Blaine's 5 Month Update!

Blaine is 5 months old!

Weight: 14  pounds, 2 ounces

Height: 26 inches

This month has been the least stressful in terms of doctor's visits and appointments. We only had speech appointments, and a well child visit! That is pretty much unheard of in our world.

Speech is going so well, and we are proud of his progress. We are pretty sure that we will discontinue therapy at the end of the month, which is both exciting and scary. I really appreciate the support I get from the SLP, and it is going to be hard to adjust to not having her check his progress every week.

Blaine is extremely active, and is constantly moving and trying to get into everything. He can roll from front to back, and back to front. He can push up on his hands and knees, but can't quite move just yet. I'm sure he will be crawling within a few weeks. He can sit up unassisted, but still gets too excited. He immediately finds something he needs on the floor, and reaches to get it. Then he falls over. Hopefully we can trust him a little bit more soon. He likes playing with his play mat, jumping in his jolly jumper, and playing in his walker. He is extremely alert, and has such a fun little personality.

We are still breastfeeding! I am so thankful that I am able to say that. Breastfeeding him is so important to me, and I am thrilled that we are able to continue despite all of our weight gain and reflux issues. He nurses every 2 hours during the day, and quite a bit throughout the night. He also has oatmeal baby cereal mixed with formula three times per day, just to introduce some more calories into his diet. He doesn't exactly love it, but he doesn't seem to mind too much. He is taking Zantac twice a day for his reflux, but we need to have his dosage re-evaluated in the next few weeks. I hope that we can get it back under control so that he is not so uncomfortable during the day.

To say that Blaine lights up our lives is an understatement. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to stay home with him, and to watch him grow every single day. All of the struggles we have dealt with over the last few months, and are still dealing with, are worth it a thousand times over. He is more than I could have ever asked for, and I love being his mom!

Blaine's Birth Story- Part 4

Blaine's Birth Story- Part 4

He's Here! 

After the epidural, I spent the next few hours sleeping and visiting with family. The doctor came in every hour to check me. At 3:00 P.M. he came in, after increasing my Pitocin again the previous visit. I had made no change. Not even a little bit. He gave me the option of waiting one more hour, or discussing my other options. I asked for one more hour in hopes that I would progress.

I didn't. At 4:00 P.M., I was checked one last time, and had not progressed what so ever. I was still -3 stations, 75% effaced. Our doctor expressed concern that Blaine was face up, and therefore, unable to engage and progress my labor. At this time, we made the decision to go ahead with the c-section. Honestly, at this point, I felt at peace with the decision. I was, of course, afraid of having major surgery, but I knew that I was in capable hands, and I was thrilled to FINALLY be meetings my baby. They began prepping me for surgery.

I was brought back to the operating room waiting area with my mom and Michael. I had already had the epidural, so I did not have to have any more medication. As they prepared for my c-section, Mike and my mom were not allowed in the operating room with me. It felt like a very long time that I was back there by myself, but I know now that it was only a few minutes. They were brought back just as the c-section began.

Thankfully, they did not strap my arms to the table during my surgery. I think that would have made it much more scary. The anesthesiologist made me promise that I wouldn't move my arms, and I am happy to say that I kept that promise! The actual surgery is sort of a blur. I remember feeling a lot of pressure, and the doctor and nurses talking. I do not remember much else...until I heard that doctor say, "Here he comes!"

Shortly after, he said, "Oh yeah. This is a 10-pounder." Mike could see around the curtain, and so could my mom. Both told me that he was so big, and that he had hair! I was so thrilled that he had hair! The doctor finally lifted Blaine over the curtain for me to see for the first time. He was absolutely perfect. They brought him over to get cleaned up and weighed. Mike stayed with me while they finished up, and my mom followed Blaine to take pictures. "Oh my gosh, Jacey." "What?!"

"10 pounds, 6.3 ounces." 

He was a BIG boy. 

Mike was finally able to go see our boy, and got to hold him for the first time. He brought him over for me to see. I didn't hold him at this point, because I was very shaky and did not feel comfortable. During this entire time, Blaine cried for maybe 30 seconds, and then spent the rest of the time quietly watching everything that was going on in the room. He is very much still like that to this day. 

Seeing Blaine was surreal. Seeing my husband as a father was amazing. I loved him from the moment I saw him, and I was just so grateful that I was his mom. We finished up the surgery, and headed to the room to introduce Blaine to the rest of our family. 

Overall, my c-section was a really great experience. My recovery went very smoothly, and I don't feel that I missed out on any special experiences because of the surgery. More than anything, I am glad that my very large baby arrived safely. I am especially thankful for my doctor recognizing that I wasn't progressing,and that the safest option for everyone was a c-section. I feel very confident in my son's birth, and do not regret the way things ended up. 

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 3

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 3

The One Where We Throw the Birth Plan Out Completely

After starting the Pitocin, I began to feel contractions. While they were not incredibly painful, I could definitely feel them and instinctively began to use the labor techniques I had studied to manage the pain and remain comfortable. I sat on a birthing ball for a lot of this time, and did anything I could to stay out of the bed. I hadn't had any pain medication at this point, so I could still move freely. I had to stay connected to the monitors at all time, unfortunately, due to having Pitocin, so I was unable to use the shower as I had planned to. Michael helped me as much as possible during this stage, and I was so glad to have my mom there to be a distraction. 

At 7:00 A.M., I had maxed out on the Pitocin. Soon after, my doctor came in to check in on me. Following a cervical check, he informed me that I was 2 centimeters, not the 4 centimeters my nurse had measured earlier in the day. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Those 4 centimeters had been my willpower for the last few hours, and all of a sudden, I was told that I hadn't really progressed at all. Then everything went downhill.

During this visit with my doctor, he informed me that he would be breaking my water. This was not my birth plan. I had no intentions of having my water broken. Unfortunately, my doctor felt that I would not progress without having my water broken. He also increased my Pitocin dosage AGAIN, to the point where I was past the typical dosage they give.  Yep. That was fun. At this point, I was 1-2 centimeters dilated, 75% effaced, and -3 station. 

Immediately following the breaking of my water, my contractions kicked into gear. My nurse would not allow me to get out of bed, because we were having a very hard time keeping Blaine's heartbeat on the monitor. I, of course, wanted to guarantee that my son was safe and healthy, so I stayed as still as possible so that we could get the best reading.  I had not had any pain medication at this time. 

Soon after, I realized that I was experiencing back labor. Every single one of my contractions I felt in my back. I can not even put into words how it felt. We turned down the lights, started the essential oil diffuser, and tried to maintain a calm atmosphere. This did not last very long, and I requested I.V. pain medication. Another part of my birth plan completely ignored. I was so disappointed in myself at this point. I cried, not because of the pain, but because I was grieving the loss of the birth I thought I would have. In this moment, I knew that I was no longer in control, and that I needed to do what was best for me.

Thankfully, the I.V. pain medication worked long enough for me to refuel and get some rest. When they wore off, my contractions were lasting 1 minute, and were 30 seconds apart. I decided that I was ready for an epidural. It was a really emotional decision for me, and nothing like what I planned. However, the doctor felt that I was not progressing well, and that maybe relaxing would help. I could not get the epidural until I had two additional bags of fluid. The angel of a nurse on duty rushed the fluids, and literally pumped them into my I.V. in about 5 minutes. I was 3 centimeters at this time (11:00 A.M.), 75% effaced, and still -3 station. By this point, I knew that my chances of a vaginal birth were dwindling. I mentally prepared myself for a c-section, and started to ask questions, when I could speak, about recovery and pain management. A few minutes later, the anesthesiologist came into to administer my epidural. I had 4 contractions while they prepped me, and had another while he inserted the catheter. The relief flooded over me. I finally had a clear head to the point of being able to process what was happening, and to speak with my family and friends that were patiently awaiting Blaine's arrival in the waiting room.

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 2

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 2

Induction

For our entire pregnancy, Michael and I had really desired a natural birth.

As in no drugs and no induction. 

We took childbirth classes, studied natural pain management techniques, and learned all we could about childbirth. We wrote a birth plan, as recommended by our hospital. We told our family our plans, and were prepared to make the necessary changes to our plan as they came up.

The first choice we made for our son's birth was not according to plan. 

Following our discussion with our doctor, whom I trust an incredible amount, we made the decision to head to the hospital for an induction.

There were many emotions associated with our decision. I was disappointed that I was not going to get the birth I imagined. I was terrified at the idea of possibly putting extra stress on my baby. I was so very excited that I was going to meet my son. It was definitively a world wind feeling, and it is pretty difficult to describe.

We called our parents and told them that we were headed to the hospital. Our doctor's office is, conveniently, located next door to the hospital, so we walked  on over to check in. I had already completed pre-registration, so that process was pretty simple. We were given a room, and met our nurse for the first shift. They started my i.v., and then told me that we would begin the process at noon. (Note: Pulling your hair back into a pony tail is basically impossible once you have an I.V. Ask for help! Just a little tip.)

At 12:00 P.M., my doctor came in to administer the first medication to begin our induction, and to begin monitoring the baby and contractions. We then planned to start Pitocin at 3:00 A.M. They told me I could eat real food until 9:00 P.M. so I took that to my advantage and Michael went to get takeout from our favorite restaurant that evening for dinner.  I am SO glad we did that, because I did not eat for many hours after that. Soon after being given the medication, my mom and dad arrived at the hospital. I was able to get a lot of rest during this time, and I was very excited to meet our baby. Mike and I also played card games to pass the time, which is what we are doing in the previous pictures.

At 2:00 A.M., I had the first medication removed. I was given a one hours break from the monitors, and I was allowed to walk around a little bit. My mom took this photo during this break, and it is my last belly shot. I watched some TV with my mom as Mike slept. I was too excited to sleep, so that was basically the end of that for the night.

At 3:00 A.M., the nurse came in to start the Pitocin drip. She said that my dose would be increased every half hour until I reached the "maximum" dose at around 7:00 A.M. The nurse checked for cervical change and said that I was at 4 centimeters. I was really empowered after that to continue with our plan for a drug-free birth. I had made it 4 centimeters! We settled in for the next few hours and prepared for labor to begin.  

Blaine's Birth Story: Part 1

August 13, 2015.

The best day of my entire life...as cliche as that is to say.

The day I met my son will forever life in my heart and in my memory.

This day is also the day I learned that I am not in control.

Although things did not go as planned, I have made peace with my son's birth. He arrived safely, I was allowed the opportunity to watch my son grow, and that's all that truly matters.

Blaine's labor and delivery story starts on Wednesday, August 12. That morning, my mom had come over after daily mass to take Michael and I's picture on our front porch  just in case something happened at my 39 week doctor appointment later that day.

We loaded up our car with the car seat and all of our hospital baggage, as we had every single week for the last month. We were going to be prepared. If we are anything..it's prepared. 

Prior to this appointment, I had no cervical change. However, our AMAZING doctor said that he felt very low. He also expressed a tiny bit of concern that our sweet little boy would actually be a sweet BIG boy. We had no idea how right he would turn out to be.

When we arrived for our appointment, we waited the normal amount of time to see the doctor. We went through the usual routine of weight checking and all of that good stuff. The doctor checked for cervical change. 1 centimeter and head down. YES! He was just about ready to let us go home until the next week's appointment when I spoke up.

For the few days prior to the appointment, I had a feeling that our son was larger than average. This was not helped by the many people in our lives commenting on my size and saying that we were having a big boy. ;) I asked the doctor if he would be willing to have a quick ultrasound just to check on his size. Thankfully, he agreed and we went right to the ultrasound room to see our boy.

Right as he began the ultrasound, I could tell that he agreed with my opinion that baby was over-sized. He quickly finished up, and told us the results. He estimated Blaine to be 9 pounds, 1 ounce. If you ask me, that's a pretty good size baby... 

He gave us two options. 1. We could wait another week and reassess the situation, or possibly go into labor naturally over the next week. 2. We could head to the hospital right then to begin an induction. We were told that the changes of c-section were fairly good for either option. Either I could chance the baby growing another 1/2 pound to a pound or I could start pitocin and see how things happened. This was the first of many choices that we had to make over the course of the next 24 hours.