It's time...

Where do I start?  Well I was due to be induced on Tuesday, 2/11.  I hated the thought of it being artificially jumpstarted.  So I scoured the internet looking for anything that would get the process started a little more naturally than pitocin  Forum after forum kept talking about how Primrose Oil vaginally and orally helped other women lose their plug or even break their waters.   Hmmm, it was worth a shot.

Rewind back to Saturday (2/8), 3 days before THE day.  I purchased a bottle of 500mg organic primrose oil.   I started Saturday night taking 1000mg or two pills vaginally.  It was strange and I had to do it right at bedtime due to all the pressure of baby it kept pushing the pills out no matter how far I wedged them up by my cervix opening.  Then Sunday and Monday I took 1000mg orally in the morning and 1000mg vaginally in the evening, so a total of 2000mg a day.  Monday morning at about 9:00am my plug came out.  I read about what others had looked like and yes I even googled pictures so I knew what to look for.  Mine however was perfectly clear and like stretchy snot. Yeah, great image huh?  This was such a relief considering I am RH negative blood type which means if the baby's blood intermingled with mine then my body would have been potentially trying to create antibodies against him, not good.

Uh Oh, My Water Just Broke
So, I was getting ready for bed that Monday night (2/10) and thought well if anything my plug is gone so that should help my water break tomorrow when they induce me.  I laid my head down on the pillow at around 10:45 I think and my hubby just came in from his night class and settled in about 11:30.   A few minutes had passed and I told him I was having strange cramps that started in my lower back and was moving around towards the front.  He thought I was just moaning about pregnancy and wishing this baby out and grumbled something and turned over.   A few minutes later I felt a warm gush of water and immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom.  As I was running I yelled out "My Water Just Broke!!"  That got his attention.  He popped up out of bed.  I kid you not, I gushed water standing in the bathroom for what seemed like forever.  It would just not quit.  I finally just threw a towel under my feet and stood there and drained.  Ick!  My parents had just gotten into town that Sunday so they were sound asleep in the guest room.  Chris woke them up and scurried around getting our stuff in the truck.

Ugh, Contractions
At first I wasn't feeling any contractions just tons of leaking water so I didn't rush too much.  I started putting make-up on and getting my contacts in, etc.   Then it hit me, at about 12:45 I had my first contraction.  Oh the misery!  I did like I had read about and breathed through it.  That wasn't so bad I whispered under my breath after it passed.  Then it hit again about 8 minutes later.  Holy moly! 8 MINUTES! We are an hour and half from the hospital!!  Of course, I have read endless posts about how the hospital will not allow you to eat and how you can be in labor foreeeever.   So we swung into McyD's, which took at least 10 minutes.  By that time, I was contracting 5 1/2 minutes apart.  Eeek!  I thought "I am not having this baby on the side of the road".  My last appt I was 2.5 cm dilated and could have swore that by the time we arrived I would have been past the dilation for an epidural.

Low and behold I arrived, panting and puffing, only to find out I was still at 2.5cm.  Imagine that, I stressed for nothing.  Here we are, stalling out on my dilation and in pain.  So I did what sounded natural, walk.  Walk. Walk and walk some more.  I finally hit 4 cm and became extremely nauseous from the pain.  Yeah, I guess I'm a wimp.  That's when I screamed for the epidural.  Ahhhhh....now give me that popsicle nurse.  :)

I honestly couldn't feel a thing after that.  It was so strange, comforting but scary all at the same time. How on Earth was I going to push?  I couldn't feel any muscle to contract.  Found out right before I was to start pushing that they had me at a level 12 on that machine. Wow, not sure what that means but apparently its way to much for me.

Push, Push...wait, DON'T PUSH
The nurse could understand my concern for wondering if I could push.  She said "Let's start with a couple practice pushes".  Hey that sounds great, I mean I don't want to waste the docs time when she gets here.  So here I go....I am imaging holding my breathe under water and pushing a poo out.  At least that is what the nurse told me to visualize.  Hahah.  Two pushes down and she said I see hair.  Hair?!  WHAT!?  She said one more.  Ok.  Whoa, whoa she said, don't cough or laugh he's coming.  Huh!?  How is that possible I stopped pushing.  At that point she yelled for another nurse to  page the doctor.  STAT!  Did I mention she kept her hand over my girl to keep him from coming out.  Awesome I thought.  Two pages later, the doc came flying into the room just in time to throw the gloves and coat on like you seen in the movies and he was out.   All 8 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches of him.

Happy Birthday and Welcome to the World - 
ETHAN LEVESQUE!!

Proud Papa Cutting His Son's Umbilical Cord

The Sweetest Lady! Dr. Kristy McCall - Best OBGYN in Springfield, MO!

To this day, which is 2 months after having him I am still in disbelief that I actually gave birth to a child.  I mean, I didn't feel anything.  Its like one minute I am as big as a barn and the next minute I have a little guy in my arms.  What just happened!?   Well I guess I have the rest of my life to think about it now.  :)

 The start of many times of holding hands.

 The best feeling in the world.  I love him so much already.

It meant so much to have my mom and dad there to see little man in the first few minutes of his life.

It was a chilly day leaving the hospital in Springfield, MO.  They are really letting us take him home by ourselves.  Eek!

I'm officially in Heaven.  Ahhhh...

How Did I Miss January??

I had full intentions of posting last month but here we are in February, no excuse.  My little bundle is due any day now, so I guess I have been working too much trying to get caught up before maternity leave.   We did have a quiet New Year's with some sparkling fruit juice and popcorn shrimp which my husband has informed me that will be our traditional New Year's snack.   On a sad note, I think I was in bed at 9pm that night.  Gotta love pregnancy fatigue.

I was able to get out before the snow and get a little walk in hopes it would speed up labor, which obviously had no effect on me.  I should have gotten more pics but I was just trying to keep my stomach from ripping off my body.  Sorry, it feels like 5 bowling balls taped to me.  I did see tons of these little puff balls, not sure which tree dropped them but they remind me of the little poms poms you use for crafts.

I can't forget to add a couple of pics from one of my most recent ultrasounds.  As of Tuesday, little man is estimated at 7lbs 8oz and must be cozy in there because I'm 39 weeks and there isn't any indication he is ready to come out.  However, I am scheduled to be induced next week regardless, due to my age. Yes, I'm apparently old.  Oh well.  This foot though is constantly sticking out of my left side.  

Its a little late on this pic but thought I would post the belly shot from January anyways.  I need to remember to take another one in the morning for my 39 week mark before we have any surprises.

And since I am talking about pregnancy, I can't leave out my cravings.  Aside from the urge for strawberry milkshakes and Reubens (which I just found out I love), I stopped at McDonald's for a hamburger happy meal.  I know, don't judge me I really have tried to eat properly.  Anyways, I am all about smaller portions, especially now that my stomach is compressed, but when did happy meal fries shrink?  Ignore the fact that I have already consumed the fries.  I couldn't wait for the pic, but you can still get the point.  It looks like something I would have used to play with my dolls when I was little.  

Back to waiting for little man and drinking pickle juice for my wicked heartburn.  Yes, it does actually work and yes I found out about it on the internet. :-)  

Many Blessing!