K2's Birth Story

I'd been having contractions for a couple of weeks, but nothing really painful or consistent. So, by the time our scheduled induction rolled around I was more than ready. On the morning of October 19 Mr. Bin and I rounded up our things, picked up my mom, dropped K1 off at daycare, and headed to Waterloo to meet Alisia for breakfast at Village Inn before all the excitement began.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:00 am to begin our induction. The first hour was spent getting settled in, getting blood drawn, and starting my antibiotics for Group B Strep. My contractions were 4 minutes apart and I was already 4 cm dilated and 75% effaced. At 9:00 we started pitocin. That brought my contractions closer together and much stronger.

Sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 I got my epidural and was very comfortable. At 11:45 I was 5 cm dilated and the Dr broke my water. Then the nurse left to go eat lunch before things started happening. About 1:00 I started feeling contractions low in my stomach. With each contraction I could feel water gushing. I decided to just wait for my nurse to come back and let her know what I was feeling. In the mean time I kept pushing my button to up my epidural.

My nurse, Lindsey, came back at about 1:30 and asked if anyone had checked on me. I said no and she said she had gotten caught up helping set up a c-section and figured someone would have checked on me. I told her it was no big deal and told her what I was feeling. When she went to check me my bed was soaked so she changed the sheets. Then she checked me and I was fully dilated and the head was right there.

 

The nurse called for my Dr, who was in a c section. Dr. Rellihan arrived at about 1:45 and had me do a practice push. I hardly started to push and she says STOP, STOP!! The head was already coming out. She said don't laugh or cough and turned around to put her gloves on while the nurses removed the end of the bed. Mr. Bin later told me he was afraid to leave the foot of the bed because the head was half way out.

Dr Rellihan was ready to deliver the baby and told me to push. I felt the head "pop" out and then the body. I don't think the feet were even out and Mr. Bin yelled "Oh, it's a boy!!" At 1:51 pm K2 was born weighing 8 lbs 5.4 oz and was 21.75 inches long. His head was 14 inches and his chest was 13.5 inches.

Just before I delivered K2, Alisia arrived at the hospital and ended up being in the room for the delivery. We spent an hour trying to figure out what to name our little bundle. Everytime we mentioned K2 he responded so we went with it.

K1 was not able to come to the hospital due to H1N1 which quite frankly ruined my birth experience. Mr. Bin had to leave a few times to take care of K1 and I spent half my time worrying about who he was with and how he was doing. All in all things went great.

K1's Birth Story

It's Labor Day weekend and I'm entering my 39th week. Oh, how funny to be in labor on Labor Day everyone said. I would have been thrilled with laboring on Labor Day as long as it got the baby out!!! No such luck.

Tuesday September 4, the day after labor day I go in for my weekly OB appointment. My mom came with me just because we were so close to the end. The Dr checked me and I was 3 cm dilated and something like 80-95% effaced. I was good to go. Granted I had been dilating a cm a week since we started internals.

My due date was September 10, so I asked my OB when we would start taking about inducing labor. I just needed to know the last possible day that I would be pregnant. As long as I had a D-day I figured I could survive. OB proceeds to tell me she can induce me September 11 if I want. No I don't want!!! I don't want my baby to be born on the saddest day of the year by choice!! If it comes naturally that day so be it, but I am not choosing that day as my childs birthday.

Then, she checks with another OB in the practice and they are willing to induce me on September 12. I said okay lets do it, hoping I would go naturally before that, but at least knowing that was the last day I would be pregnant.

I am then hooked up to have a NST (non stress test). I'm so glad my mom is with me at this point because now I have someone to talk to during the test. After the test is done the nurse comes in and says my OB will induce me tomorrow if I want. TOMORROW!!!! I don't know if I want to have my baby tomorrow!!! I want to get the baby out of me, but I don't know if I want a baby tomorrow!!! (Still don't know what the test told them that made them want to induce me the next day. I think I was probably having mild contractions)

Of course I call Mr.Bin right away and he says the same thing. TOMORROW!!!! Then he tells me it's my choice if I want to wait until September 12 or have a baby tomorrow September 5. Thanks a lot. Your such a help.

Ideally Mr. Bin wants the whole rushing to the hospital scenario to play out. I however do not. The hospital is an hour away. What if we don't make it in time? What if I'm at work and Mr. Bin doesn't get there in time? My mom had fast labors and that worried me.

So, the nurse puts us on the schedule for tomorrow, September 5, with instructions to call if we decide not to go through with it.

Mom and I get and the car and start discussing all the pros and cons. The only con for me was missing the whole 'Honey it's time' moment. The pros were biggies, like knowing we'd make it to the hospital, knowing Mr. Bin would be there, I wouldn't be pregnant anymore, etc.

After letting everything sink in I decided to go for it. Lets have the baby tomorrow!!! We made plans to leave early and go to IHOP for breakfast with Mom and Dad. I knew I wasn't going to be able to eat all day so I decided to at least have my 'last meal'.

At IHOP I remember the waitress asking when I was due and telling her today!! I'm having my baby today!!! As soon as I leave here!!! How exciting!! That was that and we left and got to the hospital at 8 am.

We checked in and did all the usual stuff changed into a gown, gave my medical history, got my IV put in and blood drawn. That was it we were having a baby!

Fast forward to lunch time and Mr. Bin and Dad were hungry. Things were still fairly slow at this point so they leave and go to Lone Star to eat. Mr. Bin had this Lone Star thing planned fairly early on in the pregnancy. Something about while your in labor your dad and I will need to eat so we'll go to Lone Star since it's by the hospital. Yeah, so's McDonalds and Burger King, but whatever.

Anyway, while the boys are gone I start feeling pretty intense contractions and the OB decides to break my water. Before they break my water I get my epidural. I am so glad I did. I felt all of about 4 hard contractions, but they came on quick. By the time the anesthesiologist got there I couldn't talk through the contractions. I got my epidural and they broke my water all while Mr. Biin was gone. He missed some of the 'milestones' of labor, but he was full and happy.

I think at this point I am at about 6 cm. So, now that I am happy and comfy we just settle in and start watching TV. Sometime around 4 or so people start arriving at the hospital. Kim and Kris got out of school early so they bring Grandma Jane down to partake in the festivities. Mr. Bin's parents make it too. Jade and Alisia come sometime around 5:30 or so.

I think at about 4:30 I started to feel pressure and told my nurse. She said my OB was just going in to do a twin c-section. So what does my nurse do? She turns down my pitocin to slow my contractions down. Nobody even checks to see how far dilated I am!

Fast forward to 6:00 pm and my OB is back and checks me. I am 10 cm dilated. No kidding!! I probably have been for and hour. Time to start pushing. They get the room set up and all my visitors leave the room.

My mom and MIL stay by my head and my dad is in the room also, but over by the door where he can see what's going on, but not down south. I believe they had just the curtain drawn and the door open so my family waiting outside could hear what was going on.

I think Sports Center was on TV and I told someone to change the channel so my baby wasn't born while watching Sports Center. Mr. Bin changed the channel and we ended up watching The Simpsons (his favorite show). Whatever it's better than Sports Center.

I start pushing, but my contractions are so spaced out (due to turning down the pitocin at 4:30) that I would push a little watch TV a little. My OB decided to go eat supper. What! I'm having a baby and your going to go eat after already putting me off for C-section. GRRR!!! She ended up knowing what she was talking about since she made it back in plenty of time.

My nurse had me push while having contractions and relax when I wasn't. This was going fine. Then she said the baby wasn't staying down between contractions and was sliding back up. It just can't be easy can it. She also informs us that he is coming out facing my leg instead of facing the floor. Thus I am trying to push out the largest part of his head at the worst possible angle. Anyway, OB comes back and I remember King of the Hill coming on. I don't particularly like this show, but remember watching it some. A few more pushes and K1 is here at 6:36 pm

My OB was shocked at how big he was 9lbs, 2.8oz, and 22 inches long. Ummm...I told you I was incredibly uncomfortable, hence the induction.

They put him on my chest and let Mr. Bin cut the cord. Then took him over to weigh him, take his measurements, and clean him up some. By now the curtain has been pushed back so all my family in the hall can see him. What an awesome experience for them. Grandma Jane talked about it for weeks. She couldn't believe they got to be such a part of his birth.

 At this point I haven't eaten in about 12 hours and I am starved. Guess what? The kitchen closes at 7:00 pm. By the time I was able to think about food the kitchen was closed. GRRR!!! So my mom runs to Burger King and grabs me a Whopper. YUM. It tasted so good. Thanks Mom!

Color Run

We ran the Color Run in Des Moines this weekend.  Well, some ran it.  I obviously walked it.  Mr. Bin ran the whole time and pulled the boys in the wagon!  The first K was the hardest for me, it was downhill.  I had a tight hard braxton hicks contraction through the first K then my stomach relaxed a little and I was good to go.  We stood in line to start for an hour before the race even started so my back was already hurting.  We were right at the start in wave 2.  

K1 took off with Grandpa to get McDonalds while we waited in line, so he missed half the race.  Mr. Bin pulled K2 for the first part, he did not like the color.  Then switched boys and pulled K1, who loved the whole thing.  K1 was really into the party at the end.  He liked all the color clouds.

Next year I plan to run it with Mr. Bin and let someone else deal with the kids.

The whole freaking family

K1 and I at the finish line

Throw your hands up! Mr. Bin and K1

Color cloud. Me and M

Post run

K1 and M

The bump

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29 Weeks

Mr Bin and K2 at Gma and Gpa's

K1 and my niece K

Third Trimester

I've finally made it to the third trimester.  28 weeks.  I'm guessing I only have about 10 weeks left until delivery (fingers crossed I deliver before Christmas).  This baby is very active.  Always moving and stretching. 

They say each pregnancy gets harder and you feel more aches.  I would say that is 100% true.  I've been having braxton hicks a lot.  While I'm working out, my stomach is hard as a rock.  Later in the day every time I stand up my stomach gets really hard.  The contractions aren't painful, but are definitely uncomfortable.  It took my awhile to realize that I was actually having contractions, but now that I know they are unmistakable.  I will be talking with my OB on Monday about just how concerned I should be about how frequent they are.  I'm sure it's just par for the course.

My family, friends, and I will be walking the Color Run this weekend.  I'm super excited.  Nothing like being 7 months pregnant and participating in a 'race'.  I'm thinking of letting K1 walk it with us.  We'll see how that goes.  There will be plenty of pics to share next week.

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K2 had a run in with Gma and Gpa's wall

 

Black eye day 3

We got to meet baby I.  Here she's all dressed up for her Aunt's wedding.

Here Miss I is sleeping.  I think it looks like she's letting her nails dry.

Homecoming K1 and his buddy B are on a sugar high.