Brooklyn Nicole Has Arrived!

Monday June 27th I woke up at 2am to go pee like normal. I had only been in bed since 12:30am. so waking that early for the bathroom was a little unusual for me. After wiping I noticed some light blood and the first thing out of my mouth was "Oh Crap!" Jay had just gone to bed right before I got up so he asked what was wrong. After telling him what happened he asked if we needed to go to the hospital. I honestly wasn't sure what to do as I had never had any bleeding with my other two. I called labor and deliver at the hospital but was told that I didn't need to come in unless my water broke, it was period like blood, or if I couldn't walk or talk through the contractions. I wasn't even sure I was having contractions so I opted to hang out at home for a while. The contractions started coming about 30 minutes after hanging up the phone but they still weren't that bad. I honestly thought they were the normal braxton hicks contractions that I had been having since the Tuesday before. Now that I think about it though, I realize that what I thought were braxton hicks were actual contractions. I tried laying back down around 3am but the contractions were keeping me up so I decided to just stay up, play some game lounge on the tv, and see what happens. Around 5am  they had been coming bad enough that they were stopping me in my tracks every time I went to walk. Still not terrible but knew that we needed to start getting things ready. I woke Jay up after calling my mom. It took us about an hour to get everything ready for us to head to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 7am. Got hooked up to the contraction monitor and had my cervix checked. The nurse said I was only at 3cm. I don't think she wanted to officially admit me yet. After being monitored for half an hour she had another nurse come in and check me. This nurse said I felt more like between 4 & 5cm. Finally got to the deliver room at 7:30. IV's hooked up, monitored, and continuously being checked because the nurse couldn't tell if she was head down or not. Alice came in around 8:30, checked me and broke my water. At this point I had been given nubain for the pain though it wasn't doing anything at all for me. After my water was broke we realized that it was merconium stained (for those that don't know, this means that Brooklyn had a bowel movement in the uterus). Alice wasn't worried because her heart rate was normal and wasn't decreasing. We also found out that the reason the Dr. thought she was bigger is because I had an excess amount of fluid. After they broke my water the contractions started to become more and more painful. I was holding on to the side of the bed and asking for my epidural at this point. Couldn't get the epi yet cause they were doing a c-section though. Not much later I was climbing up the side of the bed and literally screaming in pain, started rubbing the side of my stomach then Jay realized we needed the nurse/dr. right then. Nurse comes in and says"We need to call Alice here now" So guess what... time to deliver and no time for an epidural! I had to do it all natural for the first time. Alice got there in no time at all thankfully cause I couldn't take it anymore. I only remember pushing about 3 times before she was out completely. It was the strangest feeling in the world too. But after she was born I was calm as could be, like nothing had happened. I even remember having a calm conversation with Alice and Stella about the placenta and how some people eat it and encapsulate it lol. Brooklyn was born at 10:10 am after a week of early labor, 8 hours of active labor, and about 5 minutes of pushing. She was 6lbs, 19in long, full head of hair, and scored 9/9 on her apgars! All in all, she's a perfect baby and we are all so happy she's finally here!

Yay 37 weeks (Full Term)

Technically I'm now 38 weeks and 1 day. I wanted to do things a little different now that I'm getting closer and closer to the end. A lot can change in one week's time and I really don't want to have to make a new post every time there's something new going on. So from now to the end I will be updating at the start of the next week instead of after my appointments. 


Last Monday I had my Dr.'s appointment. I was still only 2cm and 60% effaced. She actually thought I would have gone into labor that weekend. Alice said this Monday we would schedule my induction date. Tuesday I started having more severe Braxton Hicks contractions. Not only do I have the tightening in my stomach but now they are causing some crazy cramps in my back and lower abdomen. I'm seriously going to be pissed if they aren't causing any progress. I've been trying to work up the nerve to ask Alice to do a membrane sweep when I go in Monday. Other than the cramping, there's really no sign of labor coming any time soon. But then again, doesn't it usually just come out of nowhere!?

36 Weeks!

So close yet still so far away! I didn't update last week because nothing really happened at my appointment. We did the Group B Strep last week and that's about it. So let's get to this week's appointment. GBS was negative which is good, no antibiotics when I go to deliver. Here's how mine and Alice's conversation went today. 


Alice: This is about the time I tell you when to call me or when to go to L&D. If contractions are regular at around 5-6 minutes apart and last a minute each, and blah blah blah, or if you live more than hour away. 
Me: I actually do live about an hour away from the hospital. 
Alice: In that case, we can discuss doing an induction at 39 weeks to make sure you make it time. I'm going to check the baby's position from the outside and if I can't tell if she's head down then we'll do an internal exam, but if I can feel from the outside then we wont unless you want me to. 
Me: Yeah, I actually do. I just want to see if these contractions are doing anything. 


*Alice checks heartbeat, position, then does the internal exam.*
While she's checking me she says,"I don't think you'll make it to 39 weeks. You are already 1-2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Of course I have one patient that's 4cm and still coming for her weekly appointments." 


So YAY! The contractions aren't for nothing and I'm progressing. Pretty exciting for me since I was really afraid she was going to tell me that nothing was happening down there lol. Hopefully I'll make some more progress before next Monday! So the good news is that either way it goes, I only have 3 weeks left. Maybe living an hour from the hospital isn't such a bad thing. I don't mind the pitocin to induce since I've had that before with Matt. We went to Wal-Mart after my appointment and I started having more contractions while we walking around. Miss Brooklyn must want out as much as I want her out! Thank god too cause I really don't want to go 4 or more weeks. Only bad thing... I'll be 39 weeks the Friday before the 4th of July, and Jay doesn't start vacay until the 3rd of July so I wouldn't be able to do it until then. Which means possibly a 4th of July baby and I would hate to take my cousin's birthday from her or make her share it! 

32 Week Appointment

Brooklyn is head down! YAY! I knew she had been trying to flip the last two weeks. It was the weirdest and yet semi-painful feeling I have ever felt. Heartbeat was 142 which is down from what it's normally been but nothing to be concerned about. I passed my glucose test. Honestly I don't remember what I scored on it, wasn't much concerned after she said I passed it. My appointment went pretty quick though. Alice had ran out (before my appointment) to deliver a baby so she was running kinda late today with everyone. Normally my appointments go pretty fast but that also includes the waiting time. Not this time though, we waited about 30 minutes total compared to our usual of about 5 minutes. Alice said not to worry about the contractions I had last Saturday since they stopped after sitting down. That's pretty much all that happened. I go back next week since they are closed the following Monday due to Memorial Day and Monday's are our only options right now thanks to Jay's job. I guess that's all I have for you all for now! 

First Contractions!

Today has been pretty different for me. I got up at 8:45 like I do every morning. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the dog or the kids that woke me up this time... it was my dang bladder! Either way, I got up, did what I do every weekend morning, put the dog out, fed the kids breakfast, then tried to keep the house as quiet as possible so Jay could sleep. After all, he does work till midnight and if I'm already up anyway, there's no reason for him to be up too. Around 10:30 I fell back asleep on the couch in the family room and didn't wake back up until about an hour 1/2 later. I was fine for a little while then when I started walking around more, I would get a contraction! It's funny though cause the last week or so I kept wondering if I would remember what they felt like after 9 years. The cramps spread from my lower abdomen into my back. There was only about 5 of them, not regular, not really painful, just kind of annoying and uncomfortable. They didn't last long individually either. As soon as I would sit back down, they would go away. Then on top of a few contractions today, I've been feeling pretty sick to my stomach all day and more fatigued than usual. Normally if I go back to sleep I'd be fine the rest of the day, today on the other hand, it's taking everything in me to keep my eyes open. I can't wait for my appointment Monday. I wonder if she's going to check my cervix after I tell her about the contractions? Let ya know Monday how it goes!

30 week Appointment!

I'm a few days late updating. My appointment was 2 days ago. I was going to update yesterday but honestly, I totally forgot to lol. Okay so, first things first... I took my 1 hour glucose test Wednesday morning. Surprisingly it wasn't all that bad. I was expecting the thick orange drink that leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. Pleasantly it was fruit punch. Light texture, kind of like watered down Kool-aid. I'm assuming I passed my test cause Alice (my midwife for those that don't know) said that if I failed it then she would call me by noon today. No call is good news! 
After the glucose test I had my regular appointment. Miss Brooklyn is breech just like I suspected. Alice said that if she doesn't turn head down by 34 weeks then we will do exercises to try to turn her. Not sure what we are going to do if she doesn't turn after that though. Heartbeat was 152. She's been in the 150's the entire time. I think she's trying to turn on her own but doesn't have the room to. It feels like she's running out of room anyway, she's not kicking so much anymore, but is still moving around like crazy. I lost another pound. Not quite sure how that's happening but it is and of course Alice continues to tell me that I need to start gaining weight! So why is it that when I don't want to gain weight, I do, but when I need to, I can't? It makes no sense. Next appointment is in 2 weeks. Only 9 more weeks to go after today! Starting to get really excited!


There are 62 days until your due date on July 08, 2011.
You are 218 days pregnant.
You are 7.1 months pregnant.
You are in your 8th month of pregnancy.
Your 1st trimester: October 01, 2010 to December 30, 2010. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: December 31, 2010 to April 14, 2011. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: April 15, 2011 to July 08, 2011. (28 - 40 weeks)


Your baby is continuing to grow each week that you remain pregnant. Your baby's crown-to-rump length is nearly 11.2 inches and total length is approximately 18 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 3.5 pounds at this point. Your uterus is about 4.4 inches above your bellybutton and continues to get larger. An average weight gain at this point is between 21 and 27 pounds. The weight that you gain is made up of your baby, placenta, blood supply, uterus, breasts, fat, water storage and amniotic fluid.

Because the ligaments and muscles supporting the small of your back relax and loosen in order to get ready for childbirth, your back may be aching from now on. There is usually nothing that can be done to prevent backaches, only to make them more comfortable. Many women get heartburn during these last few weeks of pregnancy because the oversized uterus leaves less room for the stomach and the contents within the stomach. Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help relieve the discomforts of heartburn.

This week marks an incredible milestone in your baby's lung development. Before now, the air sacs and branches in your baby's lungs were present but not functional. The lungs were not able to inflate properly. However, now there is surfactant being produced in your baby's lungs. Surfactant prevents your baby's lungs from collapsing outside of the uterus and the baby is able to take in air and breathe properly. The fetal ear is almost completely developed both inside and out. Your baby can hear your voice and other familiar sounds that she will recognize after birth. Your baby is putting on white fat under the skin and the skin's color is pink instead of red at this point. Your baby's fingernails have grown to the end of her fingers and she may scratch herself while she is in the womb. 

Long Awaited Update!

I have a good reason for not updating! My insurance got screwed up some how and I was uninsured during April. Well, not completely uninsured but close enough! My insurance got switched to another carrier, one that my midwife/OBGYN doesn't accept. After finding this out on the 1st of April, several phone calls later, it was officially fixed yesterday! Thank god too cause I'm 30 weeks and I'm supposed to be going to my Dr. every 2 weeks now. Anyway, my next appointment is Wednesday. I have to go do my 1 hour glucose screening an hour before my appointment Wednesday so I'll be doing that first. I wasn't going to make my appointment in the middle of the week but when I tried for next Monday she was concerned about me not being seen in over a month. So Wednesday it is. So far everything has been fine. The Braxton Hicks contractions are coming more often and are definitely a little more uncomfortable than what they were. I have around 5-8 an hour. Nothing regular and nothing too painful but they say you should call if you have more than 4-6 an hour. Every Dr. is different so I haven't bothered calling about it. I figured I would just bring it up on Wednesday. From time to time I feel a little pressure in my pelvic and bottom area, again though, nothing serious. We tried to start walking last Monday but personally, I don't like staying up or getting up too early just to go walking when I could be getting sleep. Especially when I know in a couple more weeks I wont be getting much sleep for a while! I am so ready for the next 9 1/2 weeks to pass by though. As much as I wanted another baby, I was pretty naive about it! This is nothing like my pregnancies with Matt and Bri. Even though I had horrible morning sickness with Matt, I actually enjoyed being pregnant. Now I'm just miserable. I hate the heat here in Florida, I think that just makes things so much worse. It could be worse for me though, I mean compared to some people I have a pretty easy pregnancy. But hey, who says I'm not allowed to complain... after all... it is MY body! I will complain all I want to!