I know that most parents think that nearly everything their own child does is wonderful so I feel like I need to make it clear that what I'm about to say is an unbiased opinion -
Rex is a naturally talented young actor!
He played Prince John (a villain) in Robin Hood for his first play with a local theatre company and he was actually "in character" the whole time! You'd expect with a 5 year old that they would just stand up there and recite their lines but he had an actual character voice that he did for the role and nearly every time he finished one of his lines the theatre erupted with giggles. Rex is mostly a pretty shy and introverted guy! There were a lot of us in the family who were surprised by him!
He had two performances - one Friday and one Sunday. For the first performance we had 15 family members come and support him so he had quite a cheering section! I was literally on the edge of my seat watching him because I really didn't know what to expect and it didn't take long until Andy and I started glancing at each other in amazement because he was just so good! I soaked in every minute - didn't take a single picture or video. I just had to be present for it! Sunday we had a smaller group of family with and since we knew what to expect and had seen it before I spent the performance snapping away photos and taking video.
Rex really enjoyed himself through this whole experience and I couldn't be happier that we've found something that he not only enjoys but that he's also confident with. And I'm glad that he now has "his thing" so that there's an activity separate from his brother's interests that he can really get involved with.
So now that he's tried it and it all went so well, we will continue to have him in plays with the same theatre company. He has a little over a month of a break before he starts practicing for their next one - The Wizard of Oz!
I can't wait to hear what they choose to cast him as!
Showing posts with label rex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rex. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Rex is 10 Months Old!
I was told when I was pregnant with Rex that time would fly even faster being a mama of two vs. being a mama of one. Man, was that person ever right! Today Rex is 10 months old I can't believe how fast these months have gone. We will have a one year old in TWO months?! Whaaaat?!
I'm honestly shocked that he hasn't taken his first step yet. He's been pulling himself to standing since 7 months old and standing unassisted since 8 months. He will use a push toy to cruise around our apartment with ease but isn't interested whatsoever in taking a step without holding onto someone or something.
He had three top teeth start popping through 3 weeks ago and his 4th top tooth will emerge any day now for a total of 6 teeth!
He goes to bed around 7:30pm and will sleep until 6:30-7:30am. His naps are at 9am and 1pm and will range anywhere from 1-2hrs long.
His crawl is more like a bear crawl. Instead of being on his knees he crawls around with his feet and his knees don't touch the ground. He does do the typical crawl every now and then but if he really wants to get going fast he does the bear crawl.
Baths are his absolute favorite! If the bathroom door is accidently left open you'll find him in there standing next to the tub trying to get in. When removing him away from the tub he is not happy! We've hit the stage where he cries and even throws his head back when something is taken from him. This seems to be happening too soon!
He loves the Tupperware drawer in the kitchen and opening/shutting cupboards.
His favorite game is peek-a-boo and loves chasing Levi around the apartment. They both really get a kick out of doing that together! Also, Levi likes to pick him up under his armpits and carry him around. Whenever Levi is carrying him like this he kicks his legs really fast and usually ends up laughing. Seeing them interact like that is so great!
He eats what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as nurses 4 times a day.
When we are out and about we LOVE using our Ergobaby carrier! I even use it to carry him to and from the car (we're on the top floor of our apartment building) because there's always something else I'm needing to carry. Plus, he can get squirmy! I have no idea how I got away with not having one when Levi was a baby. I cannot say enough about that carrier! Do you have a baby but not an Ergobaby? GO GET ONE!
We've come to realize that he doesn't like grass all that much (and neither did his daddy when he was little). If we put Rex on a blanket in the grass he will stay on the blanket. If we put him in the grass he will hardly move and won't touch it with his hands. Hopefully he'll get used to it soon!
Rex loves his mama's blankies! His mama's PINK blankies! I am not ashamed to be out in public with him and a pink blanket though. It's just a color, people! If he likes it, so what? And it's so cute because the second that blanket comes into contact with him his thumb goes in his mouth. I love having a thumb sucker!
I'm honestly shocked that he hasn't taken his first step yet. He's been pulling himself to standing since 7 months old and standing unassisted since 8 months. He will use a push toy to cruise around our apartment with ease but isn't interested whatsoever in taking a step without holding onto someone or something.
He had three top teeth start popping through 3 weeks ago and his 4th top tooth will emerge any day now for a total of 6 teeth!
He goes to bed around 7:30pm and will sleep until 6:30-7:30am. His naps are at 9am and 1pm and will range anywhere from 1-2hrs long.
His crawl is more like a bear crawl. Instead of being on his knees he crawls around with his feet and his knees don't touch the ground. He does do the typical crawl every now and then but if he really wants to get going fast he does the bear crawl.
Baths are his absolute favorite! If the bathroom door is accidently left open you'll find him in there standing next to the tub trying to get in. When removing him away from the tub he is not happy! We've hit the stage where he cries and even throws his head back when something is taken from him. This seems to be happening too soon!
He loves the Tupperware drawer in the kitchen and opening/shutting cupboards.
His favorite game is peek-a-boo and loves chasing Levi around the apartment. They both really get a kick out of doing that together! Also, Levi likes to pick him up under his armpits and carry him around. Whenever Levi is carrying him like this he kicks his legs really fast and usually ends up laughing. Seeing them interact like that is so great!
He eats what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as nurses 4 times a day.
When we are out and about we LOVE using our Ergobaby carrier! I even use it to carry him to and from the car (we're on the top floor of our apartment building) because there's always something else I'm needing to carry. Plus, he can get squirmy! I have no idea how I got away with not having one when Levi was a baby. I cannot say enough about that carrier! Do you have a baby but not an Ergobaby? GO GET ONE!
We've come to realize that he doesn't like grass all that much (and neither did his daddy when he was little). If we put Rex on a blanket in the grass he will stay on the blanket. If we put him in the grass he will hardly move and won't touch it with his hands. Hopefully he'll get used to it soon!
Rex loves his mama's blankies! His mama's PINK blankies! I am not ashamed to be out in public with him and a pink blanket though. It's just a color, people! If he likes it, so what? And it's so cute because the second that blanket comes into contact with him his thumb goes in his mouth. I love having a thumb sucker!
Happy 10 months, Rexy! We couldn't have been more blessed with such an amazing, easy going baby!
Friday, June 14, 2013
My Issue With.. Germs
I have a major issue with germs. What freaks me out the most is that you can't see them. I'm all fine with getting dirty in the mud because I can look down and SEE that I'm dirty. But when something looks clean how clean is it really?
I wash my hands at least 25 times a day. My baby, Rex, is a thumb sucker so I was his hands a ton throughout the day as well. It's way easier to keep Rex's hands clean than it is Levi's though. I can carry a baby to the sink and he'll let me wash his hands but a 45lb 4.5 year old? Yeah, that's a whole different ball game! Levi knows my rule though. Whenever we get home from being somewhere he goes straight to the bathroom after taking his shoes off to wash. Also, before eating anything. If we aren't by a sink he knows that I'll get the hand sanitizer out.
Going out to eat with a baby makes me feel really uneasy. I can never seem to get the highchair or table clean enough. Every surface he might possibly be able to touch gets a thorough wipe down with a disinfecting wipe before he can go near it. And the menu's? Did you know they are one of the dirtiest things out there? And you touch them right before eating! Yuck. So, everyone knows the drill when we are done ordering. It's off to wash hands or get out the sanitizer. I've gotten a few looks and eye rolls from Andy when I bust out the sanitizer and hold it out for him but he humor's me and does it. If he get's sick I'm likely to get sick. I have to kiss him, don't I?
I would go through huge cleaning kicks once a week for our apartment. I've gotten a little better about letting some things go though. Once I start cleaning it's really hard for me to stop. And, it's hard for me to have Andy clean because I don't know all of the steps that he took. Yeah the sink looks clean but did he really wipe it off good with a disinfectant? So, I do the majority of the cleaning and he usually does something like the dishes and folding laundry to help out. What's that saying? If you want it done right, do it yourself? I think that's it..
I don't know if I would consider this OCD or just being overly cautious about keeping my family healthy. We really don't get sick that often. In fact, I've seen Andy sick ONCE in the 4 years we've been together. Rex is 10 months old without ever having been sick and Levi and I were only sick once last flu season. I'd say that's pretty good!
But I'd like to know.. am I a little overboard/just plain crazy? Are you anything like me when it comes to germs? Give me your input, advice, etc. I'd love to hear it!
I wash my hands at least 25 times a day. My baby, Rex, is a thumb sucker so I was his hands a ton throughout the day as well. It's way easier to keep Rex's hands clean than it is Levi's though. I can carry a baby to the sink and he'll let me wash his hands but a 45lb 4.5 year old? Yeah, that's a whole different ball game! Levi knows my rule though. Whenever we get home from being somewhere he goes straight to the bathroom after taking his shoes off to wash. Also, before eating anything. If we aren't by a sink he knows that I'll get the hand sanitizer out.
Going out to eat with a baby makes me feel really uneasy. I can never seem to get the highchair or table clean enough. Every surface he might possibly be able to touch gets a thorough wipe down with a disinfecting wipe before he can go near it. And the menu's? Did you know they are one of the dirtiest things out there? And you touch them right before eating! Yuck. So, everyone knows the drill when we are done ordering. It's off to wash hands or get out the sanitizer. I've gotten a few looks and eye rolls from Andy when I bust out the sanitizer and hold it out for him but he humor's me and does it. If he get's sick I'm likely to get sick. I have to kiss him, don't I?
I would go through huge cleaning kicks once a week for our apartment. I've gotten a little better about letting some things go though. Once I start cleaning it's really hard for me to stop. And, it's hard for me to have Andy clean because I don't know all of the steps that he took. Yeah the sink looks clean but did he really wipe it off good with a disinfectant? So, I do the majority of the cleaning and he usually does something like the dishes and folding laundry to help out. What's that saying? If you want it done right, do it yourself? I think that's it..
I don't know if I would consider this OCD or just being overly cautious about keeping my family healthy. We really don't get sick that often. In fact, I've seen Andy sick ONCE in the 4 years we've been together. Rex is 10 months old without ever having been sick and Levi and I were only sick once last flu season. I'd say that's pretty good!
But I'd like to know.. am I a little overboard/just plain crazy? Are you anything like me when it comes to germs? Give me your input, advice, etc. I'd love to hear it!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tough questions from a 4 year old
Levi (4.5yrs) asks me a lot of questions. Most of the questions are lighthearted but other ones can have complicated answers.
Here are some examples:
"How did you get pregnant?"
"How does the sperm get to the egg?"
"How do your boobs have milk in them?"
"Why doesn't my girlfriend have boobs like you do?"
To name a few..
Questions like this come out of nowhere. They stop me in my tracks.
How do I answer him? I'm honest. As honest as I can be with a 4 year old.
I have learned the importance of starting the sexuality talk as young as babies through a class I was a part of. This isn't exactly what you might think it is. The way you can start with them as babies is as simple as calling private parts by their actual name. No slang. A penis is a penis. Slowly the discussion about sexuality, puberty, sex, etc will grow through teachable moments as they get older. Instead of "lets sit down now that you're at the right age and give you all of the info you need to know in one big talk" there should be little nuggets of info throughout their life. Let them take the lead. They ask you a question, you answer it. They ask another one, you answer that one too. For the moments they ask a question that you don't know how to answer it's okay to ask them "Can I get back to you with that answer?". Books are also great at getting things across that you might not know how to.
I'm really passionate about being honest with my boys especially when it comes to sexuality. I want to try and build the most open relationship with them. I never want them to hesitate to come to me about something. I feel that if I am open and honest with them then I am setting the example and will have a better chance that they will be open and honest with me.
Here are some examples:
"How did you get pregnant?"
"How does the sperm get to the egg?"
"How do your boobs have milk in them?"
"Why doesn't my girlfriend have boobs like you do?"
To name a few..
Questions like this come out of nowhere. They stop me in my tracks.
How do I answer him? I'm honest. As honest as I can be with a 4 year old.
I have learned the importance of starting the sexuality talk as young as babies through a class I was a part of. This isn't exactly what you might think it is. The way you can start with them as babies is as simple as calling private parts by their actual name. No slang. A penis is a penis. Slowly the discussion about sexuality, puberty, sex, etc will grow through teachable moments as they get older. Instead of "lets sit down now that you're at the right age and give you all of the info you need to know in one big talk" there should be little nuggets of info throughout their life. Let them take the lead. They ask you a question, you answer it. They ask another one, you answer that one too. For the moments they ask a question that you don't know how to answer it's okay to ask them "Can I get back to you with that answer?". Books are also great at getting things across that you might not know how to.
I'm really passionate about being honest with my boys especially when it comes to sexuality. I want to try and build the most open relationship with them. I never want them to hesitate to come to me about something. I feel that if I am open and honest with them then I am setting the example and will have a better chance that they will be open and honest with me.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Rex's Birth Story
I did a lot of research on all of my birthing options when we decided to try to get pregnant. I knew that I did not want things to go the way they did when I had Levi. I felt like I had no control in Levi’s birth. I was TOLD I would be getting pitocin, I hated the way the epidural made me feel, that I couldn’t get up and walk, needed a catheter, a vacuum to assist Levi coming out and an episiotomy. Things needed to be different this time around. I heard of the documentary The Business of Being Born by a co-worker of mine and knew I had to watch it. I felt the same way about birth that the documentary was explaining. That birth should be viewed as a natural process and not something that needs instant and constant medical attention.
I was told of a free standing birth center by another co-worker of mine. I had to check it out. We went to one of the monthly information nights they have and when we left I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I didn't know something like this existed! It was so warm, cozy and inviting. The complete opposite of the OBGYN office I went to with Levi. We got all of our questions answered and felt confident that this is where we wanted to go for our maternity care and the birth of our baby.
Over the next 6 months an incredible bond formed between me and my midwives. I really appreciated how much time they took with us at every appointment. I always looked forward to going because they really felt like family to me.
To birth in a birth center you need to have a low risk pregnancy and be at least 37 weeks when you go into labor. I had Levi one day shy of 36 weeks so it was a goal of all of ours (midwives included) to get me to 37 weeks! That day came and I couldn't have been more over joyed. The midwife I bonded with most actually called me that day to share a little celebration on the phone together. She also told me that I needed to wait 4 days to go into labor because she was out of town and didn't want to miss it. I didn't want her to miss it either! Andy kept telling me that I had to wait until Wednesday afternoon (2 days later) because then he would be done with a big event at work.
Two days later (Wednesday August 15th) I woke up and the first thought in my head was "This would be a good day to have a baby!" But it really wasn't so I don't know why that thought popped into my head. Maybe because it was gloomy outside. I was scheduled to work at 11 that day but not long after I woke up I started getting stomach flu symptoms. I knew this was a sign of labor not far off. It happened the same way with Levi. So I texted the shift leader at work and said "I haven't been feeling so great this morning. I'm pretty sure I'll be going into labor today!" I called Andy and my Mom and told them how I was feeling. I even called and talked to one of the midwives (who was filling in from a different state so we didn't know each other too well) and she made me feel like it was most likely nothing. I explained to Levi what was going on and we had a lazy morning which even consisted of me taking a nap on the couch. Later that afternoon Levi kept asking me if we could go somewhere. He was going a bit stir crazy but I explained to him that we should stay home just in case the baby decided it was time to come. It was to the point where I thought that maybe nothing was going to happen today. I put a movie in for Levi and started doing some cleaning. The movie wasn't in for 15 minutes when I was in the dining room and felt my water breaking! It happened at 2:45pm. I shouted to Levi "My water is breaking! The baby is coming today!" he responded with "The baby is coming?! Yay! Yay! Yay!" I grabbed my phone and headed to the bathroom where I sat on the toilet (if you've never experienced your water breaking it really does not stop..) and made all of my phone calls. It was known to Andy for weeks now that if I call his work number it means I'm in labor. I called him on his cell phone first because I knew he was away doing an event earlier in the day and didn't know if he was back yet. No answer. I call his work and his boss answers. I tell him I need to talk to Andy and Andy just happened to be standing right next to him. I heard his boss say to Andy "It's Emma" and I could hear Andy in the background shout "Tell her I'll call her!". He instantly knew! He came home right away and didn't even bother to park the car in the parking lot of our apartment. He parked it right in front of the door thinking we were heading out any minute. Which really made me laugh because our plan was to labor at home as long as possible and he just got really caught up in the moment. When I talked to my midwife she said to just keep her posted and call when contractions started to happen regularly. She wasn't expecting to hear from me any time soon. We called our doula to give her a heads up and just wanted me to call her when I wanted her to come over. My mom was at work and would be leaving a little early to come get Levi for the night. She planned to be over around 5:00. Andy's mom and one of his sisters were up north on vacation. His mom decided to come home shortly after she got the news of my water breaking.
My first contraction happened an hour after my water broke. By 4:30 I was finding myself having to stop and ride out every contraction. We called my midwife and they were surprised at how quick I was progressing. They suggested I eat something and take a shower. I called my mom and told her to get there as soon as she could. Our doula was going to be on the way shortly. I took a shower and the warm water made me feel so much better! I had a couple contractions in the shower, one as soon as I got out that caused me to lean over the bed and then my mom arrived. I was dreading this moment. Saying goodbye to my little Levi. Our last moment together before he was no longer an only child. He was really excited to be going to grandma's and having a sleep over but he actually started to cry when leaving. I felt awful and not to mention I was having contractions around every 5 minutes at this point. Once they left I was ready to head out the door and was sending a text to my doula to tell her to just meet us at the birth center when she texted me that she was here. I decided to have her come up and watch me have a couple contractions so that she could help us decide if it were time to leave or not. I had a medicine ball that we purchased for this very occasion and I don't know what I would have done without it. I sat on my knees in the living room between contractions with the ball in front of me and when another one would come I would lean over the ball and sway back and forth. I looked at my doula and asked her if we should get going. She said we could go whenever I wanted to. I opted to leave right then because I knew this was only going to get more intense and I wanted to get the car ride over with. I knew it was going to be hell.. and boy was it ever!
We left for the birth center at 5:30pm. I put myself in the back seat so I had as much room to move around as possible. Our doula followed us there. I made sure and had my seat belt on because Andy was driving like a maniac. I thought to myself "I need to have the seat belt on because I do not want to be thrown out of the car if we crash and having contractions on the side of the road." What a weird thought to have, right? So while I was belted in, I got into as many different positions as possible to get through every contraction. Mostly I was on all fours rocking back and fourth. I wished I had my medicine ball. It seemed like there was no time in between contractions and I eventually decided to look at the clock and time it. Sure enough they were one minute apart. Every bump made the contractions feel so much more intense. Looking back on this car ride I realized that this is probably when I was in transition. I couldn't wait to get to the birth center and felt like the car ride would never end.
When we got there 15 minutes later I had to ride out a contraction in the car before getting out. Then, I got just barely inside the door of the birth center when I had to lean against the door frame and ride out another one. I was in the zone and don't remember much of my surroundings as I got there but I do remember the first thing one of the midwives said "Andy! Your baby is going to have more hair than you do!" (I had given him a really short buzz cut the night before). I will always laugh when thinking about this moment!
There were three different birthing rooms for us to choose from. They were basically master suites. Each with a whirlpool bath, full bathroom with shower and queen size bed. They all had a different interior design to them. We chose the black and white room with a crystal chandelier over the bed and it had the smallest whirlpool tub which made the most sense for us because I'm 5'0" tall. Our bedroom is a black and white theme and we even had the same shower curtain so it made me feel right at home!
They had the tub ready when we arrived. They suggested I try to go to the bathroom before getting in. I had a contraction while sitting on the toilet and I felt almost more uncomfortable there than I did in the car. As soon as it was over I hopped up and made a bee line for the tub. I heard one of the midwives whispering to Andy "Does she have a sports bra or suit she wants to change into before getting in?" and before she could even finish her sentence I had stripped out of my sun dress and got into the tub completely naked. I could really care less at that point and did not feel like taking the time to put a bra on. My contractions were right on top of each other and I didn't want to have another one outside of the tub. As soon as my body hit the warm water it was INSTANT relief. This made the car ride completely worth it.
Andy started setting up the video camera on a tripod in the corner of the room. We borrowed it from my mom and hadn't bothered to figure out how it worked ahead of time so it was taking him a few minutes to get it going. I had my doula by my side making me feel as comfortable as possible but I didn't want Andy to feel like he was missing out on anything because he had to set up the camera so I told him "You can just forget about the camera. It's fine." but he said that he almost had it done. Which I am so glad that he didn't listen to me! Video taping the birth is one of the best decisions we've made. I really regret not having a birth photographer there but at least we have the video.
After about 30-45 minutes of being in the tub I felt the urge to push. My midwife told me that it would take a few contractions for me to pick up on what my body told me to do. There was no counting during contractions like in a hospital. Everyone was silent and they let my body do it's thing. I found it hard to feel grounded in the tub because I'm so short. We tried to attach suction cup handles on the bottom for my feet but they weren't staying put. I found what worked best was to sit with my back against the width of the tub and have my feet pressed up against the other side. The midwife grabbed a cloth and suggested we play tug of war during each contraction. The first one I had while tugging on it I felt so much progress with him coming down. I did this for the next 6 or so contractions and they had to take it away from me because he was close to coming out and if I pushed with too much force it would up my chances of tearing. A couple contractions later and they could see his head! I pushed once more and his head was out! I sat there between the contractions looking down at his head, saw all of his hair and said "This is so amazing!". I felt like there was a lot of time until I started to feel the next contraction and asked "Is it okay that his head is out and I haven't contracted again yet?" Of course it was okay because of the umbilical cord. I felt the next contraction starting and thought to myself "This is it. I am about to meet my baby." They asked if I wanted to pull him out myself because it was in my birth plan that I wanted to but in the moment I couldn't. I had to focus through the intensity of pushing him out.
Rex was born at 8:18pm on 8/15/12 (if only I had pushed him out 3 minutes sooner!). He was put right to my chest in the water where we hung out for the next 10 minutes or so. They put a towel over him and I kept his body as much in the water as I could to keep him warm. We waited for a contraction to birth the placenta but nothing was happening. They asked if I would be okay with a shot of pitocin to help it along and I was willing to do that if it's what needed to be done. With Rex still in my arms wrapped in a towel they helped me up out of the tub. It was very weird to be up and walking (especially with the cord still inside me attached to the placenta) right after giving birth. With Levi I didn't get up and walk until the next day! They had me prop up on the bed and I suggested I give a little push before doing the pitocin to see if the placenta would come out. Sure enough it did! Hallelujah! They put the placenta in a bed pan on the bed next to me because we hadn't cut the cord yet. We wanted to wait until it was done pulsing which allows the blood from the cord to go into Rex's body. I had no interest in seeing the placenta when Levi was born but I was all about checking it out this time around! In an odd way it was beautiful because it's what nourished Rex and formed him into the healthy baby he became. When we finally got around to cutting the cord an hour later (long after it had stopped pulsing.. there was no rush) they couldn't get a clamp around it! It was the thickest umbilical cord they had ever seen! Which only means one thing.. he was getting some dang good nourishment from the placenta! After trying the 3rd clamp and pressing it together with all their might it was able to close around it and Andy could cut the cord.
My mom and Levi were on their way to the birth center and they were picking up Chipotle for me. They got there when I was getting stitched up (couldn't avoid tearing after all) and had to wait a while until they could come in the room. I found out the next day that the woman who greeted them at the door never told them what was going on so my mom was starting to panic while they were waiting because she knew I had the baby and thought something was seriously going wrong. I will always feel bad that my mom spent all that time worrying about my safety and didn't know I was just getting stitches. Andy held Rex the whole time they were stitching me up. There really is no better sight than the instant glowing love Andy had while holding him for the first time.
Finally my mom and Levi could come in the room! I'll never forget the look on Levi's face when he walked in and just how overjoyed I was to have both of my sons together!
After my mom and Levi left, the midwives asked if I was ready to try latching Rex on to breastfeed. I was nervous about this because it had felt like so long ago that I had done it with Levi and after only breastfeeding Levi for 3 months, I had high hopes to breastfeed as long as possible with Rex. To my surprise, he took to it as naturally as he could have!
The midwives continued to monitor our vitals and our checklist for getting out of there kept getting shorter and shorter. Before we knew it, we were given the clear to go home! I couldn't believe it but we were home and in our own bed within 6 hours of Rex being born. I LOVED IT! We woke up the next morning at home and were still very much on cloud 9 - I couldn't believe it happened the way it did. Naturally, calmly, quick and while feeling 100% informed, supported and in control. The birth story I had prayed for.
The pregnancy, labor, delivery and breastfeeding journey I had with Rex changed my life forever. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
We are so incredibly blessed!
I was told of a free standing birth center by another co-worker of mine. I had to check it out. We went to one of the monthly information nights they have and when we left I felt like I had hit the jackpot. I didn't know something like this existed! It was so warm, cozy and inviting. The complete opposite of the OBGYN office I went to with Levi. We got all of our questions answered and felt confident that this is where we wanted to go for our maternity care and the birth of our baby.
Over the next 6 months an incredible bond formed between me and my midwives. I really appreciated how much time they took with us at every appointment. I always looked forward to going because they really felt like family to me.
To birth in a birth center you need to have a low risk pregnancy and be at least 37 weeks when you go into labor. I had Levi one day shy of 36 weeks so it was a goal of all of ours (midwives included) to get me to 37 weeks! That day came and I couldn't have been more over joyed. The midwife I bonded with most actually called me that day to share a little celebration on the phone together. She also told me that I needed to wait 4 days to go into labor because she was out of town and didn't want to miss it. I didn't want her to miss it either! Andy kept telling me that I had to wait until Wednesday afternoon (2 days later) because then he would be done with a big event at work.
Two days later (Wednesday August 15th) I woke up and the first thought in my head was "This would be a good day to have a baby!" But it really wasn't so I don't know why that thought popped into my head. Maybe because it was gloomy outside. I was scheduled to work at 11 that day but not long after I woke up I started getting stomach flu symptoms. I knew this was a sign of labor not far off. It happened the same way with Levi. So I texted the shift leader at work and said "I haven't been feeling so great this morning. I'm pretty sure I'll be going into labor today!" I called Andy and my Mom and told them how I was feeling. I even called and talked to one of the midwives (who was filling in from a different state so we didn't know each other too well) and she made me feel like it was most likely nothing. I explained to Levi what was going on and we had a lazy morning which even consisted of me taking a nap on the couch. Later that afternoon Levi kept asking me if we could go somewhere. He was going a bit stir crazy but I explained to him that we should stay home just in case the baby decided it was time to come. It was to the point where I thought that maybe nothing was going to happen today. I put a movie in for Levi and started doing some cleaning. The movie wasn't in for 15 minutes when I was in the dining room and felt my water breaking! It happened at 2:45pm. I shouted to Levi "My water is breaking! The baby is coming today!" he responded with "The baby is coming?! Yay! Yay! Yay!" I grabbed my phone and headed to the bathroom where I sat on the toilet (if you've never experienced your water breaking it really does not stop..) and made all of my phone calls. It was known to Andy for weeks now that if I call his work number it means I'm in labor. I called him on his cell phone first because I knew he was away doing an event earlier in the day and didn't know if he was back yet. No answer. I call his work and his boss answers. I tell him I need to talk to Andy and Andy just happened to be standing right next to him. I heard his boss say to Andy "It's Emma" and I could hear Andy in the background shout "Tell her I'll call her!". He instantly knew! He came home right away and didn't even bother to park the car in the parking lot of our apartment. He parked it right in front of the door thinking we were heading out any minute. Which really made me laugh because our plan was to labor at home as long as possible and he just got really caught up in the moment. When I talked to my midwife she said to just keep her posted and call when contractions started to happen regularly. She wasn't expecting to hear from me any time soon. We called our doula to give her a heads up and just wanted me to call her when I wanted her to come over. My mom was at work and would be leaving a little early to come get Levi for the night. She planned to be over around 5:00. Andy's mom and one of his sisters were up north on vacation. His mom decided to come home shortly after she got the news of my water breaking.
My first contraction happened an hour after my water broke. By 4:30 I was finding myself having to stop and ride out every contraction. We called my midwife and they were surprised at how quick I was progressing. They suggested I eat something and take a shower. I called my mom and told her to get there as soon as she could. Our doula was going to be on the way shortly. I took a shower and the warm water made me feel so much better! I had a couple contractions in the shower, one as soon as I got out that caused me to lean over the bed and then my mom arrived. I was dreading this moment. Saying goodbye to my little Levi. Our last moment together before he was no longer an only child. He was really excited to be going to grandma's and having a sleep over but he actually started to cry when leaving. I felt awful and not to mention I was having contractions around every 5 minutes at this point. Once they left I was ready to head out the door and was sending a text to my doula to tell her to just meet us at the birth center when she texted me that she was here. I decided to have her come up and watch me have a couple contractions so that she could help us decide if it were time to leave or not. I had a medicine ball that we purchased for this very occasion and I don't know what I would have done without it. I sat on my knees in the living room between contractions with the ball in front of me and when another one would come I would lean over the ball and sway back and forth. I looked at my doula and asked her if we should get going. She said we could go whenever I wanted to. I opted to leave right then because I knew this was only going to get more intense and I wanted to get the car ride over with. I knew it was going to be hell.. and boy was it ever!
We left for the birth center at 5:30pm. I put myself in the back seat so I had as much room to move around as possible. Our doula followed us there. I made sure and had my seat belt on because Andy was driving like a maniac. I thought to myself "I need to have the seat belt on because I do not want to be thrown out of the car if we crash and having contractions on the side of the road." What a weird thought to have, right? So while I was belted in, I got into as many different positions as possible to get through every contraction. Mostly I was on all fours rocking back and fourth. I wished I had my medicine ball. It seemed like there was no time in between contractions and I eventually decided to look at the clock and time it. Sure enough they were one minute apart. Every bump made the contractions feel so much more intense. Looking back on this car ride I realized that this is probably when I was in transition. I couldn't wait to get to the birth center and felt like the car ride would never end.
When we got there 15 minutes later I had to ride out a contraction in the car before getting out. Then, I got just barely inside the door of the birth center when I had to lean against the door frame and ride out another one. I was in the zone and don't remember much of my surroundings as I got there but I do remember the first thing one of the midwives said "Andy! Your baby is going to have more hair than you do!" (I had given him a really short buzz cut the night before). I will always laugh when thinking about this moment!
There were three different birthing rooms for us to choose from. They were basically master suites. Each with a whirlpool bath, full bathroom with shower and queen size bed. They all had a different interior design to them. We chose the black and white room with a crystal chandelier over the bed and it had the smallest whirlpool tub which made the most sense for us because I'm 5'0" tall. Our bedroom is a black and white theme and we even had the same shower curtain so it made me feel right at home!
They had the tub ready when we arrived. They suggested I try to go to the bathroom before getting in. I had a contraction while sitting on the toilet and I felt almost more uncomfortable there than I did in the car. As soon as it was over I hopped up and made a bee line for the tub. I heard one of the midwives whispering to Andy "Does she have a sports bra or suit she wants to change into before getting in?" and before she could even finish her sentence I had stripped out of my sun dress and got into the tub completely naked. I could really care less at that point and did not feel like taking the time to put a bra on. My contractions were right on top of each other and I didn't want to have another one outside of the tub. As soon as my body hit the warm water it was INSTANT relief. This made the car ride completely worth it.
Andy started setting up the video camera on a tripod in the corner of the room. We borrowed it from my mom and hadn't bothered to figure out how it worked ahead of time so it was taking him a few minutes to get it going. I had my doula by my side making me feel as comfortable as possible but I didn't want Andy to feel like he was missing out on anything because he had to set up the camera so I told him "You can just forget about the camera. It's fine." but he said that he almost had it done. Which I am so glad that he didn't listen to me! Video taping the birth is one of the best decisions we've made. I really regret not having a birth photographer there but at least we have the video.
After about 30-45 minutes of being in the tub I felt the urge to push. My midwife told me that it would take a few contractions for me to pick up on what my body told me to do. There was no counting during contractions like in a hospital. Everyone was silent and they let my body do it's thing. I found it hard to feel grounded in the tub because I'm so short. We tried to attach suction cup handles on the bottom for my feet but they weren't staying put. I found what worked best was to sit with my back against the width of the tub and have my feet pressed up against the other side. The midwife grabbed a cloth and suggested we play tug of war during each contraction. The first one I had while tugging on it I felt so much progress with him coming down. I did this for the next 6 or so contractions and they had to take it away from me because he was close to coming out and if I pushed with too much force it would up my chances of tearing. A couple contractions later and they could see his head! I pushed once more and his head was out! I sat there between the contractions looking down at his head, saw all of his hair and said "This is so amazing!". I felt like there was a lot of time until I started to feel the next contraction and asked "Is it okay that his head is out and I haven't contracted again yet?" Of course it was okay because of the umbilical cord. I felt the next contraction starting and thought to myself "This is it. I am about to meet my baby." They asked if I wanted to pull him out myself because it was in my birth plan that I wanted to but in the moment I couldn't. I had to focus through the intensity of pushing him out.
Rex was born at 8:18pm on 8/15/12 (if only I had pushed him out 3 minutes sooner!). He was put right to my chest in the water where we hung out for the next 10 minutes or so. They put a towel over him and I kept his body as much in the water as I could to keep him warm. We waited for a contraction to birth the placenta but nothing was happening. They asked if I would be okay with a shot of pitocin to help it along and I was willing to do that if it's what needed to be done. With Rex still in my arms wrapped in a towel they helped me up out of the tub. It was very weird to be up and walking (especially with the cord still inside me attached to the placenta) right after giving birth. With Levi I didn't get up and walk until the next day! They had me prop up on the bed and I suggested I give a little push before doing the pitocin to see if the placenta would come out. Sure enough it did! Hallelujah! They put the placenta in a bed pan on the bed next to me because we hadn't cut the cord yet. We wanted to wait until it was done pulsing which allows the blood from the cord to go into Rex's body. I had no interest in seeing the placenta when Levi was born but I was all about checking it out this time around! In an odd way it was beautiful because it's what nourished Rex and formed him into the healthy baby he became. When we finally got around to cutting the cord an hour later (long after it had stopped pulsing.. there was no rush) they couldn't get a clamp around it! It was the thickest umbilical cord they had ever seen! Which only means one thing.. he was getting some dang good nourishment from the placenta! After trying the 3rd clamp and pressing it together with all their might it was able to close around it and Andy could cut the cord.
My mom and Levi were on their way to the birth center and they were picking up Chipotle for me. They got there when I was getting stitched up (couldn't avoid tearing after all) and had to wait a while until they could come in the room. I found out the next day that the woman who greeted them at the door never told them what was going on so my mom was starting to panic while they were waiting because she knew I had the baby and thought something was seriously going wrong. I will always feel bad that my mom spent all that time worrying about my safety and didn't know I was just getting stitches. Andy held Rex the whole time they were stitching me up. There really is no better sight than the instant glowing love Andy had while holding him for the first time.
Finally my mom and Levi could come in the room! I'll never forget the look on Levi's face when he walked in and just how overjoyed I was to have both of my sons together!
After my mom and Levi left, the midwives asked if I was ready to try latching Rex on to breastfeed. I was nervous about this because it had felt like so long ago that I had done it with Levi and after only breastfeeding Levi for 3 months, I had high hopes to breastfeed as long as possible with Rex. To my surprise, he took to it as naturally as he could have!
The midwives continued to monitor our vitals and our checklist for getting out of there kept getting shorter and shorter. Before we knew it, we were given the clear to go home! I couldn't believe it but we were home and in our own bed within 6 hours of Rex being born. I LOVED IT! We woke up the next morning at home and were still very much on cloud 9 - I couldn't believe it happened the way it did. Naturally, calmly, quick and while feeling 100% informed, supported and in control. The birth story I had prayed for.
The pregnancy, labor, delivery and breastfeeding journey I had with Rex changed my life forever. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
We are so incredibly blessed!
[Everyone should hire a birth photographer - Clearly we didn't]
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Story of Rex - Part One (Finding out we were pregnant)
I wrote this when I was 6 weeks pregnant with Rex!
Back in September 2011 Andy and I decided we were ready to start trying to have a baby. I went and got my IUD taken out and starting the end of September we were on the "we're not trying but we're not preventing" approach. Since I had my IUD for 3 years we didn't know how long it would take for this to happen. The only person that knew this was going on was my Mom. I had to tell someone!
Fast forward to December. Part of me was hoping we wouldn’t get pregnant this month and the other part was hoping we would. My period was due on Christmas! My thought was that if I wasn't pregnant then I could drink for all of the holiday festivities and we could try again in January! Because in the previous two months I had taken pregnancy tests early and gotten a negative result (basically throwing money down the toilet) I decided not to take a pregnancy test Christmas Eve. My mom also helped this decision because she said “even if you are pregnant and have a glass of wine on Christmas Eve it won’t hurt you”. So, I didn’t take a test, had a couple glasses of wine and smoked cigarettes. I didn’t feel pregnant and had no thought in my mind that I was.
At 6a Christmas morning Levi woke up to pee. After taking him to the bathroom and putting him back to bed I realized I needed to go myself. I had pregnancy tests stashed under the sink and I thought “what the hell?” If it were positive then Andy and I would have a quiet moment to enjoy the news together without having Levi up and running around. And if it were negative then I could just go back to bed and look forward to watching Levi open all of his gifts and being able to drink at the festivities. As I’m sitting there about to pee on the stick I all of a sudden can’t pee and my heart starts RACING! I finally get up the courage to take it. I’m watching the stick, heart racing and slowly but surely I watch two solid blue lines appear.. meaning I’m pregnant! Tears started flowing and I started to sweat. How do I tell Andy?! He's sound asleep! I crawled back into bed and just laid there for a few moments in complete disbelief. Finally I started kissing him and gently waking him up. When he started to come to I said “Merry Christmas! ..... I’m pregnant!” His response was, “Are you really?”. We just laid there snuggling together and enjoyed the first few moments of knowing we were going to have a baby.
We go back to sleep and Levi wakes us up around 8 to open Christmas presents for the last time together as a family of 3. I was really kicking myself that I hadn’t taken the test yesterday because we had been with my entire family and we could have told them all in person at the same time. I had to have my Mom be the first to know but we were so busy that day that there wasn’t time to stop by her house and tell her so I gave her a call. She was so excited! Andy wanted to stop and tell his Mom since it was on our way to my Grandma’s house that morning. We decided to tell her by wrapping up the pregnancy test. It took her a few moments to realize what the stick was telling her. She looked at me and said “Is this you?”. I nodded my head, started tearing up and she just started gleaming! She almost couldn't contain her excitement!
At my Grandma’s I had another test wrapped up and gave it to my Dad in the middle of everyone opening their gifts. I just quietly watched him open it from across the room while everyone else had no idea what was going on. He looked at it and instantly tears started welling in his eyes. He walked across the room, gave me a hug and told everyone “Emma’s pregnant!” They were all very excited for us!
When we got to celebrate with Andy's family for Christmas later that day we had two pregnancy tests wrapped up for each of his sisters to open at the same time. His younger sister got hers opened first and when looking at it told everyone “it’s a pregnancy test.. and it’s already taken..” and just looks at me. With that said his older sister realized that it meant I’m pregnant, said “oh my gosh!” and got up to hug me. His brother in law (who was in the kitchen) had no idea what was going on but when he realized it he shouted “Are you f******* serious?!” Completely shocked. Probably the best reaction we had!
All in all everyone is really excited and happy for us! It’s nice to be experiencing a pregnancy that is planned, that everyone is thrilled about (without feeling stressed) and that I have the support of my partner through.
[Right away I knew that I didn't want this baby's birth to go the way Levi's did. I had different plans for this time around and I couldn't have been happier with the decisions we made and the way everything went when Rex came into this world!]
Back in September 2011 Andy and I decided we were ready to start trying to have a baby. I went and got my IUD taken out and starting the end of September we were on the "we're not trying but we're not preventing" approach. Since I had my IUD for 3 years we didn't know how long it would take for this to happen. The only person that knew this was going on was my Mom. I had to tell someone!
Fast forward to December. Part of me was hoping we wouldn’t get pregnant this month and the other part was hoping we would. My period was due on Christmas! My thought was that if I wasn't pregnant then I could drink for all of the holiday festivities and we could try again in January! Because in the previous two months I had taken pregnancy tests early and gotten a negative result (basically throwing money down the toilet) I decided not to take a pregnancy test Christmas Eve. My mom also helped this decision because she said “even if you are pregnant and have a glass of wine on Christmas Eve it won’t hurt you”. So, I didn’t take a test, had a couple glasses of wine and smoked cigarettes. I didn’t feel pregnant and had no thought in my mind that I was.
At 6a Christmas morning Levi woke up to pee. After taking him to the bathroom and putting him back to bed I realized I needed to go myself. I had pregnancy tests stashed under the sink and I thought “what the hell?” If it were positive then Andy and I would have a quiet moment to enjoy the news together without having Levi up and running around. And if it were negative then I could just go back to bed and look forward to watching Levi open all of his gifts and being able to drink at the festivities. As I’m sitting there about to pee on the stick I all of a sudden can’t pee and my heart starts RACING! I finally get up the courage to take it. I’m watching the stick, heart racing and slowly but surely I watch two solid blue lines appear.. meaning I’m pregnant! Tears started flowing and I started to sweat. How do I tell Andy?! He's sound asleep! I crawled back into bed and just laid there for a few moments in complete disbelief. Finally I started kissing him and gently waking him up. When he started to come to I said “Merry Christmas! ..... I’m pregnant!” His response was, “Are you really?”. We just laid there snuggling together and enjoyed the first few moments of knowing we were going to have a baby.
We go back to sleep and Levi wakes us up around 8 to open Christmas presents for the last time together as a family of 3. I was really kicking myself that I hadn’t taken the test yesterday because we had been with my entire family and we could have told them all in person at the same time. I had to have my Mom be the first to know but we were so busy that day that there wasn’t time to stop by her house and tell her so I gave her a call. She was so excited! Andy wanted to stop and tell his Mom since it was on our way to my Grandma’s house that morning. We decided to tell her by wrapping up the pregnancy test. It took her a few moments to realize what the stick was telling her. She looked at me and said “Is this you?”. I nodded my head, started tearing up and she just started gleaming! She almost couldn't contain her excitement!
At my Grandma’s I had another test wrapped up and gave it to my Dad in the middle of everyone opening their gifts. I just quietly watched him open it from across the room while everyone else had no idea what was going on. He looked at it and instantly tears started welling in his eyes. He walked across the room, gave me a hug and told everyone “Emma’s pregnant!” They were all very excited for us!
When we got to celebrate with Andy's family for Christmas later that day we had two pregnancy tests wrapped up for each of his sisters to open at the same time. His younger sister got hers opened first and when looking at it told everyone “it’s a pregnancy test.. and it’s already taken..” and just looks at me. With that said his older sister realized that it meant I’m pregnant, said “oh my gosh!” and got up to hug me. His brother in law (who was in the kitchen) had no idea what was going on but when he realized it he shouted “Are you f******* serious?!” Completely shocked. Probably the best reaction we had!
All in all everyone is really excited and happy for us! It’s nice to be experiencing a pregnancy that is planned, that everyone is thrilled about (without feeling stressed) and that I have the support of my partner through.
[Right away I knew that I didn't want this baby's birth to go the way Levi's did. I had different plans for this time around and I couldn't have been happier with the decisions we made and the way everything went when Rex came into this world!]
