This Unfamiliar Road

It's 9:30am...

-I am showered and dressed
-Peyton is dressed
-Eliza is dressed (and asleep!)
-I made a healthy breakfast this morning
-Laundry is in the washing machine
-Dishes are clean

My house needs to be vacuumed, mopped, dusted...well, a really good deep clean. There is kid and baby STUFF all over the house. Things are not perfect...but it's these small victories of my morning that make me confident in my ability as a parent to 2 children.

Rather than worry about keeping up with everything, I am enjoying my day-to-day with my precious girls and my small victories.

This is the story of how our precious daughter entered the world!

At my 40-week check up, we scheduled a cervidil induction for Saturday, Sept 27. Cervidil is a prostaglandin placed near the cervix to help it soften and dilate. The plan for cervidil inductions is to insert it and let it work overnight (about 10-12 hours) then remove it and begin Pitocin to induce or augment contractions. Since this was my second baby, my OB recommended I check in to the hospital later (to give us a chance to put Peyton to bed!) and place the cervidil around 10pm.

So, after several days of long walks, eating pineapple, and rocking on a yoga ball...I realized this baby was not coming on his (her) own. I was super nervous about the induction, but spent the day on Saturday enjoying our time together as a family of 3 and my last day of pregnancy.

We checked into the hospital around 8pm, and I was SO happy to have one of my former coworkers (who now works L&D) admit me. She really put my mind at ease about the induction, and we both joked that maybe the cervidil would put me into labor and I wouldn't need the Pitocin :)


The cervidil was placed around 9:40pm, the monitors were on, and I settled in for a night of rest. Yeah. Right.

My L&D nurse came in about an hour later, and said "Are you feeling those contractions? You are in a good pattern." Yeah, I was feeling them. Not bad but definitely not conducive to a restful night.

Around 2:30am, the contractions really kicked in. I continued to change positions, empty my bladder, and grip the bed rail for dear life ;) After an hour of that, I finally asked for pain meds, which barely took the edge off. Looking back, I don't think my monitor was picking up the strength of my contractions because I was definitely in active labor with strong contractions!
We finally decided to pull the cervidil at 5:30am, allowing me a chance to "get up and shower if you want". No way...I had 7 contractions while brushing my teeth! Time for that epidural :)

At 9:00am, the midwife checked me: 8cm, but Bean was still high in the pelvis. She broke my water and walked out of the room. I immediately felt pressure to push, and asked my nurse to check me: completely dilated and head fully engaged.
After 8 minutes of pushing, our sweet GIRL entered the world at 9:38am. (No Pitocin needed!!)


We learned that the cord was wrapped around her neck two times, which is probably why she never descended into the pelvis until the end!
We also later found out that Eliza had a broken clavicle. I am pretty certain this occurred in the descent, not the delivery. Going from 8cm to complete almost immediately...I think she came in for a crash landing!



  There really isn't any 'treatment' for a newborn broken clavicle besides a sling for comfort. Eliza certainly never showed any signs of discomfort!


The big question: "Were you surprised it was a girl?" Honestly, I was slightly surprised but not as SHOCKED as Ben was :)

After I got settled into my postpartum room, Ben brought Peyton for a visit. Oh she was SO excited to meet the baby, and continues to be infatuated with her little sister.




One of my coworkers and dear friends offered to take some newborn photos before we went home! Here are some of my favorites:







 My recovery has been easy, thankfully! I feel great, although a little tired of course. Eliza has been a good baby, waking to eat about every 3 hours. So far, her personality seems to be "quietly curious".

GIRL!

Wow....40 Weeks of pregnancy. I never thought I would see this day, but it has arrived. I know it's not uncommon for women to actually go 40 weeks, but I just assumed Bean would have made an appearance by now since this is my second pregnancy. Perhaps it's a different gender, or just a different personality baby. Some people stay stubborn, but I prefer to use the term 'lazy' ;)

40 Weeks:

What's New: We officially have a plan. I saw my amazing OB on Wednesday and we did an ultrasound to check up on Bean. The good news: The placenta looks great, amniotic fluid level is great, and Bean is perfectly healthy (and content!) in there. The bad news: Bean is so comfy that his/her head is still not fully engaged in the pelvis, which is probably why I'm still just 2cm dilated. I guess Bean is a little too comfy. So, Dr. K stripped my membranes and we scheduled a cervidil induction for Saturday night for a Sunday delivery. I am so incredibly anxious about getting induced because I had a pretty easy spontaneous labor with Peyton. But I really don't think giving this kiddo any extra time will make a difference, and we could possibly get into a danger zone if s/he stays in too long (i.e. deteriorating placenta, stressed out baby, or overstretched uterus!).

What's Old: Being pregnant. Look, it's no secret I'm one of those crazy people who really loves being pregnant...but I'm just about done. Truly, if I thought it would make any difference (and not put me or baby at risk) I would consider letting this kiddo hang around for another week. But I think I would be miserable at that point. I'm not sleeping, I can't ever get comfortable, and I am just so tired all of the time. We are done :)


Baby: It was very cool to see Bean on ultrasound this week. Because s/he is so big now, we can only see one body part at a time! We got to see some chubby cheeks, that beautiful & strong heart, and practice breathing! The US is estimating 7lbs, 9 oz...but they can be off by 2 pounds. Yikes!



Gender: The votes are in...almost everyone thinks Bean is a lazy boy :) HR 140's this week.

Belly: Still. There.

Cravings: My usual fresh palate. I'm excited about fall, but I wish I could still get my hands on super fresh produce!


Keep checking in...the next update will include a picture of a sweet newborn! I feel so blessed to have had such a good and healthy pregnancy and I ask that y'all keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go in for our induction on Saturday.

Here we are....still pregnant. I delivered Peyton at 39 weeks/1 day but that has come and gone this time around, and still no sign of Bean.

39 Weeks:

What's New: About 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Bean is just not quite ready to make his/her grand appearance! I am officially on maternity leave (I just didn't write myself into the schedule for next week because I kind of assumed I would have delivered by now!)
Our plan: I have an appointment on my due date where we will do an ultrasound to make sure Bean is still healthy, then discuss a possible induction date. I am not a huge fan of inductions unless for medical reasons or post-dates, so I am trying everything I can to induce labor naturally :)

What's Old: Hip pain at night...it's making it so difficult to rest! Other than that, I truly feel pretty decent most of the time. I am not miserable yet, so waiting around another week is something I can deal with.

Baby: About 20 inches and 7-8 pounds; The size of a watermelon!!! Measurements have been on track, and I feel like my belly is a bit smaller than with Peyton, so I'm not concerned about a HUGE baby being in there (famous last words, right?). Bean is working on putting on more fat and developing that brain!

Gender: I am starting to feel boy, but I'm not placing any bets on it. Heart rate this week was 160-170s!

Belly: Heavy

Cravings: Pumpkin stuff! Are you with me on that?!

Birthdays are so different as an adult (and Mom!). They take on a whole new meaning and I find myself wishing for things like an evening with family, someone else to cook dinner, and a good nap! This year, I have been so focused on preparing for Bean and getting through these last weeks of pregnancy, so it was nice to take some time out for myself!

My family and friends were so sweet in making a big fuss about my birthday! On Thursday, we ventured to Alpharetta's Food Truck Alley for a relaxing (and hot...) evening with delicious food and great company!
On Friday, the BFF came over for dessert and a great visit! We stayed up until 1:00am (which is really late for us old folks) and caused some alarm with our neighbors, who noticed the late-night activity and thought I was heading to the hospital! You know you're getting old when.... :)

On Saturday, my amazing husband took over care for P while I spent the morning getting pampered-a fresh haircut and mani/pedi is just what I needed to feel completely ready for Bean!


On Sunday, I took a good snooze while Peyton napped, then my Mom picked me up for a surprise visit to Heavenly Foot Massage. And y'all....it was heavenly. They worked on arms, hands, upper back & shoulders and of course-legs and feet. My therapist knew foot reflexology, so she spent a little more time on the pressure point that can induce labor ; )

We met up with my family at my parents' house where we had a fabulous dinner and homemade blueberry cake!





What a wonderful birthday weekend! I spent time with family and friends, enjoyed a good nap, and relaxed while other people cooked dinner!

Getting older isn't so bad!

I'm really trying to be patient and cherish these last days/weeks(?) of pregnancy! I've also committed to spending lots of one on one time with Peyton as I know those days are numbered.

38 Weeks:

What's New: Absolutely nothing. Do I sound sarcastic and impatient? I'm really trying, y'all...and I still feel good overall, but I would love to be making some progress. After a particularly busy night at work, I just knew things would have moved along a bit. I learned today at the doctor that I'm still 1cm and about 40% effaced. This kiddo is laaaaazy.

What's Old: Just the usual discomforts of pregnancy...I can't wait to lay on my back again :)

Baby: About 20 inches and 7 pounds; About the size of a pumpkin (how appropriate!). In these last weeks, Bean will be packing on pounds and working on that neuro system.

Gender: HR was high 140's today. I just have no idea what to think! Here's my gender predictor post in case you missed it!

Belly: Large and in charge.

Cravings: Savory and fresh :)