Labor Day

14 weeks

23 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

35 weeks

39 weeks- day before induction

So, normally I hate labor stories. I've avoided them as much as possible in my adult life....I change the subject, I leave the room, or I just plain plug my ears and sing 'la, la, la'! Everyone had told me to be prepared for perfect strangers to come up to me in Target and touch my belly...which, thankfully never happened to me (I'd have punched someone!). I, however, turned out to be a magnet for everyone's horrible birthing stories and pregnancy comments in general. Why do people think that pregnant women want to hear about how horrible your labor was? I went to the bank...the teller had to tell me all about how she got to the hospital too late for pain medications, etc and the stories continue. Nathan and I went to Granite City and the 18 year old hostess told me I was huge and looked like I might give birth right there in the restaurant.....thanks! Me- already being anxious about delivery- these stories/comments were not a great help! 

Apparently somewhere in female DNA we have a NEED to tell our birth story. So, I'm going to do the unthinkable....I'm going to tell mine. I choose to do it here partly because this is how I 'scrapbook' and so I will remember exactly how it happened when I'm sitting in a nursing home drooling re-reading my blog to relive the 'good old days'. However, I promise that I will not bestow my story on anyone else unless specifically asked.....and even then, I will choose my words wisely. So you have been forewarned....there will be lots of vagina talk in this post- in what I like to call 'The Great Vagina Watch of 2013'! 

So my story begins at my 39 week doctor appointment. We went in for our weekly non stress test which showed Vivian was still doing very well. Dr. P checked my cervix and I will still not dilated more than 1 cm. As discussed before, she didn't want me to go over my due date because of my age and so I was to come back that evening and be admitted for induction the next day. They would place a 'tape' or Cervadil which is a prostaglandin treated tape up next to my cervix to help 'ripen' it and potentially send me into labor. So Nathan and I went home and finished packing, cleaning, and getting the dogs and house ready to go. 

Our suitcases ready to go.....

Doing my hair before heading to the hospital....

We dropped the dogs off at the clinic and stopped at Chick-fil-A for my final meal...an 8 piece nugget meal with a chocolate milkshake. 

I was admitted about 7 pm Wednesday night into the birthplace at Mercy hospital. The nurses immediately hooked me up to baby monitors and got my IV catheter in (which took a couple of attempts). 

The doctor then came in to place the cervadil....OMG....I thought she was trying to place it in my throat. It was NOT comfortable and I was still pretty sore from my dr appointment earlier that day. I was given an Ambien to help me sleep that night. I think I only got about 4 hours of sleep because of course every time I moved or the monitors came off the nurses would have to come into our room and adjust them to pick up her heartbeat again. I started to have contractions sometime in the night. 

The next morning the nurse came in to check me again and remove the cervadil tape....then my doctor came into check me. At this point I was so sore and being checked was so uncomfortable I could not tolerate it anymore. Plus, my cervix was still up under Vivian's head because I wasn't dilated very much (which means they had to reach up further). My doctor couldn't even feel my cervix at this point because I was nearly jumping off the table...and I literally kicked her! Dr. P wanted to go ahead and start pitocin, so she put in the orders. A few minutes later my nurse and a nurse manager came into the room. The nurse manager told me that without knowing how much I was dilated they could not start pitocin. It was against their nursing standard of procedure and they could lose their nursing licenses. So I asked if maybe I could have something to help relax me or some pain medications like fentanyl. The manager said no....they did not give fentanyl for cervical exams....that they were part of being pregnant and basically I was just going to have to suck it up....she was not very nice. So, I felt like a major wimp. Then my nurse went off about how this was an induction and was an elective procedure and that I didn't have to go through with any of this....basically we could go home if we wanted to. I was super confused and now even more anxious. I was prepared to have this baby and was worried if I went home and waited longer that I could end up with a stillborn. My nurse went and got Dr. P and we discussed the problems at hand. She said I could have fentanyl and drew up the orders. I got my fentanyl and it was magical! I was able to stand to have the cervical exam and she was even able to break my water! We were going to have this baby! 

So now we were able to start the pitocin....until my nurse figured out my IV catheter was blown. So I had to have another catheter placed which took at least 3 attempts by 3 different people. Not long after my IV was placed and about 1 hour after my fentanyl I vomited up all of my breakfast. Poor Nathan had to hold the puke bucket. So, as the pitocin got rolling then it was just a waiting game. 

Starting my pitocin...

The contractions got closer together and a little more intense but it really wasn't that bad. I couldn't get up and walk around much cause I had to stay on the monitors. I sat on the labor ball for about an hour hoping that gravity would help things progress more rapidly. 

Monitors showing baby's heartbeat in upper left hand corner and my stats down below. Vivian handled labor very well....one of the nurses commented that she was a very laid back baby as the contractions never seemed to phase her. 

My fancy slippers Mom gave me for the hospital. 

So we waited and waited...Nathan passed his time catching up on Game of Thrones. 

Around 4:30 pm my contractions started to become more painful and I didn't want to get behind my pain so we ordered a second dose of fentanyl and the epidural. The first anesthesiologist was great. I was very nervous about getting the epidural...but like most things in life....it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...the worst part was getting the lidocaine to numb the area. The anesthesiologist said that I would still be able to tell I was having contractions (can feel tightening and pressure) but that I shouldn't have to breathe through my contractions. Soon after my epidural was placed I vomited again. 

Around 8:30 pm I began to have more painful contractions down low. I began to shake and couldn't speak through the contractions. We asked to have anesthesiology come back up. We had a new anesthesiologist and she asked me where my pain was on a scale from 1-10...I said it was around an 8 to 9. I started to shake uncontrollably and was having to breathe through the contractions. I asked if I could have another bolus to my epidural. The anesthesiologist was very rude and told me that I didn't look that bad. (uh....what?!?!) She did give me another bolus but it took about 30 minutes to kick in....before it took effect I asked her if I could have more fentanyl...she said absolutely not. My only other option was to have the epidural replaced- which could increase my chance of infection and other complications. As I was deciding if I wanted the epidural replaced the bolus started to take effect and the contractions were not as intense. I was not impressed with her bedside manner. 

Finally around 11 pm I was dilated to 10 cm and it was time to push. I was exhausted and drugged! My eyes hadn't been open for hours. I thought maybe I would push about 30 minutes and we would have a baby! Dr. P came in and said with first time moms it can easily take about 3 hrs! I pushed with every contraction...for 2.5 hrs. I wasn't making much progress....I could move her head out but not far enough for anyone to grab her and then her head would just get sucked back in. After 2.5 hrs I was exhausted. My nurse called Dr. P and she said we could try to vacuum suction her out or I could go for a c- section. I told her I wanted to avoid a c-section at all cost....let's try to suction her out. I didn't want to labor for 30 hours and then end up with a C section! I kept my eyes closed but Nathan kept me informed on what was going on. I pushed while Dr. P pulled and in about 5-10 minutes she was out! She was born around 1:15 am Friday morning.   

My first glimpse of her....

I wish I could have been a little more with it when she was born but after about 30 hours of labor, not much sleep, and the narcotics....I was out of it! Nathan was cheering me on telling me she was almost out and then when they put her on my chest...it was surreal. I didn't hear her cry immediately and was worried something was wrong. I also didn't see Nathan cut the umbilical cord. She of course was covered with fluid and vernix. My first words were 'you're disgusting'....Nathan's first comment was 'she has your chin'. I was with it enough to crack a joke....I told him 'at least she doesn't look like Kanye West!' ( I had had a dream way back in August when we were in Dallas that I was going to have to tell Nathan that I was in fact pregnant with Kanye West's baby). 

 I held her for a while and then the nurse took her to weigh her- 6 # 14 oz, 20 inches long. Her Apgar score was 9.9/10. 

Getting checked out by the nurse. 

 I had originally wanted to nurse her immediately after she was born but again I was too out of it to try, so, Nathan fed her first meal. They put the ID bracelets on all of us and we were instantly a family of three! We sent her to the nursery that night so I could recover and we all could get some sleep. I ended up with a 3rd degree tear through my perineum and bilateral vaginal wall tears. Dr. P sewed me up for about 45 minutes after she was born. I ended up losing quite a bit of blood during the delivery. Not too long after she was born I vomited again (secondary to my low blood pressure). 

It took almost 12 hours for my epidural to completely wear off. I wasn't even allowed out of bed until noon the next day. The nurses came in to change out my bedding the next morning- she asked me to sit up and then lean on her to stand. I almost passed out when I stood up. I required multiple boluses of IV fluids due to low blood pressure from my blood loss. My hemoglobin dropped down to 6.9 and the doctors were on the fence about giving me blood products- but other than that one almost passing out episode- I wasn't clinical for my anemia so they did not have to give me any blood. 

Ms. Vivian Lynne Hein...

Our first picture together...

First family photo...

We only wanted our parents to come visit the first day...

Mom and Dad meeting their granddaughter...

Gpa and Gma Hein...

Nathan was absolutely outstanding during the entire labor process. I was very surprised I never swore at him or had any desire to throw anything at him or hit him! Nathan was supportive and completely involved during the entire ordeal. Other than a few bumps in the process I would say my birth story is pretty benign and wasn't that bad. I can't say yet if I want to do it again, but only time will tell. We are so glad you are here Ms. Vivian!!

The Nursery

So the nursery is finally done. We hung her butterflies today over the crib. I'm thrilled with how everything turned out. A nursery perfect for a little girl. 

The long wall with her changing table and rocking chair. 

Her butterfly night light. 

Her first pony backpack. 

I found this mobile idea on pinterest. I love the way it turned out. 

Her closet full of clothes from Gma and Gpa Mangold. 

Her pretty iron crib that Gma and Gpa Hein bought her. I framed a couple of my maternity photos for her and left other frames open for her first pictures. 

Maternity Photos

We are in the official countdown! I'll be 39 weeks tomorrow. My stress tests have all been going well and Vivian has performed as needed. They measure her heart rate and movements over 20 minutes. I've had weekly stress tests due to my 'advanced maternal age'... aka.....I'm reproductively old. If I don't go into labor naturally this week then my doctor wants to induce me on Thursday due to 'older' women have more of a chance of still births if they are allowed to go too long over their due date. We have one more doctor appointment Wednesday afternoon- I was only dilated 1 cm last week. Once we see the doctor on Wed then we'll come up with a game plan for induction if needed. 

I've been healthy during my entire pregnancy and last week I came down with a head cold. Joy. I'm hoping it will run it's course and I'll be back to normal by the time she arrives. We also hope Nathan doesn't come down with it. So far he's shown no symptoms! (knock on wood) 

I made it through my last dance class before fall break with no issues (except I had a student wet her pants)- better her than me! I was afraid my water would break in front of my kids and I'd have to explain THAT! I still went to pilates this morning- my instructor and work out partner were very surprised to see me! It always feels good to stretch! 

I debated about having maternity photos taken cause I think most of them are rather cheesy. But I decided I should probably do it- if I chose not to then someday I would have wished I had. So I bit the bullet. Here are my faves.... I don't think they turned out too bad. We had kind of a rainy crappy day to shoot and I had originally wanted to wait until the leaves turned. But here it is Nov 1 and some of the trees have yet to turn colors....so I'm glad we didn't end up waiting. 

Hopefully by this time next week we will have brought a healthy baby into the world! 

Trade In

When I agreed to move back to Iowa Nathan promised me I wouldn't have to trade in my car. I had sold my old college car and bought this cute little VW Eos a few years before we left Texas...it was my first 'big girl' car and I loved it. It was a hard top convertible (I called it my transformer)...in red no less! It really didn't do too bad in the Iowa winter. When we were finally successful in getting pregnant he still didn't tell me I would have to trade it in (miraculously it does come with the latch system so you can fit a carseat in the back!)....but.....he said- 'you are going to need a new car eventually (she had over 90,000 miles on her) and things are going to start to go south. We can go out and buy another car and have car payments OR we can trade in the Eos and get a used car and pay cash for it'.....sigh.....well, when you phrase it like that!! 

I had to face the facts and realize that my pretty little Eos was no longer practical. I gave in. But not soon enough...I got a speeding ticket in her about two weeks before we traded her in! 

We traded her in for a VW Tiguan (small sized SUV).  I've actually really liked the car. It has the same engine has my Eos, so it's pretty zippy (which doesn't bode well for my speeding record). It's much easier to get in and out of now that I'm in the end of my pregnancy and of course it's got far more room for groceries, etc. I installed the car seat a couple of weeks ago so we are all ready for Ms. Vivian's arrival. 

Here's to seeing you on the road!

In the Home Stretch

Here we are at 35 weeks....and in the home stretch. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and am starting to get terrified about the whole birthing and labor process. We took a birthing class last week at Mercy and I was so thankful we didn't have to watch a birthing video. I found the class very informative. I just try to keep reminding myself that women have been doing this for thousands of years and many have done it multiple times....labor can't be that bad can it?!?! I think I'm still in denial that she has to come out in some way. Ugh.....I'm just praying that labor is fairly quick and as pain free as possible. I still don't understand why they can't figure out a way to order your baby online :)

We've been diligently working on the nursery for a couple of months. Here's the room we started with....beige walls and carpet. The room has been empty since we moved in. 

Wrigley and I have been working on making a mobile that I saw on Pinterest. It's all done and just waiting to be hung up. I ordered chandelier crystals off of Ebay and Etsy and spent hours stringing them together. As you can see....Wrigley was a really big help!

We had wainscoting put up along the bottom of the walls and Eberts were kind enough to come up and paint the walls pink as a early baby gift. I got impatient waiting for my handyman to set up his painters to finish so I went ahead and painted the wainscoting myself. Every time I paint something I swear I'm never going to paint again....and then I end up painting something else. The wainscoting job wasn't that bad though. Again, I had lots of 4 legged 'help'!

Pretty much everything in the nursery is from Pottery Barn...except the bedding. Dad has been up a couple of times to hang stuff for me. He's been a great help! 

I've had three showers already and am pretty much set on baby paraphanalia. Who knew they needed so much stuff !?! Two of my BFFs from college came to my hometown shower. It was very nice to see both Amy and Erica. We just had Nathan's side of the family shower this last weekend. It was equally as good and everyone was super generous with their gifts!

After landing myself in the first aid station at the first ISU football game this season (due to the heat)...Nathan had forbade me from going to any other games. But I weaseled myself into the Texas game last week with the rest of the family. I promised Nathan I'd stay far far away from the first aid station and told him that I had spent way too much money on my 'Cyclone Below' t-shirt to let it go to waste. We had gorgeous weather....however, not such a gorgeous outcome to the game. 

I'm definitely getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. I can't breathe, I have no abs (and I find it amazing how much one really uses their abs in a day and you don't realize this until you don't have them anymore!), I can't sleep, have indigestion and the swelling has started. I'm officially prugly (pregnant + ugly :) ).  My dog groomer asked me last week if I was carrying twins....I wanted to punch her in the face. She said that she was a twin so she always has to ask if there is one baby or two....I wanted to tell her that she probably shouldn't ask that....but I just smiled and answered her question...and told her I was having triplets :)

My mother was notorious for having swollen feet during her pregnancies and I guess I'm going to be no different. I truly have cankles now and I had terrible pitting edema after the Texas game!! However, I'm still powering through and teaching dance on Friday afternoons. I'm teaching lyrical and hip hop to grade school kids this fall. I'm sure it's rather amusing watching a 35 week pregnant woman trying to do/teach the dougie! Turning is also rather amusing as my center of gravity is way off as well! I keep beating on my belly hoping that Vivian will get MY sense of rhythm and NOT Nathan's! Lord help me if she picks up on his white man overbite! 

I'm officially done working at the emergency clinic so I can continue to 'nest' properly. I try and be as helpful to Nathan as I can and run errands for the clinic. We still have to get the car seats installed and we have to pick a pediatrician. Those two jobs are high on my list this week. 

Here's to the next few weeks and hoping she decides to come on her own and we don't have to do anything 'fancy'! I have a few more finishing touches to put on the nursery before I take my final pictures to post.