Happy BIRTHday!

On Friday, April 20, we put Ryanne to bed early because I wasn't feeling super well & was tired. Around nine, I felt a gush of water. Unsure, I stood up and felt more water running down my legs so I woke Trey up and started gathering things to head to the hospital.

We called my Mom to come over and stay with Ry and left for the hospital. My contractions very obviously picked up on the trip there. They were 2-3 minutes apart during the drive. We got there a little after ten and checked in.

At this point, I was 4 cm and 80% effaced. The nurse we had that night was amazing. When I delivered Ry, our night nurse was nothing short of a nightmare and it was such a blessing to have such a great nurse this time around.

Around midnight, she checked again and I was now 6 cm. Before I had been weary of an epidural because I didn't want it to slow my contractions and have to get pitocin right out of the gate, but at this point I decided to go ahead and get it. Afterwards, I tried to get some sleep.

Around one, Drake's heart rate plummeted, and I was put on oxygen and turned to get a better blood flow to him. Thankfully, it quickly resolved and was just an isolated incident.

At three, she checked again and I had progressed to 8 cm. Can I just say that after a 29 hour pitocin-augmented induction with Ryanne, it was so nice to actually be making change on my own (and not at a pace slower than ice melts)?

Around six, I started vomiting (that was fun!) and she checked only to find out that I was complete. The nurse thought Drake was "sunny side up" and still pretty high in my cervix so she had me turn trying to get him to switch to face down and move on down.

With the changing of the guard, the new nurse came in and had me test push, and immediately stopped me to go call the doctor. Apparently the on call doctor also changed then, and it took a little over an hour before the doctor got there. Finally, around 8:30 I started pushing and sweet Drake was born at 8:34!

When he was born, he didn't cry at first and I was totally having a panic attack. The doctor suctioned him well and carried him over to the warmer, and eventually I heard his first sweet cries (and felt a huge sigh of relief!)

He weighed 9 pounds and 15 ounces (which was ironically the same as my birth weight) and was 22 and 3/4 inches long.

After Drake was born, his blood sugar were low, so he was sent temporarily to the NICU for a couple tube feeds and to monitor his blood sugar levels. We finally got him back around 4pm that afternoon. Since then, he has had no issues with it. We were told it is pretty common for such large babies to have low blood sugar levels early on because they can't adjust quickly to getting such little food after they were getting so much in utero. Anyway, we are thankful that we now have a happy, healthy baby!

Drake is here!

Drake James was born at 8:39 am today weighing in at 9 pounds, 15 ounces (this is the exact weight I was at birth, too!). He is 22.75 inches long and just absolutely precious!

His blood sugar has been low since birth, and after my second unsuccessful attempt at bringing it up with breast milk (or lack thereof), they decided to take him to NICU for feedings and closer monitoring. Currently, we are waiting on his most recent levels to determine if he can come out and see us, or if he will have to stay in the NICU and receive IV nutrition for at least the next 24 hours.

Big sister is thrilled! I'll share more details and pictures about his birth later :)

Drake at 39 Weeks

• Drake is still growing. My belly is still measuring ahead, and his heart rate looks great. 
• I'm back to gaining weight which ironically makes me feel a little better about him still cooking. I gained 3 pounds this past week, which puts me back to 17 pounds. 
• We were going to schedule an induction this week, but labor and delivery was booked for elective deliveries, so we'll discuss that again next week if he hasn't come on his own before then. 
• I was "about the same" according to Dr. D this week so apparently he's just too comfortable in there!
• I'm getting more and more excited to meet him with each passing day and can't wait to see Ryanne's reaction to him. I'm sure it will melt my heart. 
• In the same breath, I'm getting more and more terrified of actually handling this on my own. Ooi! 
• We've gotten a little bit more accomplished on Drake's nursery, but I'm still waiting on a few fun final touches before I share pictures. I'm happy to have it functionally done though now. 

38 Weeks

So after a fun night at L&D last Saturday, I'm still pregnant! haha! I was contracting about 2-3 minutes apart for over eight hours but never made any more cervical change so I got medicine and was sent home. So here we are at 38 weeks, still waiting on Drake!

I lost another two pounds this past week which my doctor attributed to water shift, etc, but I'm not sure it doesn't have something to do with the fact that I don't remember the last time I ate more than a couple bites of something. I stay nauseous, and nothing sounds good.

My blood pressure and Drake's heart rate and growth are all excellent so we're just waiting on him to decide to make his arrival. I've effaced from 50 to 70% but otherwise no changes on the labor front.

Next week, at my 39 week appointment, we can schedule an induction if we choose. Trey and I still have to discuss this. Here's hoping that Drake solves that problem for us ; )

Drake at 37 Weeks!

Last week at my appointment, I had gained 3 pounds, making my total gain 17.5 pounds. However, at this appointment I had lost 2 pounds so back to 15.5.

Be warned: this is about to get TMI, but I want to remember for myself and hopefully for future pregnancies so I'm sticking this out here. Last week was my first cervical check (35 weeks and 6 days) and I was already dilated to two centimeters and 50% effaced. This week (36 weeks and 6 days), I had made another centimeter of progress. My OB said she will be surprised if she sees me in her office on Monday for my regular appointment.

My strep test was negative (it was with Ry also) so I don't have to worry about getting those antibiotics during labor which is just one less stress.

We are in full on baby prep and nesting mode here at the house. I feel like I have about 6,237 things to get done (and I promise that's only a slight exaggeration). While I've come to the realization that it all is not going to get done, I'm doing my best to get what I can done as I have time and energy.

I'm so excited to meet Drake and have had so much fun seeing the {many!} differences between this pregnancy and Ryanne's. I'm nervous about how everything school related is going to work out for me, but I have come to a peace about it and am just ready to meet Drake if he's ready to meet us!