Audrey's birth story

I never wrote down Elise's birth story and I'm regretting it now, so I figure I should do Audrey's while I can remember better. :) I'm also giving fair warning: it should be obvious since it's a birth story, but some of these details may be considered TMI.

The last few days of this pregnancy were pretty uncomfortable, although I think that really just comes with the territory. Little Sister (we didn't know her name yet) really liked being under my ribs, even more than Elise did. It didn't matter if I was sitting, standing, or laying in any number of positions, my ribs were sore and my back hurt. She was also head down for at least the last 3-4 weeks and seemed to have her hands/arms up by her head a lot (she still does). If I ate any sugar after dinner, I paid for it with a dance and kickboxing party directed at my cervix.

Saturday (5/2) morning, our neighborhood in San Diego was having a 5k in conjunction with the annual Fiesta de los Penasquitos. It starts at our stake center and ends at our church building, so a lot of the members of the Church get involved. Assuming Little Sister hadn't come yet, Brian was going to run it and I would decide to participate or not based on how I was feeling. I had been having more contractions throughout the week but they seemed to be mostly Braxton Hicks with a few uncomfortable ones thrown in here and there, so I ended up deciding to walk it. When I showed up, plenty of people asked if I was really going to do it, and there was laughing and joking that I was just trying to jump-start labor. (Did I mention I went to Disneyland twice the week before this?)

On Sunday (5/3) night, I told Brian I was hoping she'd come soon because I was just done with this pregnancy (probably didn't help that I gained more weight this time around). I even apologized for complaining, although he seemed to think it was allowed. ;)

Monday (5/4) morning, something woke me up around 3 AM. That wasn't uncommon for the last week, but then I couldn't get back to sleep because I started having some uncomfortable contractions. I finally fell asleep again around 4:30 or 5 and got up when my alarm went off around 7. I've been walking with friends on MWF since coming off bed rest, so I got myself and Elise ready while the contractions started up again. Since I was induced with Elise, I was a little uncertain about what "real" contractions feel like, but I suspected that these might be closer to the real thing. They kept up throughout the walk and breakfast, but I wasn't really in (much) pain and was definitely in denial. ;) I refused to time them and got ready for my regular prenatal appointment at 10:10. Between the walk and my appointment, I did spend some time in the bathroom with some digestive issues. That seemed like it might also be pointing toward labor, but...nope, still in denial.

My parents were flying in on Monday. I texted my dad to let him know Elise had woken up with a cold (Murphy's Law?) and I was having contractions. I told him I would keep them posted but was still planning on picking them up at the airport later. He responded, "If it's a choice between picking us up and going to the hospital, Go To THE HOSPITAL!"

I hadn't yet packed a hospital bag but at least had the foresight to quickly throw something together before the dr. I figured it couldn't hurt to have it in the car even if today was not the day. Elise and I headed out (I hadn't gotten a babysitter) and I continued having contractions while driving. At that point, they were more uncomfortable but I could still get through them just fine with breathing.

The nurse asked how I was doing, and I mentioned the contractions and diarrhea and said I thought it was possible I was in labor but didn't really know for sure. She asked if I'd had a bloody show yet - I had just had a little blood when giving my urine sample for the appointment. She also asked how far apart the contractions were and looked mildly surprised when I said I hadn't been timing them but they were less than 10 min apart. Dr. Dietze wouldn't normally do a cervical exam at that appointment, but with all those signs she said it would be a good idea for him to check. I told her she seemed a little concerned, but she laughed and said she wouldn't have taken my blood pressure if she was - she would have pasted on a big smile and told me she'd be back in a minute. She did think it was funny how nonchalant I was about everything since I was talking about all these labor signs but then carrying in my 2-year-old and the backpack/diaper bag like it was nothing.

Dr. Dietze came in and chatted for a minute then listened to Little Sister's heartbeat and measured the fundal height. He did the cervical exam while we kept talking and then looked at me and very calmly said, "You're 7 cm." I think I laughed a little bit and responded, "So I guess I should go to the hospital, huh?" He said he'd call and put in orders for me to be admitted so I could bypass triage and recommended that I go straight there (even with Elise) unless I wanted to risk having the baby in the car. ;) I cleaned up Elise's toys, picked her up, and headed out to get her in the car and make a couple phone calls. (Elise, of course, didn't WANT to get in the car, so we had a bit of a struggle in the parking lot but I think I convinced her by asking if she wanted Tyra to come pick her up.) I did have to start leaning over a little to breathe through contractions, but it was still manageable.

Brian said he'd meet me at the hospital, although I found out later that he was concerned about me getting there ok by myself - he did ask if he should come to the dr office to get me instead of just meeting me. I guess I figured I didn't want to leave a car at the dr, and I had made it to  my appointment just fine even through some contractions. I couldn't get ahold of Tyra, but Diana said she could meet me at the hospital and take Elise until my parents flew in. Brian beat me to the hospital, and Diana arrived not long after. By the time we got Elise squared away, it was probably about 11 and both Brian and Diana were asking why I was out in the parking lot helping them.

The front desk sent us up to triage (even though I said my dr sent me and I had orders to be admitted), where they started taking my information. I mentioned Dr. Dietze's orders to the nurse at the window, and she called someone to confirm before telling me to wait for a bit and a L&D nurse would come get me. The nurse also told me (jokingly) she didn't believe I was 7 cm because I was smiling and laughing too much.

An awesome nurse named Amy took us back to a room and got me settled with a gown, IV, monitors, etc. I think it was probably about 11:30 by then. I had been thinking it might be neat to try a natural delivery, especially since I had made it to 7 cm without too much discomfort, but I was certainly not opposed to the epidural. When Amy asked about my expectations for the delivery, I explained this and said something about getting the epidural if I needed it. "Need" was the wrong word - Amy joked that she was happy to tell me if I "needed" it. (As a side note, my non-existent birth plan would have been one sentence, something like, "Get this baby out of me - safely!")

A lot of time after this was spent hanging out and waiting, with some paperwork and stuff thrown in. We talked to a lady about cord blood donation - the public kind, not paying for private storage - and got that all set up (though there was some miscommunication and it ended up not happening after all). Brian told me stories and made me laugh through some contractions, which was surprisingly effective pain relief. Eventually, I did decide to get an epidural.

Nurse Amy came in at some point and said the doctor (not my OB) could come break my water if I wanted. He was busy with another delivery but would come after he was done. Not too much later, we heard a pop and a splash and I was suddenly very wet. ;) When the dr finally came in - he had finished the delivery but another lady was having trouble so he went there first - he found out my water had broken and said that was fine, it would just be a social visit. :)

More waiting. Amy eventually checked me again and I was fully dilated and ready to go. However, I was still comfortable with the epidural and didn't feel any urge to push, so we just waited until the dr was available and let the contractions do the work for a while. I was feeling more pressure (not exactly pain) with some of the contractions and kept saying it felt like I was pooping a baby. Amy said that was fine and I just needed to let her know if I needed to push. She got all the tables and tools set up so that when the dr got there we'd be ready to go. Unfortunately, when it came time to deliver, she had been told to take her lunch break because she probably wouldn't get one if she didn't take it then. Another nurse assisted Dr. Shipp in the delivery.

I learned something new about childbirth - somehow, it never occurred to me that the contractions are meant to push the baby out. Babies could be born with no extra help pushing, we just do it to make things go faster. By the time Dr. Shipp came to deliver, Audrey was quite far down (I think the nurse even checked and said something like, "she's right there!"). They had me push through 2 contractions and then again right after the 2nd one was done because she was practically out. That extra push was all she needed. She was born at 3:15 PM.

I remember with Elise, I immediately reached for her when she was born and said "Give her to me!" The dr then was a little surprised (and we all laughed about it later). But at Mary Birch, that's standard practice - they immediately handed Audrey to me and she laid on my chest for a while as Dr. Shipp worked on stitching and cleaning me up. (Side note: Later, he did give me a prescription for Vicodin but said if I got to 7 cm without much pain, I probably wouldn't need it and would likely be fine with Ibuprofen. I guess I must have a high pain tolerance. I don't know if I would have said that about myself before - we learn new things every day. :) I did think it was funny that it seemed like every person who came in to see me knew I was 7 cm before getting to the hospital. I guess word spreads quickly, haha.)

Most of the time after delivery and before moving to my postpartum room was spent doing skin-to-skin with Audrey, which I loved. Amy cleaned her up and weighed/measured her (7 lb 11 oz and 20 in long) after a long time bonding. I also tried breastfeeding a little bit, and she took to it pretty well.

Tyra picked up my parents at the airport (around 4 PM) and they all came to the hospital to meet Audrey. They held her and took some pictures and we hung out for a bit while my epidural wore off. Eventually they went home to get Elise and I was transferred to my room upstairs.

Overall, Audrey's birth was a very good experience. I'm grateful for all the doctors and nurses who took such good care of me (and her). We're really enjoying having this sweet, healthy baby in our family. :)

another photo dump

Since I only seem to post pictures about 6 months at a time, it must be about time for another update. :) Mostly pictures from my phone again, but I'll try to put up better (more recent) ones soon.

 11/28/14 - Family hike at Rocky Mouth Canyon while we were in UT for Thanksgiving. I was about 4 months pregnant at this point.

 12/15/14 - I can't remember for sure, but I think this was the first time I ever gave Elise her own bowl of cereal and trusted her to eat it herself. She ate like a champ!

12/24/14 - New Christmas jammies! (The picture's a bit blurry if you enlarge it, but my pants and Elise's sleeper have penguins.) 

1/9/15 - Passed out on the couch because she wouldn't sleep in her bed for her nap. I suspect it had something to do with the whole "bed rest" thing I had just started. (We may have had her mattress on the floor so she could get in and out without me lifting her). 

1/16/15 - We met the Jacksons at Disneyland. Elise LOVES Minnie. (I'm about 5.5 months pregnant in this one.)

 1/23/15 - Playing outside in her jammies and Sunday shoes.

 1/24/15 - After her first haircut (besides a bang trim I did previously)! I was so sad we had to cut off the curls, but she had a gross baby mullet.

2/2/15 - We were about a month into the bed rest at this point and needed every possible opportunity to get outside. She spent a long time throwing Mickey in, climbing in after him, handing him back to me, climbing out, and repeating the process.

2/2015 - Diana offered to take Elise to the Safari Park with her boys so I could rest like I was supposed to. (I could sing Diana's praises all day - Elise loves her and so do I!)

2/9/15 - Just playing with the tupperware - taking it all out and putting it back. I wasn't even mad because she was happy and entertained. Also, she gets some crazy hair when she sleeps, and I don't always bother to comb it. 

3/3/15 - It was an awesome day for fashion at our house. 

 3/6/15 - Thoroughly enjoying her banana milkshake.

3/8/15 - This girl LOVES shoes. More recently, she has even figured out how to tromp around in Daddy's sneakers, and she thinks it's hilarious (it is). I don't know how I got lucky enough to catch this pose either, but she's certainly struttin' her stuff. 

 3/17/15 - Finger painting! I didn't trust her with clothes on, or inside, for that matter. We got some Vitamin D instead. :) She enjoyed it for a little while then decided it was actually more fun to play with the cups and lids.

 3/25/15 - What's around her feet, you ask? Oh, just her potty seat. Don't worry, I wiped it down (she's never successfully used it anyway) but not before she put it on her head as a hat. (She also has a pajama shirt from the laundry around her neck.)

pictures

Here are a bunch of pictures since I've been so terrible about updates - some older and some more recent. (Forgive the quality, a lot of them are phone pictures.)

 5/22/14 - Looking at pictures in her rocking chair. This girl LOVES reading books.

6/2014 - We went to the San Diego County Fair with some friends from our apartment complex.

6/2014 - Riding the little kiddie tractors at the fair.

 7/13/14 - We wanted a picture of her wearing this adorable dress before she outgrew it, but she passed out on the way home from church. Our Brazilian friends in Columbus brought it back for her from a trip to Brazil.

8/23/14 - I ran the Color Me Rad 5k with some friends. I think Elise was less than impressed. Brian was the only spectator on the course, and people loved it (and his sign).

8/23/14 - These lovely ladies encouraged me to train for and run this race.

 8/29/14 - Watching BYU football with friends. We're pretty sure Elise is the cutest BYU cheerleader around. Go Cougs!

 9/13/14 - Playing at the beach with Grandpa Casaday.

9/28/14 - Rockin' her awesome birthday dress/outfit from Aunt Tami.

10/18/14 - Rock, paper, scissors at our ward's Trunk or Treat.

10/27/14 - Swinging at the park. 

 10/27/14 - Riding the zebra at the park. She had ridden it for the first time a few days before and knew exactly what to do when she got on this time.

10/27/14 - Painting pumpkins for FHE. She caught on pretty quickly.

10/31/14 - My secondary Halloween costume. :) (This is how we announced the baby due in May. I was about 13 weeks here.)

11/14/14 - Our little stinker hard at work spreading hot chocolate all over the kitchen floor. Could've been much worse, I suppose.

real Halloween

Our ward Halloween party was several weeks before Halloween this year. My costume was a little cumbersome, so I decided I wouldn't wear it on the actual holiday. (It would have been nearly impossible to get any work done.) Fortunately, Laura couldn't resist sending me a really cute shirt that I ended up wearing that day instead.

That's right, I have a skeleton baby.

Slightly bigger baby bump! 19 weeks

No, I'm not 9 months pregnant...just really good at sticking out my belly.

the joys of pregnancy

Disclaimer: If you've never been pregnant before, read at your own risk. Also, this is a really long post.

Before we decided to have kids, I was aware that pregnancy could have some less-than-fun aspects. Apparently I was not aware of the full extent and range of potential symptoms. Here, I will detail some of the lovely things I've been able to experience. :) (I really hope this comes off as sarcastic and funny, as it's meant to be, instead of just complaining.)

Wait, now you're pregnant?

*Note: When referring to our baby, I will be calling her Bean. For some reason, we didn't call her anything but "our baby" for a long time, but when we found out she's a girl, I decided I wanted a nickname for her and settled on Bean (and variations).

Nausea and Vomiting: This one is obvious. Lots of women have "morning sickness." I had even been warned that that's a misnomer and it can easily last all day. Fortunately, my nausea wasn't as bad as it could have been, even though it did last all day most of the time. (I'll spare you the details on the vomiting.) I count myself lucky that I was still able to work and wasn't stuck on the couch all day. Of course, after 2 months of that constant icky feeling, it was getting a little tiresome, especially since I was mostly eating toasted/buttered bagels, crackers, and juice. Around 14 weeks, I started feeling better. Smells weren't bothering me quite as much, and I even started cooking again (poor Brian didn't have a decent meal during that time, as far as I know).

Burping: I never really had a problem with burping before and had never even been taught how to burp (surprising, since I have three older brothers). But now I can burp like a champ. Embarrassingly, I often don't have enough control to slowly let them out or produce smaller, quieter burps. Even Brian has been impressed by my manly belching.

Bloody Gums: My gums started bleeding (slightly) when brushing my teeth. I actually thought it was because I had started using a night guard for teeth grinding. I was pretty sure it wasn't because of flossing, since I never floss and hadn't started again. ;) Anyway, then I read an article online about things they don't tell you about pregnancy, and I discovered that it's actually not uncommon to have bleeding gums. I suppose I should start flossing, but meh.

Fainting: Ok, so I haven't actually passed out yet. But I've had several near-misses. It always happens at work, when I'm working in the glove box. I've decided it's probably because I get overheated (big rubber gloves all the way up your arms don't circulate air very well). My doctor actually told me it's normal and it's usually because of low blood sugar or low blood pressure. I make sure to keep my knees slightly bent (not locked) and not be hungry while I'm working. It's a little scary to suddenly break into a cold sweat and have the blackness start closing in around your vision. Fortunately, I've always been able to get out of the glove box before anything actually happens.

Colds: The second trimester has been pretty good thus far, but I caught a cold a few weeks ago. I knew there wasn't much you could take during pregnancy, but it hadn't been an issue before that. I ended up coping with cough drops and a little Tylenol. Fortunately, that cold was short-lived. However, I got sick again 4-5 days ago, and this one is much worse - sinus headache, sensitive eyes, cough, brief 101 degree fever, etc. I know plenty of people get sick during pregnancy, but I can't help but worry and hope that our little Bean won't be affected.

Cold Sores/Impetigo: I started getting cold sores sometime in middle or high school, and impetigo has been a problem since I was little. It was no surprise, then, that they have come with a vengeance during pregnancy. In the first month or two, I had two giant cold sores back-to-back, followed by a nice outbreak of impetigo. Again, the doctor told me these things are normal because your immune system is compromised so the baby isn't seen as something foreign to be destroyed. I've dealt with these sores long enough that, although they're uncomfortable and inconvenient, I can handle them well enough. Bean is worth it. :) And actually, the latest outbreak of impetigo came at the same time as the first cold that I caught. I didn't have a current prescription of the cream/ointment that I usually use (I had used an expired tube when I had it before), so I went to the doctor for a new one. He put me on oral antibiotics instead, and I think that may have actually helped shorten the cold (see above). Blessings in disguise.

Cramps: Menstrual-like cramps are pretty normal in pregnancy. I didn't think they'd be a big deal because I rarely had them before. And actually, they haven't been a huge deal, but I do get them more frequently now, almost always on my right side. It's always from random things like rolling over in bed, standing up, or coughing. Sometimes they've been so sharp that I've doubled over in pain. Luckily, mine have never lasted longer than about 20-30 seconds. Along with those fun cramps, I had heard that charley horses weren't uncommon either. A few weeks ago, I fell asleep on the couch; when I woke up to go to bed for real, my leg cramped up and I couldn't get up for a minute. It was pretty intense, but I'm grateful it was short-lived. 

Nosebleeds: I've only had one, but it actually came within 5 minutes of the aforementioned charley horse. After finally getting off the couch, I was pulling stuff together to take upstairs. When I bent over, I felt my nose starting to drip then realized it wasn't snot. Good thing I started reaching for a Kleenex as it was dripping. Brian actually gets nosebleeds sometimes, so when I realized I didn't know how to stop it (I never get them), I had to ask him what to do. I ended up plugging my nostril with some toilet paper for a while. Unsophisticated, but it did the trick.

Back Pain: I had lower back pain occasionally before pregnancy, so I shouldn't have been surprised that it would come back. It wasn't an issue until a few days ago, after I probably overdid it during Thanksgiving. I was on my feet for a good portion of the day on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as part of Friday. By Saturday night, I was starting to feel it. I almost didn't go to church on Sunday (and probably shouldn't have because of my cold germs) because I could only stand straight for 10-20 seconds before having to bend over or sit again. This back pain has been much more intense than previous bouts I've experienced. (Last night, I told Brian that if this is anything like labor, or if labor is worse, I'm definitely getting an epidural. He responded, "This is a good time for me not to say anything, right?") Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends who are looking out for me and gave me some great advice, so I'm doing much better today. One of them even lent me her back brace and this magical stuff called Biofreeze (sort of like IcyHot).

Fetal Movement: I've talked about this before, and it's not a bad thing. It's pretty fun to feel Bean moving around. I was noticing today that her kicks seems to be stronger and more deliberate now (before, it just felt like twitching). I even got to see my belly move today. Unfortunately, she's still being shy for Brian - when he came over to watch, she stopped moving. He did finally feel her kick about a week ago, though. I told Brian this is the only time she'll be allowed to kick me or anyone else and get away with it. ;)

Other Things: There are several other things that I've experienced lately, but all of them fall in the realm of TMI. I'll leave them to the imagination. :)

overheard

Brian: It's almost your birth month!
Amy: Yup!
Brian: How old are you turning again?
Amy: I'm getting old. 27. Man, I'm old to be having babies. I should have started having kids, like, 10 years ago!
(Yes, sometimes I speak before thinking.)


Amy (to Brian): I have decided the baby feels like a worm [when it moves]. Did you feel your worms when you had them?


Oh, yeah, and the baby is a girl. :) Apparently Brian and I are breaking the mold - all of my siblings had boys first. (Although 3 of Brian's 4 sisters had girls first, so I guess it's not that crazy.)

movement

I'm really afraid this blog is going to turn into a place where I only talk about the progression of my pregnancy, baby stats after it gets here, etc. I feel like that's boring, but being pregnant is actually one of the more interesting things in my life right now. Plus, I'm guessing most of the people who actually read this want to know those updates.

Stolen from here. I have no affiliation with this site and didn't even read the article the picture came from.

As a side note, I'm going to call the baby* "him" for now even though we don't know the gender yet. It's easier and less repetitive that way. (I say "him" because I'm personally convinced that it's a boy. Brian doesn't have an opinion yet. When I asked him, he said, "Let's take a vote. I'm going to wait to vote until after the ultrasound.")

On that note, I recently started feeling the baby move around. I'm sure that's not that exciting for people who have already had kids, but I think it's pretty cool! (Although I have to admit, the more I feel it, the more it feels a little like an alien poking me from inside.) I think I actually felt him for the first time about 2 weeks ago (?), but having never been pregnant before this, I wasn't sure if it was that or gas. ;) Yesterday, before getting up in the morning, I decided to lay there and see if I could feel him at all. As if on cue, he started moving all over the place (it definitely wasn't indigestion). Maybe he'll have some entertainment genes like his dad. :) I felt him again while sitting on the bus on the way home from work and then later during our meeting with the elders. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm feeling even more little kicks.

*Brian and I joked about calling the baby "the fetus" for the duration of my pregnancy. As hilarious as I think that is, I can't bring myself to do it, especially in writing. ;)

Halloween

Tonight was our ward Halloween Party. We decided to go with the "bun in the oven" theme, and turned Amy into an oven. I, of course, am the baker.

We were quite satisfied with how the oven turned out, especially considering we started it last night.

belly

When Scott and Laura found out I was pregnant, they asked for belly shots. At that point (and I guess still), I really only had a little paunch. Whatever, this is what you get. These are from our trip to UT, so I was not quite 12 weeks.

I'm sure I was probably trying to suck it in, but this is as far as it goes.

I'm really not that big, and hopefully you can tell I was sticking it out as far as possible. Hence, the funny look on my face because it was actually pretty uncomfortable to do.

overheard

*This happened after my second prenatal appointment, around 9 weeks.
Amy: Wanna hear something funny? I've actually lost 2 pounds since the last time I went to the doctor.
Brian (really excited): Do you think our baby is made of helium??

*At my appointment in mid-September, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time (although I had already seen it on an ultrasound).
Amy: Brian, I got to hear the heartbeat today! It was really fast - the nurse said it was about 160.
Brian: That's how fast I beat...
Amy: Um, no way does your heart beat that fast, there would be something wrong.
Brian (starting to speak while Amy is finishing): ...poor, defenseless animals.
*As horrible as it is, I laughed for probably 5 minutes about that. There's a reason I married Brian. :)