Birth Story

Well, it's been 8 weeks since Isaac was born, and I haven't posted his birth story yet. I want to do it more for myself to remember than anything. Here it goes...


On Saturday, July 11th, James and I went to a bbq at our friends Cat & Joe's house. After we ate, the boys went outside and started a fire in the fire pit while Cat and I cut up some fruit, meat, and cheese for my shower that Cat was throwing for me the next day. Then we went and sat around the fire for a while. My feet were pretty swollen, and had been for weeks. Cat motioned for me to put my foot up on her lap, so I did. She started giving me a foot rub, pointing out that she was purposly rubbing the pressure points that are supposed to induce labor. Yeah right. Her husband said "Hey now, we don't want any babies right now." We all laughed and she put my foot down. Soon we decided that we should go home because we were all starting to get tired. It was midnight.

In the middle of the night, I woke up for a routine trip to the bathroom. I looked at my clock, it was 4:00 am. I was so comfortable, I didn't want to get up, but alas, I had to go. So I hoisted myself off the edge of the bed, and... uh-oh. I wet my pants, or so I thought. I ran to the bathroom and it wasn't until then that I realized that my water may have broken. Nah, we still had two weeks to go. Besides, most first time moms go past their due dates. There's no way I'd be lucky enough to go into labor two weeks early. But at our last doctor appointment, the Dr specifically said that some women come to L&D thinking their water broke, but they really just urinated, and not to be embarassed if that happened. So I woke James and told him what was going on. He said I probably peed, but if I wanted to go in we could. I decided it probably was nothing snd tried to go back to sleep.

After about an hour, I started feeling crampy, like I had a few days earlier. Then around 7am, I went to the bathroom again and found that I had lost my mucous plug. I woke James up and told him it I thought we should go in, just to be sure that it wasn't my water. So we both took a shower and went to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 9am. By then I could tell that I was having contractions. Once the doctor confirmed that my water had broken with one of those testing strip thingies, I thought I better call my mom and let her know I wasn't going to make it to my baby shower. Then I called Cat and told her that her massage had worked! Also, my dad and brother were at the lake, so I called them to tell them I was in labor, and they packed up to head home.

They checked me and I was only dilated to two. After about three hours, they checked me again and I was still only dilated to two, so they started me on Pitocin. Then my contractions started getting really painful, and eventually they were coming only 30 seconds apart! A few more hours, they checked me again, three cm. The nurse knew I wanted an epidural, but said I couldn't have it until I was dilated to four, so we decided on Stadol for the time being. Another few hours passed, three and a half cm. At that point, I think the nurse felt bad for me and let me have my epidural. So the anesthesiologist came up and had me sign all the paperwork and then did her thing. The epidural worked perfectly... on the right half of my body. On the left, I could still feel every contraction. Crap. They kept checking me, and it was always the same old story. Four cm.

At about 10pm, they started giving me antibiotics because my water had been broken for so long. They had me moving around to different positions, and they couldn't keep the thing that monitered the contractions or the thing that monitored the babies hearbeat on me, so they put those two things on me internally. Around 11pm, they checked me one last time, and I was still only dilated to four. About a half hour later, the doctor came in and said "You know, 20% of women have their babies via c-section..." He said some more stuff after that, but I don't think I heard much of it. I really didn't want to have a c-section. It wasn't so important to me how baby got here as long as he was safe and healthy, but I didn't want the recovery required of a c-section. Then the OB/GYN that was going to do my c-section came in and talked to me about it. She told me the reasons why they thought I should have one, and the risks, etc... We talked about anesthesia, and they asked me "How comfortable are you with your epidural?" I told them that I could still feel the entire left side of my body, and that they were going to have to give me something else for the surgery. Then they all left the room and left me with my family. James, my mom, dad, and brother were all there. I cried and said I was scared, which made my mom cry. I am so glad I had such an amazing support system with me the whole time.

At midnight, they wheeled me into the OR. They gave James a pair of scrubs to wear, but he couldn't join me until later. They gave me a spinal instead of another epidural, and it completely numbed me from my chest down. I could barely feel my arms. I started to feel nauseous, so they brought me something to throw up in, but I could only gag because my heaving muscles were numb. James came in while I was gagging. They started working on me and soon told me I'd feel some pressure. I didn't. Then I heard it - the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life - the sound of my son crying.

Isaac James was born on July 13th, 2009 at 12:39am. He weighed 6lbs, 13 oz and measured 20 inches. The doctor held him up over the curtain so James and I could see him. I was so groggy, all I noticed was his dark hair and cone shaped head. Apparently his head was jammed into my cervix crooked, so the contractions were just jackhammering him against an opening that was not big enough to let him out. They took him over to the cart to clean him off and James went and cut the umbilicle cord. I remember looking over there and counting his fingers and toes. Haha!

They stitched me up (which took longer than expected because of some excess bleeding) and took me to the recovery room, where I spent the lonelies half hour of my life. I had just had a baby. My husband and family were all in the nursery getting to know him, and here I was, all by myself, numb from the chest down. Finally, James came in just in time to see me get sick all over my hospital gown. Then a nurse brought Isaac in to nurse. I was so groggy, numb, and exhausted from 20 hours of labor and surgery, that I hardly remember the next few hours. I know that the nurse pretty much did all the work. She held Isaac, and held my breast while he nursed. I simply couldn't do it. I think I even fell asleep while he was nursing.

Recovery was rough. I had some good nurses who made me get up and walk around. We stayed at the hospital for four more days and finally went home with our beautiful baby boy.

31 weeks

Nine more weeks to go until my due date! I feel like I need more time!

It's 61 degrees in my house and I'm pretty sure our furnace isn't working. I have it set to 70 degrees, and it hasn't kicked on yet. Greeeaaaat. I shouldn't even need the furnace on May 26th for crying out loud!

The contractor is done. James has this whole week off of work to finish the bedroom. Our goal is to have it all completed at the end of this week or this weekend. Yay! We had another setback though. On Friday, the carpet installer that we usually use called and said he's backed up for a month! We don't have time for that! So I made some frantic phone calls to no avail. Everyone was already gone for the long weekend. I left some messages though, and this morning one installer called me back and said he could do it TOMORROW! Woohoo! And the price was very reasonable. So really, it only set us back a day or so.

On Wednesday we had a doctor appointment. A loooong one. We went in and I drank my Orange Crush for the glucose test. Then we saw the doctor for the appointment, heard baby's heartbeat, got some breastfeeding info, as well as some remedies for things I am experiencing/may be experiencing soon. He answered some questions, then we went and scheduled our next appointment and our L&D pre-registration and tour. After that, I did my UA and then we sat and waited for the rest of the time before I had to get my blood drawn. Good thing we both brought a book! Then, I got my blood drawn. They took three tubes - one for the glucose test, one to test my iron, and one for my antibody screen. After that, the nurse took us back so I could get my RhoGAM shot, since I'm RH negative. That shot hurt like heck! After the shot we had to wait in the waiting room for another 15 minutes to make sure I didn't have a reaction. While we were waiting, I was telling James how much it hurt and he said "You should have seen the size of that needle! It was like 4 inches long!" I didn't see it because the shot is given in the back/hip/butt area. Oh, and the nurse also gave us a nifty little mini diaper bag with some cool stuff in it like a pacifier, can of formula, etc.

On Friday, at 4:50 PM, I missed a phone call from the clinic. Crap. I am SO worried about getting gestational diabetes, so I was sure that they were calling to let me know that I failed my glucose test and had to come back to take the three hour test. I was so worried about it on Friday night that I was in tears! Luckilly, the second Gizmo heard me start to cry, he jumped up on my lap and cuddled with me :) It made me feel better. Anyway, today I called back and the nurse told me that my glucose test and antibody test were normal (yay!), but my hemoglobin is low, so the Dr. wants me to take an iron supplement (Ferrous Sulfate, 320 mgs) once a day. Sure, anemia isn't ideal, but I'll take that over gestational diabetes! So all in all, pretty good news.

Alright, I better go make lunch for James and myself. We've been busy working on the room all day! I haven't even had a chance to shower yet today!

28 week update

Well, I'm 28 weeks pregnant! This is starting to feel very real. James and I were driving in the car the other day, and he randomly said to me, "Wow. I'm going to be somebody's dad." I know exactly how he feels. I mean, I've always had a mom and dad, but I've never been one before! Haha! It's an amazing feeling though. I can't possibly imagine what I'll be feeling the first time I get to see/hold my baby. I just know it will be amazing and I am SO looking forward to it.

We currently (finally) have a contractor working on the master bedroom right now. Finding someone to do it has been quite an ordeal. The first guy came to look at the room, told us he'd send us an estimate, and then never did. We waited three weeks for him after already getting a late start to even calling anyone. So on to the next guy. He came to see the room, then sent us an estimate about two weeks later. Then we called him to say that we wanted to hire him. He called back and told us that he had a project to finish and then was going on vacation, so he couldn't even tell us when he could start for three weeks. This guy came highly recommended, so we waited for him. Then, about a month later, he called and said that he still didn't know when he could start. When I asked him if he would be able to have it finished by the end of May, he said, "That's pushing it." It's not that big of a project. A month and a half should have been plenty of time to finish it. Anyway, he referred us to another guy who could maybe do it sooner. This third guy, Dick, came out to see the room the very next day, then came over to give us an estimate 4 days later. His estimate came in 15% cheaper than contractor #2's estimate and Dick said he could start on Monday (last week). Woohoo! So how he's been working on it all last week, and will probably have it finished by Wednesday. That means we could very well be painting this weekend! Then comes new trim and carpet and we can move in and start the nursery! At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel now! I can't wait to have the nursery done so James can set up the furniture and I can start putting things away!

Yesterday was very productive, baby wise. I got a TON of maternity clothes from my mom's cousin's daughter-in-law. Since I'm plus sized, I didn't think I'd be getting any hand-me-down maternity clothes, but she just happens to be my size (on the top anyway, her pants were all too big for me), so I got 14 shirts from her! They're cute too! She also gave me two car seat covers, one for fall and one for winter, along with a bunch of tips on having a newborn. She also said we could borrow her bassinet if we decide to use one. We're not sure yet, but it's nice to know it's there if we need it! We also got some cute baby boy clothes at some garage sales, as well as a Diaper Champ. I'm glad we found teh Diaper Champ, because we weren't sure if we were going to use any type of diaper pail, but since it was only $5, I figured why not try it?

Our next doctor appointment is on May 20th, and it'll be a long one. We'll have our regular appointment, then I'll do my glucose test. I have to drink a soda and then just sit there for an hour doing nothing. Then they draw my blood and tell me whether or not I have gestational diabetes. At that appointment, I'll also have to have my RhoGAM shot since my blood is RH negative. I am not really looking forward to it. The only good thing will be hearing the monkey's heartbeat again. I do love hearing that little flutter!

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to update more often (more than every four weeks like it has been).

24 weeks!

Today is somewhat of a milestone. I'm 24 weeks today. Today, our little monkey is considered viable. Of course, if I were to go into labor, I still would be terrified because it would be way to early for him to be born without some sort of permanent damage if he even survived, but the doctors would now be obligated to do whatever they could to keep him alive.

Two more weeks until I'm on to the third trimester... eek! That means we're having a baby in like three and a half months.

I don't really have any updates. I've been feeling him move around a lot more and I'm starting to feel some actual kicking. Last night I was having some moderate cramping, which sort of freaked me out, but I'm sure it's probably just my uterus (and the baby, of course) growing.

I am working on getting some belly pics up. I have pictures of me at 17 weeks (pretty much nothing there), 22 weeks (a little more, but still not much) and yesterday at 24 weeks. The picture I took yesterday is really the first picture where you can actually tell I am pregnant, and not just really thick in the middle.

21 Weeks!

Wowza! It's been a long time. I have neglected my blog for two whole months. Oops.

So much has happened in the past few months:

I am feeling SO much better. I got sick on Saturday, but that was the first time I actually threw up in probably a month. Pregnancy is much more enjoyable now. I'm starting to show a little and I can't walk past a mirror without checking out my little bump! Last weekend at my Grandma's birthday party, my aunt and cousin were the first to rub my belly. I know this annoys most pregnant women, but I have to admit, I loved it.

On March 9th we had our big ultrasound. After much deliberation, we decided to find out the baby's sex. Turns out we'll be having the first Richter grandson! We both totally thought it was a boy. We have a name for him and everything now (well, the middle name is still in the works). It's nice that he has more of an identity now. I love our little baby boy a little more every day. This is just such an amazing time.

We're going in for another ultrasound on Monday because the tech couldn't get a good enough picture of the heart and where the umbilical cord attaches. But when the nurse called and said the doctor had looked at the u/s photos, she said that everything looks great!

We're currently trying to find a good contractor to do the work on the bedroom that will be the master bedroom, so that we can move in to that room and make our current room the nursery. I feel like we are WAY behind. I should have started so much sooner, but I seriously had no energy. I'd come home from work and nap for a few hours, then have supper and veg for the rest of the night. I am now trying to take advantage of my easy work schedule (off at 3pm). I am hoping we can get this remodeling show on the road and be done before school is over at the end of May.

I am starting to really feel pregnant. I am having round ligament pain (aka lightning crotch - annoying but bearable), and I can feel him moving around once in a while, which is an amazing feeling. I have trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep in at night, but once I fall asleep, I generally sleep pretty well. Although my belly is getting bigger, I am proud to say that I am NOT one of those annoying pregnant women who never take their hands off of their belly. I really get annoyed when I see women do that, especially when they are in their first trimester and are clearly just bloated. Why would you want to rub your bloat? Honestly. Oh, and did I mention that I am much less tolerant of peoples' stupidity lately? And I'm much more up-front with people. I hope I'm not coming across as bitchy... well, actually, I don't really care. At least I have an excuse, right?

Well, that's all for now. I'll try to update this thing a little more in the future.

I'm back!

It appears as though I went on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. I think it's simply because I've been so tired and lethargic lately. Ah, the joys of pregnancy (along with heartburn, back aches, nausea, sore breasts, cramping, etc, etc...). But my morning sickness has died of late, so it's been more of the kind of pregnancy I envisioned. More enjoyable.

We had an ultrasound yesterday!!! It was so fun, but the way we came about getting the U/S was anything but fun. I was in a small car accident last week, and I didn't really worry about anything until I started cramping a little more than usual, and the cramps were more intense. So I called the doc and they had me come in yesterday. He asked me a few questions and said that we'd try to find the heartbeat with the doppler, and if we couldn't then we'd have an ultrasound. Since I was 11 weeks, we all figured that we'd be able to hear the heartbeat via doppler. Well, needless to say, the doc couldn't find the heartbeat. I was fighting back tears as he explained to me what a heartbeatless ultrasound could mean. So we went to the main clinic to ge the U/S. The tech was very quiet, and he immediately told us that he couldn't really tell us anything. Then he started looking, and I couldn't see anything (of course, I didn't know what I was looking at). Then he zoomed in a bunch and there it was! A little tiny baby - our baby. I instantly saw a little flutter that I knew had to be the heartbeat. Then we saw our very active little one flailing it's tiny arms around. I asked the U/S tech if that was the baby moving, more to get him to say something, anything, because he'd been silent the entire time. He said yes, and then he said, "You see that little flickering? That's the baby's heartbeat. It's 160 bpm." Then he took a pic, printed it for us, and called the doc, who told him to tell us the good news and send us home. It was so absolutely amazing. James and I were on cloud 9 the entire rest of the day (and today!).

So here it is, the first real proof that I am indeed pregnant: