Category: pregnancy

The Bear has BIG News…

He’s going to be a …
BIG BROTHER!!!
We are so excited.  Baby #2, who we are calling Mini Bear, is due at the end of April.  I’m about 9 weeks pregnant with tons of morning sickness to show for it.  I’ll post lots more fun details and the sonogram picture later, so stay tuned.  

My Postpartum Fashion Crisis

I am in the midst of a postpartum fashion crisis.  I’ve lost 2/3 of the baby weight, but as I was 20 lbs overweight when I got pregnant I still have a long way to go.  In the mean time I need some clothes that actually fit.  Maternity clothes hang off me like a tent, but pre-baby clothes are tight and ill-fitting.  I’m living in wardrobe limbo.  My body has changed a lot because of the pregnancy, c-section, and breastfeeding.  Holler if ya hear me, mamas.

I was watching Stacy and Clinton regulate on “What Not to Wear” and came to the realization that they would be horrified by my current wardrobe.  I am shocked at how quickly I fallen into bad mom clothes.  To add insult to injury, I haven’t had a hair cut in over a year.  Yikes.  Please send help.  I’m trying to see this as an opportunity to start over and buy classic pieces that will last.  Stacy and Clinton gave their pupil a list of basics, so I went to the TLC site to check it out.

The “What Not to Wear” Basics List

  • 1 cocktail dress
  • 4 day dresses – I have 3 summery ones, but nothing for fall.  
  • 1 walking short    I don’t wear shorts.  Yuck.
  • 6 blouses – bought a few cute nursing tops from Gap
  • 2 cardigans – just bought one, a lovely dark teal for fall
  • 1 denim jacket
  • 4-5 assorted camisoles
  • 1 trench coat
  • 2 blazers
  • 1 black peep toe heel
  • 1 red heel
  • 1 ballet flat – got it
  • 1 wedge – I had some rockin’ Toms wedges, but my feet seem to have grown during pregnancy.  Will the injustice never end?
  • 1 sandal – got it 
  • 5 bangles 
  • 5 earrings – got em
  • 5 necklaces – got em, but could use a few new ones
  • 1 clutch – got it
  • 1 everyday bag – got it

I would add a pair of dark, stretchy jeans, a pair of black pants, and a few a line skirts.  What are your fashion basics?  How did you deal with the postpartum body change?  How did you lose the baby weight?

Fisher’s Birth Story

 Welcome to the world, Fisher Scott Eby.  We are so excited that you’re here.  Our boy is 7 1/2 weeks old now, and we are getting the hang of parenting him a little more each day.  It has taken me a little while to be ready to tell this story.  I did not have the birth I planned or expected, and for some reason I needed to mourn the loss of that for a little while.  As my due date approached, everything was looking good.  I had been 3-4 cm dilated for weeks and almost completely effaced.  Because Fisher was measuring large, my doctor wanted to induce before my due date.  I wanted to wait until a few days after, and she respected that decision, but didn’t want me to wait very long.  We negotiated for 3 days after the due date.
On May 31st we went in for our induction at 8 am.  They told me not to eat, but I’ve never been a rules kid so we hit Chick-fil-a on the way.  I researched eating during labor and saw that the only reason they tell you not to is because of the slim chance of an emergency c-section, and if in case of c-section the slim chance you will have to put under general anethesia.  Jed made me confess to the nurse that I had eaten (he is such a rules kid), and the only consequence was that I had to wait until noon to be eligible for an epidural.  So glad I ate those chicken minis.
I wanted to try to birth without meds, but knew it would be difficult with pitocin contractions.  When we arrived I was 4 cm dilated and totally effaced.  I started progressing well and held off the epidural until around 1.  The reason I went for it was that I had my sister and brother-in-law in the room (who are a nurse and doctor) reading the monitor and telling me the strength of the contractions.  I could handle them ok where they were, but knew they would be getting worse.  Once back labor started I was ready for some meds.
My doctor offices 2 floors below labor and delivery, so she was in and out all day which was unexpected and awesome.  Fisher was flipped sunny side up which makes for a difficult delivery, so she tried to turn him twice.  This was not fun.  Seriously not fun.
After laboring from 10 until 5:30, I was at 10 cm and ready to push.  Fisher was still facing up so I knew I had a hard road ahead.  My doctor, our awesome nurse, my mom, sister, and Jed were all in the room.  I pushed with everything I had for 2 hours without much progress.  Fisher moved only from a -2 to a -1.  My doctor was concerned but knew I wanted to avoid a c-section so she let me push a further 30 minutes.  I have never worked so hard in my whole life.  My epidural wore off for the most part after 1.5 hours of pushing, and the back labor was like no pain I’ve ever experienced.  My sweet sister was my doula and massaged my back throughout the pushing while Jed and our nurse held my legs.  My doctor allowed me to try several different positions (all fours, on my side, etc) but nothing worked.  After 2.5 hours of pushing and no movement, my doctor broke the news that I would have to have a c-section.  She didn’t want to attempt to use forceps or a vacuum because he was stuck behind my pelvis and his shoulder would almost certainly break.  I agreed to a c-section and the wheels went into motion.  I was calm and had a peace about it, but it was pretty scary for Jed.
Because my epidural had stopped working a new had to be put in, but it didn’t work either.  Finally after 45 minutes of trying to get me numb the doctor had to use local and light general anesthesia.  This freaked Jed out because I had eaten a few Luna bars throughout the day (so not a rules kid).  Thankfully Fisher was not in distress so they were able to wait for me to be numb.  The c-section went well and Jed was handed our beautiful baby boy at 8:56 pm, just 13 hours after arriving at the hospital.  He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz, and was 19 in long.

This is our first family photo.  I am totally out of it, but so relieved to have a healthy baby.  I just knew he was a boy the whole pregnancy.  🙂

Our sweet friends and family were in the waiting room for hours so they could meet our boy.  They are awesome.

Fisher was a little bit angry to be out in the world.  
Finally I got to hold him in the recovery room where we tried to nurse and had a few minutes to bond.  I fell in love instantly and am so grateful to have him in my life.  I mourned the birth that I wanted and that was not expected.  It was really hard for me to get over the fact that I couldn’t birth my son the way I wanted to.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for modern medicine because without it my son and I might not be here.  Fisher was so stuck in my pelvis that the nurse had to push him back out so the doctor could pull him out.  Yikes.  There was no way he would have birthed vaginally.  I second guess the decision to induce and wonder if we had waited until he was ready if he would have flipped over to the correct position.  We will never know, and I have to come to terms with the birth I did have.  I was made to be Fisher’s mama, and I am so thankful to the Lord for providing me with a beautiful, healthy son.    
 Did you have a birth plan?  Did your birth go according to plan?  

If you guessed boy, you were…

…right!  Our sweet boy, Fisher Scott Eby, was born on Tuesday.  The birth got a little complicated, but he made it here safe and sound.  I’ll tell that story later, after I catch up on some sleep.  He weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 19 inches long at birth.  We are so in love with him and can’t believe he is ours.  I can’t wait to tell you all about him, but it is almost time to feed him so it will have to wait.  Here is a little picture to tide you over.  Isn’t he the sweetest?  He is already fighting his way out of swaddles at 5 days old.  Look at that double chin!  Ok, I can’t stay away any longer, have to get off the computer.  

   

Pregnancy Update – 40 Weeks

So, here we are, at our due date and still waiting.  You might be saying, “Becca, it is totally normal to go past your due date.  Chill out.”  True, but there are a few updates I’ve kept out of the blog until now that made me really think this baby was going to be here weeks ago.  Consider this fair warning if you don’t want TMI about my cervix and come back later.  
The picture above was taken at 36 weeks, and I was already 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  My doctor gave me orders to slow down, take it easy, don’t do anything that could cause labor for 2 more weeks.  I tried my best to follow those orders, but also had a huge fundraiser and a ton of other work stuff to do in the meantime.  At 37 weeks I was between 2-3 cm, and at 38 weeks I was at a 3.  I started having real contractions mixed in with Braxton Hicks (wow, there’s a major difference) at 38 weeks.  A few days before I reached 39 weeks, we had a major false alarm.  I had been having pretty powerful contractions all day, and they were anywhere between 4-7 minutes apart.  Because I was already so dilated and had a nightmare about delivering the baby myself the night before, I called the doctor.  She told me to come in to get checked around 8 pm.  We waited a little while longer, then headed to the hospital thinking we might be coming home with a baby.  The strapped me down to the monitors for 3 hours, but I wasn’t progressing at all so they sent us home.  It was awful.  That was 9 days ago.  
My sweet mama couldn’t stand it anymore, so she and my daddy headed here the next morning.  That night I woke up with horrible contractions about 10 minutes apart from about 3:30 am to 5 am.  I didn’t wake anyone up (so nice of me, right?) and just coped by bouncing on the birthing ball, walking around, etc.  I thought that once again, it might be time.  Around 5 am I was able to go back to sleep in between, and woke up 4 hours later like nothing had ever happened.  We spent the rest of the weekend with my parents helping us get stuff done around the house, going on walks twice a day, and eating lots of spicy food.  Still nothing…  
My parents went back home (5 hours away) on Sunday morning, and we went back to waiting.  
This past week was Jed’s last week of teaching, so we were glad to get through it.  He is also in graduate school, so he used this week to get a little ahead.  I’ve had BH contractions all week, and at my 39 week appointment I was between 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  I’ve had several friends tell me that I’m lucky, because they spent hours in hard labor to get to 3-4 cm.  I’m so grateful things are progressing, but I’m just ready for this labor to start in earnest.
I plan to post on Twitter when things get going, so follow along if you’re curious.  To keep yourself entertained in the interim, go HERE and enter to win a $100 giftcard for party and wedding supplies from Ann’s Bridal Bargains.         
How do you keep yourself entertained while waiting for a big, much anticipated event (like labor) to start?  

The Top Ten Things I’ll Miss About Being Pregnant

I’m so ready for Baby Bun to arrive, but there are a few things I’ll miss about being pregnant. Here are the top ten.

10)  Sleeping with a giant body pillow
It has become the 3rd person in our marriage and Jed likes to use it as an arm rest.

9)  Asking people to fetch things for me
I told Jed the other day that sometimes getting up or rolling over feels like trying to move a mountain.  I have to make a decision about how much I really want that glass of water or to pick up that thing I dropped.  Now I just ask someone else to get it for me.

8)  Setting the thermostat as I see fit
I have a built in space heater right now.  I am normally cold natured, so much so that I will sleep with a down comforter while Jed has just a sheet.  Now we have totally reversed roles.  Will I go back to normal?

7)  A million craft ideas inspired by pregnancy
Mobiles and onesies and decorating…

6)  Wearing very stretchy, comfy clothes 24/7
Stretchy pants rock and flowy skirts rock.  Let’s be honest, I wear a lot of flowy skirts normally.

5)  Feeling my baby move inside me
I know I will miss this feeling, but I can’t wait to see my sweet baby moving around on the outside.

4)  Constantly asking other people to carry things for me
Usually I just tough it out and tote things myself, but I’ve had to give in and ask for help.  Sometimes I think that 80% of my job is loading and unloading my car for events.  I will definitely miss people helping me all the time.

3)  Preparing daily for motherhood
I’ve read so many books and websites, prayed and discussed, and spent so much time and energy getting ready for Baby Bun.  The preparation and anticipation has been fun, but I’m ready for it to be over.

2)  Giving in to food cravings
Buttered popcorn – yes, please.  Garlic bread – absolutely.  Fresh fruit by the basket full – bring it on.  

1)  Knowing my body creates the perfect home for my baby
It is so comforting knowing that my body cares for my baby perfectly, and I hope I can do so once he/she is born.

What do you miss about pregnancy or another phase in life that has recently passed?

Click here to read about the upcoming Baby Bliss event.  

My Maternity Photo Shoot – Part 1

37 Weeks 
My sweet friends Sydney and Raychel took maternity photos for me, first at the Dallas Arboretum, then with Jed at White Rock Lake and our home.  In retrospect we should have done it before I started to resemble a house, but I’m still so glad to have them.  Both ladies are super talented and teaching themselves to be photographers.  This first round is from Sydney, and are just a few of my favorites.  She edited some of them, and then I tweaked some using Picnik.      

 Looking at pictures of yourself at nine months pregnant is a bit humbling, because you really are as big as you feel.  On the other hand, I love having these pictures of our little family before we meet our Baby Bun.  We are nervous and excited and waiting patiently for our new addition.

 We tried not to be too cheesy.  I started to giggle whenever we would strike a goofy pose.  I think these all turned our really well.  The sun was SUPER bright, so there were some shadows, but these look as natural as you can look posing in a field of wildflowers with your husband.

Do you schedule family photo shoots?  

Counting Down the Days

I am so hugely pregnant right now, and the days are quickly dwindling.  We have our OB appointment today, and I’m nervous and excited about it.  We will get to see our baby for the first time since the 20 week ultrasound, and Jed is worried that we will accidentally find out the gender.  I am just stressed about getting everything done at work so that I can do nothing but adjust to motherhood during maternity leave.  I’ve made it through the first of my checklist of big events – the last Young Life club.  This Friday is the last WyldLife (middle school) event, a giant crud war.  Don’t worry, I’m not participating.  I’ll just be the MC.  Next week is  our big YL golf tournament, a couples wedding shower that we are co-hosting, and a quinceanera we’ve been invited to.  Yikes.  After that, we are good to go.  That means of course that the baby will either be a week late or come right before all the big stuff (or right in the middle).  The great news is that I’ll be done with week 37 on Saturday, so the baby will be full term with developed lungs and everything.  That is such a huge relief.  
When do you think our baby will arrive?  
Guess the date and time in the comments section.      
I’m so excited to share the my post about Jed’s Solar Powered Hanging Jars was featured by two different blogs.  
Check them out below.  
Mother Earth News

New Nostalgia

Pregnancy Update – 35 Weeks

 33 Weeks
35 Weeks
I cannot believe there are only 30 days left until our due date.  I am HUGE.  I’m still measuring 4 weeks ahead, so basically I look and feel like I should be giving birth this week.  Let me tell you, things are getting a bit uncomfortable.  Next Tuesday is our doctor’s appointment with an ultrasound where we will get to see the baby and see how big the fibroid tumor has become.  I’m nervous about that, but excited to see the baby.  I had a nightmare last night where the tumor had grown too large and forced a c-section.  Jed, on the other hand, had a great dream about us having a really cute baby boy.  Maybe I’ll have a good dream tonight.  
We are working hard to get ready for Bun’s arrival, but it is slow going because of our jobs.  Most of our stuff is still in the packages and only semi-organized.  Hopefully we can get more of it done this weekend.  Our hospital bag is mostly packed, with a list on top of all the things it is missing so we don’t forget anything.  We figured out how to install the car seat, but it took about 30 minutes and lots of help from our neighbors.  We were amazed by how tricky it was.  The entire time we were thinking, “We both have college degrees, surely we can figure this out.”  
The next things on our list are to finish decorating the nursery and wash the linens, clothes, and cloth diapers.  We are trying to figure out what exactly we need to do to prep the cloth diapers.  More on that later.  
What did you to prepare for your first baby?  
What do you wish you had done?  
What turned out to be a complete waste of time?     

Pregnancy Update – Test Results

Yesterday I got my long awaited test results for the gestational diabetes 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Ok, I really only had to wait over the weekend,but it seemed like an eternity. My results came back totally normal for the whole test! I am so thankful and praising God for the wake up call to eat healthier. We needed it desperately, and had become really lazy about our eating and exercise. Type 2 diabetes runs in both of our families, so we are now on a mission to fight those genetics. This whole ordeal has put Jed and I on the same page nutritionally, which is huge for us. And hopefully will prevent us from being huge in the future. 🙂 Thanks so much to everyone who prayed for Bun and me.

We are praising God for so much today- spring and spring break, good test results, loving family and friends who are kind enough to throw us baby showers, our fabulous and affordable rent house, great jobs that we love, great friends, our neighborhood lake, and so much more.

For what are you thankful today?