We had a baby!

So last Saturday Hollis and I had our Labor and Delivery prep class.  During the class, at the beginning of the section about pre-term labor, I started to feel very uncomfortable and kept getting up to try to alleviate my pain.  It was a few more hours before I started to consider that I was actually in labor (only after my sister-in-laws informed me that I was).  I called my OB and we met at the hospital.  Yep.  In labor, having contractions every 2 minutes.  And only 35 weeks along.

So I got a shot of tributylene and a pill of nifedipine to try and halt the labor.  While my contractions lessened in intensity, I kept having them.  My OB went back and looked at my first ultrasound information and decided my due date could be adjusted from September 1 to August 24.  So like magic I was 36 weeks along.  But full term isn't until 37 weeks so we were still trying to stop the labor.  I got booked into the hospital on Saturday (July 28).  I was at 3.5 cm and 100% effaced, but I stopped progressing on Saturday night.  I never stopped having contractions, but I didn't progress after Saturday, so I was released on Tuesday on bed rest.  I had to keep taking the nifedipine and stay in bed as much as possible until the following Monday.  Our baby had other plans.

I had been home about 24 hours when my water broke (about 2:15 PM).  Naturally, the bag of waters broke 15 minutes after I had taken a nifedipine (a contraction blocking pill).  So I assumed that it would be a while before my contractions got painful again (instead of uncomfortable and somewhat painful that they had been since Saturday).  I called Hollis and Carol (my sister-in-law/doula) and Liz drove me to the hospital.  When I got to the hospital I was at 5 cm.

As soon as everyone got there, my labor really kicked in.  I was planning on using the jacuzzi tub in my room to alleviate pain while I was laboring, but I actually never had time.  The contractions came closer and closer - I was getting a 2 minute break in between each one, max.  Then I felt like I wasn't really getting any break.  The main thought I remember having was "they lied to me!" because I had been told about how labor is long and how you get time between contractions to rest.  And I wasn't getting any break!  But it was okay and at 6:58 PM our little bundle of baby was born.

The tired mama:

Excited and hungry papa:

And our ecstatic doula and baby's aunt:

32 Weeks

We visited my parents and I stayed for a week while Hollis went back to Seattle to start work.  My mom took me to the store and bought me some NEW MATERNITY CLOTHES! I've been wearing the same five outfits for months.  And I am SO EXCITED to have new clothes.  Especially these stylish dresses.  (By the way, Ross is the best store for maternity clothes!)

 

And this is a shot of my belly in another new dress.  Oh cute baby bump!  I love it now that I have such cute clothes!

Saga of the swollen feet

Traveling while pregnant can be difficult. I read that it was important to stay hydrated and be active on the plane so you don't swell as much.  I knew that a 10 hour flight would be hard, so I had a plan.  I would drink water as much as possible and then I would get a walk in every time I had to use the bathroom.  Since I had to go about once an hour anyway.  Good plan, huh?  But I just retained all the water that I drank and didn't need to relieve myself at all.  And I swelled up to my mid calf.  And here are photos of my saga.

These were my feet and ankles that were a bit puffy after walking around the night before we left Spain:

This is what they normally look like:

And these are my feet on the plane.  So puffy!

The swelling was amazing.  But happily it all went away by the next morning.  These are my normal legs and ankles.

 

And here are my ankles later that day after re-swelling.  Just around the ankle because apparently my socks were too tight.

 

Everyone is pregnant

Okay, not everyone.  But this is a photo of all the women in our ward who are due this year.  Rachel already had her niño.  Next is Fran, who is due already.  Melba is due at the beginning of August, Noemi is due the middle of August, I am due the beginning of September, Angel's wife (she was visiting, so I can't remember her name) is due a week after me, and Leti is due in December.

I just had to get a picture of all of us.  Fran, Melba, Noemi, Leti, and I are all expecting our first child.  So much fun being pregnant with so many other women.

Barefoot and Pregnant (in the Kitchen)

I'm a cliché!

I actually don't go in the kitchen very much anymore.  Since I've gotten pregnant, Hollis has done all the dishes and most of the cooking.  It's only very recently that I've started cooking again (sometimes).  But while I was there, I figured I better get my shoes off and take advantage of this photo op.

26 weeks

I don't really fit into my old swimsuit anymore. :)

25 weeks

Photo update!

Week 25 front

Week 25 side

13 Weeks

13 weeks

13 weeks

22 Weeks

Yup.  Still Pregnant and still growing.  Now I have a definitely for real bump.  You can see it even when I don't pull my shirt tight.

18 Weeks!

Yup.  Still pregnant.  And actually starting to show for real.

You know, there's a real bump there.

And Hollis's mustache is doing awesome! Just six weeks of growth and already it's much fuller than Raul ever was (Raul was Hollis's mustache he grew before we started dating).

Good looking mustache, man!

Week 15

I think reality is setting in...

There is a bump, I promise!

See?

And Hollis's gotee growth after 3 weeks.

13 weeks

Yes we're pregnant. This is 13 weeks along. You can only really tell Michelle has a bump if you knew how über skinny Michelle was beforehand.

 

At about 12 weeks, I decided to grow a goatee, cause Michelle didn't want to kiss me anyway, so why not?

This is one week of growth. Can you see it? If so, you win!