Welcome Isabella Rose Mitchell

Well as I had been saying since about 33 weeks, I just knew my baby girl would come a few weeks early. And she did. My body had been showing the signs that labor was near and finally my constant cries of "I feel like this baby is going to show up any second" were answered. Wednesday it was 101 degrees out and I came home feeling a bit weathered. Then Carter was sleeping on the couch and he rolled over and I ran across the room to catch him and I strained my pelvic area. I was in a lot of pain all evening and the pain just got worse throughout the night. I had a doctor appt. scheduled for the following afternoon, but I had decided I would call my doctor first thing in the morning cause I could barely walk. But at about 4:45 in the morning I was laying on my back when I felt a pop in my stomach and a gush of fluid followed right after. I knew exactly what it was of course. I alerted Brett that my water had broke and told him to get me a towel as fast as he could. Before I moved an inch we had a towel underneath me and we successfully managed to not get a drop of fluid on our bed. Yes, I'm that good! I can't say the same for our floors. Apparently I carry around a lot of fluid.

At that point I called my parents' house and like I predicted, they didn't answer any of their phones, so I called my brother who still lives with them. Thank goodness he answered his phone. He then went in and woke up my dad and told him my water busted, in which my dad in his sleepy haze thought that meant the water pipes in my house burst. So his response was, why is she calling me? Why doesn't she tell Brett to fix it? Haha. Gotta love men. After a few seconds I think he realized what my brother was telling him and he woke my mom up.

While we waited for my dad to show up at my house, Brett and I got showered and finished packing for the hospital. I took the time to do my hair and makeup, because I know people get camera happy when babies are born and I didn't want to look like a pile of crap. After my dad arrived, we loaded up and headed to McDonalds. Yes, that's right, I said McDonalds not the hospital. I knew I wouldn't be allowed to eat for the entire duration of my labor, so I was going to get something in my stomach while I still had a chance. Obviously McDonalds was not the healthiest choice, but it was the closest and fastest. And while we sat in the drive through, I had a contraction which pushed a heck of a lot of fluid out and soaked everything in site. So I decided since we were so close to our house still, we would return so I could change clothes, because I didn't want to waddle into the hospital looking like I had peed all over myself.

For this reason, my mom actually beat us to the hospital and she got us checked in. By the time we got there, we were able to go right back. I actually got the last available room, so I didn't end up laboring in the hallway. Can you believe they just built a brand new hospital and they don't have enough labor and delivery rooms and they actually have women lined up in the hallways at times? Must have been a man that designed the labor and delivery floor. I got a tiny observation room, but was upgraded to a bigger room once one became available. My contractions were not starting off very strong or consistent, so I was put on petocin. Once I reached about 3-4 cm, they allowed me to get my epidural. My thought was that the pain wasn't that bad, but if I was planning on getting an epidural, I might as well do it before I was miserable. I was pretty nervous about getting one, because when I got mine with Carter, the guy putting it in was extremely mean because he had a hard time getting it in the right spot and my back muscle spasm when they're poked. And when someone is threading a wire in your spine, being still is very necessary. Well my nerves were not calmed when he couldn't find the spot with the first try and he had to pull out the wire and try again. The second time he got it in the right spot, but hit a blood vessel and a nerve and pain started shooting down my right leg. Need I mention every time he fished that dang thing down my back, it would cause more amniotic fluid to come rushing out? Gross. After he pulled the epidural out for the second time, I got really nervous and almost told him to forget it. But he tried for a third time and got it. I guess third time really is the charm.

So long story short, my labor lasted all day and I wasn't progressing very much. My contractions were off the chart, but it wasn't making me dilate much. The doctor actually manually progressed me from 5 cm to 7 cm at a time my epidural had worn off and as you can imagine, it was pretty painful. I don't think he realized I could feel it. They checked me again in a couple of hours and I was still at 7 cm. I was getting nervous at that point, because the talk of a C-section was being brought up. The nurse measured my contractions and they were way stronger than what they consider sufficient, so she talked to the doctor about a C-section. He told her he'd give me plenty of time to dilate, so that really calmed my nerves. After that, I progressed and was almost fully dilated shortly there after. It was then time to call the doctor and he was about 25 mins out. The nurse checked and it appeared that baby Bella was not going to wait for the doctor. She actually crowned on her own without a single push from me. So we called in the house doctor and got the show on the road. Unlike my delivery with Carter in which they had turned my epidural completely off for delivery, they allowed me to keep it turned up and I felt absolutely nothing. I was thrilled. I took about 2 contractions and 4 or 5 pushes and girlfriend made her entrance into the world. I couldn't believe it! Was it really that easy?! It was the polar opposite of my delivery with Carter. I took me almost an hour to push Carter out and by the time I was done with him, my eyes were swelled shut, I had to have a 2 to 3 degree episiotomy, and some other very unwelcome things showed up. None of that happened with this one. I didn't even break a sweat.

She made her arrival on August 4 at 7:04 p.m. She weighed in at 7lbs. 6oz. and was 20 inches long. Not baby for a baby that was actually considered a preemie. She was born 2 days shy of 37 weeks. Can you imagine how large she would have been if I had to wait until 40 weeks? Glad that didn't happen.

She was completely healthy and suffered no birth injuries. We are adjusting very well to having 2 children in our house and she has proven to be a very good sleeper so far. She sleeps for 3 to 4 hour stretches, eats, and goes right back to sleep without even needing to be rocked. Love her!!! I'm back in bed within 20 mins of her waking up.

Carter is adjusting to his little sister and is doing a pretty good job. Of course he's a rough and tough boy and doesn't understand why he can't squeeze her little hands and feet off or why he can't lay on top of her, but he's learning.

So here is a snapshot of our newest addition.

Another Bowling Ball In My Future

Well I'm 36 1/2 weeks pregnant today and I had my latest ultrasound last Thursday. The purpose of this was to determine the size of the baby and start talking about inducing around 38 weeks if it looked like I was gonna have another Carter sized baby. Now folks, it's not that I'm afraid of delivering another 9+lb baby for myself, but after Carter got all jacked up from it, I'm not doing it again!! So as of 35 weeks, 5 days my petite little Bella was already 7lbs. Yes, that's right, 4 weeks shy of my due date and my baby was already bigger than most are at birth! And the real kicker is I've only gained just shy of 30 lbs with this one where I gained 52 lbs with Carter.

So I planned on having another serious talk with the doctor after my ultrasound, but he sent in the nurse practioner instead. Need I mention I've never met this woman and she was not the one I wanted to talk to. When she went on and on about my baby being so big and then said "we'll do another weight check in 3 weeks", that's when I had to restrain myself from karate kicking her in the face. Are you serious lady?!?! I politely asked her to go get the doctor, because we had discussed other plans she wasn't aware of. So she went and talked to him, but I guess he was too busy to come in the room.

They scheduled me for my weekly visits and a final ultrasound on Aug 11 to do another weight check. I understand if they need to see her again before making the decision to induce at 38 weeks, but it's a little irritating that they call it a "weight check". Ummmm...hello!!! The girl is already 7 lbs, do you think she's going to shrink in 2 weeks time??

Anyway, I was already 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced at my last visit, so I've been hoping that she'll just show up on her own before I even need to be induced. Although, I've done a lot of walking, a lot of eating eggplant parmesan, and a few other things to try and coax her out with in the next week or so, but so far no luck.

The good thing is my PUPP rash went away before it had a chance to spread to my arms and legs. Now let's hope it's gone for good. Now if I can only tolerate being at work for the next week or so, it'll be amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but something about being 9 months pregnant and haggling over truck deals makes me a little cranky at times. And I've given up all together waddling out on the lot to talk to customers, because there's just no way I'm standing out in 100 degree heat when I feel like I'm wearing my winter parka. Would someone please turn off the furnace down here?! It's killing me!

Anyway, no baby yet, which is just fine as long as she's here in about a week and a half. I'll keep you all posted. Later!!

I've got the PUPP

If you're unfamiliar with what the PUPP is, it's best described as a red, itchy rash that a small percentage of pregnant ladies develop. Technically it's only supposed to happen when you're actually pregnant and go away within a couple of weeks of delivery, but I know I developed it about a week after I had Carter. It was HORRIBLE! It spread all over my tummy, arms, and legs and the only thing that could stop the itch was freezing cold water.

Well the last few days my belly has really began to itch and I blamed it on my newly developed stretch marks (yes, I didn't think it was possible to get anymore, but it is). I tried my hardest not to itch them because that only makes the stretch marks worse. Well this morning I woke up with a definite rash on my belly that itched like hell. I read more about PUPP and it says it starts in your stretch marks and spreads and can soon cover my arms and legs. LOVELY.

So now, not only am I waddling around uncomfortably like an over stuffed turkey at Thanksgiving, but I have a very irritating rash. Awesome. Honestly, this only puts my doctor in more danger of losing his life. Because if this rash sticks around until after I give birth, he better say he's inducing me at 38 weeks or I might just kill him.

Also he severly crushed my hopes of possibly entering labor naturally in a couple of weeks, when I told him I lost my mucuos plug. He told me it could regenerate and that it didn't mean I would go into labor within a couple of weeks. Love ya doc!

So if it sounds like I'm a really crouchy, irritable pregnant lady; it's because I am. I can't help it. I've reached that point in my pregnancy where time seems to stand still and it's just not fair. I've never been one of those girls that loves being pregnant (not even close), but I think I've tolerated it a lot better this time around, but enough is enough. I'm ready to have this baby!!!! So come on already!!!

The End May Be Near

No, not the end of the world; I'm talking about the end of my pregnancy. I will be 34 weeks in 2 days and I'm already showing possible signs that labor could be here within the next couple of weeks. For one, my baby girl is sitting so incredibly low I feel like she could fall out at any point. With Carter, I carried just right, not too high, not too low. With Bella, I'm really feeling the need to cross my legs. And with a low riding baby comes extra pressure on my bladder and if you read my last post, you know the results of that.

But just cause she's riding low, doesn't mean she will arrive any earlier than normal. Although, I did have a conversation with my doctor about not wanting to deliver another 9+lb baby and at about 36 weeks he will do another ultrasound to check her size and at that point we will decide what we're going to do. He has given me the option of a C-section or possibly inducing at 38 weeks. I'd rather go with the induction.

Well the last few days I've been feeling pretty crummy and not just any kind of crummy. The kind of crummy you feel when you're body is getting ready for labor. And to top it off, this morning I lost a good chunk of my mucous plug. I know that's not a lovely topic, but it's a sign that labor could be starting with in days or weeks. I lost my plug with Carter at 38 weeks, so I'm thinking I'm not going to make it another 4-6 weeks with this girl if I'm already losing it.

Of course, if she arrives before 37 weeks, we're talking pre-term labor. I'm really trying not to worry about that and with each day that I get a little bit further along, I feel better. She's almost to 34 weeks and based on her size at 29 weeks, I don't think we'll have to worry about too many complications.

So I guess I'll just sit back and wait. See if this plug business means anything. In the meantime, I've got Bella's bag packed, Carter's bag packed, and I'm still working on Brett and I's bag. But at least the kiddos are taken care of. I'll keep you guys updated. Later!!

Leaky pipes

So last Friday afternoon around 3:30, I had a bit of a liquid spill in the baby region. It came out of nowhere and I thought to myself "Did I just...?" or "maybe it was my water leaking?" Well it seemed like my pipes were still leaking a little bit, so I left the office a little red faced and called my doctor. The girl that answered the phone told me the doc was out and that I should go to labor and delivery right away. Great....

So I made the appropriate calls to my husband, childcare provider, and parents to ensure Carter would get picked up from daycare and that there was someone to watch him. My parents were actually out of town so Brett picked him up and took him to our neighbor's house. As I drove to the hospital, it seemed everyone else was panicing and I was keeping it cool. I figured if it was my water leaking, they could put me on bed rest and monitor it.

Apparently the girl at labor and delivery registration didn't think it was urgent because she took about 30 mins to get me checked in. Once I got back to my room everyone kept texting me (and by that I mean my mom mostly) freaking out and asking me what was going on. Hello! I didn't know yet cause even though I had been there 45 mins, I hadn't seen a nurse yet! Finally when a nurse did come in, she did the strip test to see if it were amniotic fluid and that test came out negative. So then she did another test and sent it off to the lab. In the mean time, Brett showed up with sheer panic on his face. I told him to calm down and not look like he was going to fall over dead, because I may have just peed on myself afterall!!

Well about an hour after the nurse took the second test, she came back with the results. In her very polite, shy voice she said, "well, it's not amniotic fluid". That's when Brett chimed in, "so she just peed on herself?" Gotta love my husband. The nurse wouldn't say that for sure, because she didn't want to embarrass me, but I've already give birth in front of a room full of strangers, peeing on myself isn't the most embarrassing thing I've ever experienced. So we packed it up and went home. Thankful that my baby girl was not trying to make her entrance at 30 weeks. That would have been terrible. Now if she wants to kick a hole in her bag of waters at about 37 weeks, I won't argue with her. That is if my doctor doesn't induce me at that point anyway.

On a side note, my in-laws have already given me 3 points in time that I can not have my baby because of their schedules. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Both were people that have never been/will be pregnant so I guess their ignorance on the matter is understandable. Because anyone that's ever been pregnant knows you don't tell a pregnant lady when she can and can't have her child. Sons of bitches!

P.S. I am trying to figure out what's going on with this stupid blogger thing. I can't seem to leave comments for anyone anymore and it's making me made. Poop on that!

Nervous

So as I approach 30 weeks of my pregnancy, I'm getting a tad nervous. I'm not really nervous about the whole labor thing as far as contractions, pain, etc. go...but I'm nervous about possible birth trauma with this child. I know it sounds weird, but once you've had a baby that has suffered quite a bit of birth trauma that led to the majority of their first year in and out of specialists, it's something you'll never get over.

I was really praying and hoping that this little girl would be just that...little. Well it doesn't look like she's going to be that. In fact, I'm starting to worry she may be bigger than her brother. It makes no sense. I gained 52 lbs with Carter and with this one I've gained only 20 lbs so far and I'm really trying hard not to gain more than another 5 lbs or so. But when I had an ultrasound done the other day to check her size, she was estimated at 3 lbs 9 0z give or take 5 oz either way. She measured in the 76th percentile with the 50th percentile being average. Are you kidding me?! From here on out an average baby gains about 1/2 lb a week. If you do the math based on my ultrasound at 29 weeks, that's another 5 1/2 lbs. And that's an AVERAGE baby. So there is quite a good possibility that I'm looking at having another 9 pounder.

With that said, I now have to go into my OBs office and beg and plead for him to induce me at 37 or 38 weeks if the baby is looking healthy and all that. I was induced at 39 weeks with Carter and he was still 9 lbs 6 oz. It's not that I'm impatient, it's just that I think it's much healthier for me and the baby to induce a couple weeks early (and it's really not considered early once they're term) than take the chance of birth trauma or a c-section. I know women have birthed bigger babies than Carter, but apparently my body was not designed for a baby that big. Because aside from his trauma, my eyes swelled shut from pushing so hard and let's just say I was in A LOT of pain for a few weeks afterward.

On another note, I'm nervous about my maternity leave. Most women get to take their maternity leave from their jobs and not have to think about anything other than getting adjusted to their new baby. Well that's not the case here. I work for family and I play a huge role in running our semi truck dealership. A lot of people think I just sell trucks, but that is far from reality. On top of being a sales person, I manage our mechanic and have to instruct him on his daily duties, I have to order parts for trucks, I have to arrange moving trucks, I have to arrange getting trucks in and out of our detail shop, I arrange getting trucks in and out of the tire and body shop, I take care of listing our trucks for sale on the internet and making all changes to our ad, and basically anything that is involved in getting our trucks from the place we bought them to our front line. It's A LOT of responsibility. And it's not just something that can be shrugged off on someone else. To put the icing on the cake, we just agreed to purchase 150 trucks from a dealer in WI and we'll be getting in about 25 trucks a month from now until the end of the year. And that's just on that one package of trucks.

It was hard for me to detach from my job when I had Carter and my responsibilities are about 10 fold from what they were then to what they are now. I just don't know how I'm going to do it. I'm nervous. Really nervous. How do I just pass that kind of responsibility off on someone else?

Oh yeah and did I mention I'm a tad nervous about having 2 kids?! Carter isn't exactly to the stage that he's very independent considering he'll be 21 months old when his sister is born. He still wants my full attention every second that he's awake and if I don't give it to him, he gets upset. This may be a problem when it's not just him anymore. Hopefully he'll make a radical change in the next 2 months and he'll become understanding and be able to self entertain better. Ha! Fat chance!!

Anyway, that's my sob story for the week. Maybe now that I got it out, I'll be able to relax a bit.

Carter's Hearing & Prego

Carter went for his appt. with the Audiologist and she did a couple of tests on his ears and everything showed that his hearing is just fine. So he's only hard of hearing when he chooses to be. He does have a little fluid built up behind his right ear which may cause chronic ear infections for a while, but he should grow out of that. She didn't even recommend tubes for that ear. So praise the Lord!! Nothing to worry about in that department.

As far as his talking goes, I think it's just his personality that keeps him quite. Sometimes he babbles on, but for the most part he's a really quite kid. We did take a trip to Chattanooga over the weekend and he proved he could learn new words. As we went to the Aquarium, Railroad Museum, and the Riverboat Cruise; he learned to say train, choo choo, fish, and boat. I think it really helped to see an actual object that we were teaching him about. He has identified pictures before, but does much better with the "hands on" experience.

So I'm just going to continue to read to him and work with him on his speech, but not worry too much until he's at least 2 if he's not talking more by then. He's very smart and picks up on a lot of things, I just think he knows he can get his point across without talking much at this point.

Thanks for the prayers!! They really helped ease our minds.

Now onto a blog about me. haha! I will be 28 weeks prego on Saturday and so far it has flown by. That may be in part to the unusually cool spring we've had here in TN, but that has changed. The temps hit the mid 90s a few days ago and there is no relief in the near forecast. So hopefully the next 3 months don't drag by. I went from hardly a couple lbs. gained by 20 weeks, to a total of 20 lbs. gained by almost 28 weeks. Of course I'm still doing better than I did with Carter, but I was 15 lbs. heavier when I got pregnant with Bella than when I got pregnant with Carter. So not only do I not want to get near the 52 lbs. I gained with him, but I really don't even want to get up to the same weight I was when I had him so I can't gain much more here!!

Since I started packing on the pounds, I have been trying to eat healthier. I have been staying pretty active with yard projects, but I've also been trying to get out of my office chair more often and do lunges and things like that when no one is looking.

So here's to a healthy pregnancy and not gaining anymore weight!!