Labor and Delivery

Welcome to the world, Seth Bryant Riggs!!

If things had gone according to plan, today I would have been settling into daily life after coming home from the hospital just two days ago.  But things never quite go according to plan, do they?  (And in this case, that is really, really good!)

Seth Bryant was born on Wednesday, April 4th, one week before my scheduled c-section.  I started having contractions on Tuesday afternoon, and they were really no different than the Braxton Hicks I had been having in the preceding weeks - except that this time, they didn't go away.  That evening I went to dinner with my friend Rachel, and we kept a rough estimate of the time between the contractions.  They were pretty far apart, but I did notice that they weren't going away, and they were getting longer and stronger. When I got home from dinner I told Jim, "It's no major rush, but I'm going to go take a shower and finish packing, because I think tonight is probably the night."  By 11 PM or so, we had packed, I had showered, and Jim decided we should lay down and try to rest.  Well, I laid down, but I never slept.  The contractions became so strong they took my breath away, and at one point one of the contractions came 3 or 4 minutes after the last.  I panicked, woke Jim up and told him it was time to go.  We called his mom and had her come to the house, I left the kids a note, and we drove in the dead of night to the hospital.

I noticed on the way to the hospital that it was nearly a full moon, and that should have been indicative of things to come.  When we got there it was between 3:30 and 4:00 am, and another laboring girl had just arrived before me.  In the time during which they processed my information and waited for a room to open up, four other pregnant women arrived, all in labor!  Six women may not sound like a lot for a large hospital, but I was at a small county hospital, and they did not have enough rooms for all of us!

My contractions were all over the board.  Some were twelve minutes apart and some were three minutes apart.  When the nurse checked me, she found that I was barely dilated to 1 cm.  I panicked that they would send me home to writhe in pain so one of the other pregnant women could have my room, but the nurse told me that contracting so hard over my two previous c-section scars wasn't safe and they were going to go ahead and operate.  I was so relieved.

My c-section went extremely well, and Seth was born a perfect 8 pounds, 1/2 ounce and 20 inches long.  
The hospital did an awesome job of giving us bonding time, and overall I found this to be our best birth experience ever.

Brennan and Cora came to meet Seth later in the day, and they couldn't have loved him more. That hasn't changed yet.  The novelty has worn off a little, but both kids adore him and have welcomed him into their lives without restraint.

36 Weeks

How far along: 36 Weeks

How I feel:  I feel done.  I'm super emotional and hormonal, my feet hurt so much I can hardly walk, I run out of energy an hour or two into the day, and some days I can hardly face the morning.  I look like a beached whale, and when I smile my eyes get lost in my enormous cheeks.  Yep, I'm just done.

Maternity clothes: The few (?) items that still fit are holding on for this final 20ish days.  I will not be sorry to bid them farewell forever.

Sleep:  Besides waking every three hours to go to the bathroom, the sleep I do get is pretty decent.  I'm so exhausted I find a position and don't move until I have to get up and go.  I have had some pretty crazy dreams, though!

Best moment this month: There have been a lot!  My dinner party, getting our van, finishing the nursery, and Brennan's upcoming birthday are some of the best.

Movement: He is starting to run out of space, and his squirms make my stomach look like I am housing an alien.

Food cravings: In the past few months I have been to Wild Ginger twice and had their Teriyaki chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries, and Asian slaw.  It all tasted so good to me I feel like I could eat that one meal three times a week.  I also want to try their Mongolian Beef.  (Anyone want to go to Wild Ginger?!)  I am also still on a major chocolate kick and would drink a Starbucks Mocha every day if I could afford it.

Labor Signs: I have several friends that have told me I look like I have dropped in the past week (friends that know how I looked before and know that I already carry low), but I am not so sure it isn't just that I'm getting bigger.  I have also had some preterm contractions at night that have motivated me to get packing this weekend.

Belly button in or out?  I am not sure it could stick out any more.

What I miss: I miss the same things I missed before.  Mostly I miss snuggling with Jim, wearing cute clothes, and taking hot baths.  I also miss having the energy to stand up for even five minutes.

What I am NOT looking forward to:  I am not looking forward to breastfeeding.  I know some women just love it, but I don't.  I do it because I love my kids, and I am fully committed to it, but I feel like I could have the same connection with my babies over a bottle.  (Just being honest.)  I'm also not looking forward to my surgery recovery or being dependent on others to drive me places.  Oh, and I'm not looking forward to extreme sleep deprivation.  (Yeah, there are a lot of things about the early weeks with a newborn that I don't really love, but it all pays off with the first real smile.)


What I am looking forward to:  I am so looking forward to seeing my little boy's face, holding him close, and calling him by name (out loud).  :-)  I also can't wait for my kids to all meet each other.  I'm looking forward to making sweet memories together as a family and watching each child's unique personality develop.

Milestones: Yesterday I had to stop wearing my wedding band.  (I can't believe it fit this long!)  

Weekly Wisdom: One day at a time.  Just focus on one day at a time.

My c-section is scheduled for three weeks from yesterday, but I'm honestly hoping to go into labor a few days early.  This is officially my last monthly update.  It won't be long now (for you... for me it will be three of the longer weeks of my life.)  :-)

Baby Three's Room

It's done!!  Well... it's nearly done.  There are a few small details to take care of, but for the most part, the baby's room is ready for him to move in.  

You may remember when his room looked like this just several weeks ago:

Well, a little over a week ago I took Cora to a birthday party, and when I came home, I was surprised/delighted to find Jim and our friend John painting the nursery.  (Thanks again for pushing Jim, John!)

After that, it was just a matter of putting everything up, including the awesome paper lanterns I found for a steal online.

The black and white toile glider has been in each of my kids' nurseries since Brennan was born.  It was a gift from my in-laws, and I absolutely love it, but it was a challenge to incorporate in a brand-new way without feeling like I was repeating the other kids' rooms.  I had considered an orange and blue nursery, but I knew I couldn't pull it off with the black and white chair, so I went to another favorite combo: yellow and gray.

The bedding is the Harper elephant collection from Pottery Barn Kids.  I sold some things on Craigslist to buy the bumper and sheet, and my sister surprised me with a second sheet and the crib skirt as a baby gift.  It was the first time I haven't made my own baby bedding for the crib, and I was a little sad at first, but I simply didn't have time, and in the end it was very freeing.

Even though I didn't make the bedding, I did break out the sewing machine for a few projects.  I made the throw pillow for the chair and the curtain panels (lined with blackout fabric so the room is a perfect cave when the baby needs to sleep).  When he is awake or resting in my arms, this is what I see from his window (keep in mind it is dreary and raining today):

There is a stunning view of the sunset over the trees and hills every night.  It's the best view in the house.

Across the room from the chair, I have this fun wall to look at:

I just put different swatches of fabric into embroidery hoops and mixed in an inexpensive Target clock because I always like to know how long I've been nursing or sleeping in the chair.  ;-)  I still want to get yellow baskets or storage containers for board books to go on the bottom shelf of the bench, but yellow ones are hard to come by.  I'm hoping to make a trip to the Container Store soon, because I'm pretty sure they have exactly what I need.

This is the view from the hallway into the room.  It's what you see when you get to the top of the stairs.

The art that Hope gave me is a perfect fit above that table, don't you think?!  And the table will definitely look better with a picture of the baby in the frame.  :-)

This corner of the room still needs a little help:

The dresser needs a few pops of yellow, I think.  I also need a new lampshade for the floor lamp, as the one that was on there was black and pink to go with Cora's nursery.  Finally, I need to write something cute on the chalkboard elephant my friend Jen gave me.  (There are itty bitty, super subtle elephants on the crib sheet, making the elephant a perfect addition to the room.)

I am still thinking about adding a wall decal someplace that says, "You are my sunshine... You make me happy when skies are gray."  I had planned to do that before I saw the decal in Pottery Barn Kids simply because my mom used to sing that song to me as a child.  When I saw it in their catalog, I nearly wet my pants! (I should start working for PB!)

I had thought about putting those words in the frames above the bed, but now I'm second-guessing that decision.  I'm still a little up in the air about the frames, but I went ahead and put some fabric in there to keep from looking at the ugly brown background inside the frames.  (Now I need to straighten them out because the imperfection is driving me nuts.)  Maybe I'll do the decal above and below the frames?

So, the baby now has a room, and we have a vehicle in which to bring him home from the hospital.  He also has a ton of diapers and wipes to get started, thanks to the friends at my shower last weekend.

I feel SO much calmer, and now I can start focusing on all of the little things.  It's time to start organizing random closets, washing bottles and pacifiers, and totally driving my family nuts.  Bring on the nesting!

32 Weeks

How far along: 32 Weeks

How I feel:  I feel exhausted, a little frustrated, and eager to get things done.  I'm getting weary of being pregnant, and I'm tired of being clumsy, unattractive, forgetful, and distracted.  I know better than to think I'll get my life back right after the baby is born, so I'm trying to just take things one day at a time for now.

Maternity clothes:  I really miss fun clothes and feeling put together.  I'm tired of tee-shirts, maternity jeans, and ponytails.  Next fall / winter I need to do some serious shopping and schedule a big girls' night out so I can feel like cute again!

Sleep:  It's pretty terrible now.  I can't get comfortable, I can't stay comfortable, I wake constantly to go to the bathroom, and I get up really sore and achy.  It has just gotten really bad in the past week.

Best moment this month:  Jim and I had a date night last week, and it was a lot of fun to go out for a simple dinner by ourselves.

Movement:  He has had hiccups a little more lately, and he is getting big enough that I have felt limbs (or maybe a head?) pressing on me instead of just flutters.  Last week the ultrasound showed that he weighed just over 4 pounds.  Typically he should have weighed just over 3 at that point, so he's definitely measuring a little on the big side.  (Anyone surprised?!)

Food cravings:  Sour cream and onion chips, Neopolitan ice cream, chocolate and decaf mochas.  (Healthy, huh?)

Labor Signs:  I've had some more Braxton Hicks, but last Monday at my ultrasound she could see that my cervix was stilled closed, so baby boy knows he's still got several weeks of growth on the inside.

Belly button in or out? SO out.  :-)

What I miss: I miss being able to breathe!!  Besides the pressure on the inside, my nose and ears are super congested, so I can't breathe through my nose or hear anything.

What I am looking forward to:  Getting the nursery started and finished!!!!  We have a gallon of paint, fabric for curtains, bedding still in packages, and a few decorations on their way in the mail.  But as of now, the room is still a cluttered disaster.  I'm dying to see order and organization that will make me feel like things are under control.  I'm also very much looking forward to my mother-in-law arriving in another week and a half.  She will be here for all of March and April, so I will have help with the kids during the final month before the baby comes and for a few weeks after he arrives.  What a blessing!!

What I am NOT looking forward to:  I'm dreading the final weeks of pregnancy.  The last four to six weeks are absolute torture for me.

Milestones: I had to stop wearing my engagement ring several weeks ago, which made me so sad.  I know that my wedding band will have to go before too much longer, and I really hate being super pregnant without a ring on my finger!


Weekly Wisdom: I know a girl who, on facebook, shared something she was looking forward to each week at the end of her pregnancy.  I took this to the extreme and planned big things for each of the last six weeks.  Each week I will have a party, girl's night out, date night, massage, or something else to look forward to instead of just surviving until the baby comes.  Next week I've got a girl's night with my friend Rachel M., and a dinner party to celebrate the baby with a few friends from church.  I can't wait!!

Here is a photo of our countdown paper chain.  I did this for Brennan when I was pregnant with Cora, and I felt like it helped him to understand so much better.  We have special events like Grandma's arrival, Brennan's birthday, Grandma's birthday, Easter, and a few other special things in brown, so in addition to counting down to the baby, it is easy to see when Brennan has a fun, big event coming up.

Ready??

Now that I am nearly 31 weeks pregnant, the question of the day has become, "Are you ready?"  And I really hate that question.  Is anyone ever ready?  And with your third child, is it possible to be ready?!  What does that even mean?

Emotionally, I am not ready.  I am eager to meet this little boy and kiss his head and snuggle him, but if I am super honest, I am terrified to reenter the baby stage.  Cora is in Mother's Day Out two days a week, and I really enjoy having productivity back in my life.  Knowing that I am heading back to round-the-clock nursing, dependency, and never having a moment to myself scares me to death.

Physically, I am not ready either.  We don't have a car that will fit our whole family, and we aren't sure how exactly we will pay for one.  We are hoping for a tax refund with all of our medical expenses and education expenses last year, but Jim still has so much to do to put our finances in order.

Also, the nursery hasn't even really been started.  I have ordered bedding, and the last part will come in this week, but I can't even get to the crib because it is shoved into the middle of the room (so Jim can eventually paint the walls).  I haven't started decorations, don't have a plan for curtains...  These things are so unlike me, but I can't do things we can't pay for.

I'm starting to feel anxiety well up within me.  It isn't that I am worried things won't get done.  I know they will.  I'm also not worried that things won't be okay.  I know they will.  What's bothering me is that so many things that need to be done right now are out of my hands.  I don't know how to do the taxes, I can't paint the walls, and I can't study for Jim's classes for him.  Lots of responsibility falls on Jim, and I just hate that.  He is a full-time computer guy, full-time dad, full-time husband, part-time seminary student, part-time teacher, church elder, etc., and I want to take some of the burden off of him.  I may be doing the hard work of growing his baby, but I want to also help lighten his load, and I can't.

I have a constant list going of all of the things that need to be done in the next eight weeks, and I am doing anything and everything I can to get those things checked off.  I have already made Brennan's birthday invitations and favors for his party at the end of March.  For a few weeks I have had everything ironed, organized, and tagged for the consignment sale I'm doing early next month.  Today I unearthed Easter baskets so I can start thinking about preparing for Easter (which I half expect to spend in the hospital).  Why am I being a nut?  I guess it's all my version of nesting.  I can't do the things I want to do, so I'm trying to do the things I can do.

This morning I had some back pain for the first time, and my sleep is becoming more and more disrupted, so I know that the misery is just around the corner.  I'm fully aware that in several weeks I will be extremely ready to get this baby out of my body.  That's another reason I feel anxious to hurry things along.  I know that my days of feeling decent and being able to do things are coming to an end soon.

Anyway, if you see me, please do not ask me if I am ready for this baby.  Will I love him to the moon and back?  Absolutely.  Am I anxious to meet and hold him?  For sure.  But am I ready for his arrival?  Not on your life.  Hopefully my tune will change in the next six to eight weeks.

28 Weeks

How far along: 28 1/2 Weeks


How I feel:  I still feel pretty good.  I have lots of frustrating or annoying symptoms, but I know what is to come, so I'm choosing to save most of my complaints for later.

Maternity clothes:  I'm tired of them.  That's all.

Sleep: If it weren't for Cora having strep throat and waking every 1 - 3 hours every night (for a week!) and now Brennan being sick and waking throughout the night, I'd be sleeping pretty well.

Best moment this week:  Seeing the baby on an ultrasound!  (I am starting my rounds of periodic ultrasounds for thrombophilia this week, and I will now get to see him grow little by little until I meet him face-to-face!!)

Movement:  The little stinker knows when someone wants to feel him move.  As soon as Jim or Brennan puts a hand on my belly to feel him, he stops moving.  Every. Single. Time.  Brennan has yet to feel him move.

Food cravings:  Chocolate!!

Labor Signs:  I can't tell if I was experiencing Braxton Hicks or just pressure yesterday.  I am still not positive if I've ever experienced Braxton Hicks.  I think I have, and I think that's what is happening.

Belly button in or out? Out

What I miss: I miss feeling close to Jim.  I can't even hug him without bending at a weird angle to wrap my arms around his neck.  

What I am looking forward to:  I'm looking forward to having the nursery done and choosing a name for this little guy.  And I am very much looking forward to seeing my three kids meet for the first time.

What I am NOT looking forward to:  Getting even bigger than I am now.

Milestones: I started the third trimester last week.  Ten and a half weeks to go!!

Brennan wanted to try taking a picture of me, and this is what we got below.  It's a little blurry and he missed my face, but it's a pretty decent belly shot.  :-)

25 Weeks

How far along: 25 Weeks

Total weight gain: 26 pounds already!  (And this little section will now officially disappear from future updates because it is too embarrassing!)


How I feel:  I still feel pretty good, but this past week I have felt strong pelvic pressure on the right side.  It's okay when I'm sitting or lying down, but as soon as I stand up, it hurts.  I guess it might be round ligament pain?  I don't think it's Braxton Hicks.

Maternity clothes:  I'm starting to get too big for my current maternity clothes which is not good because I don't have much of anything in larger sizes that are still cute.  (My maternity shirts from six years ago are pretty dated.)  That's okay though, because I'll likely only need stuff for six to eight weeks before I move on to the next size.  (I have worn every size from small to an extra large in every pregnancy.  Crazy!)

Sleep: I'm up once or twice a night to use the bathroom, but my sleep is still decent in between bathroom runs.   A couple of times I've had a hard time falling back asleep after getting up, but it usually doesn't last long.

Best moment this week:  Jim finally felt movement last week.  As much as I have felt it for a while now, it hasn't been perceivable from outside, so it made me extremely happy that he got to feel his son kick!

Movement:  Movement has become much more frequent in the last week or two, particularly after meals and snacks. 

Food cravings:  I cannot eat enough sugar.  I have been this way with every pregnancy, starting in the second trimester.  I want refined sugar and even foods containing high levels of refined or natural sugar, like Chinese food, potatoes, fruit, etc.  I seriously can't stop myself.  I think about it all day long.

Labor Signs:  No, but this pelvic pressure is a real reminder that there is a baby down there!

Belly button in or out? More out than in, at this point.

What I miss: Having any patience or stamina!  I still miss my clothes and my cute boots, and I would really kill for a steaming hot bubble bath right about now.

What I am looking forward to:  Getting the nursery started in the next few weeks.  I have a plan, but first I have to clear the mess in the baby's room.  And I need to convince Jim to paint, which is going to require some tooth pulling.

What I am NOT looking forward to:  Pulling said teeth.  I also have to figure out where to put all of the stuff I have been storing in the guest room for the past year and a half.  I foresee a lot of piles, trips to Goodwill, boxes set aside for consignment, and chaos for a little while.  And messes makes me stressed!

Milestones: I'm not sure I've had any huge milestones this month.  I go for my diabetes screen on Tuesday, but that's not very exciting.

Weekly Wisdom:  

• Local honey isn't just a bad idea for pregnant women.  (Jim got food poisoning on Christmas night.)  
• Christmas with multiple kids takes so much longer, especially when you do one present at a time!  
• Potty training is an incredibly different experience with each child.

If you read all the way to the end of this post, you get the reward of seeing a very amusing photo:

Just two weeks left in this trimester!  Boy, how time flies!!

Words of the Month

So, I realized that I have known for a week and have yet to share on my blog...

We're having another BOY!

We had our ultrasound last Monday, and everything looked perfect.  (This is not a shock, except that I fell, face-forward, three days before the ultrasound and had quite the scare!)  The kids went with us and we all found out the sex together.  It was pure joy.  Brennan's eyes and mouth got super big when he found out it was a boy, and then he buried his head in Jim.  He was so excited.  I was shocked.  I had thought it was a boy all along, but I had started second-guessing myself in the last few weeks and thinking it was another girl.  Deep down, I really knew, so I don't know why I second-guessed.  I haven't been able to come up with a decent girl name to save my life, and with each child, we've had a hard time coming up with a name for the wrong sex.

In keeping with our tradition, baby boy's name will be kept a secret until he arrives in early April, but since we don't have a name yet, we're still open to suggestions.  Here are the "rules:" :-)

1.)  The name can't be in the top 100 list of baby names from 2010.
2.)  It has to have a decent meaning.
3.)  We want something unique but not weird.
4.)  I would prefer that it not start with the letter B or C.  (I'd love to use a D so I can have my kids in alphabetical order, but it isn't a requirement.  Yes, I'm sick.)

Okay, use the comment form at the end of the post for your suggestions!  I'm counting on you!

In other news, my friends Kylie, Hope, and I helped to decorate a Christmas tree for a friend who was dealing with some stuff and wasn't really in the Christmas mood.  Her six-year-old daughter really wanted the tree up, so the three of us put it up and decorated it while they were at school / work and took some mischievous pictures while we were at it.

We hung the photos all over their house in conspicuous locations for them to find when they came home (in the refrigerator, inside the lid of the trash can, amongst the nativity set...).

Many thanks to Hope for her use of the props so we could infuse a little joy into everyone's lives!  (Hope is a natural at that, as she radiates joy all the time!)

You may have thought the props looked like something I would make, and although I'd like to take credit for them, I can't.  I can, however, take credit for this ribbon shirt:

I saw a similar one on Pinterest and just had to make one for Cora.  I'm so in love with it, I'll probably make one for next year, too!  :-)  

Laughter and great baby news bring joy, and so does some adult time out.  This past Saturday we went the legendary Lampo Christmas Party, and it did not fail to disappoint.  It was nice to put on fancy jewelry and clothes (thanks, Rachel and Brooke!) and get spoiled with good food, entertainment, and gifts.

So far the words for the month are JOY and BOY.  :-)  What a good way to start December!

20 Weeks

How far along: 20 Weeks

Total weight gain: 17.5 pounds

How I feel:  This is probably the best I will feel during the pregnancy.  I'm congested and very winded (higher blood volume means I can't catch my breath), but I'm no longer sick, I'm still sleeping relatively well, and I'm not so huge I hurt yet.  My biggest issue right now is my emotions.  And I have no brain, so I can hardly remember my own name.

Maternity clothes:  I am getting very tired of wearing the same five shirts and two pairs of pants over and over.

Sleep: I am still side/stomach-sleeping and getting adequate sleep, but I cannot sleep on my back anymore.  When I do end up on my back, I get really light-headed and have to roll over.

Best moment this week: Thanksgiving and getting our Christmas tree!

Movement:  I notice it occasionally, but only when I'm really still (which isn't very often).

Food cravings:  It changes every week.  I'm still loving meat.  This week I crave brisket, BBQ, and Mexican.

Labor Signs:  Definitely not yet.

Belly button in or out?  It's nearly flat, but the top part is on the verge of popping out.

What I miss: Hot baths, diet soda, an occasional glass of wine or margarita, and sleeping on my back.  I also miss wearing my favorite boots, because my two pairs of maternity pants won't work with them.

What I am looking forward to:  Still looking forward to the big ultrasound!  We're planning to all go as a family on Monday to see the baby and find out the sex.  It should be a great family memory!  I'm also looking forward to starting the nursery.

What I am NOT looking forward to:  I don't know!  I guess it's good that I have thought about this and can't come up with a good answer!

Milestones: Halfway is a pretty great milestone!  Cora also gave up her pacifiers this past week, which has nothing to do with the baby, but is a milestone for her!

Weekly Wisdom:  Yeah, I've got nothin'.  Baby brain, I guess.  (Feel free to share some sage advice, if you've got any!)  :-)