Oliver

Oliver came to join us on November 8th.

He weighed 10 lbs and was 23 in long.

This is his story.

It may get a bit wordy and long, but a lot can happen on the 9 months of pregnancy. 

The original plan with Oliver was to deliver at a birth center with a midwife. Instead he was born via c-section at the hospital.

Ellie was a big baby.  She weighed 10 lbs 6 oz when she was born and had her shoulders stuck for about a minute before she graced us all with her presence.  Knowing all of that, it makes sense that the doctors and midwives wanted to monitor me a little more closely.

I started out seeing a midwife at a private clinic and it was awesome. I got personalized care and we focused on diet and exercise for the pregnancy.  But, while camping in June my arm and half of my face went numb for about 2 whole minutes.  It was one of the most terrifying 2 minutes of my life.  We ended up going to the ER, had a million tests done (including an MRI), and saw too many doctors/specialists.  What it came down to was a possible TIA or "mini stroke".  No one really knew what or why it happened.  Apparently some people can have it as a migraine symptom, which sounds like a terrifying migraine to me.

After that episode I was told to see an OB instead of a midwife.  

Nothing else happened throughout the pregnancy except I was labeled as a high-risk pregnancy because of it.  Which really threw my emotions.  I did some ugly crying when I found out that I was going to be labeled that.  Hormones...

Anyways, they wanted me to do an ultrasound at 38/39 weeks to check on his size because of his sister being so big.  At the ultrasound it showed that he was 10 lbs 6 oz and three different doctors wanted me to do a c-section.  They were worried that he would just continue to grow and get his shoulders stuck worse than Ellie because boys typically have broader shoulders.  I told them that I knew my body and wanted to try it on my own.  Or at least until 40 weeks came along, then we could talk about it.  I mean, I already delivered a big baby!  Plus, I was terrified of having a c-section.

Fast forward 3 days...

Nick was working the night shift at the hospital (new job!) and Ellie was at her grammy's when I went to pee at 2 am and my water broke.

I hitched a ride with my grandparents and told Nick to meet me there.  I was so excited to get the chance to prove that I could deliver another big, healthy baby.

I was only 3 cm dilated when I went to the hospital.  I had some contractions at the hospital, but nothing too intense.  At around 8 am the OB came in a talked to us about a c-section and all of the risks involved with delivering a big baby - if I still wanted to do it naturally.  I decided that I wanted to wait until the afternoon to see if labor progressed at all before I made a decision.  I was sure my body could handle it.  I'm also a pretty stubborn person, so my mind was made up.
 
Contractions got stronger, but they were still irregular by 2 pm.  The doctor came back in and I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  Nick wanted to do the c-section.  He was worried about our safety ever since he heard about the ultrasound.  My stubborn self wanted to try, but in the moment I decided that we should do a c-section.  Oliver still wasn't ready, we couldn't go home, and I was exhausted from not sleeping.

Well, after saying the word Oliver was in the world 30 minutes later! 

It's amazing how fast everything went.  In the moment it felt like forever.  The operating room was freezing (purposefully), my nerves were everywhere during the procedure - so I had the shakes like crazy, and after taking him out they had to stitch me up (which took about 20 minutes).  

The incredible thing about the c-section was that when they went in the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, twice!  We don't know if I could have delivered him safely or not, but now I don't regret my decision at all.  I think God was playing a little part in pushing me just a little bit to choose the c-section.  For that, I'm so grateful.

We now have a beautiful, healthy baby boy.  Ellie adored him from the first moment she saw him and now smothers him with hugs and kisses anytime she can.  I couldn't ask for a sweeter big sister and a wonderful family!