Birth2 Story Part 3-SUPER LONG POST

FINALLY, the exciting part! So, like I said before, I was having contraction since 5:30am on March 27th. They were pretty consistent and were definitely true labor pains this time. I decided to go to the birth center around lunch time. I had called everyone who had planned on attending the birth. We loaded all our stuff into the birth center and thought we were ready for a baby to come today! In between contractions, my friend (and photographer) thought she'd take advantage of getting some pictures. These are a few of my favorites:

After about 2 and a half hours of contractions with no signs of progression, the midwife checked for dilation. 

I was only at 2.5 cm!!! WHAT?! That's IT!!?? Ugh! It was going to be a long day. 

 And this was only the beginning! This was a whole new experience for me since, with Paxton, my water broke. And even though my water broke with Paxton, I didn't have contractions until I took castor oil 13 hours later. I had contractions ALL DAY! They got worse and worse as the day went on. At about 10:30 my best friend Virginia suggested we go walk around Walmart to try to get things moving along quicker. *Let me tell you, riding in a car in the middle of contractions, SUCKS* So we walked around Walmart, and I got SO frustrated. It seemed like EVERY time I had a contraction, I was in the way of a worker trying to sweep, or haul boxes. SERIOUSLY!!! DON'T MAKE THE PREGNANT LADY MOVE OUT OF YOUR WAY! YOU MOVE OUT OF MY WAY! Ugh! I was glad Virginia was there to direct 'traffic.' Walmart closes at 11 here, so we headed back home to labor some more. At about 12:30am on March 28th, I called my midwife to see where I was dilation wise and if we could maybe go to the birth center. *ALL I wanted was the tub* So she came to the house and checked me. She said I was about 7.5cm!!! I was seriously expecting, like, 5cm since I took ALL day to even get this far. I was SO happy. We were getting close!...but not close enough. Kathy (midwife) said with the way things had been going all day...slow...that it would probably be at least another 2 hours before she would suggest the tub. *Can you imagine my disappointment?* She said I could go to the birth center if I wanted, but she wouldn't be wanting me in the tub yet. I told her I just want the tub, so she suggested that I wait it out a couple more hours. I decided that was the better decision. So we labored at home some more. Everyone else (Tyler, Grandma and Virginia) took advantage of this time to try to nap. At about 2am the contractions started getting A LOT more intense and I decided to call Kathy and let her know I was ready to head to the birth center. When I got there, it was in the middle of the night (about 2:30am). We were all already exhausted from laboring all day.

Notice the difference in my face from the pictures earlier...much more painful at this point.

Kathy checked Rylan's heart tones as soon as she got there. All was good.

She gave the OK for the student midwife, Dani, to fill the tub for me.

FINALLY!!!

The tub is my friend. It eases the contractions a TON.

My support team is the best.

Especially my husband...I just need him there. He doesn't have to do a thing. Just having him there is enough.

I worked through contraction after contraction for a few hours. And then things started to get really intense...

....and VERY painful.

My water broke...and I FELT it! It was nothing like with Paxton. With Paxton, it was a slow trickle. This time it was a POP and his head thrusting into my pelvis all at once. It hurt like no other! Oh, and it happened DURING a contraction! Not cool.

Kathy was checking Rylan's heart tones and started noticing a drop. This isn't necessarily a concern if the heart tone can come up. So she had me change positions, to see if the baby was just in a funky position and not able to get his heart tone where they should be...

...so she had me lean back and put my feet against the tub. At this point I was feeling urges to push and heart tones still weren't recovering. Now things were getting a bit more time sensitive. Kathy is telling me, "We have to get this baby out now. You can do it." We changed positions again...

I had to stand up!!! HOW do I do that with a head that is RIGHT THERE and having contractions back to back!? But I had my husband there for my support. He is SO strong! I don't know HOW he held me up because while standing, I would have the urge to push and bare down (squat). I pulled on him as hard as I could I bet. But he held firm. I was so grateful for that. Well...after 3 good pushes standing, he still hadn't presented his head yet. So Kathy told me I had to move to the bed (the LAST place I want to be during contractions). Climbing out of the tub and then walking to the bed was no easy task. As soon as I got to the bed, I crashed onto it as another contraction hit. Kathy had planned for me to get on hands and knees, but it just didn't work out that way. 

Grandma was so excited, he was almost here! FINALLY! 

 After about two pushes on the bed, he was born. Let me tell you, these were NOT easy pushes. Kathy wanted that baby out as soon as possible. His heart tones still weren't recovering, and it was worrisome. There was a lot of screaming, at one point I kicked the midwife...there was a reason for it. Rylan had his fist up under his head. She was trying to push it back along with stretching me a bit to help to get him out faster. It hurt SO bad! Tyler had to hold my neck so my chin stayed down. After all that thrashing around, he was born, FINALLY. I was so relieved, and SO exhausted. I couldn't believe it was finally over.

But it wasn't... 

He was having labored breathing. His was having retractions (his stomach was moving, but he was hardly taking breaths). The midwives had checked his lungs for fluid and heard nothing. 

^^^That's my other midwife, Krista.^^^

They were trying to invert him to get any gunk out that they might not have been able to hear. 

Luckily they do delayed cord clamping, so he was getting all the oxygen he needed because my placenta was still pulsating and giving him what he needed. So no worries about brain damage :) Grandma was hysterical, in tears, worried. So was everyone else. I knew everything was going to be fine. Mother's intuition? Not a hint of worry on my face. I trust my midwives. I knew they would take care of him as would Heavenly Father.

I don't have a picture, but they were able to suck out a TON of mucous and fluid out of his lungs. His breathing started to even out after that. I was SO exhausted, I could hardly keep my eyes open.

But things started to settle down.

I finally got to hold Rylan a little bit further from my face so I could get a REALLY good look at him. He was too close for me to get a good focus on him earlier haha.

Exhausted Daddy...

...but still there to help. Such a trooper!

First time trying to feed him. 

Skin to skin with Daddy...I wasn't feeling very good at this point...feeling pretty nauseated from all the juice and food everyone was trying to get in me...but I puked it all back up and felt much better haha!

                                           Here are some fresh, new baby pics..

My chunk a monk!

Baby Toes

10.3 lbs!!

Foot Stamps

Then we had my friend bring Paxton! It was SUPER early in the morning, so he was pretty out of it and tired. And apparently had been up since, like, 4. haha

First time he got to see his baby brother.

Not quite sure what to think yet. :)

All my boys together. <3

NOW he's excited to hold him. ;)

Trying to be so careful

Maybe, still not so sure...

OH! I get it! I'm a big brother! 

I am in love with my boys. Paxton has been such a good big brother. He loves Rylan so much and tries to help where he can. And still loves to hold him! :) It was quite a journey getting him here but so worth it!

And just a few more pictures of Rylan and I, just cause I think they are beautiful. 

All picture credit goes to Alaina Dooley Photography! Thanks so much!

SMILE!!! <3

Thank you to all who attended Rylan's birth! Virginia, Grandma, both midwives, student midwives and of course, my husband. And a HUGE thanks to my friend Clarissa who watched Paxton all day, all night and into the next day while we all caught up on some sleep. :) Love you all!

Birth2 Story Part Two

I am in early labor! I have had light contractions every ten minutes since the night before last. Talk about annoying! I guess it was my body getting ready! I am having painful contractions every 5 minutes, about a minute apart. It's been going on since about 5:30 this morning! I get to meet my baby today! I can't wait! Next you hear from me it will hopefully have my sweet baby boy in my arms, finally!

Baby2 Birth Story Part 1

As I sit here in my bed at 5:30am, unable to sleep, I decided I should start writing about my experiences so far with this birth (which has yet to happen).
Let's start off by saying Paxton spoiled me rotten! Paxton being born 3 weeks early has made waiting until 40 weeks close to unbearable. Also, something different with Paxton was that my water broke, a sure sign that one is in labor. Not this time!
Two Fridays ago, around 9:30 pm, I started to get some stronger, unpainful, contractions. Normally I would ignore the hardness of my belly and pay no mind to these so called Braxton hicks. However, these contractions were still stronger than my normal Braxton hicks. After about a half hour, I began to time them. They were every 5 minutes and lasted about 30 seconds each. This went on for another hour and a half before I decided I should notify my grandma of what was happening per her request to let her know if there was ANY SIGN of labor. Grandma prepared for her 9 hour drive and drove through the night to try to get here in time. After another hour of consistent contractions, I decided I should get some rest before they got too painful, so I went to bed. EVERYTHING STOPPED! So disappointing. Especially since grandma had driven all this way, and still nothing was happening when she got here at 8:30am Saturday morning.
So that week I was determined to get this baby out! I bought two fresh pineapples, a bag of black licorice, I had some red raspberry leaf tea given to me by my midwife and the weather was so nice out that week. That I was walking two times a day for about an hour each time. Well, the food just gave me the runs and walking didn't seem to do much but make my pelvis and hips more sore, especially at night. Walking was still a breeze.
That next Monday I had another midwife appt. I told her what I had been up to and she actually told me to stop walking so much! I was in shock. She told me to cut it down to a half hour every day and to not over do. She pretty much told me to get out of this mentality that he is coming early like Paxton...that I really still had another week until the due date. Not what I wanted to hear! While I was there, I had her check me to see if there was ANY progress going on. And to my disappointment, I was 0% dilated, 0% effaced! and he was still at a -2 station....in other words, nowhere close to delivery. As I came out of the room after changing back into my clothes, my midwife saw the frustration on my face. She told me not to be upset. I looked at her and told her, "I am upset! I'm frustrated! With all the discomfort and pain I have been in, I hoped I'd have had SOMETHING to show for it by now." She reassured me and told me that at the next appointment, if I had progressed, that she could strip some membranes if I wanted her to. At that point I was thinking, "heck yes!"
Today is that day. At 9:45, everything could change.
I went on a walk a couple of days ago and could hardly make it a half an hour. My pelvic bones have been sore and this time I just made things feel even worse. Something had changed in my body. When I got back home, I ran to the store for some dinner for grandma, Paxton and I (yes, grandma is still here). As I entered the store, I definitely felt that "lightning" people always talk about. The baby definitely dropped. It was a weird feeling.
So today, as I imagine how this appt is going to go, I am starting to get a little chicken. One, I have heard how uncomfortable membrane stripping is,. Two, it's hard for me to not feel guilty to Paxton for bringing another child into our hearts and our home. I feel like I am taking away special time together. It won't be just us anymore. It's just been he and I, my little buddy. How can I share my love? It just seems so surreal! I have been told it will come naturally to me and it's nothing to fret about. But I am already missing the special days I have had when it's just been Paxton and I. I can't believe that part is almost over! It really tears at my heart to think about it.
So wish me luck today. I have a feeling it will be an emotional one!

Playing Catch-Up Again!

Going back to June! We had a CRAZY month! My birthday is the 15th, Tyler's the 18th and Paxton's the 20th! Tyler had some friends over for his birthday, and I invited some of my friends and Paxton's little friends over for a birthday party for him. We also did a birthday party for P over that weekend since we had family around. I got to see my best friends back home! It was so fun! My sister-in-law had her baby shower earlier that day too. It was a busy weekend. THEN the weekend after that we had a family reunion.

First time at the River

First Sawdust Search

 We got to see SO much of my family. It was so good to get to spend time with my family. Since my family is so far away, we are luck to get to see them once a year. I say my grandparents, all my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, aunts, (no uncles this time), cousins...it was a blast. Tyler got to see what kind of traditions we have in our family too! There were a few people that couldn't make it that I really miss seeing such as my cousin Britnae, Uncle John and Uncle Duane. I was so glad to get to spend time with those that did make it though. Paxton got to experience the river for the first time. He was SO exhausted!

 

 

 

 

 

All tuckered out with Daddy

 Then the next week was 4th of July! This was actually P's second 4th of July! He had a lot of fun. We popped pop-its and watched the parade and went to IF for the fireworks! He was such a good boy! We got some really good pictures! He would have been awake for the fireworks, but they started an hour late because a person went missing in the river.

And then.....wait for it....I GRADUATED!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!! My mom, grandma and my mom came for support. I felt like a bit of a cheater because I earned my Associates, which I later found out meant that the guy should have given me a blue cap and gown-black represents a Bachelor's apparently! By the time I found that out, I was lined up at convocation! My family came a couple days before so we could spend some extra time together! It was so good to be able to spend some quality time with them. It never happens!

I DID IT! (We were all really tired)

Cuddling with Uncle Blake

Reading with Nana

Eating Breakfast with Grandma T

 So far summer has been great! Tyler got a raise and I am at home with my son! Now I  need to find some more things to do so occupy my time! :)

First Week of My LAST Semester!!

My first week of my last semester is coming to a close. It has been quite busy. This semester I am a Supervisor over one of the Preschool Labs here on campus. For those of you who don't know what that includes, let me give you an idea...

• Make sure child immunizations are up to date
• Make sure all paper work has been filled out
• Put children's files together for home visits (parking pass, magnet, snack schedule, sun screen consent...)
• Schedule and go on home visits (with a big amount of help from my team)
• Make child name tags, locker name tags, room labels...
• Team Training
• Making the check in/out list
• Emergency Contact List

I think you've got the idea. It's a lot of work and a lot of time.  Our first topic for the semester is on Gardening. I am SUPER excited since this is the only semester I will have here at Preschool in the Spring! We planned out 3 weeks worth of lesson topics and I see them being REALLY awesome learning experiences! 
I REALLY love my teacher in my Lit, Lang, and Learning class. Sister Gordan really shows that she cares about us and our learning, especially learning by the Holy Ghost (one of the amazing perks to going to this school). She is super positive and makes you feel important. Her class requires a lot of work, but she is so awesome that I am really just willing to do anything she asks me. Another one of my classes is super boring and I don't care much for the teacher. I just want to fall asleep in his class. It doesn't help that his class is smack dab in the middle of the day! I just have a bitter taste in my mouth toward him because I had another class with him while I was pregnant and he was the least understanding when I went into labor early. I haven't really gotten into my SPED 310 class yet, so we are yet to see how I like that one. 
Another thing that came up this week. Since I switched my major from a Bachelor's to and Associates, I got an e mail saying that am ineligible to receive financial aid because I earned too many credits for and Associates Degree. So now I have to petition to get my financial aid since I am supposed to graduate this semester! Ugh! I think the most irritating thing about that is that they sent me the e mail AFTER school already started. Lame. But overall I feel like it's been a really good week, just really busy.
The last thing that is a huge stressor right now is finding a baby sitter in the mornings. Most baby sitters around here are available in the evenings, not during the day. Makes it tough to find someone to watch Paxton when Tyler has to work in the morning. 
Anyway! Paxton is now 10 months. He can get everywhere. He knows how to walk holding on to one of my hands (walking independently is next!) Paxton has 5 teeth now, 3 on top and 2 on bottom. He has got the hugest personality and always makes my day brighter. He is also a huge reason why I am such a good procrastinator! haha! But so far I have stayed on top of things, even a little ahead. It is my goal this semester to not procrastinate. I DON'T want more stress than I need at the end of the semester than I need. :)
Tyler is still working at Massage Envy as the Business Administrator. He likes it and has been learning a lot there. He is also still working on getting a business put together. 
So that's the latest on us! Sorry there aren't any pictures. Life has been busy! :)

Preschool Trip in March

   
 I had the opportunity to go on a trip with the girls I teach with on campus. We went to Idaho Falls, and Utah! It was so much fun! It was a bit more stressful than I thought because I left Paxton with my mother-in-law and Tyler while he had just got RSV. But we got to tour different child care centers and preschools. We also got to stay at nice hotels and go to fancy dinners and go to Disney on Ice! It was a fun experience and I was really glad I was able to go. Here are some pictures to sum up the trip. BTW- I ate a chicken heart! Yuck!

Eating a chicken heart

Catch Up Time! Easter!

Easter was a lot fun this year. Tyler and I always do each others Easter baskets, but this year we also got to do one for Paxton! Saturday was a busy day for P and I. Tyler had to work. We attempted to go to the city's Easter Egg Hunt and got there 5 minutes late...it had already come and gone! Everyone was redeeming their prizes and stuff already! I met up with some friends who have a little boy that is Paxton's age. Neither of them had been in a swing before, so we put them in the infant swings and they LOVED it! Paxton was giggling and smiling the whole time! Then we had a Relief Society Luncheon which was fun and them my friend came over for a bit to dye Easter eggs! Then Sunday Tyler and I hid each others Easter baskets and enjoyed a completely relaxed day!