Sofia's Birth Story Part II

Towards the end of my pregnancy, one of my coworkers asked me if I had had a relatively easy pregnancy. Why yes, I had! She told me that meant I was in for a difficult labor.  Of course, this is what every pregnant lady wants to hear weeks before giving birth, but I can't say she wasn't wrong. In case you missed it, you an catch up on part one here. 

After deciding it was baby time, I was hooked up to an IV and a nurse came to take me from triage to the delivery room. My nurse was Crystal and she was a SAINT. When we got to the delivery room Crystal asked me a bunch of questions, none of which I remember except for, "Who did you choose as your pediatrician?" and "This is a stupid question, but on a scale of 1-10, how much pain are you in?" Obviously it was clear to Crystal that the answer to that was ELEVEN. 

Because of said pain, Crystal quickly got the anesthesiologist to come in and give me the epidural. How women are able to give birth without an epidural is beyond me. You go girl.
It was around 8PM at this time, I was started on pitocin, and my parents were finally able to come in and visit.
Around 10pm, Crystal came back to check me and I was 5cm dilated. Wooo making moves, people! Between 10pm and 1am there was a lot of attempted napping, ice cube eating, and epidural wearing-offing. Because of the way Sofia was laying (head down, face up) there was one part of my tummy I could still feel tighten every time I had a contraction, and it was getting progressively more painful.
At 1:30am when Crystal checked me, not only was I 10cm but my water had broken. News to me! As I couldn't feel a thing down there.
However, she also noticed I had a fever and the baby's heart rate was elevated. She thought Sofia might have some sort of infection and started me on antibiotics. Although hearing Sofia could have some kind of infection made me nervous, deep down I knew everything was going to be okay.
Now it was time to push. And push. And push. And push.
It's also worth noting that around this time Mad Money was on TV and my mom decided it was "too stressful" to be watching and she got up and quickly changed the channel to something more calming-a slideshow of oceans and beaches with zen music in the background. Sometimes I'll be up feeding Sofia at 3am now and catch part of Mad Money and it will always take me back to this moment. (And I can clearly see why my mother thought it was necessary to change the channel-dude has got a lot of energy!!)
However, I started feeling really discouraged after literally hours of pushing and seemingly no progression. I got to a point where I started to think, "Why isn't anyone suggesting a c-section?!" But Erik, my mom, and Crystal were so supportive and encouraging the entire time.
Then finally, right before 5am, Crystal said it was time to call the doctor in. (The baby was crowning!) She also said several doctors from the NICU were going to come in because Sofia would have to be taken there for a few hours after she was born, due to her possible infection.
I pushed 3-4 more times after the doctor came in and I will never ever forget the moment Sofia came out and they placed her on my belly. I will never forget the way she looked or felt. I looked up at Erik and he was crying, and I looked down at Sofia and thought, this is my baby! 
After they cleaned her up, I got to hold her for a few more minutes before she moved to the NICU.

 Sofia Belle 6lbs. 15 oz., 20.5 inches of perfection. 

Our first family photo.

After spending 6 hours in the NICU, Sofia ended up being just fine! And not to sound like a total cliche but, I would do this all over again ten thousand times if it meant I got to be this girl's mama.
We love you so much, Sofia!! 

Sofia's Birth Story Part I

Sofia's birth was nothing like I had imagined. Not like I imagined it very much because it was all very surreal and a little bit scary to think about. I didn't have a birth plan. But I did plan to hold off on the epidural as long as possible. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!)

On Wednesday, October 15 I went to bed having some cramping. As the night went on, I realized these must be contractions! Imagine that! And around 4:30am I decided to download an app that would track how far apart they were. They got to be 6 minutes apart and then around 8am they stopped. Completely. I had my 39 week doctor appointment scheduled for 10am that day, so I decided to wait it out until then. Erik and I went on a walk and I bounced on my yoga ball trying to get the contractions to start again, but no such luck. 

So 10am rolls around and Erik & I go to the doctor where we find out I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. This was a 1cm progression from the week prior. The doctor asked if I wanted my membranes stripped. I asked if it hurt. She said yes and I said yes. It's worth noting it did not hurt as much as it was uncomfortable and did not hurt nearly as much as the contractions it surely caused. 

Because nothing really seemed to be happening, Erik decided to go into work for the rest of the day and I headed home. But by the time I got back home (which is less than 10 minutes from the doctor) my contractions had started again. Nothing too cray cray but I started tracking them on my trusty app. I also went to Tarjay because I really wanted to make some banana bread. Spoiler alert: the banana bread never happened.

Around 2pm my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and I called Erik and told him he should probably come home. We got to the hospital a little before 3, and lo and behold I was still 2cm. Around 3:30, the nurse suggested I try walking for an hour. At this point my contractions were so close together and so painful, walking was nearly impossible. As Erik and I walked the halls of the hospital I told him maybe one kid is enough?! Tonight during dinner I said 3 kids sounded great! Back to the "walking." It was painful and seemed impossible. I gave up in less than an hour. 

The nurse checked me again at 4:30 and I was still only 2cm but my cervix was thinning out she said. I became one of those ladies that screamed through my contractions and I told Erik over and over "I can't do this." I have quite the high pain tolerance (I thought) but contractions are a different beast. It seemed like the pain was never going to end and I was forgetting about the greatest gift that was about to come. However, at some point I came to my senses and told Erik, maybe I should start saying, "I can do this!" You know, put some positive vibes out in the universe. I also told the nurse, "I'm usually much more friendly than this."

At 5:30 the nurse came back and said she could give me some morphine. This would help with the pain and also put me to sleep. Neither of which happened. But about an hour later, she came back and said the doctor on-call said I could be admitted (I'd been in triage) and would be induced in 2 hours if I didn't dilate more on my own or I could go home and wait it out there. After talking to Erik and my mom, I decided to stay. It was baby time!! 

A Week of Sofia

Good morning, party people! It's me, Sofia! I've been living outside the womb for a week now, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights.  My dad says all I do is eat, eat, eat but I promise I'm much more exciting than that.

For example, I may be the world's cutest Seahawks fan. Despite my adorbs outfit and cheering, they lost on Sunday. Next time, boys.

On Monday, I had my first real outing. I went to the doctor! I would have picked something a lil more exciting for my first outing, but mom and dad seemed to insist. At least mom tried to jazz things up a bit and put me in this festive outfit. Things are looking grand in the health department for me. While I was at the doctor they got me nakey and weighed me, I thought this was a great time to go pee. It's so fun peeing without a diaper on, I've tried it multiple times since then!!

Mom and Dad took me for my first walk around the 'hood but I couldn't be bothered, this was an excellent time to nap. At least they got my good side in the pictures. 

Some of my other favorites include, but are not limited to... 

Cuddling with my dad. I love love love this! It's probably my most favorite thing ever. I think I love it more than peeing without my diaper on, but maybe not quite as much as I love eating. 

Taking baths. Mostly because I get wrapped up in the most awesome towels when I'm done.

Being a fashionista.

I hear this thing called Halloween is coming and Mom & Dad insisted we get pumpkins. Again, I couldn't be bothered.

Story time is another one of my faves. I love Goodnight Moon and books about Halloween.

And last but not least! My newest favorite thing, the MamaRoo! Mom decided I had to have it, and wow am I sure glad she did! It bounces around in all kinds of fun ways and makes sounds that remind me of being in the womb; which mom & dad can't figure out why I like so much, they're so simple minded.

Happy Saturday, new friends!!

Welcome to the World, Sofia Belle!

On Friday, October 17, at 4:50am Sofia Belle graced us with her presence.  She is the spitting image of Erik (she even has his blood type!) but I can't be too mad because he makes a pretty cute gal. ;)

There are no words to describe the love that has consumed me.

xoxo

Humpday Bumpday: 39 Weeks

Hey guys, I'M STILL PREGNANT. And humongous. Someone told me the other day I looked like an egg.  My due date is Sunday, but I'm not quite convinced baby girl is ready to make her debut.  My doctor likes to say things like, "You won't be pregnant forever" and "She really likes her home in there."  I've also had a feeling from about halfway through my pregnancy that she was going to be late. Call it a mother's intuition, but I'm still pretty convinced it to be true. The lunch lady at our school did tell me today though that the baby is coming soon because she's dropping soooooo maybe I'm wrong? I'm quite the planner, so this whole unknown waiting thing is just not my forte. I know she'll come when she's ready, but baby gal, let's go!! You have so many cute clothes to wear, people to meet, oh and YOU HAVE A NAME!!! But you've heard that last one before and it didn't end up being true... so I understand if you're skeptical. 

How far along: 39 weeks

Gender: GIRL! 

Weight gain: 36 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: I clearly really like this striped dress, I don't even want to go back and count how many of these photos I'm rockin' it in.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: I think we can officially declare it an outtie at this point. 

Sleep: People keep telling me "get all the sleep you can now."  Easier said than done at 9 months pregnant, people! 

Best moment this week: Erik read a book to baby girl last night and it was the cutest thing. When he got done, he said SHE NEEDS MORE BOOKS!! :)

Miss anything: When I could see my feet, bending over without almost ripping my pants (yes, that almost happened at work yesterday).

Happy or Moody: Happy! 

Movement: She really surprises me sometimes with how much she can still wiggle around in there. Future gymnast?

Cravings: Considering the excessive amount of cheese I ate today, I'm gonna have to go with cheese. 

Symptoms: I HAVE CANKLES. 

Looking forward to: My dr. appointment tomorrow to see if baby A has any plans of gracing us with her presence in the near future. 

xoxo

Humpday Bumpday: 38 Weeks

I was stalking my own Instagram yesterday when I came across a picture I posted at 32 weeks. I had captioned it #howcanmybellygetanybigger. HA! Baby got the last laugh.  

How far along: 38 weeks

Gender: GIRL! 

Weight gain: 34 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Ready to kiss these bad boys goodbye!!

Stretch marks: Nope

Belly button in or out: I still wouldn't call it an "official" outie, but it has its moments. 

Sleep: I'm usually awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night. Trying to get comfortable. Debating if I'm hungry enough to get out of bed for a midnight snack. Thinking of ways to rearrange my classroom.

Best moment this week: We have a short work week this week... hellllllllllo 3 day weekend!!

Miss anything: I could really go for a pumpkin beer

Happy or Moody: Happy! 

Movement: She is most definitely running out of room in there. Her big rolls are turning into nudges and pokes. Although, as I'm typing this, she's trying her darndest to make some major moves.

Cravings: Pizza, pumpkin bread. Sooooooooooo much pumpkin bread. 

Symptoms: Heartburn.

Looking forward to: The upcoming 3 day weekend!! This could potentially be our last baby-free weekend!

Happy Humpday!

Nursery Tour

With only 2 weeks to go until my due date, I thought it was time I finally shared a peak into baby girl's nursery. She still doesn't have an "official" name but she's got a cute room! And that's what matters, right? jk jk LOL.

Erik's favorite thing to do is tell me, "You can pick out the name. Whatever you want I'm okay with." Then I think of the the most perfect name and he makes a face like, reeeeeeally, that's what you came up with. Or says it's too close to his boss' name. Or that's the name of our neighbor's dog. 

We're both pretty convinced (and livin' on a hope and prayer) that when we see her, we'll just know. 

But enough about names. Let me distract you from the fact that our child could be born in less than 14 days and doesn't have a name with a really cute nursery!! 

Happy Sunday!