Snow Day 2010!

Look for some updated pics on facebook! Way to many cute ones to post on here! IUD day went well too. It really wasn't bad and I was way more nervous that I should have been. How can you get really nervous about getting that little bitty thing put in but not nervous at all about a 14 3/4 cm head coming out without epidural? I don't know. I guess the reward is there during childbirth! Can't wait to do it again but the preggo test was neg today and the IUD is in place per u/s so we will have to wait a few years for that. If I can talk Jerms into it! I mean I would really like to water labor / maybe birth but I dont really think so. But that is a topic for another day! So anyways. Enjoy the snow pics!

Tomorrow is the Day

I am officially 27, Bronner is 15 months, and Sawyer is almost 8 weeks. Wow what a fun and rewarding 8 weeks it has been! I can't believe Feb is halfway over! February 12th is almost here. My IUD day. I am so sad/excited/relieved all at once. Yep sad came first. Part of me would LOVE to have another baby ... a 24 week baby in my belly ... not the 6-20 week part with the puking/reglan zofran pump/po meds/trying to be a new mom and such. Everything after 20 weeks was great but while we are being picky 24 weeks means viability and that is a huge deal so why not skip that part too! We would have 3 under 2. Not a good situation so that is why I am excited. Excited to get my body back for the time being and get back into a little bit better shape. Excited to know that it comes out easily when and if we decide to have more. Yep I said if. Jerms isn't so sure he wants any more. We will see! And relieved that it is finally here and I won't be having 3 under 2. I know a conflict to what I just said, but it's my blog and I can say that, right? What can you say I have been preggo 3 times in 2 years and have lost my mind! Or that is what Jerms says anyways!

The boys are doing wonderfully and are getting so big. Sawyer is holding his head up and starting to sleep a little better. By better I mean like 4 hours at a time. Which is good. Unless you require a lot of sleep and are breastfeeding so dad can't get up. But I am learning to deal with it. Bronner has had a fever/teething thing going on this week so we have skipped school and stayed home. It has been fun learning to be a stay at home mom to 2, one and under! Lots of "NO, don't touch that" and "Please come here" while trying to nurse a baby that wants to eat ALL the time! It is great and I love it!

On another note I go back to work at the end of the month and part of me is ready and part of me is dreading it. Not dreading the taking care of the patients part, I love that especially the natural ones! Dreading the leaving my babies for the night, 3 nights a week, missing my husband and dreading the drama. I mean the home drama that always happens with Jerms due to not seeing each other except in passing and drama at work. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the girls I work with but man we love the drama. I think it is because we are such close friends and we fight, laugh, play, and protect each other like sisters. I can't wait to go back yet it has been nice to seclude myself too. We went to party for the superbowl and I got caught up on all the happenings at work and I felt a little lost/left out so I know I am going to be glad once I get back but boy has it been nice to sit at home on my butt (a very sleepy butt) and not worry about anything! Feb 22nd is the big night ... I'll let you know how it goes!

How can it be?

How can it be that my little guy is almost 7 weeks old, that Bronner is almost 15 months, and that tomorrow I am going to be 27! 27 is scary. That is really close to 30. I don't think I am ready for a 3 to be in front of my age. Maybe by then I can say yep I'm 30 and be proud of it but right now I think I might have an anxiety attack about it.

Anyways over the last few weeks I have been home we have gotten a lot done. Mostly reorganizing and such. Also we are in the process of trying to refinance which is a ton of work and very time consuming when you are trying to do it between taking care of 2 babies. So Bronner has been spending a good bit of time with Mrs Glenda this week so I could get it done. Now as long as our house can appraise in the this market!

Sawyer and Bronner are both growing every day! It is amazing how fast time flies. It doesn't seem like Bronner should be 15 months or that Sawyer should be 7 weeks but I can't imagine life without them! Two friend annouced their pregnancies last night and I am oh so excited but found myself a little jealous too. I know I know I have a 7 weeks old. I sure don't miss the puking but I do miss being pregnant. So girls enjoy it, it is over way too quickly! I really should have listened to Jeremy and my Mom and video taped myself when I was puking, sticking myself 2-3 times a day to change my pump site, and laying in bed on a Reglan pump, taking Zofran every 4-6 hours, and doped up on some Phenegran still puking and working to remember why I don't want to do this again! Hurry up Feb 12 ... I need my IUD!

Below are a few of my favorite pics from our recent professional session! Technically Bronner's one year and Sawyer's newborn pics! Thanks Kelley and Besty!

Life

Sawyer Reed is now 3 weeks old! We had our first follow up appt with Dr S earlier this week and he is doing great. Weighed in at 9lbs 11oz and was 21 1/2 inches. Sawyer had been on bili lights like his big brother and the jaundice is clearing up nicely. He is growing well and eating a ton! It seems like all I do is chase my now 14mo old and nurse my 3 week old and I love it. It is tiring but I couldn't ask for a better experience. Bronner loves his little brother and often tries to give him his paci or "pat" him on the head. We are still working on the being gentle aspect but at least he isn't jealous! Transitioning from 1 to 2 kids hasn't been so bad yet but my mom is still here to help! We will see how next week goes when it's just me and the boys. Now granted B can go to daycare but I do want to keep him home with me too!

Over the last few weeks we have enjoyed Christmas and a lot of time with our families. We also watched Alabama beat Texas in the National Championship! My hubby couldn't have been more excited. It was fun to watch him enjoy something so much but try to keep it under control while the boys were sleeping! Here is a pic of the boys the afternoon of the game! They are so cute!

Other than that we have just been hanging out and enjoying our family of 4!

Our Birth Story

Sawyer Reed Junkin arrived on December 20th, 2009 at 0058! To tell his birth story I feel like I need to recount Bronner's. Bronner was born on November 10th, 2008 after a medically indicated induction for cholestasis of pregnancy. I had wanted to go natural then and tried but ended up getting an epidural at 7cm. I was on a lot of pitocin and ctxing well. I changed positions and tried everything I knew but I had not prepared enough nor had I anticipated the strength of the pit contractions. I had tried to "entertain" our family in the beginning instead of concentrating on each and every contraction whether they hurt or not. NOT that I am saying our family wanted / needed to be entertained but when there were people in the room talking no matter how quite they were whispering it was hard to concentrate. Knowing that they were in the waiting room, waiting on me to do something was also distracting. SO anyways. I ended up with an epidural and puked through the pushing phase. After an hour or so I was over it. Not the pushing but the puking. So I begged for forceps. I didn't have to ask much as when Dr T walked in all I could do was puke. Bronner was really low and it was an easy forceps assisted delivery. He did great, we did skin to skin, and he nursed well, although he was not near as alert as Sawyer was. I ended up with a significant episitomy/tear and side wall lacs. Not so much fun! I had to go upstairs in a bed b/c I was still so numb from my epidural. Dr L put it in, did a fab job but I just didn't like the way it made me feel. Unable to move and out of control. From the day I delivered I was disappointed in my experience and myself. Wishing I would have tried just a little bit longer to continue without an epidural.

So in April when I found out we were expecting again I began to prepare. I had delivered my friend Katie just a few weeks before I found out. She did wonderful, went natural, all with an induction due to high BP. I just kept remembering how disappointed I was in myself. So I read a lot, talked to people who had done it before, and prayed. Really seriously prayed for the outcome that I felt God had laid on my heart. And I prepared my husband. He was not thrilled about the idea in the least bit. He was scared something would happen and without an epidural, off to sleep I would go and deliver a baby without even knowing it. But he came around as he saw how dedicated I was. He just said whatever I decided he would support and he did a great job! So as I neared term I got more and more excited. I went weekly for checkups and progressed from 2-3 cm at 36 weeks to 4 cms at 37 weeks. We had decided that I would come in on the 21st and see if I had made any change. If so she would induce me so that I could be delivered when she was on call which I really really wanted and be home for Christmas. Dr T was going out of town for the weekend but said call me on Friday if you think something is happening. If not we will be back around lunch on Sunday! Don't do anything on Saturday. Well Wednesday night as work I ran into her in the hallway. We chatted, I told her I was ctxing a lot, and she said well don't jinx yourself and let your water break. I replied: oh nothing will happen this weekend. Have fun with your fam for Christmas and off we went. Me back to work and her home to her sweet boys. Thursday and Friday pass with nothing happening. Friday night Jeremy's mom and dad came over to spend the night and we went to dinner and finished Christmas shopping while they babysat. Saturday morning I woke up and stood up and my water broke at 0730 at 37 weeks and 4 days. I was unsure since I had a full bladder and you know sometimes when your preggo with a full bladder things can leak. Well when it kept running down my leg I was pretty convinced but not wanting to look silly I didn't call immediately. Sawyer was moving well and I wasn't contracting much. Well I didn't leak for awhile and Jeremy and his dad wanted to run some errands, so thinking that maybe it really wasn't my water I sent them on their way. Well a little while later I felt another gush, noticed I was bleeding and called Katie. She was like yeah your really need to call, so I called Jeremy and had them come on home and jumped in the shower. I called Dr H, who was on call for Dr T, and off to the hospital we went. We got there and my friend Leigh took care of me. Katie was planning on coming in but she was at Children's hospital with her son but was in the process of getting discharged. So she was going to go home and drop them off and come take care of me. Well Leigh did a sterile spec on me and it was negative. Nitrazine was positive indicating that my water had broken but blood also turns it positive and they thought this is why it was positive and the spec negative. They even looked at slides and they said negative as well. So feeling silly Jeremy and I headed home. We stopped and did some last minute Christmas shopping on the way home and I continued to leak. We got home and Jeremy's mom and dad left to go do some shopping. Well about 7pm, after leaking all day I called up to work and asked what I should do, not wanting to bother Dr H again. Well he happened to be standing right there and said I really needed to come back. So we left Bronner with Jeremy's parents to put to bed and we went back. Here the real story begins!

We got to LDR 15 at 2015 and got changed, into bed, and on the monitor. My friend Kelley was taking care of me until we confirmed rupture and then Katie was going to come in. At 2026 Kelley and Dr H looked in the speculum and both agreed that I was NOT ruptured. I just kept saying but I am leaking all the time and they replied well it's dry down here. Like really really dry there is no fluid. So feeling silly again I asked if we could just stay for awhile and see if I leaked. Dr H agreed and I decided to turn on my side the way I was positioned when I first noted the leaking early that morning. At 2050 I had another leak and called Kelley back and she confirmed that indeed I was ruptured and no I wasn't crazy! She called me 3cm/50% (like I mentioned earlier Dr T checks a little on the big side) but we were officially having a baby that night. At 2115 Katie had taken over and Dr H broke my forebag of water and we waited for the contractions to start. At 2135 they started and IV so that I could get antibiotics since I had indeed been ruptured for over 12 hours. At 2207 I got my first dose. Our protocol states that you have to been on antibiotic therapy for 4 hours prior to delivery or the baby will have to stay a mandatory 48 hours and have blood cultures drawn. Well we didn't think that would be a problem but thankfully it was! At 2235 Katie started my pitocin at 2 milliunits. At 2300 we went up to 4 and I still wasn't hurting and was only contracting every 5-6 mins. At 2320 we increased it again to try and get the contractions closer together. So up to 6 we went and I was still tolerating it well. At 2350 I was starting to get a little uncomfortable and felt like the contractions were to close together so we went back down to 4 milliunits. At 2359 I wanted to know how I was doing to mentally prepare myself so I had Katie check me. I was

5.5cm/85%/-1. Feeling like I needed to do something I flipped over to my hands and knees and started to become much more uncomfortable. At 0020 I was getting super uncomfortable and started contemplating whether or not I really wanted to do this. Jeremy and Katie did a great job encouraging me, telling me how great I was doing, reminding me why I wanted to do this and rubbing my back. Katie rechecked me at this point and I was 7cm. At 0022 I specifically remember looking at the clock and thinking I can't do this anymore. It was the first time I started to doubt myself and really hurt with the contraction. Katie and Jeremy kept reminding me that this just meant that I was getting closer to delivery. I asked Katie to turn the Pitocin off and see if that would help a little bit and she did. At 0024 I got off my hands and knees and onto the birthing ball. At 0031 the puking started and I knew I must be close but kept saying "I can't do this". Both Katie and Jeremy kept encouraging me anyways. At 0043 I felt like pushing and Katie checked me and I was 9cm/-1. Dr H was called and notified of my exam but he was in the OR doing a C/S. Hopefully he would be done in time but if not Katie would be delivering little Sawyer! At 0048 I was still 9 and thought I really wanted my epidural. Katie told me no and that I might hate her now but would be glad in a little while. She was so right! At 0051 I was sitting up on the side of the bed and Jeremy was rubbing my hair. Both him and Katie kept telling me how great I was doing. I had been praying for just a little break. Well it might not have been as long as I thought but I didn't have a contraction for what seemed like 5 mins. Next thing I know I threw myself back on the bed and told Katie that he was coming. That was at 0056. Laying on my left side I pushed little Sawyer into the world at 0058! He was perfect in every way. Weighing in at 7lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. Dr H barely made it in time for delivery but did a good job helping me not to tear. After one stitch and lots of emotions it was all over. The delivery I had planned and prayed for!

Right after delivery. Not as pretty as the pics of Bronner's delivery!! I was hurting just a bit!

Katie getting Sawyer all cleaned up!

As here almost a week later there is nothing in our birth story that I would change. Jeremy's parents took care of Bronner and childcare was not a problem. I had been worried about feeling pressured to entertain again. With it happening in the middle of the night that was not a concern. We meant to call when I began to hurt just to let them come up to the hospital but forgot. I mean I only hurt for 36 mins! My only other worry throughout the day on Saturday was that Sawyer would be born on the 19th. I had miscarried on December 19th 2007 and really wanted each baby to have its own day to be remembered/celebrated. How God answers our prayers! Throughout the night I was upset that Dr T wasn't there but Dr H did wonderfully and I really ended up not minding a bit that he delivered and not her. He was so complementary of our natural delivery. I know that most people have no desire to go unmedicated but really if you ever want to it is incredible. Even Jeremy noticed a huge difference. When I asked him if we do ever have another child if he would want me to do it again he said absolutely. The recovery is so so much easier. I was up and about 20 mins after delivery and only hurt from the cramping afterwards. Sawyer was so much more alert and content. I would recommend it to anyone!

Me and my boys!

Bronner's One Year Checkup

Bronner turned one last week and we had to go to our well baby visit. He now weighs in at 23lbs and 9oz and is 30 3/4 inches long! He is doing great! We are transitioning to whole milk!! Yay for no more formula. That junk is so expensive! Hopefully little Sawyer will be able to breastfeed until he can have whole milk and save us some money! We are working on a sippy cup but you know he doesn't like his milk in a cup. So I am trying not to force the issue and just let him do it own his own. Now granted the main reason is I am sure that when little Sawyer gets here he is going to regress some and if he sees him getting a bottle I'm sure Bronner is going to want one too. So why work so hard at something only for all that work to come undone? And the fact is I have many other things to do like keep up with a one year old and grow an almost term baby! I ordered my new moby wrap on ebay the other day and can't wait to get it in. Jeremy says it looks like it is from Africa and it does but it works for them and with 2 kids under 1 we are going to need something to strap one of them to us! Hopefully we will like it. I used a Baby Bjorn with Bronner and liked it but I didn't feel like it was tight enough against me for a new born and put a lot of strain on you neck/shoulders, where the Moby is an all over wrap and evens out the pressure some. Or so the article says! I'll let you know how I like it! Sawyer is growing well and we go back for our next check up on Tuesday! I was checked at my 32 week appointment because I have been contracting more than normal for me but was only a FT/50/floating. Yeah basically that means I had a baby a year ago and my cervix didn't have ample time to recover and close all the way!! :) Anyways I'll let yall know how it goes! Hope you have a great week!

The Business of Being Born

I watched Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born yesterday and really enjoyed it. It was very pro midwife and anti OBGYN which was hard for me to get over since I do work with OB's everyday. This was the main part of the film that I didn't agree with. I think midwives would be very useful in low risk vaginal deliveries but I think that they all should be working under a MD. I have no problems with people delivering at birth centers and such but just in my opinion would rather them be connected to some sort of hospital system. I would actually love to work in a birth center attached to a hospital. The best of both worlds. Natural deliveries with an OR down the hall! I know that these are truly low risk deliveries and the reality of something awful happening is rare but it is those rare cases that are so devastating. It only take seconds for labor to go from great and wonderful to life threatening. There are times that you need an OR and there are reasons that we make people have IV's. I know that they said that midwives bring this stuff to your house but honestly trying to start and IV in a pt that is hemorrhaging is really hard. I guess working in this situation everyday you tend to have a biased opinion. I did wholeheartedly agree that we do way to many interventions. There is an influx of c/s and interventions about 4-6 pm. Is this because OBGYN's want to go home or because they have been laboring all day and really need them. Well that honestly isn't my call to make but I would say there is definitely some of both. We do inductions for people that are "favorable" or "uncomfortable" instead of letting them labor themselves so that their own MD can deliver them. Now granted I want my MD to deliver me and I loved being able to have Bronner's birthday planned. It is much easier!! But if you truly want the best chance to have a vaginal delivery with no interventions like a vacuum or forceps or an epidural your best bet is to stay at home until real labor starts and not worry about who is on call! Just my opinion though! Anyways it is a great documentary but take it with a grain of salt and do your research on the other side of the story too!