41 Week Doctors Appointment - Baby #2

Today I had my 41 week doctors appointment! Holy PREGNANCY! At least thats what it feels like even though its completely normal to go up to 42 weeks. Even when some consistent contractions here and there nothing ever progresses passed that and for days now I've been saying "tonights the night!" and totally get my hopes up. At this point I almost feel like I'll be pregnant forever lol.

As far as the appointment goes she checked his heart beat which was 160. Then she checked my cervix for dilation or progression which was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced and now he was at -1 station. She was finally able to reach my cervix unlike last time she wasn't sure how dilated I was because my cervix was so high up and it was so painful. This time it was a little painful but mainly just uncomfortable. She also stripped my membranes to see if we can get labor started with in the next 48 hours.

After all of that I was scheduled for a non- stress test so they hooked me up to the bands on your tummy, one was for his heart rate and the other was for my contractions and they made sure his heart rate had enough fluctuation and wasn't dropping when I would have a contraction. Of course he decided to sleep during this so they didn't get the best reading of his heart rate during his movements but he did pass!

I also tried taking some castor oil last night. Luckily its odorless and tasteless but the texture of drinking oil was pretty nasty! I don't think I took enough though because it did literally nothing! Not even a single stomach cramp lol

We have one stubborn little guy! I really hope the membrane sweep sets me into labor.

I am now scheduled for another NST and Bio physical profile (ultrasound) to check the placenta and fluid, This Friday if I make it that far. I will be 41+4 on Friday. We will then set an induction d

40 weeks 3 days - Baby #2

I'm officially PASSED MY DUE DATE! Although I don't think your considered post term until you pass 42 weeks it sure feels like I should have had this baby already. Knowing my exact conception date I figured I would be a little closer to my due date than using the LMP method which is know to be 2 weeks off if a women has longer cycles. 

I not only look huge and exhausted I feel HUGE and EXHAUSTED! Getting asked constantly if I've had the baby yet, the answer is no, and you will know when I have him because I will call you or text you if I have. A better question to ask would be "how are you feeling?" Each day passed my due date feels like a year. Especially when almost every day or night I feel like "this will be the night he comes!" only to wake up in the morning with no contractions. And when I keep having "signs" of labor but nothing ever progresses passed a braxton hicks contraction, it gets frustrating! Especially when I'm already 4 CM dilated and 60% effaced. 

I hate to complain but since this is my blog I figured this is where I can let out some of my frustrations. 

I keep reminding my self that he's obviously still in there for a reason and unless I get to 42 weeks I won't be getting induced. As anxious as I am and having labor signs and getting frustrated by each passing day, I know he obviously still needs some cooking and I don't want to take him out until he's done. I want a plump and healthy baby boy! Especially after spending a week in the NICU with Kaiden. Kaiden was born at 40 weeks and 4 days, I guess we'll see if he's even more stubborn than his big brother, but I hope not! Tomorrow would be a great day! It's Friday, and thats less time people have to take off work. Also my midwife is on call until Friday and I'm really hoping I get her as my doctor to deliver Remington. 

I just went grocery shopping and stocked up on food today so that way we don't have to worry about that when Remington comes. All thats left to do is some laundry. I was so glad when I got out of walmart with out anyone asking me how many I'm having or commenting on my big belly. 

Yesterday me and my mom went to the fair to look around and to try and "walk" this baby out. You can only imagine how frustrated I was when I woke up t he next morning still pregnant after walking for 3-4 hours the day before. Not to mention the three people that asked me at the fair, "how many are in there?" and "are you having twins?" 

I've had my time to rest but now I just want our baby here!  

39 & 40 WEEK APPOINTMENTS! - Final Stretch

I'm now officially due! I honestly didn't think I would make it passed my due date with this pregnancy but now my due date has came and gone and we are counting the days until our little guy gets here. I guess my babies just get super comfy and hold on as long as possible.

At my 39 week doctor appointment I didn't get checked because I didn't feel like I needed to since my midwife doesn't normally check for dilation until 40 weeks like I mentioned in my last post. She checked his heart rate which was still a strong 160, just like Kaidens always was. She let me know when she was on call and that was about it. 

During my 39 week of pregnancy it was just anxiousness wondering if he was going to be here that week or not, and my acid reflux really picked up. A few nights I had to get up in the middle of the night and take a couple tums which I haven't done at all this pregnancy. It was bad to the point of where I couldn't lay down or my throat would burn and it was impossible to sleep unless I was sitting up. I didn't have much for an appetite this week either. He's definitely filling up all the space that he has in there (have to pee all the time, acid reflux, and no appetite). My lungs are also still very squished which I thought would go away once he dropped (he's so low he practically sits in my lap when I'm sitting down), but I still have a hard time breathing. I had a ton of contractions on Friday night that continued on until Saturday morning (39+5days ) but then went away. It wasn't anything uncomfortable but they did stay pretty consistent at about 6 minutes apart and lasting for around 40 seconds each time. 

On Monday (my due date based on the conception date) August 18th 2014, I had my 40 week doctors appointment. I did get checked and she said the outer occipital was 4 CM and I was 60% effaced still and that my cervix was very soft. Because it was so uncomfortable for me to be checked and his head kept floating up she couldn't get an exact measure of how dilated I was but she said it was between 2 and 4 centimeters. After she checked me a few hours later I did start to have some contractions that were a little crampy but that was because I had just been checked although I was hopeful it was early labor. My next appointment is set up for next Monday when I'll be 41 weeks exactly and they will do an NST and possible ultrasound to make sure everything still looks healthy for little man to stay in there. I don't think I will make it to this next appointment but you never know. I guess I thought since second babies usually come sooner he would be here by now lol. 

I'm completely fine with him staying in there as long as he needs to so he comes out a healthy newborn. Me and Jake are so anxious to meet our second baby boy but we both know he will be here before we know it. Even Kaiden keeps telling Remington to "come out" to lol. 

I'm really praying this labor goes better than it did with Kaiden and that I don't have any problems progressing, so I don't have to be put on pitocin. I hope to avoid any inductions and interventions if at all possible. I'm so curious to know if my water will break this time like Kaidens birth or if contractions will be our first sign of labor. Its all in God's hands now and he could come at any time :) 

The end of this pregnancy hasn't been to bad, I feel like everyone else's anxiousness is the reason I'm getting so anxious now. I'm cherishing all the last hiccups and kicks of this pregnancy before its over, because I know a few months from now I will miss it. 

at my (hopefully) last pre-natal appointment! 40 weeks

38 WEEK UPDATE! & APPOINTMENT!

We had a midwife appointment this week! Nothing to much has happened since my 37 week. During our appointment the nurse asked if I wanted to get checked, I wasn't planning on getting checked for dilation but in the moment I just said sure! I totally forgot how painful it was since the last time I was checked with Kaiden!

She told me that I am 1 CM dilated and 60% effaced and baby Remington is at -2 station. So not to far along, but I was glad to hear it was something rather than 0cm and 0%. I don't really think it means much though especially only at 38 weeks. I have my 39 week midwife appointment tomorrow which I don't plan on getting checked at unless my midwife thinks I should. She normally doesn't check for dilation until the 40 week appointment or unless you ask. I know some people who stay at 4 cm for weeks. I rather not know then get "disappointed" and find out there hasn't been any change. Some women also go into labor at 0 CM as well.  I also asked if she could guess by feeling my stomach how big he would be and she said 7 pounds and some ounces, and that I don't have a 9 pound baby in there unless he's really hiding. My mommy instincts are guessing that he's going to be 8 pounds 4 ounces though and 20" long.

I had quite a few contractions last night (38+6) and was really hoping they would turn into something but as soon as I fell asleep they disappeared and I haven't really had much for contractions today. I have a feeling my contractions will be my first sign of labor this time rather than my water breaking like it did with Kaiden. I hope contractions start first so I'm not on that time clock because once your water breaks there is a greater risk of infection and the longer the wait the more likely it is that someone would have to have a C-Section.

This passed weekend when I was 38+5 days, we went to the mall to walk around and also when on a walk when we got home around our neighborhood to see if we could get anything going with contractions but nope, I don't remember feeling a single one, even after our walk. I haven't  been doing to much though to try and push labor because I don't think anything will put you into labor unless your body and the baby are actually ready.

Now that I am only 7 days from my due date its pretty much a waiting game of when and where I will be when labor starts. Any time this week would be awesome, although I wouldn't be surprised if Remington went passed his due date like his brother did. My belly is so low now though that he's literally sitting in my lap when I sit down. His movements are also decreasing because he's got no room in there!

I'm constantly cleaning up the house everyday for the just in case I go into labor. I am such a planner that its drives me crazy not knowing when he's coming that I won't have everything prepared. I want to make sure the house stays clean, the laundry stays done, the fridge stays stocked for Kaiden while were gone and so on.

I'm starting to have more stretch marks, swelling and I practically have no clothes that fit anymore (even my maternity clothes). Jake can't wait to be home with his family after Remington gets here and I've got to that stage in pregnancy where all anyone ever asks is, "have you had the baby yet?" and "whens that baby coming out?"
We are so ready to meet our baby boy!

Remingtons Hospital Bag!

This is everything that will be going into Remingtons hospital bag :)

I decided to put all the nursing stuff into his hospital bag so its easy to find in the first day that he's here. I'm bringing two brands of nursing pads, who knows what I'll like, or if I'll even use them while in the hospital but I figured they're good to have just in case. I'm also bringing my earth mama angel baby nipple butter which works amazing! As well as a nursing cover so I can still feed Remy when visitors come, even though we only plan on having very few family visit while I'm actually in the hospital. (We are hoping to only be there for 24 hours or less before we go home). I'm also bringing my small foldable nursing pillow.

 I know no one NEEDS them while at the hospital but everyone brings them JUST IN CASE, lol. Diapers and wipes. We got this cute portable wipes case at walmart. I'm also bringing a few size NB pampers diapers that a friend gave us and some of my size one honest company diapers.

CLOTHES! The best part! I'm bringing three outfits which will work perfect if its still hot out! Which I'm assuming it will be since it's still been in the 90's lately and my due date is 14 days away. The first will be Remingtons coming home outfit (see below), an extra cute elephant onesie, and of course his No. 1 little brother onesie so he can match Kaiden's No. 1 Big brother shirt when Kaiden comes to the hospital!

 My favorite outfit of Remingtons is this one piece outfit with the octopus on the bottom! I love the colors and its so tiny!

 And of course I have to be prepared just incase he decides to come a day when it's cooler outside or raining. I'm bringing these cute crab jammies with a matching hat :)

We love the nautical theme!

A few swaddle blankets for Remington incase its cooler outside or if he actually ends up liking to be swaddled which we don't think he will because for every ultrasound he's had his hands up by his face, so I don't think he's going to like his arms pinned to his side.

Another thing I know the hospital provides you with is burp clothes, but as I remember with Kaiden you can never have to many burp clothes with a NB lol.

Baby socks! So little!! The ones with the cars are actually preemie size. We had a hard time finding actual NB socks that Might fit! Everything we found was size 0-6 months a big so we got some preemie ones hoping they will fit his little feet for a few weeks!

I got their diaper bag at Marshalls for $40. Its a Steve madden bag and I'm in love with it! I didn't like any of the diaper bags from babies R us that wanted $70 or more so I went with something else! All the ones I found at baby stores felt like they were going to fall apart in a few months.

The car seat is all ready to go! Cut all the tags off and adjusted the straps a little. We got the graco snug ride click connect.

The present that will be TO Kaiden FROM Remington when Kaiden meets his baby brother!

When we visited my cousin in Seattle her son Jackson had this same toy and Kaiden was obsessed with it so this will be Kaidens gift from Remington :)

And thats everything we have packed in our room ready to be rushed out the door when the day comes. lol. The carseat, nursing pillow, diaper bag, mine and Jakes duffle bag, and Kaidens gift! Now all we need is for labor to start (any day now..) haha. I feel so prepared now though, besides the last few things we have to pack before heading to the hospital (iPad, camera, chargers, ect.)

37 WEEK UPDATE & APPOINTMENT!

-First of all, I PASSED MY GROUP B STREP TEST! I could not be more happy about this! Honestly the one test out of this whole pregnancy that I was nervous about! lol. Some people were wondering why I was so stressed about it! Well theres a reason! And not saying we are in the clear by any means because I was also group b strep negative with Kaiden as well. But after I had Kaiden and he had to go to the NICU for a week for a "possible" infection and be put on antibiotics for a week, he ended up having a million allergies. and it just so happens that a few friends of mines kids who also had the antibiotics right after birth also have a lot of allergies including dairy! So I want to avoid antibiotics at all costs if I can! And this one extra hurdle I don't have to deal with now, at least while I'm in labor, since it does get passed down to the baby, and wipes out all the good antibodies in their gut that help keep them healthy at birth.

-ANYWAYS, enough ranting about that! I passed and thats what matters!

-I had my 37 week midwife appointment this week, and besides my test nothing to exciting happened. His heart rate was 160 BPM just like his big brothers was all the time. She said he's still head down and I'm measuring at exactly 37 weeks. She didn't check for dilation or even ask, which I am completely fine with! I definitely feel like I'll be pregnant at least 1-2 more weeks so their wasn't really point in checking anyways. I see my midwife every week now anyways! And I'm in the clear! Baby made it to 37 weeks which means no NICU unless something is a concern after he's born (at 36 weeks they go to the NICU even if they seem healthy just so they can watch baby more closely since it's still considered "late pre term") and my midwife is back from her vacation! Which doesn't mean 100% that she will be the one to deliver me since there is one other midwife working under her in the office, but better chances than when she was gone haha.

-We've been doing the very final touches to get ready for when the day comes. As of now all the hospital bags are packed in our room ready to go! Remingtons diaper bag with everything he will need, our duffle bag with all the stuff me and Jake should need while rooming in at the hospital, the car seat, and the gift from Remington to Kaiden when Kaiden meets Remy at the hospital! I will try and do a separate blog post on that if I get time between now and when he arrives lol.
- We also got the co-sleeper all set up and ready to go with his sleep sheep and all (thank you Jacqui!!) I'm sure Remington will like the white noise as much as Kaiden did :)

-Other than that I've just been making sure the house is as clean as I can keep it with a 2 year old lol. Because at any moment when I go into labor I want the house to be clean so I don't have to worry about it when we come home from the hospital. Although that would be good to do is clean while I'm in my prelude (beginning of labor)

-I've been relaxing and sleeping in as much as possible because there probably won't be to much of that once Remington gets here between taking care of a newborn and a two and half year old.

-I had an awesome day at roaring springs today with my friend Britni and her daughter Kambri! Kaiden loved it, especially the never ending river! and afterwords I had a ton of contractions that were actually consistent for a little while but then faded away. I want to get Kaiden out of the house as much as possible before Remington is here as well. I'm also hoping after he turns 3 to get Kaiden into a preschool a few days a week so he can be  around kids his age and learning more than just what he learns at home. He picks things up so fast these days and I know he would love it! He's definitely starting to become a lot more social which I LOVE! He's so independent and never wants to be clung to me or Jake. He can be shy at first but once he gets used to his surroundings he's a little fire cracker!

-Not much for symptoms this week. I mentioned last week I'm pretty sure he has dropped because I still have to pee constantly and not being able to breathe will stay until I'm not pregnant any more. One plus also of his being lower is my acid reflux has let up BIG time! I don't have to sit up in bed anymore to try and sleep! YAY! Other than that no other symptoms that I can think of!

I will update for week 38 if I'm still pregnant (Which I will be!) lol.

36 WEEK UPDATE/ APPOINTMENT- BABY #2

Holy COW! Only one more week (or 3 days from now) I'll be considered full term! I had my 36 week midwife appointment on Tuesday with the assisting midwife, since mine is on vacation until July 29th. I told her I was measuring ahead, (when what I meant was I was measuring 2 weeks ahead of my last pregnancy) And she measured my belly and said I'm measuring at exactly 36 weeks! My question is then why do I look like I'm carrying twins when theres only one baby in there? lol. All that matters is that baby is healthy. his heart beat was 147 BPM. I've gained a little over 30 pounds this far which I think is pretty average for the end of pregnancy. and if you measure around my belly I'm about 42". But I'm pretty sure if I don't lay off the sweets I'll be gaining 40 pounds by the time Remington is born. (BAD CRAVINGS!)

She also mentioned that if he was born during week 36 he would have to spend a minimum of 8 hours in the NICU because that's still considered late pre-term baby and would want to keep an eye on him. No thank you! We already had to handle Kaiden in the NICU for a week, I would like to avoid that part of the hospital as much as possible! 

We also had our group B strep test at this appointment and I will find out the results at my next appointment! Fingers crossed that its negative, not only for Remintons sake but for mine as well so I'm not having to fight off nurses trying to give me antibiotics. 

I definitely think Remington has dropped a little bit though, since this passed week I've been having to pee ALL the time. And other than the last few days of my pregnancy I've been able to hold my bladder quite well. lol. 

Another symptom that is getting worse is my acid reflux. I had to take a couple tums last night to help, and I try to avoid medicine as much as I can so it doesn't get passed down to baby Remy.

We had our LAST birth class on Monday (7 weeks of birth classes that flew by in the blink of an eye!) which I'm super sad about but excited at the same time. I just hope I remember everything we learned in class when the big day comes! Labor positions, breathing techniques, and more. 

We are slowly inching towards our due date and we cannot wait to meet our baby boy and bring him home. More and more Kaiden has been talking about baby Remy and on a daily basis has to give my belly a hug and kisses. He's going to be such an amazing big brother! 

And although technically I'm still a little over 3 weeks from my due date, I feel like I'm never going to "expect him" Just because I went passed 41 weeks with Kaiden and every day I thought he would come he never did. I feel like when I go into labor with Remington I will probably be surprised (unless I go passed my due date) Which I doubt I will, but never say never lol.

Other than that we have everything ready for Remington and he has everything that he could possibly need. Me and Jake love staying up at night talking to him and watching his movements. It's so amazing how once he's born he will already know our voices and be comforted by them. 

I've been waiting to set up the co-sleeper but am probably going to do that soon because I'm so excited for him to get here. Everything we do is just a reminder of how soon we will be meeting the fourth member of our family.

Baby Shower pictures!

Party Favors for guests to take home, cookies and candy and little notes that said "thanks for sailing by"

The kids loved that these had mints on them lol

Anchor water bottles!

Anchor plates and napkins to go with our nautical theme

Orange chevron straws

Decorations :)

Playing "don't let the balloon hit the floor" lol

The baby shower banner I made.

Hung up some of Remingtons nautical onsies and some ultrasound pics! 

Desert table, cookies, candy and my anchor cake my aunt made!

Love this picture! Me and Eva :)

Kids table // bbq time!

My good friend Jacqui and our baby bumps, only due one day apart and we're both having boys!

Kaiden playing with his girl friend Kambri, showing her how tools work lol

Eva trying to guess how big my belly is haha

Jake got some bad husband points for making the string way to long on guessing my belly size!

Guessing the size of my belly, some people were a little off lol

Jake working hard on his play dough baby 

Allie and her play dough baby

My dad made a sperm and an egg out of play dough for this game hahah

Cute little Kambri!

The kids playing with play dough

Kaiden making a baby out of play dough, he kept saying "squish, squish" lol

Eva's play dough baby

Guests has to make their best/ most creative baby out of play dough! Loved this game! 

Trying to pick the play dough baby winner!

I couldn't decide! 

Britni with her play dough baby! She won the baby making contest lol

Apparently I was in deep thought lol.

Love this little guy! 

Baby Karson is the cutest little boy! He's got a huge personality for only being 1!

Me and Jordie! 

I look huge! But always love seeing friends that have been there since highschool! 

Kaiden playing with daddies headphones :P

Opening gifts :)

The adorable homemade blanket Abby made Remington!