Jesiah's Birth Story

On Tuesday April 30th at 7pm, I was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled induction.

 

My doctor, Dr. Rosado, was there waiting for me when I stepped onto the unit (even though she wasn't on call at the time - LOVE HER!!!). She got me situated and checked me, letting me know that I was 1cm dilated. She stripped my membranes and inserted the Cervidil to hopefully get my cervix to soften overnight.

 

Dr. Rosado

 

Around 3am, I woke up to some pretty bad cramps. I got my phone out and started timing them, and sure enough, they were coming about 3 minutes apart. Those cramps were the beginnings of labor, contractions that were wrapping around the back of my back and across my tailbone... making it incredibly difficult to get comfortable in the already not-so-comfy hospital bed. I was awake from that moment on... it was neat to watch the sunrise, though, on the morning of the day I would *hopefully* be welcoming my son into the world!

 

 

 

At 7am, Dr. Malloy (another doctor that I love who was on call till 8am) came in to remove the Cervidil and check me. Much to my dismay, I was still only 1cm dilated. I was slightly more effaced though. She was able to break my water... and then the real fun began. The Pitocin was turned on, and I asked if I could get out of bed and move around since the contractions were so bad across my back. The nurse suggested that I roll around on a labor ball to let gravity help pull the baby down and dilate my cervix. So, I rolled around on the labor ball for a while... and then I ended up standing and rocking back and forth for a while. I was breathing through the contractions pretty well, but the nurse kept coming in and bumping up the Pitocin. My contractions were about 2 minutes apart, lasting over a minute each time... so I only had about a 45 second break between them. I was pretty uncomfortable... but I could still manage a few smiles during those brief breaks between contractions :-)

 

 

 

 

My nurse kept coming in to bump up the Pitocin and to check my pain levels. She repeatedly reminded me that I had the option of the epidural. While I was completely open-minded to the epidural, I wanted to see how long/how far I could labor without it first. However after being checked again a few hours later and finding that I was still sitting at 1cm, the nurse explained to me that the epidural could help to relax the cervix so it could dilate more. From the time I asked for the epidural, I only had to wait about 15 minutes until the anesthesiologist walked in the door. INSTANT RELIEF.

 

Dr. Rosado came back at lunchtime to check me again. Since I was still only 1cm, she decided to use a foley bulb procedure to get me to dilate some more. Basically, they inserted a balloon into my cervix, inflated it with liquid inside my uterus, and then placed traction on the balloon to get it to pull through my cervix (see diagram below). When the balloon finally pushes its way out of the cervix, it opens the cervix 3-4cm. Immediately following the foley bulb, I was a good 3cm dilated. Dr. Rosado said the procedure bought us 9 hours of labor. I already had the epidural at this point, so it didn't hurt one bit.

 

At 4:30, Dr. Rosado came back to check me. At that time, I was 5cm and 80 effaced. They placed internal monitors on the baby to help monitor the strength of my contractions and the baby's heart rate. The internal monitors indicated that my contractions were good and strong, and they decided to continue to increase the Pitocin as long as the baby's heart rate would tolerate it.

 

Around 7pm, I was checked again by Dr. Rosado. I was now 6cm dilated and 100% effaced. It felt like things were progressing so slowly, but Dr. Rosado said that she felt that active labor was just now starting, and I should start dilating about a centimeter per hour. At 9:40 when I was checked, I was dilated to 7-8 centimeters. The doctor told me that if I continued to progress at that rate, I would probably be pushing by midnight! The nurse kept encouraging me to rest and sleep, because the pushing process for a first time mom could take up to 3 hours. ...And rest, indeed! I cat-napped all day long, watched TV with my hubby, and just relaxed as my body did it's thing. The epidural was a great decision for me. Dr. Rosado was going to come back at 11:30 to check me again.

 

Around 10:30, I starting feeling the contractions again. My nurse assured me that the epidural wasn't wearing off; it's just that when the baby has moved so far down into the pelvis, there is only so much relief that the epidural can offer. I was breathing through the contractions again, and while the pain was intense, the deep breathing helped to distract me from some of the pain. Around 11:00, my nurse came in the room to check on me, and I remember looking at her and saying, "Katie, I think I need to push..." She had the family leave the room and she checked me... sure enough, I was 10cm!!! She called Dr. Rosado and showed me how to push through the contractions. At 11:20, I started pushing. Dr. Rosado came in at 11:30 and got ready for the delivery. I pushed 5 times and at 11:34pm, my sweet baby boy and I met for the very first time. My hubby, mom, and mother-in-law were present for his birth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning when Dr. Rosado came in to check on me, I thanked her for not giving up on me. She knew how badly I wanted to have a vaginal delivery, and although my induction process was long, she didn't resort to doing a C-section for the sake of speeding things up.

 

 

It was an incredibly long day, but it was a good day. I was able to rest and relax through most of the day, and when it came time to push, I was able to feel the contractions so I knew when I needed to push. I had no idea how good it would feel to push when the time came. I thought I would be terrified of the pain of pushing, but it was actually relief to push through those contractions. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

 

My prize, my sweet baby boy, was waiting for me at the end of that long day... and he was totally, completely worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We are so in love with our baby boy!

 

 

 

 

 



9 Months Pregnant

 

Dear Baby Boy,

 

I can't believe that in just two weeks from tonight, your Daddy and I will be walking into the hospital as husband and wife... preparing to walk out with YOU a couple of days later as a brand new family of 3. We are so excited to meet you... you really have NO idea.

 

 

When I think about our life a year ago, I think about how hard we were praying for God to bless us with a family. I recall month after month of let-downs, as we wanted nothing more than to become pregnant. A year ago, Mommy didn't even know if she could get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy. A year ago, you were just a dream. A year ago, Mommy was wondering if she would ever get to celebrate Mother's Day as a Mommy, herself. Now, we are two weeks away from looking into your eyes for the first time... our little dream come true. Our miracle.

 

 

Your Daddy and I believe in a God who is faithful and knows what is best for us. The desire of our hearts was to become parents and start a family. We knew that He would bless us in His time. In August, Mommy went back to work for a new school year and was so busy getting ready for the year that she was completely shocked when she began to realize there was a chance she was pregnant. Test after test confirmed that Mommy did, indeed, have a little baby growing in her tummy...YOU! I was excited and scared... and Daddy was really nervous, too.

 

 

As we went to the doctor and received good report after good report, we were so excited to start sharing the news of YOU with our family and friends! Way back in September when we spilled the beans, the month of May seemed soooooo far away. Yet, here we are. The trimesters dwindled down to months... to weeks... and now we are just 14 days away from meeting you for the first time.

 

 

We have waited so long for you. We have dreamed of you. We have prayed for you.

 

 

You are an answer to many prayers. You are the dream I thought would never come true. You are so loved by so many people already, and from the moment that they place you in my arms, I promise I will do everything I can to love you, protect you, and nurture you. You're my baby boy, and we can't wait for your story to unfold.

 

I love you,

Mommy



Sugar & Spice!

Well, as I mentioned in my {{last weekly post}}, I am going to be an aunt to a sweet baby girl in July! As you can imagine, our families are over the moon with happiness. My hubby and I are having a boy, and my brother and his wife are having a girl. It could not be more perfect!

 

My brother and sister-in-law had their big ultrasound last Friday and then invited the family over on Saturday night for the big reveal. All details of the reveal were kept SUPER top secret. We took Team Blue and Team Pink pictures, and then we were told that we were heading outside for a firework show! The first 16 fireworks would be just for fun. There would be a pause... and then there would be 3 huge fireworks - either blue and green for a boy or red and yellow for a girl.

 

Team Blue:

 

Team Pink:

 

 

The Big Show!!!

 

  IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Afterwards, we came inside and watched a DVD of my precious niece. She totally melted my heart when she SMILED in her ultrasound. She even had the cord draped over her shoulder like a purse strap... a true mini-me of her Mommy :-)  

  We had a wonderful evening with the family, celebrating the fact that a baby girl is coming in July. We couldn't be happier!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So happy to share this exciting time with my sister-in-law!!!!  



The Pee-Stick Story

Not sure if all of the "TMI" details you're about to read are all that entertaining... but I wanted to write it down for my own sake of remembering.

 

Jason and I have known since we were dating that we wanted to have a family. While some couples start "trying" and conceive right away and have successful pregnancies, God had other plans for us. He placed us on "the road less traveled" and it's taken a lot of prayer to get to where we are. I tried really hard to "control" things by charting my temperature, keeping track of my cycle on a fertility monitor, etc. However, during the month of August I decided to put away all of the "tools" and just see what happened. I went away with my Mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law to the beach, and was so busy getting my classroom set up and squeezing in last minute summer excursions that I kept my mind completely off the calendar and my cycle.

 

School started in the third week of August, and I remember one Friday afternoon just sitting in my classroom and crying my eyes out because I felt so overwhelmed. The teacher across the hall, Cindy who is kinda like my "Work Mom", came to my aid and reassured me that everyone was feeling overwhelemed. Fast-forward to the following Monday morning, and Cindy comes across the hall, stopping in my doorway. She takes one look at me and says, "Believe me, everyone is feeling overwhelmed..... BUT. ...Is it possible that you might be pregnant?" I guess my mini-emotional breakdown tipped her off. I thought for a minute and said, "Well my period is supposed to come in two days... I guess it's possible..."

 

That night, I got home and made dinner. Jason was out working late. I cleaned up from dinner and was sitting on the couch, thinking about what Cindy said. In the back of my mind, I knew I had three or four pregnancy tests (aka Pee-Sticks) in my bathroom closet. I thought, ''Oh, what the heck. I'll just take one and see what happens..." assuming that it would probably be negative since I wasn't supposed to start for a few more days.

 

I grabbed one of the ClearBlue's and followed the directions. Then there's the 3 minute wait. Instead of straining my eyes to look for a line, I decided to read my Bible. My devotional reading for the day was from Psalms 116.

 

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
² Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!

³ Death wrapped its ropes around me;

the terrors of the grave^[a] overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Please, Lord, save me!”

⁵ How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours!
⁶ The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me.
⁷ Let my soul be at rest again,
for the Lord has been good to me.
⁸ He has saved me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.

⁹ And so I walk in the Lord’s presence

as I live here on earth!

¹⁰ I believed in you, so I said,

“I am deeply troubled, Lord.”

¹¹ In my anxiety I cried out to you,

“These people are all liars!”

¹² What can I offer the Lord

for all he has done for me?

¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation

and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.

¹⁴ I will keep my promises to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ The Lord cares deeply

when his loved ones die.

¹⁶ O Lord, I am your servant;

yes, I am your servant, born into your household;

you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷ I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people—
¹⁹ in the house of the Lord

in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

 

 

 

...And then I glanced over and saw this:

 

 

And then came the tears.

Uncontrollable happy, scared, excited, blessed, nervous tears.

 

I shared the news with Jason that night, but given our previous experiences, he was very apprehensive to get excited. I called my doctor's office (at the time) the next morning, and after begging for bloodwork, they finally sent in the order. After a veryyyyyy loooooong Labor Day weekend of waiting, I received word that my pregnancy levels were MORE THAN DOUBLNG in the given time frame, and everything looked good in that respect.

 

We shared the news with our parents and families a few weeks later. Everyone is so excited and supportive - we are truly blessed to have such an amazing family.

 

 



Ringing in the New Year!

Ok, where's the giant glittery ball? Where are the excited crowds counting down, "Five... Four... Three... Two... One............... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"? Because let's be honest. Wednesday August 22nd marks the real new year. For teachers all aross the country, now is the time to put on those party hats, grab the noise makers, and start counting down... because a new group of little minds is about to come through the doors!

I am so anxious to "get this party started." This is my second year in second grade. I thought this year was going to be slightly easier having a year under my belt this time around... however, with the implementation of the common core standards this year, I'm already having visions of more late nights in my classroom preparing materials. ...So maybe next year it'll be a little easier? We'll see!

I do know that I have a group of 21 seven year olds who are depending on me as their teacher, and I will do whatever I have to do to make sure they learn. I can't wait to meet my new group of kiddos. I worked 5.5 hours today (yes, it's Saturday) in my classroom. I began attaching the students' name tags to their desks. As I sat at each desk to work, I prayed for the little one who will be sitting in that seat. I pray that God gives each one a strong mind, healthy body, and a kind heart.

I'm really excited with how my room is coming together! While it's not completely finished yet, the bulk of the work is done... and you know what that means! Time for a picture tour :)



Greeting

Welcome to my classroom!

A corner room! The view as you walk in and look to the left.







The view as you enter the room and look straight ahead.
This is my favorite whole group teaching spot.

My "Listen to Reading" Station :)

Saw this on Pinterest and had to recreate :)

Warm fuzzies for when I catch a student doing a great job.

My Interactive Word Wall, currently dressed-up with first grade words that my second graders should know. We will gradually start taking down some first grade words and adding our second grade words as we go.

My behavior chart for the school-wide color system: "PAWS" to Think: Make a Good Choice.

Love creating a soothing, warm ambience with lamps. Here's my newest addition this year.

My desk... but don't look too closely at the mess!
Can't wait to add some student work to the bulletin board above my desk.

Calendar Math & Student Computers

Math tool boxes

My writing center... Obviously still a major work in progress :)

Kiddo cubbies

Lunch choice graph using the t-shirt magnets (students will write their names on a magnet on the first day)

Mailboxes and Book Boxes

My "Macaroni Table" for guided reading/math groups, conferencing, and interventions.

Classroom Library

View of the room from the back

My new reading hut! Love it :)

Guided Reading Supplies: letter tiles, bells, pointers, martian fingers, wikki sticks, flash cards, post-its, sound cards

Guided Reading Group Names: Terrific Tigers, Hot Hippos, Funky Monkeys, and Flying Pigs

Love these name tags with learning tools on them, i.e. hundreds chart, number line, place value helper, 3D shape chart

The top of my technology cart with all of my teacher supplies

Thanks for stopping by!