Adly's Birth Part 2

Sorry to leave you hanging. My boobies were needed.

Once I sat up for an hour to let gravity do it's thing, the doctor and the army of nurses propped me back to a laying down position. Before I knew it, my legs were being held in the air, spread eagle and I was being told my job was to hold my thighs. Adam was placed on my right hand side to hold my right thigh with me and hold my neck up.

My doctor took position at the end of the bed and the other nurses grabbed various leg areas to help hold me up. I have to note here that one thing that I look back on now and kind of laugh at is the fact that throughout the time I was pushing, there were numerous doctors, nurses, and who else knows walking in and out of the room. They were all there to play their part in the delivery, but it's pretty funny to think back now about how anyone and everyone walked in and saw my lady parts in all their glory.

Anyways, when it came to the labor part I guess I had just assumed that you got to 10 cm and then the baby came out. I had NO idea about pushing and what it was all about. So naive. The nurses and doctor got right to work once my legs were up. During pushing, they watch for contractions on a monitor that is strapped to your belly to show the contractions on a richter-like scale printout. I could also feel the pressure of the contractions coming and going. At this point, my contractions were about every 2 minutes.

So here is how the pushing part goes:

-I feel a contraction coming and/or the nurses saw one on the monitor. Whoever noticed it first would say it was time to go again.
-I curl forward and take a deep breath and hold.
-I push as hard as you could ever imagine for 10 seconds as everyone counts down and cheers me on. I remember things like, "push, push, push, push!!" "just like that, keep going!!" "push toward my finger!! right there, right there!" "you got it, you're SO close! keep going, keep going!!!"
-My personal favorite was, "push like you're taking the biggest poop you've ever taken. go, go, go!!"
-I would push with all my might for 10 seconds, then take another deep breath and immediately do it all over again, four times in a row.
-Then it was break time. This was almost amusing to me. You went from pushing like hell and everyone yelling to cheer you on, to relaxing and taking deep breaths while having random conversations for the time between contractions.
-Two minutes later, it was time to do it all over again.
**We had a labor playlist. I highly recommend this for anyone in labor. It helped to distract us all during the downtime and it also helped during the madness of pushing.**

I can't even begin to explain how difficult the pushing time was. I don't think anyone will ever understand until they've done it. I was beyond exhausted. Sweat was pouring down my face, I had a cold compress on my forehead, I could hardly catch my breath. Yet, the fact that I knew my daughter was thisclose to finally coming out, forced me to dig deeper than I ever have before and find the strength to continue pushing.

Adly kept getting stuck at my pelvic bone during the pushing. Apparently it's usually the hardest part and takes a lot of effort to get the head past it. It was here that I began to get nervous she just wasn't going to make it out that way. So I stopped and leveled with my doctor. My worst fear was that I would've gone through vaginal labor, only to end up in c-section and have to recover from both. She responded with a lot of enthusiasm that we would be able to get her out....we just needed to keep on pushing.

After pushing for a little over an hour, I felt some intense pressure and then, there she was on my belly. There was no pain, it happened so quickly. Adam cut the cord and then they took her away to clean her up and run some tests on her. He followed Adly, while the doctor worked on me. I tore, so there was some stitching up to be done. According to Adam, there was also an explosive mess of blood, poo and bodily fluids that came shooting out just before Adly that needed to be cleaned up. Fun times, right!? I don't remember much of this time, I was just so exhausted.

Once Adly was good to go, they brought her over to me and laid her down on my chest. This is where I lost it. On my chest, I started talking to her. She immediately opened her eyes and started looking at me, moving her body upwards and her head to me. She recognized my voice right away. Then Adam walked over and began talking to her. She turned her head to him and started cooing and moving towards him. She also knew his voice right away. We spent the next few minutes, both sobbing,  bonding with our daughter. It was an unbelievably special moment and brings me to tears every time I think or talk about it.

We got to spend about an hour alone with her before family started streaming in, two by two to meet their precious grandchild and niece. It was so special to have all of our family there to meet her right away. Once their quick visits were done, we were whisked away to the mom and baby unit where we stayed for the next two nights.

I would not change a thing when it comes to the delivery. In all, I pushed for only a little over an hour. It felt like much longer, so I feel terribly for the women who push for hours. It is exhausting work bringing a child into this world!

So that's it. One of the most amazing days of my life to date. We are beyond thrilled that she is finally here and out of my belly to join our little family.

Party of three. 

Adly's Birth Part 1

As you know, Monday we had a "false alarm" when it came to Adly's pending arrival. I was really bummed out after that happened and struggled with dealing with the emotions of when she'd actually come. I wanted her here so badly. How I dealt with that was to convince myself in my head that she was not coming for at least another week. I mean, she wasn't even due until the 15th.

By Tuesday evening, I had convinced my family to drive back to Michigan and wait it out. They were set to leave Wednesday morning.

I'm including this part because I really think it might've actually had something to do with jumpstarting labor. Late Tuesday night, I was sitting on the couch after everyone left and Adam went to bed. I was continuing to have contractions and was just generally frustrated. So I started looking online at natural ways to induce labor. I'd been having contractions for 3 days and was dilated to 3-4cms. I had to be on the verge of it. We had tried all the other ways of naturally inducing with no results. What else was there to try!?! Well, I found this blog post about nipple stimulation jump starting labor. This woman swore by the process working and even had a whole routine written out to follow. At the end of the post were countless comments by people it had also worked for. So, I decided to try it. Yep. At 11pm at night, by myself, big as a whale, massaging my nips. Sexy.

After about 30 minutes, I decided to give up. First of all, it just felt odd. Secondly, I have a husband who can do such things, so I decided to wait until the next day and let him try it. Off to bed I went.

Well, around 3am, I was awakened by a feeling of peeing my pants. Yep, the classic water break. I felt my shorts and they were all wet. I still wasn't convinced, thinking maybe I just pissed myself. Hey, it happens. So I got up and checked it out. It was clear with no smell. Yes. I smelled my panties. The things you have to do while pregnant! Hmm...ok. Maybe it was my water. I woke Adam up and told him, "I may have broken my water. But I want to go back to sleep. So wake me up at 5:15 when you get up and I'll call the doc."His response was, "How am I supposed to sleep now!?!" Ten minutes later he was snoring away. Hmph.

Of course, I couldn't sleep. So I spent the next 2 hours researching and trying ways to determine if it actually was my water. When Adam got up for work, I called my doctor with what had been happening and she said to come in ASAP. Now, let me tell you, the only "gush" I ever felt was the initial one. After that, it was a slight continuous almost drip- kind of just like normal discharge. Additionally, there was some blood in it. Turns out, that is from your cervix and really common.

Still convinced I was only going to be turned away again once I got to the ER, I didn't eat any breakfast. We grabbed a few things and we left. We arrived to OB Triage around 6:30am. They did all the normal things, except this time when I explained what had happened, we started to be told we wouldn't be going anywhere. Then I panicked. "OMG I didn't eat breakfast!!" (This girl can NOT live without food). Once you're admitted, they don't let you eat anything besides ice chips. Luckily, one of the nurses let Adam sneak me a scone so I was able to get something in my belly. Ladies, even if you think you might be turned away, EAT before you go to the hospital.

Around 8:30, three doctors came in and did a few tests to see if it was in fact my water that broke, and it was. At that time I was around 4cm dilated still. At 9:30am I was officially admitted to the hospital for delivery. Our nurses were FANTASTIC. The one I had all day was so nice. I think the most disappointing thing about delivery is it takes so long in most cases, you see a shift change. I totally became attached to our nurse, Agnes, and was so sad when her shift was over that evening. When I arrived, Agnes suggested I wait out the epidural as long as I could. They started me on pitocin, and the contractions started revving up. For around the next 3 hours, I handled the pain of the contractions. I'm not going to lie...they hurt. But, I'd been feeling them for four days at that point, so I was somewhat used to the actual pain. I also began to notice when they were coming on and deal with it then.

Agnes also made sure to keep me informed whenever the anesthesiologist was available. I've heard stories of girls waiting and when they were ready, the anesthesiologist was busy in surgery or with other patients, leaving them hanging for up to an hour. Ouch!! Around noon, I was more than ready and the doc was available so we went for it. They made Adam leave due to the fact that a lot of husbands pass out at the sight of the big needle. I'm not going to lie, I probably would have too. Luckily, I couldn't see anything. Agnes was amazing and held on to my shoulders the whole time...and talked to me about anything random I thought of to distract me.

Getting the epidural does not hurt. They gave a local anesthesia to cover the pain of the big needle and that wasn't bad at all. I think more of the "pain" comes from thinking about how big the actual needle is from visions you've seen on TV or from random sources. Additionally, you have to remain curled up in a ball, and with contractions, that hurts enough in itself to take your mind off the pain in your back area. As soon as the doctor was done, I was in heaven.

At that point, we shut off the lights closed the curtains and I napped. Having been up since 3am, I was exhausted. The beauty of an epidural is that you can't feel A THING when it comes to contractions. I could feel pressure, but at that point, that was nothing. You are numb from the waist down, and life can continue as normal. To me, this was heaven and SO worth it. All day I sat in amazement that some women do not get the epi. For me, it helped to make my birth experience so amazing and truly something I'll remember for the rest of my life, because I was able to enjoy it. I am not against natural in any way- in fact I highly commend the women who can do it. I just don't have the pain tolerance.

Agnes continued amping up the pitocin throughout the afternoon. Around 3, I had a cervical check by my doctor. I had dilated to 6-7cm. She also discovered my water bag was still full. She grabbed a hook and actually broke my water. What I had "broke" at home was nothing. THIS was the gush you hear about. More like flood. Adam got to witness that event firsthand and apparently it is not pretty.

By 9pm, I was dilated to 10cm- the ending point in dilation. At that point, the doctor propped me up basically to standing position (but sitting due to my legs being completely numb). This was to let nature do it's work along with gravity, hoping to make the baby drop as far down as possible on her own using just contractions for an hour.

That hour was intense for many reasons. After all the waiting, we now knew she was going to be here in a very short matter of time. That is an unbelievably surreal feeling. Adam started to stress out and looked like he was going to pass out. This inwardly made me start to panic. I tried my best to calm him down, and suggested getting my sister to come in, in case he couldn't do it. He insisted he was fine. And before we knew it, the doctor and three other nurses had arrived and were laying me back. It was GO TIME.

Adam had gathered himself by then and jumped right into action like the amazing man I know he is. They positioned him on my right, to hold up my neck and right thigh. They asked me how I count down for things, what works for me. I asked that everyone count down from ten each time I pushed. I had NO idea what I was in for....

Ready, set, GO!!

Welcoming Adly Daniele!!

She has arrived!!

Adly Daniele was born 7/10/13 at 11:15pm, weighing 8lbs 13oz and measuring in at 21 inches long.

Everyone is doing well. More posts to come soon about the birth and all of her first visitors soon. For now, you can stare at her like we have been for the last 3 days. :) I have to forewarn you, I can't stop taking pictures of her chubby cheeks and beautiful face.

Love,
Adam & Kelly

Right after delivery. First family photo after lots of tears of joy. 

 All swaddled up!

 I could stare at you for days...in fact, I will. 

She's got him wrapped around her finger already.  

 Adly got confused and went for aunt Cait's boobie. According to Cait it was because it was a younger, more perky boob. 

Hehehehe! Evidence of Ady's attempts. 

 Daddy changing for the first time. He's a rockstar and SO much help!

 I mean...those CHEEKS. This was while I was sobbing in the hospital over how much I love her. Bring on the after-pregnancy hormones!

 Late night chats with daddy in the hospital.

 Wiggling around during some skin to skin time. 

 Another moment after BF'ing. Words can't describe how amazing this time is. 

Showing uncle Mike the ropes on how to hold a newborn. 

This is only a small chunk of pics we've taken so far. I'll be updating as I have time. We've had so many amazing moments captured already with visitors I can't wait to share. 

Love, 

Adam, Kelly & Adly 

letdown

Yesterday I had my weekly checkup with the doc. Sunday night I had a sleepless night as I began having some painful contractions, lower back pain and if I'm honest, loose bowels. All of which are signs of labor in progress. I was so glad I was going in to the doc's that morning so she could reassure me of what was going on and that I was actually contracting.

Well, reassure me she did. She checked for dilation and I had increased from 2cm to 3cm in the last week, which I thought was HUGE. Based on all the things going on, she informed me I was definitely in "early labor".

Wooooooooo-hooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Was my reaction. THIS IS IT.

She was concerned about my increased blood pressure, so throughout the appointment she had it taken 3 times. She then told me she was on duty in the ER the next day and she thought for sure she'd be able to deliver me then. She wanted me to go into triage at the hospital right away though, to rest and get the BP down. I asked if I could go home, relax, and count contractions. She agreed with that plan because she was convinced I'd progress and end up in triage that night  or the next morning for delivery.

So with that knowledge, Adam and I both jumped on our phones and got the families all riled up. My dear Michigan family jumped in their cars as soon as work let out and headed down. By 7pm, Adam and I went into triage with me having contractions every 6-8 mins and high blood pressure. I was convinced that due to the high BP, even if the contractions weren't close enough, they'd induce.

This is it. We both thought. And we were SO excited.

Well, turns out my blood pressure was fine by then. The contractions just weren't close enough. And when they checked me I was still dilated to 3cm. Therefore, I was given the option to "wait it out" in the ER or head home. To me, waiting it out in the hospital really means "you're taking up precious bed space, so we're going to c-section you." So we decided to head home.

Let me tell you, it was more depressing than I could've imagined to leave the hospital with no baby girl. As of Monday morning, I hadn't even begun to process the idea that Adly could be joining us in a day or two. But by Monday evening I had pumped myself and everyone else up to believe that it was happening and it was happening now.

But it wasn't. So Monday night, I finally slept for 6 hours and then woke up this morning with no contractions. None. Nada. WTF!?!?

So I put on my exercise gear and decided I was going to walk this baby out of me today. I mean, my whole family is here...everyone is on standby. This HAS to happen and fast. So I walked. And walked. Throughout today, the contractions have definitely increased in their painfulness. However, they are still sporadic and still frustrating the hell out of me.

I read so much about first time preggo's being admitted to the ER, only to be turned away hours later to go home and contract. I was convinced that would never be me. I'm far too anal about such things to mess up in that way. But let me tell you, the power of thinking you are going to meet your precious bundle any minute is unbelievably overwhelming. The enthusiasm of my doctor alone was enough to make me want to head in right away. Of course, they don't know for sure it's going to happen right then and there (this being said without your water breaking or without them needing to induce). They can guess...but no one knows for sure when it's going to happen.

So here is what I have learned in the last 24 hours about the stages of labor:

-Early Labor: Dilated 0-3cm, contractions are 5-20 minutes apart, can last for 12 hours or longer (for days or weeks).
-Active Labor: Dilation from 4-7cm, contractions are 3-4 minutes apart. This is when you head to the hospital.
-Transition to Labor: Dilation 7-10cm, baby heads down birth canal.
-Labor: This is when you push and life's greatest gift is your reward for all this pain.

**If your water breaks, all bets are off on the "stages of labor" and you head in immediately to be induced as the baby is then open to infection. Problem is, only about 8-10% of mommies break their water naturally. Crazy, huh?

So for now, we wait. And contract.

Saying Goodbye

Throughout my pregnancy, I globbed on to a few different iPhone apps to help me track the days and to give me a little tidbit of what I should expect to see happening at any given time. They were quite helpful as I navigated my way through the unknown world of pregnancy.

The two main apps I used were: What to Expect and BabyCenter.

Both of these apps give a weekly update that details the growth baby is making and the changes mommy is experiencing. I've found them both to be helpful- hand in hand. One thing I've enjoyed in the What to Expect app is the forum section where you can find a number of different boards. The main one I've been checking in on is the July 2013 board. This is where all the other ladies on the app who are due this month can post. I'll admit, for the first 8 months, I used it just to be amused. There's a lot of young girls on there with what I would consider menial problems, some venting about relationships, annoying moms, bad boyfriends who cheat on them, etc.

But in the last month, it's gotten really exciting to read. This is because one by one, people in my due date month have been jumping ship and announcing their pregnancies. I couldn't believe how many women ended up having their babies in June. It's also been helpful to help me navigate the weird aches and pains that keep happening lately--since every other girl in my shoes is going through the same thing and wondering "is this it!?!?!".

One thing that has struck me as very interesting though, is the number of posts I've seen from women who gave birth early and unexpectedly....and didn't have a chance to mentally part with their pregnant bodies. A handful of them are having difficulty dealing with it. This was something I hadn't thought of, but when I do, it really is a big change. I mean, we spend 10 months cultivating a human being inside of our bodies. That human being causes countless numbers of changes to our bodies, creates a kind of love one could never know without even meeting something, and forges a bond that is indescribable just by the feeling of movement and outward growth. And then within a matter of hours, it's gone.

Yes, you get the reward of having your precious little one join you live and in person and that in itself is life's greatest gift. But there has to be something that is said for the mourning of the change your body goes through. I found myself thinking about this as I woke up this morning. Adly was gleefully kicking around in my stomach when it hit me that I won't be feeling that much longer. No more imagining her dancing moves, laughing when she kicks back at our touch, no more feeling her with me all the time.

Of course there's the benefit of change too. I think the women who go full term and beyond definitely have an easier time parting with their pregnant experience. You're large and in charge, uncomfortable all the time, nothing fits anymore and you're just plain ready to move on. That is where I am most definitely at right now. But at the same time, I can't help but think and wonder if I'll miss the days of watching her little foot kick out the left side of my belly....

Nah. No more belly? No more waddling? A soft, snuggly, cutie patootie in my arms at all times gurgling back at me? Yes please!!

Quite the Contraption

I tell you what has scared me the last few months: putting in the car seat. Of all things, why this? Well, there's a lot riding on it...no pun intended. Not to mention, you have to read your car manual, and the car seat manual, both of which have a lot of pictures and instructions that are overwhelming. Therefore, this has been something I've been putting off for weeks.

When my dad and Anita came into town last weekend, I took that as the perfect opportunity to get some help putting in the carseat. You see, I knew putting in the car seat was probably an activity that wouldn't be great for Adam and I. Better to avoid the arguments over who is right at this point in the game. So with both manuals out, my dad and I set about trying to tackle the car seat. After reading, re-reading, trying some pretty interesting set ups, and being very confused, we finally secured the car seat in the center position in the backseat. Or so we thought.

Once you get your car seat in, it is highly recommended you get the car seat inspected. This is due to the fact that 80% of people put the seats in incorrectly. Pretty scary statistic isn't it? So I then set about trying to secure an appointment with one of the local police stations who have trained officers. I have to say, I'm disappointed in the CPD. I called three stations near our house three times and still have yet to receive a response. Thankfully, a coworker of mine had recommended I go to a suburban police department where she had hers done. So I called there and received a response within a day from a woman named Judy, a hilarious, no-nonsense veteran cop who really knows her stuff when it comes to car seats. Judy informed me they only do village residents for safety checks, but then gruffly asked if I could make it the next day at 8:30am. "Yes ma'am" was my response.

I pulled into the station and Judy opened the door, letting out a long whistle. "Yep. I've seen some real contraptions in my day....but this setup. This definitely takes the cake."

Uhhh.....turns out dad and I had it ALL wrong. In every way possible. I am so thankful we got it checked out. I learned from Judy that certain members at specific stations are required to go to "school" once a week every year for education on car seat safety. That is how they are qualified to know the seat is secured and safe in every way. It is such a reassuring feeling knowing that our daughter will be safe and sound now in the car.

Here are the important things I learned from Judy about car seat installation and safety:

-The car seat is best place behind the passenger seat. The back of the passenger seat can NOT touch the car seat. If it is touching in the crash, it will stabilize the car seat and the child will take on the brunt of the impact. (We had it in the center seat. I will say this was the recommendation of the car seat manual. Judy said to only follow your car's manual for placement).

- The LATCH safety straps can only be extended less than 11" on each side. (My dad and I had them set up across each side seat...over 14". Oops.)

-The LATCH straps are all that are needed to hold in the seat until the child is 40lbs. (We also had the seat belt over the car seat).

-The base of the car seat should NOT move side to side. "It should be one with the car"-Judy. However, it should be able to rock front to back. This is so that in the event of a car crash, the car seat will absorb the impact and the baby will not.

-Once baby is in the car seat, there should only be a fingers' space between the baby and the seat straps. In the winter, the straps need to be as close to baby as possible. Blankets over top are ok, but not underneath the straps.

Hopefully this will help any of you installing car seats in the near future to not look like such an idiot when you arrive at the safety check. I had no clue about any of these checklist items and it's terrifying to know that she could've come and we clearly weren't prepared to get her home safely. Now we are! Just another tick off the checklist....

38 Weeks

July...we made it!! It is now official that my daughter and I will share at least a birthday month. I haven't yet decided how I really feel about that. I mean, my birthday month has always been my birthday month. I'm not good at sharing.  However I have decided that this year, it's ok to let my birthday slide by, unnoticed. Her birthday can most definitely take precedence over mine this one time. You must also know, my reasoning for this is not selfless. Lets be honest, I want my body back. So any day now works for me!

With the 38th week comes the joy of what I'm referring to as the black hole of pregnancy. There is so much that is unknown about any individual birth that you're given a whole list of "possible" labor indicators and any one of those could mean this is it. To boot, at this time your body also begins experiencing little tidbits of these warning signs on the regular, which every time sends you into a panic of "is this it!?!" But it's not.

Some examples are, lower back pain, menstrual cramps, Braxton Hicks (which are now so regular and strong I can track them), "leakage" from your lady parts (well friends, this has been happening the entire pregnancy), and diarrhea or lots of pooing. I'm telling you- the pregnant life is where its at, ladies!

Another problem with this time is boredom. There's not a whole lot I can do anymore. Taking a walk is great, but it's hard to do with anyone else, being that my "walk" is maybe a mile and a half....not a whole lot to any average lady friend trying to get in shape. I can't go too far from home because "what if!?!" So instead, I sit and attempt to clean and make lists of daily tasks that I can do to keep myself from going stir crazy. Thankfully, this week is the 4th of July week which means a lot of my friends will be off work to entertain me. Yay for me!!

Here's the belly at 38 weeks: