similac...

Shaun's mom is a NICU nurse...so she has a lot of useful contacts that end up benefiting both Shaun and I. Her latest hook up is knowing the similac rep lady. She had told this lady that she was going to be a grandma again and the nice lady told her to email her when Lincoln was born and she would send us SOME formula. I had kinda forgotten this information...my mind has a MILLION other things on it so I tend to put that kind of stuff on the back burner. Well Thursday I came home and there were 8 boxes/packages on my doorstep! I was like what in the world?!? Well turns out, the lady came through and sent us 8 boxes containing 6 cans each of formula! So now my cupboard looks like this!

THANK YOU SIMILAC LADY!!! 

spit up...

This pretty much consumes my life these days...

Why do I even shower anymore? As soon as I am clean and Lincoln is cleaned and bathed, the spit up attacks! Good thing he is cute! :)

The day my life changed...

Okay so I have had quite a few people ask me for details on the little man's debut into the world so I thought, might as well write it on blogger! :) Gotta love the internet! So for now, grab a drink, sit down, relax, and enjoy reading his story...if you are at all interested! 

Wednesday morning started out just as any other day would have. My alarm went off for work at 6:20 and I was up getting ready for the day. The day before I was having some really bad back pains on my left side, but for those of you who remember, I have a twisted nerve on that side so it really isn't that uncommon...but it was hurting really bad and coming and going. Anyway, I remember feeling GREAT on Wednesday...way better than the day before so I was excited to head out the door for work. Work was just typical work...feed kids breakfast, do some work, go out to recess...that's it...recess...where the story changes! 

I was standing by Melissa (one of my co-workers) and I asked her to watch over the kiddos so I could go to the restroom. She is pregnant too so she understands the constant need to pee! I went potty, stood up and to wash my hands, and suddenly felt like I was peeing again...only it was just a little bit. So I checked it out, and discovered it was hardly anything...just one of the lovely things pregnancy does to your bladder! Anyway, I washed my hands again and headed back out to the playground. While I was walking over, I felt leakage...and I could not stop it no matter how hard I tried. I went to Melissa and said I need to go call my dr. I went into the classroom, realized I didnt have her number so I tried to call Shaun who did not answer. By this time, I felt wet...really wet...and I was wearing white shorts!!! So I grabbed my stuff, headed to Melinda, the main teacher, and all I said was, "umm Melinda" she turned, looked at me, and said..."GO!!!" As I was walking away, I heard someone yell, "did your water break" and I shook my head yes and just kept walking...leaving a trail behind me. 

Luckily I live down the street...LITERALLY .4 miles from my work...so I didnt have a long drive home. I tried 3 more times to call Shaun...no answer. He was out working that morning and had to go to the dr's so I was trying to figure out where he was. I tried to call my sister, and she didn't answer either! Seriously, the ONE TIME I need someone to answer...NO ONE does! Finally, Shaun answered his phone and I told him I was headed home bc we had to go to the hospital due to my water breaking. He was napping (so much working lol) and when I walked inside, he was up getting dressed. The only reason I was super worried about going to the hospital right away is bc I tested positive for GBS and my midwife told me the week before if my water broke to get to the hospital right away to get started on the medicine. 

Anyway, I changed my clothes, tried to put on a panty liner, but that thing was soaked in .2 seconds, and waited for Shaun to eat a sandwich before we headed out the door. I should have grabbed something to eat bc the only thing I had that day, and for the next 26 hours was one bowl of cinnamon toast crunch! I was STARVING!!! We got to the hospital and had to wait...on a fabric chair...as I was leaking fluids. I leaned over to Shaun and said, "how many other people do you think have sat in this chair leaking fluids" lol...we were grossed out! We got to the hospital at 11:25ish and by the time we were finally in a room it was close to 1. LD room 4 is where we would sit for the next 24 hours. 

The nurses checked me and said I was only a 2-3 and 50% effaced...which according to my midwife, is going backwards from the week before so I was really confused. I couldn't leave though because my water had broken and they like the baby to be out within 24 hours. I really loved my nurses...all of them except the one half shift daytime nurse...she was seriously so cranky and rude!!! I had a few visitors come in and all I kept telling them was how hungry I was and how I want a Qudoba burrito soooo badly!!! I was STARVING!!! My body felt so weak...and I was over the whole experience! All night I was awake due to contractions...they weren't bad or anything, just annoying...and mainly in my back. My night nurse informed me she felt membranes around Lincoln's head still and kept asking me if I was sure my water had broken. I would just laugh and say, "I cannot even walk to the bathroom to the bed without a puddle forming around me". Seriously I had NO IDEA you leak water UNTIL that baby comes out!!! So gross! Anyway, the nurses ended up switching at 7am and I was checked again...only a 4!!! That is what I was at 8pm the night before!!! Are you kidding?! I LOVED my day nurse Tracy and she kept laughing and saying, "you are too nice and cute to be in real labor right now...something is not working right". She checked me and confirmed what the night nurse had felt so she called the on call dr. At 11:20ish he came in to talk to me about how I was at my 24 hour mark, he was going to check me, and informed me of plan B...the c-section which I did NOT want!!! Well, luckily for me I did not need it because when he was done checking me, he ran a long freakn needle thing across what ended up being my SECOND bag of water and broke that and then things changed!!! 

About 11:30 I started having contractions...REAL ones this time! Again, the back was the worse, and they told me it was because Lincoln was OP...he was turned upright instead of downright so he was mainly on my back...and it hurt!!! When it would move to front I could breathe through the contraction and it was fine, but dang, back labor SUCKS!!! I was still VERY set in my ways of no epidural so I tried so hard to just focus and breathe. Finally about 12 or something, I could not take the back pain and asked for IV medicine. They gave me what my sister calls, "legal heroin" and I felt better...it helped ease me A LOT!!! My contractions were coming very close together and very strong. I wanted to hold Shaun's hand, but I felt like I was going to break it, so I wanted the chair...but he had to be sitting in it otherwise it would move. I remember being picky about what was near me and saying some crazy stuff, and when the contraction was over, I would always apologize to the person it was directed towards. At one point, the nurse was checking me and I was having a contraction and breathing all crazy and when it was over I remember saying, "I am sorry for breathing on you"...lol. 

Again with the anyway...Tracy, my day nurse decided she was going to go to lunch and told me she was gonna leave but would come back and be there for the delivery. She wanted to be in the room and I wanted her there because she was amazing!!! She told me if I felt ANY pressure and needed to push, to call the nurse station and they would come in. She closed the door behind her, and as soon as it closed, I told Shaun, "PUSH THE BUTTON!!! I NEED TO PUSH!!!" When Tracy left I was at 8cm...when the midwife and other nurse came in literally maybe 2 minutes later, I was ready to go! They frantickly started to get everything together because NO ONE thought I would progress so fast...the called Tracy to get her back from lunch but when she opened the door, Lincoln was out!!! I was sad she missed it but so glad when they told me I only pushed for 13 minutes!!! 

Pushing is weird...you feel the need to push, but then when you do, you almost want to stop because you feel like something bad is going to happen. I kept saying I couldn't do it and Shaun was right there to say I was already doing it, and my midwife was amazing and getting me to focus! At one point I could tell the head was almost out and as much as I needed to breathe, I didn't want to stop because I didn't want it to go in. Shaun later told me, "you were not even red...you were PURPLE" lol I was determined to get him out!!! 

So folks, technically I was in labor for 26 hours...but when you consider the 2nd bag of water and everything...I was only in what they call "hard labor" for under 2 hours and I only pushed for 13 minutes...now I am not saying I could or WOULD do this again...I am just saying, really it is not as bad as you think! And I did it all without an epidural! :)