A Birth Story : Parker Elaine

Parker's birth was a scheduled c-section so maybe there isn't a "big" grand story to tell. My water didn't break, I didn't wake up in the middle of the night with contractions, I didn't have to decide if I wanted an epidural or not, and I didn't deliver her with just one push. Of course all of those things do make for a good and exciting story to read but that just didn't happen with Parker or any of my pregnancies for that matter. But what did happen was beautiful and full of love and excitement and that's the story I want to share.

If you followed along with my pregnancy (updates and bumpdates) you know this pregnancy was anything but normal. We had due date changes, pregnancy induced cholestasis, and multiple (6) "delivery dates" it's pretty crazy to look back at. We find ourselves very grateful we delivered a very healthy little girl. When the morning of March 18th finally arrived I wasn't nervous about my surgery or how things  would go -could be because I've done this 3 times before- I was ready to meet the little girl I'd been dreaming about for the last 9 months. I was however, secretly nervous about her health, was she ready, would she be ok, need NICU time, have any issues from my condition?? From 30 weeks until two days before her Birthday she and I were monitored twice a week and each time my doctor said she was perfect. To say I put all of my trust in this doctor is a complete understatement. There's a whole other story that goes with my doctor but for the sake of this birth story let me just say my doctor was and still is like family to me and my husband. 

That morning we kissed our four other daughters good-bye and left our house for the last time as a family of six. Driving to the hospital Parker was moving and flipping in my belly as if to say she was ready... never mind the intense contractions I had been having since early that morning. We arrived at the hospital and made our way to labor and delivery as soon as we got there I saw my doctor and breathed a sigh of relief. We got checked in and prepped, I love the hospital we have delivered at (our twins also) we have had great experiences. After what seemed like forever my doctor came in and we discussed the process and what I wanted. It was so very important to me to have skin to skin with Parker, I have never been able to do this with any of my girls and with her being the last I really wanted this experience. Finally, it was time to go, I hate the moment I have to say good-bye to my husband everything gets very real at that point. And that is when I got nervous and a bit scared. I haven't always had the best experience with spinals and it sucks to not have the one person you need in that operating room with you. The anesthesiologist assured me the problems from he past wouldn't be an issue and she was going to make sure all was well. The moment after the put the spinal in and you feel that familiar warmth it's time to move (when you really can't). Laying there waiting for my husband seemed like forever the only thing putting my mind at ease was knowing that my doctor was in the room and I was about to see my fifth and final daughter for the first time. Finally, my husband came in and my nerves settled a bit and they started.

It's a funny thing having surgery to bring a life into the world, you aren't in control you have to give everything over to your doctor and just wait. The sensations and pressure I felt during the procedure made me feel as though this little girl wasn't wanting to come out... possibly even stuck! Even though it really only takes about 10 minutes from the time surgery starts until the baby is born it seems like forever I kept looking at my husband (must be with a look of concern on my face, because he kept asking me if i was ok) trying to concentrate on the music they had playing. You may or may not know that I am a huge fan of Maroon Five... well one of their songs was playing and I asked my doctors if they could make sure she was born during the song. While they laughed at my request they made it a reality and my sweet Parker was born.  I immediately began to cry I couldn't believe she was here and she looked so perfect. I waited for them to bring her to me for skin to skin, I was so excited to be able to experience this for the first and last time. They helped her onto my chest and I was in heaven, it was so much more than I imagined. I started to feel a little off and my chest was hurting so I asked my husband to take her. Watching him with our last little girl was the sweetest. Every daughter's birth has felt like the first each time and that feeling is just something that will never be replicated.  My husband took Parker to be looked at and weighed; I heard him say she was 7 pounds 7 ounces and 19 inches and I was so happy that she would be able to wear all the newborn things I had for her (not a big deal I know... but she was estimated to be well over 8 pounds!!). While the finished up my surgery my husband held Parker near me and we just stared at her guessing who we thought she looked like. I was very uncomfortable and started to panic a bit just wishing for it to be over. And finally it was; we were on our way to recovery with Parker. This was huge because the twins had to go to the NICU and I didn't get to see them for several hours after they were born.

After a bit in recover our good friend brought Kendal and Maddy in to see their new little sister and they were completely in love. They couldn't wait to hold her and love on her. It warmed my mama heart to see them so happy even with baby number 5.

After about an hour in recovery I was taken to our mother baby room for the rest of our stay. We just cuddled on and loved on little Parker for the next few hours. My heart was full of so much love and had grown yet again for another little person. We worked on nusring and Parker did amazing right from the start. Soon it was time for the twins and the rest of our Florida Family to meet Parker for the first time. I couldn't wait for the twins to see her and I was missing them already. When the girls came in the room they climbed right up on the bed with me and asked for Parker. Daddy handed her over and their faces said a thousand words. They were full of kisses and love for their new sister. They kept requesting to "hold Parker". Having them near (all of my girls near) on the day we brought our last child into the world was one of the happiest times of my life.

We spent the next few days in the hospital recovering and getting to know our newest daughter. Visits from friends and family kept us just busy enough to not go stir crazy. The day to come home seemed to come very quickly and we were ready to start our new adventure as a family of 7.. that means we have FIVE kids! Parker is now nearly four weeks old and it hardly seems possible, every Friday I am reliving her birth day over in my head. I never want to forget the excitement of that day for as long as I live... much the way I feel about all of my girls' birth days.

I have many feelings about our last child ... I'm sure there will be a post on that soon. But for now we are enjoying every single thing about this little one. Holding her close and remembering this newborn phase only lasts a while, it's a hard pill to swallow knowing she will grow quickly but we know many new adventures await this sweet little one and our family.

So here's to Parker... we love you more than you will ever know.. welcome to world baby girl.

The BIG day

Today is the day!! Say what?? I've had 4 scheduled c-sections and I have only made it to two of the dates!! Today is one of those dates and given that the date has been changed 4 times it's kind of a miracle we are here!

When you become pregnant you know the date your baby enters this world will be just a short while away. But nontheless when that day arrives scheduled or not the feeling of disbelief is very real and present. So let me just get it out... I can't believe this day is finally here!! Dreaming of this day, imagining what she will look like, how her big sisters will react (especially the newly promoted ones), and how our family will grow when she joins us. 

Last night I watched this little girl dance in my belly for one of the last times. Knowing I will no longer have her all to myself is so very bitter sweet. I watched as Charlotte and Olivia hugged my belly "knowing" that they are no longer going to be the "babies". I prayed that I can be a good mom to FIVE children, that I can have grace in times of struggle. I tried to remind myself that there will be tough times, hard times, and even confusing times but we (I) will make it through those times and always be stronger because of them. But also reminded myself that there will be times of amazing happiness, laughs, joy, and pride in my family.

Yes, five children is "a lot" and I certainly will "have my hands full" and no we won't "be trying for the boy". Yes, these comments can make any one question their decisions but the one thing those comments will not do is define our family, they make our family stronger.

 So before our fifth daughter arrives I don't worry how she will "fit" with our family and I don't worry what others will think of "all of my kids". I know that this new life will be one we could never have lived with out. 

Because this statement taken from White House Black Shutters Blog speaks so much truth for me I'm sharing it for a second time... 

"But with every new life, it’s almost as if nothing changed. We had the same family and life we did before, just added a new personality into the mix. As soon as they were here, we couldn’t imagine life without them. When you stop to think about it, it’s just the people you have plus someone new to get to know and love."

Soon we will meet this new person and love her more than we could have ever imagined.

Journey to Number Five

Thirty Six Weeks

How Far Along - 36 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain - 30 pounds - I feel very confident in saying this right now "I don't really care"! Yes, that is how I feel right now about a lot of things.. weight gain is one of them! Even my doctor laughed last week when I made the comment about how I feel like I gain a pound every time I go there! He said well you hide it well.. I guess when you have "about" an 8 pound baby in your belly 30 pounds can be expected.

Maternity Clothes - Can you say the same shirt every day and the same bottoms every day?! Ok, so maybe it's not that dramatic but literally I have like 3 shirts that fit over this belly. I've put some of my more comfortable bottoms in my hospital bag so the other comfortable items are on repeat.

Sleep - It's going pretty well, getting up a lot to empty the bladder and working through contractions from time to time. Comfort is hard to come by and baby girl sometimes feels like she is trying out for the women's gymnastic team! Sometimes I just lay there so I can feel her move and really enjoy my last few days with her.

Miss anything? Just normal clothes and normal activity. I'm definitely looking forward to the day when I can wear normal clothes and not feel tired just walking from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Cravings - Craving anything I can have that I have had to give up over the last 9 months. My most used emoji's to my husband are currently... sushi, wine, and beer... and baby.

Symptoms - CONTRACTIONS ... last Wednesday we thought we may be headed to the hospital to welcome baby girl. But after about 4 hours and contractions and then becoming 5 minutes apart and pretty painful.. they stopped. Not sure if I was disappointed or not but either way we gained a few more days for baby girl to prepare for her arrival.

Looking forward to- We have 4 days until we head to the hospital to welcome baby girl 5 it seems so strange to know she will be here in our arms. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it and all that comes with it. At our growth scan last week the high risk doctor estimated her to be around 8 pounds... to say I was shocked is an understatement! What do I do with all these newborn clothes?! My doctor actually thinks she is probably more like 7 pounds as I was measuring 35 weeks on Friday. Either way baby is girl is healthy and we likely won't have to have any NICU time. He feels good about our date and the health of this little one and that is all that matters.

4 days left....

Thirty Five Weeks

The exhaustion is real in this photo...

How Far Along - 35 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain - 26 pounds - With just 2 weeks left I am feeling like this is a good weight... It's hard to say for sure though, I feel like every time I go to the doctor I gain another pound which would be ok if I only went once a week!! We will see where I am at by the end of this week probably 29 pounds!

Maternity Clothes - This is the time of pregnancy when you just feel like nothing fits and the things that do are pretty tight so I am pretty much left feeling huge and very repetitive in the maternity clothes department. But the end is near so we (Me and this big ol' bump) will make it!

Sleep - The twins have started sleeping through the night again (maybe waking once or twice but mostly going back to sleep on their own) making it a little easier for this mama to get some rest. And I am happy to report I have been sleeping pretty well. It is hard to get comfortable but I have been able to get some consecutive hours of sleep which is really all one can hope for at this point in pregnancy.

Miss anything? Putting on socks and shoes, bending over, and just completing simple tasks. When your belly is big and in the way it just makes the usually every day tasks a little harder to complete.

Cravings - Nothing really even sounds appetizing at this point, sometimes I feel like I could eat anything and everything I could get my hands on and other times the thought of food is just not appealing.

Symptoms - Swelling is definitely making its appearance in these final weeks my hands, feet, and ankles especially at the end of the day. Some headaches here and there and just general discomfort.. all symptoms to be expected.

Looking forward to- Now that the c-section has been changed once again (my doctor overlooked his vacation) to March 19th and it is official we have under 2 weeks until we finally get to meet this baby girl. This is a busy week full of doctors appointments to continually check on her as well as a final growth scan. While we are more than ready for baby girl's arrival we are making sure to shower our 4 daughters with lots of love before they all become big sisters again... or for the first time!!

The kids getting in on the "bump" photo action 

Pregnancy Update....Again

Remember that time I told you all that I moved up a whole week and one day at one doctor visit? Turns out it can go the other way too! As of February 3rd my due date was changed to April 1 by my high risk doctor with my OB on the fence. The past three weeks I have been going by the adjusted due date making me 34 weeks 5 days as of yesterday's appointment. I have been seeing my OB twice a week since February 3rd and each time my "weeks" according to them was 8 days behind mine. So.... according to my OB yesterday I was 33 weeks 4 days. Confusing I know but in all honesty I wasn't really worried about the dates being the same just that baby girl was doing what she needed to do at each appointment.

So back to yesterday.. going into my growth scan ultrasound I was scheduled for a March 15th c-section... putting me at 37 weeks 4 days by new due date and 36 weeks 3 days by old due date. Everything went great with the scan she is weighing 6 pounds 4 ounces although my belly is measuring on track at 33 weeks. So it's possible she doesn't actually weigh that much...but let me tell you girl has some long legs! She passed her BPP (biophysical profile) basically a test to make sure baby is doing what she is supposed to do.. practice breathing, gaining fat and muscle, checking amniotic fluid ect. After the ultrasound I saw the midwife at my practice and after going over all the exciting fun stuff she mentioned the possibility of changing my c-section date because it was "before" 37 weeks. I explained to her what the high risk doctor had said and why the due date was changed in the first place. She let me know that because they didn't see my 6 week ultrasound they went off of my 15 week ultrasound and that is why they changed it. However, going from the 6 week ultrasound (which is the most accurate for "dating" a pregnancy) I was only 2 days ahead of my last period date (i.e.: the original due date). I was then told that her and the other two doctors were discussing what to do and would let me know.

Let me say that I know there is a lot of discussion about having babies too early, elective c-sections, natural births, on and on. This situation is unique to me and the only thing... the only thing.. I care about is that baby girl is healthy and comes when she is supposed to. There are risks associated with Cholestasis therefore creating the need for a delivery at 37 weeks. I trust my doctors more than anything and I will do what they suggest because I know they have mine and baby girl's best interest in mind.

Now that, that is out of the way... I ended up talking to my OB yesterday afternoon and he did suggest that after speaking with the other doctors and reviewing the ultrasounds again that my due date should remain April 9th. Creating the need to change the c-section date by one week; we are now scheduled for March 22nd. On this date I will be 37 weeks 3 days, I am comfortable with this decision and we will move forward with monitoring the baby for the next 3 weeks if for any reason they are not comfortable with what they see or how things are going a decision will be made based on those factors. But for now baby girl is doing great, moving a lot and passing all of her tests.

Its been quiet the roller coaster for the past few weeks, I am hoping things can relax a bit over the next few weeks. Little sister will be here before we know it and all of this confusion will be nothing but a memory. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, family, and friends for helping me and supporting me during all of these changes. We are all anxious to meet her but are perfectly ok waiting just one more week.

Last pregnancy update here 

A Birth Story

A funny thing happens when you become a parent; you learn that your decisions no longer affect just you. As a mom of four I have experienced this several times over; each pregnancy different from the last, different decisions being made at different times.

With my first daughter being breach a c-section was scheduled each birth after that also resulted in a c-section. I’ve never really worried or felt as though I haven’t been able to experience the “joy” of childbirth. I can tell you each time my child was born and held up for me to see that “joy” was there and was like nothing I had ever experienced.

I share this story because I was fortunate enough to be present when my wonderful friend gave birth to her first child. Her hope was to give birth to her daughter with out the need of a c-section. Everything looked great for her delivery – induction scheduled for a Monday evening with the hopes of her baby girl being born sometime Tuesday afternoon. I arrived at the hospital around 7am Tuesday morning and I was overwhelmed with excitement for my friend. The rest of the story is told in the photos below....

7 am - time to start the Pitocin

Mama Trying to get some rest after her epidural 

4 pm contractions are getting stronger and we are at 9 cm

Almost time to push -time to get camera ready

 

Everyone looking on as we wait for the Doctor

5:08 pm - 10 cm Doctor arrives and it's time to push

Mama watching the monitor 

7:30 pm a tough decision was made to move forward with a Cesarean 

8:52 pm - Welcome to the world baby Kennedy - we've been waiting