still here and definitely more pregnant by the day.  I've kindly been reminded that I'm slacking on updates, so here we go for 33 weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks

And for kicks here I am at 32 weeks:

Total weight gain/loss: Up around 25 big ones as of my last appointment.  I think I'll have no problem hitting my target gain of 30 lbs and since I'm an overachiever, I may even surpass it.  I'm surprisingly calm about the weight even at this point.  I'll figure things out once the bebe is out.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and still wearing some of my regular tops.  Maxi dresses are my best friend and I can't wait for the weather to be nicer so I can wear more dresses. I am pretty much done shopping for maternity clothes- I have 3 pairs of pants and 2 maternity tops- the rest have been longer tops and lots of layering from my current wardrobe.
Stretch marks? None yet.
Sleep: Sleep is still great. I'm up to 3 pillows now but can still fall asleep and stay asleep easily. Knock on wood.
Best moment this week: I had time off of work and we had a staycation.  This time last year we went to Mendocino for our first vacation with Chino and this year we accompanied hubby on a business trip to CA's Central Valley. It was so nice to spend time as a family of 3 (and my squirmy little companion). 

We also celebrated Passover and baby liked all the singing and grape juice and danced the whole time. I'm excited to celebrate more holidays with the little guy when he's in the outside world.


This week's comment of the week:
I think that since I passed the awkward stage of looking like I ate too many cookies to being obviously pregnant, people have been nothing but nice to me.  Doors get opened, I get treated really well, and people tell me I look good with a basketball belly, so I'm taking it!

Miss Anything? I'm getting ready to claim back my old body and have more clothing items to wear, but I would honestly not trade this for anything in the world. The baby needs to keep cooking.
Movement: I have an active little babysaurus in there.  He has his feet up by my ribs and loves rolling and stretching. We hang out on the couch or in the car and hubby gets to feel some of the shenanigans.  Baby is hanging out upside down as of right now and I hope he stays that way.
Food cravings: Most of the time I eat just like normal, but I have been loving peach iced tea, cereal, all fruit, veggies, and cold drinks.  I had a few days where I was more thirsty than hungry and a few hungry days here and there.  I think I have seriously impressed my husband with the sheer volume of food I can take down but it's mostly healthy :)  Of course the warmer weather has brought me a couple of frozen yogurt runs.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling good!

Sex: BOY!

Symptoms: I'm feeling great. I am thankful to not have any of the icky symptoms (yet) and anything I have is really minor. I have tons of energy and feel best when I'm moving around rather than sitting.  I can tell I am heavier, especially in the belly region and randomly get winded.  I'm also pretty clumsy lately- not sure if I can blame that on pregnancy though.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and starting to get a little anxious.  We have most of the items we need and will be taking care of the outstanding things in the next few weeks. I think I have been in slight denial of the HUMAN that will join us soon but I think we can tackle anything.  I have been working on the baby's room (i.e. organizing) and baby has quite the wardrobe already.

I also put up a wall decal so that we can have some more color in the room.

Looking forward to: We are spending the next 6ish weeks working on the house and getting things finished. I am going to try to enjoy this time as a family of 3. We have lots to look forward to, but I'm not wishing the time away.
Exercise: Lots of walks/hikes, a few gym sessions, and yoga. I'm counting anything as exercise these days and going to keep it up as long as I can.

Showered With Love

This weekend we had our baby shower. I've been to many baby showers in my day and it was a surreal feeling to be having my own shower.  I can't think of a nicer tradition- family and friends gathering around the baby mama to support her in taking a huge leap.  I can't believe how many people came out to support us and prepare us for our little man.  The hosts were my mom, hubby's mom, and my sister-in-law and every single thing about it was perfect.

The details were beautiful- my SIL put up baby pictures of us and even baby pictures of what Chino could have looked like (heart melts).

The food was ridiculous- so many dishes to choose from and enough to feed a full army.  The highlight was the dessert table- it was about as big as the dessert table at our wedding.



I'm omitting the pictures of our guests to protect the innocent, but we did capture some family pictures.

And then it was time to open presents.  I'm the slowest present opener ever.  It's a good thing our master of ceremonies was able to assist.

So many cute things!

My aunt in Florida sent a whole package of handmade blankets, booties and hats for the little man- they were so beautiful and I needed a whole crew to help open everything.

As the night wound down and the ladies left, we had an after party and things got a little silly.  We took a picture of our family of three.

And a classic belly shot with our good friends.

And some more family photos.

With 31 weeks down and a house full of baby stuff, we are starting to get ready for our new adventure.  Time has flown by and each day we get closer to meeting our new little man.

I hope he likes hugs, lots of loud conversation, and lots of love because if our shower experience is any indication of what his life will be like, he'll be one loved little guy!