Emma's Birth Story

I wish so badly I had 600 pictures of Emma's labor and delivery. But the truth is, we showed up and I was 9 cm dilated. There was no time for pictures, no time for me to put my cute cozy socks on, and no time for my husband to call our family (actually while I was pushing he said "Can I call your dad and my mom?" NO YOU JERK WAD). 

Seriously. 

Okay, so this story begins 1 day before my due date and 2 days before Emma's birthday-- Friday, October 18. 

I had an appointment that morning. They usually don't check me but I asked to be checked since I felt like she had dropped a bit. Wrong. 0 station, 0 cm dilated, nothing exciting. 

After our appointment we went to the mall and had Panera, found me some sweat pants to wear home from the hospital, and grabbed some groceries at Harris Teeter. 

I ran my husband to work immediately after our errands, came home and cleaned up the house. I made lots of work calls and was a little bit crampy. I thought I was on my feet too much. That night I ran to the mall to get my rings inspected and my nails done (nobody wants an ugly mama!). I walked the length of the entire mall and even got a cinnamon Auntie Anne's pretzel. :) 

All throughout my pedicure I was having "cramps". Nothing painful, just annoying. I texted my husband and he started to get nervous. 

Picked up hubby from work and of course had to run to Target. I wanted something to help me sleep because I was up the night before and I was still having "cramps". (Looking back, these cramps were timeable and about 6-7 minutes apart lasting 30 seconds). I couldn't take anything so we went home empty handed. 

Friday night I slept pretty crappy..a little bit crampy and just annoyed that I couldn't sleep. 

Saturday, October 19th (my due date) I felt a bit better-- had some breakfast, walked the neighbor's dog, hung out with my husband, and got some stuff done around the house. Still crampy, but manageable (Looking back I was in total denial). My husband had to work so I watched a few Lifetime movies and texted my friends throughout the day. 

Keeping myself busy on my due date.

My husband came home Saturday night and wanted to watch Scandal. I kind of felt bad so I agreed. I ate a handful of yogurt covered raisins and couldn't make it through 10 minutes of Scandal. I was tired and wanted to go to bed now. 

Woke up around 2 with really bad cramps. I let my husband sleep and hopped in the bathtub. By now I had gotten the "Full Term" app and was timing my cramps. They were 5-6 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds to 1 minute. 

Again, I honestly thought these were just stupid cramps! They were not that painful, just a bit annoying. Our plan was that we would call our families when we knew we were in "real" labor, so we just waited this out. 

The bath actually helped a lot. I felt OK. I knew Emma wasn't going to come for a long time so I was excited I could go back to bed and get some sleep. 

Ha!

I managed to get out of the tub but I couldn't walk to get my clothes comfortably. I got my husband and said "I think we're going to have a baby today". By now it was 3ish. He helped me get dressed and I laid in bed for a bit. By now my contractions were getting painful and I had to breathe deeply through them. I could still talk through them but I was uncomfortable. They were coming every 5 minutes and lasting a minute. 

To be honest I don't remember what happened next. My husband called the nurses and they said not to rush-- that I could come in if I felt I needed to or I could labor at home for a bit. I wanted to stay at home for a bit longer. My husband helped me tidy up the house and I straightened my hair. By this point I had to stop, lean over, and groan through each contraction. 

By 6AM I was feeling nauseated and threw up a few times. This is when I knew I was in "transition" (basically heading to the end point of labor) and my husband started to panic. He threw me in the car around 7:30 and off we went. 

I wish I could say we drove quickly and got there in record time. Wrong. Wasn't there a 10 mile run that day and roads were closed? I was in the back seat praying out loud and my husband was in the front seat cursing and throwing our GPS (we still can't find it).. GAH. 

We finally arrived around 8:15. I yacked in the parking lot (awkward) and all my husband could say was that I looked pretty. Poor guy. 

What happened next is such a blur..basically we walked in and literally had a baby. It was so perfect/fast/fun/exciting/crazy.  All I really remember was asking to be checked and she said "Oh sweetie, you're 9 centimeters!". 

After Emma was born I was so out of it. It felt good to be done but I was just staring into space. They had to say "HOLD YOUR BABY!" because I think they were afraid she was just going to slide off my chest. My husband took her for a while and once I got some water I felt much more coherent, LOL. 

Looking back, Emma's birthday was the best day of our lives. I wouldn't have it any other way! We are so blessed and thankful to God for her. 

Heading to first Dr. appt

Five Question Friday-- November 22nd

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a great week. I'm a little sad because I am going back to work on Monday. Booo. The good thing is that I'm needed at my job and that means good job security, right? :)

My dad is popping by tonight very quickly so that should be fun. Besides that it's a quiet weekend of cleaning/organizing/keeping everyone alive. Sunday I'm going with a friend to Michaels and the mall..woo hoo!

At least 50 questions were emailed to me so I'll try to get them answered in the next few weeks. Mostly about Emma's birth, how she's doing, etc. 

1. How was your labor/delivery? Did you have her naturally like you wanted? Did it hurt? How long were you in labor for? Etc, etc, etc. 

90% of the questions emailed to me were something along these lines. I am trying to write a post about her birth but haven't finished it yet. 

Because I thought my contractions (I still refuse to call them that) were "cramps", I'm not exactly sure when labor started. But I had some minor cramps Friday morning, October 18th, after my appointment. But for full on labor I'd guess maybe 6 hours? 

Yes, natural delivery. There was no time for drugs. ;) Umm, yes it hurt but I thought it would hurt more.. hence not knowing I was in labor. 

2. Are you getting any sleep? How is she sleeping? 

Barely. :) Seriously though, yes. We have quite a "system" that allows us to get good sleep (including Emma). 

She sleeps great..now. She did not like her Pack N Play after about 3 weeks. Not sure what the deal was but she would sleep in there for about an hour and end up on my chest or my husband's arms. After talking to lots of friends, we have a whole new bedtime "routine"-- bath (if necessary), lotion her up, tight swaddle, nurse/bottle, DOWN. 

Oh and we packed up our Pack N Play and got a Rock N Play. That thing is amazing! We have had this one for a week and life has never been better. 

3. How is your weight loss going? Are you working out or doing anything differently?

This was the 2nd most asked question, LOL. I posted yesterday that I've lost about 20 pounds and everyone thought that was insane. I think some of it was swelling (I was never really swollen, but maybe?), but I'm not sure.

Right now I have 20 pounds to go. There is no rush-- I'm petrified of losing my milk supply so I refuse to deprive myself. Just been eating healthy (lots of oatmeal, barley, fruits/veggies), working out, and lots lots lots of water. 

4. How is your husband doing? 

He says he's great. :) Thank you for asking!

5. What are your top items you use on a daily basis and recommend for new moms and moms to be? 

Hmm! Like I mentioned above-- the Rock N Play was a must for us. A&A Swaddle Blankets,  4Moms MamaRoo, burp cloths/cloth wipes/etc, pacifiers (Emma loves to suck), zip up sleepers, hats, and Aveeno Calming Comfort Lotion are all items we love. 

Obviously this does not include diapers, wipes, etc. 

Life Lately-- November 21st

Eeek! I'm so sorry. "Life lately" has been busy, obviously. Caring for a newborn is a full time job. :) But we wouldn't have it any other way. 

Yesterday Miss Emma turned 1 month old! I'll do an official post (hopefully before her 3rd birthday) but she's 9lbs, 5 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Our big baby! 

She loves her baby giraffe sleeper. Mama loves it even more! I will cry like a baby the day we put it away in our storage closet. But until then Emma wears it about twice a week. 

Not sure if I posted about it here but my sissy is getting married! I'm so sad I'm not closer but I cannot wait to be a part of her big day. 

I can't remember when but she mailed this box to me and "proposed". No clue where she got the idea but it was so creative! 

Emma was a thumb sucker in my belly and looks like she still is. It's precious.

These two kill me..

Remember when my husband went out and got the boppy? Well that was not necessary. We really don't use it all that much and now it's just a dog pillow. Sigh. Good news? The dogs love it. 

For everyone who thinks I'm "tiny"..ahem, still wearing maternity pants in that picture. I gained almost 40 pounds during my pregnancy. So far I've lost a good 20 and have 20 more to go. Slowly but surely...

LOL my 3 aunts came to visit a few weeks ago. My husband went down to get them and they plowed through our apartment with this shopping cart. Too funny. 

Wishing that hat came in my size..

Emma and I the day my husband went back to work. We have so much fun! The day is considered a success if everyone is alive when my husband gets home. :) 

The day is even more successful if the house is clean. BONUS!

We are finally in a little "routine" and I'm so thankful! My husband doesn't go to work until after 12PM, so I get up and work out every morning before he gets up. Being able to workout (and get out of the house) for an hour every day keeps me sane. 

Oreo loves the baby snot sucker. OMG does he love it. We've washed that thing 6,000 times and he keeps finding it in the "baby basket" (basket we carry around with the baby so we don't have to run to the nursery 800 times a day). 

Favorite day of the week!

My husband is an expert at getting boogers. He has quite a system.

Emma in her first fluff! Sadly they are still a bit big for her, so she's wearing newborn Huggies Lil Snugglers. We have at least one blowout a day.. sigh. 

BUT please note the 2 times she's worn cloth she has not had any blowouts! It was so easy,  too! Just threw them in the wash.

Waiting for Daddy-O to get home!

Oreo doing anything for attention during Emma's weekly photo. I've gotten lots of questions about her weekly photos and I'll be sure to answer them soon! 

Thank you again for all the sweet comments and emails! xO