Hellobee Boards

@ladybee: ahhhhh!!! Can't wait to see updates!!!

@daniellemybelle: fingers crossed things will progress soon!

@MrsTiz: I'm on my phone but I'll write more later. We had trouble but All is going better now. With bf.

At the peds office for first check-up!!!

Well, after the nurse-midwife told me on Tuesday that I'd probably be delivering within a day or two, we finally got to meet our little one on Saturday morning, 10/12 (3 days before EDD).

Meet Nathaniel Marcus, or "Nate" as we plan to call him.

I'd been having contractions for a week, but they were never regular for long enough periods to actually turn into active labor. I woke up around 2 AM on Saturday with intense enough contractions that I figured I'd start timing them, and at 3 AM I woke up DH because I thought there was a chance we'd be going to the hospital. At 4 AM we called my parents to come stay with DS (age 2.5) so we could go to the hospital, and I think we arrived at the hospital around 6:15. By then, I was having contractions really frequently and they effing hurt. I think I was about a 6 on admission, and was a 7 right before I got the epidural an hour later. After the epidural, labor practically stopped for another hour or so... I was going 10 minutes, if not more, between contractions, and visions of being in labor forever danced in my head. We decided to rupture my membranes to get things going again, and when that didn't work right away, we added pitocin. Contractions started to ramp up again, but mainly in intensity rather than frequency. Even with the epidural, I was in tears because the contractions hurt so bad (and were weirdly all concentrated around my right hip and radiating down my right leg... not sure if that was a function of baby's position or the epidural or what). Called the nurse, and she said I might be in transition so she'd check me again... and said "I hope you're ready to have a baby now, because it's coming!" She actually ran out of the room to get the OB, and then I started yelling for someone to please come back since I really needed to push, and about 5 minutes and 7 pushes later, he was out!
He was born at 10:17 AM, so in total I'd call it about 8 hours of active labor... very different from my first where my water broke first (no contractions till after that), it took 20 hours, and I pushed for 3 hours!
He was 8 lbs 1 oz, and just over 20 inches long. Everything about the process has been a million times easier than with my first kid- I was less tired, less overwhelmed, BFing was a million times easier, and I feel so much more normal and relaxed. (I mean, I've gotten about 3 hours of sleep a night since he was born, so "normal and relaxed" is kind of a relative term). We've been really lucky in his feeding and everyone's health, and we were discharged from the hospital only a little over 24 hours after he was born. Big brother is fascinated but also very concerned about making sure he gets his fair share of attention.
Hope everyone else is doing well! I'm loving the updates!

(edited to add photos, I hope)

@Lozza: congratulations!!!! I just added sweet little Nate to the list Sounds like a much better "pushing" experience this time- so quick!!!!! He is so adorable!!!!

@ladybee: yay! So exciting! Def keep us posted if you can! Hope you L&D goes well!!!

@kjpugs: That cracks me up about your DH! My husband is oscillating between "high alert" & total denial too I am crossing my fingers that your contractions get more regular ASAP!

@Lozza: Congrats due date twin! He is precious!!!

@kjpugs: lol. Men is right! Maybe he's thinking you'll all go to WDW and really get labor going? Walking helps, right? When I started to have real contractions I had to yell at DH until he fully woke up. I was like WTF???

@MrsTiz: When I read your post, I totally didn't realize how young your LO is- I know it's next to impossible to hear "don't worry about it" and magically stop worrying, but I know TONS of people (myself most definitely included!) who supplemented or did weird pumping things or whatnot in the first week or two while working out supply or other BF issues, and went on to EBF for many months.
Our night nurse after DS was born sucked and acted like we were starving LO, plus he was just super fussy and not eating well the second day in the hospital, so we did a formula feeding one night, plus we did a lot of me pumping out teeny tiny amounts and DH using a finger syringe to feed LO. While you're only making colostrum, you will definitely see only minimal output from pumping, and that's absoluately normal. I'd pump out maybe half a teaspoon total and apparently that was fine. Remember that colostrum and formula are not the same, content-wise, so you can't really compare what your LO is getting nutritionally from colostrum to the same volume of formula.
We also actually got directed by our (pro breastfeeding!) lactation consultant to go home and do one or two formula feeds after getting discharged from the hospital because she wanted me to get some sleep after I'd been staying up obsessing about feeding and was all freaked out and exhausted adn crazy. So clearly my LC didn't think that some early and judicious formula use would forever derail breastfeeding. She also had me continue to pump a lot starting from day one to work on increasing supply, and had us give LO a bottle a day to get him used to it and give me a break. Pumping and taking over nursing once my milk came in ended up with me having great supply, and we didn't need to supplement with formula again till LO was 7 months old.
I'm like 2 days post partum so probably not making sense, but I hope this helps! I know TONS of friends with similar stories- especially in those first few days before your milk really comes in, as long as you keep making BFing attempts and pumping to keep your boobs stimulated, I would not worry at all about occasional supplementation!

Just got finished at the midwife. I couldn't have my membranes stripped because I'm not dilated at all. Awesome. Cue major disappointment. I know things could happen fast, but with the discomfort I have been feeling, I was sure something was going on! She said my cervix is softening & thinning and the baby's head is very engaged, so I guess that's better than nothing. Still think this girl is probably going to be tardy to the party.

@daniellemybelle: that sounds like when I started having the HORRIBLE discomfort and was like um I'm sorry no progress except just that she's super low? Hey at least this all came on quick for me, I hope it does fo ryou too!!!!

@lozza: congrats! Cute pics!

@kjpugs: good luck... Hopefully those contractions keep on coming... I will say that 5-1-1 rule they tell you about never worked for me... Mine were never consistent but the transition phase went really fast so go when you feel like it. We almost didn't make it to the hospital bc I was never sure of what I was feeling.

@Evansjamie: glad to hear your in-laws are helping out but I understand the need to wash away that smoke smell. My mom use to smoke and I never realized how bad we both smelled bc she smoked inside the house. Thankfully she quit some time ago.

Oh... Forgot to add an update, Josie is almost back to birth weight... We've had some troubles in the breast feeding area but we are working on it. I'm pumping and feeding that back via syringe. Also taking fenugreek to see if that helps my supply. Anyone else have a baby that hates to be put down? She hates to be put down which makes sleeping very hard.

@Sadieloo: My midwife says they don't recommend EPO & that there isn't any evidence that it works. She did recommend raspberry leaf tea, which I have been drinking, along with walking, nipple stimulation & sex... I am going to put those three on the menu daily! Even though none of them really appeal to me, especially the last two...

@daniellemybelle: Sex? I did not want that at the end. I hope it brings on labor!

3 cm and being monitored. She's really low and cervix is soft and forward- after monitoring I get to walk walk walk!

@daniellemybelle: so interesting how every midwife seems to have a different theory on what works and doesn't. So it goes.

@evansjamie: I honestly think a boob has been out for the last four hours. And holy poop. This kid is chowing down. I read that days 7-10 are a growth spurt so maybe that's why they are eating like crazy.

@kjpugs: great news!! Come on baby and keep us updated if you can!

@kjpugs: I'm so excited for you!

@Sadieloo: I saw that too. She's sleeping now, she had a big day meeting her grandparents. But I imagine that tonight I'll be sleeping with a baby on my boob.

@abbylyn: great news that baby girl is head down!

@Sadieloo: she's been head down for the last 4 weeks! But at my appt last Wednesday, the dr couldn't feel her head for sure, so he sent me for an ultrasound to double check. While I'm happy I don't have to get scheduled for a c section right away, it would have been nice to know exactly when she's getting here!

I am 90% effaced and walking like mad. This shiz is painful yo.

@kjpugs: you can ado it! The pain sucks but you can def get through it. You'll be there before you know it!