First Days at the Hospital

Well right after Adler was born all was perfect. 

Then my spinal wore off. 

Then I remembered why I wanted that VBAC.   

Maybe I'm a total wuss or maybe the recovery from a c-section is really that bad.  No matter how much pain medication they gave me I was still in SO much pain.  With Asher I didn't get out of bed for almost 48 hours.  After talking with some friends who had their 2nd section I knew that getting up and moving around was the best thing for me.  So first thing Saturday morning they took my cath out and got me out of bed.  OHMIGOD.  I hate to say that I totally missed my catheter because now I actually had to get out of bed or risk peeing myself.  It was rough but I tried to stay out of bed for much of that afternoon.  I didn't have too many visitors (I think I scared them all off) so it was nice to just be by myself and have all my time with my munchkin. 

Asher came on Friday morning with Mom and The Sister. He was sooooo shy. When he gets nervous he picks his nose. You'll see that in these pictures...

When he came back later that night so that Papa could see him he was all about being a Big Brother!  He loves to give him kisses and lay his head on him - its so cute :)

I'm glad one of my nurses asked me if she could take a couple of pictures of me and Adler on Friday afternoon.  She said that most people forget to take pictures of just the baby and Mommy.  And although I was sleep deprived and terribly puffy I'm glad I have these.

 Dustin & Asher went golfing on Saturday and when they stopped by Asher was all about his little brother. 

 Asher took a much needed nap

 And Dustin and I had our proud parent dinner.

There were more hugs and kisses before the boys headed off to RJ's Graduation Party.

 So Mama took some time to snap a couple of pics of my newest lil man.

The next morning the boys came to pick me up.  I was so excited to be going home!

 I felt like Asher standing at the window waiting for the boys to come and get me.

Asher wanted to hold his Brudder one more time before we left. 

All dressed up and ready to go home!

PS - Mama won the expect net poll!  I kept telling my Mom I just knew he'd be born on the 18th :)

Adler's Birth Story

I'm not even sure where to begin. 

Wednesday was my last day of work.  I had really been hoping this lil guy would make his appearance soon so that I wasn't wasting my maternity leave by taking off a few days before my due date.  He didn't disappoint!  Mom, Taylor and I had made plans to go to Gibson and eat lunch at the Bayern Stube on Thursday so that morning Taylor headed over to my house to ride with me and Asher.  When I went to the bathroom I noticed I had some of what I was pretty sure was bloody show (remember that I never went into labor with Asher!).  I just felt "different" that morning so when we were leaving for lunch I had The Sister snap a couple of pictures of Asher and me since I had a feeling that today was the day.

We went to Gibson and ate lunch.  I ate a lot.  That happens when I go there.

On the way home I felt what I thought might be contractions.  I felt kind of stupid because I had no idea if they were real or if they were just bad cramps.  By the time we were pulling into Forrest I was pretty sure thats what was going on.  It was about 12:30 on Thursday May 17th.

We went back to Mom and Dad's so Asher could take a nap there since I wasn't feeling the best.  My contractions just kept feeling stronger but I still wasn't sure this was it.  I texted Dustin to make sure he was somewhere in the area and lucked out because he was just working in McDowell.  I told him to be on standby just in case.  I tried to take a nap but it wasn't working.  At about 2:00 Mom convinced me to call down to my Dr's office and check with them so that it didn't get too late and they were closed.  I called down and talked to my favorite nurse Nela.  She told me to go lay down for an hour, try to time contractions and count kicks then call her back.  So I laid down and timed contractions on an app on my phone and they appeared to be about 7 minutes apart. 

I called Nela back an hour later to tell her what was going on.  Dr Austman was out that day but the other Dr in the office thought I had better head down to the hospital to get checked out because I was a VBAC and positive for Group B.  I called Dustin to come home and then went home to get the bags ready.  I had a REALLY hard time telling Asher bye.  I was gonna miss him and was pretty sure both our worlds were gonna change that day.

Dustin and I left town about 4:00 and as we were pulling out of the garage I got a text from Jodi.  She had just left her appt and told me she had scheduled her induction for the next morning.  I told her "ohhhh, thats funny.  We're on our way to the hospital now!"

We got to the hospital about 4:30.  I had been timing contrations on the way down and was amazed to see that they seemed to be 2-3 minutes apart.  I still didn't believe it.  When I got there they hooked me all up to check and see if they were real contractions - and they were!  Every 1-2 minutes.  I was staying!  And I think Dustin was shitting his pants at this point.  I had Dustin call Mom to tell her we were staying but it wasn't a big hurry for them to get there.  Dr Austman arrived and checked me at about 5:00 PM and said I was completely effaced and at a 1-2.  I was disappointed that I wasn't further along but she said she was happy with that since I wasn't dilated at all on Monday.

Contractions hurt.  And they were close together and sometimes right on top of one another.  Mom and Taylor arrived a little after 7 and I told Mom to go ahead and call Lynn.  I spent my time swaying back and forth and holding on to my IV for dear life.  That really seemed to help.  And time on the birthing ball.  Being stuck in the bed was awful so I was so glad when Dr Austman told them to hook me up to the wireless monitors.  Lynn arrived a little after 8:00 and Dr Austman checked me again.  1-2.  Seriously?

Lynn got to work.  She is AMAZING.  I loved her before but I love her even more after she stuck it out with me until about 1 AM.  Not only was Lynn awesome - I can't say enough about the Nurses at GAH.  During my stay I was the ONLY maternity patient.  Gotta say I loved having their undivided attention :)

We seemed to have a pattern.  I would bear through contraction after contraction - oddly swirling my feet around and back and forth was how I helped cope with the pain - weird right?  I hated that I was  going through so much pain and not getting anywhere.  About 1:00 I got sick.  My nurse was like "hey!  You told me you haven't ate since noon!"  Haha I said "yeah, but you didn't ask me how much I ate..."  Every time Dr A checked me I was still at a 1-2.  She said his head was there but she thought it was big.  My nurse called him melon head :)  at about 2:00 AM we were still 1-2 cm. 

I was getting really tired.  Dr Austman said that if I wanted to continue she could give me a very small dose of pitocin and see where I was in a couple of hours.  She had told me the risks of pitocin with a VBAC since the beginning.  I asked if she thought I would still be 1-2 in a couple of hours and she said she was pretty sure I would be but wanted to give me every chance to have my VBAC.  After 13 hours of labor and absolutely NO progression I made the decision for a c-section about 2:30 AM on Friday May 18th. 

At the time I didn't have time to worry about the fact that I wasn't getting the birth that I wanted.  I was tired and in pain.  I just wanted it to be over.  So shortly after the decision was made I walked down to the OR and they sat me on the side of the table to get my spinal.  At this point I don't think I was even coherent.  I was soooo tired and was still contracting every 1-2 minutes.  I started shaking and crying and was totally out of it.  I waited over 30 minutes for the Dr who was assisting to get there so they could start my spinal.  I think that was one of the longest 30 minutes of my life.  I was in so much pain and knew that at anytime they would give me the spinal and the pain would be gone.  Thank God for my Nurse Deb who took over and put her hands on my shoulder and reminded me to breathe and look at her.  The nurses there are awesome. 

Once I got my spinal things moved pretty quickly.  Adler Weber Popejoy was born at 3:41 AM on Friday May 18th.  He weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long.  He came out screaming and pooping and instantly made his Mama an emotional mess.  I hate being stuck on the table and missing everything that was going on.  My Nurse Deb yelled over the curtain that I had just given birth to Andre The Giant and that she was pretty sure he was going to wear a size 16 shoe.

They cleaned him up and gave me a peek before they headed off to the nursery.    I got back to my room at about 5:00 AM.  They brought me Adler and I was amazed that he looked EXACTLY like Asher.  He nursed for a good hour and then we cuddled until he had to go get his first bath.  I was too keyed up to sleep so I watched TV and waited for them to bring him back! 

Dr Austman came into my room and told me that there was no way he was going to come out and that I made the right decision.  She said that since his head was big it was just stuck and wouldn't come down far enough to cause me to dilate.  Poor lil guy had a huge cone head and both of his ears were completely folded down from being stuck down there.  Thankfully they've pretty much come out of it now :)  I hate that I had to make that decision but felt better about it after Dr A and the nurses all told me that a c-section was necessary.

It was a VERY long day/night but my Little Big Bubby was there safe :)

PS - My Nephew Kaden Ryan Popejoy was born later that day.  We have us a set of Birthday Boys :)

39 Week Appointment

Weight Gain This Appointment: Lost 1 pound

Total so Far: 37 pounds

Belly Measurement: She didn't take it since I was "full term"

Brudder's Heart Rate: 140's
Progress:  I was almost completely thinned out but not dilated at all :(

What's Next:  I was for sure disappointed when she said I wasn't dilated but she said I was almost completely thinned out.  I asked her what that meant and she said that when I do dilate it will be "amazing."  Still not sure what that means.  She was also able to feel his head when she checked me so at least I know his head is down!  She said if nothing has happened by Friday to come down to the Gibson office and she'll check me again.  Then she said what are we gonna do if you're still pregnant next Monday (my due date).  I just stared at her and she said we didn't have to talk about it yet.  I know she was asking if I wanted to set a c-section date but I just can't do that yet.  Sooooo we'll just see what happens!

39 Weeks

How far along?: 39 Weeks


How big is baby?: Baby Center says about 7 lbs and 20 inches


Weight gain/loss?: 38 pounds at last appt - I go back to the Dr today to see what the damage is.


Stretch marks?: Nope


Maternity clothes?:  Every shirt  I have is too short.  I'm glad we only have a week or less to go.  I Hope.


Sleep?: It isn't all that bad.  I guess my bladder is just getting me ready for a lil one that will be up a few times a night!


Food cravings?:  No cravings really.  My eating has slowed down a lot.  Thank God.


Gender?: Another Brudder!


Movement?:  Still squirming around in there - although I wonder how he has the room!


Belly button?: You mean my third nipple? Yes, its out.


Friday I had some major cramps and lower back pain.  I thought for sure something was going to happen!  But after some sleep it was much better the next day.  I'm going to make sure she checks me today to see if anything is going on because this weekend is the first time I've really had a lot of Braxton Hicks and cramps.  And I'm pretty sure his head must be down now - I feel like I've got a bowling ball settled down in there! 

An "Oh Shit" Moment

On Sunday I took something into Brudder's room and just stood there.

I thought "Oh Shit" there is going to be a new person in this room in less than a week (I hope).

 Maybe it was the itty bitty diapers that fit in the palm of my hand.

 Or all those tiny shoes.

 Maybe it was seeing all of Asher's clothes hanging in the closet.

 But I think what hit me the hardest was taking Asher's name off of the wall.  It made me so sad that this wasn't his room anymore but I'm sure all of that sadness will disappear when his brother arrives.



And gets to come home.

Fat Face

Saturday night when I went home to get cleaned up before dinner I put on my cute new maxi dress and actually did my hair and make-up.  I wanted to feel "cute" one last time.  I had Mom snap a couple of pictures of us because I don't think we have a single picture of the 3 of us before we become 4!  You have no idea how bad I felt when I pulled them up on the computer.  I had no idea my face was that fat.  Or my arms.  I'm just so ready now for this to be over at this point - I'm just hoping the fat face goes away right away!

One year ago.  Skinny with cute hair.  Remind me again why I'm growing it out?!?!

I told my cousin Kris that I could pry scare her into never having kids.  I think this would actually suffice.

The "Plan"

I'm hesitant of even typing this out because after Asher's Birth I know that some things don't go according to plan.  I thought I was prepared for Asher's birth but when he came a couple of weeks early via emergency c-section I wasn't ready.  The thought of a c-section had never even crossed my mind.  Shortly after I found out I was pregnant with this lil guy I started looking into VBAC's and asked Dr Austman if it was an option.  I was SO excited when she told me she thought I had a great chance at having a VBAC (because my c-section was because of Asher and not me).  Beyond that I didn't really have any plans.  A couple of months ago I started thinking a little more seriously about trying to do this without medication.  Yes, I just said that.  But after reading Leah's unplanned med-free birth story with Isaac and her planned med-free birth story with Ezra I was even more convinced that it was something I wanted to look into.  Then a couple of weeks ago I read how Katie was grateful that her epi wore off and she was able to feel the pain of childbirth and I was sold.

Although I am so grateful that Asher was healthy when he arrived his birth wasn't what I thought it would be.  At first I think I was just so overwhelmed by the whole experience, then I was just trying to heal and take care of a newborn that I didn't really think about HOW he got here.  It really wasn't until I was pregnant this second time that I reflected on his birth and how I feel about it.  I don't want to say that I felt "cheated" because in the end all I wanted was a healthy baby and that is what I got.  I think it more has to do with the fact that this is my last baby (according to my husband) so I want to do it MY way.

After Asher was born they held him up for me to see him for a few seconds and that was it.  I watched his birth video a couple of months ago and there was Dustin in the nursery with him while I was being put back together.  There were my Mother-In-Laws fussing over my newborn that I hadn't really even gotten to see yet.  There was me being wheeled into the recovery room completely dazed and out of it.  I did not get a chance to hold my baby and have some "alone time" because of all of the family there wanting to see him.  Not that I can really blame them - we do make pretty cute babies.  But this time - I want it to be different.

I guess its the part of me that feels the need for control.  I want to actually experience the whole birth process.  I want to be the first person to bond with my baby.  So I'm hoping that this time things go a little more according to plan.  BUT that doesn't mean that I'm naive enough to think that another c-section isn't a possibility or that I won't be screaming for an epidural before we even get to the hospital.

Dustin is still trying to get me to opt for a c-section because it is just "easier."  I told him if he has the next child he can choose how he wants to give birth.  My Mom (who will be with me) has told me repeatedly that I'm a wuss and I'll never make it.  Gee, thanks Mom.  I really do think my saving grace will be Lynn.  Not only is she one of the most calming and supportive people I've ever met - but I know for a fact that she'll be the one there to encourage me through this.  No offense to Dustin and Mom whom I both love to death - but I think they will be totally stressing me out - or maybe they'll totally surprise me.  I guess we'll see.  Although I do want my Mom there for labor/birth I have told her as soon as he is born she'll need to get out.  I want that time alone as a family.  And I've expressed to family that we'll let them know when we're ready for visitors. 

So I guess for now that's the "plan."  But don't be surprised if his birth story is very different from what I have envisioned in my head :)

38 Week Appointment

Weight Gain This Appointment: 4 lbs!  In a week!

Total so Far: 38 pounds

Belly Measurement: She didn't take it since I was "full term"

Brudder's Heart Rate: 130's
Progress:  She didn't check me because I haven't been having contractions :(

What's Next:  What a disappointing appointment.  At this point when she says "I'll see you in a week" it makes me wanna cry.  Yes, I know that I still have 2 weeks left but I am SO over it.  So we'll go back in a week and see what happens.  She did say that she thinks he *might* be head down but if he is she thinks he is sunnyside up.  I asked her about the ultrasound to check my scar and she said that it was optional and she didn't think no matter what the outcome was that she would change her mind so she said we weren't going to worry about it and we can always check his position when we get to hospital.

She also said that she had a VBAC fail last week.  She said if you would have seen me the day after that VBAC I would have told you no.  I guess she was at the hospital 24 hours with someone and they ended up with a c-section.  She said once she got some sleep she changed her mind.  Thank God!  Hopefully we don't have the same problems.

38 Weeks

How far along?: 38 Weeks

How big is baby?: About 7 lbs and 19.5 inches

Weight gain/loss?: 34 pounds at last appt - I go back to the Dr today to see what the damage is.

Stretch marks?: Nope

Maternity clothes?:  Thank God its warming up!  Going to be living in maxi dresses.

Sleep?: Not terrible considering the fact that I feel like a beached whale everytime I turn over or get up to pee.

Food cravings?:  Nothing much.  I couldn't help buying strawberries and pineapple at the grocery store this weekend and those are tasting pretty good.  Oh, and hot and spicy bloody mary mix!

Gender?: Another Brudder!

Movement?:  He's killing me.  He seems to still be laying sideways and up high so the top of my tummy is huge and SO tight.  And the hiccups...

Belly button?: You mean my third nipple? Yes, its out.

This is the week that I had Asher so its really hitting home that I'm going to have this baby - and soon!  There are still several things on my to-do list and its kind of starting to freak me out so hopefully we can get everything accomplished before Brudder gets here!  I'm starting to get very excited about meeting my little man.  I think the biggest thing I've been thinking about is whether he'll look just like Asher?!?!  I hope he does cuz I think my Bubby is the cutest lil guy ever but on the other hand I would love for one of my boys to get Mommy's eyes this time :)

37 Week Appointment

Weight Gain This Appointment: 0!

Total so Far: 34 pounds

Belly Measurement: She didn't take it since I was "full term"

Brudder's Heart Rate: 150's

What's Next:  Another quick and easy appointment.  I tested positive for Group B Strep - I was a little surprised because I don't know anyone who has ever said they had a test come back positive.  She said its no biggie unless I come to the hospital ready to push.  They will just need to give me antibiotics every 4 hours while in labor.  I also had blood in my urine - which I did with Asher at this time too.  When she started feeling around on my belly I could tell she was having trouble finding his head again and judging by the two huge lumps on top I was wondering myself if his head wasn't down again.  She said that she wasn't going to worry about it yet because he still had time to turn.

Expect Net

Don't forget to go to Expect Net and leave your guess about when Brudder will arrive and how big he'll be!  The game will be shut down as of May 11th!

37 Weeks

 I didn't seem to take any pictures with Asher after 36 weeks!  This is why I switched to weekly updates/pictures with this lil guy. 

How far along?: 37 Weeks

How big is baby?: 6 1/3 pounds & 19 inches - according to Babycenter but we're thinking he's a lil bigger than that.

Weight gain/loss?: 34 pounds at last appt - I go back to the Dr today to see what the damage is.

Stretch marks?: Nope

Maternity clothes?:  Can't wait to burn them.

Sleep?: A little better.  I think the Unisom is helping!

Food cravings?: Froot Loops.  I know this isn't the best breakfast for me but its all I ate when I was preggo with Asher too.

Gender?: Another Brudder!

Movement?: Lots of feet on top!  I've had some major Braxton Hicks the last week or so.

Belly button?: You mean my third nipple?  Yes, its out.