Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Apple Country

Every year we've been married we have gone apple picking in Oak Glen.  Even though we have a newborn and a toddler, we decided to venture out and keep the tradition.  I think we may have been a little ambitious and bit off more than we could chew, but we picked apples and made it home all in one piece.


L&D 2.0

I planned on doing Hypnobirthing again with this delivery until my sciatic nerves got pinched somehow in the last 5 weeks of pregnancy.  This pain was pretty intense for me, limiting my mobility (not an ideal situation for caretakers of toddlers) and making every step an agonizing experience.  I finally started seeing a chiropractor and finally got some relief the week before I was due.  By then, I was so worn down from constant pain, I wasn't sure I could mentally/physically make it through a natural birth. I was really on the fence about getting an epidural.  At my 38 week appointment, one of the OBs (oh, the joys of an HMO) said I was favorable for an induction and would be happy to schedule it anytime after 39 weeks.  I considered it for a few days, but I just feel like labors go more smoothly if your body and baby are ready.  (I like my babies fully cooked, thank you!)  So I declined.  Another OB at my 39 week appointment suggested induction as well or at the very least stripping my membranes.  Am I crazy or are pregnancies no longer 40 weeks? I declined again.  My next appointment was with "my" OB and I'm 3 days late at this point.  We do an NST and baby looks great.  Oh, and BTW I'm walking around at 5cm!  No big deal.  She recommends an induction as well.  Even though we discussed and I agreed to be induced on her next on call day (I really wanted this Dr to deliver my baby,) I was feeling steamrolled into an induction.

Luckily, I never made it to the induction date.  I woke up that night at 12:45am with contractions.  I timed 3 of them (8-10 min apart) before calling my mom to come watch my toddler.  Since my last labor progressed so rapidly, I was told to come in immediately...no waiting for me.

We hopped into the van and headed to the hospital.  My L&D nurse was fantastic!  She listened to me when I said my labor had gone too quickly for an epidural to work the last time and I really wanted to try one this time around.  She said she would check me and then decide how to proceed with my care.  I was at 6cm, so she called the anesthesiologist right away.  In walks Dr. McDreamy, the anesthesiologist.  Unfortunately he didn't use enough Lidocaine, so getting the epidural wasn't so great of an experience, but once it was in place I was completely numb.  I couldn't move my legs and didn't feel a single contraction from that point on.  I didn't love the feeling of being out of control of my body, but the pain control was kind of heavenly.

Around 7am, I felt like the baby was ready!  There weren't any nurses available so my OB and Luke set up for the delivery.  My OB said Luke was hired!  After 3 pushes, my beautiful baby girl arrived at 7:55am.  She was 7lbs 9oz; 20.5" long.  Right away, I could tell she was a calm and sweet baby.  We fell in love again!  I wasn't sure how I would feel about having another baby, but she has made our family feel so much more complete!  Her sweet demeanor has made having 2 babies close together a manageable and joyful thing!