Jack's Birth Story....

When a friend of mine started her blog she decided to turn it into a book for when her kids got older. I thought it was a great idea and am planning on doing the same, so here's Jack's birth story!
I had been having contractions for weeks, these were real contractions as my cervix was dilating...slowly but there was change! Friday January 1st I began having them once again, but they would get stronger then space out again. I was exhausted from staying up for the New Year and Jody kept the girls busy so I could take a short nap, it turned out to be a 2 hour nap and I felt really well rested! Around 8:00pm the contractions came back and were consistently 10 min apart for the next 1 1/2 hour, then they stopped. I decided to get in the shower to try to relax before bed. We put the girls to bed and began watching TV. Around 11:30pm I had a really strong contraction, then 4 minutes later another, then another...I knew something was different because they were lasting a lot longer and weren't coming down. At 12:00am I told Jody to get the girls in the car, to call my parents and I was going to call my Doctor. Jody got the girls loaded and we were leaving our driveway when I talked to my doctor to let her know I was coming in. My parents met us at the hospital to take the girls and off we went to labor and delivery. I might add here that Jody was really nervous about getting me to the hospital and we made the hour drive in 35 minutes! I was admitted and was only 4 cm! At that time I was frustrated because I had only dilated another 1/2 cm since my appointment the day before! The nurse tried to start an IV and blew the vein, she went to the next hand and blew another vein. She called in 2 more nurses and they couldn't find a vein so they called for the IV team (who knew there was an IV team?). The problem was I was extremely dehydrated and they had to do bloodwork on me before they could give me any pain medication. The IV team came (which consisted of one very slow not in a hurry lady) and she used her doplar and finally found a vein after 3 more sticks! My labor nurse was very frustrated because she was taking so long and at that point as I was progrsessing very quickly and was shaking uncontrollably. I heard my nurse ask another nurse to get me stadol, a drug to help take the edge off, just in case I didn't have time for the epidural...I almost started freaking out...She got the IV in and immediately gave me the stadol. I calmed down a bit and she checked me and I was 9 cm! The anesthesiologist came in gave me the epidural and 3 contractions later I began pushing. I pushed for 5 minutes and out came Jack Tyler! I have to say I have so much respect for women who can have a baby naturally without any medication...I told the nurse I didn't know how women back in the day did it!
We found out later from my OB that although Jack was head down he was facing the wrong direction and that was causing all my back and leg pain, his head was also tilted a bit. He turned himself around as he was being pushed out...that was why I was dilating slowly, I didn't have him earlier in my pregnancy (I had been having "real" contractions since about 7 months) and what saved me from having Jack in the car! That was a little scary but God was completely in control! We are so happy to have our little Jack and the blessing of his older sisters!!! We are on cloud 9....

Another Check-up

First I have to say NO BABY :-(
Second is that there is an end date...
I went for another check-up yesterday because I hadn't felt the baby moving much (3 times in 2.5 hours) which is unusual for this active one. After a Non-Stress Test and a lot of cold water it started moving around like normal. They checked me again and surprise I was dilated between 3.5-4 cm, baby's head was much lower and still 60% efaced. They did go ahead and schedule an induction for next Tuesday if I haven't had the baby yet...Rex Hospital wouldn't schedule an induction earlier than 39 weeks (which I will be Saturday) for me and that was the next available bed. I of course could get bumped if there are too many patients already there...hopefully we'll already be there or been there and home. Just wanted to keep everyone updated...it's hard to call and text everyone with updates!

It's been a pretty busy past few weeks for us so sorry I haven't updated with an real family news or stories....hopefully I'll get some pictures on here from Christmas and News Years soon!!!

38 Weeks 2

Went to the doctor for another check-up today...3 cm, still 60% efaced, baby at -1 station, the good news is I lost 1.5 lbs since last week (we've been walking every day for hours for the past few days). We 'll keep the blog and facebook updated with any changes!!!

Proof I'm still pregnant

38 weeks

Today I hit the 38 week mark. I want to have this baby more than anyone...this pregnancy has been different than my previous ones so we'll see how the labor and delivery go. Thank you to everyone who has called and text to check on us, be sure we will let everyone know when the baby gets here! Right now it's discouraging having to say no baby yet constantly...we'll keep you all updated!!!

37 Weeks 3 days

Just got back from my 37 week check...2 cm dilated, 60% efaced, baby is at a -1 station! We know this doesn't for sure mean we'll have the baby today or tomorrow, but forward progress is still forward...

37 Weeks 2 days...

For the record, here are my previous labor stories....
Emma (7lb 7oz) born at 38 weeks exactly, Anna (7lb 1oz) born at 36 weeks 6 days and Lizzy (6lb 4oz) born at 37 weeks exactly.

I don't say that to brag about my not having to undergo seeing my due date pass...I (as well as my Doctors) thought there was an outstanding chance based on my OB past that I would have had this baby by now! Selfishly I'm tired of the big belly, not being able to move around so well, tired all the time, feeling sick all the time, back pain, pressure, all the normal gripes of being pregnant! But I've heard bad labor stories of women who were induced (past their due dates) and ended up having c-sections because their bodies were trying to tell them...I'm not ready!
I wanted to clarify that there are many other factors and reasons present for me wanting to have this baby right now (I'm not going to list them)!!! I've heard many people say to pregnant women they think they'll go past their due date or very close to their due date (if I've said this to anyone in a mean or hurtful way I apologize)...it's a hard thing to hear no matter how many babies you've had or not had! We should root for one another, Quick and Easy is what I want for all pregnant women! It has become very discouraging and has really hurt my feelings when people have said it to me recently :-( Being pregnant and being this close to having my 4th baby it's hard not to get anxious and want things to happen on my time table! Jody has been very good about reminding me that this will be my last pregnancy, no more ultrasounds, no more listening to the baby's heartbeat in-utero and feeling the baby kick. What a miracle pregnancy and having a baby is and how I should not take it for granted and wish it to be over too soon! He has such a way of putting things into perspective doesn't he? No matter what, I'm not the one who decides when I will have this baby, it will all be in God's timing...

36 weeks

I went for my 36 week check yesterday...I believe I am 36 weeks 3 days today. For those of you keeping up with stats....gained 2.2 more lbs, 18 total. Measuring 38 weeks, baby's heartbeat good, fetal movement good. Cervix closed! I was hoping I would have already started dilating by now, but we'll see. My back & leg pain have worsened quite a bit over the past week and I am now on a consistent daily back & neck massage schedule (from Jody) to help. Heating pads, baths, and Tylenol are not helping, but there is an end in sight! If I get a chance, I'll put a picture on here of my ever-growing belly for you all to laugh at and say whoa!

I almost forgot....we do not have names set in stone as of right now...we do however have a couple names we like...we would love to hear your suggestions..post them in the comments section and see if you win 5,000 pride points!!!
I just found this picture of the girls on Monday, they had dressed themselves and were so proud! Lizzy believe it or not has the best matching skills and can put most of her clothes on the correct way by herself!

34 Weeks 3 days

I finally hit the 34 week mark Saturday and grabbed a cold on the way :-( 34 weeks was when I was given the ok to resume all activities (within regular pregnancy standards) that I had to stop due to the contractions, and of course I got sick Friday! Lizzy started with a "hurt nose" Wednesday last week, then a fever Thursday...no icky nose until Friday afternoon and then we all got it (minus Emma, she really has only complained about being sick when she sees her sisters getting special treatment)! It's always fun being sick, no matter what the sickness is it seems like it is magnified a ton when pregnant and chasing around sick little ones too! Hopefully we'll be gone of all sickness by the end of this week!
(By the way, Emma took the picture on the left today) I went to a regular check-up today and everything looks good. I gained 2.8 more pounds which brings me to a whopping 16 lbs total! I usually gain almost all my weight at the very end so it doesn't surprise me at the weight gain. I was measuring 36 weeks, 2 weeks ahead again which doesn't mean anything since I've been measuring ahead for a couple of weeks now. And the baby is in position...head down! My contractions have stopped being as consistent, just uncomfortable when I do have them and are now considered normal this late in pregnancy coupled with the fact it's my fourth! I am getting anxious to meet this new little one, but will hold on until I will be full-term (37 weeks)! We had not even started preparing for this new addition until last week when I had Jody dig out all the baby stuff. I have clothes laid out and ready to be packed in bags for all 6 of us...boy that sounds weird! Here is a picture of just the clothes for 2 days worth for the kids! We have a take-home outfit for a boy and one for a girl along with a blanket & hat for each too! I think I have confused Anna & Lizzy with packing both...Anna mentioned bringing home the "babies" and where the other car seat was. One of the girls favortite shows is Jon & Kate Plus 8 so I also think that had something to do with it too! I like to be prepared for everything....don't be surprised to see a baby car seat in our car in the next few days. I've washed everything related to the baby even though it was washed before it was packed away in tupperware containers and stored in the garage. Lizzy has really started being clingy, wanting me to hold her and cuddle with her all the time, not really wanting me to leave her side. I figure moving the car seats around, adding the new car seat and having her help me pack bags will help her not be too jealous, we'll see!

Family Update

I forgot to add this picture of me at 30 weeks, taken almost 2 weeks ago! Since this will be our last biological child (I know I am asking for it) I'm trying to take as many pictures as possible! Also an update on the Livingstons....

Most days start off with homeschooling Emma and trying to keep the other 2 busy...

Emma is loving learning how to read, but gets frustrated easily when things don't go her way immediately...she gets that from me :-( She has become such a great helper to me during the day now that I'm limited as to how much I can do. Her sisters adore her and we like her too!!!

Anna is semi-interested in learning her letters & sounds and can almost write an A, she tells everyone there are 2 A's in her name, but it's all downhill from there. She is so different from Emma who was so eager to learn and by her 3rd birthday could write her name as well as spell mine and Jody's names!

Lizzy has a ton of energy and loves her baby dolls. She has really become attached to me and very clingy, I guess she's starting to understand about the new addition to our family soon! She loves to look for "hot air balloons, "rocket ships" and "cows"!

I've been keeping myself busy by cleaning out underneath our sinks, organizing the girls rooms, going through old clothes, shoes & baby stuff. I've cleaned out closets, our laundry room and am completely caught up on my laundry (I don't believe I've ever been able to say that)! All of this of course sitting down and not lifting!

Jody has been busy with church, work and being bossed around when he is at home (since I can't lift and move things around I save those tasks for when he is here)!

It won't be long now before we are announcing what baby # 4 is!!! Thanks to everyone who voted in our poll!!!

Pregnancy Update 29 weeks 4 days...

Went to the doctor today, a day earlier than scheduled. I've been having regular contractions and just wanted to make sure nothing was going on. Gained another 4 lbs (total 11.4lbs), which they were happy I am gaining! Iron levels were good, measured 30 cm (slightly ahead), the babies heartbeat looks good and I got a flu shot. On the downside my cervix is really soft but I'm not dilated. I have to go back this Friday for another cervix check and a fetal fibronectin test (tests to see if a certain hormone is present) to see if I will deliver early, I should know the results Friday afternoon. For now my doctor has told me to be a "couch potato" until friday. I am supposed to slow down which I should be anyway!

I'll give you some average stats on the baby at this point in my pregnany: the baby weighs approx 2.7 lbs & total fetal length is 16.7 inches. A full term baby is on average is between 7 & 7.5 lbs. At this point I need to do everything possible to keep this baby inside for the next 7.5 weeks no matter how difficult it may be on me!

Please pray that my contractions will stop and the test Friday will come back negative! I'll get a picture on here soon of my large belly...you always forget how uncomfortable it gets as your due date approaches and I think I'm uncomfortable now....

Pregnancy Update

So I went to the doctor today for a routine check-up, today was my 1 hour glucose test which is my favorite :-( I tried the new lemon lime glucose drink and it wasn't that bad! Anyway I actually gained weight this time...6.6 lbs in 6 weeks!!! The doctor was very happy with my weight gain (total 7lbs) and wants me to keep it up! I am continuing to have a lot of "pelvic floor" pain and pressure due to the number of babies I've had...I am to continue to rest on my left side when possible throughout the day and wear the maternity belt every day all day long! The only sure cure for the pain is delivery and since I'm about 26 weeks it's not an option! Only a little while longer and it will all be worth it! The baby is doing well, I'm measuing a tad ahead at 27 cm for being almost 26 weeks! So far so good, I go back the end of this month! I'll get Jody to take some more pictures of my belly, I've had quite a few people tell me the past few days I've "popped"...

Maternity Belt

You are probably thinking something really cute to wear around your waist...but then you remember (if you've been pregnant) that you have no waist and it wouldn't look all that cute if you did wear a belt! I've been having a lot of pain and pressure in areas that usually don't start hurting until late in my previous pregnancies. Now, I know what you are saying....it comes with the territory, blah blah blah. But this is my 4th baby (5th pregnancy), plus I am only 24 weeks pregnant and I think I have a handle on most things that are supposed to hurt at this point and what is abnormal, so I called to see if I needed to be checked out. The conclusion: they think my muscles are just worn/stretched out and are not holding things in place like they should thus the pain and pressure down south. They gave it a name, but of course I couldn't remember (pregnancy brain). They suggested me trying to lay down more (yeah right) and to try a maternity belt. Now, I am not usually one for just going out and buying things to try, but I was in a lot of pain (both the front and back of my legs) Monday afternoon so I decided to drive to Motherhood and buy this so called "maternity belt". The thing actually worked, who would have thunk it? There are some draw backs, you have to have it positioned just right to relieve the pressure and it does move around a lot, but when I'm doing dishes or cooking it really helps. It is basically an elastic belt that has velcro that holds up your uterus. I will not take a picture with it on because it looks silly and it is for use under your clothes!

Here is a picture of one they sell at Babies'R'Us, the Motherhood picture had a real preggo that showed too much skin. Just thought some of you veteran moms might want to check it out if you are having some similar issues! You can buy it at Babies'R'Us, Motherhood, Target, JCPenny, most stores except WalMart carry them! They vary in price, I found Motherhood was the cheapest!

Belly Shot of baby #4

So my very good friend Jessica requested a recent belly shot. I personally don't like pregnancy shots of myself, but the girls love to look back at them and see that they were in mommy's belly and how big it was and it's pretty funny to see pregnant ladies and how they change during pregnancy! So I figured I'll take one for the team. Jess lives in Florida and we don't get to see each other very often...So this is for you Jess...beware I don't have any make-up on :-(22 weeks 3 days pregnant, 4th baby (5th pregnancy)


It's been a pretty uneventful pregnancy so far. The only issue I've had has been with horrendous heartburn lately...guess the baby has a ton of hair! I am still in the negative as far as weight gain, but I was really sick until 16 weeks. My doctors don't seem very worried about my weight so I'm not either! The baby and I are measuring right on target, my next check-up is the glucose test. That's about it.

The girls love for me to read and show them how big the baby is in my pregnancy week by week book. Jody felt the baby "kick" for the first time last week! The girls have yet to feel it kick, but are always putting their hands on my belly, kissing my belly and talking to the baby! They are so excited to "play" with the baby when "it comes out"!

Is it a boy or a girl...

Are these little girl feet or little boy feet???

And is this a little boy looking at you or a little girl???Ha-Ha-Ha...bet you thought we had changed our minds and knew what we were having!!! We did in fact go for our "big" ultrasound this morning (20 week, even though I'm only 18 weeks) and did NOT find out what the baby is! We did get a couple of cute pics in-utero that I thought you might enjoy....

By the way...many people have started calling "the baby" or "it" a boy (wishful thinking I guess) which really confuses our 3 girls as well as overhearers. If "it" is on fact a girl "it" has been insulted by people calling "it" a "he" when in fact "it" could be a "she"...or "it" could in fact turn out to be a boy and was not insulted at all, but that being said if you could refer to the baby as "it" or "the baby" we would greatly appreciate it (really I'm the only one bothered by this)!!! Just to clear the air too...Jody and I have always said we wanted to have 4 kids, from day 1. This baby is not our attempt to have a boy, like we didn't get it right 3 times before, simply our 4th like we've always wanted!

Whatever this child is (girl or boy), "it" will be well loved, there is even a bet running amongst "the sisters" as to what "it" is...1 for "girl", 1 for "boy", 1 for "mine"...we'll let you guess who wants what!

Have you noticed the right side of the blog lately...

if not, I wanted to officially announce that baby #4 is on the way! We are due January 10th, 2009! We will be surprised the day the baby is born to know if it's a girl or boy! Here is a picture taken at 12 weeks 4 days...the baby is only about 3 inches in the picture,still pretty small. The picture isn't that great, but it does have arms and legs now, in fact it kept crossing its legs during the ultrasound! We can't wait to meet this new little one!

36 weeks & 3 days

After some confusion this morning I and the baby had a pretty good doctors visit. It seems there was some mis-communication as to when I was to be seen again at last weeks visit and my appointment was actually scheduled for 9/26, 3 days after my due date. Needless to say they had to "work me in" when I thought I had an appointment at 8:00am this morning. It made the visit hurried and stressfull since Jody had a training to go to at 9:00am and we weren't able to even see the doctor until 9:30am. This visit was normal, the baby is still head down (pretty far down there I might add). The baby and I are measuring a little ahead (which all my pregnancies seem to do). Because of my hurried visit they didn't check to see if I was dialted any more despite the fact that I've been having contractions daily, just nothing in a "regular labor pattern" according to the doctors (getting closer together). I was dilated 1 cm last week which doesn't mean anything as far as being in active labor, it just means I have a small head start on labor. I was 3cm with Emma for 2 weeks and 4 1/2 with Anna for a week. Dr. Gaines (high risk doctor at my pracitce) told Jody and I last week that when you get to 4 1/2-5 cm your cervix is unstable and they usually like to keep a close eye on you, I was hoping they would check and that would be the case :-( For the second week in a row they made sure my bags were packed and we had someone in place to watch the girls. The doctor we saw wants me to talk with the doctor next week to setup an induction. I tested positive again for Group B Strep (1/3 of people have it and it doesn't affect them) which means I will have to have antibiotics while I am in labor. They are considering inducing because they want at least 2 doses in your system before you deliver (1 hour to administer each dose and 2 hours in between) and since my labors are fast that presents a problem. We also live 1 hour away from the hospital, my last labor was 2 hrs & 20 mins and was less than a year ago. I am hoping not to make it to next weeks appointment! I had Anna at 36 weeks 6 days so...Hopefully my next entry will be announcing the birth of baby #3!

Baby # 3 Update

Just an update on the progress of the baby and I. It is head down and in position (confirmed by ultrasound)! I am beginning to dilate which doesn't really mean anything since I was dilated with both girls for many weeks. So we wait for baby # 3 to decide when it wants to meet us! I am hoping it will wait until 36 weeks (next week) so it hopefully won't have any lung problems. Until then. . .

Diapers, Wipes, Baby Wash and More!

Yesterday afternoon we were showered with diapers, wipes, baby wash and other various baby items! Our Sunday School Class hosted a diaper shower for myself and 2 other ladies (we are all due with 8 weeks of each other). It was a fantastic idea for baby #2 or #3, I had never been to one before! It's a shower where you just bring either diapers, wipes, baby wash, or other baby items for when a mommy has baby #2 and so on. We had a great time playing "Baby Memory" and winning candy bars as prizes (yum)! What more could a room full of women want but an afternoon filled with no children, cake, punch, chocloate and the entire conversation revolving around ourselves and babies? We had a blast and received so many needed "toiletries" for baby #3! We're counting down. . .only weeks left until we meet baby #3!

Curious 3 year olds. . .

As my pregnant belly gets larger the questions become more frequent. . .I went to the doctor yesterday answering these questions as easily as I could to Emma as we approached the doctors office. . ."Are we getting the baby out today?; Why aren't we getting the baby out today?; When will we get the baby out?; Can I see the baby now?; What does the baby eat?; and Can it talk? She is getting more and more inquisitive about this baby she calls "brother" (Emma decided a long time ago it was a boy). Today we were at Chick-fil-A talking about how the baby eats. I told her as simple as I could about the umbilical cord and placenta! Emma just chuckled and said "nuh-uh mommy the baby just eats baby food. . .you're silly". It's incredible to see her little mind thinking and wondering about the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. I let her watch A Baby Story or Birth Day with me sometimes to try to explain to her that that's how mommys have babies. For the most part she gets bored with the shows but she always asks those hard to answer questions! She understands there is another baby "like Anna" in my tummy and that it will come home with us soon but mostly she is excited that she and Anna will get to go stay with Papa and Wanka when Daddy and Mommy go to the "Hostibl".