A Labor Story

Hello friends!

I apologize for the month long haitus, but we had some very exciting things happening at our house, obviously, and I've been taking in every second of my little one. Being a mom has been a wild ride. And in case you were wondering, we didn't get the nursery quite finished before she came! Oops! It's a good thing she's been sleeping in our bedroom so she wouldn't feel left out of the club.

I've written and re-written this post about a million times because I want to share Emi's birth story but because it is rather extensive I didn't want you to nod off before getting to the juicy stuff. Juicy stuff... yuck... probably not a great phrase to use in relation to having a baby.

Anyway, settle in for a hefty post here, and I'll try to throw in some unexpected jokes or inappropriate comments to keep it entertaining. What can I say? I do it because I love you guys.

Where to start? Where to start? I guess Thursday, the 16th, works.



4/16/15

1:30 pm- Time for my doctor's appointment. I was barely 37 weeks and had been dilated to a one the week before with 70 percent effacement. To say I was eager to see if I had progressed further wouldn't be true. I was ECSTATIC. So much in fact that when Matt told me he didn't want to come to the appointment with me I was majorly miffed! Hello, didn't he want to be there to share in the neat experience of a doctor shoving his hands into my hoo hah?! He's such a fun hater!

2:30 pm- The bad news begins. My blood pressure was 138/94 and that was the second time they took it. That's high. High like John Travolta during the 2014 Oscars. Doctor's really hate high blood pressure during pregnancy because it can lead to pre-eclampsia so I was sent to Labor and Delivery for labs, fetal monitoring and to have my blood pressure checked every five minutes. That'll teach Matt for not coming with me, right? I don't think he's ever driven as fast as he did to get there to be with me.

3:00 pm- By the time Matt arrived I was hooked up to the monitors and deep into some Spa Music Radio on Pandora. I'd have done anything to bring my pressures down! Of course, between the threat of induction and the nurse teaching me how to do a 24 hour urine sample (ew) I was not being very successful. Fast forward a few hours and I got the fatal blow. I had to be induced. (side note- I didn't have to do the urine sample. small victory).

I cried. I'm going to be honest about it. I was devastated. My coworkers were throwing a baby shower for me the next day! I didn't have a nursing bra yet! We hadn't finished her nursery! I wasn't ready. And I certainly wasn't mentally, emotionally, or physically (if you know what I mean) prepared to have the baby.

4/17/15

9:00 am- After a restless night including Matt finishing what he could of the nursery and a couple of long, hot showers for me, we grabbed our hospital bags and headed to the OBGYN. They wanted to check my blood pressure again and do an ultrasound.

10:08 am- "The baby is measuring 35 weeks, 5 pounds 10 ounces, in the 11th percentile for weight." BAM. My baby had stopped growing at 35 weeks. I was going to have a "late preterm baby" that was "small for gestational age." Emiline was "tiny." That last one wasn't a medical term, but it was true. My baby was a peanut, a shrimp, a teeny weeny little thing likely to end up in the NICU. This was so not part of my plan.

11:56 am- Pitocin was started. Now, there's this really fun thing doctors sometimes do for an induction if you aren't very dilated called a cervical balloon. Don't be deceived by my smile. It was actually H-E-double hockey sticks. Imagine the worse cramps of your life and magnify that by 400. FOUR HUNDRED! Sorry, I just really need you to pity my poor soul. 

Between 3:00 and 4:00 pm- I was trying to stick it to the man and not get the epidural until I absolutely needed it but the actual devil himself was in my belly! My saving grace was otter pops, 80s music, and of course that dang epidural.

CONFESSION- 

I'm secretly crunchy and had been practicing meditation
and relaxation techniques for weeks in preparation for a natural labor.
Curse you high blood pressure. I will never get the chance now because epidurals are HEAVENLY. There's no going back. 

8:17 pm- Time for more magic juice. I developed this pain in my left cheek and I don't mean on my face. It felt like siatica or like when you sit on the floor for too long and your bum falls asleep except it was only a small portion. The anesthesiologist gave me a super dose because I was only dilated to a five and they didn't expect me to have the baby any time soon. Having complete loss of sensation led to some hilarious times. I'll explain more in a later post. You won't want to miss it *wink wink*. 

9:30 pm- I decided to take a little nap since everyone told me I wouldn't be having the baby for hours. Rumor has it, "It takes 60-90 minutes to dilate one centimeter once you reach a five." Well, that is a dang lie! Okay, not really, but it sure was for me! 

9:51 pm- I woke up to the pain of contractions- not the unearthly, would rather have a needle in my eye pain I had from the cervical balloon, but there was definitely something going on. I've heard contractions described as "pressure" by those who've had epidurals before, but that's not really what it was like for me. I didn't feel the need to push, I didn't have the "I need to go to the bathroom" sensation either, it was just something. To go from not being able to feel anything to suddenly having any sort of sensation was a lot like being doused by a bucket of cold water- not painful, but enough to send a shock through your system. 

10:12 pm - The "pain" had gotten to the point where I wanted to be checked. Who knew you'd want someone stick their fingers downstairs, but dang, I'll tell you what, when you're anxious to get your baby into the world you don't care who does what or how often they do it. I'm sure that the poor lady that answered when I pressed my call light thought I was four years old. "Um... I'm in a lot of pain...". Eloquent, I know. But guess what! I was dilated to 9 and 3/4. Take that pessimists! I was going to have this baby before midnight! The nurse told me she was going to give me about 20 minutes to fully dilate and then....

IT WAS GO TIME!!! 

Emiline Paula Lish

Welcome to the world!

Emiline came into our family three weeks earlier than expected on April 17, 2015 at 11:05 pm. 

To say we are in love would be a gross understatement. 

Some things never change

Old News-

•  Crap-tastic skin. I have never had such horrible skin in my life. Not even as a pre-pubescent teenager did I have to worry about zits like I do now. My face is splotchy and oily and just yuck. No thank you, pregnancy glow, no thank you. 

• Acid reflux. Honestly since about 18 weeks I've had this problem mostly under control. But, occasionally, as a rude reminder that it's still around, I'll have boiling hot lava trying to break through my esophagus and kill me. It's really a neat experience. 

• Moving. In general, I don't waddle, but do not make me get off of the couch, roll out of bed, or sit on the floor without taking into consideration that I do not bend anymore. I'm like one of those fat puppies that can't roll over because they're chubby rolls are in the way. It's not quite as adorable as that, however. Matt's been a real good sport about pulling me up and off of things. True love exists. 

So, that's it. This is where I'm at and with the exception of some mild panic at the soon arrival of this sweet baby girl, I think I'm doing okay. Some days aren't fun... at all, but that's life. So many people have asked if I'm just ready to be done already, and honestly, being pregnant has been kind of a grand adventure. There have been ups and downs. There have been days that getting out of bed has been a serious challenge. I've wished I could sleep on my stomach. But, most of the time I feel good. I actually forget that I'm pregnant more often than I should until I spill my cereal on my watermelon tummy and remember that I'm growing a human. I would take better skin and a closet full of clothes that fit, but that comes back. I'm only going to be pregnant with this little person this one time. Maybe my next pregnancy I'll throw up the entire time or maybe I'll have flawless skin. I'm just trying to take things one day at a time and be grateful for each second I have of this special bonding with my baby. It's not always easy, but it's absolutely worth it. Here's to hoping she stays in until I have her nursery finished. 

Love, 

Cami 

The Bad and Ugly

New and NOT fun things-

• Swollen ankles. What the heck? I have gone my entire pregnancy with zero swelling- no sausage fingers, cankles, pregnancy face, NOTHING. Then, this week happened. BAM! My poor little feet feel so sad! I was actually so emotional about it on Tuesday (the first real day I had swelling) that I almost had a meltdown at work. You can thank the pregnancy hormones for that. 

• No room for food. I mentioned above that it's great not having to worry about food babies, but the truth is, there is no room for a food baby. I would like to blame my sister for this. I had been in eating mode for weeks until she asked me on Saturday if I had a hard time eating full meals because the baby was squashing my stomach. I proudly told her no. The next day, I couldn't eat barely anything. My pre-pregnancy body thanks you, Amanda.

• Late night pee sessions. I really can't complain. I wake up maybe once a night for a bathroom run ever since I was about 32 weeks. Not too shabby, right? Right. Still, super inconvenient when you're having dreams about hanging out with One Direction (yes, I am twelve years old. You can blame pregnancy hormones for that one, too).

This is a shorter list than I expected to write. To be honest, yeah, there are some other things that aren't so fun to be dealing with, like the awkward position in which I have to sit to tie my shoes or the fact that she likes to play punching bag with my gallbladder, but hey, I'm growing a human! That's kind of amazing. 

Fingers crossed my feet go back to normal after I have her!

ONE MONTH to go and some lists

Monday was my official ONE MONTH mark! 

Take that in for a minute. 

ONE MONTH and I'm going to be a Mom. I am so freaked out and excited I don't know what to do with myself. 

Can you believe how fast this pregnancy has flown? I realized today that I have been really pretty awful about documenting everything that has happened and changed and stopped, etc, etc. I feel like my mind is so full of baby doings that I can't hardly form a full sentence anymore. I think they call this pregnancy brain. 

I originally wrote a post full of all of the "stuff" that I'm experiencing right now, but TBH (too be honest, I just found out what that stands for and I'm trying to fit in with the cool kids, so I thought I'd use it) it was kind of overwhelming to read. I wanted to update you on how I'm doing, what's new, what's old, what's awful, etc. But, because I love you guys, I decided to break it up into three separate posts. 

POST NUMERO UNO: 

New and fun things- 

• Baby showers. I love baby showers. There is something entirely more fun about a baby shower than any other kind of shower, or party for that matter. Everything is miniature! It's cute and soft and ruffled! And the toys- oh my heck- don't get me started! I've gotten the most adorable trinkets and dolls and bunnies, so many bunnies! I've been totally spoiled with what I've received and couldn't be more grateful for the incredibly giving people in my life. This baby is going to be so spoiled!

• You never have a food baby, because you have a real baby. Seriously, you never know if you feel big because baby had a growth spurt or because you ate an entire steak burrito with tortilla chips! And, who cares!? You're growing a little human! 

• My hair finally decided to act like I'm pregnant and has gotten intensely thick over the past month. Some people would think this is a bad thing, and it does make blow drying take extra long, but I feel kind of like a super model. Do super models have thick hair? 

• Baby kicks... and punches... and dance parties. This baby LOVES to move! All day long she practices her contemporary dance moves and makes this momma so happy. Unfortunately my dance skills are lacking so I'm sure her technique is terrible, but it's fun to have the constant reminder that she's okay. 

I'm sure there are so many things that I'm forgetting! Oh pregnancy brain, you win again.

Hugs and Kisses,

Cami and baby 

What to do when your husband leaves you (for the weekend)

I realized halfway through typing the title of this post that unless I clarified what I meant by "leaves" people might get the wrong idea! Have no fears, I'm talking temporary leaving- like the kind after a Target trip. You can't stay away for long!

Now that we have that out of the way... I have felt like a part time widow this year. My poor little Matty poo (he hates it when I call him that. "I'm an adult.") has been traveling a few times a month since December to Vegas for work. I should be grateful, right? He has this awesome job that allows him to do most of his work from our apartment and all that's required is a few paid for trips down to his homeland a couple times a month. I don't know how people go months without seeing their spouse! One day and I start getting shaky from withdrawls. I'm kind of pathetic, actually, I just really really like him. But, I've been working on it AND I have come up with a few ways to survive when you're husband leaves you (temporarily).

1. Eat all of the food in the house- no need to go shopping. It's only you and you can eat every last morsel of that Special K with strawberries for dinner... and dessert.

2. Watch as many episodes of "your show" on Netflix as you can without feeling guilty- for me it's usually three. Then I have to switch to sappy chickflicks or DCOMs.

3. Pin everything- desserts seem to help with the loneliness in a way that only desserts can.

4. Attempt to make said Pinterest dessert- you'll feel better if it has the word "skinny" or "healthy" in it. Ain't nobody got time to waste on exercising while he's gone.

5. Paint your toenails/fingernails- do it right in the middle of the living room, and if you're really feeling risky, don't use anything "in case of spills." He'll never know... unless, of course, he comes home to a mint green nail polish spot on the carpet.

6. Break down and text him- it's not crazy because you're already married.

*evidence that: 

A- I really did eat all of the food in the house

and

 B- I really did text him multiple times in a row.*

I didn't even last until 8:00 pm. 

Sad. So so sad. 

7. Use that burst of motivation you got from having him text you back to clean the house- or don't. It's up to you.

8. Go to bed- all of that loneliness is exhausting.

9. Repeat as necessary.


My life is kind of embarrassing isn't it? If only you could hear my incessant giggles right now. I think I'm hilarious, despite being moderately pitiful.


Yours, in all her glory,

Cami

R E N O V A T I O N

Oh. My. Heck. Who else is OBSESSED with my new template? Cue the happy dance.

....dance.... dance.... dance.... dance dance...

My beautiful friend Maddie from college is starting her blog design business and I offered to be her test drive dummy. I think this is the best decision I've made this year. Wait, let me think about it..... Yep, definitely the best decision so far! But, it was also probably one of the hardest I've had to make. I know, poor me, my life is so hard. I can't be the only one that finds it nearly impossible to make menial decisions, though, am I right? I take these things way too seriously, but hey, everyone needs a hobby right? Mine just happens to be freaking out over font size and color palettes. It's no big deal.

*sigh*

Okay, rant over, and if your blog needs a facelift too email maddie and maddiclinedesign@gmail.com! She will change your little blogging life and leave you on blogger cloud nine.

Love,
Cami