Finley Parker: A Birth Story - Part One

Cough, Cough...please excuse all of the dust around the blog seeing as how I haven't posted since October! I have the perfect excuse for that though; I had a baby! And if you aren't aware, these little humans are pretty demanding of your time and energy. But before I forget any more details than I'm sure I already have, I wanted to write Finley's birth story. So here it goes...

On Thursday, November 1st I had my 38 week check up. My doctor measured my stomach and was concerned that I was running out of room and worried that I wouldn't be able to deliver normally if I went too much longer. He did an ultrasound to predict Finley's weight and suggested that she might be close to 8 lbs. Enter freak out mode! My doctor suggested that I be induced the night of Tuesday, November 6th and Finley would be born on the 7th. My actual due date was November 13th. As a hormonal pregnant woman, I was on board. Or so I thought...

With my hospital orders in hand I called Josh to tell him the news. And from there it snowballed. Trips were planned, vacation requests were submitted and even flights were being rescheduled for everyone to be at the hospital for Finley's birth. Even though all of these of arrangements were being made, I still had this uneasy feeling in the back of my mind that I just couldn't shake. I tried to ignore it and tell myself I was just nervous about giving birth. But as each day passed this uneasy feeling I had just kept growing and I couldn't shake it. I knew what it was. It was my first mother's intuition... Finley was not ready to enter the world. I wasn't having contractions, I wasn't swollen or miserable or having any distress. I honestly just felt like I was not done with this pregnancy. I didn't know how to stop the snowball that was already in place. How do I tell my family members who have rearranged their lives that I have changed my mind over a gut feeling? Would they understand? Would they be mad? Answer...all of the above.

My mom was the one who finally convinced me that I had to go with my intuition. So once I said it out loud I knew I had to call Josh. He was at work and is usually hard to get ahold of, but since I was nine months pregnant he answered right away. Haha! He was a little confused at first but was fully supportive. Josh let the rest of his family know the new plans and especially let his dad know as he was the one who had rescheduled his flight for work. See why I was nervous? Flights were being changed! And then there was breaking the news to my dad. That didn't go so well. (Sorry dad, but it's part of the story and has to be told.) My dad got his panties in a wod because his perfect little calendar was changing and it just wasn't working out in his favor. But he got over it...eventually. After that I called my doctor's office and the hospital to cancel. The nurse at the hospital asked me if I already delivered. Nope, just decided to not have a baby! Once those calls were made I literally felt a weight lifted off of me and the anxiety went away. I knew I made the right decision for me...and Finley.

The following Thursday, November 8th I went in for my 39 week check up. My doctor was proud of me for following my instincts and canceling. He was supportive no matter what. We did decide together that I did not need to go past my due date, so if I didn't go into labor on my own before November 13th, that I would check in to the hospital that night for an induction. So from that point on I just rested and prepared myself for whatever might come! So we waited...and waited...and waited.

...and waited. Nothing. So on Tuesday, November 13th Josh and I spent the day waiting on the hospital to call and let us know our call time. I wanted to have one last meal that night since I knew once I got to the hospital I wouldn't be able to eat until after I gave birth. That was truly stressing me out! So Josh took me to Olive Garden for a big bowl of pasta! The dinner didn't turn out quite like we planned because while we were waiting on our food...I went into LABOR! Can you believe it?! I kept telling Josh I was fine because I wanted to eat my food. I didn't get more than a couple of bites in before we had to go because I couldn't sit still because of the contractions. I think we scared the waiter for sure. It was now a little after 7:00 and the hospital still hadn't called. So we decided to head back to the house and grab a few last minute things. While we were on our way home the hospital called and asked if we could be there at 8:30. We said YES!

Part two coming soon.

I'm leaving you with my 40 weeks pregnant belly shot AND a video Josh and I recorded before we left for the hospital.

Long Overdue Bump Day Update: 36 Weeks

I've officially awarded myself the worst blogger ever award. I had good intentions on doing weekly posts, but that just didn't happen. However, now that I'm at the end of my pregnancy I really want to track that last few weeks and give an overview of the past few months. So I guess the easiest way to catch up is just to do a bullet point update. So here it goes.

• I passed my gestational diabetes test but I did have to take it twice. Not because I failed the first time, but because I puked up the entire drink in the doctor's parking lot before my appointment. I think it had to do with it being the morning time and I had an empty stomach. The second time I took the test I made sure to do it in the afternoon so I could at least have something in my stomach. 

• I was told I was anemic and have been taking a prescription iron supplement. I assumed as so because I was eating ice by the buckets. I mean my mouth literally watered for ice! 

• I had five, yes five baby showers (one was a surprise though). I feel so, so, so blessed for all the baby love that Finley got, however, all those showers were definitely exhausting. I'm still trying to catch up on thank you notes. I'm thinking next time we have one big shower and be done! 

• The nursery is just about complete. The only thing I have left to do is hang her mirror and her bow tree. Yes, she has a tree that all her bows hang on. It's precious. 

• I was sick (just now recovering, really) for about a month with an upper respiratory infection, tonsillitis and yucky viral infection. I didn't think I would ever get well. We even had to cancel our maternity pictures because I was back in the ER the night before making sure I didn't have meningitis. Kelly if you read this...so sorry we had to cancel. Thank you for being so accommodating with wanting to travel to Macon and meet us. 

• My parents sold their house in Valdosta to move up here to be closer to us. They have been looking for a house up here for awhile and finally found one....and then right before closing they lost it. Super sad! They have been living with us while house hunting. I do have to say while it's not the most ideal situation right before I'm about to give birth, I definitely would not be as prepared for Finley if it wasn't for them. They have cleaned, organized, painted and basically nested for me these past couple of months. I would be in such a panic if it weren't for their help! 

• My last day at work is November 2nd and it can't get here fast enough! I'm taking 12 weeks maternity leave. The first 6 weeks are full maternity leave and the second 6 weeks I will start working from home a couple of days per week, really just keeping up with email and staying in touch for my sanity. I won't go back to work full time until February! I feel so blessed to be able to have this much time to spend with Finley. Another plus is when I do go back to work my mom will be keeping her. How amazing is this set-up? I'm definitely not taking any of this for granted! 

Bump Day Survey - 36 Weeks

• How far along: 36 Weeks

• Total weight gain: I was up 28 lbs at my 36 week check-up. I'm hoping to stay within the goal of 25 - 30 lbs, however, my appetite this last trimester has been crazy. I can't get enough to eat right now! 

• Gender: Team Pink 

• Maternity clothes: Ha, even some of my maternity clothes have gotten too small. Mostly the shirts have just gotten too short to wear. I'm not even comfortable in my maternity jeans anymore. I've been living in yoga pants and when I have to look presentable I wear my maternity leggings and boots. 
• Stretch marks: I'm proud to say....NOPE! My doctor even commented on how "pristine" my skin was! But I still have a few more weeks to go and I do feel like my stomach can't stretch anymore. 

• Sleep: Ugh, sleep is getting hard. I toss and turn all night because whatever side I lay on I wake up with my hip throbbing. I've also got a little bit of pregnancy insomnia. If When I get up to pee my mind starts wondering and thinking about things and I can't fall back asleep. 
• Best moment this week: We took our baby class at the hospital this past Saturday and it was actually pretty fun and very informative. I feel certain Josh can now change a diaper. :-)

• Miss Anything: I haven't really missed alcohol too much this pregnancy until now. The weather has been so beautiful that all I want to do is sit on the porch with a glass of wine or a salt rimmed frozen margarita. Soon...very soon. 

• Movement: Goodness, I've got body parts morphing out of my stomach. 

• Food cravings: Cereal. I ate an entire box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in one day. 

• Food aversions: Nothing really. 

• Symptoms: Heartburn and exhaustion. 
• Labor Signs: This is a fun new category I get to answer! At my 36 week check-up I was dilated 1 full centimeter and 50% effaced and my doctor could feel her head. Which would explain why I have so much pressure and it's painful to walk waddle. My doctor said he really won't know what this means until my next check-up this Thursday to see if I have any progression. I've also been getting a few contractions but they are very irregular. 
• Belly Button in or out? Still in. 

• Looking forward to: My 37 week check-up on Thursday to see if I've progressed anymore! I know it doesn't predict labor, but it's just fun to know. 

• Weekly Wisdom: I have a feeling that Finley will need less than half of all the baby gadgets we have for her. 

If you've manage to read my babble for this long then you get to see a picture of the bump!  It's a comparison picture from 21 - 36 weeks to see how much I've grown. 

Right: 21 Weeks/Left: 36 Weeks
Big Comparison!

Baby Name Reveal

There are three questions every person will ask a pregnant woman:

1. How far along are you?
2. Is it a boy or girl?
3. Do you have a name picked out?

Telling people your baby name can be very tricky because they hide no emotions. You will see it on their face if they think the name you have chosen for your baby is the equivalent of naming your baby Apple. So finally I just started telling people we didn't have a name yet. However, being the monogramming queen that I am, I just can't hold it in anymore!

So without further ado, our baby girl's name is...

Bump Day Blog: 22 - 24 Weeks

Apparently going on vacation and trying to get back in the swing of things has thrown off my blogging. I know y'all have been on pins and needle for another bump updated. haha! Since I just went to the doctor yesterday for my 24 week appointment, I've decided to combine that update in this blog post as well. So for a little catch up...

We all had a great time at the beach! However, being at the beach six months pregnant is a little different than I expected. I can usually stay on the beach from sun up to sun down, but this time I was done after just a couple of hours. Mostly I would go up around lunch time just to take a break and was too tired to go back down. Plus, no matter how much sunscreen I put on my belly, it was the only thing getting sun. Especially my belly button. Weird! So I did what any and all pregnant women do...eat and take naps. It was glorious!

23 weeks in St. George Island

I had my 24 week appointment this week and everything was perfect. There was no ultrasound, just a weight check, measuring my stomach and listening to the heartbeat on the doppler. I have a doppler at home so that part wasn't too exciting for me, but always good to hear a healthy heartbeat nonetheless. I  also was given the yucky drink I've heard so much about for the gestational diabetes test I take at my next appointment. I'm so not looking forward to downing this drink in five minutes or less. I'm not good with stuff like that at all and I'm so afraid I'm going to throw it up! Lastly, I was handed a folder with all of my hospital registration papers and information about baby classes. I can't believe it's time for me to register at the hospital! Lord willing I won't have any sort of pre-term labor, but I guess it's good to have all the paperwork complete just in case. We are definitely going to take a tour of the hospital and also one of the Baby Essential classes as well. 

I finally broke down a bought a Snoogle pillow. See below how well that's going. :-)

Josh passed out with my Snoogle. He doesn't know I took this pic. Oops. 

Bump Day Survey: 24 Weeks

• How far along: 24 Weeks

• Total weight gain: I got weighed at the doctor this week and I've gained a total of 16 lbs. I gained 5 lbs between my last two appointments! My doctor said my weight gain is completely on track and was actually happy about the 5 lbs and was impressed it wasn't more since just coming back from vacation. It's still weird to see numbers on a scale I've never seen in my life before. I guess baby girl had a growth spurt! 

• Gender: All Girl

• Maternity clothes: My mom bought me a few maternity pieces and I love them. I was having a hard time breaking down and buying myself new clothes and so she treated me. Thanks, mom! Don't worry Dad, it was all on sale. 
• Stretch marks: None so far! 

• Sleep: I'm sleeping fine, it's Josh who is having trouble. He says I toss and turn all night long and my snoring has now turned into a growl. The snoogle has helped with that a little bit since it keeps my head elevated. 
• Best moment this week: Getting our nursery fabric in. My mother in law is going to make us a three tiered ruffle crib skirt and I'm so excited about it! 

• Miss Anything: I was super jealous of all the fun frozen drinks at the beach. 

• Movement: We officially have a wiggle worm. I can now see her move on the outside of my stomach! Weird and amazing at the same time. 

• Food cravings: I randomly had to have Burger King last week. 

• Food aversions: Still buffalo flavored food. 

• Symptoms: Lower back pain, heartburn and shortness of breath. I don't know what I will be like at full term....geesh! 
• Belly Button in or out? Still in but getting wider and more shallow.  

• Looking forward to: Crib shopping this weekend! 

• Weekly Wisdom: "It will all get done, it will all get done." This is what I have to keep repeating to myself when I start to hyperventilate over finding a pediatrician, getting the nursery done, showers, getting my house clean and organized...I could go on forever. I seriously felt my blood pressure rise just typing these things out! 

Sneak peak of nursery fabric

24 weeks 3 days

Comparison from 21 weeks to 24 weeks. See any difference? 

Bump Day Blog: 21 Weeks

This past week of pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. I've just been counting down the days until VACATION! We are leaving Friday morning heading down to Valdosta and then on Saturday we will be on our way to St. George Island to spend an entire week at a beautiful beach house! I can't wait to read a book on the beach, nap and eat good food. That will be the extent of how my time and energy will be spent. I'm most excited about going with my bestest friend, Kim and her family. The last time Kim and I were at the beach together was for my bachelorette party. I'm sure this beach trip be a little different than the last one. Haha!

Kim & Can - Bachelorette Beach Trip 2009

Bump Day Survey - 21 Weeks

• How far along: 21 Weeks

• Total weight gain: I haven't been on the scale since my last doctor's appointment, so I'll still say 11 pounds. My next doctor's appointment is the week we get back from the beach, so after eating my weight in seafood (the pregnancy approved kind) I'm not going to be too excited to see the results. 

• Gender: Team Pink 

• Maternity clothes: I officially can't wear anything in my closet anymore. Depressing for me, good for my mom who raided my closet when she was here last week. ;-)
• Stretch marks: Not yet, but my skin is starting to get super tight so I better start buttering up.  

• Sleep: Still sleeping, still peeing. 
• Best moment this week: Josh finally got to feel her kick! For the past couple of weeks every time Josh would put his hand on my stomach she would completely stop moving. So the other night Josh talked to my belly and said "I will be buy you pretty things if you kick for me." And BAM, she kicked! I think we are in trouble now...haha! 

• Miss Anything: I'm sure I will be missing margaritas while we are at the beach, but at least I don't have to suck in my stomach! 

• Movement: Tons! She is either a gymnast or a soccer player for sure. 

• Food cravings: None really...still eating Chick-fil-A though. 

• Food aversions: Still buffalo flavored food. 

• Symptoms: I officially know why they say don't lay flat on your back. It now feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest and I get out of breath a lot easier too. 
• Belly Button in or out? Still in. 

• Looking forward to: The beach!! Once we get back from the beach we are full on baby mode!  

• Weekly Wisdom: Strangers will ask what you are naming your baby...don't tell them! Speaking of baby names, I still can't decide if I will do a blog post on our baby girl's name or not. It's not a secret, but it's also not Facebook/blog public either. Thoughts?

21 Weeks 6 Days

Bump Day: 20 Weeks & Family Reunion

Josh and I just returned from his family reunion in Gatlinburg, TN. It was a super fun and always too short visit with his family members that we don't get to see very often. Most of my time was spent lounging by the pool where I had my first experience with a maternity swimsuit. Let's just say when we go on vacation in couple of weeks to the beach, this preggo will be busting out the bikini! ;-) Josh spent most of his time trying to keep up with his younger cousins at basketball and tennis. He said after this weekend that he was glad we were having a girl. He was exhausted!

Cousin Kermit, Uncle Mike & Josh 

The best part of the weekend was a complete and total surprise. Josh's family threw us a SURPRISE Baby Shower! It was so sweet and completely unexpected. I'm so glad we got to celebrate Baby Lowe with family that might not have been able to shower this little lady with love otherwise.

We are so blessed! 

Last week was also a big week for Baby Lowe. She had her 20 week anatomy scan and we got to record the entire ultrasound on DVD. I may have watched it a thousand couple of times already. She is a completely healthy baby girl with four heart chambers, all her blood vessels doing their job and she already weighs 11 ounces. She even got the hiccups during the ultrasound and my doctor said that it's pretty uncommon to see that at 20 weeks and it means her nervous system is doing great! My little over achiever. :-) I tried to upload the video (cause I know y'all are dying to watch it) but I couldn't figure it out and I'm too impatient. Nevertheless, I have a couple of pictures from her scan.

20 Weeks - Love her nose and cheeks!

Getting so big! 

Bump Day Survey - 20 Weeks 

• How far along: 20 Weeks

• Total weight gain: I've reached double digits - 11 pounds. Even though it makes me cringe, I'm right on track for healthy weight gain! 

• Gender: A Little Lady

• Maternity clothes: Yes. It's funny cause when I'm out shopping I forget that I'm pregnant and pick up these super cute dresses and then I'm like...oh wait, that will not fit the bump or the boobs. 

• Stretch marks: Still none!  

• Sleep: When will I stop having to pee one, two, three times a night?!
• Best moment this week: Getting a healthy report from our anatomy scan and our surprise baby shower. 

• Miss Anything: Nothing at the moment. I'm actually enjoying this time in my pregnancy. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself. 

• Movement: She is moving all during the day now and sometimes she gets in a really strong kick that makes me jump! I love it. 

• Food cravings: Chick-fil-A. I blame this one on a fellow pregnant friend, Whitney, who blogged about her Chick-fil-A cravings. Ever since I read that, I dreamt about it that night, and have been wanting it non-stop ever since. Thanks, Whitney! 

• Food aversions: Buffalo flavored food. I'm starting to wonder if this child is mine. If you know me, you know I love all things spicy. Buffalo chicken, pizza, sauce, etc. I even put Texas Pete sauce on my popcorn. But this child does not like it one bit. I just have no desire for the stuff. It's kind of weirding me out! 

• Symptoms: I had my first leg cramp the other morning. It was about 5:30 am and I woke up in horrific pain from a leg cramp in my calf. I told Josh I needed an epidural. Haha! My calf was sore for days afterwards. 
• Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting wider and more shallow. 

• Looking forward to: The second half of my pregnancy. I'm half baked! 

• Weekly Wisdom: It is completely possible to hysterically laugh and uncontrollably cry because your house isn't clean enough for your unborn child. 

20 Weeks 5 Days pregnant in Gatlinburg.  

Bump Day - 19 Weeks

It looks like I skipped weeks 17 and 18,  so I'll go ahead and blame that on pregnancy brain. I can tell you that during those two weeks we started our baby registries at Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry and Target. Our main registry with all of our big items is at Babies "R" Us and I did a small registry online at Target. Let me tell you, registering is exhausting! It took us over four hours and there may have been a couple of times where I just sat down on the floor in the middle of the aisle! It was a very different experience than registering for wedding gifts. For one, I knew how to use a crock pot when I was registering for one. I'm not sure I know just yet how to use half the items I had to register for to keep this baby happy. And I definitely found it hard to register for bottles, formula and diapers because how do you know which kind your baby will like best?! So I just got them all...haha!

Bump Day Survey -19 Weeks

• How far along: 19 Weeks 

• Total weight gain: Still holding strong at 8 pounds

• Gender: Baby GIRL!

• Maternity clothes: Still just jeans. I tried a few of my dresses on last night and they have now turned themselves into shirts. ha. 

• Stretch marks: Nope  

• Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good. I've been told I'm not suppose to sleep flat on my back, which happens to be the only way I'm comfortable sometimes, so I think I might invest in a pregnancy pillow to see if that helps. 

• Best moment this week: Feeling her kick on the outside! Josh still hasn't been able to feel her yet though. 

• Miss Anything: Being able to pull anything out of my closet and wear it...I need to go shopping! 

• Movement: Yes! She kicks mostly at night and early in the morning...like at  5:30 AM. I guess she is preparing me for early mornings already. 

• Food cravings: Baked potato and cucumbers. I have literally eaten this every night for dinner for the past two weeks. 

• Food aversions: Nothing really comes to mind.  

• Symptoms: I've actually been feeling pretty great! I did go to the doctor last week after I called and told them I was having an intense pressure in my pelvic area. I felt like the baby was going to fall out of me. My doctor wanted to check me because at this stage in my pregnancy those are symptoms of an "incompetent cervix". Thankfully, everything look great and Baby Girl just had her head directly pushing on my uterus and that was causing my pain. Let's hope that's not an indicator of the size of her head. ;-)
• Belly Button in or out? In, but definitely getting more shallow. I can actually see the bottom of it now...weird. 

• Looking forward to: Our Anatomy Scan at our 20 week appointment next Thursday. We get to bring a DVD to record the entire ultrasound! 

• Weekly Wisdom: Pushing out your baby bump can get you just as many things as pushing out your boobs. :-)

19 Weeks

Baby Bump Bonding