Fletcher Elliott: A Birth Story

I woke up at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26th with what I thought were gas pains. I took some gas-x and laid down but the pain wasn't going away. It took me about 30 minutes to start realizing that maybe these were contractions. I had to be induced with Archer so I never really experienced normal contractions before. Dave called L&D and I spoke with a nurse who confirmed that I was most likely having contractions and they were 2-3 minutes apart. I got off the phone, finished packing our bags and headed to the hospital. On the way there my contractions started hurting really bad especially in my lower back.

Once at the hospital they checked and I was almost 6 cm's dilated so I was admitted and I immediately asked for the epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived at 5:15 a.m. and as I sat up to get the epidural my water broke. I had gotten the epidural with my first labor so I knew what to expect this time around. It started to numb half my torso so I had to turn and let gravity help numb the other side too. I was able to move my legs this time around which I actually appreciated and it did not affect the epidurals effectiveness.

I tested positive for group B strep so they have to hook me up the antibiotics, but I am allergic to penicillin so I got a bag of a different antibiotic. Also, because my labor was quick they only were able to administer one bag so we had to stay 48 hours in the hospital instead of just 24. Anyway, back to my birth story. By about 7:40 a.m. I was fully dilated to 10 cm's but I did not start pushing until 9:05 a.m. because Fletcher's head was not as low in my birth canal as the nurse would've liked so I sat up and let gravity try to force his head lower. He was also sunny side up so the nurse had me do some practice pushes to see if he would try to turn on his own. He didn't until the very end though.

I ended up pushing for 1 hour and 45 minutes. With Archer I pushed for 2 1/2 hours so this was a slight improvement. My labor nurse was awesome! She had be try pushing in a few different positions to see what worked best for me and the baby. With my last delivery I just sort of laid there the whole time. My last 3-4 contractions were probably when I felt the most "pain". Fletcher's head was crowned and I had to wait until the next contraction to push again. Dave, my Dr. and nurse were just standing there having a normal conversation as I was laying down with a head half way out of my vagina. The pressure was intense, way more than I felt when delivering Archer. It made me love the epidural even more.

At 10:50 a.m., just 8 hours after feeling my first contraction, Fletcher Elliott was born. He was 8 lbs., 10 oz and 21 1/2" long. I had a second degree tear that needed stitches but considering he was a full 2 lbs. heavier than Archer I think that was pretty good. My recovery this time around is going so much better as well. I am just taking over the counter Motrin for my cramping and tearing pains and even then I only need to about once/day. Fletcher was born very red because he had an excess amount of red blood cells. He also spent 2 days in a billibed to treat his jaundice.

We have been home over a week now and things are going well. He breastfeeds like a champ and sleeps in between nightly feedings. Archer is starting to show some interest in him, but is still pretty ambivalent. All in all, I am very pleased with this labor and am loving being the mother to 2 boys.

No baby yet

I am 37 weeks, 6 days pregnant today with an 8 lb. baby apparently. Since Archie was born at 37 weeks, 1 day this is officially the longest I have ever been pregnant. I had an ultrasound last week b/c Fletcher has been measuring big. The ultrasound tech estimated that he was about 7 lbs. 13 oz. and my Dr. agrees with her assessment. I have been having mixed feelings about wanting him to be born soon, but I think I am less nervous than I was a week ago. I still have more anxiety this time around than I did with Archie. I think having 2 kids under the age of 2 is a little daunting.

My sisters have been here helping out. Mary and Marlene left earlier in the week and Amy is here until Sunday. I was hoping Fletcher would be born while they were here but that doesn't appear to be the case. We have a neighbor lined up to watch Archie for when I do go into labor but I really wanted family here. I always see pictures of people visiting the new baby in the hospital and it makes me a little sad that we will have no visitors yet again. Maybe when we have baby #3.

Archer still continues to amaze me everyday. He is such a smart little guy and I am constantly surprised with his innate desire and ability to learn. He is still a little boy though and makes me laugh with all his quirky antics and mannerisms. Some of the faces he makes are hilarious!

We have the coolest friends!!

A few weeks ago our good friend Natalie let me know to expect a package in mail from a particular Etsy shop. Funny thing was, I had been looking at that exact shop the previous day. As it turns out, she had picked out the exact gift for Archer and Fletcher that I had been looking at. She is a scary good gift giver! Anyway, they arrived in the mail the other day and they are so awesome. They are matching Big Brother/Little Brother shirts with their names on them. The quality of the material is nice and durable and I cannot wait to put them on my boys and take pictures galore!

THANK YOU NATALIE!!!!!!

Not very exciting post. Sorry.

I feel like I need to post something b/c everyday I get closer to being a mother of two. I am not sure how much time I will have to keep my 3 readers posted after Fletcher arrives! We have been working on my list and I have crossed a few more items off. Today I ordered our double stroller which is going to be a beast, but I am a suburban Mom so I really won't be needing it unless we go to Target, the mall, the park down the street or the zoo. We decided on the Graco Quattro Tour Duo for the price, reviews, ability to fit our infant car seat and the amount of storage underneath. Carrying a diaper bag for two is going to be fun.

Archer had his 18 month check up the other day. He is between the 70th and 90th percentile for weight, height and head circumference. Our pediatrician said that he developing right on track. He did like being at the Dr.'s office though. This was the first time he really screamed while we there. However, we were told that between 15-18 months is when they see this behaviour the most. They are just starting to realize that they have some control over their environment so when that control is taken away they tend to respond very emotionally.

Last night we had our first real Archie vomit experience. Apparently toddlers tend to throw up a lot and we have no clue as to why he did last night. He was fine before and after and fortunately Dave was holding him while it happened. As parents though it is always nerve-racking when your LO isn't 100%. They cannot tell you what is wrong so it is a big guessing game. We ended up letting him sleep with us all night more for our peace of mind than anything. Surprisingly, it was the best night of sleep all 3 of us have had on months. Go figure.

Next week my sisters are coming to hang out and help out in my last week/s of pregnancy. I will be 37 weeks (full term!) one week from tomorrow. That is when I had Archer so I really could have a baby very soon. It is really much more stressful this time around b/c I am worried about Archer. I have never spent the night away from him. The longest I have ever been away from him was about 8 hours and he was with Dave that whole time. Hopefully Fletcher makes his appearance while my sisters and/or Mom are here so at least I will be comfortable knowing he is in good hands.

Well I am going to try and enjoy the rest of Archer's nap by playing Bejeweled on my phone. Happy Friday!

I know my alphabet!

Archie has been very interested in the alphabet lately. He loves alphabet books, Super Why! on PBS, he likes us to write a letter and he tells us what it is. Today he was watching Leap Frog Amazing Alphabet on Netflix and I caught him on video reciting the alphabet along with the program.

Busy times around here

As our due date approaches I find myself getting very anxious. In some respects the 2nd time around is easier, but in others it is even more daunting. I feel like I don't have the time to really prepare for Fletcher's arrival with chasing after Archie, the increased annoyances of pregnancy, the constant fatigue and desire to catch up on sleep and the worries that are constantly flowing through my head about having two boys 18 months apart.

That said, I am still me and we are knocking out my to-do list a little every day. This past weekend Dave finished the walls of Archie's new room, set up the co-sleeper, set up the pack 'n play/changing table in the front room and moved Archie's car seat behind the driver's seat. I got the Moses basket ready to go, hung up Fletcher's clothing, got the swaddlers ready, worked on birth announcements and did some more on-line shopping for baby stuff. Amazon Prime is awesome!!

Tonight we have our preadmission appointment at our hospital. Basically that means when it is go time we can skip all the paperwork and just be admitted and have a baby. We also have a babysitter for Archie so Dave & I can go out to dinner after our appt.!!! We don't get to eat kid free very often so we are pretty excited.

Archer is growing and changing so much everyday now. All the information he has been absorbing for the past 18 months is finally breaking through. He can recognize and recite most of the letters of the alphabet, count to 10, say words back to us and remember what they are, he is drawing lines with crayons instead of making dots and trying to eat them and doing dozens of other things that we think are simple amazing. He also is learning the art of the tantrum, which is not so amazing but sometimes amusing. We just ride it out and he usually gets over it in a minute or two. I know that they are going to get more impressive as time goes on though.

4-7 weeks left!

When I was pregnant with Archer I basically just breezed through it all. Yes I had the occasional heartburn and my belly certainly got in the way, but I was by no means miserable or in pain. Pregnancy the 2nd time around is no walk in the park for me. I hurt in places that shouldn't hurt, I get heartburn just thinking about food, I have shooting nerve pains down my back and walking is not possible some evenings. That said, I still want to do it again so we can have a 3rd and maybe even a 4th kid down the road. The end result is worth all the discomfort.

I am now in my 33rd week of pregnancy. Archer was born at 37 weeks, 1 day. If this baby follows suit then I could have another little boy in less than 4 weeks! That is soon. Statistically more women go into labor during a full moon or during a snow storm. April 17th is the next full moon and coincidentally I am also going to be 37 weeks, 1 day pregnant on that particular day. Only time will tell!

During this past week I feel like Fletcher has dropped a bit. Does my belly look lower in the 2nd picture or is it just me?

(32 weeks, 1 day)

(33 weeks, 1 day)

I just need to survive the next 4-7 weeks. I can do it especially now that Archer is walking a whole lot more and is very independent. He likes to do things by himself and only asks for help if he needs/wants it. He likes to pick out his own books for us to read and if he is still hungry will hand us his bowl. The only real drawback is that he likes to walk when we are out running errands and that adds a lot of time to our outings. It's very hard to shop when Archie is pushing the cart at a nonstop pace. Oh well!

Pretty soon I will be posting pictures of Archer's newly painted room! Dave finished painting yesterday and we just need to put up the wallpaper border. I am so excited to start moving stuff into his new room and getting the baby stuff back into the nursery. I started unpacking the newborn clothing and it is all so tiny and cute. I cannot wait to dress Fletcher up in them! Soon enough.