the birth story: part three......

So there I was. Walking down the little hallway to the operating room to meet my second child. It had been such a whirlwind of a morning that I was still trying to process that it was all really happening. They had Josh wait outside while I was prepped. I entered the room and remember thinking that it looked and felt very different from my experience with Charleigh. That feeling was most likely because with her I was already exhaused, medicated, and laying on a gurney when I was brought in there.

One of my nurses was an awesome girl by the name of Jane (I think.). She was a Cal State student so even though she was "working", she spent most of the time just taking care of me. After we got in the room they had me get up onto the table. Nurses were running around like crazy everywhere and it suddenly seemed so overwhelming. Then it started. The panic. I just felt like I could not do this. No surgery, no needles, no cutting, none of it. I wanted out of there. Now.

But that was not an option. At this point, Jane stepped in and was amazing. She held my hands and asked me nonsense and unimportant questions which really helped me relax. The epidural was placed (much better and easier than I remember with Charleigh). Once it began to take effect I was laid back on the table. My arms were placed on the boards, and I remember asking the anesthesiologist if I could have something for nausea because with Charleigh I puked right after she was delivered. It was not a pleasant experience while laid out flat and unable to move. She told me that she had already given me something for it as well as something for my blood pressure. I laid there while they placed the heartrate monitors, blood pressure cuff, and did lots of other fun stuff. At one point, I asked the anesthesiologist why the baby's heartrate sounded so fast. She pointed out that that was MY heartrate, not the baby's. Oops. Right about the time that panic started to set in, Josh was allowed into the room. This did wonders to calm me down.

The time had really come. We were really going to meet our baby.

Dr. C came in and got started. I was so much more numb this time around. I really felt nothing until that moment when you feel that big tug when I knew they had pulled the baby out. Throughout the pregnancy I had been begging Josh to look over the curtain the moment the baby was delivered. I just felt that it would be so exciting for him to really see if it was a boy or a girl and what it looked like fresh out of the womb. He adamantly refused because he gets kind of queasy and was worried that it would be too gory for him. I also secretly hoped to be allowed a quick glimpse of Cereal prior to him/her being wiped off and wrapped up. The second request I mentioned to Dr. C and she had previously instructed the OR staff to lower the curtain for me.

Back to the delivery. As soon as I felt that big motion that I knew was baby being pulled out, I heard Dr. C say, "Okay Daddy, look at this! What is it?" Without any hesitation whatsoever, Josh stood up and looked over the curtain. He then looked down at me and with the most amazing sound of awe in his voice he said the most beautiful words, "It's a boy honey. We have a son." I could hear the full squealing coming from my son and then the curtain was dropped. There, right in front of me was this purple, slimy, screaming baby. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. The staff asked us if he had a name. To which we replied yes. It's Bennett.

Bennett Michael LaGore. How sweet a moment it was. We finally knew who this child was.

This sweet little surprise. This wiggleworm that played all hours of the night inside me. Cereal. This baby that Charleigh was already so in love with. Our second child. Our son. He was here. He had a name.

As with my daughter, I started to cry. Filled with such awe that God had given me the chance to be part of this miracle. The day had been so chaotic and unexpected. But those moments right before he was born and just after were so peaceful and terrific.

It was everything I could have hoped for.

He is everything I could have hoped for.

And so much more.

the birth story: part two....

Let's see....now where were we?

Oh yes, I survived the "day o' contractions" and was finally pain free. That lasted a glorious 48 hours, but alas, those darn things started right back up. By now, I had been given the "you're pregnant. It's part of the deal" speech and so I didn't really think much of them. They were uncomfortable, but bearable. Life continued on like normal for the rest of the week. Until.

Friday, April 16.

4:30 a.m. - I wake up and take my mom to work. Josh's car needs some repairs and so we are sharing a vehicle for the week. I need the truck to go to my dr's appointment so she is now at work without a vehicle.

8:00 a.m. - I drag myself and Charleigh out of bed. I had showered the night before because I had gone to a get together at my MOPS Mentor Mom's house. As a result, I threw my hair up in a ponytail, applied ZERO makeup, threw on some clothes, got Charleigh dressed and headed out to my weekly checkup appointment. No bags, no pictures, no nothing.

9:30 a.m. - I get a call from my girlfriend wanting to know if I would still like her to watch Charleigh while I go to my appointment. I tell her "no thanks, we'll be fine." It's just an in and out thing after all.

9:45 a.m. - We are called back for my appointment. My OB asks me if I have still been having contractions. To which I answer "Sure, but whatever. I can handle it." She checks me out and declares that the baby's head is much lower than it was the previous week, but there is no effacement or dilation. She then listens to the heartbeat. I notice that it sounds a little slower than usual and also that the doctor has kind of a funny look on her face. After putting the doppler away she turns to talk to me. It goes like this:

Dr. C: Well, Carrie, you're scheduled for your c-section on Tuesday. But we may be able to move it up at this point.

Me: Ehh, I'm okay with Tuesday. I'm handling the contractions okay and I just want to do what you think is best.

Dr. C: Perhaps we should think about going ahead with the delivery.

Me: When would we do it?

Dr. C: Today, silly. Go ahead and get dressed and let me see if they can fit you into the schedule.

(Insert me beginning to panic a little here. Deliver? This afternoon? I have so much to do still.)

10:15 a.m.- I head into Dr. C's office (with Charleigh) to find out what the plan is. She informs me that we are a go for delivery today. I calmly ask her what time we are looking at, to which she replies, "12:30" Oh my. Heart racing. Full blown panic. As I sit there in shock she asked me if my husband was nearby. Uh, no. He works in Elk Hills. 45 minutes away. "Call him" she tells me. I nod but don't move. "Now" she says.

10:20 a.m. - Josh gets the phone call all expectant dads dread. "Honey, come home now. Put down whatever you are doing and get here. My c-section is in 2 hours." My mom gets the next phone call. Except hers includes the words "Find a ride to the hospital. Now!" My dad's response? "I'm in Buttonwillow and covered in grease from a repair." My in-law's? They were almost 200 miles away on their way out of town. Awesome.

10:40 a.m. - My mom arrives at the hospital. Charleigh informs her that it is time for us to go pick up the baby. She spoke of it like we had ordered our dinner and it was time to get it. Don't we all wish? As my mom and I are deciding that she will go drop Charleigh off at Susie's house, my girfriend calls back. She asks if I need anything. Yeah, please come get my kid. And because she's amazing, she does.

11:00-11:30 a.m. - I was told to go to registration because apparently I had not registered correctly. When I get there, they are busy and so I sit. And wait. And wait. And wait. Meanwhile, my doctor's office calls and tells me to go straight to the birth center because they need to get me started. The registration people (rudely) inform me that is not an option. I have to register. While waiting, we hear the woman at the front desk arguing on the phone with someone who is clearly requesting that they send me upstairs. But alas, no can do. When I am finally called back, the girl checking me in is slower than molasses. I simultaneously answer questions, field about 10 phone calls, and send out a few texts to friends. Finally, I am headed upstairs.

11:35 a.m. - I arrive at the birthing center, only to be greeted by my doctor in the hallway. "Where have you been?" she asks. Grrr.... And then, because she's great, she eats a cookie in front of me. I was soo hungry at this point. My crepe from 7:30 the night before was really not cutting it anymore. When I give her a (jokingly) bad time about eating in front of me she replied, "I need to keep my energy up for surgery." I love her. Seriously.

11:40 a.m. - I am brought into my room and change into my gown. Looking at the clock, I call Josh and tell him not to hurry too much because there is no way that I will be prepped and ready to go in 45 minutes. Ha.

11:45 a.m. - 12:32 p.m. - Chaos reigns. IVs are flying, meds are going in, and the questions. Oh, the questions. At one point, I had two nurses and the anesthesiologist all asking me questions at once. I thought my head would explode. I was hooked up to the monitors where we found out that I was having regular contractions every 5 minutes. Um, yeah. I did have the same anesthesiologist I had with Charleigh and she agreed immediately when I asked if I could have an epidural rather than the spinal block. One weight from my shoulders. At some point Dr. C peeked her head in and asked them to move it along. Josh arrived some time in there. I was prepped. Josh was dressed in his scrubs. The phone rang constantly. Mine, Josh's and my mom's. The flurry of activity made the whole thing seem so surreal.

12:32 p.m. - I am walking down the hallway to the OR. It all just got a whole lot more real.........

in the meantime.....

Here are a few of the beautiful maternity photos taken for us by the always lovely and talented Lorie Chambless......

the birth story: part one....

In my mind, to truly appreciate Cereal's entrance into the world, we need to start back at Easter, April 4th.

After having spent the previous day on my feet way too much, I woke up Sunday morning having some mad Braxton-Hicks contractions. As in, while standing in church, my thoughts were "We might be having a baby today." Thankfully, by the time we went home and I was able to get off my feet for awhile the contractions went away. So, woohoo, no early baby.

However, the remainder of that week was full of a much larger number of contractions with an increasing intensity unlike what had been going on up until that point. Things began to reach a boiling point around Thursday afternoon. Previously, sitting down would make the pains stop. Not anymore. So, Josh and I made a last minute trip to JoAnn's to buy fabric for Charleigh's big sister shirt so that we could make it that night in case something were to happen. (There are priorities, right?)

Friday morning, April 9th, 5:00 a.m. - The contractions are pretty rough now. I convince my dad and Josh to install the car seat just in case. You know, 'cause it's not like I won't spend at least 48 hours in the hospital post c-section or anything. It needed to be done right then. Oh, pregnancy brain, how I miss thee. But I digress.

I have an appointment scheduled for 2:00 that afternoon for my weekly checkup. The plan is to simply wait and get checked out then. By about 7:45, I am on the phone with my mom telling her that I am going to try and get in sooner. The contractions aren't stopping and I decided that I didn't want to be trying to get help at 5:00 on a Friday afternoon. When the doctor's office opens at 8, I call and tell them what is going on. I am told to just come on in and they will see me.
Wanting to be prepared, I jump into the shower with Charleigh and proceed to get ready. Showering with a 3 year old during contractions proved to be much more difficult than I thought. But we made it through and I got ready. I mean, completely ready. Hair, makeup, cute outfit, the whole shebang. If I am going to meet my child today, I want to be prepared.

See? I even stopped for a picture. It was all very methodical and organized.



I also arrange for Charleigh to head to my friend Susie's house (with all her stuff) and my mom comes home from work to go with me to the doctor. By the time we drop the munchkin off and arrive at the office, the contractions are still about 8-10 minutes apart. Mind you, however, I'm not supposed to really go into labor with the placenta previa and all.

When I arrive, there are two other women in the waiting room, also in labor. Wild morning in the office to say the least. When I'm called back and get to see the doctor, she quickly assesses me and declares that I am going to be sent to the birthing center so they can stop my labor.

Huh? What? I'm past the 37 week mark. Isn't it all good from here?

Her exact words to me were, "I'm not ready for this baby to come yet."

I was crushed to say the least. Actually, near hysterics upset would be a much more accurate description. I don't consider myself to be a baby about pain, but I was seriously hurting that day. So, sobbing all the way, I went over and checked into the birthing center.

The next eight hours consisted of fluids, anti-nausea meds, and eventually turbuteline to make the (regular and totally real) contractions stop. It was a long and awful day. The meds made my heart race and made me feel really jumpy. Not fun at all. My doctor was great though. She came to see my twice while I was there and was very thorough in making sure I understood what they were doing and why.

When my body had finally calmed down and I could see through a clear head, I completely agreed with their decision. I was basically told that although the books say 37 weeks is "full-term" there is still a risk for lung maturity problems, especially if it was a boy. So, I was glad that they were being careful with my child's health. I realized once I felt better, that I wasn't so much upset in the beginning about not giving birth that day as I was scared that they were going to send me home feeling as bad as I did when I came in.

Thankfully, I walked out the door that evening pain free. And after hearing from my doctor that "you're pregnant and these contractions are just a part of the deal. You will probably remain quite uncomfortable until delivery" I became determined. Okay, I could do this. Just 11 days to go and it would all be over. I would be holding my child and everything would be great.

This is how I approached the following week. Little did I know how much it would affect what would eventually become Cereal's real birthday........

a very special welcome......

Bennett Michael LaGore

April 16, 2010 1:18pm

7 lbs. 2 oz., 18 3/4 inches

Mommy's first chance to give him kisses

The very proud (and smitten) Daddy

*more details to follow on the wild day that was his birthday........

signs of (new) life.....

It's beginning

to look
a lot
like
a baby
is really
going to be here....eeek!!

finally finished......

I did it. I finally completed Charleigh's quilt for the top of her bed. And it only took approximately 16 months. I have a bit of a procrastination problem. But it's done now. And it looks good if I do say so myself. I plan to use these same fabrics for the crib bedding also. But don't worry, I am going to leave that job up to Natasha so that it will actually be completed while Cereal is still using the crib......

what's up with cereal.....

Wow. I can hardly believe that I have already reached 32 weeks in this pregnancy. I was determined to document it along the way, but that seriously has not happened. In an effort to record at least some information so I don't forget later, here are some facts on Cereal......

• Around the time my nephew was born in Nov. 2008, we started asking Charleigh from time to time if she wanted a brother or sister and what she would name it. Her answer always? "Cereal." And so, Cereal we have it. (At least until it's born)
• We opted not to find out the gender this time. I thought it would feel so frustrating. I was wrong. I absolutely love the suspense and surprise! Josh not so much.
• When asked if we know if it's a boy or a girl, Charleigh's response has become "No, only Jesus knows." Love it!
• The nausea was not nearly as bad this time as the first time around. Also, thanks to a nasty stomach virus, I got ahold of Zofran early and have been able to use that as needed.
• Because getting pregnant came as a surprise, I think that I took quite awhile to really let it sink in and enjoy it. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, I think. Thankfully, I finally calmed down and have definitely had a good time.
• Started feeling movements around 17 weeks. Way earlier than with Charleigh. Turns out that is because this one is way more active than her.
• Carried Charleigh on my back the entire time. Cereal has been much more forward. As a result, I've had hardly none of the back problems I had with her. Yea!!
• Another effect of this has been seeing Cereal move from the outside. Didn't have hardly any of that the first time. This time? We were watching Cereal move a remote on my belly at night around the 22 week mark. And Josh has finally been able to understand the "alien in the stomach" comments.
• Highlight of most months has been getting to watch Charleigh's face light up at the doctor's office when we get to hear the baby's "heartbeep".
• My doctor was awesome about supporting the idea of me trying a VBAC. And that lasted approximately 3 weeks until we discovered that I have a complete placenta previa. Yeah, so much for that. Scheduled C-section here we come.

Sorry for some of the boring info. Mostly for my own recollection. But I'm sure it'll be nice to remember these before my crazy brain forgets everything. In general, this pregnancy could be summed up in saying that nearly everything has been different than it was with Charleigh. This leads me to believe that either A) it's a boy or B) it will be a very different girl than the one I have now.

I guess we'll just have to find out in about 7 weeks. Woohoo!!

family photos.....

Shortly before Christmas we had family photos taken with the always amazing Lorie Chambless. Here are a few of my favorites.....

still alive....

Amazing, I know. A new post from me. It's only been, what, 5 months? Time goes by too fast. And this is really just a short note saying that actual post will be coming soon.


*I'm going with the theory that by putting this out there, it will force me to do a real update in the next couple of days. Good luck to me! *