Andrew William Hannibal

Vincent Paul- 39 w 0 d, water broke
Kathryn Olivia- 39 w 4 d, induced to avoid 4th of July craziness
Andrew William- 40 w 4 d, induced... but only after begging and promising my body could totally handle induction before 41 weeks

In Utah, they are just ready to pop your baby out once you hit 39 weeks. My experience in Michigan was very different. Whenever I mentioned setting up an induction at 39 weeks my OB would deflect and talk about the importance of not letting women go longer than 42 weeks. Ahhhh! With a bit of luck and a lot of asking, I secured an induction at 40.5 weeks. This was my longest pregnancy by a week, but it felt like an eternity! Whether it was the hot Summer or the exhaustion from chasing two other kids I was ready to have the baby.

With Kate I went in the morning of my scheduled induction. They cranked up the pitocin, totally supported my choice to get an epidural, wouldn't let me eat or drink anything, immediately bathed and cleaned her following brief skin-to-skin, and let me stay in the birthing suite until I got over the shakes and nausea. Keep that in mind when you see how different my experience was in Michigan.

With Andrew I went in the night before around 9 pm for cervical dilation. It took a long time to track down the needed people and we didn't even start the first round until midnight! The bed was hard and I did not sleep well. Thankfully, I was given the clear to get myself up to pee without help (the IV was cruel to my smashed bladder). We got very little sleep and the ripening agent did little to progress my dilation. Then I was told we had to wait for my OB to talk to me before I got the clear to start pitocin.

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. The clock was ticking and nothing was happening. I had been prepping the kids and told them they would meet Andrew on the 15th. With the slow start I was concerned that he wouldn't be delivered early enough for them to visit before bedtime (these were my worries at 8 in the morning! geeze!).

We got the green light and started the pitocin... at the slowest rate ever! I didn't realize there were 2 methods for using pitocin. In Utah they used a high dose to really get things going and would turn it up every 30 minutes. In Michigan, they started with hardly anything and took decades to increase the dose. I wasn't aware that a low dose could be just as effective so I became increasingly anxious about the timeline for the day.

My nurse was a hoot. She was a good mix of quirky and nice. She didn't hide the fact that she was more into natural births and whenever I brought up an epidural she would give me different options: bouncing on a ball, walking around the room, leaning on top of a ball (awkward!), applying pressure to my back, etc. When she went on her lunch break Paul spoke up and said now was the time to get an epidural before she could "push me" into another method of coping/relief. I cannot tell you have thankful I am that Paul advocated for me. Often the doulas and support are given the spotlight for natural births, but in this case he saw that what I needed was pain relief and rest, not another go on the ball. The epidural was a breeze and I was instantly much happier.

Holy cow, I almost forgot to mention that they let me drink sprite and eat jell-o! During my first two labors I was so weak by the end and I attributed it to being NPO the entire time. I took it easy and only had sips of pop and one jell-o, but it made all the difference! Another difference was not having a foley catheter once receiving my epidural. I thought that was totally weird and was worried that my bladder might explode or something but (spoiler alert) I was just fine.

I'd been there since the night before and I was almost dilated to 5 cm. With the epidural going my doc stopped in and broke my water to speed things along. You guys, I am glad I got my epidural first because within minutes of breaking my water, I felt so much pressure! I hesitantly asked my nurse if something was going on because I already felt like I needed to push. I felt so stupid because just minutes before I was hardly dilated.

Lo and behold, I was a 10 and the baby was coming! It was like less than 30 minutes that I went from a 5 to a 10! All of the sudden things got real and I could hardly believe that after all of the waiting, it was time. My nurse did a practice push with me and instantly told me to stop because the baby was almost there. She asked if I wanted a mirror. That was something I didn't want to see so I declined. Remember how I told you she was quirky? She rolled the mirror over and said, "I'll leave it here just in case you change your mind and want to look." Haha! That lady just cracks me up. She was so certain she knew what would give me the best experience and she wouldn't take no for an answer. Had it been something like totally denying me an epidural I'd be ticked, but since it was just odd things it provided a good laugh.

The room filled and it was time to meet my sweet baby. Since there was meconium in my amniotic fluid we had extra staff on hand prepared to take care of any potential respiratory issues when the baby was delivered. The delivery went incredibly fast and before I knew it Andrew was laying on my chest and all I could do was say, "I love him. I already love him. I love him so much." With his birth brought all of the precious memories of my two previous babies. I could already feel how much I was going to grow to love him over the years.

Andrew William Hannibal was born at 4:38 pm on September 15, 2016 weighing 7 lbs 7 oz and "measuring" 19 inches long (insert quirky nurse while measuring the baby, "what!? He can't only be 18 inches... I'm going to say he's 19 inches")

I was expecting Andrew to receive a bath but in Michigan they don't give the baby a real bath because it increases the chance of taking home "extra" bacteria from the hospital. So he was gently wiped down with a towel, Paul put on Andrew's first diaper, then he was wrapped up and returned to me. I was given time to nurse him and bond through skin-to-skin while the doc taught some youngin' how to sew me up. 

The kids were able to make it in time to visit but the circumstances were less than ideal. My nurse didn't have anyone coming to replace her so I felt rushed to make it up to my recovery room. Meanwhile, my post delivery nausea was in full force and because of that wonderful jell-o and sprite, there was actually something to hurl this time around. So with my mom and kids in the room, I sat there puking while trying to show them how excited they should be about the new baby.

They moved me upstairs and I let my family stay for a little longer before my head hurt so bad and my stomach was churning so violently that I asked them to let me rest. With the lights off and the baby by my side I began to recoop and recover from the terrible awfulness I feel after every delivery.

I loved the different emphasis they had on breastfeeding. It wasn't about how long you nursed the baby, it was about how many times they would suck and swallow. This made me feel more relaxed about the process. I didn't have to stare at the clock and freak out because the baby fell asleep again. There were no repeated pokes to check his blood sugar and no pressure to supplement with formula. It was so nice! But do you remember how there was meconium in my amniotic fluid? To ensure he didn't get any stuck in his lungs they suctioned him vigorously after he was born. This created an aversion to anything in his mouth afterward and he didn't really want to nurse because of it. I was blessed with the best lactation consultant who gave me the confidence I needed in such an emotional time. It took some practice but within a few days we worked through it and overcame the trauma from all of the suctioning he went through.

Since this wasn't my first time at the rodeo and everything went relatively well during my delivery, I was itching to leave the hospital. Andrew cried the entire drive but stopped the moment we got him out of the car seat. The kids were thrilled to have him home and constantly wanted to hold him. My Dad even surprised us with a visit (on his birthday, no less) to see Andrew and spend time with us. It meant a lot to me that he would travel on his birthday and be away from his own home so he could be with us at such a special time. I also can't imagine how rough the transition would have been without my mom there to help us survive. Thank goodness for family!

Here's the play by play that Paul recorded for me:

2100: Arrive and register at the hospital, change into gown, blood draws, IV in
Waiting for doctors...(for 3 hours!)
0000: 1.5 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station. Start Cytotec.
0400: 2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, 0 station, cervix in middle (no longer posterior, not yet anterior), 2nd dose of cytotec
0530: Experiencing some contractions now, got maybe 2 hours of sleep that night
0830: After waiting to hear from the doc we started Pitocin at 1ml/hr
0930: Pitocin @ 2 ml/hr
0945: Bounced on birthing ball for 20 minutes
1015: Pitocin @ 4ml/hr
1050: 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station (she took away my 0 station!)
1105: Pitocin @ 6 ml/hr
1315: 3.5 cm dilated 70% effaced, -1 station. Feeling discouraged about lack of substantial progress
1325: Contractions are getting more painful. Tried laying on ball on hands & knees with Paul putting pressure on back
1355: Libby: "I don't think this is a good idea."
          Paul: "...Having a baby?"
          Libby: "Yeah" *quickly nods head with concerned face*
1415: Anesthesiologist in for epidural
1430: Epidural in and working! Relaxing while we wait for Dr. Rhone to visit

1530: 5 cm dilated, 70% effaced, -1 station. Dr Rhone breaks water
1545: Begins feeling pressure, asks nurse to check but hold off to reduce introduction of bacteria
1609: Feeling urge to push but resisting it, check by nurse- Completely dilated & effaced, baby descending
1620: Room set up, practice push, mirror incident
1636: Head delivered after one push. Cord around baby's neck (like Vincent)
1638: Baby born! Dad cuts the cord, skin to skin with mom, then Dad puts on first diaper

Do you see that?! Just over an hour from 5 cm dilated to delivery!

5 month old schedule

I regret not keeping a record of Vincent's schedules and routines. Although I do a whole lot less research on where Kate should be at 5 months, I still rack my brain trying to remember what Vincent was doing at this age.

When I need a helping hand with short naps, baby's sleep needs, number of naps, lengths of nap, suggest wake time, etc. I go to these sources:

Troublesome Tots
Baby Sleep Schedule
On Becoming Baby Wise
Baby Sleep- What is Normal

So for your own comparison, but mostly for my future haggard self after baby 3+, here's Kate's 5 month sleep and eating schedule:

0830-0900: Kate wakes up and eats, then plays until naptime (play mat, exersaucer, tummy time, reading books, go for walk, practice standing, sing songs, get squished by big brother, etc.)
1100: Swaddle, white noise, & paci. Sing a song and put Kate down, falls asleep by self
1300: Kate wakes up from nap and eats
1500: Down for 2nd nap
1700: Wakes up, nurse
1800: Feed Kate small portion of solid food (purees)
1830: On T, Th, Sat give bath
1915-1930: Nurse, put to bed
2300: Dream feed

Of course, she has many off days where she takes shorter naps or get tired early and veers from the schedule. We are in the process of transitioning to two naps, as shown above. When she takes three naps her days look like this:

0830-0900: Kate wakes up and eats, then plays until nap time
1100: 1st nap: Swaddle, white noise, & paci. Sing a song and put Kate down, falls asleep by self.
1230: Kate wakes up "early" from nap and eats between now and 1300
1430: 2nd nap
1600: Wakes up"early"
1630-1700: If showing signs of hunger I'll nurse her before the 4 hour mark but I like to wait until 1700 if happy
1800: 3rd nap
1900: If not already awake, wake Kate so she won't stay up too late
1930: Feed Kate small portion of solid food (purees)
1945: On T, Th, Sat give bath
2015-2030: Nurse, put to bed
2300: Dream feed

The second schedule is a little more typical for us right now. I'm happier than a monkey with a banana when she has a two nap day, but she's happy either way.

She is starting to take an even shorter 2nd nap. Instead of 1.5-2 hours she's having days where the nap only lasts 45 minutes. She had this problem when she was 3-4 months old. We extended her schedule from a 3 hour to a 4 hour routine, which fixed her napping issues. Now that it's happening again I'm adding solid foods to her diet in case she's waking up from hunger. It's also possible that she needs to start extending her daytime wake periods.

Wouldn't it be nice if babies could talk to us and tell us what they need? Or better yet, if we could read their minds. I'll keep dreaming. Until then, we'll continue to do what every parent does: change her schedule around multiple times and when she finally gets it right give ourselves undue credit. 

First comes love, then comes marriage...

Then comes the baby in the baby carriage! 

Here's the story of Vincent's arrival:

For the week before Vincent's birth, I would wake up in the morning and decide whether or not he was allowed to come that day or not. On Saturday, May 5th, I decided that he was allowed to join us. To help him on his journey, I planned an eventful day. Paul and I went garage "sailing" ALL morning. Following all of that walking, I took a short break. Then we went for another walk to campus so I could go to the library. I had felt a few contractions, but then I wrote them off as Braxton-Hicks.

Later that evening, Paul received a phone call from the EQP. No one from the presidency was going to be at church on the 6th to teach the lesson. He asked Paul to step in and give it. Paul agreed and then joked that the only reason he wouldn't is if I went into labor... haha

As we were getting ready for bed that evening, I gave up on trying to tell Vincent when to come. I decided that I would just be patient and he would come whenever he was ready. Well, it seems like Vince likes to play jokes, because 3 hours later, my water broke! I was sleeping when all of the sudden I woke up and jumped out of bed saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" over and over again. Paul woke up and was freaked out because he thought there was a spider.

When I stood up, the amniotic fluid came out even faster. I quickly waddled to the bathroom and began giving Paul orders: finish packing my bag, grab my deodorant, get the camera, pack the insurance papers, etc. I managed to keep calm, despite the contractions that were kicking in. Paul was scrambling all over. I couldn't help but laugh; it was like a chicken with his head cut off. I have to give him some credit though, cause I was asking him to do a lot of things all at once. 

Eventually we made it to the car and began our drive to Timpanogos Regional Hospital. Bumps in the road and potholes have never been so painful. Luckily, Paul was able to avoid most of them. As we drove to the hospital, we both noticed how big and bright the moon was. We found out later that it was a "Super Moon". Turns out that more babies are born when there is a full moon. Weird, huh?

We arrived to the hospital and were admitted. It was crazy to know that I was going to deliver a baby within 24 hours! Although I was very nervous, it still seemed surreal. Regardless, I was very excited that I was about to be done with this pregnancy! Can't you see how happy I was?!  

The night nurse came in and started getting me ready. She put the tocometer and fetal heart monitor on my belly and then got ready to put in an IV. She had a nursing student with her and I encouraged her to give it a shot. I felt it was necessary to offer up my veins to a nursing student and pay it forward because of all the kind patients that did the same for me over these past few years. She successfully made it into the vein... but then she kept advancing the needle and she popped out the backside of the vein. This made for a lovely bruise. The nurse then went to my other hand. She was going to do it, but I offered up my other hand to the nursing student. IVs can be really intimidating-- especially when you think you only have one chance. I am pleased to announce that she did a great job and got it in the second time!

Once they finished getting me attached to all of the equipment and monitors, they checked to see how I was progressing. A dismal TWO centimeters. I knew then that we had a long day ahead of us.

Eventually, the night nurse went home and we met the day nurse. She was not a very happy woman. Initially, I attributed this to the fact that it was early. Unfortunately, she never got any better. I'm pretty sure I met all of the nurses that day. Why? Because my nurse was always doing something else so a random nurse would pop her head in to check on me. I am grateful that I'm in the nursing program, because I feel comfortable in the hospital. Otherwise, I think it would have been really tough to have a neglectful nurse. 

A few hours passed and I was in a lot of pain. I had been trying my best to stay calm and relaxed during the contractions, but I was to the point where I couldn't didn't want to do it any longer. A short while later, I was enjoying my epidural. It was perfect. I could hardly feel the contractions, but I was still aware of what was going on with  my body. I was able to completely relax and I began to doze. (Keep in mind, the previous day was really busy and then I only got 3 hours of sleep before my water broke. I was exhausted!)

Paul began watching the tocometer and he noticed that I was hardly having any contractions-- even though I was on pitocin. We were getting really worried that I wasn't progressing, which got me thinking about the possibility that I might have to get a c-section. I was terrified. Finally my nurse came back in and checked me. I was prepared for her to tell me that I was still a 2. To my delight, I was close to a 5! It turns out that the tocometer had shifted and wasn't picking up my contractions. What a relief! 

I began to feel more pressure and I knew that I was getting close. Then, we began to notice that Vincent's heart rate kept dropping. Paul and I started to get nervous. I was expecting a nurse to notice what was happening on the screen and then come and bust the door down. No one came, so Paul went and got someone. After wearing an oxygen mask for a while and completely turning on my side, his heart rate improved-- but it still wasn't where it should have been. 

My nurse eventually made it back into my room to check me again. I was completely dilated and effaced! She told me she was going to call the doctor to see if we could begin pushing. She also informed me that some doctors like it if you wait a little bit so the baby can continue to descend on his own.

An HOUR later she came back. She then revealed, 

"The doctor said that you could start pushing, but I needed to take a break. I'm ready now!"

WHAT?! Who is this lady?? Somehow I just brushed it off and got ready to push. I pushed for an hour and the doctor showed up just in the nick of time. Two pushes later, his head was out. The cord was wrapped around his neck, which is why his heart rate was dropping. The doctor tried to pull the cord over Vincent's head, but just as he was about to get it over the crown of his head, the cord broke! I heard the snap and saw blood spatter. I had no idea what happened but I knew something was wrong. I finished delivering the baby and Dr. Rees clamped the cord within seconds. Had the cord remained unclamped, Vincent could have bled to death! Thankfully, Rees was very prepared and knew what he needed to do. 

He put Vincent on my chest and I just stared at him. I couldn't believe that I was finally meeting him! He hardly cried, which actually worried me. I was scared that he wasn't clearing his lungs and breathing properly. It turns out that Vincent is just a very calm baby and he doesn't cry very much. (I hope this lasts!)

He was born at 5:02 pm on May 6, 2012.

He weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 inches long. 

He was perfect.

He won our hearts over immediately.

We went through a bit of a scare that night when we found out that he was hypoglycemic. I couldn't believe how quickly I became attached to him. I had met him just a few hours earlier, but I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to him. Fortunately, he recovered and didn't need to go to the NICU.

We took him home, as planned, on May 8th. 

We have been loving him to pieces ever since.

It's a...

BOY!

Paul and I couldn't be happier!

At our last appointment, six weeks ago, we were informed that today would be the big day.

However, when we came in for our ultrasound, the nurse seemed confused.

She looked through the appointments and then told us that we weren't signed up for an ultrasound!

She asked us if we had taken a certain paper to the front desk when we scheduled our appointment...

Unfortunately, no one ever gave us said paper.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that they were booked until Dec 29th!

The nurse was very supportive and ensured us that we would at least try to determine the gender today.

Paul and I sat in our little room waiting for the doctor and I thought I was going to burst into tears.

It was so frustrating that no one gave us the paper we needed for the ultrasound.

There was nothing we could have done.

So we sat and waited.

The doctor came in and told us he wasn't very good with ultrasounds but he could try.

... this scared me.

I would rather wait to know the gender than to be told the wrong gender.

He reassured us and gave it a shot.

But Baby Hannibal was stubborn and would not show his parts.

I was so sad.

We finished up our appointment and went to the front desk to schedule another appointment.

When the secretary told us the next opening was over a week away, I began crying.

I was extremely embarrassed, but I was so bummed out that I couldn't hold it in!

She immediately hopped up and spoke with the technician.

When she came back to the desk she asked if we could wait an extra thirty minutes.

I couldn't believe my ears!!

We later found out that the "big screen" they use to display the ultrasound images was broken.

Instead of getting the big screen fixed, the tech cancelled the repair man and squeezed us in.

I have never been so grateful and happy in my life.

So, after a long, stressful morning we finally got to see our baby boy.

He was moving all around in there, sucking his thumb, wiggling his toes and kicking my bladder. 

Once we got back to our apartment, we opened up a gift from Paul's parents.

They left for Ukraine before they knew the gender, so they gave us two gifts: one in case it was a boy and one in case it was a girl. 

We stowed away the pink gift and pulled out the blue gift.

Inside we were surprised with the cutest little boy things:

Blankets, a blue teddy bear, a bib, two pairs of knitted shoes and baby toys.

I can't wait to stock up on more things for our little BOY!

And baby makes three.

Yep.

That's right folks.

Paul and I are having a baby!

The baby has been baking for about 17 weeks now.

Thus far, pregnancy isn't too bad.

I was super nauseous from weeks 5 though 9.

(Luckily, I never threw up).

My biggest "symptom" is exhaustion.

I'm tired all the time.

The biggest change has been my growing belly.

I couldn't really tell I was pregnant until the past week or two.

I swear, this baby had a growth spurt or something.

...and I don't think baby plans on slowing down any time soon.

We find out the gender on December 21!

Being busy with school is the only thing that has kept me from going crazy until we find out.

Oh, and did I mention that Paul is the best husband ever?

Seriously, there is no way I could do this without him.

Well, that's all for  now.

Stay tuned for updates!

17 weeks

 

I couldn't believe my eyes.

The 4th semester of the Nursing program is dedicated to Peds and OB.

For the past month, I have been going up to Primary Children's Medical Center for clinical.

This past week we made a switch and I did my first week at American Fork for OB.

Most students are excited to witness the miracle of birth.

...I was a little nervous though.

As some of you already know, I am a fainter.

I tried to keep a positive attitude as I dove into the thick of things.

However, watching an epidural made me queasy and lightheaded.

What was I supposed to do?

I talked to my nurse and expressed my concern.

To which she replied, 

"Oh honey. You need orange juice!"

 

One cup of orange juice is all it took.

I went from being a sissy to being Wonder Woman!

 

My nurse and I had two patients, which kept us quite busy.

Then, it happened.

Patient #1 was ready to go... but the doctor was not.

With babies, there really is no waiting.

So, we got to work.

Right at the last moment, the doctor rushed into the room.

I couldn't believe my eyes as the mother gave birth to a little boy.

I was touched by this special experience and found myself fighting back tears.

Then, it happened again.

Patient #2 was ready to go... and once again, the doctor was not.

These patients shared the same doctor and he still had to finish up with Patient #1.

So, my nurse and I got to work... again.

This doctor must be a pro, because he came rushing in right at the last moment again.

The baby was out in no time.

Another miracle, right before my eyes.

Talk about the best day of clinical... ever.