There are only a few more months to go before Nick and I have a baby. A son. A living, breathing little human that is going to be dependent on us for EVERYTHING. Holy Crap! In all seriousness, though, we’re getting pretty excited. And I’m getting a little nervous, especially about labor & delivery. I’m trying to remain calm and positive about it so I don’t freak myself out. The last thing I need is a traumatic birthing experience. To all the mamas out there, I’d love to hear about your positive experiences/moments in the comments! No negative or scary stories, please. It’s not good for my psyche.

On to the baby stuff…

baby size: Approximately 3.75 pounds (about the size of a large jicama or bok choy) and about 16.7 inches long. Although it still looks fairly small, my belly is measuring right where it should be at 32 cm (also known as fundal height).

cravings: Though not as intense, I’m still craving cereal and I eat a bowl (or two) each day. We’ve gone through A LOT of milk! Baby S should have the strongest bones on the block when we arrives. The past month I’ve been chowing down mostly on Rice Krispies cereal with bananas. I passed my gestational diabetes test (meaning I don’t have GD) but we discovered that I’m slightly anemic (losing iron to the baby) which is very common in pregnancy, so my doctor has advised me to add more meat, beans, and leafy green vegetables to my diet. No big deal. The good news is that Rice Krispies are enriched with iron so my bowl or two a day is probably helping.

I have a serious cereal problem!

movement: Baby S is moving around so much! Before, I was mostly feeling him in the evenings but now it’s all the time: mornings, evenings, middle of the afternoon, when I wake up to pee in the middle of the night, when we’re in childbirth class… He’s even kicked my ribs a few times, which is painful. I’ll be sitting on the couch and feel a sharp jolt in my ribs that makes me jump. I gently ask him to kick somewhere else. Luckily, he doesn’t do that very often but I imagine bruised ribs all the same. He also gets the hiccups several times a day, usually after I eat a meal or drink something really cold. As weird as it is, I love feeling him moving around and I think that might be the only thing I’ll miss about being pregnant once he’s here.

miss anything?: I miss being able to comfortably bend over to do things like put on socks, tie my shoes, and pick up things off the floor. My belly is pretty big for my small frame and it’s been getting in the way of certain things. I also miss getting to wear all of my clothes! I have so many cute skirts and pants that just aren’t comfortable with my belly band. Same with some of my cute tops — they just don’t fit over the belly so they’re all just sitting patiently in my closet until I can fit into them again. I could purchase more maternity clothes but I only have a few more months and plenty of non-maternity things that fit, plus the budget could be better spent elsewhere.

how we’re prepping: We’re still working on the nursery, but we’re so close! We’ve had two small baby showers already with one more planned  for next month (which is a little embarrassing to admit that we’re having so many but it was really hard to get all of our people in one place at the same time) so we’re still stocking up. Most of the furniture is in and most of the decor is finished. We’re just missing a few pieces like a rocking chair/glider.

We’re also reading as many books and taking as many classes as we can. I’m actually really interested in Hypnobirthing so I’ve been reading books and resources on that method of pain management, and Nick has been reading books and articles about how to be a great support person (he’s going to be amazing, I know it). Last week we took a childbirth class, this week we’re taking a tour of the Labor & Delivery unit of the hospital and a newborn care class, and in a few weeks we’ll be taking breastfeeding classes. I’m learning so much!

looking forward to: Completing the nursery so we have one less thing I have to worry about. Feeling like I’m ready, although, will I ever feel ready? Probably not.

best moment so far: I already mentioned this last week, but I was concerned that I wasn’t gaining enough weight. My midwife said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad.

Holy cow, when did I become six months pregnant? It feels like the time is both flying and creeping along. March will be here before you know it, but let’s get through these holidays first, shall we? In the last few weeks, I think I’ve started experiencing every pregnancy symptom there is when you’re in the second trimester, which has been rough considering I went from no symptoms to ALL of them. I experience a lot of gas pain/pressure in my ribs and back, getting comfortable has become increasingly difficult, and I get breathless just sitting on the couch! I’ve been trying to do some prenatal yoga to help me feel better. But, enough about that!

baby size: 11.8ish inches and 1.3ish lbs, about the size of a large zucchini or ear of corn. He’s now considered viable if we were to be born tomorrow!

cravings: Chocolate-y cereal and cookies (fig newtons and sugar cookies). Y’all, the amount of sweets I’ve been eating this pregnancy has been unreal. I’ve always preferred salty and crunchy foods over sweets (like chips, fries, and savory cheese) but since becoming pregnant and having cravings, I’ve wanted the sweet stuff. I’m a little concerned that I’ll end up with gestational diabetes or something. I’ve gotten much better about balancing my intake of healthy foods with the sweets, but I still have that bowl of cocoa puffs before bed just about every night.

feelings: Emotionally, I’ve been staying pretty stable. I have had a few days recently where the crying has been free-flowing because of current life situations, but nothing that hasn’t been controllable. I figure I’m allowed to have a little catharsis every now and then. Physically, however, I’m feeling it. Like I mentioned above, I’m having all the symptoms right now and that’s making me a little moody.

movement: Baby boy is moving All. The. Time. I still feel him most in the evenings when I’m relaxing on the couch, but he does randomly kick and punch throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll even feel him moving around in the middle of the night if I wake up from a weird dream or have to go to the bathroom. It worries me just a little on the days he’s really still, but I guess he needs his rest like everyone else.

miss anything?: The holidays are coming up, which means parties and dressing up are just around the corner. Right now, I miss getting to wear all of my pretty and fancy dresses to holiday gatherings. And, while I haven’t done a deep search, it’s been harder than I expected to find a fun, glittery cocktail-style dress for pregnant women.

looking forward to:  Working on the nursery. The crib is up and we’re debating whether we should paint the room before we get any more furniture. Initially, I wasn’t interested in painting but here lately I’ve been changing my mind. We’re going with a woodlands/forest theme so I’m thinking we might paint at least one wall light blue and then put up a tree decal and paint some clouds. It seems like a lot of work so we’ll see what we end up deciding.

how we’re prepping: We’re still adding items to our registry to prep for baby showers. I have very little experience with babies so I’m practically clueless when it comes to knowing exactly what they’ll need besides a bed, food, and diapers. I’ll add a bunch of things to the registry and then remove them, and sometimes add them back! Do we need a changing table or should we invest in a dresser with a changing pad? Which mattress is best? What are the pros and cons of everything?  Ugh, it’s very overwhelming.

best moment of the month: Not specifically related to the pregnancy but I really enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with our families, some of whom haven’t seen the bump in a while, if at all. I love family so getting to spend the holiday with them while we’re prepping for our own little family was one of the best things to happen this entire year.

That’s it for now. Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s updates.

Linkups: Let it Shine

20 weeks!

I’m 20 weeks along now and super excited that I’m finally halfway there. In the early days, it felt like this moment would never get here and even now, it feels like the baby itself will never get here. Hurry up March! My pregnancy has been very calm so far. I was expecting to experience all of the horrible symptoms of pregnancy like bad morning sickness, food aversions, and out-of-control emotions. However, I was extremely lucky and only experienced a little bit of morning sickness and some fatigue; it was very manageable! The only food aversions I had were coffee, which went away as I entered my second trimester, and onions, which actually got stronger as I entered my second trimester. And I’m finally starting to get that little baby bump!

But enough about that. On to my current stats!

baby size: According to my Glow Nurture app, the baby weighs about 10.5 ounces and is 10 inches long – about the length of a small banana.

cravings: Smoothies. As with most of my cravings (even pre-pregnancy), if I saw someone consuming something that looked delicious I’d want it. About two weeks ago, I saw someone drinking a smoothie and I’ve wanted one ever since. While I haven’t made to a smoothie king, I’ve made do with Bolthouse Farms and other smoothie drinks from the grocery store. But you have to be careful with those; they can have a ton of sugar!

feelings: I haven’t been nearly as emotional as I thought I would be but I’m noticing the tears come much easier these days. It wasn’t unusual to find me crying during a movie or at a sweet video or commercial but now I can just see someone crying and it’ll bring tears. I’ve also noticed that I get irritated a little quicker than I did before, but luckily it doesn’t last long. Otherwise, I still have my sunny disposition 🙂

best moment of the month: By far, the most amazing moment of my entire pregnancy so far was the first time I felt the baby move. At 16 weeks, I read that I could start feeling movements at any moment (it’s called “quickening”) and I kept researching what women said it felt like, hoping I had felt it/would feel it soon. They described the feeling as flutters or gas bubbles. It wasn’t until I was about 18 weeks that I finally felt it! I was lying on the couch in the evening, watching TV and playing on my phone, when I felt the little muscle spasms-flutters in my stomach. It took me a second to realize what it was, but when it clicked, I was so excited. I feel them pretty much once a day now, usually in the evening before bed when I’m relaxing on the couch, and I absolutely love it.

movement: See above.

miss anything?: The only thing I think I really miss right now is roller coaster rides. Not that I’m an avid amusement park attendee, but seeing signs for Carowind’s or Busch Garden’s Halloween attractions made me realize I couldn’t go right now even if I wanted to. Just the thought of not being able to do something as fun as that makes me miss it, even when I had no plans to do it in the first place!

looking forward to: The anatomy scan next week. I’m anxious to find out whether the baby is healthy and growing as expected, and to confirm the sex. Also, Thanksgiving with our families. Many of our family members haven’t seen the bump yet so it’s going to be a lot of fun. Plus, FOOD!

how we’re prepping: Slow and steady at the moment. We started our Centering Pregnancy class but we haven’t gotten very far with the nursery. That’s pretty common, right? We’ve put up new curtains, bought a few cute decorations, and measured the closet for an upgrade. My mother is giving us the crib she used when she babysat my nephews. I love scoring free baby gear!  I think once the crib set up, everything else in the nursery will fall into place.

Linkups: Let it Shine 

Sebastian’s birth, much like my entire pregnancy, was pretty uneventful. Everything went so smoothly thanks to the amazing work of my medical care team, all of the information and preparation I received from my midwives leading up to birth, and the care we received from the labor and delivery nurses in the hospital. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. So, if you’re in need of a happy, positive story to ease your own nerves about labor and delivery, I gladly offer up mine. Just keep in mind that every person’s experience will be different.

March 24th was the magical date my son was expected to enter the world. I knew from the very beginning that he wouldn’t be born on his estimated due date, as only about 5% of babies are, and I truly believed he wouldn’t arrive until April based on more recent research for predicting when babies to first-time moms would be born. Nonetheless, I still felt a little disappointed when we watched March 24th come and go with no baby.

This was only two days passed my due date.

And then a week passed and the doctor’s appointments started to double up: two per week to check amniotic fluid and to perform non-stress tests to make sure the baby was doing all right. When the thought of my complication-free pregnancy turning into an emergency situation entered my mind and my midwives started talking about induction, I got really nervous and was even more ready for the baby to get here. And if he didn’t get here soon, I would be induced on April 6th, almost two weeks after my due date. Luckily, I wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

Non-stress test at 41 weeks

Saturday night, April 1, I started having light contractions around 11:30 pm. I had experienced some mild cramp-like sensations the previous week but they eventually faded away, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up this time around. However, when 4 AM rolled around and they weren’t going away, I knew it was the real thing. We alerted the family that it had begun. Although the contractions were getting slightly stronger, they were still few and far between. I labored at home for the majority of the day on Sunday, April 2, until about 7 PM when the contractions started hitting the sweet range of 4-1-1 (contractions happening every 4 minutes, each lasting 1 full minute, and have been that way for 1 hour) and we decided to head to the hospital. When we checked in and the midwife measured me, I was already dilated about 6 cm! I labored at the hospital for another 5 hours until my contractions were lasting about 2 minutes each and were about 2-3 minutes apart.

At this point, I had been progressively contracting for more than 24 hours and I was completely exhausted. The contractions felt much more painful when I was sitting or lying down so I stayed on my feet almost this whole time. I was walking around, swaying, and breathing through each one. Every time I would feel one coming on, I would grab Nick’s wrists and we would sway together while I breathed deeper than I have ever breathed in my life. I could tell he was getting tired, too, because he had to stand there and sway with me through each 2-minute contraction and then do it again less than 3 minutes later. I was seriously so tired that all I wanted to do was sit down, rest, and even sleep. The only way to do that was to get an epidural, which I had been against the entire 41 weeks I was pregnant.

But exhaustion is a powerful thing. It will make you act in ways you never thought you would, and for me, it was agreeing to get the epidural. Honestly, I’m not sure I would have had the energy or strength to bring my son into the world if I hadn’t. That’s not to say I didn’t struggle with the decision because I certainly did.

For hours I wrestled with whether I wanted it or not. I was tired, drained of energy, and I wanted to sleep but I was scared of the procedure and I thought it would make me feel like I had lost control of the situation. In the end, the exhaustion won and, around midnight on April 3rd, I asked for the epidural. And I have to admit to you now that this was THE. BEST. decision I could have made for myself. Sure, I lost all the feeling in my legs but I was able to sleep for about 6 hours and when the time came, I was more than ready to deliver my sweet baby boy.

I think the only real downsides to the epidural were that it made me feel a little nauseated and it slowed my contractions while I slept. I vomited once and the nurses gave me some anti-nausea medicine, which also helped me sleep. In the morning, when I woke up, they gave me a tiny bit of Pitocin to get the contractions back up to speed. Around 8 AM, the midwife checked me one final time and could actually see Sebastian’s head starting to make its way down! Everyone in the room – my midwife and nurse, my parents, Nick, and I – started to get ready for delivery. Amazingly, I only had to push for about 20 minutes or so and at 8:50 in the morning, he made his entrance into this world.

Welcome to the world, Sebastian!

Sebastian Armando was born on April 3, 2017, weighing 6 lbs 11 oz, measuring 21 inches long, and sporting a full head of hair. His eyes were open and he was completely alert when they laid him on my chest. He looked up at me and I smiled. Nick kissed his little head and the world just seemed to be right. It was the most breathtaking moment I think I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Sebastian’s birth day

He’s the most perfect little being in the whole world and I’m already so in love with him that it hurts. I love his hair, his smell, all of his adorable little sounds, and even his loud angry cries when he feels he isn’t being fed quickly enough. He’s so very chill just like his father but can get very feisty like me. He’s the absolute best! And I’m very excited to see where this journey is going to take us.

First night home, cuddles with daddy

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in mommy hood.

xo,
Nikki

*This post was originally published on 4/13/2017 and has been slightly updated in honor of Sebastian’s second birthday today.*