Bryce Nicole’s Birth Story

Bryce was born April, 17^th 2012.

It was decided very early in the pregnancy that I would be induced early in order to avoid the complications that I had during my labor with Breckin. When I expressed that I would like to go into labor on my own this pregnancy and was told that as long as this baby was smaller than Breckin they would consider it but if the baby was the same size or larger I would have to be induced early and they proceeded to explain the complications that can occur from having a large baby. Apparently we dodged quite a few bullets with Breckin. I was lucky that I was the only one who suffered complications because apparently quite a few things could have gone wrong with Breckin. We were blissfully unaware of what could go wrong while pregnant with Breckin. This time having that knowledge was a lot to carry around.

At almost 37 weeks I was given a growth scan ultrasound. Her labor was going to be planned based on what the ultrasound told us. She had already been measuring quite large and I was warned the week before that she was likely going to be bigger than Breckin. She was measuring 8 pounds even and two weeks ahead at the ultrasound. I sat in the room waiting for the doctor crying, expecting her to say that I had hit the size limit already and was going to have to have a c-section. The earliest insurance will allow you to be induced based on size is 38.5 weeks. I was two weeks away from that milestone and was afraid that she would reach a larger size than the Dr was willing to let me deliver. When she came in she assured me that she was going to do whatever she could to give me the delivery I wanted and scheduled the induction for the earliest date she was allowed. Even though Bryce was measuring large she thought that we would still come in a whole pound less than Breckin.

On the day before the induction I went in to pre-register with the hospital and have blood work done. We later picked Kevin up from work so he could leave his work van there and we went out to have our last dinner out as a family of 3… and likely our last dinner out for a long time. We went to the Olive Garden (like we did the night before Breckin’s induction) and then picked up cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I wasn’t allowed to eat after midnight so the plan was for me to eat the cheesecake as a treat right before bed. We came home, gave Breckin his bath and put him to bed. I shed a few tears knowing that I would be away from him the next couple of nights. We went to bed at 11pm and luckily I fell right to sleep.

I woke up about 4am. I dressed and paced nervously around the house. Kevin called the hospital to make sure they had enough beds. Kim came over around 4:30am to be with Breckin. We went over last minute instructions with her, gave her the monitor and she went back to sleep for the few hours before Breckin needed to be at day care. I went up and gave Breckin a kiss. He woke up long enough to kiss me and give me a hug and we were off to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 6am. It is so surreal walking into the hospital knowing that when you leave you will have a baby with you. We got into the room and they set me up on all the monitors. The Dr. hadn’t sent in any orders for me so we had to sit and wait for her to come in at 7:30. When she came in she checked me and I was a good 3cm and 75% effaced. They put in me on antibiotics for my Group B Strep and started me on pitocin. Every half hour they upped my pitocin. The contractions were strong but not strong enough. After about an hour on the pitocin I was up to 4cm but I then sat there for 2 hours. The dr. decided to break my water because she believed it would really kick up my labor… which it did. Within minutes of my water being broken I was in terrible pain. I could stand the contractions at that point and didn’t want to get an epidural too early but I was afraid I was going to dilate to a point where it would be too late for me to get one. I told the nurse how incredibly painful my last labor was even with my epidural that I was afraid I would pass out without one. She explained to me based on how I described my labor with Breckin that it sounded as if my epidural didn’t take and I actually gave birth without it. I told her that after I received my epidural they raised my legs in order to take the pressure off my cervix and the nurse said that that likely caused my epidural to settle in my chest and not in my lower region like it should have. This convinced her that I would be able to do this labor with an epidural… it didn’t convince me. Like a switch I was all the sudden in incredible pain and asked for my epidural. The dr. administering it took quite a long time to get to me and I had to work through extremely strong contractions without it. The nurse was an amazing couch. I was just about ready to push by the time the dr. came in. The nurse set up for me to push but I screamed for my epidural. I wasn’t going to do it without one! I was already feeling pressure, so once I got my epidural they let me “birth down,” meaning they let my body pull Bryce down on it’s own so I didn’t have to push as long. After about 30 minutes the Dr. came in and got me ready to push. They set up the mirror so I could watch Bryce come out. With Breckin I pushed for 3 hours. This time the doctor said our goal was minutes not hours. When I started to push she was coming out face up. Breckin was face up and it makes the pushing much harder. I continued to push and she did a big twist and we saw her turn over into the correct position. It was an amazing thing to see in the mirror. After pushing for about 10 minutes I reached down and pulled her out and onto my chest. I held her tightly as she cried. I cried. I was present at this birth. It was amazing. With Breckin I was so tired and in so much pain that I was in a completely different place when he was born. I got to pull him out onto my chest but I wasn’t really aware what was going on, and then all hell broke loose and I started to bleed. Everything was very calm this time around. It was beautiful. After a few minutes they took Bryce to do her APGAR test. The Dr. delivered my placenta and actually showed it to me and opened up the water sack that Bryce was in to show me that as well. It was amazing. It truly was a beautiful experience

Bryce weighed in at 9 pounds 8 oz. 2 oz less than Breckin and induced a week early.

Update...

Sorry for going so long without an update. Even though I have spent most of my time sitting on the couch holding Bryce and nursing, it's hard to type out long blog posts with one hand.

We have been home for over a week now. It has been an adjustment... for everyone, but we have really started to settle in. Bryce is a wonderful baby and we are all totally in love with her. She is the perfect addition to our family. She is calm and loves to be held and to snuggle. Which when translated means she refuses to be put down. I'm used to this behavior since Breckin was the same way. She is so beautiful. She has a full head of black hair and deep dimples in both cheeks and one in her chin. Her face looks exactly like Breckin's and she has the same amazing dark brown eyes.

Kevin returns to work on Tuesday and I am sure there will be a whole new set of adjustments that need to be made. The first few days home Breckin had a hard time staying calm around Bryce and was often too rough with her. It has been our focus this week to teach him the appropriate way of playing with his sister, so once I am home alone with him I wont have too many issues. I'm not going to lie he still has his moments, but for the most part he is adjusting well. It will be interesting to see what happens when Kevin is not around though. We have gathered a bunch of stuff to keep him entertained and so far they have been working. We understood from the beginning that he would be the one most affected by the change. Luckily, some of the issues that I was expecting haven't been an issue at all. I was fully expecting him revert with his potty training but he is a pro now and he hasn't had any accidents. Also, jealousy hasn't really become an issue, at least not yet. He really loves his sister and really wants her around... all the time. He wants to help and gets a lot of pleasure out of taking part in the care of his sister.

We have only run into a couple of health issues with Bryce so far (with Breckin it felt like we dealt with so much in the beginning, luckily he has turned out to be an extremely healthy child). She was tongue tied like Breckin and we have been dealing with a little jaundice. Her levels were not too high, so she didn't need light treatment but she does have a yellow cast and I have been instructed to nurse often... Bryce isn't protesting. It's taking a while for the jaundice to go away but I think I am see improvements. It's hard to say. We have another appointment for a weight check in on Monday. I am sure she will evaluate her levels again then.

When we left the hospital Bryce was weighing in at 9 pounds (she was 9 pounds 8 oz at birth). At her first doctor's appointment the next day she was down to 8 pounds 10 oz. They scheduled another appointment for this past Monday and she was already back up to 9 pounds. I can't imagine what she will be at her next appointment. She eats like crazy and my milk is abundant this time around. With Breckin it took my milk a week and half to come in.

Cloth diapering with the gDiapers has been a completely different than diapering with the Bumgenius'. The disposable inserts work great but our small cloth inserts apparently weren't conditioned well enough and the diapers leaked with every pee or poop. I did an oxyclean soak, then boiled them, then did three full washes. After that we had no more leaks! I was really frustrated at first but I really like them now. It's nice to only have to change the insert each time, rather than the whole diaper. Right now she is going through all of her cloth inserts (12) reach day, so I am having to do a diaper wash everyday. Once she is over 10 pounds she will be able to start wearing the bumgenius' and since Breckin is only wearing one diaper a day (to bed at night.. just in case) most of the sash will be available to her. Hopefully that will allow me go a day or more between washes. I am glad we made the decision to cloth diaper and I am very happy with my choices of brands.

I am loving being a mommy of two!! I was terribly afraid that I was going to suffer from PPD considering the depression that I dealt with this pregnancy but I feel great! I'm tired but my spirits are high. 

Bryce Nicole Neilson-Hall

Baby girl Born 4/17/2012 at 4:07pm. 9lbs 8oz (and a week earlier than her brother who was 9 pounds 10 oz).

Will post pictures later.

Here we go

9cm. Resting for a bit, then it's time to push.

Epidural

Crystal is now resting after having received an epidural. Still moving forward but now she's much more relaxed. It got a little rocky there for a minute.

It's funny, from my perspective this is going almost exactly like Breckin's birth. But then again what do I know, I'm basically just a spectator.

Water Broke

Still at 4cm and 90%.

The doctor just broke her water. Painful contractions. Things are moving.

Birth Ball

We're now on the Birthing Ball. Crystal's bouncing away.

Contractions are still manageable. Still fairly far apart.

We're ready to get things going here !!!

Getting Going

Contractions 2-4 minutes apart.

90% effaced and 4cm dilated.

No drugs yet. Shes managing the contractions very well.

I'll try to post as more is happening but this may start happening to quickly.

Birth Ball

Crystal's on the Birth Ball bouncing around.

Kicked up a little bit on the pitocin and ready to go.

Contractions

Real contractions have started.

They've got Crystal on Pitocin and Antibiotics and now we're just waiting again. She'll start using the birthing ball here in a little while and we'll try to kick this thing into high gear!

We're trying to do everything possible to not have hours of pushing this time.

Getting Started

All checked in, wired up and ready to go.

The nursing staff has been very nice so far. We're just watching the news and waiting. I think it's finally starting to hit both of us what's about to happen.

The doctor hasn't given any orders so far so we're not starting anything at all yet and have to wait until she gets here. It's nice to be able to hear the baby's heartbeat on the monitor though.

---Kevin (Daddy)

First post of the day...

It's almost 4am.... I'm up. I actually got come sleep though. With Breckin I tossed and turned the entire night. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep the night before his induction. This time around I was able to fall asleep and while I only slept in short spurts at least I got SOME sleep.

I am pretty anxious at this point. When I was at pre-registration yesterday I walked by the nursery and looked at the tiny newborn babies. It really hit me that I was going to be having one of those really soon. It's so surreal. It's surprising how surreal it is considering I have been through this before.

Ok.. We leave in about an hour to head to the hospital. The lovely Ms. Kimmie will be at the house soon to stay with Breckin... and I have to say we are lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives. The kind of wonderful people who get up at 4am to come and watch your son and bend over backward to make sure that your child is taken care of JUST the way you want him to be so you don't have to stress while you are at the hospital having a baby. Kim and Pam, You guys mean so much to us. Thank you for making this a little easier on me.

More updates to come but they will be from Kevin. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow is the BIG day!!

I go in tomorrow morning to start the induction of our little girl!! It is so surreal that the day is almost here. I am sure I wont sleep tonight... not that I sleep now anyways. I am a little concerned that the hospital will end up on diversion or something and my induction will be postponed, not that there is any indication that that will be the case. I was worried about it with Breckin's induction as well. I can't stand the thought of waiting any longer. When you have your mind on an end date it's hard to think of it changing.

I have been having more contractions over the last 2 days. I have been really taking it easy but after Breckin goes down for bed tonight all bets are off. I will start walking and anything else I can think to try to encourage labor... Anything to take my mind of the clock. Pitocin isn't fun. I would love to go to the hospital already in labor.

Anyways, Kevin will be updating the blog all day tomorrow. We did the same with Breckin and it is so nice to have the record of the day. If you want baby updates tomorrow please check the blog. We wont be calling people or updating facebook.

Here are the blog post from when Breckin was born if you are interested:

http://kneilsonhall.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

38 Weeks Pregnant!

4 Days Until Induction!!

What's going on with Baby B: It's looking like I am going to make it to my induction date. I have managed to really take the last week easy, thanks to my sweet, accommodating two year old. I've been having contractions but nothing like the week before. I had a doctor's appointment Wednesday and I am still where I was last week, almost 3cm and 60% effaced, which would normally be discouraging, but is fine with me since my doctor is out of town. After my appointment the nurses talked to me about the doctors who would deliver the baby if I were to go into labor before my doctor gets back. It was quite obvious that I was nerves about that and they all understood, since they were all patients of my doctor and she delivered most of their children as well. She also is Breckin's pediatrician's OBGYN and delivered all of her children as well. She's a really special woman. As I was leaving I remembered that I was supposed to get an instruction sheet for the induction. The nurse was looking for my specific sheet from the hospital and she couldn't find it. Come to find out that I was on my doctor's schedule to be induced but not the hospital and that my pre-registration and blood work hadn't even been scheduled. With the doctor and her main nurse out of town there was no one to ask about it. Luckily, the nurse helping me used to be my doctor's main nurse and she was able to call the hospital to get everything set up. They had a spot for me thank goodness. If they didn't I would have just gone in on Tuesday and insist that they induce me! Everything is scheduled now but I am worried that this is a sign that things are not going to go so smoothly next week. I guess we will see. I just want her to be here, safe and healthy

Symptoms: More of the same

Cravings: Nothing specific... I'm just always hungry.

Baby Preparations: We are pretty much done with everything. We are just spending time with as a family this weekend, and working on the chicken coup. On Monday I have to go to the hospital to have my pre-registration and some blood work done. We also have to pick Kevin up from work on that day so he can leave his truck at the shop. We plan to go out for a nice dinner after... our last a family of 3. It's hard to believe that today is the last "normal" weekday that just Breckin and I will spend together. This weekend Kevin will be home of course and Monday we are running around like crazy. It's a little sad. I love my time just focused on Breckin. Our lives are about to change so much. I know the change for the better but I think it is also normal to be a little scared of that change. Breckin and I are doing a lot of cuddling today.. just as soon as I get this blog post and some cleaning done.

37 Weeks Pregnant!! FULL TERM!!

11 Days Until Induction!!!!!

What's going on with Baby B: My big goal was to make it to today... for two reasons. 1. Breckin's post-op visit was today and I really wanted to be there for him. 2. Baby B is now full term! I have been dilating and contracting more and more each week and we feared that I was going to go into labor before now. My new goal is to make it to my induction date or at least the night before. Which may sound weird if you have been reading my blog over the last 10 months. I was informed on Wednesday that my doctor, along with all but one of the doctors in her practice, would be on vacation for spring break. I'm not sure which doctor it will be, but all this means to me is that even if I am in labor during business hours I will not have my doctor and it is likely that with only one doctor available I will have one of the hospital staff doctors, a doctor I don't know, deliver my baby. Given my history I am a little worried. I am also not comfortable with a male doctor. While I am not the most modest person in the world, I am still not comfortable with a male OBGYN. It is a private area and I am just not comfortable..... And before anyone starts lecturing me that I need to be prepared for things to go a different way than I want... I understand that there is nothing I can do about the way things turned out but given how my last labor went, with all of the complications, I think it is valid for me to want/need a little control. Not everyone knows how serious my situation was and honestly I don't really want to go into it right now but because of that situation I want someone who knows my history to at least be in town. Also, I haven't checked but I worry that if my doctor is out of town that there is a chance the kids' pediatrician is out of town as well. Which is not a huge deal but we love her so so so so much. I would like her to be there when Baby B is in the hospital. Talk about someone who has done a lot of us over the years...

On Wednesday I had a growth ultrasound. It was amazing!! The tech did part of the scan in 3d, which I have never experienced before. I got to see her sweet little face and she looks exactly like baby Breckin. I got to watch the entire exam and could see the numbers as she did the measurements... 38 weeks 5 day, 39 weeks 1 day, 38 weeks 5 days... I was only 36 weeks 5 days!!! The tech also estimated that she weighs 8 pounds already. Ultrasound weight estimates are not always accurate but it at least tells us that she is going to be quite big. Dr. Hirata decided based on this information and because of my history, that I needed to be induced at 38.5 weeks, a little less than a week earlier than Breckin was induced. We are hoping that Baby B is a pound less than Breckin was at birth. I also found out that I am about 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and very soft. It's quite likely that I will go into labor on my own in the next week but the hope is that I last until April 17th.

I have been so anxious to get to this point but now that I have an induction date I feel more comfortable and willing to go that last week and a half. If I make it to the induction date we will be able to explain the situation to Breckin a little easier and we can take care of all the last minute stuff and have a nice family evening on the Monday before the induction. The plan right now for Monday is to get the house clean, make sure everything is packed, take the dogs to a kennel, pick up Kevin at work (since he needs to leave his van), then go to dinner at Olive Garden (like we did the night before Breckin's induction) and pick up cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to have for dessert later. I want to make sure I am nice and full since I can't have any food from mid-night until after the baby is born.

Symptoms: Lots of contractions and pressure. The pressure is so extreme at sometimes that it hurts to sit up. The pressure is centered really hard on my bladder as well... that just adds to the discomfort. I have been waking up hourly at night to use the bathroom... I guess this is my body getting me ready for having a baby again.

Cravings: I am 11 days from Sushi!! Woot Woot!!

Birthday Prediction: Here's hoping for April 17th.

Baby Preparations: I still have one more dinner and one more breakfast to make and freeze. Kevin has a few more cleaning things to do that I am unable to do... like clean the high areas in the house that have been collecting dust all winter, like the top of the fridge. He also continues to work on the chicken coup! I am so excited. Breckin loves his daddy time. He takes his building jobs very seriously. It's a great learning experience for him and I am sure he will be proud to tell people that he helped build the coup for years to come.