Charles Ross Griesenauer was born on Sunday, July 21 at 3:56 pm but for
me his birth story starts on his due date, Thursday July 18. I had a
dr. appointment that morning. At my previous 3 appointments I was told I
had not made any progress and while I went in telling myself not to
expect anything different, I was so disappointed to hear the dr. tell me
I was still closed. My regular doctor was out of town but we had
scheduled a c-section for July 25th before she left. When the dr. told
me I still had not made any progress I felt like I was going to have
that c-section. The dr. was very nice and encouraging and knew how
important having a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) was to me but at
the same time let me know that it might not happen then way I wanted it
to. As soon as she left the room, I burst into tears. I felt so
disappointed in myself and felt like my body was broken. Why wasn't my
cervix dilating? Would it ever? Or would I have to have another
c-section? I knew the end goal was to deliver a healthy baby in
whatever manor but I was so hopeful throughout my pregnancy that I would
be able to deliver vaginally and the thought of another c-section and
the recovery just wasn't what I wanted at all. Not to mention I was so
over being pregnant. The last month or so of my pregnancy was very
difficult and I was more than ready for it to be over and have our baby
join us. Jason comforted me and offered to take me to Bread Co for a
snack before heading back to work. He knew I needed some time before
going to get Peyton at my parents. It was exactly what I needed to pull
myself together and get my emotions in check. As we were leaving, I
told Jason, "This can't be the way it ends. There has to be a story
here. I'm so upset and crying but watch me go into labor tonight" I
wasn't too far off. Peyton and I spent the afternoon at my parents and I
was able to rest and felt much better about things by that
evening. I still felt like this baby was never going to come but I
wasn't as upset and had tried to have faith that my body would cooperate
eventually.
Friday I decided I was going to have a normal day and not think about
things anymore. Peyton and I went to Target that morning and I was
having contractions the whole time we were there. I didn't let myself
get too excited because I'd been down this path before and it always
ended up being a false alarm. These contractions were a bit stronger
though. After walking around Target we went over to my sister's house
for a while. I continued to have contractions but they weren't getting
closer together or stronger. That evening Jason and I took Peyton for a
walk to see if things would pick up. When we got back, I was sitting
on the couch and felt a small gush of something. I went to the bathroom
and saw that I lost my mucous plug! I was so excited to see a sign
that my body was doing something! I told Jason I had never been so
excited to see something so gross! The contractions must be finally
doing their job. I wasn't sure if I would go into labor that night so I
called my parents and they came and got Peyton so she could spend the
night at their house just in case. Jason and I went for another walk
but things still didn't really seem to be progressing. My sister
stopped by and offered her support and encouragement and assured me that
things were starting to happen and it would only be a matter of time
now. After she left, I took a shower and went to bed. Wouldn't you
know the contractions slowed down over night and when I woke up they had
pretty much stopped. Another false alarm.
Saturday evening Jason's parents came over and we went to dinner. While
we were at dinner I started having contractions again about 10 minutes
apart and stronger than before. I must have been making a pained
expression because at one point Jason's dad asked if I was ok. We left
dinner and went home and took another walk. The contractions continued
and were stronger than anything I'd felt before to the point where I had
to slow way down when they came, but again didn't seem to be getting
closer together so I didn't want to call my parents and have them come
get Peyton. I figured it was just another false alarm. But the
contractions never let up and they definitely were getting stronger just
not consistently closer together like I was told they should. After
putting Peyton to bed, I sat on my birth ball and bounced and Jason
rubbed my back through contractions. Neither one of us was able to
sleep so we stayed up and watched TV. At 1:00 I told Jason we should
try to sleep. By this point my contractions were pretty uncomfortable
and there was no way I could sleep through them. I laid in bed
continuing to time them. They were still coming around 10 min apart give
or take and I was waiting for them to get closer to 5 min apart. But
they were getting pretty painful, Just as I was wondering if we should
go to the hospital, I had a contraction and felt two big gushes. My
water broke! It was 2:30 in the morning and I woke Jason up and told
him my water broke and it was time to go the hospital for real this
time! I called my parents and they jumped in the car to come over and
stay with Peyton. As we waited for my parents I got my stuff together
and put make up on. I continued to have contractions and they were
getting stronger and stronger. I felt silly for thinking anything else
was labor. The contractions I had on previous occasions were nothing
compared to these. People are right when they say you will KNOW when
you are really in labor. My parents arrived at 3:00 am and wished us
luck and off to the hospital we went. Now my contractions were finally
coming closer together and getting downright painful. They were about
3-5 minutes apart on the ride to the hospital.
We got to Mercy a little
before 3:30 and were admitted right away. The nurses didn't question
if I was really in labor like they did the previous time we were there.
Again, I felt so silly for thinking I was in labor before. I was able
to walk and talk normally and that was definitely not the case this
time! We got up to labor and delivery and settled in. I had told them
that my water broke and they wanted to make sure it had - which at the
time really annoyed me. I knew it had but they weren't able to tell by
just looking so they had to do an ultrasound and swab test to see if it
ferned. They confirmed that my water had indeed broken. The resident
doctor who performed these tests was a complete weirdo and I did not
like him at all. He made me uncomfortable and didn't really seem
confident in what he was doing. Luckily I had a great nurse. While all
of this was going on my contractions had gotten very painful. I was
squeezing Jason's hand for dear life and already telling him I didn't
think I could do it. The nurse asked if I was going to get an epidural
and I said yes, but I wanted to be checked first to see how far along I
was. I had a point in my head that I was aiming to get to before
getting the epidural 4-5 cm. Based on the pain I was feeling, I was
sure I had to be there. So the weird resident doctor checked me. He
stumbled over his words and said "You're a 2 um a 1 uh your pretty
closed." WHAT?! Closed?? You've got to be kidding me. I was so mad!
When the resident left the nurse asked me how uncomfortable the exam
was. Not very. So she asked if she could check me again. I said yes
please do. She checked me again and said You're a 2. I literally told
her I wanted to punch that resident in the face and she agreed. Luckily
his shift was almost over and I did not have to see him again. So at
about 5:30am I was only 2 cm dilated. Not what I was hoping to hear but
it was something. I didn't think I should get the epidural yet, but I
was in so much pain. The nurse told me that the epidural could help me
relax and move things along so I agreed to go ahead and get it. I knew I
needed to get some rest since I hadn't slept at all. While we waited
for the epidural I was in so much pain and asked Jason to go see what
was taking so long and then in the same breath said no don't leave me. I
really was a mess. I had no idea how painful contractions would be and
while I didn't go as far as I wanted without the epidural I know I made
the right decision. I give major props to anyone who goes drug free!
I
got the epidural shortly later and felt so much relief and was able to
relax and rest. I tried to sleep but couldn't turn my brain off. At
7:45am I was checked again and was at a 4. I was making progress which
was a relief! They came to check me again an hour or two later and I
had stalled out a bit so they started pitocin to move things along. At
10:45am I was at a 5. The nurse continued to up the pitocin. She said my
contractions were clustering. I would have a few really close together
and then not have another one for several minutes. Jason and I
continued to try and rest. Around noon my sister came up and brought
Jason some lunch. Torture for me since I couldn't eat anything except
jello or Popsicles! I did eat some jello just to have some energy
since I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before. I also had a
popsicle which was a mistake because I almost choked on it! A chunk
broke off and since I was laying down in bed it slid right down my
throat and got stuck. I was gagging and almost threw up before getting
it down. Kind of freaked out my sister and Jason! My sister left
around 12:45pm and the nurse came back to check me. I was expecting her
to say I was at a 6 or 7 but to my surprise she said I was a 9! I was
shocked! She was surprised too since my contractions were so oddly spaced.
This was really happening and my "broken" body was doing exactly what it
was supposed to! Our baby boy would be here soon!
My timeline gets a little fuzzy here because after that point things got
a little harder. Even though I wasn't in pain it was obvious to me
that my body was working hard. I was exhausted and suddenly got very
nauseous and threw up. The nurse said she would be back in an hour to
check me again. She came back a little before 2 and said there was just
a small amount of cervix left. At some point I was feeling pain in my
right hip. At first I thought it was just from the way I was laying but
it was actually the contractions. The pain was getting worse so I told
the nurse and she called the anesthesiologist to give me some more
medicine in the epidural. I wasn't going to worry about it since I was
getting close but the nurse told me I didn't get the epidural to suffer
through pain. I was so tired at this point that I kept dozing off when
the nurse would leave the room. I got the additional medication and then
the nurse checked me again. She said there still seemed to be a small
amount of cervix but I could try pushing if I wanted to see if it would
just break away I did a few practice pushes and was finally complete.
At some point my hip started hurting again and I was feeling the
contractions so I got a little more medicine before I really started
pushing. I kept saying how tired I was and the nurse asked if I wanted
to wait and rest some more but I said no I just wanted him out. A little
after 3 I started pushing. Even with the epidural I was able to feel
the pressure of the contractions and felt when it was time to push.
Jason was right there holding my leg and the nurse was counting and
instructing me to take deep breaths and then push - I did this 3 times
for each contraction. Eventually she said she could see the head and I
was doing a great job. She told me that when it got to the point that
his head came down and stayed down she would call the dr to come. I'm
guessing it was somewhere around 3:30 when she made that call. At that
point I could feel the baby's head and knew he was right there. I asked
the nurse if we had to wait for the dr and she said we didn't have
to but should. She said he would have an easy job because
the baby was right there and all he would have to do is catch him. As we
waited for the dr the nurse got everything ready and set up. It was so
surreal knowing that I was going to be successful in having a vbac and our
baby would be here so soon. The dr. finally arrived along with several
other people - nurses and another resident dr ( this one looked like
Doogie Howser all grown up, or Barney from How I Met Your Mother and was
very nice). Dr. Super was the dr. on call that day and while I didn't
feel like I knew him that well prior to the delivery he was awesome and I
was happy to have him as my dr. He coached me through the last few
pushes and before I knew it I could see my baby! I remember saying oh
my god oh my god and then collapsing back as he was pulled out. I did
it! He was here! Charlie wasn't able to be placed on my chest right
away because there was meconium in my water and he was covered in it
when he came out! He looked like a little green alien! So the NICU
nurse took him over to the warmer and they made sure he didn't ingest
any of it. Luckily he didn't. The cord was also loosely around his
neck which the dr said probably happened during delivery and wasn't a
big deal. Jason was right with Charlie the whole time and he finally
let out his first cry. It was music to my ears! He was perfectly
healthy. After making sure his lungs were clear of meconium, they
weighed Charlie. Jason and I had both guessed earlier in the day that
he would be high 7's close to 8 lbs. Imagine our surprise when he
weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz! Everyone in the room was
surprised at how big he was! While Charlie was being tended to the dr.
delivered my placenta which was really painful and unpleasant. I asked
him if I had any tears and he wasn't sure yet. After examining me
further he said "No stitches!" only a few minor abrasions. I couldn't
believe it! That big of a baby and no tear! I was really lucky! After
the dr. was done cleaning me up they finally brought Charlie over to me
and placed him on my chest for skin to skin. It was such an amazing
moment. He was so beautiful and I was so happy to finally have him in
my arms. I was able to breastfeed him right away and he did a great job
latching on.
Jason and I called and texted our family and friends and shared the
news! I was on such a high at that point. All of my exhaustion was
wiped away and I felt on top of the world! We were moved to our
postpartum room and Jason's parents came in to visit. Later that
evening my parents brought Peyton up to meet Charlie. I was a little
nervous about how it would go but she did great! Peyton was so happy to
see Jason and me and she was very sweet with Charlie. She sat in bed
with me and held him and kissed him. She was already an amazing big
sister! My brother and Mary came up to visit later that night and my sister and her kids came the next morning. We were so happy to introduce Charlie to everyone!
The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful and went quickly
compared to my stay with Peyton. Recovery has been a million times
easier. I was really sore the next day - my arms and shoulders and abdomen, but I felt pretty good within a couple of days and now at 4 weeks postpartum I feel completely back to normal. I am so
happy with my birth experience. It really was everything I was hoping
for. I had no idea how hard it would be both mentally and physically
but I wouldn't change a thing. I am in awe at what my body was able to
do and there is nothing that compares to delivering my baby and watching
him come into the world just as God intended.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Charlie's Birth Story
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Waiting game
With my due date just one week away we are playing the waiting game over here. I'm getting anxious to meet our little boy and the anticipation is growing each day. Since I had a scheduled c-section with Peyton I didn't have to go through the many "Is this it?" moments or the agony of waiting. We knew exactly when she would be here. I'm trying to keep busy and just focus on my due date and not wonder too much if he's going to come before that. But it's really hard! Especially at night when I'm lying in bed analyzing every twinge in my belly. Luckily I am feeling much better than I did the past couple of weeks and keeping busy with Peyton. I scrubbed the bathroom and cleaned the house more today than I have in weeks so I'm pretty sure nesting has kicked in. Hopefully that's a sign that things will happen soon!
Monday, July 1, 2013
The Home Stretch
I'm in the home stretch of this pregnancy and so ready to meet our little guy! The past couple of weeks have been tough. Beginning with an unscheduled trip to the dr. two weeks ago due to a lot of pain and swelling in my legs. My blood pressure was high so I was sent to the hospital for some tests - all of which came back negative thank goodness but it was a bit scary at the time not knowing if the baby would have to be delivered that day. My blood pressure returned to normal and stayed that way at my appointment later that week. However, the pain and swelling in my legs seemed to get worse. I dealt with swelling with my first pregnancy but not the pain which was awful and became too much for me after dealing with it for a couple of weeks. Last week I was in so much pain and the day ahead seemed so overwhelming that I called my mom and burst into tears. Nothing was relieving the pain in my legs and it was so bad that I could hardly stand up and my legs were so swollen I could barely bend my knee. My mom came over and helped with Peyton and doing things around the house. The next day I called the dr again and she prescribed me a pair of compression stockings. I went to a medical supply place to get measured for them and found immediate relief as soon as they were on. So it looks like I will be wearing them daily until the baby comes.
They are not the most attractive or comfortable things but I am so glad
that I got them. The swelling and pain is still there but it's
tolerable now and doesn't prevent me from going about the day. I feel
much more like myself again - a very pregnant version of myself but
still more myself. I am so thankful to my mom who came over everyday last week to help me. Peyton and I appreciated it very much!
This pregnancy has definitely thrown some curve balls my way and I'm ready for it to be over, but I also can't believe that I'm less than 3 weeks from my due date! It's hard for me to wrap my head around having another child. We've been so blessed with Peyton and it's hard to imagine loving anyone as much as we love her. But every mom of 2+ tells me you just do. Your heart expands and the love multiplies. It's overwhelming to even think about! I'm trying to soak up these last couple of weeks with Peyton and Jason as a family of 3. I am so excited to meet our baby boy and put a face to the little guy that has been growing inside of me for the past 9 months (and constantly kicking me in the right side!). I know he's going to be just as amazing as his sister and I can't wait to hold him in my arms.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Third Trimester
I have finally reached the 3rd trimester! For some reason the second trimester of this pregnancy seemed to drag. I always felt like I should be farther along than I was. Now, with the realization that this little guy will be here in approximately 11 1/2 weeks, I am hoping that time slows down a little bit! We are doing pretty good as far as getting things ready. We have the nursery close to being done. Just need to get a chair and a few finishing touches. I am really happy with how it's coming together. Little buddy has lots of clothes thanks to his cousin Teddy and a lady at my work who was selling a ton of baby boy clothes for really cheap. I just need to get them all washed and put away.
I'm feeling pretty good most days although this pregnancy continues to be harder than my first. I chalk it up to chasing a toddler around all day. My lower back aches from picking Peyton up and playing on the floor but Jason has become a pretty good masseuse :) Heart burn is still killer if I don't keep ahead of it with medication. I'm feeling bigger than ever and swear I was not this big till much later last time. I have been taking a prenatal yoga class at the hospital and really enjoy it. It helps me relax and stretch and I always leave feeling really good. I'm also trying to get out and walk several times a week but it's getting harder to push Peyton in the stroller up the hills in our neighborhood. I may have to alter my route a bit but I'm hoping to stay active for the next couple of months. I'm trying my best to eat healthy but my sweet tooth gets the best of me sometimes!
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| Jason is looking good at 28 weeks ;) |
The baby is doing good. He is super active and I feel sharp jabs and rolling movement all day long. The movement I feel is so different than what I felt with Peyton. I'm hoping this means that he is head down. I have an ultrasound next week to check position. Fingers crossed!
As of today, I am officially a full time stay at home mom! I put in my notice at Maritz about 6 weeks ago and last Thursday was my last day. Jason and I will be forever grateful to my parents for taking care of Peyton for the past year. She has built a strong bond with them that I know will last forever. But I am so happy to have this time home with Peyton before the baby comes and thrilled to be able to stay home with the new baby. I hope to take advantage of the next couple of months with my sweet girl and do a lot of fun things and just soak up this time with her before things change.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The Big Reveal
Jason, Peyton and I had so much fun revealing the sex of baby #2 to our families yesterday! A big thanks to Jason's parents for hosting and my sister for the games and decorations. I'll let the pictures do the revealing :)
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| Mustaches for boy vote and bows for girl. Millie and Merrill were the only 2 girl votes :) |
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| The old wives tales predicted boy by one question |
We are so thrilled to be adding a little boy to our family!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Halfway
It's hard to believe I'm already a little more than halfway through my second pregnancy. It's been a different experience being pregnant while caring for a busy toddler and the first trimester was especially tough. I was much more nauseous this time around and just didn't feel well a lot of the time. I was also very moody and emotional and poor Jason didn't know what version of his wife he was going to get from minute to minute. Luckily I am feeling much better in the second trimester, my energy has returned and my moods have leveled off (for the most part!). I've been nesting a ton already and have organized almost every closet in the house as well as the kitchen cabinets. Jason has enjoyed that part :) I've been feeling the baby kick quite a bit for the past couple of weeks and Jason was able to feel it from the outside this past weekend. I am feeling pretty good most days and my only real symptom lately has been heartburn. I had it last time around as well but don't remember it kicking in this early. My cabinet is stocked with Tums.
My belly has popped in the past couple of weeks and while I feel like it's bigger than last time, after looking at pictures I don't think it is. Just shaped a little differently. My weight gain is exactly the same as last time so all in all I'm pretty on par with my first pregnancy at this point.
I had my 20 week ultrasound on Monday and everything is looking good with the baby. We did find out the sex but are waiting to tell our families on Saturday with a fun little gender reveal party. It's hard to keep it a secret but so far no one has pestered me too much ;) Any guesses as to what we will reveal on Saturday?
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| Left: Pregnant with Peyton Right: Pregnant with Baby #2 |
