Birth Story Part 1

  As mentioned in an earlier post, my body started progressing towards labor at 37 weeks and my doctor said I had shaved 7 hours off of my upcoming labor already due to being 3 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and the baby's position being at +1. When I went for my last weekly appointment at 39 weeks I asked if I should go ahead and make another appointment for the following week just in case. He said it would probably be smart but he didn't think I would need it. For him to make a statement like that spoke volumes, as he usually erred on the side of caution so I wouldn't get my hopes up. This statement was like music to my ears because, again, I was 39 weeks pregnant, huge, and miserable. Oh yeah, and I wanted to meet our baby!

  I went around every single day for the past three weeks telling everyone, "Today is the day. I just know it!" and I'd end the day with a defeated look saying, "Today wasn't the day." And that was before the doc told me he didn't think I'd go over my due date. So you can imagine just how convicted I felt that "today would be the day" each and every single day of my 39th week. So much so that by Saturday (39 weeks and 6 days) I was so defeated that I'd given up on ever having the baby. Ridiculous I know, but again I was very pregnant. Those types of people aren't exactly known for being rational and pleasant. (Sorry ladies. It's not us, it's the hormones.) 

  My sister and brother-in-law came over and hung out in the pool with us all day in an effort to cheer me up. (Although watching them drink beer wasn't exactly the best way to cheer me up.) Kelly gave me a nice little pep talk about the power of thought and how my defeated outlook wasn't going to help the matter. So after getting nice and sunburned--I mean fried to a crisp--Anthony and I retired to watch some television before hitting the hay. 

  At about 11:00 I started having contractions. While these didn't feel like the Braxton Hicks contractions I so rarely felt during my pregnancy, I wasn't sure if these were laborious contractions. We had already been to the hospital a few weeks earlier because I just knew that I was going into labor so I was trying not to jump the gun again. We started timing the contractions and they were about a minute in duration and 3-5 minutes apart at first. Then they started jumping to 7 and 9 and back to 5 minutes apart. Despite the noticeable difference in type of contraction, I decided to just go to bed since they weren't rhythmic and it was now 12:30 in the morning and I was exhausted. Did I mention the hospital was 35 minutes away? No way I was going to make that drive just to be turned down yet again at the hospital. I told Anthony it'd be a different story if I had a clear cut sign like these weird contractions and my water breaking. So we got ready for bed, turned off the light, and I snuggled up to my GIANT body pillow. Pregnant ladies, you know what I'm talking about. It wasn't three minutes after turning off the light that I said, "Uh oh, my water just broke." 

  On came the light, and we got dressed and packed the hospital bag. (I know, I know, we were supposed to have it ready like 5 weeks ago, but whatevs.) Side note, I insisted on straightening my hair before going to bed just in case we actually had to go to the hospital. I knew I wouldn't care enough to put on makeup throughout my hospital stay, but dang it, my hair had to look decent. 

  My contractions got to be a lot more painful during the drive. We were almost to the interstate when we saw that the train rails were down and there was a line of cars....but NO train. We waited for a couple of minutes before turning around to go down back roads to the hospital. This meant adding at least another 20 minutes to our commute. You can imagine I wasn't a happy camper, but it's a good thing Anthony is a trooper. I made all sorts of threats on that ride. You better believe I was adamantly against having the baby in the car, and also, I wanted needed my bleepity-bleep epidural. 

  Fortunately we made it to the hospital in time....

TBC, my baby is sleeping and the clock is ticking until he wakes up again. This mama needs some rest. :)

Attention New Moms!

  There are several baby items that would be hard to live without, but if I had to choose only one item it would most definitely be our Snuza. It quite possibly saved August's life. I'm not being dramatic here--he seriously stopped breathing the other night while we were sleeping. I cannot bear to think of what might have happened had we not had the Snuza to alert us. Just thinking about it sends my heart to my ankles.
  SIDS is a very frightening but very real issue. Yes, there are lots of ways to help prevent it from happening to your child. Put the baby back to bed. Clear the crib of toys. Make sure the bumper is breathable if you choose to have one at all. But what happens if your baby simply stops breathing?
  There are many items you can purchase to alert you if your baby stops breathing. Angel Care products are a popular choice as they go under the crib mattress and monitor a child's movement. We chose not to go that route since August has several pieces of equipment in which he sleeps (none of which is the crib) and we are constantly going back and forth between our hometown and Dothan. We wanted something that could monitor him no matter what he sleeps in.
  Enter the Snuza Hero. It is a small device that clips onto the front side of his diaper and monitors his breathing. If the Snuza does not detect breathing within 15 seconds, it vibrates to stimulate breathing. If the child does not breathe within 5 seconds of the vibration (20 seconds in all), an alarm goes off to alert the parents that their child has stopped breathing.
  We heard that dreadful sound in the middle of the night this week. Anthony ran to August and jostled him awake so he could breathe. There are not enough words to tell you how grateful I am for this product!
  Not to get all doom and gloom on you, but this can happen to any baby--even your own. Be proactive and purchase this item. Best money I've ever spent. Link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Snuza-ILSHER-Baby-Monitor-Hero/dp/B008OJ7C6Y

What's in a Name?

  When first hearing our son's name, people always ask why we chose that particular name. I suppose it is a little different. It's not something you hear every day since the name reached its peak in popularity in the 1800's. For time's sake I usually tell people it's the only name Anthony and I could agree on, which is very true, but I'd like to think we put a little more oomph into it than that.

  Naming your child can be a very daunting task. It's a gift you will give them that they'll carry for the rest of their life. In Biblical times, people's names were indicative of who or what they'd become. For example, Abraham means "father of many". Remember the song Father Abraham? I'd say his mother was right on the money when naming him. Anyhoo, the meaning behind the name Anthony and I chose for our son was very important to us because we, too, wanted it to be indicative of the type of man he would grow to be. 

  We had a few names that we both liked, but the meaning didn't quite fit. For example, Anthony was a big fan of the name Orson, and I was okay with it but I didn't want our son to grow to be a "little bear". I mean, body hair is okay but to be compared to a bear?..... No thanks. ;)

  After considering names like Rivers, Alfonso, and Oso (Anthony's picks) as well as Jesse, Jasper, and Jonah (my picks), we settled on August. It means "great" with moral or wise overtones. Of course we'd like to raise our son to be a great man, full of wisdom and possessing good morals. We liked that it's not a name you hear too often and, for the most part, would be unique to our son. 

  The name also has a personal meaning for us as a couple. Last August marked a new chapter in our relationship with Anthony moving to Dothan and starting medical school. We went from spending every free moment together to seeing each other every other weekend. To say I was apprehensive about a long distance relationship would be an understatement. However, it was a very positive change in that it showed us how much we loved one another and proved to only strengthen our bond. We really liked the symbolism in naming our son August. He, too, marked a change in our relationship that makes our bond stronger. While this is not the reason we picked the name August, I sure do like that it makes the meaning of his name personal to us.

  Once we finally settled on a first name, we moved on to the middle name. Thankfully this process was a lot easier. My dad is the caboose of our family name so we thought it'd be nice for it to be carried on in some way. Also, Anthony's middle name is his mother's maiden name so it fit perfectly.

  So there ya' have it. August Floyd Bianchi. 

Third Trimester Part 2

  We are so fortunate and blessed to have so many wonderful family and friends who helped us get off to a great start in supplies for our little one. Two of our friends threw a diapers and wipes couple's party for us so we've been well stocked in our changing supplies. We also had a traditional baby shower and received a lot of great equipment and clothes.
   True to form, Anthony and I waited until the weekend before the baby came to decorate the nursery. We had put it on the back burner since we figured August was going to sleep in the same room as us for the first few weeks of his life. With school for Anthony and work for me, it just wasn't a priority. I was so glad to have most of it done before August's arrival though. (Mainly because it has been a complete wreck since then and it's the only time we got to see it looking pristine.)
  We decided to do a nautical theme--I'll post pictures when we finish doing the mounds of laundry  piled on the bed and put away some of the unused equipment lying around.
  Anthony finished up school at the end of May, and we moved back to Tallassee for the last few weeks of our pregnancy. My doctor was in Montgomery  so it just made sense to spend the remainder of our pregnancy closer to home.
  My body started progressing towards labor about three weeks prior to my due date. I started dilating 1 cm per week and my cervix started thinning. Those last three weeks were so uncomfortable, and I was so excited that my body was preparing for August's arrival.
  I woke up each day thinking "today is the day" only to go to bed saying in a disappointed voice "today was not the day." Until one day....[Birth Story in next post]

Third Trimester Part 1

  I started showing at the close of the second trimester. I remember being so excited to buy my first maternity clothes. I wanted to bask in my pregnant state and the fact that my body was finally starting to reflect the miracle that was happening inside of me. I went to Motherhood after work and wore one of my newly purchased blouses the next day. As I was crossing the street and feeling maternal, a [very unpregnant] woman stopped me in the crosswalk to compliment my blouse and ask where I got it. Normally this would be taken as a compliment, but this devastated me and deflated my mood. I just knew I had reached the point of perfect strangers looking at my belly and smiling, but nope. Apparently I was still in the in-between stage where perfect strangers just thought I'd been drinking too much beer.

  This trimester was marked by getting to see our sweet babe in 3 and 4D. We decided to use an ultrasound boutique so that we could share the moment with our families. We drove to Montgomery for the event and were so excited to see what our son was going to look like. Who was he going to look like? Whose nose would he have? Would the heartburn predictions be correct and he would have a lot of hair? Did he have chubby cheeks? All of these questions and more were swirling through out minds, and we were elated to once again know a little more about our son.
  We got a few pictures of his sweet face, but he was more interested in chewing on his umbilical cord and sucking on his toes. After a few shots, he turned his face to the side and covered the exposed side with his sweet little baby hand. We took a break and walked around East Chase for about an hour in hopes that he would change position. We went back and found out that our little man was not a performer. We scheduled another visit in a couple of weeks. Again, we got a couple of shot but he wasn't up to performing.

  Ultimately, we were happy with the pictures we had and went about putting them in frames to decorate our apartment. :)
   I received a lot of unsolicited advice from people during this trimester. It's amazing how much negativity people like to dole out when they find out someone is expecting. It's almost like a game-let's see how much we can freak this prego out. People seem to think they can say negative things about pregnancy and motherhood and it's okay as long as they end their little rant with a positive statement. All of this is said under the guise of trying to prepare the expectant mother for what is coming. Truthfully, it casts a dark shadow over this milestone and creates a cloud of anxiety and worry over what is to come. Statements like, "It's the hardest job you'll ever have" and "You'll feel like you'll never sleep again....and you won't" are heard over and over again by expectant mothers. While it is a lovely thought for people to try and prepare you for the hardships of motherhood, it just gets old. Each person may only tell you that once (I'm lying, they tell you over and over again each time they see you.), what they don't realize is that everyone is telling you the same thing, and it starts to take a toll on you after hearing it for the 100th (more like 1,000,000,000th) time. For goodness sake, anyone who's ever been around a baby can figure out that taking care of one is no easy task. There's no need to point out the obvious, Captain.
   I guess I looked really pregnant once I got to the final month because people felt the need to point out my pregnant belly at all times. This didn't bother me in the least since I loved being pregnant....until the last three weeks. Then I started hearing comments like "Suck in that gut [followed by self-amusing chuckles]" and "Lordy, you're about to pop". Yep, these were made from strangers. Every single day. These comments didn't bother me either, but they led me to believe that I might have the baby early since it looked like I was "going to pop". Did I mention I suffered from delusion during that last month?

 

1st and 2nd Trimesters

  There's not a whole lot to say about the first trimester. It was pretty much spent in my bed with Dexter. Anthony and I decided to keep the pregnancy to ourselves until the first trimester had come to a close. Keeping something as big as that can take a toll on you. Couple that with the lethargy that comes with the first trimester and you've got a recipe for spending a lot of time in bed with Netflix.

  We actually found out the sex before telling our family and friends. Because I wasn't sharing my condition with anyone and I wasn't showing or experiencing most of the symptoms of pregnancy, I was desperate to connect with my baby in some way. When I found out that we could find out the sex early, I was so excited and started counting down the weeks until our appointment. We were both really hoping for a boy but tried not to get our hopes up. Tears were quietly streaming down my face once the technician announced we were having a son. We were both overjoyed, and it was such a nice feeling to know a little about the sweet baby that was inside of me.

  We told our families and friends at the beginning of the second trimester. No one tells you how mentally and physically exhausting telling everyone is going to be. News like pregnancy scatters faster than wildfire so it's literally a race to tell everyone you want to tell in person before they find out from someone else. It took me a solid week of visits to cross most people off of my list. I was so wiped out after a week that I resorted to making phone calls for the remainder and let gossip do the rest. I'm not sure how quickly the news spread, but I figured it would work its way around our small town within a very short time.

   I made cards for Kelly, Aubrey, and Jenna when I told them. The front said "How Do You Feel About" and had a line of ants crawling across the card. The inside said "There's Only One Right Answer" and flipped open to reveal an ultrasound picture. I had a lot of fun making them and even more fun passing them out.

  Knowing I wouldn't be able to travel after a certain point in my pregnancy, I did a lot of travelling for work in the second trimester. Pair that with getting married and moving to Dothan and you'll understand how quickly the "honeymoon" trimester went.

  

    

Binge Blogging

  My dearest friends, clear your schedule for the rest of the day. I'm about to do some serious binge blogging. Or, at least I'm going to try. There will surely be some baby stuff to steer me away, and if by some miracle that doesn't happen, I'll most likely be a victim of my own attention deficit disorder.
  I always thought that I'd chronicle my pregnancy through the use of this blog, but that didn't become a reality when a pregnancy was more than a hypothetical. I wrote only one entry. That's right, one. I mean it's a miracle happening over nine months, right? I'll never be pregnant for the first time again. And it's not like I had a problematic pregnancy that I wouldn't want to share with my nearest and dearest.
  The truth is that there wasn't a lot of down time during my pregnancy. We shoved as many major life events into those 9 months as possible. It made the whole thing go by FAST--like, race car fast.
  Anthony and I started writing weekly (or bi and tri-weekly in my case) letters to our unborn child as a bonding exercise. I also kept a pregnancy journal, and there was a lot of overlapping between the journal and the letters. So while the readers of each are segregated, I felt super redundant by blogging about the pregnancy as well.
  So I'm going to do my very best to record what I can remember in the next couple of entries.