Leo's Birth Story

At 40w3d (Monday July 31), I had an appointment with Dr. Emm. I was dilated to 3 and about 80% effaced. Since I was overdue, dilated a good amount, and she was going on vacation that Wednesday, we decided to go in for an induction at midnight. We only told my mom who came over late that night to stay with Elliott.

I had the same ol contractions that I'd been having for weeks. I feel like I was more anxious this time because I knew what I was getting myself into. But we loaded up the car and made the drive, arriving a few minutes before midnight. We went into ER to check in and Dana the OB tech came to escort us up. It was actually someone I knew. Our nurse Danielle (it turns out our kids went to tumbling class together too!) introduced herself, along with our good friend Katie who was also on shift that night. By the time we got settled and going, the pitocin started at 1am at 3-4 cm dilated.

I didn't really sleep at all and was pretty comfortable most of the night. This time I could really read my body and could always tell how far I was dilated without being checked, just based on how I felt. I kept telling everyone that when I want to die I know I will be at 7. 

We progressed at an average pace I'd say, maybe a little slower to start. We didn't take any notes so this is purely from memory and I don't have specific time frames to document. I never walked the halls but pretty sure I sat on the birthing ball, otherwise was in bed since it was nighttime. I knew I wouldn't sleep and if birth was going to run into daytime I didn't want to be too wiped. 

I started to feel uncomfortable with contractions and knew I was 5-6 (I was right). I was still going back and forth about if I wanted an epidural and was totally playing by ear. They had mentioned to me that the anesthesiologist gets busy between 6:30-7:30 am, so if I might want it during that time to be proactive. Sure enough, I could tell around 6 am that I was at 7, because things started to get real hard. I was managing fine, but nothing about labor is easy. Around 6:15, I told them to call for the Epi.

At that time I had already advanced to 8, so things were moving quickly. The anesthesiologist arrived fairly quickly and he set up around 6:45. He said I was easy because I had "good anatomy." The meds kicked in quickly and I had no weird side effects (I had been dreading the needle feeling Allyson had). I was blissful and telling everyone how stupid I was to not get medicine last time. During this time Dr. Emm had stopped by. She had a patient next door that was just a little behind me in labor so she made some rounds while I progressed. 

Around 7:45ish, I started pushing. Since I had an epidural, I legitimately could not feel if I was doing anything. They told me I was doing well so I just kept going. Eventually it got really exhausting though and I was feeling frustrated. I will never forget the image of Dr. Emm pouring gallons of mineral oil on me (okay, not really) and working me. When I felt like I couldn't do it anymore, baby's head emerged! I remember thinking that his head was really small, but little did I know that was just the cone. He came out very quickly and everyone gasped at how large he was. Where in the world do I keep these babies inside of me??

Leo Robert Bauman was born on August 1, 2017 at 8:33 am, weighing 9 pounds even and measuring 20 inches long. 

The cord is super thick and short. Dr. Emm noted that I had a second degree tear and that I was leaving this labor better than I did last time (hallelujah I thought!). She ran to deliver the chick next door then came back for another checkup. I hold Leo and nurse him, do the usual post birth stuff. My parents visited at lunch and brought Avanti's. 

Shortly after he was born, I was getting tired of the epidural feeling. By noon I was real annoyed and honestly telling myself the 2 extra hours of labor would've been a better alternative to this numb feeling. I was also swelling major and bleeding a little more than my nurse wanted. She had Dr. Emm come over her lunch and they decided she would come back after office hours with her partner Dr. Ogunleye to do another patch job.

The whole day my nurse had pitocin going on and off to make sure my extra bleeding wasn't uterine related or from leftover placenta. My uterine contractions were off the charts, I basically felt like I was in transition labor on an off that day. 

Maybe around 4-4:30, I sat up in my bed to nurse Leo and felt a major gush of blood. I got immediately light headed. Dr. Emm came in just as this was going on and she looked at me and immediately knew something was wrong. She was kind of annoyed at my nurse and called for Labs right away, then started examining me. Dr. Ogunleye followed shortly after and they set up shop in the room. I had swollen so much that my stitches were breaking apart and I was creating new tears. I was fine during this time, not really in any pain and keeping my sense of humor. 

After a little bit of them patching, I got very light headed and knew I was about to pass out. They told me that was okay, but I seriously felt like I was going to die. They then decided it was time to move to the OR, and the chaos began. I had to consent to anesthesia, a breathing tube, and knew I was going to get a blood transfusion. My room was full of people. I was scared but honestly so exhausted that I couldn't freak out like I normally would. Andy was pretty calm. A sweet OB tech named Paula told me she would pray for me. That's when I knew this wasn't good. 

I went to the OR and shortly after fell asleep. Honestly, I felt pretty good when I woke up and didn't have any weird effects. I think I was out for about 45 minutes. They said they patched up as thorough as they could and made sure that my bleeding wasn't uterine-related. 

Andy's parents visited Wednesday morning with Elliott. She was all about the baby but we didn't have her hold him. My sisters came that night and brought Potbelly. 

The next two days, I was pretty much chained to the bed. I had a catheter in and basically had a cantaloupe sitting on my crotch. I finally got the cath out and could walk the halls once late afternoon on Thursday. I rinsed in the shower, too, but was still in bed 99.9% of the day. Thankfully I peed on my own within a few hours, so that hurdle was over. I've never felt so physically helpless in my life. 

Dr. Ogunleye gave me the OK to leave on Friday (he had been checking on me once or twice a day). Andy went to Elliott's tumbling class and Allyson stayed with me during that time. We packed up around noon and went home to big sister. I missed her so much! Thankfully she was basically on vacation all week and I don't think she missed us a bit. The next solid week was really hard for me physically. It was until about 12 days postpartum that I started to feel like I could do things again. It's amazing how frustrated not being able to do your own laundry is. Or sit up to nurse your baby. Or get in and out of bed without wincing. The list goes on.

I'm still not myself but I can function just fine. I'm sure it will be a while still, and I don't think I will be having any more vaginal deliveries, but I'm hopeful this whole thing is behind me. Childbirth isn't easy! Thankfully Leo is making up for all of this by being adorable and pretty easy to handle! I'll never let him forget what I went through to bring him here though;) 

Leo: 1 Week Old

We have had our sweet Leo for one week, and so far he has been a pretty superb babe for us. 

After a hellacious delivery on Tuesday, we got to come home Friday. I've been super slow moving but getting a little better every day. The transition from one kid to two is surprisingly easy if it weren't for my own physical setbacks. Elliott adores baby brother (almost at a dangerous level). She would hold Leo all day long if I let her, and is constantly offering him pacis and kissing him. I guess I've done well training her to be a helper because I ask her to fetch me things a lot and she does so happily. 

Baby boy sleeps well. Mostly in his rock n play but in our arms, as well. He also likes the bouncer seat but we haven't tried the mamaroo since it's in the basement and mom can't quite do stairs yet. He spends much more time alert than Elliott ever did probably because there is just more ruckus keeping him up. I don't think we would have to cosleep at all if it weren't for me not being able to lift him in and out of bed. He starts off in his rock n play but since he's waking about 3 times a night I don't make andy get up to put him back every time. I don't want him to sleep in our bed until 16 months like Elliott, but for now it's just fine. The halo bassinest is great in theory but I will probably sell it soon.

Leo came out of the womb an A+ nurser. We haven't had a single trouble and I haven't even been sore. Since my milk has come in, he does have some trouble with keeping up and it goes down the wrong pipe. I'm hopeful it's just a learning curve and he will cut down on the coughing soon. He also still has a bit of gunk in his nose from delivery that gives him some wheezy breathing which I'm sure makes nursing a bit more difficult. I have decided to really cut back on dairy this time since I can already tell Leo is going to be a gassy one. He spits up already when Elliott didn't start until she was a few months old (my milk production is also abundant though). I'm also more strict on making him burp, too. Although sometimes he gets to snooze on me, I don't want him to rely on nursing to sleep like his sister did. For now it's good for my supply so I'm going with the flow. 

We haven't had any tantrums or meltdowns just yet. Honestly, Leo doesn't even really cry. I'm sure that will change as he comes out of the super sleepy newborn phase. At his first pediatrician appointment at 6 days old, he weighed 8 lb 9.9 oz (up from discharge weight of 8 lb 3 oz). Newborn clothes are on the tight side but are still in rotation because I apparently didn't buy enough and we haven't kept up with laundry due to me not being able to lift anything. 

I'm starting to function a little bit better and am really ready to parent like normal. Elliott has been taken care of by others almost exclusively the entire week and I'm looking forward to getting to our own routine. She's been a peach during this transition though, so it's nice to not have that to deal with that. Thankfully it's not planting or harvest and Andy has been with me the whole time. He gets stir crazy in the house so much but it's made him see how much I really do around here!  Our families have brought us food which has been perfect, otherwise Andy would just feed me pizza on repeat.

We are so lucky to have these two kiddos. 

40 Weeks!

Due date has arrived! I actually feel really good considering the crazy heat lately and am trying to enjoy the time we have left as a family of three. Definitely getting antsy but I'm trying to tell myself I'll never get this time back. Kiddo will come out when he wants, I guess.

I'm still super posterior and not sure if I'm dilated. I'm trying to walk a lot, bounce on the yoga ball, and just avoid reclining/sitting if I can. Fingers crossed that helps. Again, it was this way with Elliott and things worked out okay in the end. Baby looks good otherwise. My belly is a little on the small side (again, just like with Elliott), but my doc has zero concerns about my growth. I'm progressing at a consistent and normal-for-me rate. And I truly think my uterus is always so tucked far back posterior that it's decieving. 

I woke up one night with some cramping that resembled my first labor pains with Elliott. I remember getting scared with her, but when I felt them this time, I definitely felt a sense of "let's do this." Maybe that's just because they ended up not being the real thing. It's still best if I don't think about labor, otherwise I feel pretty dreadful about it.

We finally settled 100% on a name! It's been the front runner for a long time, but we both had slight reservations about it. After having a few more name conversations with family and it *wasn't* on anyone else's mind, we knew it was a good choice. We are still deciding which middle name is best but I think we will know when he's born. 

Since I'm still pregnant, I had Taryn take some maternity photos. They usually aren't my thing, but we never take photos of the three of us.  I know I won't regret having some.

Second babies are so bittersweet. Elliott was a tough infant, but is making up for it in spades as a super awesome toddler. She has moments of crabbiness, but overall she is such an easy kid. Our boat will for sure be rocked when this kid comes! Having a girl first was definitely better for me (a cautious child is much better for my anxious heart), and I can only imagine how neurotic I will be with a rough boy. Please be kind to your mother, sweetie pie.

We couldn't be more ready to meet you! 

Florida Vaca March 2017: Part 3

We unload and just rest while my mom goes to the beach. She comes back around 4:30 and we all dress. We decide tonight is a beach visit night and go around 5. Elliott is cautious about her first dips in the water but is liking it.

By the time we look for places to eat it's 5:45 and places have filled up. Elliott is clearly exhausted and sitting down long isn't going to happen. We decide to head home and order from a carry out BBQ place my mom knows. We eat and veg the rest of the night. Elliott isn't having sleeping in the pack n play so Andy takes her to the guest room and she knocks out around 9:30ish maybe. He sleeps with her all night and I stay in the twin bed - best night of sleep I get all trip! 

We all are moving around 9am but by the time we get breakfast and dressed for the beach, it is already 10:30. We set up shop and Elliott seems terrified of the sand and will only stay on the tent floor- ha! She warms up quickly and has the best time. We break for lunch at the snack shack. She would stay in the water all day if she could so we end up staying until 1:30.

We get home and rinse quickly in the pool before she heads into the pack n play for nap. I'm shocked she doesn't really put up a fight and is asleep quickly. Unfortunately it only lasts about an hour and she wakes up very cranky. It's a battle to get her showered but we all dress and head to the Snook by 4:45. We get a table inside with a nice view. Mom and Andy get grouper fingers, mac n cheese for Elliott, and a mahi mahi sandwich for me- all super tasty. We are back home before 6. We lounge and try for early bedtime again but nope, not happening. Andy battles her in and out but says she is out for sure around 11:30!! I got most of the night to myself thankfully but I felt like garbage with sore throat and full body aches. 

I woke early the next morning. Elliott is up around 7:45. We poke around getting breakfast and battle to get her dressed for the beach (she loves to run around naked)!  We make it there around 10. She wasn't as interested but still had a great time wading in the water and watching other kids. She loves to make friends! The other kids there were older though and not interested in her. We pack up around noon and head back to assemble lunches. She eats really well (ham, bread, banana, strawberry, pretzels) so I'm assuming she's starting to feel better. She giggles like a schoolgirl in pool with her dad before heading into a nap. She goes fairly easily and sleeps for 3.5 hours!! We have to wake her up at 5 to go to dinner.

We head to the Esplanade for some action. We get a table right away outside at Mango's and get bread and some fruit for Elliott right away. It's a nice night but a little chilly with the breeze from the water. I get the grouper special and Andy gets a steak. It's good food and comes quickly so we are out. We walk down and stop at a cold stone for ice cream. We eat inside before skipping back to the car. We pack up what we can for the trip home and Elliott watches Frozen on the iPad. I fail again at trying to get her to sleep, but Andy finally gets her to late again. 

We are all up around 7:15, enjoy breakfast, and pack everything up in the morning. We are on the road at 9:15. The car ride and trip through security is easy. She runs around like crazy in the airport. We get pizza before boarding. We weren't so lucky with seats this time and are in the second to last row. It is super turbulent and I grip Andy like a crazy person because I'm convinced this plane is going down.  Thankfully Elliott conks after takeoff and sleeps until we start to descend. The saving grace of this trip has been how well she did on the flights. 

Vacationing with a toddler is hard work (especially for an anxious mama), but we made some great memories. If nothing else, Magic Kingdom day was pretty rad and Elliott loved the beach. Our next vacation will be adults only, though :) 

Florida Vaca March 2017: Part 2

We chilled in the room and started to get ready. We're kind of late and went to grab food at 7:45. Andy is a big breakfast eater (I'm a cereal girl) but he rushed and we were outside for the 8:07 bus. It is super nice to have bus estimate signs now.

We got through baggage and turnstiles and were outside Spaceship Earth at 8:39. I was on a mission and when ropes dropped around 10 till I booked it with the stroller. 5 months pregnant, jogging with a stroller to Soarin' proved worth it because I was in the first showing and in my seat at 9. This might be my favorite ride in all WDW and was a good start to the day.

I was out at 9:10 and swapped with Andy. Elliott and I went on Living with the Land and got off just as Andy was walking off Soarin'.

We get in line for Joy and Sadness which is sort of long and taking forever. We take turns distracting her and when it's her turn she is not into it at all. I should just give up with characters. We head over to Seas with Nemo and again she is not having the waiting in line. She sucks down a fruit pouch and nibbles on goldfish until it's our turn 15 minutes later. She likes the ride but is so tired. We skip the aquarium and Turtle Talk based on her mood and get a frozen fruit bar which she downs. Andy wants to go do Test Track so we split up (he says single ride is 15 minutes). I sit in a few spots before moseying to look at food booths. I knew a ton that intrigued me but ended up in America at the Smokehouse. Elliott is asleep by then, but I get a pulled pork slider which is really good. I sit in the shade to eat while Elliott sleeps until Andy arrives at 11:45. He eats and we head back to Spaceship Earth for our FP. Elliott wakes up after a 30 minute nap but I'll take what I can get. The ride is backed up from being closed in the morning so we wait for maybe 20 minutes in the FP line. Elliott is tired but sits in the Tula while we ride.

We head to the buses and thankfully one starts unloading as we walk up. We get on at 1:04 and pull up to All Star Sports at 1:14. Elliott gets a change and hangs in her diaper watching Frozen. I try to get her to nap again but we are both tired of each other and she's too wound up. I end up taking her out to Andy at the pool where we sit for a while. Andy ends up getting her to nap (after a fight) around 3:45 while I sit outside and snack on fries. I head back around 4:45 because our FP for Mickey and Pals ends at 5:40 so we gotta get going. Andy and I pack up with all the lights on and Elliott doesn't budge from her nap. I almost want to skip the characters but Mickey is her favorite so we wake her up and rush out like mad people at 5:10. We make the bus the last second but it's super crowded and takes forever to stop at Music and Movies. We finally make it to Epcot and literally run to character spot. Andy's mad at me because it's past 5:40. I tell him we have an extra 15 minutes and even if it passes that they can override and let us in. We get up at 5:56 and she of course lets us in with no issue (it pays to research). The waiting line takes forever and has nothing for Elliott to do, plus we just woke her up from restful sleep, so she is a handful. Once we get inside and can see the characters she lights up and wants to run. By the time (finally) it's our turn, she doesn't want anything to do with them. Luckily the photo people are really great and we get some basic shots with Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie. Pretty much a bust but oh well.

Andy asks if he can do Mission Space but I tell him that it's already 6:30 and time for our Frozen Ever After FP. We head to Norway and get through the line really promptly. The standby time was 105 minutes I think. The ride is really, really cool, and Elliott loves it. She's watched Frozen 384728 times this vacation and is all about Elsa and Anna. My complaint is that the ride is very short. Do not ever wait in a long line for a ride that lasts 2 minutes. Definitely worth it for us to have a FP.

We are ready to eat and since I know the booths pretty well, I take us to Urban Farms which isn't far from World Showcase entrance. We get pork tenderloin, mushroom, potatoes, and other veggies. It was so, so good and neither Andy nor I like mushrooms! Elliott isn't interested and Andy still wants to do adult rides. It's past 7 so I tell him to run and do it already and I take Elliott to Electric Umbrella to get a kid's meal. I pee my pants a little in line (thanks pregnancy incontinence) but I have no shame so I keep waiting. It takes forever but I get her some mac and cheese and a brownie. She has been liking the Dannon drinkable yogurts that come with all the kids meals. We head outside and she picks at her food until Andy meets us. I pee in a toilet and Andy gets popcorn before we head to the bus a little after 8. We aren't even going to try to stay for Illuminations.

Elliott gets a bath and her cough is full force and she's wheezy. She falls asleep around 10 (omg sleep is killing us this trip).  I am in and out but she's wheezing up against me and breathing really funny. I notice that her breathing is retracted and basically watch her from 3-4am. Use google and YouTube to confirm that she's definitely retracting. I'm too educated and know we need to be seen by someone. We wake her up and go to the ER just down the road.

We get to a room quickly but it takes two hours to be seen by someone. Elliott thankfully sleeps for about an hour of that and I notice her saturations go down when she's sleeping. The doctor examines her and notices crackles that are cause for concern. She orders a chest X-ray (honestly I wasn't expecting that one). Andy goes with her since I can't do radiation and says she complies fine. The X-ray showed inflammation but thankfully no pneumonia. Bronchiolitis and a prescription for albuterol and we are on our way out around 7:30am. I was surprised they didn't swab for the flu or RSV but I don't put up a fight or anything. We go back to the hotel to quickly pack up and are gone quickly.

We stop by McDonald's and head toward Marco. It's a 3.5 hour drive and Elliott falls asleep around 9 and wakes up around 11:15. There are bad citrus grove fires around so we have to detour. We don't get to Barfield until after 1 and are so glad to be out of the car.

38 Weeks

It's like a switch flips when I get to 37 weeks. Pregnancy is pretty easy for me and then I all of a sudden can't stand it anymore.

At 37w5d Dr Emm checked me. I have a posterior cervix again so she couldn't tell if I was dilated but commented that I feel soft. His head is really low and he seems to be in good position. I'm trying to tell myself that I will be overdue and to just not get my hopes up for anything earlier. I'm hoping sitting on the balance ball at night will put things into place. Contractions have been constant for weeks so hopefully that's a sign things will be faster this time. Since he was a super active dude most of this pregnancy, things have slowed down since he's running out of room. I'm convinced he's super long. 

I'm still tired. Stretched to the max. Can't bend over. Wake up at 4am often.

All of the baby stuff is good to go. I caved and bought a rock n play but I'm sure we'll get use of it. Elliott has started playing with the gear and will put her baby dolls in them which is adorable. Bag is partially ready. 

I'm starting to worry about labor. Thinking back on Elliott's labor reminds me that I've survived it before but that it is really really hard. I'm planning to play this one by ear again as far as if I get an epi. As long as things go a little faster this time, I'm sure I can do med free again, it's just whether or not I want to hate myself and die for a few hours.

Please God let this kid come out quickly, easily, healthy, and soon. 

36ish Weeks

We're at the 9 month mark. It does feel like forever since I learned I was pregnant, but this one has definitely gone faster!  Nothing super important to note. He's a pretty active kid and I feel his feet kicking my side a lot. His head seems to be nice and low (seriously feels like he's trying to escape already). I feel like he's going to be really long based on his positioning. His heartbeat at my 35.5 week appointment was 127 but he must've been sleeping because that's been the lowest it's been so far for sure. He's usually racing! I'm up probably 28 lb. Getting dressed is a real chore because I'm extra hippy this time I guess. 

I'm starting to get tired. Most of this is because I don't drink enough water, but I just don't have energy to do much. Since these are my last few weeks alone with Elliott, we've been doing activities nearly every morning, but then nap time is so welcomed. We've been going to the library for the summer reading program a lot (which she loves!) otherwise we have tumbling class on fridays and fill in other days with the splash pad or parks, and she goes with me to my OB appointments. Swimming takes too much effort so we haven't done much of that.

I'm also starting to worry about labor since I'm not in nearly as good of shape as I was last time. We go on a decent number of walks but I also sit a lot. I've started doing some Pilates again in hopes that I don't die. The politics of healthcare are so convuluted that we are going to be paying $$$$$ for this kid and doing anything other than a completely natural labor isn't even an option. If my doc would deliver me at home I'd do it! 

Baby Boy's room is also done (ish)! We have enough clothes and all are clean and organized. Bedding and curtains are up. I plan to purchase letters for his name to go on one wall, though. We are 99% sure we've decided on it but I'll still wait until we're certain. Otherwise I don't plan on doing much else since, let's face it, the kid won't use his room for probably months to come, and I'm just less inspired/more lazy this time. We do need to bring up all the baby gear (bassinet, bouncer, car seat) but we'll get there. There are still a few things we'd like to buy but can't justify spending money on (see above paragraph...). I'm pretty confident I will be a few days overdue this time so not getting too antsy just yet, but birth being over will be welcome. I'm trying not to even think about logistics of life with two kids but I'm sure we will figure it out as we go. I am getting so excited to meet him!