Introducing Kate

Introducing Kate Elizabeth 

Claire holding her sister 

First picture family of 4.

The best snacks at the hospital 

Checking out her sister...

Tell us how you really feel, Claire? :) 

Straight from Heaven 

Right before being induced 

Such a precious girl! 

7 LBS  9.8 oz

18 3/4 in long 

  

I haven't blogged much about this pregnancy mostly because it has been very routine and rather easy. I definitely was more tired and still had the dreaded heart burn and water retention but up until 36 weeks I didn't have much to worry about.

I feel like during my pregnancy with Claire I spent a lot of time reading about nursing, the the post delivery stuff like how to take care of a new born, etc. and kind of assumed-subconsciously- that during the labor and delivery the nurses would just tell me what to do. My labor and delivery with Claire was a little rough so this time around I wanted to be more prepared-emotionally and mentally. I really wanted to delivery naturally! I used to think that people who went natural were CRAZY!! But the more I read about it the more I thought it was a good plan for me. 

     Anyway, at my 36 week appointment we discovered the baby was breech. If she didn't turn by delivery then it was a automatic C-section. I was really upset, mostly because I had been reading and preparing for this delivery and the thought of that opportunity being taken away made me sad. So a week later I was scheduled for the doctor to try and flip the baby. During that week my friend suggested I go to a chiropractor and see if that would help. As the chiropractor worked on me we discovered my left hip ligaments were extremely tight. I was able to go to her a few times and it really seemed to help loosen me up. Thanksgiving came and as I was going outside to start the car I slipped and fell. I landed on my bum and my back hit the ledge of the bottom step. I was sore but seemed okay. 

     Well, Shaun and I went into the hospital to get the baby flipped and it was a miracle. Kate had already flipped on her own. I had to get dressed in the gown and get an IV, etc as we were waiting for the doctor but the fact he didn't have to do anything else was awesome. There are some risks involved with this procedure- one being if the placenta became detached they would have to take me in for an emergency c-section right then. It was a HUGE relief that she flipped! We joke it was my fall that turned her. 

     As my due date got closer I met with the doctor that delivered Claire. When I was delivering Claire her head came out but her shoulders were stuck. A condition called shoulder dystocia. If the baby can't be maneuvered out within a minute the changes of the baby having nerve damage to the arms or spinal damage or brain damage significantly increase. We had an ultra sound done and Kate was measuring about the same Claire had been at that point but my Doctor advised me to be induced or consider a c-section so we could avoid the same situation. 

   My due date was originally Dec 26th but the doctor suggested we have induction scheduled for December 20th. I kind of wanted the 21st. I wasn't sure why, but the doctor suggested we stay as close to 39 weeks as possible. So the 20th it was. The 20th came and we dropped Claire off at our friend's house at 6:45AM. We showed up and apparently it was the night to go into labor so they didn't have room for me. I wasn't that surprised because I had been dreaming all night that Kate was born on the 21st...my next thought in the dream was, "that is going to be a long labor." I was also a little relieved because the nurse that helped us the day of the flipping was working and I really didn't care for her so that was also a win win. So we went back, picked up Claire and Shaun went to work. 

Then the 21st came. I woke up at 4:30 with some pretty strong contractions. I took a bath to help relax but couldn't go back to sleep. We went through the same routine but that morning felt different. I was in a much better state of mind and felt really calm. 

The doctor came in and broke my water at 9:20 AM. Then they started me on Pitocin. I was still planning on going natural...and I DID! I think I was able to because of prayer and the great support of my hubby! I'm not going to lie, it was tough. I did get some nubain, which just takes the edge off and that helped a lot. Once I reached a 7 it was really getting hard. I sent my sister a text...prayer for me it's getting tough. She sent a text to my siblings, definitely grateful for their support. I pushed through and Kate was born 30 minutes later. I felt so much better after this delivery and my recovery was very minimal. The delivery was a success, Kate didn't get stuck and I actually got to hold her right after she was born. AMAZING! She was born at 2:19 PM. 

I was able to go home 24 hours later. I feel so blessed! Kate has been great with nursing and is so sweet. 

More coming soon with Christmas, a visit from Nana and uncle Joseph and adjusting to two kids! In the mean time I'm working on catching up on sleep. :)