First and foremost, Aaron and I would like to thank you all for your kind words + love for our sweet baby George Bear! We are truly blessed.
GBB’s Birth Story:
On the 13th of July, I had my 40 week check-up. I was feeling quite crampy but nothing too wild and at the appointment, there still wasn’t any significant change in dilation (still rocking one cm). So, I booked my induction date (which would have been today!) and went on my very-pregnant not-so merry way.
I arrived home and started my 40 week blog post update (see below) and was planning on creating my chalkboard later on that day (with the message saying something along the lines of ”ughhhhh c’mon kid!”). I was still getting cramps and Braxton Hicks but thought it would be fun to try out my contraction counting app (it was called Full Term) and see how frequent these pains really were.
I spent the day tidying, taking naps, and timing contractions. Turns out they were much more frequent than I thought! By the time hubs came home, I had yet to do my chalkboard (such a procrastinator, right?) and my contractions were getting more real. We ate dinner and then went for a walk around the block; it was a really gorgeous evening. I started to get really excited + nervous. Like, omg this could be it nervous.
We decided to go to sleep early and try to get some rest; the keyword here is try. I did not get any sleep. I was in and out of bed and the contractions were getting quite painful…manageable but still unpleasant (obviously, they wouldn’t be a delight). I was waiting for the good ol’ 5-1-1 rule to go in because I really wanted to labour in the comfort of our home as much as possible. As soon as I noticed the timing was correct, I woke hubs and we made our way to the hospital.
It was rather smooth getting to the hospital as it was after midnight and the roads were pretty clear. We made our way to triage and were admitted; I was at 4 cm! I received an epidural, which I was originally nervous about but it was totally fine and worth it in the end!
From there, hubs and I slept and relaxed. It was incredible. My waters needed to be broken by the doctor but my body was dilating well naturally and by 9am, I was fully dilated! As I wasn’t feeling any pressure to push, we relaxed and waited a little bit. By 11:30am, we decided to do a few trial pushes and see how things were progressing. Before I started to push, it was super important to me to understand and grasp the technique of a good push; what can I say? I didn’t want to push forever and I like to be good at things, ha. Also, nerd-mom alert.
With that being said, I pushed for a solid two hours. Every contraction, I was givin ‘er hell. I wanted to meet my baby; I was getting excited. I should mention that the epidural was awesome for me (and I’m all about ladies choosing to go without too; you gotta do what you gotta do) but I wasn’t able to feel much pressure, so as I was being guided on contractions, I spent those two hours bearing down and visualizing each push. It was the hardest workout of my life. My biceps are still a little sore.
Our sweet George was born on July 14th at 1:24pm weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs of perfection! It was such a surreal experience; I also had zero idea that my baby would be so big…I was completely in shock! I did suffer some tearing, which is to be expected with a sweet chunky cherub like mine, and I lost some blood (which wasn’t the greatest feeling ever). We stayed an additional night at the hospital and I am now an iron taking machine!
Recovery has been a little bit of a process but every day is getting better + better AND I have a sweet baby to cuddle, nurse, stare at, and love unconditionally.
The whole labour and delivery (+ recovery) process was made much easier, more calm, and much more pleasurable because of my incredibly loving husband. Anyone who knows me knows I’m drunk in love with my husband and have been since we met, but there is nothing more incredible than watching him be a daddy. He has taken such great care of us and to see our little man just staring up at his daddy and cooing, squeaking, and snorting (also, they are TWINS; hello matching outfits in the future!) ughhhh it melts me. Thank you honey for being the most amazing husband and daddy, we love you so so so so so much!
Welcome to the world George Bear, we love you more than you will ever know + you have already enriched our lives more than we could ever imagine.
XO
Enjoy the 40 weeks chalkboard post sans le chalkboard:
How far along? 40 Weeks
Gender: Boy
Total weight gain/loss: 45 lbs + holding.
Maternity clothes? Maternity dresses, nursing tanks, and comfy clothes. It is way too hot to be wearing lots of clothing these days. Thank goodness for my air conditioner + obsession with Popsicles.
Stretch marks? B L A H. None that are new but yep, those little tiny ones that showed their face in the last two weeks…I was thisclose.
Sleep: Sleep is good when my cat isn’t being a holy terror. He has been trying to scratch/get into the bassinet which keeps me up at night. I gave up yesterday and folded up the play yard so I could get some uninterrupted sleep.
Best moment this week: Hubs and I had a wonderful weekend (you can read all about it here) and I had a great doctor’s appointment. Nothing too wild has changed from last week even though I am 40 weeks preggo over here BUT I have been feeling some contractions and my body is definitely up to something…if this baby doesn’t come on his own, he will be here next Monday (which is our pending induction date!). I can’t believe we get to meet our newest member of the family so soon! Eeee!
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything? Not really. I mean, I guess I miss not being so over-heated, but I am so thrilled with this experience and am really loving these last few days regardless of the heat.
Movement: He is a little mover! Even though I imagine he has very little room, he loves to move and make himself known.
Food cravings: Popsicles and berries. And ice cream…basically anything COLD.
Have you started to show yet: You could say that…
Labor Signs: Yes! A bit here and there. I don’t know how much longer we will be a family of two… I think our little baby wants to meet us soon.
Belly Button in or out? Outtieeeee.
Wedding rings on or off? Off but not for much longer! Really looking forward to putting those beauties back on; feel quite naked without them.
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: Baby showtime!!!
I can’t believe this is my last chalkboard countdown post! This experience has been so wonderful, so humbling, and oh so life-changing. I am so eager to meet this sweet baby of ours!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following along on this wild and unpredictably special journey. It means the world to us.
Stay tuned for baby news! Eeee!
XO
