#GrandfinaleBaby's Birth Story

Well this post feels like a long time coming. It's Christmas Eve and for the first time in a long time I actually have time to sit down and blog.

This birth story isn't very long or traumatic but I'm sharing it because the aftermath of the delivery is where I think most people will find solace in knowing they are not alone.

As you know I struggled with high blood pressure and symptoms of preeclampsia during my pregnancy. On November 4th (Wednesday) I was admitted to the hospital after a routine growth scan appointment due to my blood pressure being high. The Doctor explained to me that he thought it would be best for me to stay in the hospital until the baby was delivered. My original due date was December 26.

That morning I had gone to the doctor alone. Once the doctor said that he was admitting me I informed him that I would need to go back home to swap cars with my husband and pack a bag. I was driving the car with the car seats and strollers in it and because I had refused to pack a bag (despite my husband's constant suggestions to do so...) I really did need to go home.

So I went home, updated my husband about what was about to happen and we packed a bag and got me back up to the hospital after driving thru Chick Fil A to grab what felt like my last supper.

We arrived back at the hospital and I was immediately taken back to my room in Labor and Delivery. Initially I thought I would just be "living" there until we were much closer to my due date. But then my blood pressure spiked. It was so high that I had to be put on magnesium. Again. I hate magnesium. I think most people do. Magnesium makes you feel like you're having an outer body experience mixed with hot flashes and the flu.

Once you're on the mag (as the doctors call it) you have to stay in bed (because your risk of falling increases) and you're not allowed to eat. Luckily, I had eaten that CFA right before being admitted so I wasn't starving.

The next day was a different story. I was hungry. They were able to get my blood pressure down (by IV) but unfortunately my 24 hour urine sample showed that protein was spilling over into my urine. Your urine sample number shouldn't exceed 300 and my sample came in at 800. Not good.

That's when the team of doctors came in and told me that I would have to deliver the baby because I had developed severe preeclampsia. I had so many different feeling about delivering early. Is my baby going to be okay? Is my situation really that bad? Can't they monitor me for a few more weeks? What are the chances that I'd really have a stroke or a seizure?

I was scared and nervous but at the same time I knew I couldn't let those fears get me upset. I needed to stay calm so I could think rationally about what was about to happen and what the next couple of months would be like. I asked my nurse if someone from the NICU could come talk to me because I knew he would have to spend some time there after the delivery.

The NICU doctor came in and gave me the run down of all of the worst case scenarios. He told me he would come back by again in the morning to make sure I didn't have any questions. When he came back in the morning (Friday) I felt like the entire hospital staff came with him...

Now if you remember I got pregnant after having my tubes tied two years ago. My doctors wanted to talk to me about that and how they would "try their best" to make sure my tubes were really done this time. I got a refresher from the NICU, I met my nurses and the anesthesiologist. Before they began to prep me for surgery I called my Grandfather who's a Reverend and asked him to pray for me. My Grandfather has the most soothing voice. After talking to him I was so calm and I felt so strong. I was ready to walk through this journey, prepared for whatever the results may be...

My husband and I were prepped for surgery and we headed back to the operating room. It was the same room that I delivered Little Mike in two years ago. My husband waited outside while they got me up on the table and gave me an epidural. Normally I am freezing in the OR but I was given warm blankets during my delivery this time and I appreciated that so much.

My husband was escorted into the room and my surgery began. At 4:19pm on November 6 we welcomed our son Moses into our family. He weighed in at three pounds even and he had the tiniest little cry...

My husband and the baby went to the NICU while my doctors finished up my surgery. I spent the next two days in the hospital recovering from the surgery, pumping colostrum and learning as much as I could about the NICU journey.

In the next post I'll recap our NICU journey and share somethings that I think would help you if you ever find yourself in this same situation. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experience with preE and the delivery of our #grandfinalebaby. 

Has anyone experienced preeclampsia? Share your story with me in the comments...

Chic Bump Watch: NSTs & BPPs

I have reached that point in my pregnancy where I'll be going to see the doctor quite a bit. This week I started my non stress tests. I go  twice a week to make sure the baby is doing okay and that my blood pressure isn't spiking too high.

A non stress test doesn't last too long but if your baby is sleepy during the test (and doesn't "pass") you'll be given what's called a BPP (bio physical profile). A BPP is an ultrasound that checks for baby's breathing and movement. During all of my pregnancies my babies slept right through their NST but would pass the BPP with flying colors.

I wasn't suppose to start my testing for another couple weeks but my doctors thought that it would be best to have me go ahead start them now. I learned during Little Mike's pregnancy that a little extra monitoring never hurts and it can be the best thing for you. During his pregnancy we learned that I needed to deliver after a BPP. My fluid had leaked and if it wasn't for my NST/BPP appointments we may not have found out about that until it was too late.

So that's where I'm at right now. I go to testing twice a week and I still have my regular doctor visits every two weeks too. I try to have all of my appointments line up on the same days and around the same times but that doesn't always happen. 

As we cruise into the end of the month and into November I can't help but think about how close we are to meeting our #grandfinalebaby! 

Anyone else do NSTs while pregnant?

Chic Bump Watch: 25 Week Update

How far along? 25 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes. I find most of my maternity clothes from ASOS, H&M, Old Navy and Ross. My Oopsie Loops bands help make some of my non-maternity jeans fit but I prefer actual maternity jeans.

Stretch marks? No. I do get spider veins though...

Sleep: There are nights when I sleep like a husband and there are nights when I sleep like a newborn baby.

Best moment this week: I have several. Being home with my family, having my parents come visit to help me and getting some really great blood pressure numbers during my follow up appointment.

What do I miss about pre-pregnancy? Wine, working out and medium rare steaks...

Movement? Yes. #grandfinalebaby moves a lot, mostly at night.

Food cravings? Not really. I do enjoy spicy foods and snacks though.

Anything making me queasy or sick? Hearing someone blow their nose (which grosses me out when I'm not pregnant), smelling morning breath and hearing someone clear their throat.

Gender: We DO know the gender.

Labor signs? Nope.

Symptoms: I is big. I is tired. I is pregnant.

Belly button in or out? Out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Mood swings? My personality has definitely shifted. My tolerance level is not as high as it normally is which is causing me to be snappy and maybe a little mean.

Looking forward to? I am looking forward to enjoying the rest of my pregnancy, Savannah's birthday party and the Fall season.

Chic Bump Watch: #GrandFinaleBaby

Hi there everyone!

I'm back from what seems like the longest blogging hiatus ever. I really wanted to blog but to be honest I was just sick and tired, literally. You never realize how much energy you have until it's gone.

If you follow me on Instagram or if you tuned into to my Periscope premiere then you already know that I am currently expecting our third little bundle of joy. I like to refer to this baby as our "grand finale baby". It's our last baby and my very last pregnancy (I think.) Now that I am no longer hovering over a toilet or trash can all day and glued to my couch I am very excited about embracing the last two trimesters of this pregnancy.

My first trimester sucked. It was a mess and I am so glad that it's over. 

I wasn't sure when I was going to share the news about our new baby. It took a while for me to get over the fear that something bad might happen again. After lots of prayer I knew that the only way to release myself of that fear would be to start telling people I was pregnant. I have to trust that everything will be okay and just enjoy this journey.

Here is the announcement I used for Instagram. I decided to use the vision board that I created to share our news! 

So. If you were wondering where I've been now you know. I still have all the same plans for this space and now that my energy is picking up again you can expect to see more of me here and on social media. 

How has everyone been? Tell me what's new with you!

A Personal Story...

Hi everyone.

Things were a little slow around here over the summer. I wasn't sure if I was going to blog about it but it only seems right to share a little about what I've been up to all summer.

This summer was a crazy one. Quite possibly the longest weeks of my life were from July 6 to September 2. That's not an over exaggeration or a comparison to garner sympathy. It was really the toughest summer I think I've ever had.

On July 6th I found out I was pregnant. Initially, I was extremely shocked because I had a tubal after Little Mike. If you remember, I was born with a mullerian anomaly (septate uterus or bicornuate uterus - verdict is still out on which one I have - results coming soon). I only have one tube (which was "tied") and one ovary so you can imagine that I was very surprised when I learned of this pregnancy.

I was able to get in and see my doctor that week. She did confirm that my pregnancy was in my uterus but there were no signs of viability. We agreed that I'd come back every week until we heard a heartbeat.

I was cool with that. It was still early.

Week after week I'd have ultrasounds done and we never heard or saw anything more than yolk sacs. It was sad and exhausting.

At the beginning of August my doctor started preparing me for the possibilities and educating me on what my options were. I decided to keep waiting. I figured if something was going to happen to turn this pregnancy around I didn't want any type of medical intervention to mess that up.

If it was meant to be it would be and if it wasn't in God's will then I had faith that He would allow my body to naturally go through the process.

It wasn't in His will. As hard as it was for me to accept - it just wasn't. I kept reminding myself that everything works out for our good. Even though I can't see the good right now it doesn't mean that it's not there or that it's not coming. God's plan isn't for me to figure out or analyze. All I can do as a person is walk by faith and know that this too shall pass.

I'll be going to have some more tests done to see what exactly is going on inside my body within the next couple of weeks.

This summer taught me a lot about myself. Everything isn't always in my control and I can't always fix everything. That's not what faith is about. I wish things had been different and I wish I had another amazing summer break story to share but this is what's going on in my life right now.

Hopefully this post helps or encourages someone. Thank you to all of my friends and family that supported us this summer. It means more than you'll ever know.

I am at peace with how this summer went. I'm not sad or upset or angry. These past couple of months didn't change my outlook on life or how God works. He's still Almighty and I trust Him...