A blogger I follow did this and I wanted to see what I could remember that I have learned from the last month... So here goes!
1. Podcasts make cleaning so much more fun! I have always enjoyed Family Life and Chuck Swindoll. A friend recommended Happy Hour which was also fun. The time really flew by and listening to inspiring people talk put me in such a great mood.
2. Go to the dentist. Every 6 months. I've been putting it off for awhile mostly due to babies and nursing and having to get a sitter to go and I really regret that now! After all those pregnancies, and three years since my last visit, I had 8 problem teeth that needed either crowns or fillings and I even had to get a root canal!!! If I had just been going all along I probably could have skipped that ordeal and saved us a bunch of money.
3. I talk way more crap about our dog Oakley than I actually feel. I have been frustrated with the dog hair, barking at the doorbell during naps and extra pick up a dog requires. While we may take a doggie break once he is gone, we really do love him. He has gotten my kids used to dogs, plays fetch like a beast, cleans the floor of all the crumbs and makes me feel safe at night. When a friend had to put her dog down, it really hit me how sad that will be for us.
4. Don't blame the baby, who still wakes up at night, for how tired you are until you make sure the allergy meds you are taking daily are non-drowsy.
5. Taking time to get out of the house without the kids feels like more work than it's worth a lot of the time. I want to remember that it is worth it. A few hours of quiet and the ability to go into a dressing room and try things one without several kids looking at me and trying to escape or play tag in the dressing room is totally worth it.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
2015 Snapshot
I just realized I never did a snapshot of our lives for 2015. That's one of the symptoms of me being pregnant. A lot of things slid last year. Worth it for the end result, but we are still playing catch up. Might as well do it now because in a few months in January everything will be different! It is shocking how quickly time is going by and things change during this stage of parenting young kids.
Taylor - Working at USAA and loves his role. He is a financial advisor there and truly loves helping people come up with a plan for their finances. He shocks me with how well educated he is about money and investing. He's an amazing dad and loves taking the kids to do fun things. He is really great about seeing when I need some down time and making sure I get it even if he is worn out too. He joined a club at the Air Force Academy and loves to go out to the archery range and shoot his bow. He takes part in two very competitive Fantasy Football leagues and loves rooting for the Broncos. He has gotten really interested in fixing cars and has saved us a ton of money fixing things from brakes to struts and all sorts of other things.
Becky - I have spent the past few moths recovering from a really tough pregnancy. I have to almost retrain my brain how to be productive and not need as much help after a baby is born. I have been loving snuggling with Corrie. She is probably our last baby and that is so bittersweet for me. I still love decorating our home and being creative. I still attend the same playgroup every Monday morning that I have for over 6 years. It has really changed this year with all of us sending a 2nd kiddo to school and the oldest child being 4. I am in the car a lot with school drop offs and pickups and have finally overcome my terror of merging. I have great neighbors that I love hanging out with and we get together often to let kids play and hang out.
Katie - A 2nd grader! She is in a 2/3 combo class this year. I think it will be a good fit for her and really challenge her academically. She makes friends easily and loves to have a lot of different friends. She adores her baby sister. It is amazing the relationship that they already have. No one can make Corrie laugh like Katie can. Katie loves getting her dose of mothering out on someone who appreciates it. Katie loves dolls, barbies, crafting and creating. She is a clutterbug who treasures all the cards, notes, creations and gifts that pass through her life. She has really started to enjoy reading and her writing is getting so much more detailed. She still loves adults and I often get approached from moms who have helped in her class with stories that she tells them about our family. She is really strong for her age and had fun doing gymnastics for a few months till we got pregnant. Now she says she wants to try swimming next.
Levi - Just started Kindergarten. What an amazing transition for him. I wasn't sure how he would handle school and he is thriving. He loves the structure and order. He likes to tell me all the ways he behaved during the day. He has a neighbor boy in his class and they are best buds. He started soccer this year and is loving it. He is very focused and likes to practice with dad. He loves anything building related. Legos, magnatiles, lincoln logs, puzzles. He is way more spatial than me. He loves fishing, the sandbox, dinosaurs, volcanoes and minecraft.
Grayson - 3 and a half and getting used to not being the baby in the family anymore. He is funny. People always comment on it. He loves new situations and is comfortable being dropped off and exploring with mom and dad. He likes a lot of the same things his older siblings do. I am excited to see his own likes start to emerge as he gets older. He likes playing outside and riding his plasma car. He has pretty good gross motor skills and is able to keep up with the big kids no problem. he is our pickiest eater and would live on crackers and cereal exclusively if I allowed it.
Corrie - Already 6 months old. She is squishy and happy. She is a Momma's girl. She adores Katie. She gets toted around everywhere and is pretty happy. I am definitely getting lots of use our of my wrap carrier.
We had a pretty mellow summer. We would love to go camping more, but avoided it with Corrie being so young this year. We meet weekly with the same lifegroup of people from our church. We feel so blessed to have such great friends to walk through life with. Grandma and Grandpa Walker usually have one of the kids every weekend. They spend they night there and watch movies, get cheesy eggs and go in the hot tub. We are so thankful that our kiddos get that one on one time.
I'll hopefully re-update this in January and not let almost an entire year slip by!
Taylor - Working at USAA and loves his role. He is a financial advisor there and truly loves helping people come up with a plan for their finances. He shocks me with how well educated he is about money and investing. He's an amazing dad and loves taking the kids to do fun things. He is really great about seeing when I need some down time and making sure I get it even if he is worn out too. He joined a club at the Air Force Academy and loves to go out to the archery range and shoot his bow. He takes part in two very competitive Fantasy Football leagues and loves rooting for the Broncos. He has gotten really interested in fixing cars and has saved us a ton of money fixing things from brakes to struts and all sorts of other things.
Becky - I have spent the past few moths recovering from a really tough pregnancy. I have to almost retrain my brain how to be productive and not need as much help after a baby is born. I have been loving snuggling with Corrie. She is probably our last baby and that is so bittersweet for me. I still love decorating our home and being creative. I still attend the same playgroup every Monday morning that I have for over 6 years. It has really changed this year with all of us sending a 2nd kiddo to school and the oldest child being 4. I am in the car a lot with school drop offs and pickups and have finally overcome my terror of merging. I have great neighbors that I love hanging out with and we get together often to let kids play and hang out.
Katie - A 2nd grader! She is in a 2/3 combo class this year. I think it will be a good fit for her and really challenge her academically. She makes friends easily and loves to have a lot of different friends. She adores her baby sister. It is amazing the relationship that they already have. No one can make Corrie laugh like Katie can. Katie loves getting her dose of mothering out on someone who appreciates it. Katie loves dolls, barbies, crafting and creating. She is a clutterbug who treasures all the cards, notes, creations and gifts that pass through her life. She has really started to enjoy reading and her writing is getting so much more detailed. She still loves adults and I often get approached from moms who have helped in her class with stories that she tells them about our family. She is really strong for her age and had fun doing gymnastics for a few months till we got pregnant. Now she says she wants to try swimming next.
Levi - Just started Kindergarten. What an amazing transition for him. I wasn't sure how he would handle school and he is thriving. He loves the structure and order. He likes to tell me all the ways he behaved during the day. He has a neighbor boy in his class and they are best buds. He started soccer this year and is loving it. He is very focused and likes to practice with dad. He loves anything building related. Legos, magnatiles, lincoln logs, puzzles. He is way more spatial than me. He loves fishing, the sandbox, dinosaurs, volcanoes and minecraft.
Grayson - 3 and a half and getting used to not being the baby in the family anymore. He is funny. People always comment on it. He loves new situations and is comfortable being dropped off and exploring with mom and dad. He likes a lot of the same things his older siblings do. I am excited to see his own likes start to emerge as he gets older. He likes playing outside and riding his plasma car. He has pretty good gross motor skills and is able to keep up with the big kids no problem. he is our pickiest eater and would live on crackers and cereal exclusively if I allowed it.
Corrie - Already 6 months old. She is squishy and happy. She is a Momma's girl. She adores Katie. She gets toted around everywhere and is pretty happy. I am definitely getting lots of use our of my wrap carrier.
We had a pretty mellow summer. We would love to go camping more, but avoided it with Corrie being so young this year. We meet weekly with the same lifegroup of people from our church. We feel so blessed to have such great friends to walk through life with. Grandma and Grandpa Walker usually have one of the kids every weekend. They spend they night there and watch movies, get cheesy eggs and go in the hot tub. We are so thankful that our kiddos get that one on one time.
I'll hopefully re-update this in January and not let almost an entire year slip by!
Friday, September 18, 2015
Corrie is 6 months
Wow. The past few months have flown by. I skipped writing an update at 3, 4 and 5 months. Whoops! I'm gonna try and fill in what I remember and then do a 6 month summary as well.
Month 3 - Learned how to roll from her back to tummy. Usually babies learn the other way around but you are your own unique little self. Such a squishy cuddly baby. We all adore you. You gave us a few nights of all night sleep and then will throw in waking up every few hours. I don't really mind that much. More snuggling for me. You have the sweetest little grin for us. We took a road trip to Texas and you were pretty great. Then end of both of the long legs you were not happy with being in your carseat. For the most part you were a trooper and really did well with traveling and being in new places. You even stayed with your first babysitter Uncle Patrick's mom, Sue Sue, so that we could have a grown-up night out.
Month 4 - you weighed 14 lbs exactly at your checkup. When you got your shots you cried for a brief second and then snuggled with Mommy. You are still up once or twice a night. Celebrated your first 4th of July. You loved watching the fireworks with wide eyes. You love Mommy and your bed. You are totally attached to the Aiden and Anais swaddle blanket. You stick it in your mouth and suck on it to fall asleep. No pacis or swaddling for you. You've been drooling a lot and are a total spit up kid. about ten minutes after we feed you you always spit up.
Month 5 - You have started rocking up to your knees. You don't know how to move your arms, but it seems like you will be our earliest crawler. School started for the big kids and your nap schedule is completely gone. You are a pretty easy going baby so you take naps as you can get them. No one can make you giggle like your sister Katie. She has such a way with you. Your favorite is when she pretends to sneeze or cough and you laugh hysterically.
Month 6 - How is it possible that we are half way through the first year? When I sit with you and nurse you I try to memorize your sweet cheeks and the way your lashes fan out on your cheeks. You have the squishiest rolls and are just a delight and joy to our family. You have become a complete Momma's girl this month, though I am doing nothing to train that out of you. If I walk in the room you only want me. You like to be held on the right side with one arm over my shoulder. You evaluate newcomers from this position and will either bury your head in my shoulder or give a shy smile. Poor Grandma Walker always gets your stink eye. She tried to get you up from a nap one day and you haven't forgiven her. We've let you taste a few foods. You haven't been overly impressed and honestly it feels like a lot of work to start solids. You definitely like your food mushy. The couple chunks of food you have gotten you spit and gag back out. You love being carried in the Solly swaddle. You are "crawling." Still not moving those arms, but you push up to your knees and then fall forward moving in a dolphin motion across the floor. You watched your first Bronco game with Daddy and looked pretty cute in your Manning jersey and giant bow. We also took you to see the hot air balloons for labor day. You feel asleep while Daddy carried you in the ergo. We have left you once or twice in the church nursery and you do ok. You like to sit in your high chair with us at dinner and play on the floor with all your brothers and sister to entertain you. We love you with all our hearts. What joy and fun you bring to our family!
Month 3 - Learned how to roll from her back to tummy. Usually babies learn the other way around but you are your own unique little self. Such a squishy cuddly baby. We all adore you. You gave us a few nights of all night sleep and then will throw in waking up every few hours. I don't really mind that much. More snuggling for me. You have the sweetest little grin for us. We took a road trip to Texas and you were pretty great. Then end of both of the long legs you were not happy with being in your carseat. For the most part you were a trooper and really did well with traveling and being in new places. You even stayed with your first babysitter Uncle Patrick's mom, Sue Sue, so that we could have a grown-up night out.
Month 4 - you weighed 14 lbs exactly at your checkup. When you got your shots you cried for a brief second and then snuggled with Mommy. You are still up once or twice a night. Celebrated your first 4th of July. You loved watching the fireworks with wide eyes. You love Mommy and your bed. You are totally attached to the Aiden and Anais swaddle blanket. You stick it in your mouth and suck on it to fall asleep. No pacis or swaddling for you. You've been drooling a lot and are a total spit up kid. about ten minutes after we feed you you always spit up.
Month 5 - You have started rocking up to your knees. You don't know how to move your arms, but it seems like you will be our earliest crawler. School started for the big kids and your nap schedule is completely gone. You are a pretty easy going baby so you take naps as you can get them. No one can make you giggle like your sister Katie. She has such a way with you. Your favorite is when she pretends to sneeze or cough and you laugh hysterically.
Month 6 - How is it possible that we are half way through the first year? When I sit with you and nurse you I try to memorize your sweet cheeks and the way your lashes fan out on your cheeks. You have the squishiest rolls and are just a delight and joy to our family. You have become a complete Momma's girl this month, though I am doing nothing to train that out of you. If I walk in the room you only want me. You like to be held on the right side with one arm over my shoulder. You evaluate newcomers from this position and will either bury your head in my shoulder or give a shy smile. Poor Grandma Walker always gets your stink eye. She tried to get you up from a nap one day and you haven't forgiven her. We've let you taste a few foods. You haven't been overly impressed and honestly it feels like a lot of work to start solids. You definitely like your food mushy. The couple chunks of food you have gotten you spit and gag back out. You love being carried in the Solly swaddle. You are "crawling." Still not moving those arms, but you push up to your knees and then fall forward moving in a dolphin motion across the floor. You watched your first Bronco game with Daddy and looked pretty cute in your Manning jersey and giant bow. We also took you to see the hot air balloons for labor day. You feel asleep while Daddy carried you in the ergo. We have left you once or twice in the church nursery and you do ok. You like to sit in your high chair with us at dinner and play on the floor with all your brothers and sister to entertain you. We love you with all our hearts. What joy and fun you bring to our family!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Corrie month 1 and 2
Time is flying by and I want to make sure I get Corrie's monthly posts caught up before I can't remember them anymore.
Month 1 -
Corrie is such a sweet baby. She nurses well eats every two hours during the day and around 3 hours at night. I forgot how tiring that is! Towards the end of the month she started having a cranky time every night and would pretty much cry and fuss from 7-9. She rolled over one day and totally surprised us. She was rooting so hard her heavy head just flipped her little body right over. Her brothers and sister love her so much. I have to tell them to give her a little space because they are always showering her with kisses and cuddles. There are worse problems to have than too much snuggling! When I took her in for her 4 week check up she was in the 92nd percentile for height and the 80th for weight. She gained two lbs in two weeks! All my babies chunk up quickly and then taper off as the months go on.
Month 2 -
Corrie is still such a sweet little mellow girl. We finally figured out that when she gets tired she wants to be swaddled up, given her pacifier and laid down. She has only ever slept in a little papasan bouncer in our room. She loves it and sleeps so well that I haven't tried to get her to sleep in her crib at all. That will be for next month. She shocked us by starting to sleep through the night. She slept from 8-6 for five nights in a row. I think she went through a growth spurt and is now getting up once a night, but that is a schedule I can maintain for a long time! She has started smiling all the time. Such a cheerful little thing. I have even gotten a little chortle or two when I tickle her tummy. I can't wait for the full on baby giggles! She loves her siblings and gives the best smiles to them. She likes Taylor but every now and then when he talks to her she will stick our her lower lip and get the most scared face. I think it is his deeper voice she doesn't like sometimes. At her two month appt. she got three shots and got such a scared little face, let out one huge cry and then was just so sad till I cuddled her. She weighed 11lbs 8 oz and was in the 50th percentile for weight and 60th for height. More like a typical Andrews baby. She loves taking showers or baths with warm water, faces, tickles, her family and snuggling her blankie. She wants her blanket smashed up on her face and will turn her head to burrow into it. I have been getting braver with going out with all the kids and I always put her in a carrier and she is really the easiest one of all the kiddos cause she stays put! She started cooing and is very interested in mouths when they are talking. You can see her just trying to figure out how to make those sounds.
Hopefully I can get these in her scrapbook with some pictures this month! It feels like time is going by so fast and I want to remember all these precious little moments with her.
Month 1 -
Corrie is such a sweet baby. She nurses well eats every two hours during the day and around 3 hours at night. I forgot how tiring that is! Towards the end of the month she started having a cranky time every night and would pretty much cry and fuss from 7-9. She rolled over one day and totally surprised us. She was rooting so hard her heavy head just flipped her little body right over. Her brothers and sister love her so much. I have to tell them to give her a little space because they are always showering her with kisses and cuddles. There are worse problems to have than too much snuggling! When I took her in for her 4 week check up she was in the 92nd percentile for height and the 80th for weight. She gained two lbs in two weeks! All my babies chunk up quickly and then taper off as the months go on.
Month 2 -
Corrie is still such a sweet little mellow girl. We finally figured out that when she gets tired she wants to be swaddled up, given her pacifier and laid down. She has only ever slept in a little papasan bouncer in our room. She loves it and sleeps so well that I haven't tried to get her to sleep in her crib at all. That will be for next month. She shocked us by starting to sleep through the night. She slept from 8-6 for five nights in a row. I think she went through a growth spurt and is now getting up once a night, but that is a schedule I can maintain for a long time! She has started smiling all the time. Such a cheerful little thing. I have even gotten a little chortle or two when I tickle her tummy. I can't wait for the full on baby giggles! She loves her siblings and gives the best smiles to them. She likes Taylor but every now and then when he talks to her she will stick our her lower lip and get the most scared face. I think it is his deeper voice she doesn't like sometimes. At her two month appt. she got three shots and got such a scared little face, let out one huge cry and then was just so sad till I cuddled her. She weighed 11lbs 8 oz and was in the 50th percentile for weight and 60th for height. More like a typical Andrews baby. She loves taking showers or baths with warm water, faces, tickles, her family and snuggling her blankie. She wants her blanket smashed up on her face and will turn her head to burrow into it. I have been getting braver with going out with all the kids and I always put her in a carrier and she is really the easiest one of all the kiddos cause she stays put! She started cooing and is very interested in mouths when they are talking. You can see her just trying to figure out how to make those sounds.
Hopefully I can get these in her scrapbook with some pictures this month! It feels like time is going by so fast and I want to remember all these precious little moments with her.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Corrie's Birth Story
Monday March 16th I had minor contractions every ten minutes for three hours. I went for a walk around the neighborhood with Taylor and the kids and then came home and took a nap. By the time I
woke up my contractions had stopped and I was pretty bummed. I had been swollen for several days and my back and hips were very uncomfortable. By that night I was crying and telling Taylor I
wasn't sure I could handle the next day without him home.This is usually a sure sign that I am about to go into labor, but it felt like I would just keep being pregnant forever!
We went to bed and I got up about 1:30 to go the bathroom. When I lay down I felt a very distinctive pop. I was fairly sure at that point that my water had broken, but there was no distinctive gush of fluid.
Within ten minutes I had real contractions starting. I was so excited,but hesitant because I didn't want to get too excited and then have to deal with my emotions the next day. By the time my Mom
arrived to watch kiddos I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes but they were less than 30 seconds and very manageable.
We got to the hospital at about 3:30 and they confirmed my water had broken. I was 3 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced. Every time I lay down though, my contractions would space way out. Like 15-20 minutes apart. This had happened with the other kids, so we knew I wanted to keep walking as long as possible. They admitted me and I started pacing my room. Within ten minutes I had my contractions back up to 3-5 minutes apart, but still, short and manageable.
Taylor and I had talked about not getting an epidural in a very casual way. Like, sure if everything goes OK we would be up for that...
I was checked again at about 6:30 and was 6 cm dilated with a very bulging bag of water. Basically the leftover water was what was holding back Corrie dropping the rest of the way. We decided to break my water and I confirmed that I could get fentanol and an epidural afterwards if I needed it. We were still putting off the epidural knowing how much it slowed down my labor. Broke my water and got up to continue walking. Shortly after that contractions were close and getting stronger. I decided to get a dose of fentanol so I could keep walking but still take the edge off. Fentanol is awesome. Within 30 seconds I was asking Taylor repeatedly if He was certain my eyes weren't crossed. It gives you the best mellow feeling without having to stop moving. Probably the closest to buzzed I've ever been:) That got me through another 30 minutes or so. The bummer with it is that is has a very short life and wears off quickly. I think it did get me through the time I would have normally asked for an epidural. I remember Taylor looking at me and asking if I was ok with what we were doing. I prayed and felt like the Lord encouraged my heart to keep trying without anymore drugs. Should have told him that because he felt bad later.
Once the Fentanol wore off the contractions hit me full force. They hurt so bad and quickly came one right on top of another. At this point Taylor was really encouraging me and I still felt in control. I started breaking out in chills and got super hot. My sweet nurse kept changing cold washcloths for me. At some point I got back on the bed and was going through contractions up there. They checked me one more time and I was 8-9 cm and just needed her to drop a little more. My other nurse had me doing some rhythmic breathing and choosing a focal point to look at. I think this would have helped more if I had more of a reference for the amount of time I had left. I just kept thinking, what if I have to do this for hours??? I would start breathing and looking at Taylor and at some point during the contraction, break and start screaming lovely things at everyone.
Some of the gems that left my mouth: I can't do this. I want to run away. Why didn't we get an epidural? I am so scared. I don't want to do this anymore.I really didn't want to be a crazy screaming lady! I'm so sorry!
I am honestly shocked that I didn't kick anyone during this process. It was the most intense feeling I have ever felt in my life and I wasn't prepared for how emotional I would be. I think one of my biggest fears is losing control in front of people...haha blew through that one. I am so incredibly thankful for all the people who helped me so kindly while I was acting like a raving lunatic!
Just before 9 I felt overwhelming pressure and told the nurses I was gonna go to the bathroom all over the table. They had switched around the entire bed in less than a minute and Dr. Vogt was in place ready to deliver. He administered a local anesthetic so that the baby crowning wouldn't be as painful. The local sure hurt like heck though! I was still terrified that it was gonna take forever, when Taylor leaned over and said, Becky I can see her head. You are right there. That was exactly what I needed to hear to get down to business. They had me start pushing and with the first contraction I could feel her head come out. Dr. Vogt looked at me and said you have to stop pushing now. The cord was wrapped around her neck and he quickly clamped the cord and cut it from around her. With the next contraction I pushed the rest of her out and it was the biggest release of pressure and emotion. They laid Corrie on my chest and I still think I was just in shock over everything that had just happened. She still had some fentanol in her system and was super limp. They whisked her over to the table and rubbed her all over while I kept askingif she was ok. Within seconds she was crying and all the anxiety just left. I was really surprised how quickly the contractions just dissipated. No tearing and not having an epidural it was pretty great to have full movement immediately afterwards. I am really glad things went the way they did. I don't know that I would have done it if things had gone more slowly. I had the perfect labor to "trick" me into a natural birth. I did miss the calm excitement of delivering a baby that came with the epidural. However, there were other things that were so unique to not having it that I can't say that I have any regrets. The one thing I would change would be to look up some coping strategies BEFORE I am actually in transition! The entire experience felt like a huge grand finale for the entire pregnancy and past year. I immediately sat up afterwards and could feel how much better my body felt already and am so looking forward to holding Corrie in my arms now.
woke up my contractions had stopped and I was pretty bummed. I had been swollen for several days and my back and hips were very uncomfortable. By that night I was crying and telling Taylor I
wasn't sure I could handle the next day without him home.This is usually a sure sign that I am about to go into labor, but it felt like I would just keep being pregnant forever!
We went to bed and I got up about 1:30 to go the bathroom. When I lay down I felt a very distinctive pop. I was fairly sure at that point that my water had broken, but there was no distinctive gush of fluid.
Within ten minutes I had real contractions starting. I was so excited,but hesitant because I didn't want to get too excited and then have to deal with my emotions the next day. By the time my Mom
arrived to watch kiddos I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes but they were less than 30 seconds and very manageable.
We got to the hospital at about 3:30 and they confirmed my water had broken. I was 3 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced. Every time I lay down though, my contractions would space way out. Like 15-20 minutes apart. This had happened with the other kids, so we knew I wanted to keep walking as long as possible. They admitted me and I started pacing my room. Within ten minutes I had my contractions back up to 3-5 minutes apart, but still, short and manageable.
Taylor and I had talked about not getting an epidural in a very casual way. Like, sure if everything goes OK we would be up for that...
I was checked again at about 6:30 and was 6 cm dilated with a very bulging bag of water. Basically the leftover water was what was holding back Corrie dropping the rest of the way. We decided to break my water and I confirmed that I could get fentanol and an epidural afterwards if I needed it. We were still putting off the epidural knowing how much it slowed down my labor. Broke my water and got up to continue walking. Shortly after that contractions were close and getting stronger. I decided to get a dose of fentanol so I could keep walking but still take the edge off. Fentanol is awesome. Within 30 seconds I was asking Taylor repeatedly if He was certain my eyes weren't crossed. It gives you the best mellow feeling without having to stop moving. Probably the closest to buzzed I've ever been:) That got me through another 30 minutes or so. The bummer with it is that is has a very short life and wears off quickly. I think it did get me through the time I would have normally asked for an epidural. I remember Taylor looking at me and asking if I was ok with what we were doing. I prayed and felt like the Lord encouraged my heart to keep trying without anymore drugs. Should have told him that because he felt bad later.
Once the Fentanol wore off the contractions hit me full force. They hurt so bad and quickly came one right on top of another. At this point Taylor was really encouraging me and I still felt in control. I started breaking out in chills and got super hot. My sweet nurse kept changing cold washcloths for me. At some point I got back on the bed and was going through contractions up there. They checked me one more time and I was 8-9 cm and just needed her to drop a little more. My other nurse had me doing some rhythmic breathing and choosing a focal point to look at. I think this would have helped more if I had more of a reference for the amount of time I had left. I just kept thinking, what if I have to do this for hours??? I would start breathing and looking at Taylor and at some point during the contraction, break and start screaming lovely things at everyone.
Some of the gems that left my mouth: I can't do this. I want to run away. Why didn't we get an epidural? I am so scared. I don't want to do this anymore.I really didn't want to be a crazy screaming lady! I'm so sorry!
I am honestly shocked that I didn't kick anyone during this process. It was the most intense feeling I have ever felt in my life and I wasn't prepared for how emotional I would be. I think one of my biggest fears is losing control in front of people...haha blew through that one. I am so incredibly thankful for all the people who helped me so kindly while I was acting like a raving lunatic!
Just before 9 I felt overwhelming pressure and told the nurses I was gonna go to the bathroom all over the table. They had switched around the entire bed in less than a minute and Dr. Vogt was in place ready to deliver. He administered a local anesthetic so that the baby crowning wouldn't be as painful. The local sure hurt like heck though! I was still terrified that it was gonna take forever, when Taylor leaned over and said, Becky I can see her head. You are right there. That was exactly what I needed to hear to get down to business. They had me start pushing and with the first contraction I could feel her head come out. Dr. Vogt looked at me and said you have to stop pushing now. The cord was wrapped around her neck and he quickly clamped the cord and cut it from around her. With the next contraction I pushed the rest of her out and it was the biggest release of pressure and emotion. They laid Corrie on my chest and I still think I was just in shock over everything that had just happened. She still had some fentanol in her system and was super limp. They whisked her over to the table and rubbed her all over while I kept askingif she was ok. Within seconds she was crying and all the anxiety just left. I was really surprised how quickly the contractions just dissipated. No tearing and not having an epidural it was pretty great to have full movement immediately afterwards. I am really glad things went the way they did. I don't know that I would have done it if things had gone more slowly. I had the perfect labor to "trick" me into a natural birth. I did miss the calm excitement of delivering a baby that came with the epidural. However, there were other things that were so unique to not having it that I can't say that I have any regrets. The one thing I would change would be to look up some coping strategies BEFORE I am actually in transition! The entire experience felt like a huge grand finale for the entire pregnancy and past year. I immediately sat up afterwards and could feel how much better my body felt already and am so looking forward to holding Corrie in my arms now.
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