Oliver Reed | Birth Story

I'm a week postpartum and trying to write down all of my thoughts and memories of labor & delivery before they all fade away (too soon!).

I had gone into my 37 week appointment on Monday, December 12 with no hopes of progress at all. With Paige, I wasn't dilated or effaced at all until I went into labor, so I was prepared to hear "nope, you're not progressed at all". In fact, my doctor had told me the week previous that I can opt out of cervical checks, which was music to my ears because ooh, those hurt. I told Jeff that since I was sure I wasn't progressing, I didn't want to get checked because I didn't want to hear it. But! The night before, I was having some pretty strong contractions, so at the very last minute, I decided to get checked. And behold! 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced!! I could have cried-- and I did a little bit. I wasn't putting any stock into it because I know women can be at a 6 for weeks and have nothing happen.

However, I was extremely set on having this baby because this pregnancy has been so, so hard on me. And also because Jeff would be leaving town so soon after he was scheduled to arrive, and we both wanted those few extra weeks of recovery & support together. Luckily for us, my contractions continued through the week and on Wednesday, my dreams came true and it snowed! I had told Jeff that if it snowed, I would shovel the driveway because, duh. I shoveled half of it before having strong contractions and sent myself back inside to rest. They stopped after about an hour (of course) and I ended up disappointed because I was so sure it would send me into labor! My contractions weren't strong when I went to bed that night but I had woken up a few times with some strong ones but never anything that lasted.

Around 5:30 AM Thursday morning, I woke up with semi-strong contractions that were coming about every 15 minutes so I decided to stay up & time them to make sure one way or the other. 6:15, I woke Jeff up and told him I thought I might be in labor but I wasn't sure. Also, I was in a lot of pain & couldn't sleep and he should stay up with me haha! He started to freak out a little because we hadn't packed bags or anything and we'd also heard that the second child always comes faster than the first. He started rushing around and throwing things together, getting Paige up & ready while I tried to find someone to watch her while we went to the hospital to check. I got up & decided to take a shower to ease the pain (back contractions- holy ow!) and then got myself emotionally prepared (lots of crying because of anxiety and because it would be my last few hours as a mother of one! And finally meeting my little baby! And Paige was going to be a sister! I was a complete mess ha!)

We left the house at about 8:30 AM and in all the rush, I had completely forgotten to eat. BIG MISTAKE. I did the same thing with Paige & swore this time around I would make sure I ate. And of course I forgot again! We dropped Paige off and drove the 20 minutes to the hospital while freaking out over having a second child soon and laughing and singing and trying not to be extremely nervous and not getting our hopes up just in case I wasn't in labor :/ We'd had plenty of false alarms with Paige and I hated getting sent home every time. We got to L&D and they got us all checked in. The nurse suggested that I walk the halls to help strengthen my contractions since they had died down a little since we left the house & she would check again in an hour.

We walked the halls for about 45 minutes and then headed back to our room where I decided doing squats was probably a good option just in case walking wasn't enough. The nurse came back & checked and I'd only progressed HALF A CM. I cried. Right there. It wasn't enough! They were going to send me home! But she said she would call my doctor and see what he thought and maybe put in a good word for the crazy, crying, hormonal pregnant lady who wanted nothing more than to be in labor. She came back 15 minutes later and said I could stay!! I cried again & then texted my family to let them know! Ahh, finally. And then my beloved OB showed up to break my water so they couldn't send me home even if they wanted to. Gosh, I love him so much.

After he broke my water, the contractions came like crazy. They were so strong and I almost broke Jeff's hand multiple times because apparently I squeeze too hard or something. A few hours in, Jeff left to go get food (at this point, I hadn't eaten anything except a cup of ice chips and some orange jell-o since 7 pm the night before-- so like 17 hours) and ate right in front of me. The audacity of this man! The anesthesiologist showed up to give the epidural and Jeff made sure not to watch this time so he didn't pass out haha and oh, I could finally relax a little! I only got a quick nap instead of a deep, epidural induced sleep, but it was okay. The nurse came in to give me pitocin since I wasn't progressing quickly enough (yay) and came in about every hour to up it some more!

It's about 4:00 at this point and I'd been at this for almost 10 hours. We called the nurse in because my  epidural had worn off and my contractions were sending me into tears of pain. She suggested that since I was so close (an 8!), I could probably just continue without the epidural. I bit her head off and then told her, no, I was definitely asking her to replenish my epidural PLEASE. Of course, this time around, it decided to bypass where the actual pain was and went straight to my left leg & numbed it. Perfect. I could literally feel everything except my left leg. Another hour passed and she came back with good news- I was at a 10 and could finally have this baby! Yes! More tears!

They super quickly put everything together because his head was like right there. The doctor came in (more tears) and I started to push. Once. So close. Twice. I could feel his head. My doctor said "oh my goodness, look how much hair he has!" and I leaned forward and giggled and he slid right out! I literally laughed my baby out of me haha! They placed him right on my chest before the NICU nurses came and rushed him back to his station because he hadn't cried yet! Apparently there was some fluid in his lungs, but he was okay. He's just a very content baby :)

He was born at 5:45 PM on December 15, 2016 and they weighed him in at 6 lbs 14 oz and he measured 19" long. Jeff immediately called in my dinner order (bless him) to Morty's (which is like, the best burger/sandwich joint in Cache Valley-- get the Turkey Bacon Ranch grilled sandwich. You will thank me!) and I got to eat it right there in the room while holding Ollie. I might have spilled some turkey & bacon on his head, but he didn't seem to mind ;)

I just snuggled him the whole time! He was so tiny & warm & his head smells like heaven and I couldn't believe he was finally here! He looked so much like Paige, except with so much more hair, which almost made the heartburn worth it! He's been such a good baby and is perfectly healthy. Recovery this time around has been so much easier (maybe because I've done it before?) but probably because Ollie is just so good to us. He sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night & eats like a champ.

Paige loves him so much & is always asking to hold him and giving him kisses & hugs (softly-- so glad we worked on that before he was born!). I almost never put him down because I'm so obsessed with him and he keeps me warm so I'm not always blasting the heat. We love him so much (crazy how I thought I couldn't love another baby as much as I love Paige but my heart must have grown three sizes because there's so much room in my heart for both of them!) and he makes our family feel so much more complete. And now I'm going to flood this post with pictures :)

Last bump picture! 37.5 weeks :)

Approximately 1 minute after they told me I wasn't leaving. Can you tell that I had been crying?

And there's Jeff calling our parents to let them know! Woohoo!

6 lbs 14 oz & 19" long

Meeting her "baby brudder Ollie!" for the first time!

This might just be my all-time favorite picture.

All the heart eyes for these two. Also, IS HE SMILING IN THAT SECOND ONE?

Kills me.

Those eyes! He & Paige have the prettiest and widest eyes ever. They look black, but I promise 

they're blue!

Aaaaaalways missing one sock. Why do they make NB socks so big!?

Paige introducing Ollie to Bubble Guppies haha!

Post bath-time babies. And Jeff.

Bumpdate: Week 36

"Mom, I listen to baby's heartbeat, okay?"

How far along? 36 weeks-- so close, yet so far away! (At least it feels like it!)

Total weight gain? 20 pounds so far, I think?

Maternity clothes? Haha I think we've passed the maternity clothes stage an are stuck in the "I only wear my husband's clothes now"

Sleep? None, ever. This baby needs to come soon if I'm not going to be sleeping. I'd rather not be sleeping if I have something cute to look at instead of watching reruns of Friends & Parks & Rec.

Best moment this week? My doctor's appointment where I was told I was finally full term and that if I went into labor, they weren't going to try to stop it. Hallelujah, music to my ears!

Worst moment this week? Jeff was gone and it was so hard! I spent the entire time hoping I wouldn't go into labor while he was gone & trying so hard to be patient with Paige.

Miss anything? A lack of heartburn, being able to sleep on my stomach, and pants that fit haha!

Movement: All the time. I swear this kid never stops moving, but I love it. 

Food craving/aversions? All I ever want is a giant steak & garlic mashed potatoes but my heartburn's telling me no. Can that be my first meal post-baby?

Have you started to show yet? I don't think I can stop showing haha! You'll see me coming from miles away ;)

Gender? A boy, a boy! So excited for a boy! :)

Symptoms: Heartburn like crazy. I'm usually up 75% of the night throwing up because it's so bad. I'm taking tums on top of prescribed medication and nothing is working! I even sleep sitting up at this point, and oof. It's bad. And contractions! Not a lot & not very strong, but enough to make me think this kid's going to be here soon!

Bumpdate: Week 34

The end is near! It's in sight! It's almost too close for comfort! The final stretch, my friends! I think I only have 2 or 3 doctor's appointments left and that's terrifying to say the least. But obviously it will all work out and be fine, so I could stop freaking out at any moment maybe.

How far along? 34 weeks! So close, and yet so far. But only 5 weeks & 2 holidays until I'm induced. Hallelujah

Total weight gain? Like 20 lbs I think?

Maternity clothes? All day! Except sometimes those feel pretty restricting so I just wear Jeff's clothes instead. Why are men's clothes so comfortable!?

Sleep? It's definitely hit or miss. I'm getting up less to go to the bathroom (a true blessing!) but I usually don't fall asleep until 2 AM no matter how tired I am and Paige is up at 7, so... I try to get a nap in when I can, but I'm also nesting, so it's hard doing both!

Best moment this week? Oh man! So many. I love feeling him move no matter how painful it is sometime. Paige is obsessed with him and is constantly kissing my belly and saying "i love you, brother" and i cry almost every time. Also I was holding a newborn earlier last week and Paige came over and said "oh mom, a cute baby!" and then kissed him on the forehead and stroked his hair so I'm feeling a little bit more confident that she won't kill this next kid... on purpose.

Worst moment this week? Braxton Hicks, you guys. I never had them with Paige (I barely felt any contractions with her), but these are kicking my butt. The pain!

Miss anything? Bending over! Standing up without needing help. Rolling over. Breathing properly. The usual ;)

Movement: All. The. Time. It's like he's trying to break out! Jeff's constantly surprised at how far he can stick his legs out haha but it's getting less painful the more often it happens. If only I could get him out of my ribs, we'd be fine!

Food craving/aversions? I can't actually eat that much anymore. My cravings have definitely depleted, and there's not many things I refuse to eat. The smell of instant mac & cheese kills me though. 

Have you started to show yet? I'm not sure if I could show anymore than I already am! I mean, I said that about Paige and I got HUGE right near the end, so we'll see!

Gender? Still a boy as far as we know! 

North Logan Pumpkin Walk

Jeff & I aren't huge on Halloween (except for the eating candy part), but one tradition we've had since the first year we've been here has been the Pumpkin Walk. The displays are so funny, so well thought out, and perfectly executed! Whenever we go, we leave with a smile on our faces and our phones filled with pictures of it all! This year, Jeff took his lunch break to go with us during the day. Less crowds, ya know? The displays were all so awesome, but we totally geeked out when we saw they had a Hamilton display! Oh, we adore Hamilton in our house & Paige is pretty sure it's the only music that exists-- whoops. And the Jimmy Fallon display!? Also, SO GOOD. And I looooved that they put Justin Timberlake up there with him. No better pairing. Paige was actually terrified of the displays because maybe she thought they were real people? She wouldn't let us put her down, but she still had fun once we got to the face-in-hole part. But anyway-- pictures.

Bumpdate: Week 30

How far along? 30 weeks!

Total weight gain? About 10-15 lbs? Maybe? Again, I have no idea.

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep? Somewhat terrible. I'm getting to the point where I'm so big, comfort is not even an option. Also, this child likes to bust his way through my stomach right when I'm trying to fall asleep, so there's a slight issue there. 

Best moment this week? Getting to hear our little boy's heartbeat for sure! Paige gets so excited every time we go to the doctor because she gets to hear "brother's boom boom"! 

Worst moment this week? I mean, it wasn't the worst moment, but it wasn't one of my finer moments for sure. Jeff had asked me early in the day if there was anything specific I wanted for lunch & the only thing I wanted was potato chips. So he goes out for lunch to get the both of us sandwiches & buy the chips I so desperately needed and came back without the chips. And of course instead of getting angry, I very calmly burst into tears. You know, a normal reaction. Apparently I scared Jeff enough with my hormones that he ran out immediately and got me my chips haha.

Miss anything? Getting up without grunting, bending over, being able to breathe properly, a lack of heartburn, and sleep ;) But not much.

Movement: All the time! It's so crazy-- I feel like Paige never moved this much, but it's been so long that I could be completely wrong. But he's definitely strong! If I'm sleeping, his kicks/punches are strong enough to wake me up!

Food craving/aversions? Haha chips, obviously. But usually the only thing I can keep down are juice and smoothies, so we've had quite a few Jamba runs this past week.

Have you started to show yet? Haha yes, definitely. 

Gender? Still like, 99% sure it's a boy.

It's been a whirlwind of a pregnancy for sure. I feel like it's completely flying by and that I have almost no time left! I feel so stressed & so behind on things, but then I remind myself that with Paige, we were 100% ready by like, 24 weeks, which is crazy. Plus, I'm waiting for all the good black friday deals! I have had a few nesting moments where I've cleaned out all of Paige's old clothes to make room for baby's clothes, organized rooms, wiped down baseboards and dusted ceiling fans and vacuumed like a mad woman, so really I think the only thing left is the shopping aspect. Easy enough! We've scheduled an induction date (December 26th) so we only have 9 weeks left! So soon, and we're so excited! Our one Christmas present to ourselves & it'll only be here a day or two late :)

Pumpkin Patch

This past Saturday, we ventured out to get some pumpkins so we could do some pumpkin decorating before Halloween actually happens (less than a week, are you serious!?). We would have gone earlier except we're super lazy and sometimes Saturdays are just meant to be spent in your pajamas, ya know? Also, picking them closer to Halloween means they'll be less likely to go bad by Halloween. Win, win, win.

Paige was so excited, of course, to pick out her very own "cumpin" (which we are trying so hard to change to pumpkin, but it's just too cute haha) and one for baby brother obviously. We tried 2 patches before we found pumpkins that were totally our style & price. And of course I bought way more than we actually needed because I'm crazy and also because they were 25 cents and SO CUTE.

Here are some pictures and stuff :) (Also, side note: I am terrible at getting pictures of Jeff, but I'll be better. He hates having his picture taken, so I'll have to get sneakier for sure.)

Outer Banks, NC | 2016

After a pretty crazy & busy year (so far), we were in desperate need of a vacation. Luckily my parents had this beach trip planned for our entire family, and it was the best ever. From spending entire days in the ocean, to visiting lighthouses & jumping off sand dunes, it was the perfect solution to our stressed out lives. We were also able to visit my grandma who I love so much (& am finally taller than, haha!). 

I had completely forgotten how much I love jumping waves & body surfing & was reminded of how much I hate the ocean floor because you can't see what you're stepping on. Yeesh. We ate delicious food (thanks mom!), went sand crab hunting at night, laughed our heads off at the dumbest stuff, endured some crazy waves & storms, took some ridiculous family pictures, and ate our weight in klondike bars & ice cream sandwiches. It was the best ever, even though by the end of the week our smiles were extremely forced ;)

Love you, East Coast, but I'm not missing the salt on my glasses or the big hair the humidity gave me. But hope to see you again soon. Because really, we love you. And you give Paige the cutest curls.