Family of 4 now (part 2 of birth story)

So yesterday afternoon Derek went to go get Dreycin and my dad to bring them to the hospital to meet baby Bronson. Derek and I had already been thinking ahead and got both the boys gifts to give to one another. Dreycin walked in to the room, and in most of the articles I read it said it was best that mom or dad not be holding baby so that the toddler will feel more comfortable....so thats what I did. Dreycin climbed right up into the bed with me and gave me kisses and then I showed him "His baby." He really wasnt interested and when I lifted the baby out of the crib for us to hold, he pushed him away. So, i thought ok we gotta break out the gifts. So we gave Dreycin his bag from the baby, it had an airplane on it (he's obsessed just slightly with trucks, car, planes, etc right now) and he opened it. We decided to get him a Fisher price kid tough digital camera (ages 3-5 but I knew he could figure it out) and the intention behind that is so Dreycin could take pictures of "his baby" (another thing i found in the literature reiterate that the baby is the child's to help them form an even closer bond.) Dreycin was elated, he was saying cheese and taking pictures of everyone in the room including the baby. That is when Dreycin began to open up, and even gave the baby a kiss. Its a work in progress. But I was so happy because our friend Jessica was here to capture all the cute moments of their first encounter!
Today Dreycin came back with just Daddy around lunch time....thats the sacrifice you also take when you become mom of 2, one parent shuffles back and forth from kids to wife....and mom does it all in the hospital. I think I may have slept a total of 6hrs in the last 48hrs, but its ok im still alive. Dreycin was more apt to hold the baby today, but about after 1min it was boring to him and he said all done! Like I said its a work in progress, what I really love is that Bronson can sleep through Dreycin's talking and jibber jabbering, running around the room so that will defn play in our favor. I mean who can get mad at a toddler for being a toddler? Ive already told myself Im not going to be telling Dreycin to be quiet all the time, and my hope is that Bronson is already use to all that from being around Dreycin everyday while he was in my belly.

After this pregnancy & delivery, im scared......to have more kids, to not have it like this one was. It was pleasant, beautiful, easy. And I can tell that having two boys will work in our favor, they will be like two peas in a pod, a bond that will never break. I cant wait to watch my boys grow up together. I feel like this time I know what to expect, I know how to breastfeed, Im more confident as a mother and a wife, and have been able to adjust to being a SAHM. I already feel my energy coming back, and I know I will need it and at times it may be hard but I am so glad we choose to have the boys close together. We are now a beautiful family of 4.

As for my recovery,  oh my gosh I hate to brag but I am up walking around, taking showers, doing it all. A little sore, lots of uterine cramping but overall 110% better than last time. It makes me think back to when I was working as a social worker, and would get a consult for a woman in the hospital by herself and I needed to assess her support system. Well now i know you do what you need to do, alone or because your significant other is taking care of kids at home? We will get to go home tomorrow, little Bronson's pediatrician wanted to keep him until tomorrow morning and plus he got his circ today. I know im ready to go home to my bed, and be in our home. Well here comes Derek with my food.....because breastfeeding makes me HUNGRYYYYYY!!!!!

pics

Here are the few pics we took yesterday, we also had a lovely new friend Jessica Goldsborough come visit us yesterday in the hospital, and she took some really cool shots of Dreycin and my dad meeting little Bronson. I put the link on the last blog, she will also be coming to the house sometime this week to do newborn pics. Jessica is a marine wife also, lives right around the corner from us and from what I have seen she really captures the moment, and is truly gifted at what she does.

8/28/2011 Bronson's Birth Day part 1

Wow, done and done. I cant believe Bronson's bday has come like lightning. Let me just start out by saying that this pregnancy, has been a cake walk compared to Dreycin's and thats probably why im on the computer right now......everything from weight, high risk, blood pressure, and now the delivery. I can not say how amazed I am that he came so fast. My mama passed me some good birthing genes, man it was speedy fast. And in all honesty after the birth of Dreycin my doc's progress notes included that whoever was to take care of me next pregnancy would need to bring me into hospital for induction because of my speedlike birthing genes. Anyways, so I really think Ive been in labor for like 3-4days, stronger contx when I was making my morning walks some that woke me up in the night.....but last night was the real thing and I stayed at home in the comfort of my home for 14hrs with 10min apart contx. And just so yall know I was at the hospital yesterday morning because of bleeding, they sent me home because I wasnt progressing after an hour.....still 2-3cm and 70% effaced......so home we did not go. We went to the mall and walked for 4hrs, stopped and got me 2 sushi philly rolls for dinner (smoked salmon not raw) and then headed home so that I could go pick up my dad. I was having contractions all day, but i wasnt timing them and just walking through them. So I picked up my dad at around 830 (2hrs of contx at this point) and he was like do you want me to drive home.....nahhh i replied im fine. And then from there on out my contx started, and then this morning I had more bleeding, but this time Derek was like we are going back. I had literally slept in the rocking chair last night having contx every 10min cat napping in between. Derek was probably pretty annoyed, and then Dreycin woke up at 520am??? and was saying BIRTHDAY PARTY BIRTHDAY PARTY, the little slugger must have known we would be celebrating a bday today and was anxious to wake up damn early! So around 830am we head to the hospital, my dad has just woken up and seen Dreycin for the first time since he got in last night. i felt bad leaving him right away, but he was jumping up and down that he was going to get to stay with his Pops, gave me and Derek kisses and off we went. To much hesitancy i was going in with contx 10min apart, thinking those damn dr's and rn's are gonna send me home.....hopefully not with the bleeding but within minutes I was told I was a 5, staying and in labor.

9:30am got to room, and on monitor. BP was 110/66 woo hoo!!
Nurse starts me on lowest dose of pitocin, a 6 I believe.....but I really didnt need it because at
1030am Doc comes in to check says im 6, almost 7 time to break my water. He breaks my water and those contx take on a whole other meaning.....im probably breaking derek's hand. time for the freaking epidural. At 1130 the epidural is done my nurse checks me and im an 8......ahhh no wonder my contx are effing ridiculiously painful. Derek told me later that he was getting upset because I was in so much pain, he even came to my bedside and said "You are making this look easy." Believe me I didnt feel that way before the epidural!
By noon im feeling alot of pressure, as if my epidural is not freaking working, but I know it is because my legs are totally numb just a small tingling sensation. So I tell the nurse she calls Dr Payne (1 of 5 docs in the practice I go to that just happened to be on call this weekend, and who I wanted to deliver me) and at 1235 im pushing because Im complete and ready to deliver Bronson! Dr Payne had been joking all morning, saying that "You dont play around when it comes to delivery time, do you.?"
Well the doc comes in and ask Derek how comfortable he would be to deliver the baby, and Derek was like really, yeah ok. He was a little concerned about dropping the baby, but as Bronson's head came out he caught the left shoulder then right, and then laid him on my chest. It was totally a different delivery, looking at the only the 2 people I saw in the room, my wonderful loving husband delivering our new baby boy. It was amazing, brings me to tears thinking about it. Afterwards Derek said, man those babies are slimy little things, how do dr's not drop them. Dr Payne said, oh see that bin down there its the baby catcher, but he was joking! My only regret, not giving one of the nurses a camera to capture our experience. Oh well, words will have to do.
Bronson was born at 1:01pm 7lbs 10oz, 20 inches long. To much of our surprise, no 9lb baby!
I was FAMISHED and needed food, because for the 14hrs of contractions at home I did not eat because I was pretty sure I was in labor......all I had was a popsicle and lots of water through the night. I did however set my family up, the 1hr before we went to the hospital I threw in a whole chicken with carrots and potatoes in the crockpot and set it to cook! yes I was cooking while in labor....im badass. Ha, anyways....I got what seemed like the best burger ever and french fries with a yummy sweet tea and it was so good. By 3 or 4pm we were taken over to postpartum and Derek left to go pick up Dreycin and my dad.


http://jgoldsborough80.blogspot.com/  some pics from the big day!

A few pics....38wks and rooms

More preparation......

So being in a 2story house has kind of thrown me for a loop, because I cant imagine how its going to work with getting a newborn and toddler up and down, up and down. I may just end up using my sleepy wrap or beco carrier to go up and down so that I can hang on to the rail, and hold Dreycin's hand. Usually what we do is come downstairs for the morning, then go up for nap, then come back down after nap for the rest of the day, then go up at night for bath/bed routine at 8pm. But with a newborn.....they sleep most of the day, so i decided i needed something downstairs for the baby to sleep in so we got a moses basket and around 3months when Bronson outgrows it, I am hoping that nap times will be more established? Or i'll move the playard downstairs and put Bronson's crib in our room. We still use a monitor Safety 1st digital/nightvision with Dreycin, and its been great (even survived a throw by Dreycin into full bath of water) but it doesnt stay charged and you cant get to main menu since bath accident so we cant buy an additional camera for the main unit. So we bought another one, this time samsung digital with two cameras. I also went ahead and bought some cloth diapers (1dozen prefold unbleached) and 2 covers one by thirsties and one size bum genius, and a roll of flushable liners. I have about dozen prefold that I had from Dreycin's baby shower......this is going to be a test run on how cloth diapering will work for us. The other thing I need to do is figure out food situation, we are limited now that we live on base. We have a commissary that does not carry organic foods, and a subway. Well Im sure $5 footlongs will only get us so far......but for the most part every couple of days I cook up some chicken stovetop or shrimp, or bake some fish, throw some rice in the rice cooker(im so thankful that Dreycin prefers rice over mac n cheese) and steam a few different veggies.....but lately that only lasts us a few days. I really am searching for freezer meals right now to go ahead and start preparing. But because my husband isnt big on casseroles or lasagnas im hoping i can cook everything in mini aliminum tins for single servings? For right now who ever comes to visit will be tasked as the cook! My dad gets here Aug 27th-Sept 3rd. My mom gets here Aug 31st (induction date) and stays until Sept 14th. My Aunt Darlene plans on coming at the end of September for a weekend! And at some point Derek's mom will be coming with her boyfriend for 3-4days, but they arent sure of when. I will take all the cooks and cleaners I can get, this is a drawback to not living near family and friends! I even thought about ordering frozen food from Schwann's food delivery services? We'll see how it goes....
Ive been enjoying morning walks with my little D-Rex here on base housing, and we have 3 little parks in our housing community so we usually stop at 1 to play. We also have a pool, and fitness center.

Moving in.....

What a relief it is for us to be all moved in on base. Its like our own little community of people who are going through the same exact things (somewhat) we are. The house is amazing, only 2yrs old....2 stories (not so easy with Dreycin but we have 3 baby gates, and more doorknob things than I can count) 3bedroom, 2 car garage, and tons of storage and space. Im not gonna lie, I was so nervous to move so close to due date.....but if anything I guess I can consider this my daily workout, organizing the entire house, going up and down stairs, doing tons and tons of laundry since the baby Bronson is coming plus we didnt have washer and dryer hooked up until yesterday and all of our clothes had stacked up on me. Its not really considered nesting in my eyes because I have to do it (type A personality) but oh well. Got my maternity bag packed, and Bronson's room somewhat done. Today I went and did a one stop shop for diapers, wipes, baby laundry detergent,  teething tablets, paper towels, anything that we needed to get us through for a while....and then grocery shopping, did I mention it was just me and Dreycin! He was so good for me today, one woman even commented that he was being so good just sitting in the basket with his feet propped up! He was relaxed, that could have had something to do with the small frosty we shared in between the two stops. I dont think I have mentioned this, but our toilet  training has taken a back seat I still take him to the toilet but being in a new house and all these changes that are happening he stopped telling me when he had to go pee or poopie. But we still do say bye bye to the poopies in the big toilet. This week Bronson and I have our 36wk u/s, NST, and OB check to see how big  he has gotten, I actually still weigh 196 so I havent gained any (yayyy). That puts me at 23lbs weight gain. And at this time with Dreycin I was already pushing 204. My goal from here to delivery is to walk at least 20min every day, although I know im doing alot more already with moving, etc. Im really hoping that miraculously at 38wks or so my body will do what it is suppose to do, and I wont have to do the induction on August 31st!

About You
Name: Cindy

Age: 26

Height: 5'4.5"

Pre-pregnancy weight: 173

About The Father 
Name: Derek

Age: 30

Height: 5'6

Are you still together: Yep, Married 5years this November

About Your Pregnancy When did you find out you were pregnant: December 26th, 2010 Derek's 30th Bday!

Was it planned: Yes

What was your first reaction: We got pregnant the first month we were trying, OMG!

Who was with you when you found out: Derek 

Who was the first person you told: my mom and dad

How far along are you: 36wks

What was your first symptom: nausea

What is your due date: Sept 1stHow much weight have you gained: 23.5lbs

Do you have stretch marks: somewhat, but had them worse with my 1st

About the birth Home or hospital birth: Hospital 

Natural or medicated birth: Epidural!.

Who will be in the delivery room with you: Derek, maybe mom if she makes it in time

Will you breastfeed: YES, im a boobie fanatic

Do you think you'll need a c-section: Not unless bronson is going to be 9lbs or more, will be induced on August 31st @ 39wks due to lupus/high risk pregnancy.

Previous pregnancy complications: lupus, gestational hypertension, modified bedrest from 24wks-37wks, full bedrest from 37wks-40wks.

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time: Probably

What's the first thing you might say to him/her: I love you

Would you let someone videotape the birth: yes

Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:Excited

What is the baby's room theme? sea animals, blues and greens What was the first thing you bought for the baby? a couple of outfits
If you already have kids, how do you think they will adjust to the new baby? Dreycin is going to love being a big brother, I do worry about giving individual attention to him in the first few weeks though.


Will you cloth diaper? I am going to attempt after bF'ing is well established.


What foods have you craved? pizza, blt's, anything with cheese, and I have loved all veggies this pregnancy, along with sweets......totally different from Dreycin!