I'm going to talk tonight about something that has become controversial and a bit heated. As always, if debate occurs, we ask that you maintain some courtesy and shoe respect for others' opinions. This post reflects my own opinions, gleaned from some reading I have done, but I am not an expert.
Here goes...
I am angry. And I am offended. Why, you ask? Well, because people connected to the sub-culture of Video Gamers, are getting a poor reputation. It is something that has been happening for years, but now it hits home for me. My husband is a Gamer. I'm not talking getting together for a little bit with some buddies to play some Halo. I'm talking naming our cat AND our son after video game characters. (I named the dog... Lol)
Anyway, over the years, video gamers have gotten an increasingly bad image as more and more killers are found to have participated in video game play. Why is this? Well, video games are everywhere. I play video games. But people who discover that I like to play video games don't automatically think that video games will make everyone want to turn into overly-energetic little brunettes who are addicted to painting their nails pink! So, why do we automatically assume that because someone who played video games turned into murderer, that means video games are going to make everyone else want to shoot people? Let's dive in here, because I think there are a few reasons. First, I think that it's because there are studies that DO show a correlation between violent video game play and aggression. Now I could throw at you that correlation does not equal causation. Well... Duh. However, causation comes from somewhere. And after patterns of repeated correlation, we have to start asking more questions, right? I thought so too. And the APA had some good responses to lay out right off the bat:
* I am not posting all of them. To find all of the myths and facts, visit http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/10/anderson.aspx.
"Myth 1. Violent video game research has yielded very mixed results.
Facts: Some studies have yielded nonsignificant video game effects, just as some smoking studies failed to find a significant link to lung cancer. But when one combines all relevant empirical studies using meta-analytic techniques, five separate effects emerge with considerable consistency. Violent video games are significantly associated with: increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and affect; increased physiological arousal; and decreased prosocial (helping) behavior. Average effect sizes for experimental studies (which help establish causality) and correlational studies (which allow examination of serious violent behavior) appear comparable (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).
Myth 5. Correlational studies are irrelevant.
Facts: The overly simplistic mantra, "Correlation is not causation," is useful when teaching introductory students the risks in too-readily drawing causal conclusions from a simple empirical correlation between two measured variables. However, correlational studies are routinely used in modern science to test theories that are inherently causal. Whole scientific fields are based on correlational data (e.g., astronomy). Well conducted correlational studies provide opportunities for theory falsification. They allow examination of serious acts of aggression that would be unethical to study in experimental contexts. They allow for statistical controls of plausible alternative explanations.
Myth 6. There are no studies linking violent video game play to serious aggression.
Facts: High levels of violent video game exposure have been linked to delinquency, fighting at school and during free play periods, and violent criminal behavior (e.g., self-reported assault, robbery).
Myth 7. Violent video games affect only a small fraction of players.
Facts: Though there are good theoretical reasons to expect some populations to be more susceptible to violent video game effects than others, the research literature has not yet substantiated this. That is, there is not consistent evidence for the claim that younger children are more negatively affected than adolescents or young adults or that males are more affected than females. There is some evidence that highly aggressive individuals are more affected than nonaggressive individuals, but this finding does not consistently occur. Even nonaggressive individuals are consistently affected by brief exposures. Further research will likely find some significant moderators of violent video game effects, because the much larger research literature on television violence has found such effects and the underlying processes are the same. However, even that larger literature has not identified a sizeable population that is totally immune to negative effects of media violence.
Myth 11. If violent video games cause increases in aggression, violent crime rates in the U.S. would be increasing instead of decreasing.
Facts: Three assumptions must all be true for this myth to be valid: (a) exposure to violent media (including video games) is increasing; (b) youth violent crime rates are decreasing; (c) video game violence is the only (or the primary) factor contributing to societal violence. The first assumption is probably true. The second is not true, as reported by the 2001 Report of the Surgeon General on Youth Violence (Figure 2-7, p. 25). The third is clearly untrue. Media violence is only one of many factors that contribute to societal violence and is certainly not the most important one. Media violence researchers have repeatedly noted this."
The last myth transitions me nicely here to my second point: I want to talk about 2 of the three assumptions that the APA says would have to be true in order for the myth to be true. To me, they all go together, but more specifically, the first and third relate to each other really well for me to make my point. The first assumption that would have to be true is that "exposure to violent media is increasing". Notice that they put "including video games" in parentheses. In light of the finding that a man who shot children at a school played some random, online (and seriously disturbing) video game, people seem to have forgotten that video games are NOT the only form of violent media out there. And I must note here that the video game this man was said to have played is not a well known one among the video gaming community, and was not created or backed by any of the major video game creators or distributors. "But these games still exist!" you say. Well sure... But so do snuff films. Sorry to be blunt, but my point is that sick people will seek out avenues of living out their perverted fantasies no matter what we do.
So what DO we do? Well, this brings me to the third assumption (and my third point) that "video game violence is the only (or primary) factor contributing to societal violence". You see... What we do, is we take responsibility. Like I said... Snuff films exist. XXX movies and X movies and rated R movies exist as well. Horror movies with gore and blood and guts exist. Yet, we do little to absolutely nothing about that, because we have learned that the rating system is in place to guide us. R: over 17; PG-13: parental guidance under 13; PG: Parental Guidance; and G: well... I don't know what "G" stands for, but I know a pre-schooler could watch it. Then you have ratings for television shows. So now, we hardly hear of people blaming movies for causing someone to "lose it". That is, until last year.
Last summer, my state had a bad summer, that was topped off with a mad man shooting innocent people at a movie. A lot of people thought that this man's inspiration came from the movie itself. Whether or not it really did, I don't know. But I saw the movie, and I don't buy that can of crazy worms. Just as I don't buy that playing Black Ops would turn me or my husband into murderers. This is because MH and I pay attention to the ESRB rating system (rating system for video games). Yes, video games have ratings! M: Mature; T: Teen; E: Everyone. Sometimes you'll have an E10: Everyone 10 and over, but you catch my drift, yes? No? What I'm saying is... Parents need to take responsibility!!!!! Just like movies that I grew up with aren't the same as the ones my parents grew up with, video games are not the same either. It's not just Mario and Donkey Kong. Most video games now have more complex plots (based off of the decisions made by the player) than most movies. This is how I see it: Movies happen to you; you happen to video games. Sorry... Lots of rabbit trails tonight. Back to my point... Parents must take responsibility! I can't even tell you how many times I have heard MH playing online, when a young kid hops on. MH plays some fairly violent video games, so more times than not, I have heard him tell the kid to go get his parent and put them on. MH will then demonstrate why the game that this 10 year old is playing, is rated M. In every single case, the parent is in shock! It's not just Galaga online! And this is not just something that MH does only. Gamers care about their community. Just like I hate seeing a young child at a Rated R movie, Gamers hate hearing a young child being "set loose" into the online gaming community with a Rated M game! Parents simply must take as active of a role in their child's video game choices, as they do their movie and television choices. If they don't, they can't blame the media.
So what will we do with baby C? As a family of cinephiles and gamers, he will obviously be raised in a home with movies and video games and he WILL sometimes be exposed to adult situations before we hope for him to be. But we will sit down with him. We will explain what it means. We will use difficult situations in movies and games as an opportunity to teach. We will explain that even though it's a video game, when he shot the enemy, someone's life ended. That it represented someone's son, someone's father not coming home. And we will talk about the difference between the fantasy of being a con-man in a movie and the real life situation of time spent in prison for hurting people by taking from them. WE will take complete responsibility for the man that he becomes with or without media. He is our child... He is our responsibility.
For more information on your child's video games, visit gameinformer.com, or stop in at your local Game Stop and speak with the staff.
Have a beautiful Monday night, everyone! I'll see you Thursday!
Ashley
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Giveaway Announcement!!!!!
Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! This is Kailly. Wanted to post about our exciting giveaway with our contest rules!
We are giving away a SUMMER FUN BOX!!!!!!!!! What better to get us all excited for summer?!
In this box you will find a lot of surprises to jump start your summer with extra fun!
This box is being prepared by Miss Shannon! I did our last giveaway box, and the next will be done by Miss Ashley!
Here is how you can win!
All you have to do is "Like" our facebook page!
To find it, follow the link by clicking here! Hopefully, that works! You can also find us by going to facebook and searching "Just Ask Always".
Once we hit 100 likes we will do a random drawing.
We will post the video of our winner being drawn on Facebook to show the contest is accurate.
We will also name the winner in a post here on our blog. We are having serious issues getting videos to upload here, but will continue to try and work on it.
You will have 72 hours to claim your prize. If you do not claim within that time period, we will redraw.
Everyone that has already liked us on Facebook will also be entered to win!
Also, we are already at 61 likes on our facebook page! 39 to go!!! Feel free to share with your friends as well. The quicker we get to 100 the faster we will choose a lucky winner!!!
GOOD LUCK! And, thank you all for supporting us on our journey.
Love,
Ashley, Shannon, and Kailly
We are giving away a SUMMER FUN BOX!!!!!!!!! What better to get us all excited for summer?!
In this box you will find a lot of surprises to jump start your summer with extra fun!
This box is being prepared by Miss Shannon! I did our last giveaway box, and the next will be done by Miss Ashley!
Here is how you can win!
All you have to do is "Like" our facebook page!
To find it, follow the link by clicking here! Hopefully, that works! You can also find us by going to facebook and searching "Just Ask Always".
Once we hit 100 likes we will do a random drawing.
We will post the video of our winner being drawn on Facebook to show the contest is accurate.
We will also name the winner in a post here on our blog. We are having serious issues getting videos to upload here, but will continue to try and work on it.
You will have 72 hours to claim your prize. If you do not claim within that time period, we will redraw.
Everyone that has already liked us on Facebook will also be entered to win!
Also, we are already at 61 likes on our facebook page! 39 to go!!! Feel free to share with your friends as well. The quicker we get to 100 the faster we will choose a lucky winner!!!
GOOD LUCK! And, thank you all for supporting us on our journey.
Love,
Ashley, Shannon, and Kailly
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Excuse me, breastpump? Please stop talking!
Hey all! Kailly here! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
I have to share with you all something... And, I may be crazy, but, my breastpump talks to me.
As most of you know, I am an exclusive pumper. My daughter didn't want to nurse anymore after a few bouts of mastitis, and instead of fully throwing in the towel, I chose to pump for her. She gets all the nutrients of mommy's milk, and we do it without screaming, crying and refusing to latch. So, I happily pump. I use a Medela Pump in Style Advanced.
Anyway, I pump every 4 hours around the clock, sometimes 5 at night. A few months ago, as I was pumping, I felt like my pump kept speaking to me. It was three in the morning, my whole family peacefully sleeping, and I heard "Kailly, Kailly, Kailly." To say I was freaked out was an understatement. I quickly looked around the room, expecting to see a dark shadow of a scary man holding a knife, or an eery white shadow like figure dancing across the room, but there wasn't anyone or anything to be seen. I called for our Husky, Lylla, to come sit closer to me. With droopy eyelids and a non shaking tail, she came over and went right back to sleep. I figured I was over tired, and losing my mind.
Fast forward to the next day. L is working, N is bouncing away in her jumper, and I am pumping yet again. Then I hear it "hurry, hurry, hurry." My heart starts racing, I peer around the room, nothing. I call Lylla. She wips inside through her doggy door and jumps on the couch next to me. For a minute, her eyes dart around the room. I know she hears it too! But, she quickly settles down, lying with her head on my lap. By this point, I know I've lost it. I stop the pump, wait the ten minutes to power pump and start again. All of a sudden I hear my daughters' name over and over again. I fly off the couch, pump still attached, and go into ninja mode. N looks at me like I am crazy, stops bouncing, tilts her head sideways with her precious mouth dropped open. I can only imagine what she was thinking. Lylla by this point is standing on the couch turning around in circles in a panic (that I caused) before she mis steps and biffs it off the couch. She looks at me, then walks outside. Yep, I made the dog angry. After a few minutes N starts to bounce again, and I sit down to replug in the tubing that flew from the pump.
Once the pump restarts, I start hearing the talking again. I look at my pump and say "It's you! Creepy thing." Now, I officially think I've fallen off the deep end. When L came home from work, I said to him "Babe, I think I have lost my mind. I think I am crazy. My pump? Well, it talks to me. And, it is freaking me out!" He chuckled. "Babe, you really are losing it. I think it's time you make more friends." Hmm... thanks hunny.
Later that night, as our princess slept, I pumped away. Out of no where, L says "Kailly, I think your pump is calling you a bad word." I look at him, look at my pump, look back at him and say "it totally is. I'm glad you realize that the thing talks!" Now, he hears it often, and tells me what it is saying.
So, I really thought I was crazy the other day, when I kept hearing it speak sentences. So, I googled. Apparently tons of women hear their pumps too! Lord have mercy, I am not going crazy!! Or, I am, and others are too!
Hope you all enjoy your weekend! See you again Wednesday!
Oh, stop back by tomorrow! We are announcing our next giveaway!!!!!!!!
Love,
Kailly
I have to share with you all something... And, I may be crazy, but, my breastpump talks to me.
As most of you know, I am an exclusive pumper. My daughter didn't want to nurse anymore after a few bouts of mastitis, and instead of fully throwing in the towel, I chose to pump for her. She gets all the nutrients of mommy's milk, and we do it without screaming, crying and refusing to latch. So, I happily pump. I use a Medela Pump in Style Advanced.
Anyway, I pump every 4 hours around the clock, sometimes 5 at night. A few months ago, as I was pumping, I felt like my pump kept speaking to me. It was three in the morning, my whole family peacefully sleeping, and I heard "Kailly, Kailly, Kailly." To say I was freaked out was an understatement. I quickly looked around the room, expecting to see a dark shadow of a scary man holding a knife, or an eery white shadow like figure dancing across the room, but there wasn't anyone or anything to be seen. I called for our Husky, Lylla, to come sit closer to me. With droopy eyelids and a non shaking tail, she came over and went right back to sleep. I figured I was over tired, and losing my mind.
Fast forward to the next day. L is working, N is bouncing away in her jumper, and I am pumping yet again. Then I hear it "hurry, hurry, hurry." My heart starts racing, I peer around the room, nothing. I call Lylla. She wips inside through her doggy door and jumps on the couch next to me. For a minute, her eyes dart around the room. I know she hears it too! But, she quickly settles down, lying with her head on my lap. By this point, I know I've lost it. I stop the pump, wait the ten minutes to power pump and start again. All of a sudden I hear my daughters' name over and over again. I fly off the couch, pump still attached, and go into ninja mode. N looks at me like I am crazy, stops bouncing, tilts her head sideways with her precious mouth dropped open. I can only imagine what she was thinking. Lylla by this point is standing on the couch turning around in circles in a panic (that I caused) before she mis steps and biffs it off the couch. She looks at me, then walks outside. Yep, I made the dog angry. After a few minutes N starts to bounce again, and I sit down to replug in the tubing that flew from the pump.
Once the pump restarts, I start hearing the talking again. I look at my pump and say "It's you! Creepy thing." Now, I officially think I've fallen off the deep end. When L came home from work, I said to him "Babe, I think I have lost my mind. I think I am crazy. My pump? Well, it talks to me. And, it is freaking me out!" He chuckled. "Babe, you really are losing it. I think it's time you make more friends." Hmm... thanks hunny.
Later that night, as our princess slept, I pumped away. Out of no where, L says "Kailly, I think your pump is calling you a bad word." I look at him, look at my pump, look back at him and say "it totally is. I'm glad you realize that the thing talks!" Now, he hears it often, and tells me what it is saying.
So, I really thought I was crazy the other day, when I kept hearing it speak sentences. So, I googled. Apparently tons of women hear their pumps too! Lord have mercy, I am not going crazy!! Or, I am, and others are too!
Hope you all enjoy your weekend! See you again Wednesday!
Oh, stop back by tomorrow! We are announcing our next giveaway!!!!!!!!
Love,
Kailly
Friday, April 5, 2013
My Baby Story (#1)
Hey y'all Shannon here. Happy Friday to each of you! I hope y'all had a fantastic week! I wonder what kind of fun adventures you have at your house because frankly sometimes I have moments where I think "Does this only ever happen to me?!" I know it's not true and that we all have frazzled mama moments. Moments when the littles clog the toilets with an entire roll of toilet paper and when they use rice crispies cereal as confetti in the living room... Why!? But I know that I'm not alone and it's nice to imagine the toddler chronicles of other frazzled mamas and think to myself "I know I'm not the only mama with toddlers!" Anyhow as Ashley and Kailly have both shared their sweet little one's baby stories it's my turn :) I have two baby stories so I will share in the order they arrived :)
Big M's due date was March 28th and that week leading up to his arrival was the most anxious and excited I think I've ever been in my life!! Hubbers and I finished putting the final touches on the new nursery. We started preparing ourselves for the new addition by placing a bassinet next to our bed and we just started counting down the days! The day before I actually went into full on labor I went into the "nesting" phase. BIG TIME!! My husband recalls "I came home from work and the house was quite literally spotless!" I remember when he walked in I was sanitizing absolutely everything baby in boiling water! I had inventoried and folded all the baby clothes and organized and reorganized our little man's dresser and was scrubbing EVERYTHING! I was so exhausted from all my nesting instincts I went to bed super early that night. I started having contractions that night and the next morning after seeing my hubby off to work I just sat and waited. I remember I made sure to wear the comfiest maternity outfit I had because I was so uncomfortable and I just knew it was going to be 'tonight'! I put the hospital bag next to the front door and just waited. I tried to keep track of my contractions but Shannon is easily distracted and I was having a "My Baby Story" marathon (watching birth stories on tv) when hubs came home and I had been having early contractions (the getting started contractions is what I call them) but I paid no real never mind to them while I was on my own.
My husband got home from work and we did our usual walk around the block routine and grabbed some Chinese take out from the Oriental Wok that was literally down the road from where we lived at the time and went home and watched Property Virgins together on HGTV. :) We just went about our normal routine until around 5 pm and the oh mama pajama real contractions hit... I was having to consciously breathe through these bad boys! So my hubby being the sweety pie that he is ran a nice warm bath for me and reminded me that I need to just relax and everything will be ok. He helped me into my bath and went out to get things ready for that "IT'S HAPPENING!??!!" moment! All through my soaking in the bathtub I was having some pretty intense contractions and after I got out I put my pjs on and tried to get a little sleep I tossed and turned with contractions all night and hubby went into PT the next morning to let his chain of command know that I was pretty much in labor now they told him just don't bother comin back to work for the rest of the day and after he was released he came home. I had still been having pretty regular contractions while he was gone so when he got back we decided to go on post to the hospital. They checked me and I was only at 2cm and starting to efface but no"real" progress to speak of so they sent me home to wait it out.
We went home and I was extremely frustrated I remember crying a lot and being a total wreck while my husband comforted me saying soon. For about two and a half to three hours I tried to just breathe through my contractions I did NOT want to be sent home again so we waited and counted contractions. We lost count and when I started sobbing and shaking we decided it was time to go back in to the hospital. When we arrived I opted for the wheelchair as I was unsteady on my feet and still shaking pretty badly. They took us up to Labor and Delivery and put us in an exam room the nurse checked me and said we were 'only' 4cm and about 80% effaced they said "well honey you're making some progress but we still don't think you're ready to be admitted" I lost it! I started just sobbing hysterically and was just a mess I was still shaking and actually started hyperventilating on my next contraction and on the little stress machine they saw baby's heartbeat drop significantly so they quick, fast, and in a hurry admitted us got me in our delivery room and hooked up to an IV. They had me hooked up to the machine and IV in a matter of minutes they offered me pain medications that I refused because I had wanted to go as natural as I possibly could. Hubs and I just waited in the room as my contractions intensified and he helped me breathe through each reminding me "breathe babe you gotta breathe... ok, that's the peak of that one it's almost over ok, done" after a few hours they checked me again and I was up to 5cm and still 80% effaced. I was really suffering and laboring hard so I relented and decided I wanted an epidural... NOW!!!
Hubby and I put on a movie while we waited and I tried to focus. The anesthesiologist came up and did his stab me in the back with a HUGE flippin' needle thing and I was finally able to just relax a bit my body was exhausted and so I was extremely grateful for the relief! I vaguely remember talking on the phone to my mama and her telling me I was doing such a good job and she was super proud of me. Aww mama I love you! But I got off the phone because the nurse came in to check me again and found that I was only 6cm still 80% effaced so again with the waiting I still had contractions but I fell asleep for a bit from a combination of sheer physical exhaustion and the relief of pain from the epidural.
I woke up about 45 minutes later with the intense urge to push my husband remembers "I woke up the nurse came in and I heard you say you needed to push the nurse said there was no way and she lifted the sheet and said woah k let me go get the doctor." I remember getting excited then and starting to shake again and my hubs still groggy and waking up said, "woah woah are we havin' a baby now?". The nurse hustled in with the doctor and I assumed the pushing position I pushed only about 5 minutes 3 pushes and he was out he was actually born in his amniotic sack because my water never broke prior. So my husband cut the umbilical cord and they placed him on my chest and with tears running down my face I looked in the face of my sweet baby boy. It's true what they say about how the pain and ordeal of labor and delivery just melts away once you look into those sweet baby's eyes and hold him close! It's so true my whole body just relaxed as I held him close and I fed him. He was born March 27th (the day before his due date) 7lbs 12oz and 19.5inches long! I watched as my hubby gave Big M his first bath and we ate and slept and the next morning we were discharged and got to go home with our brand new bouncing baby boy! :)
Our lives are richer because we have been blessed with our son! He is just awesome and we are constantly amazed by his intelligence and his hysterical personality! So in those frazzled mama moments I like to just go back to those very first precious moments when I met our sweet Big M! I love my baby boy so much and I absolutely can't imagine my life without him!! I hope you have enjoyed my first Baby Story it is quite the journey to become a mama but once you are life will never be the same! I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend with your families! Love you all and tune in tomorrow for a new Kailly post. :) I'm gonna go have some ice cream now! :) Goodnight!
Big M's due date was March 28th and that week leading up to his arrival was the most anxious and excited I think I've ever been in my life!! Hubbers and I finished putting the final touches on the new nursery. We started preparing ourselves for the new addition by placing a bassinet next to our bed and we just started counting down the days! The day before I actually went into full on labor I went into the "nesting" phase. BIG TIME!! My husband recalls "I came home from work and the house was quite literally spotless!" I remember when he walked in I was sanitizing absolutely everything baby in boiling water! I had inventoried and folded all the baby clothes and organized and reorganized our little man's dresser and was scrubbing EVERYTHING! I was so exhausted from all my nesting instincts I went to bed super early that night. I started having contractions that night and the next morning after seeing my hubby off to work I just sat and waited. I remember I made sure to wear the comfiest maternity outfit I had because I was so uncomfortable and I just knew it was going to be 'tonight'! I put the hospital bag next to the front door and just waited. I tried to keep track of my contractions but Shannon is easily distracted and I was having a "My Baby Story" marathon (watching birth stories on tv) when hubs came home and I had been having early contractions (the getting started contractions is what I call them) but I paid no real never mind to them while I was on my own.
My husband got home from work and we did our usual walk around the block routine and grabbed some Chinese take out from the Oriental Wok that was literally down the road from where we lived at the time and went home and watched Property Virgins together on HGTV. :) We just went about our normal routine until around 5 pm and the oh mama pajama real contractions hit... I was having to consciously breathe through these bad boys! So my hubby being the sweety pie that he is ran a nice warm bath for me and reminded me that I need to just relax and everything will be ok. He helped me into my bath and went out to get things ready for that "IT'S HAPPENING!??!!" moment! All through my soaking in the bathtub I was having some pretty intense contractions and after I got out I put my pjs on and tried to get a little sleep I tossed and turned with contractions all night and hubby went into PT the next morning to let his chain of command know that I was pretty much in labor now they told him just don't bother comin back to work for the rest of the day and after he was released he came home. I had still been having pretty regular contractions while he was gone so when he got back we decided to go on post to the hospital. They checked me and I was only at 2cm and starting to efface but no"real" progress to speak of so they sent me home to wait it out.
We went home and I was extremely frustrated I remember crying a lot and being a total wreck while my husband comforted me saying soon. For about two and a half to three hours I tried to just breathe through my contractions I did NOT want to be sent home again so we waited and counted contractions. We lost count and when I started sobbing and shaking we decided it was time to go back in to the hospital. When we arrived I opted for the wheelchair as I was unsteady on my feet and still shaking pretty badly. They took us up to Labor and Delivery and put us in an exam room the nurse checked me and said we were 'only' 4cm and about 80% effaced they said "well honey you're making some progress but we still don't think you're ready to be admitted" I lost it! I started just sobbing hysterically and was just a mess I was still shaking and actually started hyperventilating on my next contraction and on the little stress machine they saw baby's heartbeat drop significantly so they quick, fast, and in a hurry admitted us got me in our delivery room and hooked up to an IV. They had me hooked up to the machine and IV in a matter of minutes they offered me pain medications that I refused because I had wanted to go as natural as I possibly could. Hubs and I just waited in the room as my contractions intensified and he helped me breathe through each reminding me "breathe babe you gotta breathe... ok, that's the peak of that one it's almost over ok, done" after a few hours they checked me again and I was up to 5cm and still 80% effaced. I was really suffering and laboring hard so I relented and decided I wanted an epidural... NOW!!!
Hubby and I put on a movie while we waited and I tried to focus. The anesthesiologist came up and did his stab me in the back with a HUGE flippin' needle thing and I was finally able to just relax a bit my body was exhausted and so I was extremely grateful for the relief! I vaguely remember talking on the phone to my mama and her telling me I was doing such a good job and she was super proud of me. Aww mama I love you! But I got off the phone because the nurse came in to check me again and found that I was only 6cm still 80% effaced so again with the waiting I still had contractions but I fell asleep for a bit from a combination of sheer physical exhaustion and the relief of pain from the epidural.
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| Baby Big M! |
I woke up about 45 minutes later with the intense urge to push my husband remembers "I woke up the nurse came in and I heard you say you needed to push the nurse said there was no way and she lifted the sheet and said woah k let me go get the doctor." I remember getting excited then and starting to shake again and my hubs still groggy and waking up said, "woah woah are we havin' a baby now?". The nurse hustled in with the doctor and I assumed the pushing position I pushed only about 5 minutes 3 pushes and he was out he was actually born in his amniotic sack because my water never broke prior. So my husband cut the umbilical cord and they placed him on my chest and with tears running down my face I looked in the face of my sweet baby boy. It's true what they say about how the pain and ordeal of labor and delivery just melts away once you look into those sweet baby's eyes and hold him close! It's so true my whole body just relaxed as I held him close and I fed him. He was born March 27th (the day before his due date) 7lbs 12oz and 19.5inches long! I watched as my hubby gave Big M his first bath and we ate and slept and the next morning we were discharged and got to go home with our brand new bouncing baby boy! :)
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| Hubbers and baby Big M. |
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| Me and my baby Big M. |
Our lives are richer because we have been blessed with our son! He is just awesome and we are constantly amazed by his intelligence and his hysterical personality! So in those frazzled mama moments I like to just go back to those very first precious moments when I met our sweet Big M! I love my baby boy so much and I absolutely can't imagine my life without him!! I hope you have enjoyed my first Baby Story it is quite the journey to become a mama but once you are life will never be the same! I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend with your families! Love you all and tune in tomorrow for a new Kailly post. :) I'm gonna go have some ice cream now! :) Goodnight!
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| Our very first family photo (Big M 2.5 weeks) |
wishing you delightful a Friday night and a wonderful weekend with big smiles and lots of happy hugs from me to each of you... Shannon :)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
My 54 Hours
Aright, everyone! Ashley here! Following Kailly yesterday, I am going to share the story of when Baby C was born. :) My pregnancy was a difficult one, and was labeled high risk due to my POTS and EDS, and I was followed by a specialist (a few, in fact) throughout my whole pregnancy. We also took Bradley Method classes with our Doula. For those of you who don't know what the Bradley Method is, it's a method of helping couples approach and attempt natural child birth. I had decided I didn't want an epidural for several reasons, but one being that a side effect is lowering blood pressure. As someone with consistently very low blood pressure, I saw how this could potentially cause me harm or make things difficult. But I'll get to that. Anyway... Here's my story:
Well, my due date was Sunday, the 9th of December. But it came and went and nothing happened. I was just trying really hard to stay patient, as I was miserable. So I continued with walking and birthing exercises and anything else I could think of. Monday, the 10th was a long day, but I tried to just take it in stride. All day long, I was having contractions every few hours. Nothing too intense, but they did start to get closer and closer together. By about 6:00 pm, my contractions were definitely stronger and were about 15 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute long. So we called our Doula and she was on her way! MH and I continued our routine, eating dinner and then I took a bath. My contractions continued, getting stronger and stronger and closer and closer. Unfortunately, my Doula was 3 hours away, visiting family. So we knew it was gonna take her a while, because she also had her little boy with her. She said she was going to take him home and then be on her way on her own. Apparently, that's when MH called to tell her that my contractions were stronger, about a minute long, and 7-9 minutes apart. So... She headed straight to our house instead. She finally got there at right about midnight... Just in time for my labor and contractions to stop completely. We were so frustrated! I woke up several times throughout the night with contractions, which was even more frustrating, because they were so spaced out, yet I was getting very little sleep. But I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning, and MH decided to go with me, just in case.
So, the morning of the 11th, we grabbed all of our bags and things for labor and delivery, just in case. It was a good thing! At my appointment, my OB said I had made zero progress! I was so frustrated and just didn't understand. However, I was just DONE and my OB mentioned my blood pressure being very low and suggested induction. And I agreed. So she sent us right over to the hospital and we called family to let them know, and I was admitted at 10:00 am. The biggest problem, was that I was not dilated at all, so I needed to be given meds to help start thing. (This was SO not the natural birth I wanted!) Anyway, I was given three doses of meds, as well as antibiotics since I was positive for GBS. I contracted on and off throughout the day and tried to get around on my feet as much as I could, to help things progress. Still, by bed time, I was only 1cm. However, I was 90% effaced. That was a little more encouraging. I was given something to sleep, and crashed out for a few hours from about midnight until 5:00 am, when I was woken to take a shower and then start pitocin.
The contractions with pitocin started to get intense pretty quickly. Or at least, that's how I remember it. I continued on with my plan for a natural birth and used the Bradley method for pain management and relaxation through contractions. I was so determined to get baby C here no matter what it took! Our doula was great and so was MH! They took turns supporting me physically and encouraging me, as did my parents, since they arrived as soon as they could that first day. As things continued throughout the day, I felt very in control and utilized all of the techniques I could think of. Eventually, I started to use low moaning - and when breakthrough pain was starting to hit, a sort of exorcist growling - to get through contractions. So I was checked again, and I remained at 1 cm, with 90% effacement. This was at about 7:00ish, I wanna say.
I had been laboring (total) for about 49 hours by this point. My doc suggested that breaking my water was the best idea at the time, because if I didn't deliver before midnight, I would need an emergency c-section. I consented, and the contractions immediately intensified. I was desperate and exhausted and asked to speak with MH in private. I wanted something for pain. But I still did not want an epidural. We had a "code phrase" if I was serious about pain relief. It was "banana pancakes". So... I told MH, "I think I need banana pancakes... But I don't want an epidural!!!" I was terrified of getting one. Our nurse came in and discussed using Fentanyl or Nubain, but then found out that the Nubain was out of stock completely for the hospital, so if I wanted IV pain meds, my only option was the Fentanyl. I agreed. It set in and I felt more relaxed. Unfortunately, it only lasted about 20 minutes, when my contractions got even worse. I couldn't do it anymore... I was starting to hyperventilate through contractions, despite my best efforts. My nurse said I could get more fentanyl, but it was gonna wear off again, and probably too soon. I said "I want an epidural", after being reminded by my doula of all the risks and talking seriously with MH. They both agreed that it was my decision completely. The anesthesiologist showed up 30 minutes later to administer the epidural, and I had started shaking uncontrollably as I had already hit transition. My nurse had to stretch me to 3cm and I had dilated to 3.5... Not much and still 90% effaced. My body just wasn't doing what it needed to and I couldn't relax anymore. The anesthesiologist gave me the lidocaine, which he said was the worst part of it all, but compared to my contractions, I couldn't see how it could be considered painful at all. He hooked me up and he was SPEEDY! Within three more contractions, I was starting to feel much better, except for a spot in my hip and groin on the left. The nurse tried pushing the button to administer more of the meds, but nothin'. So the anesthesiologist came and gave me some more lidocaine in my IV. In about 5 minutes, the numbness was even and I felt incredible! But he noticed that my blood pressure was low. REALLY low... 93/30! Everyone kept asking me if I felt alright. Other than feeling a little nauseous and tired, I remember feeling pretty fantastic! Haha! I breathed through contractions, but all I felt was cramping in my butt! :) after 2 more hours of laboring, my doc came to check me and was shocked to find me at nine! She was so shocked, in fact, that she had my nurse check me too! Lol my nurse agreed and said that I was 100% effaced! I was thrilled!!! So... We called all of our family so they could come back to the hospital, since they had all left to get some rest. My nurse immediately got me ready to push and in twenty minutes I was fully dilated and effaced and completely ready to push. We did some practice pushing with our nurse and I was told that I had excellent control! My doc showed up just in time to deliver C. It was odd, because at this time, my contractions actually slowed and I was shaking even worse than before and felt like I was going to vomit! Anyway... I pushed for about an hour and had C out in about 6 pushes. I watched the whole thing in the mirror and felt his head when he started to crown, and it was amazing! As soon as he was out, MH and I both started crying tears of joy. C's cord was super short though, so he couldn't be put on my belly until MH cut the cord. He cut it and my little man was put right on my belly! C certainly had a good set of lungs and he screamed right away and made it know that he does not like being messed with! After almost 54 hours of laboring, he was born on 12/12/12 at 10:54 pm and weighed 6lbs 8oz, measuring 20 inches long.
Because C was born so late at night, we were kept until Friday morning, when we FINALLY got to go home! :) It was the longest, most amazing week of my life!
My OOTD:
^My favorite before and after "bump" photos! ;)
Well, my due date was Sunday, the 9th of December. But it came and went and nothing happened. I was just trying really hard to stay patient, as I was miserable. So I continued with walking and birthing exercises and anything else I could think of. Monday, the 10th was a long day, but I tried to just take it in stride. All day long, I was having contractions every few hours. Nothing too intense, but they did start to get closer and closer together. By about 6:00 pm, my contractions were definitely stronger and were about 15 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute long. So we called our Doula and she was on her way! MH and I continued our routine, eating dinner and then I took a bath. My contractions continued, getting stronger and stronger and closer and closer. Unfortunately, my Doula was 3 hours away, visiting family. So we knew it was gonna take her a while, because she also had her little boy with her. She said she was going to take him home and then be on her way on her own. Apparently, that's when MH called to tell her that my contractions were stronger, about a minute long, and 7-9 minutes apart. So... She headed straight to our house instead. She finally got there at right about midnight... Just in time for my labor and contractions to stop completely. We were so frustrated! I woke up several times throughout the night with contractions, which was even more frustrating, because they were so spaced out, yet I was getting very little sleep. But I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning, and MH decided to go with me, just in case.
So, the morning of the 11th, we grabbed all of our bags and things for labor and delivery, just in case. It was a good thing! At my appointment, my OB said I had made zero progress! I was so frustrated and just didn't understand. However, I was just DONE and my OB mentioned my blood pressure being very low and suggested induction. And I agreed. So she sent us right over to the hospital and we called family to let them know, and I was admitted at 10:00 am. The biggest problem, was that I was not dilated at all, so I needed to be given meds to help start thing. (This was SO not the natural birth I wanted!) Anyway, I was given three doses of meds, as well as antibiotics since I was positive for GBS. I contracted on and off throughout the day and tried to get around on my feet as much as I could, to help things progress. Still, by bed time, I was only 1cm. However, I was 90% effaced. That was a little more encouraging. I was given something to sleep, and crashed out for a few hours from about midnight until 5:00 am, when I was woken to take a shower and then start pitocin.
The contractions with pitocin started to get intense pretty quickly. Or at least, that's how I remember it. I continued on with my plan for a natural birth and used the Bradley method for pain management and relaxation through contractions. I was so determined to get baby C here no matter what it took! Our doula was great and so was MH! They took turns supporting me physically and encouraging me, as did my parents, since they arrived as soon as they could that first day. As things continued throughout the day, I felt very in control and utilized all of the techniques I could think of. Eventually, I started to use low moaning - and when breakthrough pain was starting to hit, a sort of exorcist growling - to get through contractions. So I was checked again, and I remained at 1 cm, with 90% effacement. This was at about 7:00ish, I wanna say.
I had been laboring (total) for about 49 hours by this point. My doc suggested that breaking my water was the best idea at the time, because if I didn't deliver before midnight, I would need an emergency c-section. I consented, and the contractions immediately intensified. I was desperate and exhausted and asked to speak with MH in private. I wanted something for pain. But I still did not want an epidural. We had a "code phrase" if I was serious about pain relief. It was "banana pancakes". So... I told MH, "I think I need banana pancakes... But I don't want an epidural!!!" I was terrified of getting one. Our nurse came in and discussed using Fentanyl or Nubain, but then found out that the Nubain was out of stock completely for the hospital, so if I wanted IV pain meds, my only option was the Fentanyl. I agreed. It set in and I felt more relaxed. Unfortunately, it only lasted about 20 minutes, when my contractions got even worse. I couldn't do it anymore... I was starting to hyperventilate through contractions, despite my best efforts. My nurse said I could get more fentanyl, but it was gonna wear off again, and probably too soon. I said "I want an epidural", after being reminded by my doula of all the risks and talking seriously with MH. They both agreed that it was my decision completely. The anesthesiologist showed up 30 minutes later to administer the epidural, and I had started shaking uncontrollably as I had already hit transition. My nurse had to stretch me to 3cm and I had dilated to 3.5... Not much and still 90% effaced. My body just wasn't doing what it needed to and I couldn't relax anymore. The anesthesiologist gave me the lidocaine, which he said was the worst part of it all, but compared to my contractions, I couldn't see how it could be considered painful at all. He hooked me up and he was SPEEDY! Within three more contractions, I was starting to feel much better, except for a spot in my hip and groin on the left. The nurse tried pushing the button to administer more of the meds, but nothin'. So the anesthesiologist came and gave me some more lidocaine in my IV. In about 5 minutes, the numbness was even and I felt incredible! But he noticed that my blood pressure was low. REALLY low... 93/30! Everyone kept asking me if I felt alright. Other than feeling a little nauseous and tired, I remember feeling pretty fantastic! Haha! I breathed through contractions, but all I felt was cramping in my butt! :) after 2 more hours of laboring, my doc came to check me and was shocked to find me at nine! She was so shocked, in fact, that she had my nurse check me too! Lol my nurse agreed and said that I was 100% effaced! I was thrilled!!! So... We called all of our family so they could come back to the hospital, since they had all left to get some rest. My nurse immediately got me ready to push and in twenty minutes I was fully dilated and effaced and completely ready to push. We did some practice pushing with our nurse and I was told that I had excellent control! My doc showed up just in time to deliver C. It was odd, because at this time, my contractions actually slowed and I was shaking even worse than before and felt like I was going to vomit! Anyway... I pushed for about an hour and had C out in about 6 pushes. I watched the whole thing in the mirror and felt his head when he started to crown, and it was amazing! As soon as he was out, MH and I both started crying tears of joy. C's cord was super short though, so he couldn't be put on my belly until MH cut the cord. He cut it and my little man was put right on my belly! C certainly had a good set of lungs and he screamed right away and made it know that he does not like being messed with! After almost 54 hours of laboring, he was born on 12/12/12 at 10:54 pm and weighed 6lbs 8oz, measuring 20 inches long.
Because C was born so late at night, we were kept until Friday morning, when we FINALLY got to go home! :) It was the longest, most amazing week of my life!
My OOTD:
^My favorite before and after "bump" photos! ;)
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The BEST day of my life!
Hey all! Kailly posting today! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a wonderful day! The sun is shining in Denver, and will be warm so N and I are heading to play at the park after nap time!
So, I wanted to welcome you a little further into my life by sharing N's birth story! I'll try not to draw it out too much! My eyes are already welling with tears just thinking about the day she was born. N is so special, and I truly feel the day she was born I found a new definition to living!
I was originally due June 18th, 2012. The last day of April, maybe the first of May, I was sitting at work and was feeling a lot of contractions. I was 34 weeks along. I started timing them, and they were every 3-5 minutes. My coworker T noticed something was up. She asked if I was okay, and I broke into tears telling her I thought I might be in labor. She went into my bosses office and they said to call my OB. I remember it being the lunch break at the office, so I expected them to tell me to wait and call back later. One of the nurses told me to rush there, and go straight to their office. I called my husband telling him I was heading to the hospital (which is where our dr is) and he rushed down to meet me. I walked into the office and was immediately brought back to a room. L met me in the room. I was checked. 3 cm, 90% effaced. She said she was going to get me on the stress test machine to watch my contractions and we would figure things out from there. My water hadn't broken, but based off a test, she said it was leaking a little bit. I start texting a few close friends and family for prayers. The dr came in and said she was going to try to stop labor. They wanted N to grow more, and I hadn't gained a lot of weight, so they wanted us both to pack on some pounds. My dr gave me a shot and left me on the monitor. She said my contractions were originally very strong, and they were starting to calm down but she couldn't stop them. She said "I may see you tonight, maybe tomorrow, hopefully not until you are 37 weeks." She sent me home on bed rest for a few days.
Fast forward a week. I was home and it started again. My husband rushed me back to the hospital. Thank God we only live about 6 minutes away! This time, same thing. They tried to stop labor again giving me double doses of the meds. The medicine made me shake like crazy. I felt like I had a million Red Bulls and I was going to fly away at any point! This time, my doctor wasn't taking any chances. She put me on crazy strict bedrest. I was allowed to get up to use the rest room. Other wise, no cooking, cleaning, no stairs, nothing. I laid around watching movies and dreaming of when N would come. If you know me, you know how hard this is for me. I love working. I hated not being there. I hated not being able to do anything around the house or cook. But, I would do anything for my daughter, so I did as I was told... nothing.
As time went on we were shocked N hadn't come yet. My dr then told me that when your labor is stopped so many times, you likely won't go into labor until 40-41 weeks. I figured that would be okay. Well, at my 38 week appointment, the dr looked me over and saw my body just wasn't growing anymore. My hips were bruised, my ribs were bruised, and my body was just done. She said for my health, and N's she was inducing me Monday.
Photo on the left is almost 33 weeks. Photo on the right is about 2 weeks before N was born!
Okay, I thought, Monday. June 11th. Wait... June 11th? I instantly turned to L, worried. June 11th was my Daddy's 50th birthday. I didn't know if he would want to share his birthday. I called him and he was excited to share his birthday! Phew. Crisis averted. My best friend flew in the next day (after the dr appt) from New York. It was June 6th. We were in the middle of the craziest storm. There was layers of hail outside, and the wind was so bad, she was scared I would go into labor from the pressure changes. She ended up stuck in Salt Lake City for a few days, but made it by the 9th!
Anyway, the day before N was born, we were upstairs when I just lost it. I sat in N's gorgeous nursery. I bawled at the thought of labor, and something happening to my daughter or myself. S held me tight (she's the best, best friend.) Soon after we were laughing and smiling at the thought of N coming the next day!
Okay, sorry, this seems long already. I'll speed it up!
The next morning, we checked into the hospital at 6:30 am. A sweet nurse met us downstairs and brought us to our labor and delivery room. I had my IV's and everything all placed and was resting in bed by 7:15. L went down to the cafeteria to get breakfast around 7:45. My OB popped her head in at 8. I was 2 cm. It's normal, I guess, for meds to bring you down on dilation. She could sense I was nervous. She said she would be in around 1 to break my water, as pitocin was already flowing. I asked her if she would break it right now, thinking she would say no. She asked if I was serious. I told her I was, and she said she would definitely do it! When my husband came back at 8:10, I was alone in the room hanging out. He asked how I was feeling. I told him "great, oh, my water broke." He was shocked. He went to throw away his burrito. I told him not to, nothing would happen for a while. My dr said I would likely give birth around 2-3 am the next day.
By noon, my OB asked if I wanted an epidural. I wasn't in crazy pain, but was a little uncomfortable. She said I could likely handle it if I wanted to. I told her I felt like I should get an epidural. Something in my head kept telling me to. Once that was over, we just relaxed. My whole plan had always been to have a quiet room, lights dim, and lots of peace and quiet. I didn't want visitiors while I was laboring. I just wanted to be with my husband as we spent our last few hours alone! I had game shows on, and was playing along when the nurse came in at 2 pm. She asked if I wanted to be checked, I said that would be fine! I felt great, and we were enjoying the day. I told her I was hoping to be at 4. When she checked me she said "Holy smokes, you are already at 9 and 3/4. Just waiting for a lip to go. I'll be back at 2:30 to make sure you are at ten, and we will give you time to naturally start to get things moved down. You'll be pushing by 3!" My husband was eating pizza his parents brought up to the waiting room for him. I was thankful he didn't go to the cafeteria! My heart fluttered with excitement and nerves. It was almost time to meet our baby!
At three, it was time to push. The nurse said "let's do a test push and see how quickly you will get her out." As I pushed, she told me to stop, she was getting my dr. My dr came in, sat right down and said in the next contraction N would be out, maybe two. I looked at L, smiled and pushed as hard as I could. Well, I saw something shift on my drs face. She seemed concerned. She exchanged looks with the nurse, and the nurse instantly went to the heart rate monitor, and didnt let it go until N was delivered. After about 20 minutes, I asked if everything was okay? My dr said it was, and N would be out soon. After an hour, I asked again. Same answer. Around 5 pm, I started feeling a shooting pain up my spine. N was kicking a block of nerves. It hurt so bad. I believe at this point, I told my dr if she got N out on the next push I'd buy her a car. Haha. This is also when I told N "Princess, this is the only time in life I will tell you to go down to the white light." haha. I was in pain. And, I had the worst headache of my life. Then, all contractions just stopped. My dr told the nurse to stay on N's heart rate. She ran and got me tylenol and juice. She said this is a rare moment she will break rules of no drinking or tylenol. This is the point I knew something was wrong. With the pain, and the fear I started crying in between pushing. Yes, we were pushing with no contractions. I told my dr when I wanted to push, and she let me. I had been doing it the whole time in delivery so she let me keep it going. I love her for that. She later said I was right on with all contractions and knowing when to push. Any way, we kept moving forward, and my contractions started again, finally! After a few contractions, I asked "What is wrong? Why won't she come out?" My dr started to talk and I broke down and sobbed. N came right out. She laughed saying that was all it took was a good cry.
My princess weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She had a huge head, which caused me to tear pretty bad. She started breast feeding right away. After I got stitched up, it was shift change. My husband helped the nurses bathe N as I watched from my bed. They delivered dinner, so I ate as they did that.
Then, we snuggled a ton, and spent about an hour alone before introducing her to family and friends.
N is the best little girl ever. Just sharing this has me in tears. I can't stop thinking about L and I bawling when she was born. We noticed right away that she had my lips and nose, and Daddy's big head and cheeks. She has my hands and long fingers and Daddy's legs and feet. She is absolutely perfect.
N will be 10 months old next week. She is now 19 lbs 12 oz. and 27.5 inches long! We are SO blessed!
Hope you all enjoyed learning about my daughters arrival! Feel free to comment with your birth stories! See you all Saturday!
Love,
Kailly
So, I wanted to welcome you a little further into my life by sharing N's birth story! I'll try not to draw it out too much! My eyes are already welling with tears just thinking about the day she was born. N is so special, and I truly feel the day she was born I found a new definition to living!
I was originally due June 18th, 2012. The last day of April, maybe the first of May, I was sitting at work and was feeling a lot of contractions. I was 34 weeks along. I started timing them, and they were every 3-5 minutes. My coworker T noticed something was up. She asked if I was okay, and I broke into tears telling her I thought I might be in labor. She went into my bosses office and they said to call my OB. I remember it being the lunch break at the office, so I expected them to tell me to wait and call back later. One of the nurses told me to rush there, and go straight to their office. I called my husband telling him I was heading to the hospital (which is where our dr is) and he rushed down to meet me. I walked into the office and was immediately brought back to a room. L met me in the room. I was checked. 3 cm, 90% effaced. She said she was going to get me on the stress test machine to watch my contractions and we would figure things out from there. My water hadn't broken, but based off a test, she said it was leaking a little bit. I start texting a few close friends and family for prayers. The dr came in and said she was going to try to stop labor. They wanted N to grow more, and I hadn't gained a lot of weight, so they wanted us both to pack on some pounds. My dr gave me a shot and left me on the monitor. She said my contractions were originally very strong, and they were starting to calm down but she couldn't stop them. She said "I may see you tonight, maybe tomorrow, hopefully not until you are 37 weeks." She sent me home on bed rest for a few days.
Fast forward a week. I was home and it started again. My husband rushed me back to the hospital. Thank God we only live about 6 minutes away! This time, same thing. They tried to stop labor again giving me double doses of the meds. The medicine made me shake like crazy. I felt like I had a million Red Bulls and I was going to fly away at any point! This time, my doctor wasn't taking any chances. She put me on crazy strict bedrest. I was allowed to get up to use the rest room. Other wise, no cooking, cleaning, no stairs, nothing. I laid around watching movies and dreaming of when N would come. If you know me, you know how hard this is for me. I love working. I hated not being there. I hated not being able to do anything around the house or cook. But, I would do anything for my daughter, so I did as I was told... nothing.
As time went on we were shocked N hadn't come yet. My dr then told me that when your labor is stopped so many times, you likely won't go into labor until 40-41 weeks. I figured that would be okay. Well, at my 38 week appointment, the dr looked me over and saw my body just wasn't growing anymore. My hips were bruised, my ribs were bruised, and my body was just done. She said for my health, and N's she was inducing me Monday.
Photo on the left is almost 33 weeks. Photo on the right is about 2 weeks before N was born!
Okay, I thought, Monday. June 11th. Wait... June 11th? I instantly turned to L, worried. June 11th was my Daddy's 50th birthday. I didn't know if he would want to share his birthday. I called him and he was excited to share his birthday! Phew. Crisis averted. My best friend flew in the next day (after the dr appt) from New York. It was June 6th. We were in the middle of the craziest storm. There was layers of hail outside, and the wind was so bad, she was scared I would go into labor from the pressure changes. She ended up stuck in Salt Lake City for a few days, but made it by the 9th!
Anyway, the day before N was born, we were upstairs when I just lost it. I sat in N's gorgeous nursery. I bawled at the thought of labor, and something happening to my daughter or myself. S held me tight (she's the best, best friend.) Soon after we were laughing and smiling at the thought of N coming the next day!
Okay, sorry, this seems long already. I'll speed it up!
The next morning, we checked into the hospital at 6:30 am. A sweet nurse met us downstairs and brought us to our labor and delivery room. I had my IV's and everything all placed and was resting in bed by 7:15. L went down to the cafeteria to get breakfast around 7:45. My OB popped her head in at 8. I was 2 cm. It's normal, I guess, for meds to bring you down on dilation. She could sense I was nervous. She said she would be in around 1 to break my water, as pitocin was already flowing. I asked her if she would break it right now, thinking she would say no. She asked if I was serious. I told her I was, and she said she would definitely do it! When my husband came back at 8:10, I was alone in the room hanging out. He asked how I was feeling. I told him "great, oh, my water broke." He was shocked. He went to throw away his burrito. I told him not to, nothing would happen for a while. My dr said I would likely give birth around 2-3 am the next day.
By noon, my OB asked if I wanted an epidural. I wasn't in crazy pain, but was a little uncomfortable. She said I could likely handle it if I wanted to. I told her I felt like I should get an epidural. Something in my head kept telling me to. Once that was over, we just relaxed. My whole plan had always been to have a quiet room, lights dim, and lots of peace and quiet. I didn't want visitiors while I was laboring. I just wanted to be with my husband as we spent our last few hours alone! I had game shows on, and was playing along when the nurse came in at 2 pm. She asked if I wanted to be checked, I said that would be fine! I felt great, and we were enjoying the day. I told her I was hoping to be at 4. When she checked me she said "Holy smokes, you are already at 9 and 3/4. Just waiting for a lip to go. I'll be back at 2:30 to make sure you are at ten, and we will give you time to naturally start to get things moved down. You'll be pushing by 3!" My husband was eating pizza his parents brought up to the waiting room for him. I was thankful he didn't go to the cafeteria! My heart fluttered with excitement and nerves. It was almost time to meet our baby!
At three, it was time to push. The nurse said "let's do a test push and see how quickly you will get her out." As I pushed, she told me to stop, she was getting my dr. My dr came in, sat right down and said in the next contraction N would be out, maybe two. I looked at L, smiled and pushed as hard as I could. Well, I saw something shift on my drs face. She seemed concerned. She exchanged looks with the nurse, and the nurse instantly went to the heart rate monitor, and didnt let it go until N was delivered. After about 20 minutes, I asked if everything was okay? My dr said it was, and N would be out soon. After an hour, I asked again. Same answer. Around 5 pm, I started feeling a shooting pain up my spine. N was kicking a block of nerves. It hurt so bad. I believe at this point, I told my dr if she got N out on the next push I'd buy her a car. Haha. This is also when I told N "Princess, this is the only time in life I will tell you to go down to the white light." haha. I was in pain. And, I had the worst headache of my life. Then, all contractions just stopped. My dr told the nurse to stay on N's heart rate. She ran and got me tylenol and juice. She said this is a rare moment she will break rules of no drinking or tylenol. This is the point I knew something was wrong. With the pain, and the fear I started crying in between pushing. Yes, we were pushing with no contractions. I told my dr when I wanted to push, and she let me. I had been doing it the whole time in delivery so she let me keep it going. I love her for that. She later said I was right on with all contractions and knowing when to push. Any way, we kept moving forward, and my contractions started again, finally! After a few contractions, I asked "What is wrong? Why won't she come out?" My dr started to talk and I broke down and sobbed. N came right out. She laughed saying that was all it took was a good cry.
My princess weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She had a huge head, which caused me to tear pretty bad. She started breast feeding right away. After I got stitched up, it was shift change. My husband helped the nurses bathe N as I watched from my bed. They delivered dinner, so I ate as they did that.
Here is N and I! She is about an hour old here.
Then, we snuggled a ton, and spent about an hour alone before introducing her to family and friends.
Here is N. She is 18 hours old in this!
N is the best little girl ever. Just sharing this has me in tears. I can't stop thinking about L and I bawling when she was born. We noticed right away that she had my lips and nose, and Daddy's big head and cheeks. She has my hands and long fingers and Daddy's legs and feet. She is absolutely perfect.
First family photo. 18 hours old.
N will be 10 months old next week. She is now 19 lbs 12 oz. and 27.5 inches long! We are SO blessed!
Hope you all enjoyed learning about my daughters arrival! Feel free to comment with your birth stories! See you all Saturday!
Love,
Kailly
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
I Love Bargains Tuesday!
Hey y'all it's Shannon. :) Sorry I missed y'all on Friday life gets super busy with littles in the house eh? :) I do hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! I hope that your today is awesome too! I have big plans to go through my closet, in addition to my other daily tasks and chores :) we'll see though sometimes my closet feels like a bottomless pit of fabric you know kinda like the place where clothes come to die... (I have an issue parting with clothes I think) I swear I have a FULL closet and still feel like "I just have nothing to wear!?" Anybody else? Please tell me I'm not alone there... I can't be the only one that feels like that... well maybe I can, haha anyhow... I plan to reevaluate and reorganize a bit. I have decided to adopt a new habit when it comes to my wardrobe! When something new comes in two other somethings go out (I really do have too much in that closet of mine ugh)
Yesterday I was havin' kind of a gloomy, grey clouds kinda day so my sweet Hubbers said, "Hey, if you gotta get out of the house just do it babe" :) So I did and I ended up enjoying some shaken green tea and oh my yum delicious sushi (two words: octopus sunomono!) at my favorite local restaurant mmmmmm... oh it was SO GOOD!! I started to perk up a bit after that and then I remembered seeing a Ross nearby so I thought heck, I don't have kiddos with me I can actually try things on and not have to worry about stepping on littles or profusely apologizing to the upset ladies in the neighboring changing stalls for my oh so curious MnMs peeking under the partitions at them... Oh dear! But no shrieks in the dressing room yesterday except when I realized what great bargains I found! :)
So since I did indulge in a little bit of retail therapy I have to find a few forgotten closet items to part with today as I clean out my closet. But first I would like to share my fun finds!! We all know that Kailly is the absolute Bargain Queen and even she gave me kuddos yesterday via text so I definitely felt budget savvy! ;) Everything was on clearance at the Spring Clearance Sale!! So here we go I ended up getting two cute tops, a simple white under tank, a ridiculously fun polkadot xoxo bra, and a much needed new pair of shorts! Here's the breakdown:
purple stripey top -
Original Price: $14.00
Clearance Price: $6.99
Mint color t-shirt -
Original Price: $18.00
Clearance Price: $5.99
White Under Tank -
Original Price: $12.00
Clearance Price: $5.99 - .60 (discount)= 5.39
PolkaDot XO Bra -
Original Price: $38.00
Clearance Price: $6.99
Khaki Shorts -
Original Price: $28.00
Clearance Price: $10.99
My total was $39.35 including tax and because Rico the Ross man was in a discount mood I got 60 cents off the white under tank/cami for having a little dirt on it!? (I mean I'm gonna wash it before I wear it anyhow but hey thanks Rico the Ross man for the sweet discount!) I just love finding bargains even if it's only 60 cents!! This is a frugal tip that I use pretty often actually but if something is 'damaged', dirty, or otherwise not in perfect pristine condition when you are buying new, bring up the flaws and 'damage' to the clerk it's almost like price matching but hey don't you think it's fair to buy something new, literally in brand new condition. I have totally scored a pair of jeans from Penney's for 10 bucks cheaper because the seam stitching around the pocket was comin' a little loose. I also got a $12 glitter Batman wallet at Walmart for 7 bucks because there as a small ink stain on the inside of the wallet and I plainly stated that "I don't think I should have to pay full price for an already damaged item" ... maybe that's harsh but that's how I roll I don't think that it's fair to pay full price for something new that isn't in new condition.... maybe that's just me but hey a penny saved is definitely a penny earned :)
Another budget savvy bargain that I recently have found is my newly acquired Scentsy collection. You can ask anyone who knows me I am a recovering candle-holic (especially Ashley who got me hooked on Scentsy)! I love having my house smell like fresh baked cookies, or apple pie without having to slave over the stove to bake them and/or to perfume my home with floral and plant type fragrances but y'all I have an anti green thumb, I swear, I can't grow anything EVER so it's much easier for me to just dust the room with a scented spray. haha. But candles and aerosols can be expensive and are potentially dangerous with littles running around. Plus I am extremely forgetful and I am super guilty of forgetting to extinguish candle flames before leaving the house to run errands or before going to bed... yikes I know right!? But I really am that forgetful and ditzy at times...
So not only is it wasteful to leave candles burning for long periods at a time but it's dangerous! So friends, I have seen the light and it's a beautiful plug in wax warmer that gives off more scent than any candle I've ever owned, EVER! Plus imagine with me. a candle that you can decide what scent you want when you want it!? It's real! I can not only decide what scent I want but I can choose to change it whenever I want to!! I have one in my bathroom and one in my kitchen right now but I want one in every room of my house and my garage!! haha. But seriously my little plug in warmer fills my entire bathroom with a fresh smelling pomegranate citrus scent right now instead of the unpleasant restroom smells of a typical bathroom. I just plug it in and walk away, done, no need to worry about "oh garbage! did I forget to blow out the candles again?!" Nope. I can leave it on all day and enjoy the delightful scents of my choice all day worry free!
I LOVE my Scentsy!! And I even got my husband and kiddos in on it my Hubbers really likes the fresh pine smell and my little MnMs have Scentsy buddies they have each have little stuffed piggies that you add a Scentsy scent pak into (again scent completely of your choosing) and I'm not exaggerating when I say that my boys' rooms smell amazing!!! Gone is that distinct boy odor of yesterday and hello to yummy pumpkin marshmallow and baby fresh nursery scents!! They love their little pigs and when the buddies aren't resting on the beds, hard at work bed freshening up the boys' rooms the buddies come with us in the car and travel to friends houses too all the while taking their delightful freshness wherever they may roam. They are very much loved little stuffed buddies and mommy loves them too because expensive aerosol cans have taken a permanent vacation from our house!
I am Shannon and I have kicked my candle and aerosol addiction! Y'all should really check Scentsy out and try it! I bet you'll love it as much as I do!!
I love all things bargain and beautiful and when I get to combine the two it's a double win!! We all need pretty little things to brighten up our day sometimes and when we get to save a little money doing it, that makes it even prettier! I hope y'all enjoyed this post and we'd all love to hear some of your frugalista tips and fun bargain finds! So please do share with us I know I speak for Ashley, Kailly, and myself when I say we all love hearing from you!! Have a delightful Tuesday everyone! I'm off to clean my closet and change my fun new Scentsy flavors :)
Yesterday I was havin' kind of a gloomy, grey clouds kinda day so my sweet Hubbers said, "Hey, if you gotta get out of the house just do it babe" :) So I did and I ended up enjoying some shaken green tea and oh my yum delicious sushi (two words: octopus sunomono!) at my favorite local restaurant mmmmmm... oh it was SO GOOD!! I started to perk up a bit after that and then I remembered seeing a Ross nearby so I thought heck, I don't have kiddos with me I can actually try things on and not have to worry about stepping on littles or profusely apologizing to the upset ladies in the neighboring changing stalls for my oh so curious MnMs peeking under the partitions at them... Oh dear! But no shrieks in the dressing room yesterday except when I realized what great bargains I found! :)
So since I did indulge in a little bit of retail therapy I have to find a few forgotten closet items to part with today as I clean out my closet. But first I would like to share my fun finds!! We all know that Kailly is the absolute Bargain Queen and even she gave me kuddos yesterday via text so I definitely felt budget savvy! ;) Everything was on clearance at the Spring Clearance Sale!! So here we go I ended up getting two cute tops, a simple white under tank, a ridiculously fun polkadot xoxo bra, and a much needed new pair of shorts! Here's the breakdown:
 |
| actually purple not blue |
purple stripey top -
Original Price: $14.00
Clearance Price: $6.99
Mint color t-shirt -
Original Price: $18.00
Clearance Price: $5.99
White Under Tank -
Original Price: $12.00
Clearance Price: $5.99 - .60 (discount)= 5.39
PolkaDot XO Bra -
Original Price: $38.00
Clearance Price: $6.99
Khaki Shorts -
Original Price: $28.00
Clearance Price: $10.99
My total was $39.35 including tax and because Rico the Ross man was in a discount mood I got 60 cents off the white under tank/cami for having a little dirt on it!? (I mean I'm gonna wash it before I wear it anyhow but hey thanks Rico the Ross man for the sweet discount!) I just love finding bargains even if it's only 60 cents!! This is a frugal tip that I use pretty often actually but if something is 'damaged', dirty, or otherwise not in perfect pristine condition when you are buying new, bring up the flaws and 'damage' to the clerk it's almost like price matching but hey don't you think it's fair to buy something new, literally in brand new condition. I have totally scored a pair of jeans from Penney's for 10 bucks cheaper because the seam stitching around the pocket was comin' a little loose. I also got a $12 glitter Batman wallet at Walmart for 7 bucks because there as a small ink stain on the inside of the wallet and I plainly stated that "I don't think I should have to pay full price for an already damaged item" ... maybe that's harsh but that's how I roll I don't think that it's fair to pay full price for something new that isn't in new condition.... maybe that's just me but hey a penny saved is definitely a penny earned :)
Another budget savvy bargain that I recently have found is my newly acquired Scentsy collection. You can ask anyone who knows me I am a recovering candle-holic (especially Ashley who got me hooked on Scentsy)! I love having my house smell like fresh baked cookies, or apple pie without having to slave over the stove to bake them and/or to perfume my home with floral and plant type fragrances but y'all I have an anti green thumb, I swear, I can't grow anything EVER so it's much easier for me to just dust the room with a scented spray. haha. But candles and aerosols can be expensive and are potentially dangerous with littles running around. Plus I am extremely forgetful and I am super guilty of forgetting to extinguish candle flames before leaving the house to run errands or before going to bed... yikes I know right!? But I really am that forgetful and ditzy at times...
So not only is it wasteful to leave candles burning for long periods at a time but it's dangerous! So friends, I have seen the light and it's a beautiful plug in wax warmer that gives off more scent than any candle I've ever owned, EVER! Plus imagine with me. a candle that you can decide what scent you want when you want it!? It's real! I can not only decide what scent I want but I can choose to change it whenever I want to!! I have one in my bathroom and one in my kitchen right now but I want one in every room of my house and my garage!! haha. But seriously my little plug in warmer fills my entire bathroom with a fresh smelling pomegranate citrus scent right now instead of the unpleasant restroom smells of a typical bathroom. I just plug it in and walk away, done, no need to worry about "oh garbage! did I forget to blow out the candles again?!" Nope. I can leave it on all day and enjoy the delightful scents of my choice all day worry free!
I LOVE my Scentsy!! And I even got my husband and kiddos in on it my Hubbers really likes the fresh pine smell and my little MnMs have Scentsy buddies they have each have little stuffed piggies that you add a Scentsy scent pak into (again scent completely of your choosing) and I'm not exaggerating when I say that my boys' rooms smell amazing!!! Gone is that distinct boy odor of yesterday and hello to yummy pumpkin marshmallow and baby fresh nursery scents!! They love their little pigs and when the buddies aren't resting on the beds, hard at work bed freshening up the boys' rooms the buddies come with us in the car and travel to friends houses too all the while taking their delightful freshness wherever they may roam. They are very much loved little stuffed buddies and mommy loves them too because expensive aerosol cans have taken a permanent vacation from our house!
I am Shannon and I have kicked my candle and aerosol addiction! Y'all should really check Scentsy out and try it! I bet you'll love it as much as I do!!
https://daniels.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home
I love all things bargain and beautiful and when I get to combine the two it's a double win!! We all need pretty little things to brighten up our day sometimes and when we get to save a little money doing it, that makes it even prettier! I hope y'all enjoyed this post and we'd all love to hear some of your frugalista tips and fun bargain finds! So please do share with us I know I speak for Ashley, Kailly, and myself when I say we all love hearing from you!! Have a delightful Tuesday everyone! I'm off to clean my closet and change my fun new Scentsy flavors :)
 |
| New outfits of the day make me smile :) |
sending you big bargain lovin' hugs and smiles and some really pretty scented Scentsy love... Shannon :)
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