STOP & READ BELOW*** ***Please do not comment on this thread unless it is your birth announcement***
Please use this thread to share baby's name, birth date, pictures, and any other details you would like to share as well as a link to your individual announcement thread.
"Love Its" are welcome and appreciated on this thread, but please refrain from commenting with anything other than your baby's details. If you'd like to comment, please follow the link to the individual's announcement thread and comment there.
Wishing everyone short, healthy, and happy births!!
My little Johnny decided to come early at 34 weeks & 5 days. He's 5.5lbs 19in, breathing on his own just needs help with eating & regulating his body temperature. ❤️
Wilder James (5lbs 6 oz) and Finnley Bradford (4 lbs 6oz) made a surprise whirl wind appearance on 2/5 at about 10:30 pm (GA 35.5). H left to go to a super bowl party and I stayed home with DD to watch a movie. I had been feeling pretty good all day. We were laying in bed and I felt a tiny contraction and then some warmth so I jumped out of bed to avoid get the bed dirty and then a big gush of water game out. I called H. He had been at the party about 5 mins lol. We had nothing ready so I put on a little makeup and packed hospital bags and waited for my sis to come to stay with DD. I wasn't having any other leaking or contractions so I got a little worried maybe I had just peed myself or something. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30, so the nurses were at shift change thank goodness because the one I got was so rude. She said she didn't think my water had broken and I could plan on going back home. She did the PH test and it came back negative. At this point I started to feel super crazy and wanted to cry but I had also started having contractions about every 3 to 5 mins. The ordered an u/S and my fluid still looked good (now feeling certifiably crazy). By this time though I had a new nice nurse and I thought I had felt a few more tiny leaks. She PH tested again and it immediately showed a leak and then she checked and I was already 6cm! Things went super fast from there and I had a c-section at about 10:30 and everything went very smooth. Boys came out with great lungs but both are small. Finnley automatically had to go to the NICU because he didn't make the weight requirement. They will evaluate him for 24 hours. Wilder is fine but has to stay in incubator at night and he will come to me every 3 hours to try and feed. All in all great news for these little guys! Will keep you all posted.
Sorry for the delay, y'all. The wifi here is super spotty!
Lucas John and Benjamin George arrived yesterday 2/9/2017 at 11:11 AM and 11:13 AM. Born at 34 weeks + 1 day Lucas weighed 5 lbs 9 oz and my peanut, Ben weighed 4 lb 10 oz!
Despite being 6 weeks early, they are breathing on their own, holding temp, eating, and maintaining blood sugar. The doctors said the may even be able to check out when I do!
I just got to hold them about an hour ago, 15 hrs after they were born. I required a C Section because Lucas was breech!
I'll add a birth story once I get some sleep.
p.s. A bunch of nerdy friends pointed out that both names are from Star Wars, and that was completely unintentional! The middle names are mine & my husband's favorite Beatles!
First pic = Lucas on the left Second pic = peanut Benjamin Third pic = Lucas
Tyler James was born at 35 wks 1 day 2/12/17 at 8:10 pm. He is 6 lbs 11 oz and 20 in long so he's a big boy! He had a little bit of breathing trouble but that was resolved right away. He also had low blood sugar so he is being supplemented with formula right now after nursing. His numbers have looked good today so they may stop that soon. Story: i started having contractions like period cramps that morning with back pain. They started coming in waves about 5 min apart. The dr on call said to go to the hospital to get checked out. When I got there my contractions became more painful but a lot further apart. The midwife checked my cervix and there was no dilation. They told me to go home and rest and take a bath. I got home at 6 pm and started to fill the bath tub up, stood up and my water broke. After that, painful contractions started. It took us 20 min to get back to the hospital then at least another 20 min to get checked by the midwife. In the mean time My contractions felt like they were every minute. The midwife checked my cervix - I was at 8 cm and she could see the baby. It became an emergency at that point with everyone scrambling to get everything needed for a c section - breech baby. The dr rushed in and checked me and I was at 9 feeling the need to push. The dr said he was able to do a vaginal delivery for frank breech if we couldn't make it to the OR in time. Luckily we made it to the OR and baby was delivered just fine. I can't believe how close I was to delivering him on the way to the OR frank breech unmedicated - scary and painful! I dilated from 0 to 10 within basically 2 hrs. During surgery with the blessed relief of the spinal block, the dr let us know the most likely reason both DS and baby DS were breech and born preterm is because I have a uterine abnormality - it's not completely developed. He wants me to get additional testing done on my kidneys in a couple months as they can be affected along with the uterus in cases he has seen. So there's my crazy birth story! We are both doing fine and should hopefully be leaving the hospital together on Wednesday.
Michaela came 3 weeks early after my doctors decided to induce due to high blood pressure. She was born February 11 at 838pm at 6 lbs 2 oz and 18inch long. Induction was super boring for the first 8 hours then in the half hour before her birth I dilated from 4 to 10 and she came so fast that my husband and doctor didn't make it in time for her arrival, though both were only 15min away. Luckily the nurses were amazing and michaela was a strong little girl and arrived healthy as can be. Things are going great now and we are home and loving on our new little girl. Big sister is totally enamored with her baby sister and being a great helper. Sorry if picture is huge mobile bumper.
My sweet little rainbow baby, Winter Rose, decided to make her appearance last night 2/18 (38w2d) around 10 pm. Weighing 6 lbs 8 oz. I had been having contractions since Friday and finally went to the doctor early afternoon Saturday once they got more painful at about 2-3 mins apart. Contractions would not stop, no dilation was occurring and blood pressure would rise during the contractions so I ended up with a c-section which I was scheduled to have if she didn't come by Thursday. So far so good with the recovery. We are both fine and healthy. Thank you all for helping me go through this PGAL journey, I appreciate this group.
Harrison Uwe made a surprise debut 5 weeks early! Feb 11th 2:13 am, 6lbs 10oz! We are still in the hospital but fingers crossed there's talk of going home tomorrow!!
At 38w5d, my water broke at home. In laws got there quickly to stay with the girls, and we headed to the hospital around 6pm. We got penicillin started, and I found out my OB was on an overnight shift way across town so they assigned another random hospital OB to me. She struck me as pro CS, which was the main thing I was trying to avoid. She kept referring to me as TOLAC rather than VBAC, for example. They told me I couldn't labor in the tub due to my water breaking (my regular OB had approved tub labor so I was disappointed) but she said the shower was still an option for later when things got going. She started me on pitocin pretty early and I had contractions that were uncomfortable but not painful all through the night. I dilated to about 8cm pretty comfortably and was even able to nap a little. Around 8am there was a shift change, my OB showed up, and things got intense fast. The pitocin contractions went full throttle and didn't let up for an hour. I counted breaths as I got a short break every 15 breaths or so. It helped me manage the intense pain. I asked to get in the shower and the new nurse refused bc I had an IV. Again disappointed but I couldn't advocate due to the intense pain. I used hands and knees on the floor. I nearly reached my breaking point and felt like my body would explode. But right as I thought I couldn't take it any longer, I felt a strong urge to push. STRONG. No time to get the pushing bar out. The nurse sent DH to the hall to call the OB in. She yelled at me to turn onto my back but a hand and knees position was the only thing that felt right. She was physically trying to push me onto my side but it was too late - I pushed the head out and felt crowning! She caught my baby in a panic before the OB walked through the door!
Baby girl #3 was 6lb. 5oz and 19.5" long! By the strength of her kicks I guessed she was way bigger! She's nursing well and we'll go home tomorrow!
Baby G, born on 2/18, 3 weeks early! 4 lbs 13 oz, she was surprise asynclitic breech.
I woke up after only ~20 minutes of sleep at 3am because my water broke like a waterfall! It was crazy. I didn't have any contractions at that point so it was really disorienting. An hour later, light contractions began and were immediately consistent at once every 2-3 minutes. Labor was just like bad period cramps—annoying and sharp but nothing like what I thought it would be (this obviously changed later!!)
Since no one caught her positioning, I labored for only 6 hours before I got to 9cm, but then stalled out for 5 hours. At the literal 11th hour they got out an ultrasound and saw that she was rump down! By that time, it was too late for meds—I had 30-45 mins to wait for the anesthesiologist to get there for a c-section or 20 minutes before I'd eventually shove her out naturally. So I chose to get it over with.
It was intense, scary and bizarre during that last hour.
I ended up with a 3rd degree episiotomy but I feel stronger and more amazingly like an Amazon woman than I could've ever imagined. And I have a sweet little babe to stare at every day. Life is crazy!
So Atticus Ronan decided three weeks early was a good idea, too! My first son was a week late so I definitely wasn't expecting this.
I woke up this morning with some pretty horrible ligament pain. But I got up and ready for my last day of work in the office. Halfway to work I realized the pain was kind of coming in waves so I turned around and went home. Worked for a couple hours and noticed my contractions were 5-15 minutes apart. After a couple hours I called the nurse and she said to come into their office to get checked out - around 9:30.
So I got there, the doctor checked me - was still closed. Sweet. Got hooked up to monitors to make sure everything was okay, definitely had regular contractions. Got two bags of IV fluids to try to stop them. I felt a bit better so figured I was good. Hooked me back up - more contractions. It had been about 2.5 hours at this point. Doctor checked me again and said, "Oh. Well you're definitely at a four now. Cervix isn't super soft, but... I think you're having a baby today."
So some panic on my part, mostly trying to figure out who would be able to watch and stay with DS the next few days. Started feeling more contractions as I got home and DH got packed. Got to the hospital and they moved fairly quickly. Went back and they started the c-section around 2:45. Little man made his appearance at 3:15, screaming his lungs out! 6 pounds, 2 ounces, 20 inches.
In recovery we noticed he was grunting a bit so they took him to the nursery. Eventually ended up with a chest x-ray showing some fluid on his lungs, and a spot that might be pneumonia. They're going to check again in the morning, but he's been doing much better with a little oxygen. Unfortunately, being messed with makes it worse, so no more holding for me yet. Fingers crossed he feels better tomorrow.
Here he is before he went to the nursery. I did get some snuggle time in. Side note, this c-section and recovery has been much smoother than my first. I'm also swearing by this ab binder they gave me!!
Baby Eliza or Eliana (not sure yet) was born February 24th, 5weeks early at 3:09 pm weighing 5 pounds 2 ounces and 17 inches long. Started having contractions Thursday at about 5pm went to L&D to get checked at 8pm. Turned out I was in labor. Got the lovely epidural at 2am which slowed contractions down a lot but eventually started up again. After 4 contractions pushed her out and she was breathing fantastically on her own. She has been having issues with her blood sugar being to low and her body temp to low but we have been able to get both up to normal. We are so happy and excited that everything is going so well.
Meet Isabelle Janetta! She was born February 24 at 6:58 pm. She is 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.25 inches long. She is completely healthy and perfect!
I began my induction at 9:30 am on February 23. The cervix softener worked well the first time, and I began contracting every 2 minutes pretty quickly. The contractions weren't all that productive, so the dr started pitocin very slowly. When the Dr checked my cervix, I began to bleed a lot. Gushes. Totally scared me, but it wasn't enough bleeding to force a c-section. I bled on and off throughout labor.
I finally got tired of the contractions and requested an epidural. It was amazing!!! I felt the pressure and the need to push, but nothing else. It gave me the ability to sleep. I started pushing around noon, and gave birth at about 7. I had s third degree tear that hurt quite a bit once the epidural wore off. The pain meds are helping with that now.
Contractions started around 2am and by 3:30 they were 3 min apart. It was snowing bad all night so at 4:15 I got up and took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital! At 5:30 we got to the hospital and I was dilated to a 4, 60% effaced which was great to me!
They started a pit drip and that immediately gave me 6 contractions in a row within about 10 min. So she turned it all the way down because I couldn't have my water broken for a few hours because I needed a full bag of penicillin in me for group B Strep first!
9:30 my OB broke my water and by 11 I was an 8. At 12 I was ready to push with each contraction but we were trying to wait for my doctor to get in! By the time he got there I was dying to push and first push she crowned, second her head was out and third push her whole body followed!!
My third baby was the best labor and delivery so far!!
Grant William arrived on 2/21 at 11:45pm, at exactly 38 weeks 6 days (literally 15 mins before he was 39 weeks!) We had a bit of an unexpected journey to labor with my water breaking at 4:00am and no sign of contractions. I took my time getting to the hospital-- did 2 loads of laundry, put clean sheets on the bed (because I leaked a good puddle there), took out the trash, walked the dog twice, we even went to Target to get last minute necessities. They say you're supposed to come in 2 hours after your water breaks, but I knew my time on the outside was limited, so I pushed the time window a bit.
When I got to the hospital, I was admitted and given a dose of misoprosol to soften my cervix and try and start contractions. They gave me the dose at 3:00 and said they would check me 4 hours later... At 7:00 I still had no contractions so they started talking pitocin rather than another dose of misprosol, because I had no contractions whatsoever. I really wanted to avoid pit, so I asked to wait for my husband, since he had just gone home to walk our stubborn dog. They agreed to wait and about 15 minutes later, my contractions hit hard. Nausea, writhing, the whole enchilada. I called my husband to come back asap and told the nurse I didn't need pitocin, I just needed an epi (which was previously not a part of my birth plan) She encouraged me to get checked before I got the epi (my nurse was amazing, so encouraging of my pain-med free plan).
The contractions continued to be awful and finally at 9:45 I got my very first check after being admitted (they were avoiding cervix checks to lessen the likelihood of infection and because I wasn't contracting at all earlier). Turns out, I was 10 cm and 100% effaced, station 1! The energy in the room got crazy and I went into push mode pretty quickly. I pushed for about 2 hours in every position possible. I continued to plead for an epi basically the whole time but my nurse kept me in check, checking his progress down every so often and letting me know how close I was. Finally, he crowned at about 11:40 and the doctor came in to deliver, I pushed him out on my side and at 11:45 he made his debut! 6 lbs., 13.5 oz, 19.25 inches long. Love of my life. Now we're home getting used to feeding and not sleeping! 0__o
I woke up on Saturday morning and knew immediately that something was up. I was having a bit of watery discharge so I went ahead and called L&D, who asked me to come in. I was admitted a few hours later with an official diagnosis of spontaneous rupture of membrane. Just over 24 hours later our trio arrived by csection at 33w1d. All three are doing great so far and we hope they have a short nicu stay!
Elise Margaret has arrived! We started induction at 9:45am on Sunday and after 2 doses of cytotec, high doses of pitocin and 20 hours was still "not quite at 4cm, 75% and -3. I let them break my water and all holy hell of painful contractions broke loose! They were seriously awful despite lots of deep breathing and fentanyl. Got my epidural at 7:10am and finally got some relief. After a couple hours I started having lots of hip pain and pressure. They checked me and I was complete and +2! After a couple practice pushes it was time!! 15min later my sweet girl was here with only a couple tiny tears in the same places as my DS. She is healthy and breast feeding like a champ! So in love!!
I got up around 1:20 a.m. on Friday the 24th to use the restroom, and as soon as I laid back down in bed, I heard a "pop" sound. That snapped me awake so I carefully went back to the bathroom and confirmed that my water had broken. So I shouted for my husband and tried to wait for things to gush out for a while, during which contractions started, immediately 7 minutes apart. We headed straight to the hospital, and in that half hour drive my contractions got down to 4 minutes apart.
However, when they admitted and checked me, I was only 2 cm. I labored until 11:00ish--tangent to say that I've been SO scared of labor, but it really was just like bad period cramps (which I have weathered many times before), and that calmed me down a ton--and then was only 3 cm. Ugh. I decided to call my mom and mother-in-law in as additional support people because I was getting discouraged, and asked for an epidural because I didn't want to exhaust myself for hours and then have no strength to push. The epidural worked perfectly and I finally relaxed, plus the nurse brought in something called a "peanut ball" to put between my legs to open up my pelvis, and within two hours I was at 8 cm.
People may remember that my OB was leaving town on Sunday for a week and I was freaking out about needing a strange random doctor... well, when I was ready to push, he was in another surgery! So they took away the peanut ball and had me lay on my side for an hour until he finished. I've never been so happy to see someone, haha. After 14 hours of labor, 45 minutes of pushing (with my husband coaching me SO well, he has been amazing) and 2 second-degree tears, Samuel Vincent entered the world at 3:01 pm. He is 19 inches long, exactly 8 pounds, and a handsome, hairy little boy! My heart is so full!!!
P.S. When we got home from the hospital Sunday night, we discovered the water was turned off for our entire complex. So we had to turn around and drive to my in-law's to spend the night. Sooooo exhausting! But things are looking up today.
Blakley Kate arrived 2/25 at 5:52 a.m at 36.6 weeks weighing 6.1 pounds. My water broke Friday afternoon and she joined us early Saturday morning! We were able to deliver naturally and are so in love with our little girl!
Finally come home today, Paul Phillip, or Little Paul! Six days in the nicu. Today was his original birth date. Born Thursday, Feb 23 at 10:25 am at 9 lbs. 1 oz.
My rainbow Leah Evelyn arrived March 1st after 19 hours of labor from water breaking to delivery. She is 6 pounds 2 oz and 20 inches of cuteness! Had to have pitocin to move things along and got an epidural at 3 cm....had horrible back labor because she was face up but she was eventually able to turn. Pushed for at least an hour and baby's heart rate lowered with each push/contraction but was able to recover well. After she was delivered we discovered her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times...thankfully her cord was very long! So scary! She is totally fine and perfect and I'm doing well despite a 2nd degree tear....labor was the hardest thing I've ever done but she is worth it! ❤
Beautiful pictures ladies! Introducing Liam Joseph to the world, born 2-27 at 3:18pm. 9lb, 4 oz, 21". He was induced at 39+2 due to high bp and all the docs in the practice agreed he was over 9 lbs and wanted to avoid a c-section. After 6 hours of labor and 10 contractions for pushing he was born. I have a 3rd degree tear and I'm sore but both of us are doing well. Breastfeeding is just as hard the 2nd time around but we're getting there. We think he's perfect.
Gwendolyn Mae arrived 2/27 at 12:58am, weighing 8lbs 12oz. EDD was 3/3. (Long labor story below- because I LOVED reading these during my last weeks of pregnancy!)
Labor began around 4:30pm on 2/26 with the appearance of my bloody show. It was a lot more blood than I remember from my first pregnancy, which was alarming but baby was moving plenty so I was reassured by that. (I continued to bleed lightly throughout labor and was told this is normal). Soon after, contractions started at 5-6 minutes apart. I had been experiencing regular, timetable contractions sometimes as close as 4 min apart since 35 weeks, but these definitely felt distinctly different-- not more painful, but they peaked with a feeling of downward pressure that was very different. We got to the hospital at 6pm and I waited until 7:30 before my OB arrived and checked me. I was 6cm already! My OB approved intermittent monitoring with just 20 minutes on every 2 hours, so I was free to move around as I labored. I spent most of my time on the peanut ball (HIGHLY recommend asking for one to use at the hospital!!) and in the bathroom on the toilet or leaning against the sink. Did this until around 11:30pm when OB returned and said I was 8cm. My waters still hadn't broken but we decided to have him let me labor for another hour. At 12:30am I was 9cm- he broke my water (to find meconium) and that instantly brought me to 9.5. A couple gentle pushes brought me to 10, and I was ready to push! SHe was out in 4 pushes and had no issues related to the meconium.
It was an easy, beautiful birth experience and I was able to enjoy that for about 4 hours, but unfortunately around 5am while nursing baby girl in my recovery room, i started to hemorrhage. The next 2 hours were the scariest of my entire life, and I ended up needing an emergency blood transfusion which helped to save my life (I lost appx half my blood volume). I remained conscious through the entire thing and sadly right now those memories have been haunting me almost constantly, causing a lot of anxiety. I am, however, very glad to be alive and loving my baby girl and husband sweet big brother!
We welcomed Jaina Harper at 2:14PM on March 2nd (two weeks early) via emergency c-section 14 hours after my water broke spontaneously in bed. They measured her to be 18 inches long exactly and weighed in at 8lb 3.4 oz.
The labor itself went fine, and I received an amazing epidural shortly after arriving at L&D due to very strong contractions 5-7 minutes apart and dilated 3 cm. However, labor stalled when I was 9cm, and her heart rate dramatically slowed each time I had an intense contraction. The OB gave my body a couple hours to get to pushing stage until she finally became adamant that a c-section would be the safer route. I agreed, because by then, I was extremely worried about my baby's wellbeing. Prior to reaching 9cm, there had been one other instance early in labor when Jaina's heartbeat was alarmingly slow after I lay on my side (at my nurse's request). Things were speedily corrected, but it definitely made me more nervous. The surgery was a tad traumatic for me, but my daughter was born quickly and safely, and ultimately, I don't regret the c-section. It was clear that it was a last resort determined by two OBs. Jaina is the perfect baby to me.
Will update later when I have my computer, but William 'LIam' Alexander was born on 3/2, 9lbs and 21 inches!
Edited to add details!
Went in for my induction 3/2 at 5 am. Was 4 cm already and having some weak contractions. Was started on low pit, doctor came and broke my water a couple hours later. After about a half hour, contractions were strong enough for me to ask for my epidural. Epidural was given, and worked perfectly. Pit was at a 6 and after a little while, I felt like something was in between my legs. Called the nurse in and I was ready to push. Had to wait for the doctor to arrive, but was finally given the ok to start pushing, and within 3 contractions worth of pushing he arrived. Much larger than expected at 9 lbs, with a large head. Had to have an episiotomy to get him out, but it was overall everything went just as planned. 6 hours total of labour, and a good experience!
My bp is high, and they almost didn't release me from the hospital (even after 2 days). My doctor went on vacation Friday so she wasn't able to talk to the on call doctor about my bp issues. Was given prescription meds to try and control it, and I had to promise to check 4x per day and go back in this week to the office. Other than that I feel great and healing is going really well!
Asher Crosby was born 3/3/17 @1:16pm. He was 37weeks, weighs 7lbs, and is 18.5 inches long. So far, his big sister, Cate, really likes him! (We'll see how she feels when we bring him home tomorrow
John Paul Francis (Johnny) was born on 3/3 at 5:11pm at 39 weeks exactly. He was 7lbs 15oz, 20.5 inches. I had a successful VBAC with fast labor and easy delivery. Everyone is happy and healthy.
Bridget Evelyn was born 3/4/17 weighing in at 8lbs 11oz. She was born 38weeks+4 days after 19hrs of labor. Will eventually return to update her story, short version was she presented sunny side up & had the cord twisted around her neck twice.
Dean Peter made his arrival at 38weeks on March 6th, at 11:21am after going into labour at midnight. He weighed 6lbs9oz, 19 inches long, and the hardest part was pushing his head out because of my tight perineal tissues, resulting in a 2nd degree tear. (FTM, orig due 03/20) We stayed for 4hrs and then were released as we were both healthy!
Luke Sanford H. was born on March 7th at 5:30am at 38 weeks, 3 days. Labor was an absolute whirlwind.. basically I started having contractions around 9pm and labored in bed. When I got to the triage, I was fully dilated. My water broke at triage and my midwife wasn't there to check me. We sent the text message to my mom that I was fully dilated at 5:23 and pushed him out in 7 minutes or less. So different from my first labor that lasted 20 hours and pushed for 1.5 hours.
The worse part was the stitching afterwards. I had a slight tear. Also the fact that the midwife had a student with her and I felt like I was a teaching moment and was never asked for consent if she could be part of it. They also didn't make any orders for Motrin, Colace, or lanolin... so there's that, too! We are so in love.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: ~* March 2017 Birth Announcements! *~
High School Sweethearts: 10/13/06
Married: 10/13/13
Baby #1 EDD: 3/20/17
Met on EHarmony 2012
Married: October 10, 2015
Baby #1 EDD: March 24, 2017
Its a Boy! We're naming him Jack
4lbs 10oz 18 inches long
William James
Born at 34 weeks and 1 day.
Not a March baby but he was supposed to be
Born 1/22
4lb6 17" and 4lb 3 16"
my little monkeys
SaveSaveLucas John and Benjamin George arrived yesterday 2/9/2017 at 11:11 AM and 11:13 AM. Born at 34 weeks + 1 day Lucas weighed 5 lbs 9 oz and my peanut, Ben weighed 4 lb 10 oz!
Despite being 6 weeks early, they are breathing on their own, holding temp, eating, and maintaining blood sugar. The doctors said the may even be able to check out when I do!
I just got to hold them about an hour ago, 15 hrs after they were born. I required a C Section because Lucas was breech!
I'll add a birth story once I get some sleep.
p.s. A bunch of nerdy friends pointed out that both names are from Star Wars, and that was completely unintentional! The middle names are mine & my husband's favorite Beatles!
First pic = Lucas on the left
Second pic = peanut Benjamin
Third pic = Lucas
Apologies if they're huge, I'm mobile bumping!
Story:
i started having contractions like period cramps that morning with back pain. They started coming in waves about 5 min apart. The dr on call said to go to the hospital to get checked out. When I got there my contractions became more painful but a lot further apart. The midwife checked my cervix and there was no dilation. They told me to go home and rest and take a bath. I got home at 6 pm and started to fill the bath tub up, stood up and my water broke. After that, painful contractions started. It took us 20 min to get back to the hospital then at least another 20 min to get checked by the midwife. In the mean time My contractions felt like they were every minute. The midwife checked my cervix - I was at 8 cm and she could see the baby. It became an emergency at that point with everyone scrambling to get everything needed for a c section - breech baby. The dr rushed in and checked me and I was at 9 feeling the need to push. The dr said he was able to do a vaginal delivery for frank breech if we couldn't make it to the OR in time. Luckily we made it to the OR and baby was delivered just fine. I can't believe how close I was to delivering him on the way to the OR frank breech unmedicated - scary and painful! I dilated from 0 to 10 within basically 2 hrs.
During surgery with the blessed relief of the spinal block, the dr let us know the most likely reason both DS and baby DS were breech and born preterm is because I have a uterine abnormality - it's not completely developed. He wants me to get additional testing done on my kidneys in a couple months as they can be affected along with the uterus in cases he has seen.
So there's my crazy birth story! We are both doing fine and should hopefully be leaving the hospital together on Wednesday.
Sorry if picture is huge mobile bumper.
Married: 07/04/13
BFP #1: 8/14/14, Baby Girl born 4/16/15
BFP #2: 6/21/16, Baby Girl born 2/11/17
BFP #3: 1/26/19, EDD 10/8/19
Fur Babies: 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Piper and Mia)
Around 8am there was a shift change, my OB showed up, and things got intense fast. The pitocin contractions went full throttle and didn't let up for an hour. I counted breaths as I got a short break every 15 breaths or so. It helped me manage the intense pain. I asked to get in the shower and the new nurse refused bc I had an IV. Again disappointed but I couldn't advocate due to the intense pain. I used hands and knees on the floor. I nearly reached my breaking point and felt like my body would explode. But right as I thought I couldn't take it any longer, I felt a strong urge to push. STRONG. No time to get the pushing bar out. The nurse sent DH to the hall to call the OB in. She yelled at me to turn onto my back but a hand and knees position was the only thing that felt right. She was physically trying to push me onto my side but it was too late - I pushed the head out and felt crowning! She caught my baby in a panic before the OB walked through the door!
Baby girl #3 was 6lb. 5oz and 19.5" long! By the strength of her kicks I guessed she was way bigger! She's nursing well and we'll go home tomorrow!
Welcome to the world, baby Marigold!
I woke up after only ~20 minutes of sleep at 3am because my water broke like a waterfall! It was crazy. I didn't have any contractions at that point so it was really disorienting. An hour later, light contractions began and were immediately consistent at once every 2-3 minutes. Labor was just like bad period cramps—annoying and sharp but nothing like what I thought it would be (this obviously changed later!!)
Since no one caught her positioning, I labored for only 6 hours before I got to 9cm, but then stalled out for 5 hours. At the literal 11th hour they got out an ultrasound and saw that she was rump down! By that time, it was too late for meds—I had 30-45 mins to wait for the anesthesiologist to get there for a c-section or 20 minutes before I'd eventually shove her out naturally. So I chose to get it over with.
It was intense, scary and bizarre during that last hour.
I ended up with a 3rd degree episiotomy but I feel stronger and more amazingly like an Amazon woman than I could've ever imagined. And I have a sweet little babe to stare at every day. Life is crazy!
I woke up this morning with some pretty horrible ligament pain. But I got up and ready for my last day of work in the office. Halfway to work I realized the pain was kind of coming in waves so I turned around and went home. Worked for a couple hours and noticed my contractions were 5-15 minutes apart. After a couple hours I called the nurse and she said to come into their office to get checked out - around 9:30.
So I got there, the doctor checked me - was still closed. Sweet. Got hooked up to monitors to make sure everything was okay, definitely had regular contractions. Got two bags of IV fluids to try to stop them. I felt a bit better so figured I was good. Hooked me back up - more contractions. It had been about 2.5 hours at this point. Doctor checked me again and said, "Oh. Well you're definitely at a four now. Cervix isn't super soft, but... I think you're having a baby today."
So some panic on my part, mostly trying to figure out who would be able to watch and stay with DS the next few days. Started feeling more contractions as I got home and DH got packed. Got to the hospital and they moved fairly quickly. Went back and they started the c-section around 2:45. Little man made his appearance at 3:15, screaming his lungs out! 6 pounds, 2 ounces, 20 inches.
In recovery we noticed he was grunting a bit so they took him to the nursery. Eventually ended up with a chest x-ray showing some fluid on his lungs, and a spot that might be pneumonia. They're going to check again in the morning, but he's been doing much better with a little oxygen. Unfortunately, being messed with makes it worse, so no more holding for me yet. Fingers crossed he feels better tomorrow.
Here he is before he went to the nursery. I did get some snuggle time in. Side note, this c-section and recovery has been much smoother than my first. I'm also swearing by this ab binder they gave me!!
married to M since 6.13.09
T - 3.3.14
A - 2.24.17
I began my induction at 9:30 am on February 23. The cervix softener worked well the first time, and I began contracting every 2 minutes pretty quickly. The contractions weren't all that productive, so the dr started pitocin very slowly. When the Dr checked my cervix, I began to bleed a lot. Gushes. Totally scared me, but it wasn't enough bleeding to force a c-section. I bled on and off throughout labor.
I finally got tired of the contractions and requested an epidural. It was amazing!!! I felt the pressure and the need to push, but nothing else. It gave me the ability to sleep. I started pushing around noon, and gave birth at about 7. I had s third degree tear that hurt quite a bit once the epidural wore off. The pain meds are helping with that now.
Contractions started around 2am and by 3:30 they were 3 min apart. It was snowing bad all night so at 4:15 I got up and took a shower and got ready to go to the hospital! At 5:30 we got to the hospital and I was dilated to a 4, 60% effaced which was great to me!
They started a pit drip and that immediately gave me 6 contractions in a row within about 10 min. So she turned it all the way down because I couldn't have my water broken for a few hours because I needed a full bag of penicillin in me for group B Strep first!
9:30 my OB broke my water and by 11 I was an 8. At 12 I was ready to push with each contraction but we were trying to wait for my doctor to get in! By the time he got there I was dying to push and first push she crowned, second her head was out and third push her whole body followed!!
My third baby was the best labor and delivery so far!!
Grant William arrived on 2/21 at 11:45pm, at exactly 38 weeks 6 days (literally 15 mins before he was 39 weeks!) We had a bit of an unexpected journey to labor with my water breaking at 4:00am and no sign of contractions. I took my time getting to the hospital-- did 2 loads of laundry, put clean sheets on the bed (because I leaked a good puddle there), took out the trash, walked the dog twice, we even went to Target to get last minute necessities. They say you're supposed to come in 2 hours after your water breaks, but I knew my time on the outside was limited, so I pushed the time window a bit.
When I got to the hospital, I was admitted and given a dose of misoprosol to soften my cervix and try and start contractions. They gave me the dose at 3:00 and said they would check me 4 hours later... At 7:00 I still had no contractions so they started talking pitocin rather than another dose of misprosol, because I had no contractions whatsoever. I really wanted to avoid pit, so I asked to wait for my husband, since he had just gone home to walk our stubborn dog. They agreed to wait and about 15 minutes later, my contractions hit hard. Nausea, writhing, the whole enchilada. I called my husband to come back asap and told the nurse I didn't need pitocin, I just needed an epi (which was previously not a part of my birth plan) She encouraged me to get checked before I got the epi (my nurse was amazing, so encouraging of my pain-med free plan).
The contractions continued to be awful and finally at 9:45 I got my very first check after being admitted (they were avoiding cervix checks to lessen the likelihood of infection and because I wasn't contracting at all earlier). Turns out, I was 10 cm and 100% effaced, station 1! The energy in the room got crazy and I went into push mode pretty quickly. I pushed for about 2 hours in every position possible. I continued to plead for an epi basically the whole time but my nurse kept me in check, checking his progress down every so often and letting me know how close I was. Finally, he crowned at about 11:40 and the doctor came in to deliver, I pushed him out on my side and at 11:45 he made his debut! 6 lbs., 13.5 oz, 19.25 inches long. Love of my life. Now we're home getting used to feeding and not sleeping! 0__o
Me - 28, Lean PCOS
DH - 31
Married June 2010, TTC since March 2014
Blog: ourbinarystar.com
FET cycle #3 Transfer July 28th 2016, Triplets born healthy on February 26th 2017 at 33w1d!
I got up around 1:20 a.m. on Friday the 24th to use the restroom, and as soon as I laid back down in bed, I heard a "pop" sound. That snapped me awake so I carefully went back to the bathroom and confirmed that my water had broken. So I shouted for my husband and tried to wait for things to gush out for a while, during which contractions started, immediately 7 minutes apart. We headed straight to the hospital, and in that half hour drive my contractions got down to 4 minutes apart.
However, when they admitted and checked me, I was only 2 cm. I labored until 11:00ish--tangent to say that I've been SO scared of labor, but it really was just like bad period cramps (which I have weathered many times before), and that calmed me down a ton--and then was only 3 cm. Ugh. I decided to call my mom and mother-in-law in as additional support people because I was getting discouraged, and asked for an epidural because I didn't want to exhaust myself for hours and then have no strength to push. The epidural worked perfectly and I finally relaxed, plus the nurse brought in something called a "peanut ball" to put between my legs to open up my pelvis, and within two hours I was at 8 cm.
People may remember that my OB was leaving town on Sunday for a week and I was freaking out about needing a strange random doctor... well, when I was ready to push, he was in another surgery! So they took away the peanut ball and had me lay on my side for an hour until he finished. I've never been so happy to see someone, haha. After 14 hours of labor, 45 minutes of pushing (with my husband coaching me SO well, he has been amazing) and 2 second-degree tears, Samuel Vincent entered the world at 3:01 pm. He is 19 inches long, exactly 8 pounds, and a handsome, hairy little boy! My heart is so full!!!
P.S. When we got home from the hospital Sunday night, we discovered the water was turned off for our entire complex. So we had to turn around and drive to my in-law's to spend the night. Sooooo exhausting! But things are looking up today.
*TW* - BFP & MC in March 2016.
BFP in June 2016; EDD March 2017.
Samuel born February 2017!
Born 5:43 March 22nd
at 37 weeks 4 days by induction
6 pounds, 11 ounces
20.5 inches long
(Long labor story below- because I LOVED reading these during my last weeks of pregnancy!)
Labor began around 4:30pm on 2/26 with the appearance of my bloody show. It was a lot more blood than I remember from my first pregnancy, which was alarming but baby was moving plenty so I was reassured by that. (I continued to bleed lightly throughout labor and was told this is normal).
Soon after, contractions started at 5-6 minutes apart. I had been experiencing regular, timetable contractions sometimes as close as 4 min apart since 35 weeks, but these definitely felt distinctly different-- not more painful, but they peaked with a feeling of downward pressure that was very different. We got to the hospital at 6pm and I waited until 7:30 before my OB arrived and checked me. I was 6cm already!
My OB approved intermittent monitoring with just 20 minutes on every 2 hours, so I was free to move around as I labored. I spent most of my time on the peanut ball (HIGHLY recommend asking for one to use at the hospital!!) and in the bathroom on the toilet or leaning against the sink. Did this until around 11:30pm when OB returned and said I was 8cm. My waters still hadn't broken but we decided to have him let me labor for another hour. At 12:30am I was 9cm- he broke my water (to find meconium) and that instantly brought me to 9.5. A couple gentle pushes brought me to 10, and I was ready to push! SHe was out in 4 pushes and had no issues related to the meconium.
It was an easy, beautiful birth experience and I was able to enjoy that for about 4 hours, but unfortunately around 5am while nursing baby girl in my recovery room, i started to hemorrhage. The next 2 hours were the scariest of my entire life, and I ended up needing an emergency blood transfusion which helped to save my life (I lost appx half my blood volume). I remained conscious through the entire thing and sadly right now those memories have been haunting me almost constantly, causing a lot of anxiety. I am, however, very glad to be alive and loving my baby girl and husband sweet big brother!
born 3/2 at 5:07pm @ 10lb, 4.8oz & 21in -
currently snuggling waiting for the nurse to come get us to take our first sponge bath!
They measured her to be 18 inches long exactly and weighed in at 8lb 3.4 oz.
The labor itself went fine, and I received an amazing epidural shortly after arriving at L&D due to very strong contractions 5-7 minutes apart and dilated 3 cm. However, labor stalled when I was 9cm, and her heart rate dramatically slowed each time I had an intense contraction. The OB gave my body a couple hours to get to pushing stage until she finally became adamant that a c-section would be the safer route. I agreed, because by then, I was extremely worried about my baby's wellbeing. Prior to reaching 9cm, there had been one other instance early in labor when Jaina's heartbeat was alarmingly slow after I lay on my side (at my nurse's request). Things were speedily corrected, but it definitely made me more nervous.
The surgery was a tad traumatic for me, but my daughter was born quickly and safely, and ultimately, I don't regret the c-section. It was clear that it was a last resort determined by two OBs. Jaina is the perfect baby to me.
Edited to add details!
Went in for my induction 3/2 at 5 am. Was 4 cm already and having some weak contractions. Was started on low pit, doctor came and broke my water a couple hours later. After about a half hour, contractions were strong enough for me to ask for my epidural. Epidural was given, and worked perfectly. Pit was at a 6 and after a little while, I felt like something was in between my legs. Called the nurse in and I was ready to push. Had to wait for the doctor to arrive, but was finally given the ok to start pushing, and within 3 contractions worth of pushing he arrived. Much larger than expected at 9 lbs, with a large head. Had to have an episiotomy to get him out, but it was overall everything went just as planned. 6 hours total of labour, and a good experience!
My bp is high, and they almost didn't release me from the hospital (even after 2 days). My doctor went on vacation Friday so she wasn't able to talk to the on call doctor about my bp issues. Was given prescription meds to try and control it, and I had to promise to check 4x per day and go back in this week to the office. Other than that I feel great and healing is going really well!
The worse part was the stitching afterwards. I had a slight tear. Also the fact that the midwife had a student with her and I felt like I was a teaching moment and was never asked for consent if she could be part of it. They also didn't make any orders for Motrin, Colace, or lanolin... so there's that, too! We are so in love.
1 Samuel 1:27
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