Liam's Birth

So it all started last Friday (May 13th) night. I felt the first contraction around 11:30 p.m. I assumed it was a contraction even though I had never felt a real one before. We had gone out and had dinner at an Indian restaurant a few hours earlier, and they always say whatever was eaten last was what jump-started labor. So I suppose it was Indian food (although I think it was just a coincidence).

Alright, so first contraction at 11:30. I didn't think much of it, but I had another one about 25 minutes after it...and another one about 25 minutes after it. I was trying to sleep, but that wasn't working. So I got up and shaved my legs just in case this was the real deal. The contractions continued at this rate until about 5 in the morning. Then they picked up speed and started happening about every 10-11 minutes. We figured it was probably real labor around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I called my midwife to tell her I thought I was in labor. Turns out that this particular weekend was her one weekend off for the month, and her daughter was graduating from college that day. Therefore, she would not be delivering my baby if it happened soon. Around noon the contractions had picked up and were coming every 5-6 minutes. She said I should lie down and try to slow them down. We did that for a while, and the contractions did space out to about 10 minutes apart again. Around this time I was getting in touch with the back up doctor and let her know what was going on. She told me I didn't need to come in until they were around 5 minutes apart again.

Will and I walked around the neighborhood some because by then we realized this was really happening and there was no reason to slow it down. Because of the walking, the contractions picked up to every 7-8 minutes around 2:00 p.m. Then around 3:00, they picked up again to every 5-6 minutes. At this point, I had technically been in labor for more than 15 hours. We called the doctor to tell her we were headed that way, and we left for Baylor at 4:00 p.m. We knew it would take about 40 minutes to get there.

For most of the day, I hadn't been talking much. I was super focused and trying to relax through the pain. I did the same thing on the car ride. By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. We got checked in at labor and delivery, and they took us to our room.

I changed into the hospital gowns and they strapped me to the monitors. While I was strapped to them, I had to answer a lot of medical questions. Liam was doing fine through the labor. Then the nurse checked my cervix. I was dilated 4-5 cm and 90% effaced, so I had gotten somewhere with all that labor. Then they had to put a heplock in and hook me up to an IV so I could get antibiotics since I was Group B Strep positive. Finally I was able to get up and walk around the room. From 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., the contractions were 2 minutes apart. Will was so wonderful throughout the entire day. I had back labor, so he massaged my back through the contractions and let me lean on him through them. He never once freaked out or lost his cool. At some point around this time, I decided I wanted to labor in the bathtub. I didn't stay in there too long, but it did make the contractions a little more bearable.

Soon after that (around 8:00 p.m.), I lost my mucous plug and my water broke on its own. It was then time for another cervix check. This time, I was dilated 8 cm and was 100% effaced.

Then transition happened.

It is by far the worst part of labor. The contractions became constant and more intense. My legs started shaking.  All day long, I had been very quiet, but at this point I started vocalizing the pain. I didn't scream, but I definitely cried out in pain. About 8:30, I got the urge to push. I ran to the bathroom because it felt like I was about to make a mess everywhere. From the bathroom, I cried out that I had to push and the nurses told me to get out of there and into the bed then. The doctor wasn't there yet, but there were several other nurses and I think a resident. They were quickly trying to ready the bed and room for the delivery.

I got in the bed and the contractions slowed down just a little bit. But with every one of them, I had to push. I couldn't not push. I had to bear down, hold my breath, and count to ten through the pushing. I definitely started grunting and making strange noises at this point. They put up a mirror so I could see what I was doing. I got to see his head crowning. At some point in there, the doctor finally showed up. I was very focused on pushing Liam out. I could feel him moving down. Pushing is not the most painful part of labor, even when his head was crowning. Transition is far worse. Anyway, I knew I was so close to the end. I was just determined to get there.  After about 15 minutes of pushing, I knew that one more good push would get the job done. So I bore down and pushed as hard as I could, for as long as I could.

And then Liam was born at 8:48 p.m. on a Saturday night.

I felt him come out, and it was instant pain relief. I started crying and Will started crying (from happiness!) Then Liam started crying too! They put him on my belly, wiggling all around and wailing loudly. Will wasn't too keen on cutting the cord, so I did it.

The next little bit is a blur, but I know they took Liam to the table to get checked out, and I had to get a few stitches (That last push did it). Then they brought him back to me and I got to nurse him for the first time. He knew just what to do. He was so alert.

That's the birth story of Liam Edward. I did achieve my goal of a non-medicated birth. The thought of getting an epidural never even crossed my mind. The pain of it all was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. My good coaching and focus, it can be done. Through the pain, I just kept telling myself over and over that "There will be relief." For some reason, the word "relief" actually brought it, even through transition.

It was truly an amazing and overwhelming experience. I could not have done it without Will. It was a wonderful bonding experience that definitely brought us closer to each other.

Baby Shower, Louisiana Edition

The day before Easter, Will and I left at 4:00 am and headed to Ruston for my Louisiana baby shower. It was hosted by my fiends Amanda, Amy, Glenda, and Jean. Jean was so nice to host it at her house. These girls put so much effort into everything from the decorations to the cake and even personalized thank you notes. They're all so creative and talented. I loved seeing people I don't get to see very often, and I was blessed with even more awesome stuff for Liam. I also received a lot of handmade, one of a kind, gifts for Liam which is so special. Now I just need to get his nursery set up with all the pretties he got!

Diaper cake, burp cloths, and birdies

 

Denise, Jean, Me, and Glenda

JAAG: Jennifer, Amy, Amanda, Glenda (not in that order)

Liam's awesome bedding made by Kelli

 

More handmade gifts made by Kelli, Glenda, and Amanda

Wall art designed and printed by Amanda

I'm Totally Going to Have a Baby This Month!

Yes, it's been awhile since I posted, but life has been a little crazy. We are moved to the new place, but not everything is put away. Since bending down is harder these days and it wears me out quickly, it's taking longer than I would like to get this place in order. My wonderful husband is doing most of the work, but even he gets tired. However, now that I have stopped working and I could theoretically go into labor any day, we do feel the pressure of a deadline. It's the worst kind of deadline, though, because we don't know exactly when it is. It could be tomorrow...or it could be next week. I would still like it to be beyond next week, but my feeling is that I won't make it to my due date.

At this moment, I'm finally washing mattress pads and sheets for the crib and the pack and play, which will be Liam's bed at first. The crib is up and the mattress is here, so now I just need to wash everything and put it on there. Then I'm planning on washing baby clothes and blankets. I'm hoping to get the hospital bags packed tonight, but that's been my plan every night for the last week and it's still not done. Once Liam's stuff is washed, I think the packing will be easy.

As for Liam, he's still doing well. At my 36 week appointment (which was almost 2 weeks ago), he was in position and his head was already very low in my pelvis (explaining the constantly sore pelvis and hips). I was almost 100% effaced, but no dilation at that point. She told me he may come up to a week before his due date to a couple days after it, which means he will pretty much be born "on time." I had another appointment a week later, but I won't be checked again for those things until I'm in labor. The midwife estimated that Liam is about 6-6.5 pounds (as of last Wednesday), so he will not be a huge baby. She told me I have a great pelvis for childbirth and that I should have no problem pushing that baby out. Her confidence in me gives me confidence in myself. I know it's going to be hard work, but I'm glad I'm not looking at the prospect of birthing a 9 pound baby. Liam is still active, whamming me on a regular basis. Will's nicknames for him are Little Man and Baby Wham Wham. We love to sit and feel him squirm, which is about all he can do at this point.

As for me, I am still doing well. I'm so close to the end now, and I have to say that I have been blessed with an amazingly easy pregnancy. Things have gotten a little harder here towards the end, but I still think I've had it easier than most people. I still don't waddle (unless I have to go to the bathroom). I always thought I would start waddling once he dropped, but that hasn't been the case. I have to support my belly with a wedge pillow when I sleep. Getting up after lying down is actually pretty painful. You should see me walk right after I get up. I look so pitiful. That's the one time I feel any pain. I get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, but none that have really been painful. I know they're a good thing and preparing me for real labor. For most of the pregnancy, I haven't really cared anything about eating sweets (nor did I want them much before I was pregnant), but lately I have wanted things like donuts and cupcakes and ice cream. I still don't eat sweets everyday, but I think it's so strange that I want them all of a sudden at the end here.

We are really excited to meet our son soon. I now know it's true that you're never really ready. As much as I want everything to be perfectly in order before he gets here, I realize that even if it's not, it will be ok. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I really just want to get this apartment organized. Once that's done, then he can come whenever he wants!

Last Time to Post from this Address

We are moving tomorrow! I, however, will be going to work because I'm useless in that situation. I've been doing lots of packing, though, and will be doing a lot of unpacking, so I'm not getting a free pass or anything. We are just moving down the street.

Today I am 35 weeks along, with 35 days to go until my due date. Liam is still doing really well as far as I know. I think he's content where he is and has given me no indication that he's going to want to come out early. He squirms all the time, but he's quite limited on where he can go. He's been in a head down position for a while, and I really hope he stays that way. He does, however, shift from side to side. Two appointments ago, his heartbeat was on my right side. At the next appointment, it was on the left, and at the most recent appointment it was back on the right side. As long he stays head down, I don't care what he does!

Since we are moving, we are not currently prepared for Liam's arrival if it were to happen sooner than we expect. The crib is still at the store waiting to be picked up. (If you recall, we bought an IKEA crib a few months ago. However, my mom was generous enough to buy us a different one and we took the IKEA one back). We need to buy a crib mattress soon. That's not such a big deal, though, because he will be sleeping in our room for a while in a bassinet in a pack and play which has yet to be acquired. Hopefully, we'll get that soon. I feel like he has enough clothes and various things, but I feel like we still need so much more stuff to be adequately prepared. We are planning on cloth diapering him, but we'll transition into that about 3-4 weeks after he is born. That means we will need enough regular diapers to get us to that point. We have some, but not enough. I don't have any cloth diapers yet, either. I'm afraid of buying a bunch of one kind and then finding they don't work well for Liam. My plan is to get one of several different kinds from a local cloth diaper store and experiment to see what works, then buy our supply of them. We have no changing pad, but we do have a changing table! That's a start. I don't have any bottles in case I need them. I'm hoping to strictly breastfeed, though, so hopefully it will be a while before I need some. But if I do end up needing to use them shortly after his birth, I am not prepared. I don't have a diaper bag yet. We do have the stroller and car seat, but they are still in the box. We will finally take them out this week after the move. I'm not sure when we need to install the car seat in the car, though. Soon I'm guessing. I don't have any nursing clothes or bras or anything like that yet. I definitely have not packed any bags for the hospital. I need to get some nursing gear before I do that. Once we move, we will gather together the items to use during labor and have them in one spot with our hospital bags. I need to finish preregistering online for the birth. I'm sure this is not all I'm lacking. I try not to think about it too much because my lack of preparedness kind of stresses me out. I know it will all work itself out somehow, though. It always does.

Next weekend, we're traveling to Louisiana for the last time before Liam is born. It will be a pretty quick trip. My friends are hosting a baby shower for me, and I'm so excited about it! I can't wait to see all the people I don't get to see very often...or ever. I'm hoping that Liam is chill for the whole trip and all those bumps on I-20 don't make him want to come join us.

I have three more weeks of work left, which will put me working until 2 weeks before my due date. I will not be going back to work after Liam is born which makes me extremely happy! I get to be a stay at home mommy...well, technically a work from home mommy. I will still need to do some data entry work from home part time to make some money. I have one gig that I do now from home, but I'm looking for a better opportunity. Please let me know if you have any info on part-time work from home jobs.

Well, it's back to packing for me.

Baby Shower, Texas Edition

This past Saturday some wonderful friends hosted a baby shower for me (and Liam). They put a lot of thought and effort into it and I think it was wonderful! I'm so thankful they did this for me. A wonderful time was had by all. Liam got lots of cute and useful things. My mom came, which was really nice. That's a long drive for her! Here are a few pictures from the shower:

Opening presents

Me and the hostesses: Anne, Christina, and Kristin

The side view is much more impressive...I am huge, although that shirt did exaggerate the bump a bit.

Presents and Liam's name banner

Food and the diaper cake Kristin made

Cupcakes with cute toppers

As you can see, the shower was awesome. Saturday was a great day...then Sunday happened when our kitty, Squirt, had to have emergency surgery. Thankfully she's ok now, but it has been a rough couple of days.

Baby Liam is growing more and more everyday. As Will says, "Well, he's not going to get any smaller." Today he wiggled around a whole bunch. I think he's trying to expand his territory and finding there's nowhere to go. So he just pushes against me. Our first "official" appointment with our midwife was last week. Will got to go. It was the first time he'd heard Liam's heartbeat since the 20 week ultrasound, which was 3 months ago! She let us listen to the valves of his heart opening and closing, the whooshing sound of his umbilical cord, and the sound of the placenta. She said he was still head down! I really hope he stays that way. Liam and I are both doing well so far. He's really taken it easy on me.

I have less than 7 weeks until my official due date. I'm fine with going past that, though. There's just so much to do in April that it overwhelms me to think about it. Once May gets here, things should calm down some...until Liam's arrival!

The Switcheroo

If you read this blog, you know our goal is a non-medicated, natural birth. Some people think that's crazy, but I'm not sure why anyone would think that. Yes, it will be harder (pain-wise) on me, but it will be so much better for Liam. I'm willing to endure that pain because it's what's best for him. Plus, the epidural scares me more than the pain. I've never been in the hospital or been given heavy narcotic medication, and I don't know how my body will react to it. The most important moment of my life is not when I want to find out.

I had talked to my doctor some about my wishes for a non-medicated birth. Her reaction was that, yes, I could do that, but I would be be asked several times if I wanted the epidural. Most of the women she delivers get the epidural, so that is what's normal for her. There would also be a time limit on labor, meaning that if I labor a long time, I would be pushed to speed things up. Also, my  one position option for delivery would be on my back on the bed. Now, they obviously can't FORCE me to do anything I don't want to do (except the delivery position). My fear is that I would get bothered so much about these things and I might be in such an emotional and physically exhausted state that I might give in. I would rather not be in such a situation.

So, we finally decided we needed to make a change...at 31 weeks pregnant. We had known for a while that a midwife would be a better choice for us. I just didn't know how to switch or if it would even be possible to switch. The first thing we did was call some birth centers, since we figured that would be the only type of place to get a midwife. All of them were pretty much booked up for May, but were willing to meet with us and possibly take us on. Then my doctor informed me I was a carrier of Group B Strep. It doesn't mean I have an infection, just the bacteria that can cause it. It does mean that I will have to get antibiotics by IV when I am in labor because it can be bad news if a baby were to get the infection while being birthed. My doctor and nurse informed me it was not a big deal at all. However, with that information we decided we would feel more comfortable delivering at a hospital just in case something were to happen. I just figured I would stick with my doctor and hope for the best outcome.

Then our Bradley instructor told us about a midwife who delivers at a hospital (big Baylor). She said this midwife was wonderful and that Baylor was the most non-medicated birth friendly hospital in the area. I called the midwife's office, explained my situation, and set up a meeting with her. She is the only midwife in an office of doctors, which means she is covered in network by our insurance. I met with her last Wednesday and absolutely loved her. She answered all my questions the way I wanted them to be answered. She didn't hesitate to become my midwife, and she referred to my son by his name throughout the meeting. I loved that! Before I left, she checked his heartbeat and felt him. She said his heart sounded perfect and that it felt like he was currently in a head down position. I left there feeling great about making the decision to switch! I will not be asked if I want an epidural. I will be allowed to labor AND deliver in any position I want. I can labor in water or walk around outside if I want to. Yay!

Today, we took the maternity tour at Baylor and I feel 100% sure we made the right decision to switch. They advocate no separation between mother and child (unless, of course, it's necessary). They are super supportive of breastfeeding, with 90%  of mothers there choosing to do so. Everything the instructor said was what I wanted to hear. I am actually excited about giving birth there. Our new midwife was even there in the Labor and Delivery area because she had just delivered an 8 pound, 10 ounce baby naturally...on a Saturday. That baby was not scheduled! Will got to meet her.

I am so much more at ease with our choice now. I'm actually looking forward to the labor and delivery of our son!

30 Week Update

I am 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy (assuming I last until 40 weeks). By the grace of God, everything is still going amazingly well!

I had my 30 week appointment a few days ago. Baby Liam is doing well. He had a strong heartbeat and has grown since the last appointment. I did pass my glucose test and my iron levels were "awesome" according to the nurse. She asked me if I ate a lot of red meat. I told her I hadn't had red meat in about 5 years because I'm a vegetarian. She was very impressed. So it is totally possible to be a vegetarian and perfectly healthy while pregnant.

As we come into the final couple months before Liam's birth, I have to admit that I am not yet ready for his arrival. The next 6 weeks or so are going to be crazy busy. Will has to travel for work, I'll have two baby showers, and we will move to a new apartment. I will not feel really settled and ready until we are completely moved into the new place. Add work on top of all of that and the weeks are going to fly right by. Our plan is to start packing this weekend. I've been snagging paper boxes from work.

We are trying to make Liam's birth the best it can be, which is why at 30 (almost 31) weeks, I am trying to switch from my current doctor to a midwife. At first, I thought my doctor would be fine with a natural birth, but now I'm not so sure. She says she's fine with it, but I don't think she has much experience with it. My fear is that I will be pressured into doing something I don't want to do at the hospital out of fear or ignorance. SO, I have an appointment Monday with a midwife who practices in a doctor's office and delivers at a hospital. I'm praying it's the best of both worlds. I got my medical records from my current doctor today, and I'm hoping the midwife agrees to take me on as a patient. I like knowing he would be delivered by someone totally committed to natural birth, and if something were to go wrong, then we'd be at supposedly the best hospital in DFW (Big Baylor). That also means I got to see all my pregnancy-related medical records. It's confirmation that everything really is going well.

I leave you with a picture of shoes. We bought Liam his first pair of Simple shoes this week (with a coupon!). Here's one of Will's Simple shoes next to Liam's little one. There's going to be two tiny feet in this house soon!