Tag Archives: pregnancy

To be honest, I really didn’t know how Aubrey’s birth was going to play out - do we ever? From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was scared. Scared that I was going to have a bad laceration like I did with Trent. Scared I wouldn’t have my doctor for the delivery again. Scared I would have blood pressure issues after the birth and pass out with the nurse screaming for Brett to push the red emergency button. Scared of having a newborn AND a toddler at home.

But being scared is part of most pregnancies I suppose…there’s just so many unknowns. I toyed with the idea of an elective c-section because of all the things I was scared of. My doctor wasn’t a big fan when I mentioned it very early on, but he was willing to discuss all options with me and I think he knew that deep down, I didn’t really want a c-section either. I love my doctor. But so does half the city and that’s why I wait in the waiting room for an hour every time I go for an appointment.

This pregnancy, I had high blood pressure from the beginning and was on medication for that, and I also had diet-controlled gestational diabetes. Those two things combined put me into a high-risk category. When I went in for my 39 week appointment on a Monday morning, they took my blood pressure 3 times…including my doctor once just to be certain. Seeing my doctor fumble with the blood pressure cuff - and even having one of the springs pop out - made me really want to joke about when the last time he had to actually use one of those things was, but I figured now wasn’t the time for jokes. It was high, so my doctor wanted to schedule an induction. After the first BP check, he gave me some options: either come back for a recheck in a few days or schedule an induction. At that point, I opted to wait it out and hoped that it would go down or Aubrey would come on her own by then. But after the 2nd and 3rd high BP checks, he felt I shouldn’t wait and should be induced.

I hadn’t really given that option much thought, but I found myself disappointed and sad. We’ve had two friends in the past couple of years get induced and they were in the hospital for a few days just waiting for something to happen and then ended up with c-sections anyway. I certainly did not want to be sitting in a hospital for longer than necessary, especially with a toddler at home to coordinate babysitters for.

I won’t go into explaining the ridiculous process for scheduling an induction at the hospital, but we were scheduled to go in the following night. The hospital would be calling us between 10pm-12midnight on Tuesday to let us know when they were ready for us to come in. We had Nana & Papa come over around 8pm to stay the night and watch Trent…his first overnight experience without us (FYI - he did AMAZING!).

The hospital ended up calling a little early, at 9:15 while I was giving Trent a bath. It was weird how even though I knew the call was coming, the fact that the call came early while I was with Trent kind of threw me off-guard. Having to stop doing what I was doing with Trent to go do something else made me sad and wondered if that’s what life was going to be like now with 2 kids. Silly pregnancy hormones!

We arrived at the hospital around 9:45 to an empty lobby, which was nice. I filled out some paperwork and then we waited just a few minutes before being brought right back to the delivery room. Thank goodness I got to skip Triage.

I changed, put away my belongings, got hooked up to everything and prepared to be there for a while.

After I was hooked up to everything, they wanted to monitor me for about 30 minutes to get a baseline for how everything was going.

Thank goodness for hospital wifi.

Then, around midnight, I received Cervidil, which is a tampon-looking string with medicine at the end that is put in the cervix to help with dilation. This is given before Pitocin. I was only 1cm, so the Cervidil was supposed to be a better start for the process. Then, I had to pick a side to lay on and not move for 2 hours so the medicine could do it’s job. I chose to lay on my right side and then immediately regretted it once I as there and couldn’t move. The funny thing is that I almost always lay on my right side, but when you are told you can’t move, that’s all you want to do!

Wow - that was a very long 2 hours. I was so uncomfortable and could not sleep. I kept looking at the clock, which I know is not a good thing to do, but I was counting down the minutes to when I could move.

Once the 2 hours were up, I got up because I felt like I needed to use the restroom. In fact, I felt that way every 20-30 minutes for the next several hours. So uncomfortable, in pain, restless. I even asked the nurse if I could lay in the whirlpool tub they have there just so I wouldn’t have to lay back down on the hospital bed. I wasn’t allowed to because that would mess with the Cervidil, but she did offer pain medication. The first medicine she gave me didnt do anything, so she gave me a pill to take…I don’t even remember what it was. It helped a little, but it was such a long and uncomfortable night.

Since it was nighttime, I don’t have many photos. There wasn’t much to take photos of anyway.

Early in the morning, I happily received my Epidural and felt so much better afterward. I wish I could have gotten it sooner, but they aren’t typically given until you are around 4-6 cm dilated.

I don’t really remember the timing of everything exactly, but not long after the Epidural, the nurse came in and gave me an oxygen mask to wear because she said that the Cervidil was causing constant contractions and not giving Aubrey a break, causing her heart rate to change. Not long after that, my doctor came in and took out the Cervidil and ordered that they give me a shot to STOP contractions (what they give moms in preterm labor).

I’m not sure how much time passed, but it wasn’t long before I started feeling sever pain and pressure down there. My first reaction was “WTF! I have an Epidural for a reason!” So I paged the nurse and just said “Can I have a nurse please?”

Then, I felt the weirdest thing…I felt like I peed myself…which to me, must have meant my catheter came out since I had one because you aren’t allowed to get up and move around with the Epidural. My main nurse was with another patient, so her assistant came in. While she was in there, I felt even more like I peed myself and then Brett told me my water must have broken! I would have laughed at myself if I wasn’t in so much pain. That nurse ended up calling in the main nurse asap, and in that short time period, I was holding onto the bed rails and almost screaming. The nurse said “It’s time - tell the Doctor to hurry!”

They actually told me to STOP pushing…but I had never started to begin with. Aubrey was coming and there was nothing I could do. In fact, the doctor was rushing to put his gloves and everything on as quickly as he could and nurses were rushing with tables and equipment. The nurse even had to put her hand down there to make sure Aubrey didn’t come out before the doctor was ready. Once he was ready and after barely a push, Aubrey made her arrival at 9:40am.

After all that worry of how long it would take, she came faster than I could have ever imagined. Surely that meant I had a bad tear right? NOPE! No tear…hallelujah!

With Trent, I started the skin to skin time immediately, but had to have him taken by someone because I started to get dizzy with blurred vision because of the blood pressure issues. This time, I had her for so long, I started to wonder when they were going to bathe her! But I wasn’t complaining. I was so happy with everything. I was able to have MY doctor. It happened quickly with no lacerations. And of course, she was beautiful.

Almost a pound bigger than Trent when he was born!

After her bath and some follow-up necessities, I was able to stand up, so they could get me in the wheelchair and transfer us to my recovery room. We pushed the button to play a lullaby and let everyone know that she was born!

She looks so cute with her little bow hat.

After a couple of hours, Nana & Poppa brought Trent to see us. It was a moment I was looking forward to for so long. First, I got a hug from my little man in his big brother shirt.

Then he met his sister.

He just looked at her and even though he didn’t say much, you could tell he was trying to process what it all meant.

We gave him a present from Aubrey, which was something I read was a good idea to get him excited.

Of course, the toy (which Brett picked out), was the loudest toy ever. But he loved it and played with it the entire rest of the time he was there.

Everyone took turns loving on Aubrey.

We even had a beautiful rainbow outside of our window!

Brett couldn’t resist taking a photo of our princess…he did this right on the hospital bed. He can make a studio anywhere!

That night, Brett went home around 9pm. Since I didn’t have a tear, I was able to get up and walk around without any pain, so I was ok with being alone with Aubrey. Plus, I know the nurses there would help if I needed anything. Brett brought Trent by the next day, but didn’t stay for long since Trent wanted to press every button and pull every wire in the room…that place is like Chuck E Cheese for a toddler!

Brett came back a few hours that night and then slept at home with Trent.

I was able to leave the next day, so Brett brought Trent to the hospital for when I would be able to leave, then we left the hospital as a family of 4.

This was us waiting in the parking lot while Daddy picked up lunch at Jersey Mike’s, so her straps were loosened a bit for comfort, so please don’t leave comments about how I’m a bad mother for not having the straps tight enough. :-/

It definitely was a much different experience than with Trent, but I am so glad to have been able to have two normal deliveries and two happy, healthy babies.

You can also read Trent’s birth story here and watch his arrival video here.

 

 

FYI - I started writing this when I was in the midst of my morning sickness, but decided to hold off until I was well in the clear and no longer sick…and then I forgot about it…so here it goes!

As I have said before, this pregnancy has been completely different than my first pregnancy, especially when it comes to morning sickness. Last time, I went through a few weeks of not really feeling so great, but never really got sick.

This time around, even though I am no where near as bad as some other pregnant mommies I know, I threw up several times, spent an entire day throwing up on the last day of our cruise, felt sick mostly every night, and went through a few weeks where the thought of drinking anything made me want to gag.

Luckily, I started feeling better as I entered the 2nd trimester and now want to talk about all the ways I tried to make myself feel better during those dreaded weeks. Some worked and some didn’t, but what may work or not work for me may have the opposite effect on someone else. You just never know….pregnancy is weird like that.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

1. Sea-Band - Sea sickness bands

These are one of those things that I may never know whether they worked or not, but I was too afraid to take them off for fear that I may quickly become sick if I did. The premise of these is that by placing both bands on a certain pressure point on your wrists, you can reduce that nauseous feeling. These are primarily meant to be for preventative measures on cruise ships, but can also be used for morning sickness. When I first started wearing them, I took them off twice to wash my hands and then to give Trent a bath, and I threw up both times. From then on, I wore them 24/7, except in the shower. However, I was wearing them when I got sea sick on the last day of our cruise. I threw up all day long while wearing those bands, so perhaps they are only effective to a certain degree and can’t handle anything extreme?? Either way, at just a few dollars, it’s an inexpensive method to try.

 

2. Mints or Candies

One of the main causes of me feeling sick/nasty and wanting to throw up was the gross taste in my mouth pretty much all day long. I couldn’t even brush my teeth or use mouthwash enough to make it go away, because it would come right back. So I always kept mints handy. I liked the Sugar Free Wint-o-green Mints from LifeSavers. I didn’t like peppermint, but spearmint was good. I just kept a mint in my mouth for most of the day to prevent tasting anything else.

 

3. Dramamine/Bonine

Before going on the cruise, I discussed my options with my doctor. He said Dramamine or Bonine was ok to take, but that he could also prescribe me a light dosage of their prescription nausea medication. He said it would make me drowsy, so I passed. When I started feeling sick on the cruise, I took 1 Dramamine….and threw it up. So I will never know if it would have worked…perhaps maybe if I took it sooner as a preventative? I just tried very hard not to take anything I didn’t have to, but by the time I HAD to take it, it was way too late. They make a “Less Drowsy” formula, so I tried that to be on the safer side.

 

4. Vomit Bags

I can’t believe I actually ordered these, and laughed when I did, but liked having them available to me if I needed them. Luckily, I never had to use any of them, but I kept one in my purse, in the car, in the diaper bag, at work and in my bag I had with me during the cruise. I was always afraid I was going to get sick at work or in a car and not have access to a container…so it was reassuring to know I always had a bag. They are just plain white plastic bags that have a drawstring and a super absorbent insert, so if someone sees it, they might not even know what it is.

 

5. Quease-Ease

I came across this product while searching “morning sickness” on Amazon before the cruise. I liked the idea of it since it wasn’t a pill or anything that I had to put in my body. It’s basically aromatherapy and the combination of scents is supposed to make you not feel sick. You just take a few good whiffs when you start to feel sick and it’s supposed to make you feel better. The scents didn’t sound like anything bad, so I ordered it and didn’t open it until I was on the cruise on that last day. That smell was not pleasant at all. But I did it a few times thinking the effect would be better than the smell, but unfortunately it was not. It had no effect…in fact, it may even have had an opposite effect. Either that or I was already far to sick for it do have any effect anyway.

 

6. Ginger

For my first pregnancy, I tried ginger candies from the health store and ginger ale. I became disgusted with the taste and decided not to use it this time.

 

7. Preggie Pop Drops

I actually had some of these leftover from my first pregnancy, so I used them again, but didn’t buy a new container. The ingredients are supposed to help and the flavor is pretty decent - I got the sours I think - but since the mints were working ok for me, I just decided to stick with those. These are good if you are wanting more of a candy taste, as opposed to mint or ginger.

 

8. Time

I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but the best thing I did was to keep thinking about how I wouldn’t be sick forever. That hopefully in a few weeks, I won’t have to deal with this any more and I can move on to another set of pregnancy side effects. While I may not be entirely out of the woods yet, this did hold true. The Sea Sick bands are off, I don’t mind drinking liquids any more and I may even remove the barf bag from my purse soon. With only a small percentage of pregnancies that include morning sickness for much longer, most morning sickness goes away as you enter the 2nd trimester.

 

Your thoughts?

Have you tried any of these remedies? Did they work? Do you have any other recommendations? If so, share them in the comments!

 

You may also be interested in…

Favorite Pregnancy Items

Then vs. Now: Pregnancy

Tips for Going to Disney World While Pregnant

My Pregnancy and Baby Book List

Pregnancy Progress Photos – Part 2

 

One of Brett’s most popular photography packages is the Baby Plan…where parents can get professional photos of their baby as a newborn then at 3, 6 and 9 months, and then finally, 1 year old.

Of course, we are no strangers to personally taking progress photos. I took pregnancy progress photos with Trent and some with Aubrey, and we also took a monthly photo of Trent through his first year. We hope to take a weekly photo of Aubrey!

The possibilities are endless with progress photos! First day of school for each grade, pregnancy months, child months/weeks/years, anniversaries….it’s always so fun to look back on the progress no matter what it is.

Pretty in Polka Dots has just the product to help you take any kind of progress photo for kids…Baby Age Blocks!

What makes Baby Age Blocks from Pretty in Polka Dots different:

1. We PRINT directly on our blocks with a flatbed printer. Our blocks are more vivid, clean, safe, & permanent that any other on the market (no more peeling stickers or chipping paint!). We purchased this printer recently solely for this purpose (though it has opened other markets for us). We do all of the work and printing in our home (myself, my husband and my littler helpers – 3 children under 4… EEK!)

2. We cut, sand & inspect every one of our blocks by hand to make sure they’re perfectly safe for babies and of the best quality.

3. We gift wrap every set of blocks and include an optional hand written note if requested. We are also now branching into the world of wholesale and offering retail packaging when required.

4. Because we print, our blocks are COMPLETELY customizable. On our website, we let our customers select their own colors, font outlines, block finishes & more.

 

Of course, we just had to use these blocks for Aubrey’s progress photos! Look who is 1 week old today!

What we really like about these blocks is that the letters and numbers are printed directly onto the blocks…they aren’t stickers, so that means no peeling! The use of UV stable ink means these blocks will last a lifetime.

These blocks come in a variety of color options.

We chose blocks in Primary Colors, but because of their special printing process, the blocks can be customizable to match décor, favorite colors, etc.

The blocks are made from solid “poplar” hardwood with permanent UV Printed letters and numbers. The two smaller number blocks are 2.5 inch cubes. The larger word block features the words: weeks, months, years, and grade. It is 2.5in x 2.5in x 5in.

What you get on the blocks:

• Word Block: weeks, months, years, grade
• Number Block 1: 0,1,2,3,4,5
• Number Block 2: 0,1,2,6,7,8
• Expansion Block: 3,4,5,6,7,8 (optional)

NOTE: The number 6 is also number 9 when turned over

With the expansion block, your options are endless! It allows for extended number combinations with the Baby Age Blocks from 0-99. The typical Baby Age Block set without the expansion blocks can only go from 0-32 before begging to skip number combinations such as 33, 34, 43, 44 and so on.

Pretty in Polka Dots sends these Baby Age Blocks in the cutest wrapping, making them ready to given as a gift – perfect as a baby shower gift, for a photographer or for parents, to name a few. Shipping was incredibly fast, too!

Pretty in Polka Dots also offers some other unique items:

Personalized Name Blocks

Baby Announcement Blocks

Wood Plank Picture Frames

 

To learn more about Pretty in Polka Dots and to Buy, visit their website here.

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I received this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

 

In case you don’t follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you may have missed that we welcomed the newest member of our family on Wednesday morning.

Meet Aubrey.

Well, Princess Aubrey, to be exact.

Brett took that photo from the hospital - he can make a studio anywhere! lol

Aubrey was born at 9:40 am. 8 lbs 12 oz and absolutely beautiful.

While I definitely plan on making more of a birth story post in the near future, I do want to share one of my favorite moments…Trent meeting Aubrey for the first time.

Just when you think your heart can’t get any more full of love…

Trent has been pretty good. He visited twice, but wasn’t at the hospital too much, mostly because that place is like a Chuck E Cheese for a two year old…so many buttons and wires to mess with. I was shocked he didn’t accidentally press the nurse call or emergency button!

We headed home yesterday (Friday).

An attempt at “nap time” yesterday took some coordination between Brett and I swapping children. Trent naps so much better when I’m the one that helps, and he ended up taking one for 3 hours…lots of excitement with family members and friends must have worn him out!

A sweet friend brought us some dinner. It was so delicious and we’ll have leftovers for days.

Last night took even more trial-and-error…but that’s just how it will be for the next, well, 18 years? Haha. Luckily, I did get some sleep, more than I got in the hospital, in fact!

Right now, Brett and Trent are out shopping and picking up miscellaneous items while Aubrey has been introduced to a favorite item from Trent’s first few months…the zCush Nap Mat!

It will be a nice difference from my last maternity leave…Brett was only home for 2 weeks and then went back to work…this time, he’s here the entire time and I am off for twice as long. Of course, having a toddler makes a big difference too!

I have a few review/sponsored posts that will be going up over the next few days…giving birth kinda throws your blogging schedule off a bit! I never logged on to the computer while in the hospital because the wifi was almost non existent, and I was far too unprepared to actually be a good blogger and schedule posts to go up while I was there (we weren’t expecting Miss Aubrey for another week!) so I hope you guys don’t mind me playing a bit of catch up around here

Hope you guys have a lovely weekend and I hope it’s a little cooler where you are!

 

We had our baby shower this past Saturday and it was absolutely lovely. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law did such a great job - from the food to the decorations…everything - it was all so amazing! The theme was a Baby Sprinkle Brunch, as opposed to a baby shower, where guests came and “sprinkled” us with love and gifts - get it?

Several friends and family also helped make this party so amazing, so I really just want to step back and say thank you to everyone that helped. Brett even made the cupcakes…how could he not, he is the cupcake king! But seriously, it was such a nice thing to do for us and Aubrey and I am so appreciative of all of it. We felt extremely loved and were glad everyone came together to celebrate.

Cute invites (they got them from Tiny Prints).

Before the party started and guests arrived, I had to grab Trent, the new big brother, to take a photo. I can’t wait for him to meet his little sister.

In the living room was this beautiful set-up, complete with umbrellas, rain drops, clouds and a sun…and pretty flowers.

How cute are Aubrey’s initial letters on the table?

The cutest little pink rain boots, flowers and baby girl duckies.

There was definitely no shortage of food. There was a yogurt parfait bar with granola and yummy fruit.

Mini quiches and biscotti.

Cupcakes scattered everywhere. Our wonderful friend Karey made the cloud cut-outs for the cupcakes. Aren’t they adorable?

The cupcakes Brett made were white cake with strawberry filling and pink cream cheese frosting. Yum.

Let’s head into the kitchen/dining room, shall we?

MORE FOOD!

Fluffy croissants with buffalo chicken dip, egg salad and chicken salad.

Egg rings.

Variety of cheeses on the most beautiful cheese and fruit tray ever.

Monkey bread and a frenchtoast bake with bananas, strawberries and coconut.

Party platter, chips and more scattered cupcakes!

Drinks and cinnamon rolls.

The big hit of the party was the iced coffee bar! Complete with plenty of flavored creamers, sugars, syrups, chocolate and whipped cream. I definitely went over my caffeine limit for the day…it was so good! I even borrowed a Turvis cup from my niece to bring some home!

Flowers everywhere.

We loved these vases with the cut-up lemons and limes in them..such a great idea!

This is what happens when there’s an iced coffee bar and everyone’s had a little too much caffeine.

Trent refused to eat much of anything up until this point, but then he stood behind me and ate an entire plate of food while I opened gifts. He did so well!

My sister-in-law got Aubrey some of the cutest Disney princess outfits and bows…expect Aubrey to be wearing those in photos soon! It also may force me to reconsider how long we wait to go back to WDW…haha.

So omg…this box…

I thought it was real. Even when the people that gave it to us said there was something else in the box, I still asked “So that means someone gave this to you to begin with?” I just was amazed that this was a real thing and someone would buy it for someone else.

But apparently it’s just a gag box…phew…thank goodness!!

More princess photo props! I think we still need more!

Karey also made this adorable canvas photo for everyone to put their fingerprints and initials on, with some notes on the back. She is such a good artist.

Waiting for Miss Aubrey!

Family of three, soon to be family of four

Trent fell asleep in the car on the ride home…I wanted to too! It was a fun day and I’m glad to spend time with family and friends. <3

 

You may also like:

Trent’s Colorful Mickey-Themed Baby Shower

Baby Shower Registry Tips

Baby Shower Ultrasound Thank You Cards