Birth Story :) Greatest day of my life

Just a heads up, this entry has some not so pleasant details :)

Aug 03- i started feeling funny, just not normal, and i had lost my mucus plug, and that can be a sign of labor coming, so we decided to do some funny things we found on the internet on how to naturally induce labor, I'm not sure if any worked but it was a fun way to pass the time :) things like eating pineapple, spicy food, going for walks, and we all sat on the tramp and bounced gently for awhile on our butts. and that really gave me the giggles :) so things were just funny that day.

Aug 04- This is my half birthday! so i thought it would be cool if she were born today, but i was ok with whatever :) we decided to stay in brigham at my moms that night just in case, its a good thing we did :)

4 am- i woke up with some menstrual like cramps. and since i had not had them for nine months i definitely knew something was different. they started getting a bit more intense. so i got up and started just walking a little and other things to keep my mind off it. then, GUSH! my water broke. now most times ive been told its not a gush for everyone, but i had been told at my last appointment that i almost had too much water in there. i was at 18 and too much is 20. so i was definitely gushing. it kept going for about 20 min. i finally was able to get in the car and to the hospital, without leaking too much. but once we got there they put me in a bed, because once the water breaks, you pretty much cant leave till the babe comes :) so im in my nice little hospital room with Daniel and my sister.

 and we turn on some movies while we wait for my contractions to get going. they did. they would get stronger and stronger and closer and closer. so i was getting pretty pumped. then my doctor came in and said i was dilated to a 1. great.....i already knew it was going to be a long day. so we sit, watch movies and wait. every so often contractions came and i was able to breath through them. then about 10 am my doctor came back and said i was dilated to a 3. i was like what? it took that long to dilate to 3? oh boy....still needed to get to 10. so, now the nurse comes in and says you need fluids and oxygen! so in comes the iv and a beautiful huge oxygen mask! i looked gorgeous im sure :)  again, it wont let me upload any pictures so you wont be able to see that lovely site :) anyway, so 2 pm rolls around and I haven't dilated anymore, and the contractions are starting to get unbearable. I wasn't originally planning on an epidural, but I had no idea how long I would be waiting to dilate. so I got one. that was not very pleasant, but once it took effect I was very relieved. so back to watching movies. but you have to be so careful how you sit and move with epidurals you don't want to accidentally pull them out. so i would have to lay on one side then the nurses would have to come in and help me flip over every 15 min ish. because when you lay on your side the epidural goes from one side to the other then you have to flip. so that was the rest of my day pretty much till 10 pm. then they told me I had dilated to a 9!!!! I was relieved! one more hour then I was a 10! Time to push! so they set me all up and I pushed for one hour! that was a bit exhausting! but at the end of the hour the doctor sat down with me and explained that she hadn't moved at all with pushing because she couldn't get past my hips. they are too small for a natural birth with a 7 lb baby. so they would need to do a c section. he was worried that was going to affect me and assured me that I had done my best and that it wasn't my fault. but really at this point I did not care. I just wanted her out safe and sound :) so I said lets go! so they prepped me for surgery and put some stronger stuff in my epidural to make me totally numb. and that made me really nauseated. they kept poking me saying can you feel that? and I could the numbing wasn't working all the way. peachy I thought I really would not like to feel this operation. but since I had an epidural so long that day, my body wouldn't tolerate any more. so I couldn't feel pain, just pressure. so they are wheeling me into the hospital room and I puke all over the doctors and nurses. at this point im kind of out of it, otherwise I would've been very embarrassed. so then I feel them make the incision. just the pressure. and I feel them pulling her out. it felt like something sitting on my chest and pulling at the same time .....interesting. then they give me medicine to help me relax. but me being so small, it knocked me out. but right before, they said look at your baby! and I turned my head and saw my precious Katie for the first time. I started crying then, I don't remember anything else except being slightly conscious and hearing things like, she's losing this and that, and we need more suction or something like that. then I remember waking up in my hospital room maybe 15 after surgery was over with my awesome hubby all dressed up in doctor clothes holding our little angel, with my awesome pushing nurse Kathleen :) and he said do you want to hold her? and Daniel put her in my arms and I held her :) now the meds had me so doped up I remember feeling like I didn't care that I was holding her and that I was going back to sleep. and that isn't the most pleasant feeling to have the first time you hold your child but it was all good :) so I wake up feeling still groggy the next morning but a lot more there. that's when I got to hold my little girl and really enjoy it :) then my family came :) and during the whole week we had wonderful visits from family :) everyday after surgery got better. I lost something everyday, one day it was oxygen, the next iv, things were getting better and better. but still very hard. I never had a catheter before, once that was taken out. it took me forever to get out of bed and walk across the room the bathroom, that was very painful at first but with the nurses help I was able to get up and walk around easier and easier. now can I just say something about nurses? they are AMAZING!!! I was in the hospital Monday-Friday and every single day and night I had different nurses on hand helping me with everything! turning me over, helping me get up, walk, helping me in the bathroom, with my first shower after surgery, with my medicine. anything I needed! nurses are so selfless and wonderful to do what they do. I decided that after being in the hospital your dignity and pride go out the window. but having such wonderful support really helps. we eventually were able to go home and again it was hard at first, but gets easier everyday :) so that's my story! let me leave you with this, something I think every pregnant girl should know! the thing that saved me through it was Red Raspberry leaf tea. Very good for you and helpful to women with menstrual issues and pregnancy. it tones the muscles of the uterus to help. I drank a cup almost every day through pregnancy. it took away morning sickness, helped cleaned my blood, made contractions easier, and the doctors were amazed at how good her color was when she was born. she is very healthy and very strong. and Im sure the herbal tea had something to do with it. also I think It helped with my recovery:) whether it did or not, its good for you and I recommend it to everyone :)

Prego part 3 :)

Hey! In the last post, I told you a lovely story of me being in the hospital for a stomach infection, but I failed to mention that part of the exam they did was to listen to the baby and make sure everything was good, but it took them FOREVER to find her heartbeat! well, it was only a few minutes, but it felt really long to me, for just a few minutes I had just a slight glimpse of what it's like to really worry about your child, and I just want to give a shout out to those parents that have a child in the hospital, or having struggles, or even lose them. you are very strong and I look up to you immensely.

ok, so third tri! at first, it wasn't much different from 2nd tri, I still wasn't too uncomfortable, or anything like that, but as it progressed, I started feeling a few different things :) things were getting a little harder each day :) but not too bad :) at week 30 I had my glucose test, and the drink wasn't bad, but when we got there to draw blood, it got a little fun :) I am a smaller person, that doesn't have to much extra blood to give :) so the first time I got blood taken in first tri it was only 1 vial, and I got very light headed. so this time they took 3 vials, and my husband and brother had to carry me into my house :) and I was kind of out of it until they got some food in me :) so that was nice ;) haha can I just give some props to Daniel, he has just been awesome through this whole thing! rubs my feet and back when they hurt, gets up during the night to get milk for my heartburn, hugs me through all my crying and complaining when I was sick, reassuring me through worry, I cant imagine a better husband for me and a better father for our baby :) theres a really cute saying that I love

At this point, I am feeling her kick all the time! which I totally love!

This picture is just barely out of 2nd tri :)

ok! so we are getting into summer, and at around week 28-30 ish I was starting to have harder and harder time standing without feeling really light headed, and my wonderful boss and coworker at the best job ive ever had, were so awesome about letting me sit, making sure I wasn't alone, and helping me with my hours :) Brigham City Seagull Book is the best!!!! Thanks to all of you! But as it got harder and harder, I realized I needed to take a break and rest. so sad! but ill come visit!

So around 32 ish weeks we settled on a for sure name!

So excited! also, while this is going on, I am discovering a wonderful thing called swelling in my feet! and an even more wonderful thing called I CANT FIT ALMOST ALL OF MY SHOES ANYMORE!!!!!! my life may have stopped for a few minutes with that realization ;) just kidding, but in all honesty, I love putting outfits together, and when your selection goes from  pretty big to pretty small, it can be hard. am I totally superficial or what? that sounds terrible, but by 34 weeks only 1 pair still fit! and everybody likes variety right? and anyway after feeling like I was walking in jello for a few weeks is reason enough to let me go buy new shoes after the babe come right? haha. well swelling wasn't very bad because I did two things, one- I relaxed with my feet up as much as possible, and I drank tons of water! sounds strange, but the more water you drink, the less you retain :) so that helped me quite a bit :) now I know you all really want to hear more about the lovelies of pregnancy, but I have to share this!

This perfectly describes my feelings :) This was something new to me too! They can be uncomfortable, but not anything bad :) So at 36 weeks, we moved into a new apartment! not really something I would recommend. it's not terrible, but it does make the swelling, back pain, and discomfort worse. I didn't move anything, haha I was even told by my bff lyssa's mom that the only moving I should be doing is lifting a fork to my mouth :) she cracks me up! but we finally got everything organized, and cleaned! and the nursery is almost done! pictures soon! but for now, im just a few weeks away! and the doctor says Im not dilated yet, so we will be awaiting her grand arrival soon! Then ill have a post about that of course! btw, thank you to everyone who has been of help to me during this! I really appreciate all of you! the showers, gifts, concerns, those who helped us move, all of you have been wonderful! heres a pic of a shower last week :)



Prego part 2 :)

So! this is where it gets interesting! the first week of 2nd trimester, my sister got sick with a stomach infection, now I never knew that pregnant girls catch sickness way easier than most. the immune system drops so it wont take the baby as a threat and attack it. so being pregnant makes you very vulnerable and humble :) anyway, so my sister's came and went, and as much as I tried to avoid it, I caught it. So remember in the last post I said I didn't get morning sickness? well, what happened during this sickness pretty much made up for it :) I was throwing up all night, could not keep anything down, and had THE WORST stomach pain I think ive ever had. around 4 in the morning, my husband decided to take me to the hospital. I am so grateful he did not take pictures while we were there, im sure I looked horrid. the doctors took me to a bed, ( I couldn't walk at this point) they even had to wheel me back and forth to the bathroom in a hospital gown. so lets just say I had no dignity left after this was over :) anyway, they put an iv in me, which stopped the vomiting, to hydrate me, then took some blood, and I laid there for a few hours until they came back and told me what was wrong, they gave me medicine for the pain and sent me home. so for the next few days I had a fever and was extremely weak. it took me a full week to get my strength and appetite back. so that was fun, then I got to go to the doc the next week to see the baby move!

Then the glorious news came!!!! We found out we are having a girl! yay!!!! I was wanting to post pictures but it's not letting me, so after that I got pneumonia :) lucky me! that took a lot out of me too. I had a lot of relaxation time haha :) another thing that happened during my second tri was in the walmart parking lot, I was waiting for my husband and I felt some kind of butterflies in my stomach, or muscle spasm or something... and come to find out it was our baby's first movement!!! talk about exciting! when the movements got more intense I would just lay there and feel/watch her move :) feeling like no other! during this whole time, Daniel was in salt lake for a lot of the time, for an internship, so there was a lot of time spent with chocolate milk and watching what to expect when youre expecting :) best movie ever! 2nd trimester had a lot of ups and downs from felling first movements, to not being able to fit normal clothes anymore :) but I think it wasn't until 3rd tri that I really started learning a lot about myself and others ......stay tuned :)

 

Prego part 1 :)

OK, so! I wanted to share my experience through this awesome time in my life, but realized that is wasn't going to work in one blog :) so I have split it into 3 parts!

So lets start from the beginning! November 2013, I had been getting negative pregnancy tests for over 6 months. LOTS of false alarms :) some of us just take longer I guess :) well, I had taken enough to know that its best if you take a test in the morning. so I had woken up at 4 in the morning and figured why not? I had been late AGAIN, but this time there was a reason! after so many false alarms I just didn't think it would be much different. But boy was I wrong! Finding out news like this is a lot like being proposed to...kinda paralyzes you for a few min.

So I couldn't go back to sleep with so many thoughts going through my head, so I wake Daniel up, tell him, and we set up an appointment for our doctor for that day! He gives the good word and congratulates us! Then we decide to tell our fam for Christmas! here is how that went.....

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203030794797315&set=vb.1428390649&type=3&theater
I'm sorry if you cant see it, but everyone was SUPER excited....and then.....I had some morning sickness:( I was super lucky because during my whole first trimester that was the only time I had morning sickness was Christmas morning, the rest of the first trimester was pretty nice :) the only other thing that was a bit of a struggle was that early on in the pregnancy, I was told that going for a walk was the most exercise I could do. I LOVE exercise and I had a hard time with that, because I was constantly gaining weight, but I figured out how to take a breath and be ok with it :) after all.....gotta do whats best for the babe :)
 Here is me at 15 weeks :)

And that's part 1! Stay tuned for part 2!!! (it has a bit more)

Something i think i needed to share.

Something I have just been wanting to write about, we all have things that bother us, or pet peeves. And I am not one to complain about things that bother me but sometimes when something builds up, it is therapeutic for me to write about things I'm going through or something I need to talk about. Words. there are lots of different ways people can be hurt. but I believe with everything I know that words can be terrible weapons. First let me say that there is a difference between choosing to be offended and being emotionally scarred from emotional abuse. My main focus is children. Children are so very easily influenced. and they depend so heavily especially on their parents of what they think of themselves. And that is why It is so important that parents build their kids up and not tear them down. Once I heard a mother always saying how much she didn't trust her sister, and how much her sister bothered her, and was constantly tearing her down. and repeatedly throughout her little girls life, she always said you remind me of my sister. you are just like her. What is that child supposed to think? maybe not much after one or two times. But after years and years of being told that over and over, it started to stick with her. But not only that she always used adjectives like lazy, untrustworthy dishonest, pain, and the reason for these words was if she forgot to dry all the dishes or something. I know that parents aren't perfect, and that everyone gets angry. but we all need to be so careful what we say to anyone especially our kids. And not let our anger or poor judgement speak for us. They're  confidence and how they view themselves depends on it. Its always better to be nice :)