Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Little Dunc

Sorry it's taken so long for me to get some pictures posted. I've been a little busy. There are a lot of words in this post but the following is my birth story. 
Ryan and I welcomed our little boy, Duncan Ryan Walker, into the world on Saturday June 11, 2011 at 3:42 in the afternoon.
The day started with me checking into to Deaconess Labor and Delivery at 7am on Saturday morning. I was all hooked up to the pitocin drip by 8am. They only had me at 3mu or something. I'm not sure what the measurement was in but apparently it goes from like 0-20 and I was only on a 3. I started feeling the contractions right away but they weren't very bad. It really was like bad menstrual cramps. At 9:15 my doc came in and broke my water. At this point I was measuring 3-4cm. By the way, I was 3 when I checked in. The doc said that I could have an epidural whenever I felt like it at this point because I was far enough along. I decided to wait just a little since the contractions were not that bad yet. I lasted about an hour before I was telling my nurse that, yes, I would like my epidural as soon as possible. So, around 11am, Tom, the most amazing guy at the hospital, came in and started the process of putting in my epidural. By 11:30 I had my epidural in and almost instantly I couldn't feel the contractions on my left side at all. I was still feeling them on the right side but they were slowly fading. I just had to lay on my right side for about 20 minutes and then it was magic. I couldn't feel anything. I was able to sleep and rest. I had set an silly goal of wanting to have the baby by noon. My nurse kind of laughed at me and said that it's probably going to take a little longer than that. I knew that it would by a girl can dream, right? So, for about and hour and a half I was able to just watch my contractions on the monitor and not feel a thing. Around 1 in the afternoon Ryan and his dad went down to the cafeteria to grab some food and at that point I had asked for my nurse to see how far along I was. I was feeling a little bit of pressure in my bottom so I wonder if I had progressed very much yet. So, the nurse came in and checked me and she looked very surprised when she looks at me and says, "Your ready to push!" I couldn't believe it. Ryan's mom then calls him on his phone and says, you better get back up here she's ready to push! My doctor wasn't on call that day so he wasn't at the hospital. He's actually a friend of my families so he had been talking to my mom earlier and had told her that he was going to go to Costco and run some errands that then he'd be back later this afternoon. So, we told the nurse that the doc was at Costco and someone should call him soon then. So she went and called him and in the meantime some more nurses came in and started getting everything set up for the baby; the little heat lamp table where they clean him and weigh him and all the blankets and tools and everything. At this point I was almost in tears. I was so emotional just thinking that I was about to actually have a baby! It still seemed unbelievable. So, the doc finally got there and they got me all ready to start pushing! I started pushing around 2 in the afternoon. I made my parents and Ryan's parents wait outside so it was just Ryan and I in the delivery room. My mom was so cute though, she stood right next to the door the whole time. The doc was great too. He would go out and give them all updates every 20 or so minutes. My dad and Ryan's mom couldn't really handle listening to me push so they were way down the hall with their heads between their knees, trying not to get light headed!
I had great nurses but it was funny because on multiple contractions I had to tell them that I was having a contraction and should probably push. I think they were distracted sometimes and wouldn't notice that I had started a contraction on the monitor. They contractions weren't painful, I could just feel pressure and knew that I should push. I pushed for quite some time and finally the doc said the baby was sunny side up. At one point he tried to turn the baby so that he was facing the right way. That by far was the most painful part of having a baby. That was also the time when I believe I tore a little from the doc trying to turn him. The baby also decided that he didn't like being turned so he flipped right back. I continued to push for another hour and forty two minutes. Then, he just came right out! I couldn't believe I'd just had a baby! I guess I just kept repeating over and over, "oh my baby, my baby." I don't really remember that part. Once he was out the doc plopped him down next to my leg and Ryan cut the cord. They wiped him off a little then put him right up on my chest! He was so adorable even though he had an awful cone head! He checked in at 6lbs 13oz and 20.5in long. At his first check up he had shrunk down to 20in because his cone head had gone down. He still has a big bump on his head. He has whats called a cephalohematoma. This is a pool of blood on top of the skull. They can take up to 3-4 months to go down sometimes. His has started to go down but it's so big that it's still very noticeable. 


Above: it goes in order clockwise. Checking in, getting epidural, enjoying epidural, had baby, new family, first bath, all clean, going home. 


Above: 
Top row: New outfit, hanging with Dad, Duncan's Blessing
Middle row: Napping with Grandma W., Newborn measurment with sock monkey, First day home
Bottom row: Grandma B with her grandbabies, blessing outfit, first bath, sock monkey measurement, naked time

Now I'll just overload you with a bunch of pictures from the last 2 1/2 weeks!















Monday, June 6, 2011

39 Weeks!


 Hello Everyone!!! So, I'm 39 weeks prego and just counting down the days! I am so ready to have this baby boy. I've enjoyed being pregnant. I have to admit, it was a really easy pregnancy. No morning sickness, no heartburn, no real aches and pains. I've quite enjoyed it, besides the stretch marks :(
I just want to hold the baby in my arms now and not in my stomach any more. I don't know if I'm ready for the no sleep and the crying and constant care of a new born but I'm still super excited. I feel like Ryan and I are pretty prepared. I think we have everything that we need.

I have my 39 week appointment tomorrow at 11. I'm super excited and nervous for what he'll say. I'm hoping that the contractions I've been having are making a difference and maybe I'll be far enough along that he'll just send me over to the hospital! I think that is just hopeful thinking, but, you never know.

I don't know if I mentioned before sometime but I have been addicted to reading birth stories and mommy blogs lately. On several of them they talked about making their own hospital gowns that are super cute for after the birth so that you look good in the pictures. I thought, I have nothing to do with my time so I'm going to attempt to make my own hospital gown for after the birth too! I mean, in the moment of birth I'm probably not going to be too concerned with how I look or feel but right now I can think about it and get prepared to take cute pictures so that when I do look back I won't think, ugh, gross. I look terrible. I know, I will have just  given birth but still, who doesn't think that when looking at pictures of themselves. Below you will find pics of the newly finished hospital gown. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with myself. It was my first time following a pattern and probably the biggest sewing project I've ever taken on.

Front

Back Detail


Back

A Fun Weekend


I know I'm very behind in posting this blog. I had all the pictures uploaded and then I just got distracted and never finished posting it! 
Above is 37 weeks, 2 weeks ago! Sorry it's late.

Over Memorial Weekend Carrie came home so that all the girls could go to Wicked! Such a fun show. I loved it and I think that everyone else did too! That was on Friday night. I didn't bring my camera so sorry, no pictures from that one. 
Saturday all the girls went and got pedicures! The main reason for this, trying to put me into labor! An old wives tale says that pedicures can make you go into labor. Obviously it didn't work because I'm still very pregnant! 



My swollen little feet...with a very cute pedicure!


That Monday was Memorial Day so Ryan had the day off and it was a gorgeous day outside! So, to take advantage of the weather and again, try to induce labor, we went for a little hike. Some people might think I was crazy, going hiking at 38 weeks pregnant. We drove to the Dishman Hills Natural Area. It's just right off of Appleway. Not far from our house, or the hospital! It was so much fun. I think that this might become a usual little get out into nature hike. There were tons of trails to take and a cute little lake at the top. There's also a park there too. I think that after we have a little one to tote around this park will become a fun destination for our family. The weekend was fun but again, I did not go into labor. I was just very hot.