In between feedings and diaper changes and tip-toeing to make some lunch during nap time... I wanted to write down and share my birth story of my son, Benedict (who is now 7 weeks old...). I am hoping this post doesn't end up unfinished like my honeymoon post (oopsie). First off... let's start from a beginning for just a bit.
After trying to get pregnant for nearly a year we found out on Easter (April 5, 2015) that we were expecting!!! (if anyone knows my past.... April 5th is John's birthday. Very significant and I feel he had something to do with it.)
December 16, 2015-- 3 days "late"
After trying to get pregnant for nearly a year we found out on Easter (April 5, 2015) that we were expecting!!! (if anyone knows my past.... April 5th is John's birthday. Very significant and I feel he had something to do with it.)
I peed on sticks. They said positive!
It's funny really. The month we conceived was the month we said we would "take a break" from all the TTC techniques. We didn't do any temping, ovulation tracking, ovulation pee strips, etc. We just took a break.... except for one night :) And ta-dah!!!
Thanks to Pinterest I thought of the coolest ways to tell Ryan about the pregnancy! I had plenty of months to plan out the perfect way to tell him he was going to be a dad... and get it on film, obviously.
Unfortunately when the moment came all those plans went out the window. I immediately came running out of the bathroom screaming and ran directly to Ryan in the kitchen and threw the test on the counter. Tears, laughter, and hugs then followed. And then our journey began.....
The first ultrasound of our little peanut.
It was hard to keep the pregnancy a secret from friends and family (in fact... by the time we officially made the announcement I think most knew.. haha) But we decided to announce with a pretty epic video you can watch here:
So exciting!!!!
When you're pregnant.... things feel like they are going at a snail's pace. You are excited to meet your little baby and start getting to know them. Plus, getting huge and uncomfortable doesn't help. Looking back now it feels like it went by pretty fast. Here are some photos of my journey:
My pregnancy journey wasn't easy. I was sick pretty much the whole time... it went into the second trimester. And just when I was starting to feel better in the 3rd trimester my stomach was being squished by my baby and couldn't eat. (sigh) However, it kept me from gaining a lot of weight. I think the most I gained the entire pregnancy was 15 lbs. (no joke)
Probably one of the most exciting times of the pregnancy was when we found out the sex. I have ALWAYS wanted to do a gender reveal for our baby and it was such a fun time and worth the wait! We decided to have a "Christmas in July" themed party since the baby would be making it's debut during Christmas-time.
I must admit I already had a gut feeling we were having a boy. I just knew it. Ryan had no idea what it would be... but he was leaning towards girl. At the reveal we had friends and family place either a blue ornament or pink ornament on the tree corresponding to the gender they believed we were having.
It was pretty even. Our guests were about 50/50 in their guesses.
Even the olds wives tales pointed towards a boy... :)
Then the moment of truth came....
It's a BOY!
Our reactions ;)
I have to admit... I originally was hoping for a girl. But I couldn't be happier to have my little boy. He is absolutely perfect for me. :)
The pregnancy journey itself was pretty fun. I loved watching my belly grow and was always happy to show it off:
But alas... the time came when it was time to evict baby Benedict.....
December 13, 2015-- My due date.
Honestly I never thought I would make it to my due date. I think a fair amount of pregnant women think they will deliver early. (maybe it's just wishful thinking???) I just KNEW I would have him earlier. However, on my due date I was still very much pregnant. I wasn't even dilated.
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| 40 week eviction notice. Come out, little boy. |
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| Ryan and I attended a Yelp event on my due date. Because.. why not? |
I had a doctor appointment 3 days after my due date to discuss an induction date as well as take a non-stress test and ultrasound to check up on the baby and make sure he was doing ok. When I woke up that morning I felt a little weird and crampy but when you're pregnant this isn't completely odd. However, the cramps seemed to have a bit of rhythm to them but once again I ignored it and didn't tell Ryan because I didn't want to excite him for nothing. When they hooked me up to the NST there was an obvious pattern on the screen. I watched the screen and saw what looked to be contractions and definitely started to feel them. They didn't really hurt but it I could feel them. And sure enough they were 5 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute each. I looked at Ryan and was like "those are contractions, right? Are you seeing this? Is this the real deal?"
The nurse confirmed my thoughts when she said "you know you're contracting, right?"
Why yes. Yes I do.
Thumbs up for contractions and a comfy chair.
Then I had the most uncomfortable ultrasound ever. Having contractions and having someone probe your belly at the same time is NOT fun... and as cute as it was to see my little guy on TV again I was pretty much over it. Then we saw the doctor and he laughed at the chart because we were going to discuss an induction...
"Yea you're not going to make it to an induction date."
YOU THINK?
Then we discovered I had FINALLY dilated... 2 cm! And i was 80% effaced. All of sudden things got real. He told us if things got stronger and closer to head to the hospital and sent us on our way. When we got home I thought I would pass the time by showering, cleaning and packing up. However, it wasn't an hour later that I went to Ryan and said "it's time to go. We should leave now." I started to feel it. And it was starting to hurt :(
Ryan thought that it was the perfect time to shave and clean.
After some last minute packing and making sure the dogs were taken care of we left the house and headed to Winnie Palmer. Holy crap! I think we are having a baby!!!
We arrived at Winnie around noonish and checked into triage. Let me tell you... triage was the worst. There is nothing fun about sitting around in a crowded room while you are in labor. It was at this point where I started to have to use my breathing techniques and things started to get a little more intense. They took me back and hooked me up to monitors to checked me. I was still 2cm and 100% effaced. My nurse (Cherry) said I had all the signs to get me admitted for labor and delivery.... all except one... they wanted me 4cm dilated. What???? Just take me...please. I literally could barely walk and was breathing like I was running a marathon. Can't you take me?? The nurses were so sweet. They really felt bad for me that they had to let me go. However, they didn't want me to go home because I was so close and it was too far to drive away only to come back. So, they had me walk the hospital for two hours. This was also my chance to get some food because once I was admitted I wasn't going to be able to eat until the baby was here.
So... we walked. Sort of.
First, we had a light meal at the cafeteria. I got pasta and pudding and Ryan had a burger and fries. I had maaayyybe two bites of the pasta and about half of the pudding and I couldn't eat anymore. I was just so uncomfortable and constantly interrupted by the contractions. After we ate Ryan walked me around outside the hospital. It was pretty awful. I could barely move and I was crying. People were outside at the tables trying to have a nice, relaxing lunch and here I am moaning and crying and squatting down on the ground or leaning over chairs. Ryan was so sweet and constantly trying to make me laugh. In between the contractions I would talk and laugh with him but when a contraction came all I could do was squeeze his arm and freeze up. During this time we also had made a phone call to my best friend, Andrea, so that she could head over. Andrea lives in Sarasota and from the moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted her there for support. She actually was teaching that day but has already given the heads up that I might go into labor so she got her classes covered and made it to the hospital by the time my "2 hour walk" was about over ;)
In between contractions we took this selfie. I was right back to moaning seconds later.
Once I went back to triage they had me wait again in the waiting room (awful) and at one point when they went to take my vitals I thought my water broke. And so did they. But when the nurses checked me it turned out my water hadn't broken... that's right. I pretty much peed myself. LOL In addition to that fun fact I had also found out that I was only about 3 cm dilated. The nurses felt bad for me and admitted me. (THANK YOU, CHERRY!!)
I was sent up and got to see one of my fav doctors was on duty... Dr. Bridge! Hooray!
Things went pretty fast once I was in the delivery room. It was crazy to see the stuff laid out for the baby. It was surreal honestly. The time truly had come for us to meet our son!!! Once I get settled in the room the nurses start setting me up for our action plan. They write some fun things on a white board:
1. Pain Control---- um... yes, please. This is where I tell them that instead of a full epidural that I want a walking epidural. Why? Because my doctor wants me to bounce on the birthing ball to help Benny drop down (the kid wouldn't drop..) and I said "ok yeah sure." Also, a walking epidural sounded lovely because I could still get out and about and go to the bathroom. Yay! No catheter! (for some reason I was more terrified of a catheter than an epidural...)
All the other steps are pretty self explanatory.
So it didn't take long for the anaesthetist to come in and get set up. I was actually quite surprised how fast they were ... to the point where I got nervous because it all seemed so fast (even though I had been laboring a few hours completely feeling everything). I told them I wanted the "light" epidural and they asked "are you sure?" and "you can change your mind later..." blah blah blah. But I got it. And it wasn't so terrible. Yes, it stings a bit and it's REALLY weird when the tubing goes into your back but all in all it's worth it in my opinion. Once the epidural was placed I got out of the bed and onto the birthing ball. I think it lasted a complete 15 minutes though. I looked at Ryan and said "yea, eff this. I need a full epidural." So much for using the ball to help baby drop. I am sure my doctor would understand, right? The walking epidural just wasn't doing it for me in the end. I could still feel the contractions and I wanted to just lay down and rest.
The full epidural was pretty awesome I must say and made everything a lot more comfortable. Getting checked by the doctor and nurses? Didn't even feel it.
Catheter? I didn't even notice when it went in!!
However, my hands started shaking like crazy. Poor Ryan hated watching me lose control of my hands. He felt bad for me but it wasn't painful at all... just an annoying side effect. In addition to the epidural I also had to have meds for being positive for group b strep as well as anti-nausea medicine. (this is the med I think made me super drowsy...)
Eventually I was also given pitocin since I wasn't quite progressing fast enough and Benny wasn't really dropping either (should have stayed on that damn ball).
Taken right after I was given the epidural
Moments later and feeling just fine :)
While in labor I got a special visit from one of my favorite people in the whole wide world; Jim Seay.
Later in the night and still smiling like a champ.
Oh yes. No food allowed while in labor but you can have liquids and jell-o. I was surprised they let me have the red one but I was quite excited about it. Then I threw it up.
The best partner a girl could ask for during labor. I honestly felt like Ryan had fun during this ;)
Andrea got this shot of me in action. Or sleeping. Yea, whatever. P.S. The blood pressure cuff becomes one of the most ANNOYING things about labor.
An exciting time for dad. Just playing the waiting game and checking out Facebook
Labor selfie.
Just me sleeping some more. LOL
Ryan and Andrea got to eat real food while I could only eat ice and jello. However, I wasn't bitter. ;)
A little video I made for Benny while in labor.
Ryan sleeping in the reclining chair while Andrea sleeps on two NOT reclining chairs that she put together. She's also wearing my sweater and covering her legs with Ryan's sweater. They keep it REALLY cold in there until baby time. Andrea was such a trooper. I am so glad she was there <3
....waiting....
The labor in the middle of the night wasn't too thrilling. It was a lot of sleeping (for all of us) and some movie watching. I remember watching Top Gun at some point and then eventually we watched Goonies. While watching Goonies we were joined by Dr. Bridge who came to check on me and then stayed to watch it with us for awhile. It was great... he must have stayed for 20 minutes just enjoying the movie and chatting with us. I remember there being laughs and jokes and us telling him how much he looked like Ben Folds. You just couldn't really tell I was in labor at this point except for the millions of things that were hooked up to me.
This is also when Dr. Bridge said farewell as his shift was up and someone else would be coming in. As sad as this was I knew I would be in good company with Dr. Rothen. I had two appointments with her and really liked her and felt comfortable. So far I was getting two of my favorite doctors so I felt like I was lucking out.
Once the sun started to rise and we were moving on to day two of labor I decided it was time to get this kid out. The only problem is ... he also needs to make that decision. We were checked around 8am by Dr. Rothen and she said I was 9cm dilated. This was great news!!! That usually means another hour and then you get to start pushing :) Ryan and I started texting friends and family and telling them Benny would arrive within the next hour or so. This was a huge mistake and we ended up making a lot of people worry because it would be HOURS later until he actually arrived. It took awhile for me to get to that last cm for some reason. :(
Ready. Set. Push!
During this time Dr. Rothen told me my absolute favorite doctor was also working... Dr. Durkee ;) Yay! I asked if she could come visit me and she said she would get her for me.
Now keep in mind that Dr. Durkee has been my doctor through A LOT of stuff and through thick and thin. She was one of the first people I saw after John passed so this had a lot of meaning to me. When she came by I was very happy to see her. After we spoke for a moment she looked at Dr. Rothen and said "well. I am going to deliver this baby!" So Rothen and Durkee basically tag-teamed my labor and delivery. It was seriously the best outcome I could ask for as far as being taken care of. Not only did I have fantastic nurses by my side but I has two DOCTORS constantly checking in on me. And they were so great.
At noon I was declared 10 cm and ready to push. However, I wasn't feeling the "urge" yet so it took about half an hour to feel like it was time. This is hard when you have an epidural.... you constantly question yourself and what you can and cannot feel. However, my meds were wearing off and the contractions were becoming very close and intense. It was time to meet my man.
(I want to also point out that my epidural was being very weird during my labor. I constantly had to switch sides because if I laid on one side too long the other side would start feeling pain because it was almost as if the meds were draining from one side to another. So odd.)
Pushing was the WORST part of this whole process. And this is because I pushed for a solid 3 HOURS. It was extremely painful and torturous. Not only did they have to replace my epidural bag in the middle of it but for some reason even with the meds I was having horrible back labor and literally was screaming in pain. I remember being so exhausted and literally begging for help. But the only thing everyone could do was coach me on. I was the only one who could control this and I felt like I had no control at all. (I also want to note that even though I pushed for so long the doctors were completely fine with everything because Benny was such a relaxed baby during delivery. I even heard Durkee say to Rothen at one point "Isn't it nice we don't have to worry about this baby?" Apparently a lot of babies stress out during labor and have heart rates that drop or raise and Benny never experienced this...)
I tried EVERY POSITION imaginable while still being in a bed. I remember Andrea saying it looked like I was doing yoga. And it's true. Every few pushes or so they were trying to come up with a better way for me to labor.
Here's me pushing using the lovely bars that magically appeared from the side of the bed
Also, I told myself I wouldn't let me husband watch any of the action down below during labor. False. Once he's holding your legs there is no hiding what's going on. Even Andrea was telling me things like "I can see his head." That poor kid. We could see his head for hours and every time someone said "you're doing great. he's coming out more" I truly felt they were lying to me. LOL
At one point they rolled in a large mirror for me to use. I had always been like "HELL NO. I will never look at that..." And when they first rolled it in I sort of laughed it off and said no. But towards the end I was desperate and ended up using it. Honestly, if I could give anyone advice when they go in to have their baby it is to USE THAT MIRROR. I feel it was the reason I was able to push him out in the end. In fact, it worked so well that I finally gave the biggest push of my life and all I heard was "STOOOPPP!!" I couldn't believe they were asking me to stop when the baby was literally half out but they had to get the room and doctors prepped. It probably took 30 seconds but to me it was the longest time of my life. However, once everyone was set up and ready to go I was able to give my final push and at 3:23pm my son, Benedict Timothy Sirmeyer, made his entrance into the world. He literally came out screaming and was a perfect Apgar score of 9 immediately. He was perfect. Even though he had a long alien head ;)
Ryan cutting the cord <3 Benny is showing off those lungs!!
Mommy meeting son for the first time. Check out that head! lol
Super emotional.
Best day of my life.
Ugly crying. Not to mention complete exhaustion and total exhilaration
Happy Mommy and Daddy
My dream team. Aunt Andrea and Daddy were so helpful.
Dr. Durkee with the new Sirmeyer fam. <3
Baby getting his first vitals. He weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 21 inches long
Foot prints!!
Funny story: When I told Jim Seay that Benny's due date was Dec 13th he mentioned he would give me $100 if he was born on HIS birthday (Dec 17th). Well... guess who was the very first person in my room as soon as baby was delivered? Holding a $100 bill none the less. So hilarious! Happy birthday, Jim and Benny.
Ryan's mom
Jim patiently waiting at the door to meet the new addition. This photo literally makes me burst into tears.
Ta dah!!
I made dis'
Kisses for mommy and daddy
This photo cracks me up. Look at that proud dad.
My awesome doc and nurse. Thank God for them.
Aunt Andrea gets to hold Benedict for the first time <3
She's a natural, folks.
Minutes old <3
I must say the moment you birth your child you are filled with complete euphoria and joy. All the pain of labor is gone IMMEDIATELY and all you can focus on is your tiny baby in your arms. I really enjoyed this part of the experience. After he was born I got to hold him for awhile skin to skin while they delivered the placenta (yum) and stitched me up (yep). My doctor even gave us a little placenta anatomy lesson which I actually found to be quite interesting. Once I was ready they took his stats, did his foot prints, and got me set up to head to my recovery room. It was all a blur then. It's not too long that you are in your room holding your new baby wondering "well. what now?" But I had plenty of help from some fantastic nurses. Within hours Benny had his firth bath, first shots, first... lots of things.
Baby's first bath :) (that's a nurse..)
Post bath snuggles and his adorable Christmas hat picked out by the nurses <3
I would literally just stare at him for hours.... and cry my eyes out. I was completely in love!
Grandpa meets his grandson for the first time <3
Grandpa Tim snuggles
Seriously one happy momma!
His coming home outfit!
Daddy and son ready to go home
In his carseat on the way home
We are home!!!
We stayed in the hospital a couple of days for recovery and then we were on our own. I enjoyed my stay at Winnie Palmer and truly felt taken care of. I loved all of my nurses and doctors so much (so much so I cried one time during a shift change.... oh, hormones.) Also, the food is yummy and I took full advantage of the room service. My favorites? Peanut butter and jelly, baked potatoes, coke and pudding. (yea. I could totally have salmon and chicken but I wanted PB&J???)
Also: I am even MORE thankful for nurses now more than ever. Recovery is NO JOKE and is probably one of the hardest things about having a baby (along with breast feeding) and the things that these nurses have to deal with/see/teach you... wow. MAD RESPECT, people. I love nurses!
On December 19th we went home with our new baby. We were officially a family of three. I can't wait for all of the adventures we get to have now with our son. He literally has made our life complete and I am the happiest I have ever been.
Here's to our new adventure!!!
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