I'm starting to realize that with each child, this blog is going to get more and more neglected and each child will be documented less and less. I think I did like 5 blog posts the first week of Josie's life and took a million pictures every day. Poor Rori. Not even close this time. I'm going to give it my best shot, though!
Kevin took a week off of work and now my mom is here for 2 weeks. It's been great having so much help. I have gotten a couple glimpses of what I'm in for when I'm left to take care of 3 on my own. Kevin will actually be out of town right after my mom leaves, so I'll really be diving into life with 3 under 4! I'm not going to lie. I'm a little terrified! But, I also know how blessed I am, so that's what gives me courage.
Josie is completely in love with her new sister. She is so gentle with her and seems to have a natural instinct as far as how to treat and take care of a baby. She is extremely attentive and careful beyond her years. It has been so nice having her to help and especially to make sure Rori doesn't get mauled by Donny. Donny seems to really like the baby and knows her name, but that's about it. He rarely acknowledges the baby unless she's crying, but doesn't seem bothered by her. Actually, he hasn't seemed to be affected by the baby at all! He is his normal Donny self. He does try to be gentle with her and likes to pat her head, but all too often it turns into wanting to poke her eyes and give her strangle hugs. It's sweet, but slightly dangerous so I never leave them alone together. Both kids really have been great though, and I really am so glad there hasn't been a jealousy issue yet. I think it really helps that Josie and Donny are best friends. They really keep each other company and have really clung to each other lately. So glad for that!
I am feeling pretty good now. The first week is usually a little hard with recovery, but by week 2 I feel much better. As with my other two, sore back and engorgement were my worst complaints. For some reason, my body always assumes I will be feeding quadruplets and makes milk accordingly. It seems to get worse (and more painful) with each one. At least I have a nice supply of milk in the freezer and Rori has had no problem plumping up. At her appointment a few days ago, she already weighed 7 lb 11 oz and grew an inch!
I think she looks a lot like Josie did as a baby. She definitely doesn't look like Donny. Most people have agreed that she has a Josie look to her. What do you think? Here's Josie as a baby.
I thought this was funny. Here's Rori (on left) and Josie (on right) both wearing the same outfit in the same car seat at the same age.
She sleeps like a 2 week old, so I've been pretty tired, but otherwise feeling fine. She does have pretty long wake periods for a newborn. She is sometimes awake for over 2 hours at a time! I think that's pretty long for a new baby. But, then she sleeps for sometimes 2-4 hours at a time. It's usually not at a convenient time, though, and of course not at night, haha. Oh, well. This time wont last long. I almost don't even want to speculate on what kind of baby she is since they change almost daily at this point. She does seem very alert and turns to voices she hears. She holds her head up very well and loves sleeping on her tummy on mommy or daddy's chest. She has periods where she is just calmly awake and looking around or at whoever is talking. On the other hand, when she gets mad, she gets really mad. She has strong lungs and it doesn't take long for a whimper to turn into an intense scream. I guess she knows that being #3, she will need to speak louder in order to be heard, lol!
I've been really crappy about taking pictures. But, here are a few from last week. I haven't even taken any of week 2 yet!
Josie keeping vigil over her new sis. She grabbed a stool and just sat there looking at her all morning.
We really wanted to get some decent pictures taken of our new little angel. We both couldn't bring ourselves to spend $300+ on getting a professional to come and get 20 images from it when we have the same camera as many of the professional photographers. Kev uses a really nice Nikon for work and several photographers I looked into had the same camera and lenses. Of course, you're really paying for their knowledge and talent which we really can't duplicate. We gave it our best shot, though! I don't have a desire (or the talent) to be a photographer, but I figure since we spent the money on the equipment, we should use it! So, here is our attempt at a photoshoot. We used Kev's work photographer's studio so we had decent lighting. Posing a newborn is tricky, but I have to say, "posing" toddlers is much harder! I'm going to do another post on just the Josie/Donny outtakes. They are hilarious! Definitely going to try this again. Maybe now that we've done it once, we can get some even better pics next time!
I think Donny's face in this picture is hilarious, lol!!!
Of course, she couldn't escape the traditional Packard baby drum photo!!
"She came with the sun in the 6th month, so we named her Aurora June...."
If you haven't heard already, we have a sweet, new baby girl in our family!! Aurora June (or Rori for short) came into the world on June 2 at 5:43 am. She weighed 7 pounds 1.5 oz (same as Donny) and was 19 inches long (same as Josie). Depending on which date you go by, she was 40 weeks 4 days based on LMP or 40 weeks 1 day based on ovulation. Now for some details : )
Obviously, this is a birth story and is therefore quite personal. I debated about making my blog private before sharing it. I don't know why I am more nervous about sharing this one since I shared both my other ones. I am glad I have the record, though. I guess it's cause this one is more intensely personal and detailed. I hope no one frowns on that kind of honesty.
First of all, I can't believe how completely perfectly everything played out. Kevin and I keep shaking our heads at each other in shock of how smoothly everything went and how utterly blessed we are. Since things like birth are unpredictable and not usually under our complete control, I never expected everything to go so much like we'd planned.
Lets begin on May 29th, my original "due date" based on LMP. (By the way, I actually think June 1st was a more accurate date since that was my suspected ovulation date and the ultrasounds pointed to that too. It was only a couple days difference, so we just left it.) Anyway, by the time my due date rolled around, everyone was sort of getting impatient about where our new baby was. I must admit, I kind have thought I would have a several-days-old baby by then, too. It was getting hard keeping the house immaculate all the time and keeping the kitchen overstocked with groceries.
The afternoon of my due date, I started having some mild contractions about 10-15 mins apart. They weren't painful, but their consistency made me take notice. I hoped they would turn into something, but after 12 hours or so they stopped and I was back to feeling symptomless again. The next day, I had almost no BH contractions (even less than I had weeks earlier) but I did notice a bit of my mucus plug. Yay, signs of dilitation! 2 days past my due date, I woke up feeling super nauseous. My body decided to empty itself out all day long to the point that I started getting dehydrated and weak. I must have gone to the bathroom 20 times, no joke (total TMI, I know). It was awful. Even though that is a sign labor is near, I prayed it wouldn't happen cause I felt so crappy and had no energy. I barely ate anything for over 24 hours. The next day (due date +3), I still was a little sick, but feeling much better and was able to eat. I had a prenatal appointment in the afternoon and by the time my midwife arrived, I was feeling normal again with no signs of impending labor. What the heck?!! Wasn't all of this supposed to put me into labor??? I was totally annoyed and confused. (Side note: Castor oil can put you into labor by basically making you sick like that. The digestive stimulation brings on contractions, Just FYI : ) )
My midwife admitted she was surprised that I hadn't called her in labor yet and was equally surprised that I wasn't in labor from the cleaning out process. She asked if I wanted her to check my progress which she normally doesn't like to do before labor. We agreed it might be helpful, especially since my last labor was so fast. She wanted to see where I was starting out in order to know how fast she needed to be there in labor. She checked and I was 3cm and 80% effaced. Meh. I was that at least a week before Donny was born so I wasn't thinking to much of it. She offered to do a membrane sweep if I wanted and I consented since it really couldn't hurt anything. Ouch!
We went ahead and scheduled my next appointment along with a non-stress test at 41 weeks. I was really beginning to think I would see her again for another appointment!
Other than being a little crampy from the sweep, I didn't really have any contractions the rest of the day or evening. I was sort of dreading showing up to church on Sunday and all the comments I would get. I was super tired so we went to bed early and I fully expected to still be pregnant in the morning. I really didn't feel like labor was imminent.
I woke up at 3 am to the sound of a familiar "pop" sound and a trickle of fluid. I remembered hearing that sound when my water broke with Josie. I still wasn't sure that my water really broke until I got up and it kept coming. I ran to the bathroom and called out to Kevin that my water just broke. He leapt out of bed and immediately asked if he should start blowing up the tub. (Can you tell he was excited about that part, lol?) I laughed and told home the first thing I wanted to do was to have him give me a blessing. He did, and it reiterated the fact that everything would be fine and that things would happen quickly. I don't know why I didn't pay more attention to that part. I figured "fast" just meant that it wouldn't get stalled or something. I then called my midwife, Kate, and doula, Liz. So far, I hadn't had any contractions. I was a little nervous about this since that is the exact reason I was induced with Josie. My water broke with her and after many hours I still wasn't in labor. Because I was strep b positive, an induction became necessary. I really didn't want this to happen again, so I was praying my labor would start soon. Anyway, since there were no contractions, Kate was unsure about when she should come. We weren't sure if we should all go back to sleep and try to rest before labor started or if she should come right away. I had planned on getting antibiotics for strep b again. The IV antibiotics need to not be administered too early in labor or they wear off. There is also a pill form, but it takes longer to work. So we determined to go ahead and start taking the pill form just in case, and when labor began, Kate would come over and start administering the IV. So, Kev left to pick up the pills from Walgreens and I went back to bed to hopefully get some rest.
Sometime just before 4 am I started having contractions. They were about 10 mins apart but they were strong enough that I thought "Crap, if these are my 10 min contractions, I'm in trouble!" They were very uncomfortable while lying down, but if I was up and around, I could handle them just fine. I decided to call Liz and have her come since she needs to be there early enough in labor for it to count toward her certification. I debated over calling Kate to have her come or waiting longer. I am SO glad I called her when I did! Actually, as I was on the phone with her, I had to stop and breathe through a contraction. Just hearing my breathing she replied that she ought to come right away. She is about 40 mins. away and was going to stop by her office on the way to get a couple things. As soon as Kevin got back from his now pointless trip to Walgreens (I didn't take the pills since I was going to have the IV soon) he blew up the tub and started filling it. By the time he got back (4:20ish?) my contractions were about 4-5 mins apart and pretty strong. Liz arrived at around 4:50. At that point, my contractions were coming very frequently, at least every 2-3 mins, but they varied in intensity. Some where very strong and I was having to moan a little. Some I was able to just sway and breathe through. Don't get me wrong, they hurt really bad, but somehow I was able to focus and breathe through them better than I did with Donny's labor. It helped having Kevin rub my lower back really hard during each contraction. I was sort of in denial about how far along I was and was really not sure what Kate would say when she got there and checked me. I knew contractions coming as quickly as these were coming meant I was pretty far, but I still felt in control and calm, so I figured transition was a while away.
This clip was taken exactly an hour before Rori was born. It was just before Liz arrived so it was just Kev and I. I'm guessing I was probably about 5-6 cm dilated based on the contraction strength.
Kate arrived at 5ish, immediately listened to the baby's heart, and began setting up all her supplies. She called the 2 birth assistants that would be coming and told them to come right away. Both assistants I knew, and I was glad they were the ones on call. As Kate arrived, I definitely felt like things were getting more intense. I was having a harder time breathing through contractions and I was starting to feel frantic. A classic sign of transition for me. She checked me really quick and declared that I was 7 cm. She asked if I wanted to start the IV. The LAST thing I wanted to do was to sit still for an IV. Since my water had only been broken for 2 hours, and labor was very imminent, I declined and said I really didn't want it. At this point it was 5:24. I'm so glad I declined cause as soon as I hopped into the tub I started feeling a little pushy. I wasn't really sure if I really needed to push or if I just hated the contractions so much I wanted to get it over with and push through them. I told Kate this and she checked really quick. I had gone from 7 cm to complete 10 cm in less than 5 mins.
I leaned over the side of the tub and started pushing through the horrible contractions. It felt better to push, but I didn't feel like I was pushing right. It just didn't feel as effective as it was with Donny. My labor with Donny was more painful to me, but the pushing felt good and I don't remember the pushing stage hurting as much. This labor was the opposite. The contractions weren't that bad but the pushing totally sucked. I really wanted it to be over ASAP!! I changed to a sort of kneeling/hands and knees position where my hands were in the water instead of gripping the tub side. Kevin was behind me massaging my back and checking for progress. Once the head moved down to zero station and I could tell it was going to start crowing, I actually felt better. I knew the crowning would hurt but it would be fast. I started pushing through the "ring of fire" as Kate, Kev, and Liz cheered me on. During my whole labor, I had been pretty quiet, calm, and collected. At this point, I started yelling and the top of my lungs. It was both kind of awesome and kind of embarrassing. Once the head was out, I stopped yelling and started to relax. After checking that there was no chord around the neck, Kate suggested that I immediately keep pushing for the shoulders. I had hoped for a longer break in between, I guess, lol. More yelling. Then I hear Kate and Kevin both telling me that the baby is out as I feel Kevin hand it to me between my legs. I sat back and immediately held it tight to my chest while gasping "Oh, my gosh!!" several times. She was born at 5:43, after 13 minutes of pushing and only 1 hour 45 minutes of labor. Before I could even think about it, Kevin declared that it was a girl and we hugged and shared a celebratory kiss. As with my other 2 babies, she didn't cry right away and was almost worryingly calm. Her heart rate was fine, but she was not pinking up as fast as Kate wanted to see so she quickly gave her a little oxygen while I rubbed her back a little. She started to cough and cry heartily and had 5 min apgars of 9.
I forgot to mention that our babysitter arrived sometime before I began pushing. We had her come just in case one of the kids woke up. At some point as I was getting in the tub, I mentioned to her that it was about to get pretty personal so if she wanted to leave, she could, but she was welcome to stay. She decided to stay and sat over by the door. I haven't talked to her since, but I'm wondering what she thought of the whole thing and I hope I didn't freak her out too much, lol! Minutes after Rori was born, the 2 birth assistants arrived. They were both super bummed that they missed the birth! At about the same time, Donny woke up and started crying. He freaked out when the babysitter went in and got him instead of mom or dad and wouldn't stop crying. Since the baby was out we decided to let him in the room to reassure him we were here and to see what he would think of the new baby. We were both still in the tub. Poor guy. He was so confused, lol! I don't think he even noticed the baby or really even cared that there was a tub. He was totally confused as to why there were 4 strange people in our bedroom at 6 in the morning. He cried a bit and we asked him if he wanted to go downstairs and watch a movie with Ariel the babysitter. He said yes and left with her. Apparently, a little while later he told her he wanted to go back to bed so she put him back in his crib and he went back to sleep. I guess he was hoping it was all just a bad dream!
Around the time the umbilical chord was done pulsing, I felt a little crampy and felt like I needed to push the placenta out. (Kate actually had me feel the chord and it feels really cool. You can totally feel the pulse!) Kevin cut the chord and I delivered the placenta in the water. I could tell I had some tears cause I felt a bit of stinging. One of these days, I'd love to not tear! I had stitches with my other two kids as well. I just have no self control with pushing. Instead of taking it slow and waiting for things to stretch, I just go for it. I dried off and moved to the bed so Kate could examine me and check my blood loss. We had anticipated that since I had a low placenta, I might have extra bleeding. I had consented to having a pitocin shot just in case to help control any bleeding. She gave it to me really quickly and checked my tears. They were straight and fairly minor, so I opted not to get stitches this time. I hated the stitches with my other two. So far, these are actually healing better than when I had the stitches. Also, I ended up losing a totally normal amount of blood and it wasn't even much at all. I started nursing Rori and she latched on just fine right away. The assistants took both our vitals and Rori checked out just great! I totally took a bunch of pictures and video if the placenta before it was discarded. Kevin thought I was a freak, lol. This placenta was just totally cool and unique. It had several rare things about it, not counting the fact that it had been a previa for so long. We got to see the 2 vessel chord, which meant her chord was very long and skinny. I had what's called a Battledore placenta with a velamentous insertion. We knew about some of that from the ultrasound but didn't know about the insertion. Kinda glad we didn't. You can look it up. Either way, Rori is perfectly healthy so none of it made a difference, just as we had been getting confirmation of from the beginning.
The assistants began cleaning everything up and draining the tub while Kevin went down and cooked some breakfast. An hour or so later, the kids both woke up and we brought them into the room to meet their new little sister. Their reaction was amazing! At first, Josie couldn't get past the fun looking kiddie pool that was now empty and clean in the middle of the room. She thought we were going swimming! Then, she saw the baby and they were both smitten. When we told her that her name was Aurora, Josie was beside herself that an actual princess was in our midst! She kept talking about how cute she was and how much she was going to take care of her. Donny heard the name Aurora and kept talking about Prince Philip, King Hubert, and the dragon, lol. They were both over the moon when we told them they could hold and touch her. Donny kept saying, "I pet her? I pet her?" while gently patting her head. So sweet. It was an amazing moment.
Kate and Liz both left (Liz, bless her heart, was actually moving that day. I am still amazed that she was there for me on such a big day for her family!) and the assistants gave the aftercare rundown and threw everything in the laundry for us. Ariel, the babysitter went home to take a shower and was going to return and take the kids out for a day of fun. Soon all was quiet and we were left with our 3 children!! It still hasn't sunk in. The rest of the day was spent resting, calling family, skyping with family, and snuggling our new treasure.
Aurora is doing amazingly well! She went to her first doctor visit today and everything looks perfect. She is nursing well and has already surpassed her birth weight at 4 days old! I can't say enough how thankful I am to have 3 healthy children. I don't know what I did to deserve such a blessing. After all the stress I had this pregnancy, I am so relieved to have our prayers answered and see the blessings we were promised come to pass. All along, we were prompted that everything would be ok and that we were doing the right thing. Now more than ever, I am so glad we had faith in that! I think if I had planned a hospital birth, it's very possible I wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time anyway. I was in total denial about how far along I was until minutes before I started pushing. I felt totally in control being at home and it was such a spiritual and intimate experience.
I don't know what I will do with my next child. I have never regretted my decisions with all 3 births. I am glad I was in the hospital for Josie, I loved the birth center with Donny, and it was perfect being at home with Rori. I would love to do a home birth again. Since my labors are so fast, the hospital seems like kind of a waste. Not going to lie though, the pain is still fresh in my mind right now, especially since I'm still recovering. I handled labor pretty well this time, but I TOTALLY understand why people get epidurals. If someone had offered me an epidural while I was pushing (and it was going to be immediate) I would have totally taken it! But, I also know I feel better without it and I am glad I didn't have the option. I like being able to move freely and ultimately feel what I was made to feel. I know by the time I'm ready for #4, I'll want to go through it all over again!
I tried to choose the "tame" shots. Here you go:
I'm really not attractive when I'm in pain, lol.
Cutting the chord:
Nursing for the first time:
Getting weighed and all checked out:
From L to R: Stephanie (birth assistant), Meredith (birth assistant), Kate (midwife), Liz (doula):
Josie woke up first. She was still a little groggy when we brought her into the room.
Sooooo gentle : )
They couldn't get enough!!
Her nose came out quite crooked, but has since totally straightened out. We think her hand was up there causing it to mush up.
