Hospital Life

Here is part two of Mr. C's birth.

I believe I mentioned in one post or another that I am GBS positive so when I give birth at a hospital baby and I have to stay for 48 hours to insure that the baby does not pick up an infection from me so these next bunch of pictures will highlight our two day stay.

Here's my first attempt and nursing Mr. C. 

(Sorry if seeing this makes you uncomfortable however I always see these photos as beautiful)

Here's daddy getting in some additional time while I work on recovering from the epidural and before Mr. C is taken to the nursery to get his first bath.

Daddy and I are the type of parents that we don't leave our baby's side for anything while we are in the hospital.  Daddy always stays in the nursery for the two hours they keep the baby there and either Daddy or I will always go for every test they perform on him as well.  We do this not because we don't trust the hospital so much but because we always want to make sure one of us is there to comfort our babies when a little comforting in needed.

Here are the photos Daddy took of Mr. C in the nursery while I was getting some sleep in our room.

Daddy said Mr. C. just loved his bath but he melted the most when he was getting his hair washed.

 Here he is all cleaned up and ready for his mama.

 The day we were checked into TMC to labor and birth this little boy we were informed that all of the recovery rooms were now private and that they were all recently remodeled.  SCORE!  We were told after Bug was born that we were lucky to have been given a private room then because most of the rooms were semi-private so we were really concerned going back in that we may not get the same luxury again.

Here are pictures of our visitors...

My folks

Bug checking out his little brother making sure there are ten toes and ten fingers.

Ericka

Grandma or Damma according to Bug and Papa. 

By the way I owe a HUGE thank you to Grandma and Papa for bringing me Chipotle.  That was my reward food for giving birth.

 I would also like to give a HUGE thank you to my folks for keeping Bug the two nights we were stuck in the hospital.  My biggest fear about giving birth at the hospital was the two nights I would have to be away from him.  Bug has never slept a night away from me except for the first time back in January when my dad kept as a test run.  Fortunately the test run went really well but I still had some stress on how he would do being gone for two whole days.  Having my parents be there and available for him made it a whole lot easier on me.  By the way, I think Bug enjoyed the mommy-free vacation.  My parents spoil him with all sorts of junk food, trips and toys. 

I would also like to take this time to thank my in-laws for being available and taking on Bug over the last few weeks and months.  There were plenty of times we would call on them to watch him while I had an appointment or at the last minute like when I thought I was going into labor the Sunday before I actually went into labor.  It really made the transition from having one babe to two a whole lot smoother for me.

Here's my adorable #1

Okay back to our hospital life.

Here I am getting him dressed to go home.

Getting in another squeeze while I await my chariot aka the wheel chair

Here's a photo of our lovely room

Here is daddy loading up Mr. C for his ride home.

YEAH!  We are heading home!!!

 Lots of Love~SL

Another namesake is born

Well our 2nd son made his arrival into this world on Sunday, March 6th at 7:12pm.  His birth was witnessed by his Daddy, big brother, Grammy, Granddad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kissy and Aunt Michelle. 

I had planned for the day to start off like the rest of them...still pregnant.  Daddy and I had planned to go to Mesquite Valley Growers to pick up some plants to add to our growing garden.  After breakfast I called Grammy and Granddad to give them the news that I was still pregnant and I didn't see labor coming on anytime soon. 

Lets rewind a bit to give you a tad bit of background....

At this point I was considered 41 weeks and 2 days into my pregnancy.  After trying every form of "hocus-pocus" over the last week or so that we could think of to encourage labor to come on in a more natural state we finally decided to throw our hands up in the air and just wait for Mr. C to come when he was ready.  Daddy and I had always disputed the due date we were given so we had some apprehension and guilt about taking steps medically to induce labor.  I had a round of tests the Friday before that confirmed everything with Mr. C was okay and we were basically given the clearance by a mid-wife to continue the pregnancy. 

Fast Forward to Sunday now.... 

At around 12:30am while lying in bed my water slowing started leaking.  This happened three separate times between 12:30 and 2:00am.  I wasn't convinced my water was leaking because I wasn't having any contractions so I just chalked everything up to a full bladder.  The Sunday prior I was convinced I was going into labor so I rounded up the posse and essentially staged a fire drill because it turned out to be a false alarm.  Needless to say I wasn't going to "call it" again at 12:30 for it be another false alarm. 

Back to my call with Grammy and Granddad....

The phone was just about to connect when I felt that leak again and again I shrugged it off as my bladder.  Grammy and I talked for about 10 minutes and when I hung up the phone...WHAM.... I could no longer deny the "leak" was my bladder.  Surprisingly, I still was a little apprehensive to call it.  I was more convinced now but because I wasn't having any contractions I thought it was all to good to be true.  To be safe though I called Grammy right back and told her I thought my water had broken and that they should head back home from the property.

I told Daddy the news and I called the Birthing Center.  The mid-wife on duty told me to come down in about 45 minutes, she would check me, start my antibiotics for the GBS and send me home until the contractions started.  I figured I had roughly fours hours between antibiotic doses to come home and do my hair, pack the bags, finish laundry and give Bug a better parting besides the rushed one he was given.  Fortunately, Daddy had the brains to pack as if we wouldn't be coming home for two days because when we arrived at the Birthing Center the mid-wife had recalled I was over the 41week mark in the pregnancy and I was now an automatic TMC transfer which we knew. 

We arrived at TMC and we were checked in by 10:30.  I still wasn't having any contractions to speak of and  I wasn't too surprised by this.  I had actually suspected that because of the position of the baby I would never get the consistency I needed and therefor would need the help of Pitocin. 

I had my first round of antibiotics at 11:40 and a very slow drip of Pitocin started.  The goal was to get two rounds of antibiotics in me before I delivered.  Now I knew with a broken water sac and being on Pitocin the contractions would more intense but I still wanted to try for the natural labor. 

I was given my second dose of antibiotics at 2:40 and the Pitocin drip increased.  I managed to make it to 8cm before I pulled plug on the natural labor and begged for the epidural.  I don't recall at what time I started pushing but it was a whole lot less then the two hours I pushed with Bug...THANK GOD! 

All checked in and waiting

Enjoying my contraband

 Sending out the updates

 Contracting

 Stealing a moment with my only child for the time being

 Ahhh....the Epidural!

 It's go time!

The photographers

 My audience

 Still pushing

HE'S HERE!!!

His Audience

The Official weigh in

Family moments

I would like to take a moment to talk about the mid-wife who delivered Mr. C.  Her name is Susan Yount, CNM.  We had just met her the Friday before when I had gone in for the all the testing.  She lives and teaches mid-wifery in Phoenix and comes to Tucson a few days out of the week to work for the Birthing Center. 

She was FABULOUS!!!  She is what a mid-wife is supposed to be.  With Bug I didn't get the true experience of a mid-wife and in fact I hardly saw his mid-wife during my 24 hour labor.  I had explained to Susan during my check-in that I had a "personality conflict" with Bug's mid-wife and I hoped I wouldn't get her again this time.  Turns out Susan's shift was ending at 7 that night and Bug's mid-wife was up next.  If you only could have seen the "oh poop" look on my face.  Susan was such a dear and agreed to stay on until Mr. C was born. 

This will conclude the first update of Mr. C's birth. 

Lots of Love~SL



 

New Update

After having my membranes scraped Friday which was my due date

and...

After starting Evening Primrose & getting my membranes scraped again on Sunday to help thin my cervix even more

and...

After acupuncture on Monday

and...

After getting some pressure points massaged on Tuesday to induce labor

and...

After taking Black & Blue CoHosh in the pill form every 15 minutes for 4 hours yesterday

and...

After getting adjusted by the chiropractor last night

and...

After taking Black CoHosh in the liquid form every hour for 4 hours and then getting adjusted again today...

There is still no sign of labor insight so that can only mean one thing...

This little boy is just not ready to come out!

After exhausting what we, or I, feel was all efforts to induce labor naturally by tomorrow so we could still deliver at the birthing center we have now decided that if active labor doesn't start on its own by tomorrow then we are going to let things ride out for awhile.

The mid-wife we saw this past Tuesday told us we did not have to get induced by tomorrow and that we could chose to wait longer so that is plan. 

We just watched this great documentary about giving birth in America and statics show that if you are induced you have a 50% greater chance of having a c-section.  Naturally, we are very much against having a perfectly healthy baby cut from my perfectly healthy body so any form of induction, ie., breaking my water or starting Pitocin isn't for our family.  This boy just isn't ready and we are fine waiting until he is and to be honest....I am VERY tired of trying to make him come out.  I want a break.  I want to resume my normal life of cleaning house, raking leaves, picking up dog poop--not taking this pill, or drinking that, or rocking my hips this way or that way, or doing the naughty bedroom dance with my hubby. 

Call us crazy but this is what is right for our family.  

I have to check in with the mid-wives tomorrow and I expect they'll want to see me as soon as possible to check things out and make sure all is okay to continue on with the pregnancy.
 If anything changes tomorrow we will let you all know.

If you want some great reading then check out this article written by a birth doula:

World of safety nets 

Lots of Love~

One crazy mama on a mission.



Plan "F"

Well....Bug will still be my only baby boy for another night.

I saw my third mid-wife in the last five days and it seems each one has their own ideas and opinions on what the "next step" should be. 

 So starting tomorrow I'll start taking in 15 minute rotations...

Cimicifuga

 (aka Black CoHosh in the pill form)

AND

Caulophyllum

(aka Blue Cohosh in the pill form)

For 3 to 4 hours.

THEN

on Thursday I'll start taking the liquid form of Black CoHosh every 45 minutes-1 hour for 3-4 hours.

Hopefully, by doing this rotation and mixture I should go into active labor.  If nothing happens come Friday morning then we move onto Plan "G" and that plan will be decided that day. 

FOLKS....HANG ON FOR THE RIDE!

I wonder....

Tonight as I laid my baby boy down to sleep I wondered...

Is this the last night he'll be my baby boy?

still waiting

Sorry, I don't have any cute pictures to share with this posting.  The camera is packed away ready to snap pictures of this little one's birth should he EVER decide to come out!

Here's a little update...

My due date with this past Friday the 25th.  I had an appointment with the midwives that afternoon and I was told I was 4cm dilated, 60% effaced and with a contraction the mid-wife was able to feel the baby's head and my membrane sack "bulge down".  Sorry if that was a little T.M.I.  I was also informed that despite my great efforts all week this little man was still in a posterior position. 

Following that appointment I had some great contractions but as it seems with every night for the past two weeks the contractions will fade out by time I go to bed. 

Last night, the 26th, as I crawled into bed around 11:30ish the contractions didn't go away and in fact I was having them every 6-7 minutes for a good 30 minutes however they must have stopped because I woke up at 12:30 to my son yelling out for his blankie because he lost it in his bed. 

By 5:30 this morning I just felt as if something wasn't right.  Both of my hips started to hurt and I could no longer get comfortable in bed.  I decided a good hot bath should help and it did--for as long as I stayed in there. 

Long story short--after a much needed melt down (or two, or three) I decided all the discomforts I was having was my form of active labor.  You see when I was pregnant with LB (also a posterior baby) my contractions started at midnight on his due date and by 1:30am my water had broke so I knew when I was in active labor.  During my 20 hour labor at the birthing center my contractions never became close enough to allow me to dilate to the final 10th cm and by time I made the call to go to TMC for the epidural my back labor was so great I couldn't take it anymore.  It would still take 4 fours of pitocin and 2 hours of pushing before I finally gave birth to LB. 

So now maybe you can see why I feel needing my contractions to be somewhere around 5 minutes apart for an hour for me to be considered "active" in labor with my membranes intact may not apply to me.  I had considered that if we waited for my membranes to rupture for me to become "active" in my labor while I was having all this discomfort then poor daddy might be delivering this little bundle on the side of the road. 

After a little going back and forth with the birthing center they decided to have me come in just to check things out.  Much to my disappointment I hadn't made any progress since I was checked on Friday.  Good thing I already had all my melt downs that morning!  Now I just wanted a brick wall to smack my head against.

So this afternoon we headed home and I started taking Evening Primrose capsules and drinking chamomile tea to help soften the rest of my cervix and perhaps make my contractions more consistent. 

I must admit that all this going back and forth with what is considered to "false labor" has really taken its toll on me and now with the constant pain in my both of my hips I do feel like I have reached my breaking point. 

I knew to expect that a posterior baby brings a longer labor however it's just extremely frustrating to feel you've made a lot of great head way when you haven't. 

Tomorrow, Monday, we are hoping to see an acupuncturist to see if she can help flip this little boy and ease by back & hip pain and once and for all throw me into active labor. 

Keep your fingers crossed that the next time you hear from me I'll the exciting news to share that we have all been waiting for!

And then he was TWO!

Wow...I can't believe my little boy has turned two!  Where did the wee hours of the morning on Friday, February 6, 2009 go?  As I looked into my newborn son's eyes all I could see was the now.

 

Now I was finally a mother. 

Now I had the most beautiful loving baby boy to care for. 

Two years later I now wonder where the time has gone!

This past weekend we celebrated the blessing of the past two years of our lives.  The blessing of our boy....

Love Bug 

Here's the invitation I sent out.  The theme was "construction."

The Cake as designed and built by daddy.

Some of the guests....

The chef's hard at work....

(do you notice my flags hanging in the background?)

The food table.

The Tonka truck is filled with chocolate cake balls to simulate rocks.  I purchased tool cookie cutters and made a whole bunch of sugar cookies frosted with royal icing.  I tried to cut down on all of the typical party waste by using as many real plates and silverware as I could.  We also saved money by using many real life construction themed items as decorations.

Singing to the birthday boy.

Of course he was totally confused as to why we were all singing to him AND not dancing at the same time.

Aunt Kissy and Bug

This turned out to be the best picture I took of him.

We had asked guests not to bring any gifts for Bug this year.  We were still feeling the toy gluttony from Christmas.  Mommy and Daddy of course still purchased something for him...

We managed to buy this kitchen off of craigslist before Christmas.  It didn't come with any of the accessories, which was fine, because I was able to pick and choose what I wanted for him to play with and along with some help from Aunt Kissy we were able to properly stock the kitchen ourselves.  I sure hope I get my own pastry chef out of this some day.

Here are the pooped hostesses after the party. 

Like my flags?

Once everyone had left and the messes cleaned up Daddy and Bug were able to enjoy some good one on one tool bonding time.  Daddy had purchased several toy tools for Bug for his birthday. 

A man and his boy can never have too many toys tools.

And what did mommy do?

I put my feet up and relaxed. 

To conclude....

When we asked guests not to bring any gifts for Bug we asked them to instead bring an unwrapped toy we could donate to a charity in Bug's name and that is what we did today.  Bug, Grammy and I loaded up the toys (disguised of course to prevent any meltdowns) and headed to Casas De Los Ninos.

Grammy was pretty sly and handed over the toys before Bug even had a chance to notice.  What we didn't see coming was the meltdown Bug would have over leaving the stuffed purple unicorn he found in the lobby. 

Oh well, I guess no matter how hard we try we can't prevent all meltdowns.

Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated this wonderful day with us!

Lots of love~SL