The day I found out I was pregnant, it's as if my life flashed before me. All of a sudden, my life would have to change. I can no longer go out and get crazy with my girls, come home the next morning and sleep the day away, do things on my own time, do whatever I wanted... I was becoming a parent people!!!!!! I wasn't complaining though. I've had my share of fun and I know that just because I'm becoming a parent, my life as I knew it isn't totally over. My lifestyle before would just be put on hold so I can adjust to my little addition.
You can never be too prepared for something this huge. You can take all the classes, read all the books, take advice from everyone, but you will never know until you experience it for yourself. I came into this situation with different types of information and trying to soak all of that in. My brain was going through overload. My main goal was to go through pregnancy doing the right thing and eating the right things for my baby. Easier said than done...I read books, which did help so I would know what to expect and that what I was experiencing was normal. Greg, the boyfriend, isn't much of a reader so I think he read about 3 chapters. He did read snippets of our weekly update from babycenter.com. Kudos for trying, babe.
Early in my pregnancy, I tried to set goals and the main one was to stay active and healthy. Everyone encourages you to stay active and eat well. Well, I did eat good... Really good! I had ice cream almost every week and it didn't help that my coworker and I had a candy dish that miraculously refilled itself every week. I hate that everyone would tell me that, "You're pregnant, it's ok." "You can do this now because you're pregnant..." After gaining 40lbs during pregnancy and looking at pictures in those last 4 months, the excuse of eating whatever I wanted because I was pregnant was not cool anymore. I did workout, however. As a matter of fact, I worked out until the week before I delivered.
Fortunately, I didn't have any morning sickness. In the first trimester, I was really tired all the time. I would have to sleep in my car during work. What's worse is that it was summer in my first trimester so sleeping in my car in the parking garage was not the bizness! I also had migraines and lower back pain all the time. In my second trimester, everything was smooth sailing. Greg and I traveled to LA for my birthday and hung out with our LA family. We went to Disneyland. That was kinda tough. Being pregnant and heavy, walking around the park for hours and having to pee every 2 hours was hard. Aside of all that, we had a blast. It sucked that I couldn't ride on any of the cool rides like Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Indiana Jones. I had the pleasure of waiting outside, holding everyone's crap. Thank God I wore some Uggs because they kept my feet warm and it was like walking on pillows.
We also had a babymoon in Hawaii. We stayed in Oahu for 7 days and we had the BEST time! We stayed in a condo in Honolulu that was so cozy. We had a bug as a rental, which was so cute... Too bad that car ended up being a lemon so we had to change to a Ford Focus, which wasn't bad at all. On our last night, we stayed at Turtle Bay. This was a beautiful resort and so romantic. It was overpriced and probably not worth what we paid, but we wanted something romantic, overlooking the ocean, listening to the waves crash against the rocks, the smell of the ocean, the birds flying, the sound of paradise. We had a really romantic dinner on the beach. Then we woke up early the next morning to enjoy the sunrise and walk on the beach as this was our last day in paradise. Hawaii is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!! A year later, I still can't stop thinking about it. Hawaii definitely brought Greg and I closer. We didn't have any worries, we just laid on the beach everyday and enjoyed each other's company. We were one...
In my third trimester, my migraines and fatigue returned. I still had lower back pain. We even bought a Tempurpedic bed for my birthday to help my back. That didn't really help, but we did need a new bed anyway so it was ok. Since I was so heavy, I would sink into the bed and I would need Greg to push me out. Putting on socks and shoes and shaving below the belt also became a challenge. I couldn't believe we were almost there... I read my weekly updates on how big the baby was getting and how much closer we were to our due date of March 15. I'll never forget the feeling of my baby kick. In the second trimester, it's more of a fluttering feeling, like having a butterfly in your stomach. Then it starts becoming stronger to where you can see the baby actually move. It was so amazing!!!!!!!!! I really miss that feeling. I knew that my baby was ok every time I felt him move. One thing I was really proud of was not having any stretchmarks. Then on week 35, I noticed a few stretchmarks on my sides and under my bellybutton. Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, they're not bad, but they're STRETCHMARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE PERMANENT!!!!!! THEY'RE UGLY!!!!!!!!
As each week approached, I got more anxious. I couldn't wait to get on maternity leave because waking up early for work really sucked. Plus, I was starting to get more tired towards the end and found it hard trying to stay up at work. My last week was the end of February. The nursery was complete, decked out with all new furniture and with an owl theme. All of the baby's clothes were washed and ready for his arrival. We had our carseat and stroller. We were READY!!!!
During my first week of leave, I cleaned the house, did laundry, still worked out and felt great. Then the following Monday (week 39), I decided to stay in bed all day and I do mean all day... I didn't get up until 7:30 pm. I had to feed my little angel, Pretzel, as she kept whining at my bedside for me to feed her. When I got up, I felt like some pee came out. Thank God I was wearing a pantiliner! So after I fed Pretzel, I went to the bathroom because I thought I had to pee. I don't know about you, but I'm a toilet peeker. I want to see what comes out of my body. Hey, don't judge me! So after I peed, I checked and let's just say I knew my water broke. I won't get into any details as to what I saw, but it definitely was pee and then some. So I thought to myself, "What should I do?" I remember watching the Kardashians when Kourtney was pregnant and when her water broke, she showered, did her makeup and laundry, and didn't stress. So I decided to shower and then I thought, "I better tell Greg what's going on..." I called Davin (one of my close buds) because Greg was tattooing his wife at the time. I told him that my water broke and that I needed to go to the hospital and for him to tell Greg. The day we have been waiting 9 months for has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our little angel decided to come a week early!
So Greg came home in a panic, asking if I packed and how I'm feeling. I told him to stop stressing because I felt fine. I even fixed my hair! Lol! If ya'll knew me, I'm vain about my hair. It was nicely blown dry, flat-ironed and ready for anything... Even the rain because it was raining after all in March. I said eff the makeup because I got too lazy. We packed up and left for Kaiser in Walnut Creek. We got to the hospital around 10 pm. The staff there is so amazing! We checked in and the nurse checked to see if the fluid that came out is indeed amniotic fluid. As soon as I undressed with the nurse in the bathroom with me, it gushed out and she confirmed it was my water and took a sample of it on the slide. I couldn't believe it was happening... I was so excited. I didn't feel pain or discomfort, thankfully. Then the midwife comes in and tells me that I need to be induced. She warned me that once I'm induced, the pain will feel like menstrual cramps times 100. Eeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The nurses attached all the monitors to me and I took my magic pill around 11 pm to help induce my labor. Greg is on his phone notifying our family and giving a play by play on Facebook. LOL! We were then moved to our birth suite, which was FAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, it was nicer than our bedroom at home. Greg's younger brother, Richard Adam (that's what I call him) and his girlfriend, Jana Mary (that's what I call her) came to be with us for the whole experience. I love you guys!!!!! By the way, I'm gonna be a little graphic going forward... The nurse told me I can't eat anything except for water/juice, wheat toast and graham crackers. I heard a lot of stories of women farting and pooping during delivery. I REFUSED TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! So, I made sure I pooped that night because I'm not trying to toot and poop with strangers in the room. Hahaha!
A few hours later, I was given my 2nd dose of whatever that pill was to induce labor. After that pill, the contractions became more painful. Rick and Jana were sleeping, Greg was by my side reassuring that I'll be ok. =) He did so well! He never left my side and he held my hand, brushed my hair and told me he loved me. That meant so much. Well, it better!!!!!!!!!! I carried your son for 9 months, got stretchmarks, got fat, and am experiencing these awful contractions! Haha! Love you! Everyone fell asleep, but my contractions started getting stronger that I couldn't sleep and I was at the point of tears. I woke Greg up and asked that he get the nurse because I was ready for the epidural. DRUGS WERE MY FRIEND!
Around 4 am, the nurse came in and checked how far I was dilated. I can't remember how far I was, but she did say I was dilating pretty fast. All I know is that when she stuck her 2 fingers up there, it felt like she stuck her whole hand. That's how painful it was. She brought the anesthesiologist in and he told me that I had to take my lip piercing out in case of complications during delivery. =( I loved that piercing. Oh well... So Greg took it out. The epidural wasn't that bad. I was given something in my IV to take away the edge and that was the shit! I didn't think about my contractions after that. So the doctor stuck me 3 times and I felt a jolt go down my leg. After getting an epidural, you have to be bedridden so they stuck a catheter in me and after that, I think I fell asleep. Everything was somewhat a blur from that point. I do remember feeling a pinch when the nurse tried attaching the catheter. I wasn't completely numb down there yet.
Around 9 am, I started feeling a lot of pressure. The sensation of having to go #2. I'd watch the monitor and confirmed that my contractions were a lot stronger and I think I was about ready to push. I told Greg to get the nurse because I was ready. So the midwife comes in and confirms that I was fully dilated and that we should get ready for pushing. I started pushing around 10 am. I was told to take a big breath and push for 10 seconds. I swear, I pushed so hard that my blood vessels popped in my face and chest. I looked like I got beat up! I made sure that with every push, I didn't fart or poop. LOL! I had the oxygen mask on and pushed for an hour. While I was pushing, I became so frustrated that our little one was taking so long to come out that I started crying. Greg asked what was wrong and I told him that I was losing hope and getting frustrated. The nurse reassured us that everything was ok and that he was almost out. She can see his full head of hair already. Just a few more pushes and he'll be out. So I continued pushing, changing from laying on my back, right side, left side, and back on my back. On my last push, I felt the tear in my chacha and out came baby Gavin. He cried for just a moment and when he was given to Greg and I, he just laid on my chest looking at us both. Greg teared and said he was beautiful. I'll never forget that moment. I had my best friend who never left my side, reassured me how much he loved me and how excited he was that our baby was coming and everything will be ok.
After Gavin was born, I had to push out the placenta. Jana Mary helped by holding my left leg up and Greg holding the right. Jana did not have the stomach to see the placenta being delivered so once it came out, she went straight to the bathroom and threw up. LOL! Greg was all up in there, amazed. Some people say it hurts to deliver the placenta? Well, I honestly didn't feel that much discomfort. Maybe I was lucky? I did, however, feel them stitch me up. They numbed me a little more, but I can still feel the needle thread through my skin. Oh, my poor cha cha.
That was truly an amazing experience. Would I do it again? Yes! I loved being pregnant, I loved bonding with Greg throughout the whole 9 months, I loved eating whatever I wanted, I loved the special treatment and most of all, I loved feeling the baby move inside my belly. As much as I hate needles and doing all the blood work and IVs, I would do it all over again. Becoming a parent was the most amazing and rewarding experience. Knowing what I know now, I know the next time around I'll be more knowledgeable and it will be a tad bit easier only from experience. We have been blessed with a healthy baby boy and that's all that mattered.
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