Nora’s Birth Story…

I went into labor at 8 pm on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. I was 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant with Lil’ Sprout. I was sitting on an exercise ball playing Skip-Bo with Jesse (he let me choose the game). My first contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds. I remember saying to Jesse, “I can’t believe this is happening so fast…” Three hours later we headed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul. I was nervous about going to the hospital so early because I didn’t want my labor to stall, but Jesse was concerned that we were already in active labor and things were getting much more intense.

When we got to the hospital I was between 4 and 5 centimeters dilated, and the contractions were speeding up. My goal was to labor naturally without any pain medication and attempt a water birth. Two hours later I was 7 centimeters, so they started filling up the tub. My mom arrived from Wisconsin right as I got into the tub. At this point the midwife decided to break my water. Sadly, there was meconium in the amniotic fluid, so I had to get out of the tub.

At this point I was 9.5 centimeters dilated and ready to begin pushing. For those of you wondering about Jesse, he did great. He was by my side the entire time and didn’t even faint! We pushed for 2 hours…with no progress. The baby was not descending into the birth canal. Pitocin was recommended to intensify my contractions (ha, ha, they were already intense).

This was when the baby’s heart rate began to show some stress. Next an epidural was recommended to help the baby rest. Getting the epidural was the most difficult part of my labor. My contractions were so close together and so intense that it was difficult to hold still while the medication was inserted. After resting for about 20 minutes, the midwife continued to notice issues with the baby’s heart rate, and a c-section was recommended. An OB/GYN was brought in and agreed with the recommendation. Nora Kate was born at 8:46 am on October 16, 2013 via c-section. She weighed 7 pounds and was 20.5 inches long.

The Other Side of the Story:

We were SO close. At many times throughout the night, it felt like the birth of our baby was imminent. I spent hours preparing for a natural childbirth. I read books and blogs, attended classes, and did prenatal yoga once a week (even at 40 weeks). I listened to people’s birth stories, practiced my breathing, and prepped my husband. I never prepared for a cesarean birth. It was very emotional for me AND for Jesse. A friend said it best, “Being sad about the birth process is perfectly okay-and being delighted with your baby at the exact same time is perfect too. You can be BOTH.” So, here I am…being both.

Photo by Gina Zeidler

As Ready As We Can Be…

We often get the question, “Are you ready?”

We have been blessed with many babies in our lives. Jesse’s brother has a son and daughter, my brother has a son, many of our friends have babies, and some of our friends have many children.

In the past few months we moved our office downstairs. We painted the nursery. We set up the crib. Jesse’s mom made curtains. Friends and family have generously lavished us with gifts.

Still the question remains, “Are you ready?” The honest answer is probably not, but ready or not Lil’ Sprout will soon be on the way.

From our Annual Second Grade Hobby Lobby trip
My sister-in-law, Alaina, helped us paint the fun dots on the wall.
A librarian can’t just have a bookshelf…I needed a book wall.

    Third Trimester…

    Today marks the 39 week point in my pregnancy. I have days when I feel great…I have days when I don’t feel so great. I can say with confidence that my baby will be born this month.

    The school year has started well. My nesting has extended to finishing a book room project at school before beginning my maternity leave (it is almost done…). This past week we hired a long term substitute to fill my position through the end of this school year. She will begin when the baby is born and continue until June.

    Last month Jesse and I bought a mini-van, did many loads of baby laundry, and cleaned out our garage. Still on the list is cleaning out the kitchen cupboards. We will see if Lil’ Sprout lets us do that project.

    We both find ourselves waffling between extreme excitement and emotional about the way our life is changing and whether we are ready. We continue to be thankful for a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby.

    Hopefully, I will post a nursery tour later this week.

      The Second Trimester

      Here are Bump photos from Week 17 through Week 27.

      Some commonly asked questions:

      When is your due date?

      October 12

      Is it a boy or a girl?

      It is a…surprise! We didn’t find out at our Week 20 ultrasound. The wives’ tales say boy. What do you think?

      Are you feeling movement?

      Yes. The light kicks from Week 23 have turned into strong kicks and rolls and bony elbows and knees in Week 27.

      Do you have names picked out?

      Not yet. We have a short list, but we are keeping this a secret also. I know…we are no fun.

      Will you go back to school in the fall?

      Yes! My first day for this school year is August 20.

      How is the nursery coming along?

      Sadly, it is still an office. We are still working on selling some pieces of furniture and beginning to paint. We do have a crib, dresser, and car seat. Lil’ Sprout can now come home with us…

      Are you excited?

      YES!!! Only one trimester left. Let the countdown begin…

        Summer Started…With A Bang!

        Last Friday marked the first day of Summer 2013. It was also the day we flew to Texas for our first summer trip. On Saturday Jesse’s cousin, Kelly, got married to David.

        Isn’t her dress amazing?!?

        The wedding gave us the opportunity to visit Austin. We enjoyed seeing the Capital and all of the Texan pride. It was also fun to spend time with Jesse’s mom and Larry as well as his Aunt Chris and Uncle Dennis (remember Philadelphia?).

        My favorite discovery in Austin was a shaved ice truck called Sno-Beach. Neenah, Wisconsin (where I grew up) used to have a shaved ice stand called Sno-Shack. It was one of my favorite summer stops. I loved it so much I owned their t-shirt and only threw the t-shirt away when it developed large holes. I was so excited to find Sno-Beach in Austin, and my favorite flavor, Tiger’s Blood. Yum!

        My favorite bump picture so far…

        After Austin, we road-tripped over to San Antonio. We were interested in the history of the Alamo and loved the restaurants on the River Walk.

        We decided to split our trip home into two days with a day in Branson, Missouri in the middle. While in Branson we visited the Big Cedar Lodge, saw an illusionist, and enjoyed Joseph by the Sight and Sound Theater.

        This trip was only the beginning of a busy summer. Can you keep up? Can I keep up?

          There’s A Name For This…

          This past week we had our 20-week ultrasound. We did not find out if Lil’ Sprout is a boy or girl. The next day I had a mini-meltdown about all the baby things we need to do. Right now we don’t have a nursery. We haven’t picked out names. We haven’t bought anything for the baby. We haven’t registered. You get the idea.

          Jesse kindly agreed to start cleaning out our office this weekend to begin making room for the baby. We decided the first step was to move everything out of the closet. This required emptying our other closets to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

          The Office Mess
          The Red Bedroom Mess
          The Guest Room Mess
          “Extra” Things

          About halfway through the project, we sat down for a break. I said to Jesse, “You know, there is a name for this.” Jesse replied, “Nesting, right? Except I feel like I am doing all the nesting.”

          At the end of the day, Lil’ Sprout has a closet!

            Trip Update…

            Right after school is out, Jesse and I are headed to Austin, Texas with Larry and Cyndee to attend Jesse’s cousin’s wedding. Thinking about a trip to Texas reminds me that I still have two trips I haven’t blogged.

            Last fall my mom and I took our first girls’ trip. I think it will be the first of many because we had a BLAST. I had a long weekend off from school, so we headed to Savannah, Georgia for some warmth before winter really began.

            The following were some of my favorite things about Savannah:

            The best BBQ and sweet tea from a restaurant in a strip mall!

            We waited in line for two hours for this fabulous meal from The Wilkes House. I am still craving the delicious fried chicken!

            We even went to a cooking demonstration. We pulled up to this “cooking school” and wondered what we signed up for, but the shrimp and corn chowder was our favorite course!

            On this trip my mom and I discovered a big difference in our traveling styles. I am all about the fine dining, and she is all about the sight-seeing. We did a little bit of both.

            We started our trip with a trolley ride overview of the city.

            The trees with Spanish moss were amazing!

            My mom enjoyed touring a historic home.

            We also visited the First African Baptist Church where slaves were hidden along the Underground Railroad.

            Not to mention walking, walking, walking through cemeteries and squares.

            So, where to next, mom?

             

              The Bump Has Arrived

              I have had some friends requesting pictures of my baby bump. I always enjoyed seeing other people’s baby bumps, so I decided to oblige.

              Some things you may be wondering. I began wearing maternity pants (mostly for comfort) at Week 14. I have been morning “sick” twice. Some of my cravings have been grapefruit, deviled eggs, chicken fingers, and potatoes (potato chips, mashed potatoes, etc.). I’m not feeling any movement yet, but I feel like I have “popped” at Week 16.

                Things in Life That Change You

                Jesse and I are SO excited about the birth of our first child. The way God creates life is amazing. The way God created the life inside of me is a miracle.

                We were infertile. I never blogged about it. I may never have talked to you about it, but Jesse and I heard a lot of bad news before we heard the incredible news that we were expecting. After a year of trying to have a baby, I visited my OB/GYN. We took tests and had procedures done only to find that I have a blocked fallopian tube on my right side. This was scary because it very rarely happens for no reason. My OB/GYN referred us to an infertility specialist. A few months later I began having constant pain in my stomach. It was diagnosed as an ovarian cyst on my left ovary (the side where the egg needed to come from!). Six weeks later I had laproscopic surgery to remove the cyst. During surgery they found Stage III endometriosis and cleaned up as much as they could. At this point, statistics were not in our favor. After surgery we began treatment with the infertility specialist only to find that the left ovary was unresponsive. At the recommendation of our doctor, we began investigating In-Vitro Fertilization (a very costly and invasive procedure). In the meantime, my left ovary produced ONE egg follicle. It was the ONE egg follicle that God used to create our baby.

                Infertility rocked our world. It was something we thought would never happen to us. We always wanted to have children and often argued about how many we wanted to have. Infertility changed us, yet in the midst of it we had to believe that God loved us if we never had our own children. We had to believe that if we never conceived it would be His perfect plan for us. Did we doubt? Yes! Did we pray? Yes! In the end, God provided a miracle baby, and we will be forever grateful.

                10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman

                The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
                It’s time to sing Your song again
                Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
                Let me be singing when the evening comes

                Bless the Lord, O my soul
                O my soul
                Worship His holy name
                Sing like never before
                O my soul
                I’ll worship Your holy name

                  Milestones…

                  On March 5, 1983 my parents got married. This marriage created my family and helped shape the person I am today. I am one of the lucky ones. After thirty years, my parents are still happily married.

                  They will be one of the first to tell you that marriage takes work. I remember coming home from school and finding my parents on the couch talking about their days. I remember them taking trips with my brother and I…and without us. I remember them praying together before falling asleep at night. I remember sitting down to dinner as a family almost every night of the week.

                  At this impressive milestone, I want to wish Glen and Janet Lashbrook a happy anniversary. If you have any words of encouragement or gratitude for them, leave a comment here, jump over to my mom’s Facebook page, or send them a card in the mail. I love and appreciate their example of marriage as I am sure do many of you.