Claire's Birth Story

Claire Caitlyn was born on Feb 9 at 1:58 pm, 7lb 4oz, 20 1/2 inches.

After a spike in my blood pressure and a few hours of monitoring in Labor and Delivery on Tuesday night, we were scheduled for a medical induction on Thursday morning.  I had gone back and forth on being induced so this made my decision for me.  We didn't want to wait it out and have a repeat of Cason where my blood pressure got super high and stayed high for 2 weeks after birth.

I documented our day on my phone so I could come back and write this all down... so here are all the details... if you care.

5am -- wake up and call the hospital to make sure they could take me.
6am -- arrive at the hospital and start the process of everything.  For the next hour, we had this crazy lady nurse... she was nice, almost too nice.  Ha.  She had trouble getting my IV started (poke #1) so another nurse came in to help.  They both said I had good veins so nurse #2 boasts that she could do it with her eyes closed.  She does get the vein on the first try, but it's too close to a valve or something so we have to try again (poke #2).  Finally, they get me set (poke #3) right near my wrist which was a pain in the you know what the rest of the day.  And now my whole right arm is bruised... as well as my left arm having a nasty bruise from the triage nurse missing on her first attempt.  All of this and the intake questions take almost an hour.
7am -- pitocin is started and contractions start showing on the monitor pretty quickly but I'm not feeling much.  Crazy lady nurse goes off duty and I get a new nurse, also nice, but very quiet and almost nervous seeming.  Ryan and I were starting to worry because we knew from Cason's delivery that the nurse is the most important person in the room.
8am -- the pitocin has been upped twice and I'm starting to feel the contractions but they are not regular.  the nurse tells me that I can get the epidural once the contractions regulate and that she's hoping to get the anesthesiologist into me between c-sections so I don't have to wait.
9am -- my doctor arrives to check on me.  she says I'm still only 1cm but that I'm more open than I had been the past few weeks so I'm progressing.  She broke my water and they upped the pitocin again.
9:45am -- the anesthesiologist arrives to administer the epidural.  I don't remember it being as complicated and uncomfortable a process with Cason but I was glad to have it.
10am -- epidural complete and I'm relaxing as much as I can.  I can still feel the contractions but they are not painful.
12noon -- I start getting uncomfortable on my back and as the contractions increase so I roll to my left side (that was a challenge).  After about 20 minutes on my side I start to notice that my left side is VERY numb but my right side is almost completely awake and I'm feeling the contractions pretty strong.  I give myself an extra dose of the epidural to try to help.
12:30pm -- Dr comes to check on me and helps me roll to the other side to try to get the epidural balanced back out.  She checks me and says I'm 4.25cm and that we should have a baby about 4 or 5.
1:00pm -- I'm still feeling my right side pretty bad and the contractions are getting very strong.  I give myself an extra does of epidural and hope that it starts balancing out.  The nurse says to give it 10 minutes so I give it 15 and give myself a 3rd upping.  I'm a wimp and don't do pain.  Sometime around now an orderly starts bringing in a warmer and all the delivery supplies.  She doesn't say a word and Ryan and I just look at each other wondering what is happening.
1:20pm -- Contractions have gotten very irregular.  The nurse comes in to check on me because she saw this on the monitors.  I tell her I don't feel any pressure but I had also "pushed the button" on the epidural 3 times in the last hour.  She checks me and says "you don't feel any pressure?  you have a baby between your legs".  It was go time.  She calls the doctor and they start getting me all setup.
1:50pm -- The doctor arrives and we are ready to push.  The contractions are almost non existent so we just keep pushing instead of pushing through contractions and waiting.  I push 4 times and...
1:58pm -- Claire Caitlyn joins the world.  The doctor put her right on my chest and Ryan cut the umbilical cord.  They cleaned her up really quick and gave her right back to nurse... and she latched on and started nursing right away.

38 Weeks

Here we are... 38 weeks.  Still pregnant.  I guess those shots did their job.  I'm tired, anxious, scared, excited, uncomfortable, in pain sometimes, trying not to complain, etc, etc.

 In case I don't make another week, here's a photo recap of this belly's growth.

37 Weeks and Thoughts

I'm 37 weeks (tomorrow).

Regular clothes (I wear the same 5 shirts everyday I feel like)

Nighttime clothes like all my other pictures.

Obviously there are no more comparison pictures from Cason's pregnancy.  My doctor and I are now "joking" that I'll be begging her for an induction at 39 weeks.  I've said all along that I'll be prepared for 35 but will go 41 and be the most miserable, complainy second-time mom ever.  And this is pretty much how it's shaping up.

Ryan and I both have bags packed.  The infant seat is installed in the car.  I have everything I need for the first days home... the bottles and pumps are out of their boxes, newborn and 0-3 clothes are washed, swings and bouncy seats are ready.  I'm READY... but I guess Claire is not.  Keep on cooking.

***Warning, post gets really long now and I don't have the energy to proofread tonight :)  ***

I realized I haven't really done a good job of keeping up with the "feelings" and other details of this pregnancy like I did with Cason.  I don't feel "guilty" about it like you sometimes here people say about their second and thirds but I do realize I wish I'd written more down about this pregnancy.  So, here are a few things I want to remember.

Like with Cason, I was sick for all of the first trimester and into the second.  With this pregnancy, the sickness wore off about 4 weeks sooner and I was able to eat most things a good two months sooner.  And once I started feeling better, I ate... which means I gained weight.  This was new for me since I didn't eat much until about 25 weeks and still never really ate a ton with Cason.  I only gained 17 pounds the entire pregnancy.  For record keeping purposes, I've gained almost 40 pounds with Claire... and I guess there is more to go.

I haven't "enjoyed" being pregnant... it's just not my thing I guess.  I don't know if I really ever want to do it again.  But, I don't think that takes anything away from my excitement about this little girl that is about to join our family.

I'm tired, a lot.  I don't remember being this tired and exhausted with Cason but Ryan says that I was.  I'm sure chasing Cason around has a lot to do with it this time too.

Ryan also tells me that I really don't complain more this time than I did last time... which is really sweet of him.  I think he's lying!  :)  I'm uncomfortable and FEEL huge but when I look at myself in the mirror I don't feel like I look huge.  But, it's funny because I'll be out and one person will say "Oh, you are the cutest thing, there is no way you are that far along" then another person will say "Oh my, you are about to pop".   Ha.  Then, I took this picture for this week and I realized... I do look like I'm about to pop... I look as big as I feel... I guess the mirrors in our house are the skinny kind!  :)  Must be the awesome builder!  

Claire is a very active little girl.  I mostly remember with Cason that he was kicking me in my ribs... ALL.THE.TIME... he just hung out with his feet up in my ribs.  Claire has never made it up to my ribs but she is all over the place.  She's "head down" but man, she can still get some good kicks and jabs and rolls all over the place.  And, they hurt!  I do love feeling her move but sometimes I wish she'd just lay off a little!  :)   At any given time, you could probably put your hand on the side of my belly and feel her foot (or hand or knee or elbow) pushing out.  But you don't even have to feel it... my belly just looks like a rolling ocean most of the time.  It's cool and freaky all at the same time.

The other big part of this pregnancy has been the anxiety.  I'm sure that sounds very dramatic, but I feel that the anxiety of #2 is way worse than #1.  Maybe with #1 there is so much new, so much to figure out, so much to do that I didn't have time to worry about life after baby.  Maybe because my world revolves around Cason now, I realize how challenging things will be with him and Claire to provide for.  I don't know what all the factors are but I feel like I think about the "how am I going to do this???" questions a whole lot more.  I know we'll survive... we aren't the first people to have 2 kids, in diapers, ha.  But it's hard to just let go and know it will be okay... especially when you add in the anxiety of "when's she going to arrive" that I probably would not have had Cason not come so early.

I guess the last thing to document is how Cason is doing with this.  He really doesn't "get it" but then I think he sort of does.  Up until very recently, if you ask him to say "Claire" he would look you straight in the face and say "No".  Now, Cason does say "No" to everything (Me: "Do you want a cookie?"; C: "No"; Me: "Okay, fine"; C: "Coooooookie!!!!"; Me: "Yeah, that's what I thought") but the no in response to "Can you say Claire" had its own special inflection.  But, despite that, he learned about a month ago to point at my belly when you say "Where's Baby Claire?".  And finally yesterday he started to say Claire.   He would previously say "C-C" and sometimes we could get "sister" but that was it.  He knows what a baby is and has been around babies at school so I know it won't be a total shock to him.  But, who knows what he'll think when the baby comes home with him every day???

35 Weeks

Well, tomorrow is the day... the day that I enter uncharted territory.  Tomorrow I am 35weeks, 1day.   This is the day I went into labor with Cason.  He was born in the early hours of 35weeks, 2days.  Today, I'm 35 weeks pregnant with Claire.  Wonder when she'll arrive?

I've stopped commuting to work and do have some form of a bag packed... it has clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner... I dunno what else to pack.  I need to pack a bag for Cason and a bag for Ryan.  Maybe this week.  I also need to get the infant seat installed in my car.  Probably should have done that tonight instead of update the blog.

Cason is finally responding to the "where's Baby Claire" questions and usually points to my belly.  Sometimes he points to his belly, or Ryan's belly, but normally its mine.  Until last week, if you asked him to say "Claire" he'd look at you very direct and say "No".  He finally said it, once, last week.  I've been unsuccessful since but he no longer says "No", he just ignores me.  Luckily he's been around babies at the babysitter so I don't think it will be a complete shock to him when she arrives but I'm still a little anxious about how he'll react to her being here ALL.THE.TIME.

34 Weeks and Ultrasound

We went for an ultrasound at the high risk doctor today and everything looked great.  She is head down!  They said she is measuring 5 pounds, 10 ounces.  According to the baby tracker websites, this is about a pound more than average for 34 weeks.  Yikes.  Claire was very active until right when the tech turned the machine to 3D. She then decided to take a nap with her hand covering half her face.  Ryan and I were disappointed we couldn't see her whole face but we still think she looks a lot like Cason if these pictures mean anything.

And for fun, here is a comparison of my 34 week belly and 33 weeks with Cason in the same shirt.  I appear to have carried him much lower than Claire, though I feel exactly opposite.

31 Weeks

Nothing exciting to say about this.   31 Weeks, non-maternity shirt getting really short.

Morning and Night

I've been telling people how I'm so much bigger at night than in the morning and during the day.  I don't know what causes this phenomenon but several of my pregnant friends have said the same thing.  Anyway, I finally documented the difference. These days, not only am I bigger at night but I feel like I have a torpedo sticking out of my belly... I look pretty funny.

So, here are the very glamorous pictures... one take right before bed, one taken right when I woke up... before I even brushed my hair.  I hope I never become famous because these will for sure be used against me.  

Before bed torpedo belly

Cute little morning belly

27 Weeks -- 6 Months

I am officially in the Third Trimester. The due date is (less than) 3 months away now!

I went back to see what corresponding pictures I had for this point in Cason's pregnancy and found pictures we took at the exact same time.  For a true comparison, I put on the same shirt I was wearing then and took a photo.  I had some trouble with my self time pictures focusing properly so the only one that came out I'm faced the opposite direction.  I definitely think I'm bigger this time around.

And here is one to match the rest of my belly pics from this pregnancy... in my evening clothes.

Not Just “Baby Girl” Anymore…

After much deliberation, we finally gave this baby girl a name.

Claire Caitlyn

Claire is my mom’s first name and we just really liked Caitlyn.  We also liked the option of a nickname “CeeCee”… which we’ve already found is much easier for Cason to say!

So, that’s one more thing off the list as we prepare for her arrival.  Furniture is all here and in her room.  Bedding is ordered.  Room is being painted next weekend.  I’ve pulled out all the neutral baby clothes to see what we’ll need.  I have a feeling the Holidays are going to make the next couple of months zoom by.

25 Weeks

I had a follow up ultrasound at 25 weeks with the High Risk OB and everything looked good.  They said she’s measuring 2lb, 2oz though I don’t know how accurate those measurements are.  Here are the two pictures we got to take home. In the first one I think she looks like Cason.

And here is a picture of me at 25 weeks.

 

I’ve been feeling pretty good after finally starting to go to the chiropractor.  I was so stiff and uncomfortable and after a couple of adjustments, I am much less whiney!  I’m also packing on the pounds… at 25 weeks I had officially equaled my total 35 weeks of weight gain with Cason.  I guess that’s good? 

Glucose Test is right before Thanksgiving and then I start my every 2 week appointments.  I go back to the High Risk OB for growth check ultrasound at 35 weeks.

22 Week Bump

Not much new to report.  I'm getting bigger.  This little girl seems to be much lower than Cason and seems to really love using my bladder as a pillow or a punching bag.  She moves all the time and is starting to follow Cason's pattern of being very active while I'm sitting at my desk working.

22 Weeks Baby #2	23 Weeks Cason

I edited this to add a comparison to 23 weeks with Cason. I definitely think I'm carrying this baby lower.

Team Pink!

Thursday was a big day in our house.  10 weeks without seeing a picture of the baby we finally got our chance.  After my last appointment, I thought I’d have about 2 weeks before my anatomy scan ultrasound.  But, the office called on Monday and wanted me to come on Thursday so I said YES! 

The doctors office had a huge TV screen on the wall where I could see everything and Ryan could watch the actual monitor on the machine or the TV.  Within the first seconds of the ultrasound the technician asked if we had any guesses and I said “Not really, we just think boy since that’s what we have now.”  He immediately said “Oh, its a girl” but in a very non-chalant way.  We weren’t sure if he was serious because he’d really only had the machine on for 5 seconds.  He kept scanning taking all the measurements and saying “she” and “her” and I finally said “Wait, so you are serious, it’s a GIRL?”.  He said, oh yes, it’s a girl.  And showed us again.  No boy parts.  Ryan asked “Are you sure?” and again he said, “Yes, 100% sure. You don’t want a boy with these parts!”  Ha, funny.  The doctor came in and looked and definitely agreed that there were no little boy parts, only girl parts.

So yes, that’s right, it’s a GIRL!!! 

Here are two “spread eagle” pictures, with a comparison to our ultrasound with Cason.  It’s quite obvious that there’s something different this time!  :)

We had not told our parents that our ultrasound was that morning so we could really surprise them.  Wednesday afternoon I called a bakery in Jackson and got them on board to fix up some Petite Fours for my parents and got my friend Ashley on board to pick up and deliver.  Wednesday night I baked cookies and iced them in half pink and half blue for Ryan’s parents.  Once the doctors appointment was over, I filled a little box with pink cookies and off to the office Ryan went to surprise his parents.  I then called the bakery and Jackson and told them PINK and started making calls to Ashley to arrange the delivery!!! 

I had to do some maneuvering to make sure my parents were both together for the delivery.  I was so anxious I didn’t want to wait until 5 so I tried to get Dad to go to her office.   Mom ended up being off work early due to the MSU game being on TV that night so I told my Dad… “You and Mom need to be home at 3 pm, don’t ask questions, just be there.” He was a good boy and didn’t ask questions and didn’t tell mom anything… until 2:45 when she tried to leave the house. He vaguely told her she just couldn’t leave and she was all a mess trying to figure out what was going on.  At 3, Ashley showed up at my parent’s house and Dad told Mom to call me.  He still didn’t know what I was up to, just up to something.  Mom called, so confused, and I said “Mom, just open the box”.  She did and there was lots of squealing on the other end of the phone.  Ha!  I wish I could have seen her face but there was no way I could keep this news until the next time we are together.

Ryan reports that there was an equal amount of squealing in his office.  He called his parents to the conference room and they just thought he wanted to show him something on the most recent house they are pricing.  Then he gave them the box and they were a little confused since they weren’t expecting this kind of news and super excited when they saw the pink cookies inside.  After three boys of their own and the one grandson, Ryan’s mom is just a little excited about finally having a girl.  I just can’t wait to see what this little girl does to Ryan and his Dad.   They don’t know what is about to happen to them. 

The only updates from my appointment are that I’ve started weekly Progesterone injections to try to prevent another preterm labor.  I’m in the “gray area” of it being a no brainer to elect for the injections.  I delivered at 35 weeks and Cason never had to go to the NICU but the doctor can’t guarantee that I’ll make it that long this time.  Maybe I would, maybe I’d go further, maybe I’d make it less.  So, we all decided taking the injections to try to reduce the chance of baby girl being in the NICU was the best choice. 

So… a shot in my hip every week until 35 weeks (right now a home health nurse will come to give me the shot unless I can convince Ryan to do it and save us LOTS of money) and then we’ll probably pay extra attention to my blood pressure until I go into labor.  The High Risk doctor also agreed with my old OB and my current OB that when I have any indication that I’m in labor that I should not take my time getting to the hospital.  When I started having active labor with Cason, I progressed FAST and second babies are often even faster. 

I go to my OB in 3 weeks (22 weeks) and back to the High Risk OB for an ultrasound at 24 weeks, then back to my doctor at 26 weeks (glucose test) so I’ll have lots of doctors appointments in the next couple of months.

18 Week Belly

I’m 18 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and feeling better, eating better, etc.  I’ve finally started gaining weight which is definitely sooner than with Cason. 
We heard the heartbeat last week at our check up and hopefully will find out the gender in 2 weeks.  I have to see a different doctor for the gender ultrasound so I’m waiting on them to call and schedule the appointment.  
I’m feeling lots of little movements during the day along with parts of days where this baby decides that my bladder is a comfortable pillow.  I don’t remember having to pee all.the.time with Cason until much later on.  But some days, I’m going every hour while others I’m back to the bladder of steel I’ve always been so proud of!  (TMI?)
Anyway, here is a picture of my me at 19 weeks with Cason.

And at 18 weeks with #2, looks about the same?

My belly is not this big all day… I think I wake up with practically no belly and this is what I look like by bedtime. I have to be careful how I dress or I’m super uncomfortable by the end of the day.

Cason’s Big Announcement

Yes, that’s right, I’m pregnant.  Due Feb 13.  We’ll see if Baby #2 decides to come as early as Big Brother.

I’m going to save these two pictures for later in life, I’m sure some good jokes will be had with them.

But really, Cason is super excited…he totally understands what’s about to happen and all.  :)

I’ve added a few posts from the past couple of months.  For the most part I’ve had a similar pregnancy, though maybe not AS bad as last time.  I’ve been a different kind of sick, less throwing up, more nausea, same extreme exhaustion the first 12 weeks.  I feel like its ending sooner though, starting to feel good most days now so hopefully I won’t still be puking at 20 weeks.  I’ve not gained any weight as of my appt at 13 weeks (actually lost 2 lbs at my 9 week appt and had not lost or gained any at my 13 week.)  I’m able to eat more now and am showing just a bit in the evenings. 

Ultrasound, 8w3d

Today we had our first ultrasound of Baby #2.  Everything was perfect, heartbeat good, one baby.  :)

I've been pretty sick since about 6w3d.  It started on a Thursday night and I battled sickness off and on all weekend.  Last Tuesday morning I got sick before work but thought I could go in after that.  Big mistake.  I got all the way there (1 hour) and had to go right back home.  The doctors office called me in the drugs and things have been better.  I'm very dependent on the drugs most days... every 8 hours.  If I forget or try to skip, I start to regret it.  Like last time, I'm still getting sick some days even with medication but unlike last time, the nausea can hit at any time, not just the morning. 

Sickness Starting

Thursday the sickness started.  That was 6 weeks, 3 days, pretty much the same time it hit me with Cason.  This time it is different though.  So far, it is the worst at night though if I don't get some sort of food in me first thing in the morning I can feel it coming.  I threw up Thursday night and so far that's the only time.  I've had to eat often to make the nausea go away which is also so different than last time.  I could not eat whe pregnant with Cason.  And eating DID NOT help my morning sickness.  Throwing up was just something I had to do most mornings those first 20 weeks.  We'll see how this progresses.  Right now its small meals, lots of fluids, lots of crackers and Goldfish (having a toddler in the house = having Goldfish!)

Surprise!

After Cason was born and we got settled into the world of parenthood, we started talking about the next baby.  It's hard not to do this when you baby is so fun, so easy (relatively speaking), and growing so fast.  At first we said we'd talk about it after I turned 30.  I didn't want to be pregnant on my 30th birthday.

I stopped nursing in December and since May wasn't far away, I decided not to get on birth control and we'd just be "careful" for a few months.

Then we planned a trip to Napa with friends for August 2011 so we decided we'd wait until after then but by then, I didn't want to get on BC for just a couple of months so we continued with our "careful" plan.

Right before we booked our trip to Napa, I was 2 days late.  I tested, it was negative, I started that afternoon.  We booked our flights and I vowed to be "careful".  I thought I was.

Thursday I was "late" again and just decided I'd test since I had them at the house from last month.  Ryan was still in bed when I walked over and stuck this in his face.

We are both still in shock.  I'll be the pregnant lady in Napa.  I know I'll still have fun... as long as the puking doesn't keep me sick like it did last time.

After last time, I've decided to change doctors.  While I loved my doctor, she is too busy and I don't love the other doctors in her practice.  There were just too many little things combined that made me decide to change.  I'm a little nervous about doing this again with a new doctor.  I just met her a week before my positive test for my annual exam.  I like her.  She's young and had a good bedside manner.  I go back on July 7 for my ultrasound and I'll be discussing my previous experience to try to feel her out about how she and her colleagues might be different or better.

Internet Due Date: Feb 13, 2012!  Valentines Baby!