The Birth Story

We were scheduled to go to the hospital Thursday, July 16th at 7 am.  I got ready, ate breakfast, and had my dad and Dan give me a blessing, then we were on our way.  By the time we checked in, got changed, hooked up to the iv, and filled some paperwork out, it was close to 8am.  Dr. Morgan came in and checked me.  I was still at 3cm and baby's head was down.  We then discussed breaking my water.  I had expressed to him earlier that I did not want to immediately get put on pitocin since it can really make your contractions more painful.  With Brylen, I was able to go into labor on my own without pitocin.  And with both of my girls, once my water breaks, things really get going, so I was convinced that breaking my water was the best option.  Dr. Morgan told me all the risks and said that if progress wasn't happening by noon, then I would have to consider being put on pitocin to get things going.  I was ok with that so he went ahead and broke my water at about 8am.  It was not as painless as it was with Brylen.  He had to really try to get it to break.  Soon water was gushing out and I could sense a slight concern with Dr. Morgan once most of the water had come out.  He said the head had turned.  It was sitting crooked and not down like it was before he broke my water.  So he physically was moving the baby by moving my belly.  It was extremely uncomfortable.  

He told us that he would come back around 10am to check on me and see if I had made any progress. It didn't take me long to start feeling contractions which progressively got stronger.  Ashley, my nurse came and took some blood to check my blood platelet count.  It had been kind of low earlier in my pregnancy so they had been keeping an eye on it.  It had gone back up, but they wanted to check it one last time.  Then she administered the first dose of penicillin for the group b strep.  Once the 30 minute dose was over, she said I was free to walk around if I needed.  

My contractions were quite steady and this time around I really wanted to focus on my breathing, relaxing and visualizing.  I also have been using essential oils for a few years now and I wanted to incorporate some of those as well to see if they would help ease the pain.  Dan was great!  He was happy to apply oils to wherever I needed and he was the perfect support.  I know how much he feels helpless and he wants to do more for me, but he is so supportive and amazing, I can feel his support, even if he feels differently.  He truly is my biggest cheerleader.

At 10am Dr. Morgan came back in to check baby's head.  It still was turned and he once again spent some time moving the baby around.  Which, again, was extremely uncomfortable.    I could tell he was a bit concerned again, but he did not let that seem to affect the mood or overshadow anything.  He was glad to see that I was contracting.  And he said they got the results for my blood platelet count.  It was 96.  And after talking with the anesthesiologist, he found out that they will not give epidurals if your platelet count is under 100.  Dr. Morgan said that since it was slightly under 100, he thought it wasn't a big deal, but the anesthesiologist was adamant that he would not do an epidural for me.  I joked with Dr. Morgan that it was a good thing I had prepared myself for no epidural anyway.  The only difference was my back up plan was gone.   This news didn't really bother me at all because I truly had mentally and physically prepared to have a natural, drug-free child birth and I was ok with that.

I continued to labor for a couple more hours before Dr. Morgan came back to check me again.  My contractions were definitely stronger and closer together.  I was really working on my breathing.  At 12pm Dr. Morgan checked me and I was at a 4.  To say I was discouraged, would probably be an understatement.  I was at 4.5cm when I went into the hospital to have Alayna and I was at 4cm when I went in with Brylen.  So I started at what I had labored for 4 hours for this time.  This little boy really was not in a hurry to get here and I was a bit frustrated.  I expressed to Dan my frustration. I just couldn't believe that with my consistent contractions, I wasn't dilated more.  I decided to get up, use the restroom, and change my position some to see if I could get things rolling.

And things did seem to get more intense.  My contractions were definitely strong.  I was really having to concentrate and breathe through them. And I was beginning to shake some.  That tends to happen for me when I get close to the end.  Around 1pm Dr. Morgan came to check on me.  He said I was at 6cm.  I was glad and a bit disappointed at the same time. I was hoping to be a bit more dilated, but I knew that things could go quickly from this point.  Dr. Morgan said to call the nurse as soon as I felt the need to push.

Another hour went by.  Things were quite intense.  I was not loving life and Dan could tell I was tired of labor.  I was feeling a lot of pressure, but unsure as to whether I needed to push just yet, but at a little after 2pm we called the nurse in and told her that there was lots of pressure.  I wasn't sure as to whether or not I needed to push, but I just wanted her to check and see if I had made any progress.  She called Dr. Morgan to see if he wanted to come down and check me or if she should just check.  He gave her the go ahead to check me and she said I had just a slight lip, but that I basically was at a 10.  She called Dr. Morgan to come down and check things out since it wouldn't be long 'til baby was born.  

Before I knew it, Dr. Morgan was in my room getting all dressed and ready.  Other nurses were coming in and setting things up.  I was ready to be done!  As soon as Dr. Morgan was all set, he gave me the go ahead to push on my next contraction.  I started pushing at 2:39pm and had to push through nine sets of three before our baby was born.  I have never pushed so hard in my life.  I really was struggling.  I was literally breaking a sweat.  Dr. Morgan said his head was still turned to the side so I was trying to push out the wider part of his head.  And I distinctively remember telling Dr. Morgan 4 times to PLEASE just get him out.  Towards the end I was beginning to wonder if he was going to come out.  Because of the position of his head, and the fact that he was a big baby, Dr. Morgan decided to use a vacuum to help me get his head out.  

And at 2:51pm our sweet baby, McCoy was born!  He was a big boy.  Much bigger than I ever thought.  He was 8lbs. 10oz  and 20.5 inches long.  I was SO grateful that he was here and healthy!

We are completely in love with this little chunk.  He is such a sweet babe and we are just thrilled to add him to our family.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for giving me this little boy and trusting me with three beautiful children.  I am so incredibly blessed!

The Before

As I predicted in my previous post, our sweet baby was quite content to stay where he was.  My due date came and went as well as six more days.  I went in for my doctor's appointment a little earlier than planned on my due date, Friday, the 10th.  That morning I woke up to some contractions.  They weren't painful, but they were somewhat consistent.  This was strange for me considering I have never really had contractions before actually being induced, so I was a bit on edge.  And Dan was scheduled to work in Jackson that day, so I was nervous as to whether or not he should go.  It would take an hour and a half one way to get to the place he was working and with my faster labors, we just weren't sure.  So, I called the doctor and asked if I could come in earlier.   Dan and I headed in to the doctor while my mother-in-law stayed with the kids.  (She came down the night before to stay with us for a few days until my mom could come on Sunday.)  

At the appointment, Dr. Morgan checked me and said I was about 2cm and maybe 50% effaced.  He gave the go ahead for Dan to head to Jackson.  He told me that I had a minimum of 24 hours before I had a baby.  Dan was a bit disappointed.  He was hoping Dr. Morgan would just send us over to the hospital and have a baby.  I wasn't sure what I wanted.  Of course I was anxious to see our baby, but I also remember labor and I just wasn't really looking forward to that. :)  Instead of inducing us, we scheduled another doctor's appointment for Tuesday, the 14th.  I was quite doubtful that we would make it that far and a bit surprised that they would have me wait that long, but I still felt really good, so I went along with it.  

The days went by and I was able to get a lot of projects checked off my list.  I finished the quilt top I had been working on, made some cute little neckties for the baby, and I made several hair bows and headbands for a friend's baby girl.  I was busy crafting and loving it!  I love a good project/craft.  :)   And it made the time go by a lot faster.  

On Sunday I had a few comments from people about being surprised that I was still pregnant.  I wasn't as surprised as everyone else obviously since I am used to going late.  That evening my Mom and and mother-in-law switched places.  The girls were thrilled to have more company!  We went to the park several times, had picnic lunches, got snow cones, worked on building our new swing set and played.  We always have fun when Grandma is around!

Monday night my dad and sister, Sarah, came.  Sarah accepted a teaching position at an elementary school in Idaho Falls (which is about an hour and 45 minutes away from here) and she needed to check out her classroom, meet the principal in person and find a place to live.  

Tuesday did in fact come and I was able to go to my doctor's appointment in the morning.  I went by myself.  I did make some progress.  I was at 3cm, but still no signs of labor.  Dr. Morgan and I discussed what route I wanted to take.  I was very torn.  I was still feeling great, so I wasn't bothered by being pregnant and I was still determined to have a natural, drug free delivery, so I wanted baby to come on his own.  Yet, there were people here basically waiting for his arrival.  My parents were here and the days that my mom could stay were numbered.  And I did want her help after delivery.  Those first few days can be a bit challenging as your body is recovering, your emotions are all over the place, and you are lacking in the sleep department.  Not to mention, Dan was driving me crazy with his anxious anticipation of the baby's arrival.  He just.wanted.the.baby.HERE!  In his defense, he had some projects that he was trying to plan and get done around the house and he was having a hard time scheduling things for work since he works in several different locations. Not knowing when the baby would come wasn't helping.  He didn't want to be too far away and it seemed that a lot of work was showing up in other towns.

With that all being said, Dr. Morgan and I discussed what needed to be done.  I asked how long they actually would let me go before they had to induce me.  And he said they recommend inducing at 41 weeks.  That was just in a few days, so I knew we had to make a decision.  Dr.  Morgan said I could basically choose any day I wanted (Wed, Thurs, or Fri).  I told him I needed to discuss it with Dan and I would get back to him.  Before I left, he had me do a stress test on the baby to make sure all was well.  Everything looked fine.

It took awhile for Dan and I to decide what day to be induced.  (We had differing opinions.)  It's so easy to say to do on the earliest possible day when you are not the one going through the pain.  ;)  We had planned on pouring a sidewalk in front of our house.  (There was just a warped wooden sidewalk of sorts that led to our front porch.)  My dad brought a small cement mixer and his cement tools to help us with the project, so we were trying to coordinate with his schedule as well, knowing that he needed to go to Idaho Falls with Sarah on Thursday and then to Utah on Friday or Saturday to get some heating supplies for the houses he is building this summer.  I was convinced that Wednesday was the best day for Dan to get the sidewalk done with my Dad and then Thursday we could go have a baby.  With some convincing, Dan finally came around and agreed to that plan.  So, I called Dr. Morgan and let him know we would like to be induced on Thursday.

Wednesday Dan and my Dad worked hard on framing the sidewalk and getting it all prepped so the cement could be poured.  I wasn't feeling to well that morning.  I was having contractions off and on and I just felt a bit off.  The weather was cloudy and a bit rainy that morning.  (Which a lady at the doctor's office told me will put women into labor.  I don't know if that is true, but both that day and the previous Friday when I had contractions, the weather was cloudy and rainy.)  We decided to go to the Red Baron for lunch and then finish up some work on the sidewalk after.  When we got home, the sun came out so we spent some time outside, overseeing the men's work.  And as the day wore on, I felt fine again.  Strange.  This little guy just didn't want to come on his own.  We were going to make it 'til Thursday after all.  

40 Weeks

I can't possibly let another day go by with out updating on the rest of my pregnancy.  

I am 40 weeks tomorrow.  YES.  40 weeks!  My due date.  

How I am here, I am not quite sure.  To say this pregnancy flew by, would actually be a lie.  I don't know what it was, (possibly the timing of moving and adjusting to a new area), but overall this pregnancy did not go quickly.  Although the last month has.

While I do have rather good pregnancies, this pregnancy was a bit harder.  Not tons, but some.  Chalk that up to age, third baby, him being a boy, I don't know.  All I know is, there were more aches and pains and uncomfortable moments this go around.  There were times that my body just wasn't feeling like dealing with all that comes with pregnancy, but we made it through.  I and consider that a success!

While there were times I didn't relish everything about pregnancy, I have to say that I really do enjoy being pregnant.  Call me crazy, but toward the end I get a little sad to think that soon I will not feel his little movements and kicks.  Soon I won't have a pregnant belly. (that contains a baby, at least.)   But that does mean that soon I will have a sweet babe in my arms!

Now, on to the details.  Tomorrow is the day.  Well, the day that you have in your head.  The day you tell everyone.  The day that really is just a guess of when your baby will come.  And based off of this little guy's personality, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow really isn't the day.  He seems to have such a mellow, calm demeanor thus far.  And I don't think he is in a big hurry to get here.  Him, and my doctors both. 

 My experience with my doctors has also been quite relaxed.  I can't decide if it's because we live in a small town and things are just more low key or if it's my doctor's personality or if it's partly me.  This is the first time that we haven't had a scheduled induction.  Alayna was 6 days late and so they induced me, and I was induced with Brylen because of Dan's crazy work schedule and my mom was flying in from another state.  This time Dan has a flexible work schedule, we don't live in a different state, and my doctors haven't really encouraged induction to this point.  Unlike with both my girls, I am not dilated.  Like I said, I think this little guy is quite content.  And I tend to lean towards letting my babies decide when they are ready to come.  Not when I am ready.  (Luckily with Alayna my water broke on it's own in the hospital and I was already contracting when I went in to have Brylen.)  In fact, sometimes I don't know if I will ever feel ready.  Babies are always easier in than out, I always say.  

Either way, I am going in for a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then my doctor and I will determine what route to take.  I tested positive for Group B so I need to have antibiotics before I deliver and my doctors are somewhat concerned that with my short labors, we won't have enough time to get both doses in me.  This was a factor when I delivered Alayna.  In fact, I distinctively remember them telling me not to push because they had to (literally) squeeze the last dose of medicine in me.  One way to avoid this is to be induced.  That way they can administer the medicine right from the start.  

I, on the other hand, can't decide what I want to do because I delivered Brylen all naturally and preferred it (my recovery was TONS better) and I would like to attempt that again, so I don't necessarily want to be induced unless my body is showing signs of being ready.  One way or the other, this little guy will be joining our family in the next week or so.  And I have to admit, we are really excited to meet him, see who he looks like, and see how perfectly he fits into our family!!!  

And as proof that I am indeed at the end of pregnancy, here I am at 39 and a half weeks.  Yes, baby is all out in front.  Yes, I am bigger this pregnancy than last.  And yes, he is feeling quite heavy!

A picture as promised

Me at 28 weeks.  

Yes, it's true.  I am carrying the same as I did with my girls.  All.out.in.front.  

What do you do?  It's just the way my body works.  Aside from looking large, I do feel great. 

P.S. I hope you enjoyed my first selfie.  Ever.  

I know.  I am like 5 years behind everyone else. :) 

28 Weeks

I haven't written much about this pregnancy and I know that I will kick myself later for not documenting more.

So, let me start from the beginning.  (Hang on, this could get a little long.)

We have been anticipating adding to our family for awhile now.  After my experiences of miscarriages in between Alayna and Brylen, I knew more than ever that the miracle of life is beyond my control.  I knew that Heavenly Father knows best and he has a plan for our family.  That being said, I also knew that I wanted to prepare myself for anything (such as miscarriages) that may happen.  Once again, my timing and the Lord's timing were not quite in alignment.  (Maybe someday I will get on the same page.)  We were having some difficulties and last summer we had another miscarriage.  Of course we were devastated, but we also knew what to expect and I truly felt buoyed up by my Savior.  It was easier for me to deal with and I really actually felt physically, mentally and spiritually strong.  It was about the best that it could be of a sad situation.  We were disappointed and had waited a long time for that pregnancy, only to then have complications.  But the Lord knows what we need and has a timing for everything.

A few months later, I learned I was pregnant again, and this time, it felt like things were going to work out.   Soon I was not feeling well, and it was evident that the first trimester was going to be just as miserable as I remembered.  (Oh, that first trimester really is terrible.)  This time really put me through the ringer at times.  It was a mental battle.  While I never did throw up, I felt nauseous and miserable all the time.  AND we were in the middle of moving, and I had a husband that seemed to be working out of town a lot.  Between packing, cleaning, and keeping up with everyday things, I was struggling.  My least favorite experience was freezing/canning 120 pounds of chicken by myself.  (My little sister Sarah did help when she came home one night.) Between the smell, and just having to deal with 120 pounds of raw chicken, I just was having a hard time.  I still haven't completely loved the idea of chicken this pregnancy.  I really overdosed on that experience.  Once we moved, I was hoping to feel better, but I was still right in the midst of that first trimester. And to make matters worse, when I went in for my first doctor's appointment, they bumped my due date BACK two weeks.  (two extra weeks of first trimester loveliness. Don't they know that is one of the worst things they could tell a nauseas pregnant lady?)  Unpacking and organizing were really seeming like a chore.  Basically functioning in general was a chore.  I am afraid I may not have been as friendly as I would have liked to people that we met, but overall I think I did a good job of faking the fact that I just didn't feel up to par.  

While you may think I am just a Debbie downer and I need to just stop all this pessimism, I just want to paint a true picture of what life seemed like at the time.  And before long, the first trimester was in the past and I was well on my way to feeling normal and pregnant.  Oh, that glorious second trimester! I have to say, once I conquer the first trimester, I truly do love being pregnant!  I feel really good most of the time and I enjoy having a little person inside of me.  It reminds me that there are miracles in this life.

This pregnancy has been pretty typical for me and uneventful, which is what I like.  Our little guy seems to be quite mellow.  In fact, at times I have worried about how much movement I feel, but then he will be active for a few minutes and all seems well.  I am thinking that his personally is just a bit more mellow.  Unlike his older sister, Brylen, who was doing flips constantly and trying to break free from my stomach all the time.  I remember feeling like my stomach was bruised due to the amount of movement from her.  Often times I could tell exactly what limb she was poking me with because she would push so hard on my stomach, you could actually see a foot or an elbow.  This little guy so far has proven to be the opposite.  He seems to be quite content and calm.  It will be interesting to see if his personality is the same once he is born.  I told Dan the other night that he just wants to be like his Daddy.  He probably will be Dan's little shadow, since Dan is the more mellow personality in our family.

The girls both felt the baby kick for the first time a couple weeks ago.  Alayna was very bothered that she had not felt him kick.  Every time I would have her put her hand on my belly, he would stop moving.  She even got a little teary eyed one time.  (She is my sensitive child.)  Then a few Sundays ago, we were sitting in Sacrament meeting and the baby was quite active so I quickly reached over for her hand and put it on my belly and he immediate gave a nice hard kick.  Alayna's eyes just lit up and she had the biggest grin on her face!  She was so excited that she got to feel the baby move.  Brylen, on the other hand, doesn't quite feel the same way.  She felt the baby move and I am pretty sure it freaked her out.  In fact, she tried to say that she didn't feel it, but I know she did.  (I seem to remember that Alayna responded a similar way when I was pregnant with Brylen.)  

I haven't had many consistent cravings this pregnancy.  Early on I really wanted fruits and vegetables and I would get hungry for lunch at 9 o'clock in the morning.  And some days I would actually eat leftovers from the night before at 9 o'clock in the morning.  I don't snack much, but I do like to eat a nice, healthy portioned meal.  And early on sweets did not sound good to me, which I was bummed about.  The one time I could get away with eating whatever I wanted, all I wanted was steamed broccoli or green beans.  That didn't seem quite fair to me.  But the farther along I have gotten, the more sweets have appealed to me.  It's definitely not the same situation as when I was pregnant with Brylen where ALL I wanted was chocolate and pepsi.  (Thank goodness!)  But I have noticed with the healthy eating I have actually gained more weight thus far in this pregnancy than in my pregnancy.  Strange.  

Baby seems to be developing just fine and all is well there.  I passed my glucose test, but my doctor notified me after they drew my blood at my last appointment that my blood platelet count was slightly lower than the time before.  So I will have to get my blood drawn again at this next appointment so they can see if the count really is going down or if it is the same.  It's nothing that I need to worry about yet though.

And as far as names go, we are struggling.  But I feel like I have said that with all my pregnancies.  I have to remind myself that Brylen was a name that I found later on in pregnancy.  I don't have to have "the one" just yet.....just by the time the baby comes.  Dan and I have similar taste when it comes to names (we like slightly different names since our last name is so common), we just aren't sure our list of names has real contenders on it.  I like a lot of them, I just can't decide if I love any of them.  But rest assured, we are on a mission to find the name.  (And to not have to name him "baby boy" as Brylen seems to think his name is.  Real original, right?) 

Picture of my 28 week belly to come soon.  I promise.

Cowboy rag quilt

As promised, here is project #1.  

This was a quilt that was destined to be made years ago.  When Alayna was a toddler, I was in a local fabric shop and I noticed this little cowboy fabric and I fell. in. love.  I needed that fabric for a little boy in the future.  I had no way of knowing that I would actually have a boy, but this fabric was too cute to pass up.  So, I bought it and stored it for 5 or so years.  It made several moves and each time I came across it, I would get so excited to someday make this quilt for a little boy.  

As soon as we found out we were having a boy, I knew just what the first project would be.  And can I just say?  I LOVE IT!  Every baby boy needs a blanket with little stick horses and cowboy hats.  I just die overtime I look at it.  Hopefully baby boy likes it as much as I do.  :)

The front:

 The back:

Confetti reveal

Monday, February 23rd was our 20 week Ultrasound.  We had to reschedule our appointment due to Dan's work and some sort of miscommunication on the hospitals end, but we finally made a day and time work.  I was anxious to find out what we were having. 

 Initially I was on the fence about finding out the gender.  But at my 17 week appointment my doctor had trouble listening to the baby's heart beat, due to my heart beat taking over, so he did an ultrasound to get the heartbeat and he randomly asked me if I wanted to know the gender if he could find out.  I blurted out, "Yes!"  (Apparently my self control is not as good as I thought.)  But as it turned out, the umbilical cord was in the way and he couldn't tell.  That was probably a good thing because Dan wasn't with me and I am sure he would have been a bit disappointed.  In fact, I know he would have been.  I teased him and told him that I had found out the gender.  And he couldn't believe that I knew and he didn't. He was dying to know.  I drew it out as long as I could (which wasn't long at all because I can't keep things from him), but then confessed to him that I was just kidding.  He was such a good sport.  

After that experience, I couldn't NOT find out.  I was so close, and still didn't know.  Dan was relieved since he wanted to find out the whole time.  So, the morning of the 23rd we found out.  Dan and I were able to go to the appointment alone.  Alayna was in school and my visiting teacher offered to watch Brylen.  As for guesses whether it was a boy or girl, our family was divided.  Half thought girl (Alayna and Dan) and half thought boy (Brylen and me).

We agreed to wait until Alayna got out of school to tell the girls.  I decided to put confetti in balloons in coordinating colors of the gender.  I first blew up some empty balloons and had them practice popping them with pins, so they knew what to expect.  My girls don't like loud noises, especially Alayna, so I figured a practice round would be in our favor.  Then I told them the real balloons would have confetti in them.  It would be pink and purple if the baby was a girl or blue and green if it was a boy.  

Here they are ready to go.  They were so excited to find out!

They had strict instructions to pop them at the same time, but a certain two year old just couldn't help herself and popped her balloon first.  

So, I told Alayna to hurry and pop hers!

Aaaannnnd.....

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

We still can't believe it, but it was evident SEVERAL times during the ultrasound that he is indeed a BOY!  About 30 seconds into the ultrasound, the tech confirmed that we were having a boy and I think ever since then, we have been a bit in shock.  Boys are foreign to us.  We are curious to see who he will look like and how he fits into our family, but we are super excited!  The girls are thrilled to have a baby brother.  They love talking about him and can't wait until summer time.

The color blue, trucks, cars, airplanes, trains, cowboys, bowties, buzz cuts, and boy names have been occupying my mind.  I can't wait to start my little baby boy projects (I already have one done.)!

And speaking of names. It's been harder than I thought.  We're still in search for the name we LOVE, but we have several that we like a lot.  If you remember, we have to see our babies before we can settle on a name, so we usually take a list of three to four names with us to the hospital.  

Here's to little baby BOYS and all their cuteness!!!!