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After a years of waiting for a little one to add to our family and 9 long months of pregnancy, Samuel Nolan entered the world on May 20 at 4:26 pm weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. With my gestational diabetes, I was induced at 39 weeks and went in at 6 am that morning and they started the pitocin at 7:40 am. Within the hour my contractions were consistent and getting increasingly more painful! At 10:10 am they broke my water and I as still only at 2 cm and now 80% effaced. After my water broke, it took about an hour before back labor started. I had this with the princess and it was pretty darn unbearable. At 12:15 pm, I gave into my wimpiness and got the epidural. I instantly started feeling great, but Sam wasn’t so happy. He started having trouble tolerating the contractions and his heart rate kept dropping. Then my blood pressure plummeted and I thought for sure we were headed for a c section. The nurse didn’t leave my side for 45 and I was given constant oxygen and after sure enough after the scariest hour of not knowing what was going on, his heart rate returned back to normal as did my blood pressure. At this point I was at 6 cm and the rest of the labor went really fast. My epidural literally took away all pain. I kept falling asleep and started to wake up when I started feeling the urge to push. The nurse came to check me and I was at a 9. I was at 10 cm within a half hour after that and then the contractions stopped. I labored down for almost an hour at 10 cm and finally the doctor came in and I had one contraction and that was it. I ended up pushing Sam out in about 15 minutes without any contractions. Many people were praying for the kingdom for me and for me to have a pain free delivery and God showed up. The delivery really was painless. No ring of fire and no tearing. Sam came out crying and was just perfect. He scored a 9,9 on his apgar and the biggest surprise was all of his hair! I think he is proof that the heartburn old wives tale is true!
Alaina is in love with him! She just beamed with pride from the first time she laid eyes on him. She has been the best big sister. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any smoother.
Aww, pure baby love.
We’ll meet him tomorrow, it’s only a day away!
After a very long 4 years of praying for another child and 9 months of pregnancy, tomorrow is the day that we meet baby Sam. I have so much running through my head today. I don’t know if getting my fears out on here would be helpful or scare me even more. I am going to do my best not to dwell on my nerves but rather spend the day preparing and praying!
So, I ask for your prayers tomorrow! I will be back in a few days to introduce the Prince!
With the princess we never got to 38 weeks so this is a whole new experience for me. So, in celebration of my last week of pregnancy since my induction is in 5 days here is a list of things that I had no idea 38 weeks of pregnancy could feel like.
- I never knew how far a pregnant tummy could really stick out without causing me to fall over
- I never knew that stretch marks could get their own stretch marks. Swimsuit season is over permanently from here on out.
- I never knew what the end of pregnancy glow was. I know now, it is sweat.
- I never knew that wouldn’t care if I passed gas in front of you. Seriously, I can’t help it and I remain thankful that it was just that and not more.
- I never knew that your stomach actually lands somewhere inbetween your boobs during pregnancy. If this kid doesn’t come out with some hair, the heartburn old wives tail is a complete myth. I can’t eat anything without heartburn despite being on prescription meds.
- I never knew that despite being the most uncomfortable one could imagine that I already know that I am going to miss this monstrosity of a belly and having this baby all to myself. Soon he will be out of my womb and into the world where I will have to share him so despite how done I am with being preggers, I hope to look back at this time fondly and hopefully the aches and pains will drift into ancient memories.
In an unsuccessful effort to get labor started this weekend we decided to take a family trip to the zoo. The hubs, princess and I went and enjoyed the zoo. It was the start of Zoo Babies and seeing all of the cute little baby critters made me ready to have my own. But, walking the hilly zoo and even visiting the stork did not bring on labor. Nor did the spicy food I ate for dinner or the fresh pineaple I ate. In fact, all of these efforts did nothing. As of this morning, I am still 2 cm and not effaced. Thankfully there is an eviction, er…I mean induction date. Next Wednesday, the little prince will be on his way. Thank goodness there is an end to this because Prince Sam is apparently very happy in his little in utero home.
So, with 9 days to go I spent today crying and sleeping. I dropped the princess off at school and started to head into work. I ended up driving right past work and all the way home because I couldn’t control the waterworks. Although common sense would allude to the fact that I would realize that when the baby comes, the princess will not be an only child. Ok, so as much as understand this, it still hit me hard today that is won’t just be the two of us. For the majority of her life I have had the opportunity to only work part time and stay at home with her. She has been my little buddy, my cooking partner, my craft consultant and the source of millions of smiles over the last 5 years. Adding a new member to our family has always been the plan but I didn’t realize how emotional this last week would be. My princess has been the center of my attention and her whole life is about to turn upside down. I know she will love him and be a great big sister, but I know that she will miss the time with just “us” and truthfully, I will too. So, after over thinking this too much today and a nice nap, I think I am ok. Hormones have away of sneaking up when we least expect them.
Sam,
We have spent the last 37 weeks together, just you and me. It seems like yesterday that you were a figment of my imagination and a prayer on my heart. Your Dad and I prayed for years to have another child and your sister prayed every night for a new sibling. I don’t know if you will ever be able to understand what a miracle you are. You were created for a purpose that I can’t even begin to imagine.
I woke up at 3:30am to having you kick and roll around in my belly. So, for the last 2 hours I have just sat and watched you move. I can’t believe that the time of it just being us is almost over. I don’t know what you look like, but I am already in love. You have yet to take your first breath, yet you have already changed my life. Your very existence has brought more joy and hope into my life that I didn’t think was possible.
I have such a deep and incredible love for your big sister, Alaina. She lights up every room she walks in. She makes me laugh and see the world through her eyes. Her heart is so humble and genuine. You have a lot to learn from her! I can’t believe that as much as I love her that God has blessed me to experience this kind of unconditional and amazing love again.
You are coming into a crazy family little one. But, it is one of love. I hope you will always feel the joy that you bring to those who love you and you experience the faith that brought you into existence.
Love you, Sam. Come out soon, you have your whole life ahead of you and a lot of people who love you and who have waited a long time for you.
Love,
Your Mama
Pregnancy is a pretty amazing time in your life. It is this time of bonding and growing somone one created out of love inside of you. Gentle rolls and playful kicks. Hiccups as they learn how to breathe. Strangers can’t help but ooh and ahh over your belly, deperate just to touch it for just a moment as if were Buddah. See, I really do love being pregnant.
Now that all of that I have gotten out all of the sunshine and rainbows, I am about to whine. Before you call me ungrateful, know that I waited a long time for this beloved baby and I love him more than anything and he is worth the pain that your body has to endure. Up until a few weeks ago I had pretty little to complain about. Perfect pregnancy. I had the little basketball belly, weight gain within reason, still sleeping and no swelling. Pretty much the opposite of my pregnancy with the princess.
But, I had 30 weeks and things started to slowly get a lot harder. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Which means the one great privledge of pregnancy has been revoked. I am basically on a diet. I have to count my carbs and sugar intake, take meds and poke my fingers 4 times a day to check my glucose levels. Which in itself isn’t that bad, but GD often means big babies. An ultrasound last week showed that Sammy was no exception to that rule. He weighed in at 6 lbs and 6 oz at 35 weeks and measured almost 3 weeks ahead. They also want to keep GD babies in until at least 38-39 weeks which means his potential to gain 1/2 to 1 lb a week from her here on out is very likely. Um, that could be over 11 lbs! My dreams of doing this natural are going out the window. TMI alert, with the princess her labor was 6 hours and she came out on the first real push and at 7 bs and 5 oz gave me severe bilateral tearing. Healing was extremely hard and the pain of the following weeks was worse than the real labor, so if 7 lbs did that to me….I really can’t imagine 11 lbs coming out easily.
His big size has also has me now high risk and I have to see a perinatolgist, diabetes counselor, my ob and have 2 non stress tests a week. So, trying to work, taxi the princess to preschool and get to all of my appointments has been hard. I am so tired at the end of the day but sleeping is out the window. He is so big that no matter how I lay I can’t sleep. My joints are all seperating and just turning over from side to side really is excruciating. Every night brings leg cramps that bring me to tears and my poor hubby has to get up with me several times a night to massage the cramps out of my legs and also to helps me roll over so I can get up to pee. If you need a visual, think beached whale.
So, to wrap up my whining.
Samuel…I love you…but please come out. Come out when you are healthy and ready but your mama is falling apart.
All week long people have been telling me how much I had popped, to which I laughed off since I had obviously have been “popped” for quite some time. It has been a humorous for me to look in shock when strangers ask me how far along I am…to which on an off day I have responded by…”What…you think I am pregnant?” Followed by me stating that I have noticed some weight gain recently. It usually ends in me giggling but it still feels good to feel like I have some sort of a comeback. Mama is tired of people asking if I am due any day (which they have asked for the last 10 weeks!)
But, the whole idea of “popping” made me wonder if I had actually grown at all in the last few weeks. I don’t feel much bigger but I see myself every day. So, out came the camera for a comparison. Below is photographic evidence that I am completely in denial about being hugely pregnant. (The first pic is 27 weeks and the second is 32 weeks) And, yes…I am essentially standing in the exact same spot. So, either I have unknowingly grown immensely in the last few weeks or the door knob has moved. For my sanity over the next 8 weeks I am going with the doorknob.
I really can’t wait until Sam is born to see how he inpsires me. I know what makes Alaina tick. I know how she likes her ruffles and pink and the kick she gets out of picking out fabric with me. I can’t wait to see the things that she creates someday. She picked the fabric for this, chose the style right down to the buttons. She even ran the foot pedal for me. She wound my bobbin when it ran out. Every piece of this was chosen by her. I get so excited to see her creativity blossom and now I have this new soul growing inside of me and I wonder if he will like to tinker around with how things work and put things together or if he will be more like his Dad and prefer to play ball and watch endless hours of ESPN. Either way I am excited to see what life has in store for my kids. And one day I know that the princess won’t want any mama made clothes any more and having her head my shoulder while I sew will be a distant memory. So, while I look forward to the future and what it holds I am savoring this time while she is young and the little man kicks inside of me. Because before you know it, this time in my life will be over.
My whole life I always knew that I wanted to be a mom. I remember playing dress up and stuffing a pillow in my top and thinking I am just going to be the cutest pregnant woman. Well, pregnancy certainly hasn’t been achieved easily and I no longer hold on to the dream that I will be one of those cute women with an adorable pregnant belly. I think it is harder to swallow because one upon a time I used to be so skinny. But, Alaina was worth the extra pounds and Sam will be too.
So, here is the almost 27 week belly. At least the pajama pants are cute! And although it doesn’t make a huge difference there is a little shadow by my belly. I will take every little bit that I can to not feel like such a whale.
Depsite the fact that we had snow yesterday and the forecast for this weekend calls for more accumulation I am still feeling a little springy. Maybe longing for spring is a better way to put it. So, what else could I do but sew something and subject my little one to trying it on in the midst of cold weather. No worries, she was back in warm clothes in a matter of minutes. I had to bribe her with fruit snacks to even get her to try it on.
It feels funny to say that I am anxious for spring because while the warmer weather would be a welcome change, the rest of the changes that we are headed for are enough to make my head spin. I am fully aware that I am not the first person in the world to have two kids. Yet, I still can’t fathom it. Having the baby here at home doesn’t scare me, the thought of labor and the first month scares that crap out of me. To reiterate how terrified I am here is a list of the things that worry me most…in no particular order.
- Going into labor. I was induced last time so I never had the joy of having my water break on it’s own. But, during my induction my dr actually said that he has never seen so much fluid. I am terrified that this will happen at church in the middle of teaching a class and having to inform 150 elementary kids that Miss Stephanie did not just pee her pants, but rather she is about to have a baby.
- Should I involve Alaina in the birth. She loves the baby shows and sort of knows where the baby comes from. Don’t want to traumatize her but I don’t want to leave her out. There are a list of people who I don’t want in the room during the process. Last time my mom was fasting and passed out when she came into see Alaina and my mother in law refused to leave the room as I was getting stitched up from second degree bilateral tears because my mom was in there. Yep, let that visual stick in your head…spread eagle with your mom passed out on the chair next to you and your mother in law just watching the least glamourous part of the entire birthing process. Aww, memories.
- What if I need a c section? Baby is flipped transverse breech right now which means he is completely horizontal. I don’t know how he is comfortable there he is constantly kicking and punching my sides. The pain in my ribs have subsided but I will take that back if it will get him back in the right position. I had a dream last night that my uterus was like an airline flight and the voice of a flight attendant trying to guide him into the correct position. I don’t want to get into what the flotation devices were but I digress, pregnancy has made my brain mush.
- Europe. Two weeks after the baby is due my husband is going to Europe for two weeks. It has been planned and paid (he is a teacher and is practically going for free!) for almost 2 years. He can’t not go. Who can pass on that kind of a trip and experience? But, I am still really scared of being well enough to take care of 2 kids during that time.
I told you I was a nervous wreck. Yet despite all of my worries I really can’t wait for Sammy to get here. I can’t wait to see Lainey as a big sister. Oh, and how this post originally started…I really want some warmer weather.
