A Thanksgiving baby!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Adam and I are beyond proud to announce the arrival of Desmond Michael Drake at 4:14am on Thanksgiving Day. He came in at 7lbs 8.8oz, which is under what the doctor's had estimated he would be at. He is utterly perfect in every way.

Of course I have about a bazillion photos of our new addition, but I will keep it to just a few here. I will also be posting the actual labor photos a little later on once they are finished being processed. :)

 I thought I would also share my birth story in case anyone is interested or hasn't heard it yet.

If you have been reading my blog, you know that my blood pressure was slowly creeping up during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. The doctor's were really having me monitor it to make sure both the baby and I were at healthy levels. Tuesday night it went above the acceptable levels and stayed that way into Wednesday morning. The doctor was really concerned that this was the turn for the worse (severe hyper-tension) they had been waiting for and scheduled me for an induction, Thursday morning at 8am.

During the appointment, however, it turned out that I had dilated 3cm since Monday so the doctor sort of threw a hail mary pass and swept my membranes just in case I was close enough to labor that it would kick-start things.

Later that evening I started having small cramping sensations but nothing really consistent or uncomfortable. I assumed they were more Braxton Hicks but kept an eye on the timing of them just in case things changed. By 10pm they had pretty much stopped so Adam and I headed to bed in hopes of getting some shut eye before the big day. With the pending induction over my head, I couldn't sleep. I just laid there tossing and turning and finally by 11:00 or so, I headed out to the couch hoping I could get sleepy out there. At 11:30 I started feeling the cramping again but it was a little stronger and I just felt like something was different. Timing them was difficult. They started out about 20 minutes apart, moved to 10, then all of a sudden they rocketed to 2 minutes apart and I was rushing to the bedroom to wake Adam up. It was about 1am at that point and whether or not I was in labor was no longer in question. We had to get to the hospital fast since I needed to be on anti-biotics for at least 4 hours.

Adam ran downstairs to get my mom, I got dressed and then we raced out the door. We arrived at the hospital at 1:45, Thursday morning and by 2:15 we were in our room getting ready for what the nurse kept saying would be a long labor. The contractions were getting much stronger at this point but it wasn't until my water broke at 2:55 that the pain of what was happening hit me. The contractions doubled in strength but with some heavy breathing and comfort from Adam got me through each and every one.

Around 3:30 I started feeling pressure and I knew it wouldn't be long. The doctor was still on her way...

Finally, they got me into the labor bed and the nurse checked me. 8cm dilated. The nurse called the doctor again.

3:45, I started to feel the urge to push and the doctor finally arrived. This was about the time the contractions started to change. Instead of pain, all I could focus on was the intense pressure as he made his way lower and need to NOT push.

4:05, I was given the go ahead to finally push. I don't think I can possibly describe the utter joy that filled me after hearing those words. The pressure is so intense that nothing compares to doing what nature has programmed you to do at this point. Now, at the risk of being hated by moms everywhere, I don't think the pushing hurt! In fact, I felt better pushing than I had during the rest of the labor. This was it!

4:14, Desmond Michael Drake came out into the world after 5 contractions. Adam got to deliver him, hand him to me and cut the umbilical cord. It was beautiful and I don't think I would have changed a thing about it.

So close...just one week left!

Desi is estimated to be around 8.1lbs and 19.96in

Ladies and Gentleman, we have just one week left until my due date and Adam and I are getting pretty darn anxious for it to just get here already. 

Went to the doctor today and found out my blood work looks great and my blood pressure is holding steady so they are not going to induce me (yay for natural...but boo for more waiting). Desi is also REALLY low still but I am not dilating so the doctor doesn't think it is going to happen anytime soon for me. *sigh* It is time little one...come out, come out, come out! 

On the other hand I have been having more and more Braxton Hicks contractions. Obviously nothing productive but I guess they will be good practice for when the real ones eventually make an appearance. I have to be honest, I was kind of hoping to have Desi in my arms for the holiday but it doesn't look like that will happen. He is being stubborn. 

So, back to the waiting game for us. Gonna have to figure out what fruit/veggie is big enough for the 40 week photo...

38 freaking weeks!

Today I am 38 weeks. I cannot tell you how excited Adam and I are to be this close to finally having Desi in our arms. We have watched countless others bring home their bundles of joy and we both kind of feel like it is our turn now. And after my doctor appointment today, it is more crucial than ever that Desi decide to make an entrance.

Basically, the doctors have been running blood and urine tests to watch for signs of late onset pre-elampsia because that would be VERY bad. Today, the test results came back to reveal just how close I am. To quote the doctor, "Well, your test results show that you do not have pre-eclampsia...yet." Yet...just the word every girl likes to hear in this situation. Basically, the longer a pregnancy goes on the worse my situation is going to get so they are not going to let me go much past my due date. She also said that they are really rooting for Desi to just come naturally this week as that would be the best of all possible worlds. I wouldn't actually reach pre-eclampsia, I wouldn't have to be induced, and Desi would clearly be ready for the world. However, if Desi decides to be stubborn, then I take another blood test prior to my 39 week appointment and they will most likely schedule induction for sometime that week. This is not set in stone but that is what they are leaning toward.

Other than this crazy pre-eclampsia business though, the two of us are doing great! Desi's heartbeat is sounding absolutely perfect and because he is so low now I am no longer measuring big. I am also feeling really good overall. I do not feel sick or anything, just the natural anxiousness that comes with being this close to labor. Adam and I are ready. I know that there is a lot that we will have to learn when we bring finally bring him home, but we are 100% ready to take on the challenge.

So, Desi...if you are listening, please come on out now. I know that it is nice and warm in there but there is a whole world out here just dying to meet you and show you how amazing this world can be. We all know you are going to thrive and be an incredibly successful person that people will look up to and can count on when it matters the most and your dad and I are going to do absolutely everything we can to make your transition as smooth as possible. We love you so much already and we haven't even officially met you yet! Join us and we will hold your hand as you start this incredible journey called life.

At 38 weeks, it is being guessed he is around 7.68lbs and 19.61in long

Officially full term and just 3 weeks to go!

Little Desi is supposedly 7.26 lbs and 19.13 in long (approx. the weight of that honeydew)

Who is full term? I AM, I AM!!!! That's right, my favorite little womb renter is officially prepared to enter the world which means that whenever he makes his move, we are all ready for him. In fact, Adam and I are more than ready for him. I spent the weekend finalizing my entire list of "pre-baby" to-dos and getting the house ready so now it is just the waiting for showtime.

Actually, on Friday night I was having consistent Braxton Hicks every ten minutes for about 3 hours so Adam was getting hopeful that maybe my body was starting the eviction process but alas the contractions were not the "real labor" ones but rather the dreaded false labor ones I have heard so much about. They were not painful and they weren't growing in intensity but I am curious to find out how different they feel from actual labor contractions. Oh and these BH contractions have been happening inconsistenly ever since.

During my weekly appointment today, I got some more bad news with a little good thrown in the mix. Before I get into that though, I must say that I have been feeling really good this week! I have had more energy, been more positive, gotten better sleep, and felt pretty darn good physically considering I am 9 months pregnant. So, it was a bit shocking to me that I was hit with two pretty large negatives at my appointment today.

The bad stuff:

1. the doctor was not happy with my blood pressure readings that I have been taking over the last week so they are testing me a little more thoroughly for pre-eclampsia. There is no protein in my urine and I haven't gained any more weight though and those are usually the big signs of pre-e so I am holding on to hope that it might just be pregnancy hypertension. Hypertension is not a good thing, but it is certainly better than pre-e during pregnancy. We will find out how the lab tests go.
2. I also tested positive as a carrier for Group Strep B, which is a bateria that lives in the GI tract. It doesn't have any sort of effect on me personally but it could kill Desi so it will be of the upmost importance to get me to the hospital sooner rather than later when I finally go into labor so they can give me some IV antibiotics.

So, some not so good news for me, Adam and Desmond but nothing that is not manageable. I am going to stay positive and not let this get me down. BUT there was also good news!

The good stuff:

1. I am already 75% effaced, which is great!
2. Desmond has officially "engaged" and is in 0 station. Most women go into labor when their baby is in the 0 or +1 station so he has done what he needs to. This doesn't mean I will go into labor anytime soon, just means I might not have to push as long as women who do not have babies in the proper station. The doctor was actually shocked at how low Desi was already. Apparently, she was not expecting to feel his head like that at 37 weeks.
3. I am approaching 1cm dilated!

Again, none of this means that I will be going into labor anytime soon since some women sit in this postition for weeks, but it is a good sign and means that all of those contractions I have been feeling might actually be doing some good in there!

All of these "good things" also mean that if they DO end up having to induce me early due to pre-e that things may go a little more smoothly for me. Some studies have shown that women who are already effaced with their baby in position require less medical intervention during the induction and/or labor process. I am holding onto that thought...

3 more weeks to go!

Just one month to go!

I was hoping this would just be a "woo-hoo" just one month left to go, everything is going great post. Unfortunately, I can't say that. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to only have about a month left. I am beyond excited to meet Desi and really this pregnancy has been relatively easy on me but things are starting to change...

Before we get to the sad things though, let's start with the happy stuff. This week is Halloween and we did a little pumpkin carving and I got in the spirit for this week's photo:

At 36 weeks, we are guessing he is around 6.84 pounds and 18.66in long

 Adam carved Desi his very own pumpkin!

All of the pumpkin masterpieces (Adam did the Mario themed ones and the Desi pumpkin and my mom did "Herman" on the top left)

The artists with their work

And now for the other side of the coin...I may have pre-eclampsia. Yup! The pregnancy condition feared second to only Gestational Diabetes may have reared its ugly head for me. For the last couple of appointments we have been watching my blood pressure rise and my hands, feet and face have slowly gotten more and more swollen but things finally came to a noticable head for the doctor when my blood pressure hit 130/90.

This frustrates me. I have been trying to tell the doctors for weeks that my blood pressures have been high for me. I have always had super low blood pressure, so when I kept seeing bp readings in the 110's and higher...I knew something was up but no one would listen to me, because that is a normal blood pressure for most of the population. So, I kept quiet thinking doctor knows best. Alas, now that we are at 130...the doctor is finally thinking something might be up. During my appointment he noticed my swollen extremities (even commented on the amount of water I must be retaining...lucky me) and that with the bp has him thinking, placing me on the watch list. What do we do now? Well, I get to take a bp reading twice a day and then bring the results with me to my next appointment on Monday. I am also to watch for a bp reading over 150/95 because that is the "call the doctor" reading. It is just so frustrating to me that I have been ignored until now. I don't know if anything could have been done to prevent it getting this far, but I can't help but think that knowing sooner would have helped at least a little.

I am also still measuring big, but that is becoming old and boring news.

Did I get ANY good news at my doctor appointment? Heck yeah! The most important thing in the world is that Desi is alright and his heartbeat is still reading strong and he is still head down. So, there is that little miracle. I am also feeling pretty good apart from getting a little tired and swelling like a balloon.

Alas, I think I might be about ready for Desi to make his appearance. I am not miserable but as we both get bigger and bigger I am starting to believe an earlier arrival date would be best for everyone. I made it 9 months without really understanding why people think pregnancy is difficult and for the most part I still don't but this whole pre-e thing really has me in a funk.

5 weeks left and another baby shower!

According to our ultrasound & doctor estimation, Desi should be around 6.42lbs and 18.19in now

Now that I am at 35 weeks, Adam and I have officially hit the 5 week countdown and we are starting to realize that we have quite a bit to check off the to-do list seeing as I am quickly approaching full term. Things left for us to do:

• Pack our hospital bag
• Install the carseat
• Type up our birth plan
• Wash all of the baby items
• Make room in the kitchen for baby bottles and what not
• Buy all of our "need" items left on the registry
• Put the finishing touches on the nursery (aka figuring out exactly where we want everything when we are actually using the items in it)

Now if only Adam and I could get the motivation to do these things...

This weekend, however, was not the weekend for checking anything off the list. Rather we enjoyed the pumpkin patch (my first time going to one!) and our Bellingham baby shower.

On Saturday, we went to the Stoney Ridge pumpkin patch with my parents to grab a couple pumpkins for the porch and to take a few pictures featuring the beautiful fall colors (I freaking love fall) and my ever-growing baby bump. The pumpkin patch was actually a lot of fun and I can't wait to take Desi next year. Adam bought three decent sized pumpkins to carve into and my mom purchased a 27 pound one because it was absolutely perfect. :) She should have a good time gutting it. My mom also enjoyed picking fresh apples from the orchard there (she was like a kid in a candy store). Here are a few of the pictures my dad took:

Then on Sunday, our friends Colleen and Melanie threw us a baby shower. It had a beautiful fall theme and Adam and I really felt all of the love and support from everyone as we get ready to take this giant next step in our lives. Delicious food, awesome friends and family, and tons of love. Thank you to everyone that was able to make it out to celebrate. 5 weeks, everyone and then I will actually have a tiny human to show off to you! Here are a few pictures Colleen took of the baby shower:

 Funny story about this - My mom was selling this frame at a garage sale but she didn't think it was necessary to remove the picture first. So, Colleen was gracious enough to purchase it so that my mom can forever be displayed in her home. The look on my mom's face was priceless when she spotted this gem.

Happy 27th Birthday, Adam!

Today is Adam's Birthday!!! He is turning a whole 27 years old and will become a father in about 6 weeks or so. What a difference a year makes...

To my love, you are my absolute world and I can't think of anyone else I would rather become a parent with! You are funny, kind, forgiving, smart, a critical thinker, sharing and so many other attributes that make you not only the best man in the world to me but will also make you the best father. You will teach our son to think about the world we live in, not just follow the masses or listen to someone because they are in the authority position. You will show him that a little kindness to your fellow man (and woman) can make all the difference. You will teach him how to take life by the horns and to enjoy each and every moment as it comes. But most important of all, you will help him become whatever it is he wants to be without judgement or pressure and with all the support in the world. He will never feel that his choices disappoint you as a parent but rather that his choices are just that and you respect him as much as you have taught him to respect others. I love you, Adam Drake.

And as a little birthday gift from the doctor, Adam and I got to see Desi again this morning during our Ultrasound to see just how big he is.

Averages say he should be around 17.72in long and around 5lbs but averages are just that and not quite accurate for us. Read on for more info on that matter...

The doctor news: Well, the good news is that he is strong, healthy and pretty much in position and ready to go for the big day already. His head is VERY low and he is not showing any signs of budging any time soon so that is a good thing. His heartbeat is also sounding strong still at 154bpm and we got to watch as he had a little case of the hiccups.

As for his size...he is "healthy" and is looking to be a little on the rotund side. Right now, he is almost exactly 6 pounds already (add a couple more apples to the bag I am holding in our picture) and they are guessing he will be around 8.5 pounds on the big day (error ratio of +/- 10%). That puts him in about the 80th percentile meaning if they are right, he will be bigger than 80% of babies born. Big baby.

I also got the fun news that he is a little chunky. I was really hoping he wouldn't take after me in that department (I was not the most attractive baby...think Michelin Man) but it is what it is. There is a little room for error here but Desi's tummy measured a little bigger than his head. What does that mean, exactly? Well, that means that they are concerned I will have a harder time giving birth to his shoulder/chest/tummy area than his head. Most women, once they get the head out...they are pretty much done and the baby just slides right out. For me, that will most likely be just the beginning. I never seem to get to take the easy/normal route, do I? I like to do things my own way and apparently my son is all for that plan as well.

So...Adam and I are in store for a pretty chunky but healthy son in 6 weeks or so (sorry, babe...looks like the Leenhouts gene pool is winning this round). And although I am terrified about the prospect of a "rotund" baby, I am thrilled beyond belief that he is looking to be perfectly healthy, which is the most important thing of all. I love my tubby little baby and I can't wait to meet him.