Welcome, Owen James!

What a busy week it has been! Owen James Lowder was born on May 6^th at 3:55am. He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. He is the picture of health – and perfection!

 

I took the first week of May off of work, praying I’d have a baby before my paid time off ran out. I walked and walked and walked…then walked some more. I even begged my doctor to induce me but she wouldn’t. On Wednesday I was having contractions that would last for 2-3 hours, be 8 to 10 minutes apart but they didn’t hurt bad enough to go in – just bad enough for me to call my doctor and demand for her to get the baby out. She didn’t. And wouldn’t. So, I walked more. Thursday morning around 2:30am I started having contractions that were 6 minutes apart and extremely painful. I insisted that Clayton go to work but told him to keep his phone on and texted my mom to let her know it may be soon. Around 6:30am the contractions stopped. I went through 4 hours of contractions 6 minutes apart and so painful I would cry through them for what seemed like nothing. I was convinced I’d never have a baby.

Once Jack woke up that morning we went on a very long walk. I had two contractions. I was so frustrated I decided to just sit around all day and become comfortable with the idea of having a baby in my belly forever.  When Clay got home he insisted we walk so we did. And the contractions started again. And they didn’t stop. They got more and more intense until I couldn’t handle it anymore. Around 9:30pm we called my mom and she came over to be with Jack.

We were admitted to the hospital around 10:30pm and I was dilated to a 6! I, for some crazy reason, decided I wanted to walk around instead of get an epidural right away – that lasted all of 5 minutes. Around 11:45pm I had my epidural and was able to rest. Around 2:30am I was feeling a ton of pressure and was so terribly uncomfortable. The nurse checked me and said I was dilated to a 10 but only 95% effaced, she tried moving my cervix out of the way but she couldn’t. So, I sat up in bed which forced Owen’s head down. By 3:30am it was time to push. My doctor wasn’t on call and I hadn’t met the doctor that was on call – just a super sweet Resident who said she would page the Doctor when it was time to deliver. I pushed through three contractions and then the nurse told me to stop. So, I stopped. But, I could feel Owen’s head moving out and sure enough with the next contraction the nurse yelled to the Resident (who was frantically trying to figure out how to page the doctor) ‘You better come over here and catch this baby!’ She did, barely. He just slid right out!

At first he was breathing really fast and they were worried about him but after some cuddles with mommy he calmed down. He nursed right away, and hasn’t stopped! We were able to come home on Saturday.

Jack has been doing really great. He loves to kiss Owen’s head and point out his body parts. He has been acting out a little but nothing more than expected. I am doing great. Daddy loves having a baby around again. Owen sleeps like a champ and hardly ever fusses. I feel so lucky to have such a great little family!

38 weeks, 4 days...

So, Owen isn't breech anymore...I can promise you that as I sit here typing this he is head down. More specifically head down against my pubic bone. He's still moving and shaking (playing hop scotch as I like to call it!) and...GROWING. With Jack I delivered at 36 weeks and 6 days - He was a whopping 8 pounds 6 oz. So, 38 weeks = 9 pound Owen = Terrified mommy. I don't want to deliver a sack of potatoes, I want a baby!

I'm jealous of all of the cute pregnant women who adore being very pregnant and talk so sweetly about how much they love it. You know what?! I'm not that woman. I am nine and a half months pregnant. I want this baby out of my body. I want to be able to bend over without getting stuck and needing help up. I want to be able to walk instead of waddle. I want to be able to cuddle Jack (and Owen, too) without my belly getting in the way. I want to be able to eat 10 cans of tuna if I so desire! I want a coffeeeeee and a glass of wine without feeling terrible. I want to be able to smell NOTHING again considering over the past nine and half months I've been able to smell EVERYTHING from a distance and for a lingering amount of time. I want to be able to cuddle with my husband and roll over without having to let him know 'I'm rolling over now, I'm sorry' because it wakes him up - probably fearing an earth quake.

Okay. I'm done complaining (at least I'm done writing my complaints).

Today is my last day at work before I start maternity leave, unless for some awful reason I'm still pregnant after May 9th. I can't wait to have two boys and to spend some extra time with Jack. I'm excited to meet Owen. My only wish is that we have a smooth delivery and recovery and get to come home after a day or so in the hospital.

So! Appointment Monday to see how big Owen is. I'll be 39ish weeks - which is the magical number for induction. Hopefully, this is the last update as a mommy of one (haven't I said that before?!)

<3

Oh Tuesday, how I hope you are my lucky day!

Thursday's appointment went well. Nothing too exciting to report. Owen is still breech. His heart rate is stable and normal. My blood pressure is still good. My feet aren't any more swollen than expected. I lost a pound (whooohooo!? Not sure why, or how but I'll take it).

Tuesday. Tuesday is my appointment with my doctor to confirm Owen is still breech (which as of now, he is. His head is sitting 4ish inches above my belly button - so his little bum is comfortable in my pelvis). If he is breech then we schedule a version - to turn him around. This is risky and scary - it could end in an emergency c-section but the doctor I saw on Thursday was very remeasuring - in the 15 years she's been practicing she's never had to do an emergency c-section right then and there. So, we are doing it. Hopefully on Tuesday and hopefully it breaks my water and we have a baby.

Speaking of hips, on Thursday I couldn't walk. Well, I could, I just looked like an 90 year old woman who forgot her walker somewhere. Because of Owen's ever growing bum residing in my pelvis, pushing my hips apart and down - I have been in some of the worst pain ever. Yesterday and today have been much better - but it starts out better in the morning and as his weight wears on my joints I become more and more stiff.

So, I'm hoping that this is the last post I make as a mommy of one. Hoping Tuesday goes well and we go in, have a baby and come home. I'm desperate to be home with Jack for Easter.

Wish me luck! <3

Headaches and rapid heartbeats.

Saturday night I had a terrible headache and suddenly lost my peripheral vision in my right eye. Thinking it was just a migraine I laid down and went to sleep. I woke up Sunday with a headache, all day long. And Monday, I tried to go to work only to have to go into Labor and Delivery because my head hurt so bad and I was seeing double (which in turn was making me nauseated). I was monitored for about an hour and everything came back normal.

Still had a headache.

Woke up on Tuesday and called my doctor's office to schedule a follow up appointment and got lucky - I got to see my doctor at 11:00am. I adore her, even though she is rather cold and distant - I always know what she's thinking and because she's very direct I can't misunderstand a thing! Well, Owen's heart beat was around 170 beats per minute and she was concerned that he was under stress. So, I was again monitored for about an hour and a half. Owen's heart rate settled down and I was sent home to do nothing - told to stay off of my feet.

Still had a headache.

Now, I'm scheduled to follow up on Thursday, with a different doctor (which I hate, not the doctor herself - but the lack of consistency). Today, I'm allowed to go back to work. I hope I can work through my head hurting like it does. Right now, it's okay - but as soon as I get up and start moving around it begins to throb.

So, here is what I know:
1. I still have a headache and no one can tell me why.
2. My blood pressure isn't high - which is good.
3. I'm dilated to a one and a half.
4. Dr. Bradley said she thought she felt the head when seeing how dilated I was - but Owen's heartbeat couldn't be found low on my belly, only high by my ribs.
5. I go back on Thursday to be monitored again to make sure Owen is okay.
6. I then go back again on Tuesday to see if he is still breech and if he is we will schedule turning him.
7. If we can't turn him then we will have to schedule a c-section (if turning him doesn't cause my water to break, stress on the baby, etc) for 39 weeks, which is the week of May 1st.
8. I'm so ready to have this baby, I just want him to be healthy and I was this headache to go away!

I will update more on Thursday. Hopefully Owen is good and my head has stopped hurting by then!

Breech...!

Yesterday's appointment went well. The ultrasound tech, the same one we've had for all of our ultrasounds but one, again confirmed it's a boy. Owen is measuring in the 75th percentile and is around 6 pounds 11 ounces. He's got lots of hair! The ultrasound tech was really excited about his hair. Our little monkey is breech. Completely breech. He hasn't had any interest in moving his head from under my left ribs since he was big enough to cause me discomfort there.

The doctor that I saw isn't my normal doctor - which I hate, but she's a sweet lady, told me to do butt-ups. Yes. Butt-ups. She told me to lay flat on my back with my knees bend and lift my hips up towards the sky. Yes, thrust. 15 minutes three times a day. I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E. I made Clay do them with me last night and I cried after about five minutes. It's so uncomfortable and painful. It felt like my back was going to break.

If Owen is still breech for our next appointment (April 19th) then we will be given the choice to try to turn him. I'm told they'll 'lube up the belly and find his head and his butt and push them to where they should be'. Not only does that not sound like something anyone should be doing to a infant still in the womb but it sounds painful. With only a 50-58% success rate (depending on where you do research) it doesn't sound worth it.

Some have suggested acupuncture and a chiropractor - both of which I plan on looking into. I do not want a c-section. The thought of not being able to pick up Jack to give him love breaks my heart. And also, the thought of someone ripping their way through my body to get a baby out makes me want to vomit. But, of course, I will do what it best for Owen and myself.

So! April 19th. Please send me turning baby vibes or any other suggestions you may have for getting this stinker to turn butt up!

I'm done!

...Or, I'd like to be done. We have an ultrasound today to measure how Owen's growing. I hope that he is big and healthy and ready - because I am! I am big - bigger than I was with Jack, more clumsy and more round.

I am going to miss being pregnant. It's hard to think about right now, just because I feel like my pelvis is going to snap in half and my feet are going to pop from all of the swelling, but I will miss this.

More specifically, I'm going to miss...
Feeling Owen move, even if it wakes me from a sleep at 4am and keeps me awake until 6am.
Having a belly-tray, where I can set things.
Having Clayton rush to feel my belly when he sees me.
Pedicures!
Guessing if what is sticking out of my guts is a head, or a butt or a foot??

But! I will not miss...
Having to pee every 14 minutes.
Not seeing my feet.
Not being able to help around the house.
Not being able to bend over.
Having to tell Jack a million times a day to be nice and soft with mommy (however, I realize I'll just replace Mommy with Owen).
The headaches pregnancy makes me have.
The worrying about has Owen moved lately? Is he ok?


This may be our last new baby. I can't wait to meet him and smell the newborn smell again and welcome a new life into our family. Jack has started sucking his thumb - which may seem unrelated, but I'm fairly certain he is aware on some level that things are about to change..So, we may have a thumb sucker on our hands. BUT! If that is the worst of it I'll take it.

Doctor appointment at 2:30pm today. First, lunch with my two favorite boys! I'll update later!

34 weeks, but who is counting!?

Eating cereal on the couch with Daddy

34 weeks pregnant tomorrow! Clayton had a realization yesterday while he was on his way home from work and I was on my way to work. He called me and said 'We could have this baby in just a couple of weeks, huh?' and I sweetly responded 'yes, no more than 6 and probably no less than 3 - are you okay?' He laughed and explained that it's just all sinking in that we'll be the parents to two boys.

I've started saying 'the boys' or 'the kids'...It just makes me feel old. Probably because 'the kids' reminds me of my mom. Who isn't old - I'm just saying.

He just wanted to eat it!

We have an ultra sound on April 4th to measure little Owen. He was close to 5 pounds three weeks ago. And, according to all of the baby websites and books I've read he should be gaining half a pound each week. So, by April 4th he will have had four weeks to grow, which is two pounds...So, if he isn't a porker (which Jack was so I won't be shocked) he should be measuring around 7 pounds already. I'm praying he isn't bigger than his brother (three weeks early and still 8 pounds 6 oz.)

Painted more on his face and highchair 

Speaking of Jack! He's getting so big and grown up. He says 'brush teeth', 'shoes!', 'banana', 'kitty kitty' and he's sorta interested in going potty. He mostly enjoys sitting on it and standing up and taking the potty apart. No successful potty in the potty yet - but I'm not entire convinced he understands it's purpose. He also eats with a fork which is just adorable.

 Well, I'll be sure to update next week after our ultra sound, hopefully with good news of a healthy - big and almost ready baby!

He loved bath time with bubbles!

Bubble head!