Coen's Birth Story

Before I had my first baby I read tons of birth story blogs and they helped me prepare mentally for labor, knowing that things rarely go as planned but in the end it all works out. So here is Coen's birth story:

I started having contractions 7 minutes apart while I was at a meeting Thursday night. I texted Brendan and told him, but I also told him it didn't mean anything. Truth be told I felt like we were getting close but since it was still almost 2 weeks until the due date I didn't tell anyone how close I felt it was. Friday, September 11th I went to work still contracting 7-20 minutes apart. That afternoon we went for a walk and I started getting super nauseous. We were giving Futcher his bath and I went to grab his towel when my water broke. It wasn't a stream like the 1st time, it was just small gushes so I wasn't 100% sure. Tender came over to stay with Futcher and we went to the hospital.

Contractions were 3 minutes apart and we decided to stop for pizza :)

My contractions were way less painful than they were with the 1st kid. They hurt, but I could breathe through them without crying and yelling at everyone around me. I was 2.5cm when we got to the hospital. My epidural came around 10. Our wonderful nurse, Michelle, was trying to leave for the night but she kept coming back to check on me, hoping I was ready to push. Around 11pm I was 5cm. Coen's heart beat dropped to 80bpm. They gave me oxygen and moved me around and eventually it went back up... then back down again.  Once he was steady I started feeling lots of pressure. Around 1:30 I was 10cm! Michelle told me to do a practice push and when I started, she told me to stop right away because the baby was moving and I guess she didn't want to be the one to deliver him. Dr. Weinstein got there and we all waited on the next contraction to start pushing. It was 5 minutes of awkward silence until my next contraction. Everyone was just staring at each other waiting. Longest 5 minutes ever.

Then I pushed twice and Coen was here!! He had the cord around his neck, which explains why his heart rate kept dropping. Within 2 minutes he had peed on me and I was completely in love with him.

7 pounds 2oz   18.5 inches long

This little guy is growing so quickly! A lot of people have asked me about breastfeeding and it has gone 100 times better than it did the first time. No problems this time around. This baby is a pro and has already gained 2 pounds in the 2 weeks since we left the hospital.

I love my boys and trying to navigate through this new phase of motherhood.

We survived 1 year!

(I wrote this a couple weeks after Futcher turned 1, but apparently forgot to publish it. )

We did it! The 3 of us survived our first year. Brendan and I as new parents kept this human alive.  

Somethings being a parent has taught me:

-Breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart

- I am stronger than I thought I was. Physically, mentally, and emotionally

- I am capable of surviving on less sleep than I used to (I am the queen of sleep and before having a child would religiously sleep 9-10 hours a night)

-Snot, poop, and spit up aren't that bad when they come from a tiny human

-I can cook any meal with 1 hand while holding a baby/toddler

The most important thing I can do for my son is give him my time. 

Artwork courtesy of Futcher:

Baby #2!!

Baby #2 is getting huge! He's measuring above average and I was told he will be 8+ pounds. I have gained twice as much weight so far as I did at this point in my first pregnancy.

Futcher has no idea that there is a baby in my stomach, but he sure does love to lift up (or pull down) my shirt in front of people! When I show him my belly he will either give my stomach kisses or pull my shirt back down and say "bye bye!"

I am cherishing the 'down time' with having only 1 child. I've been focusing on him and doing things in his slow and distracted pace.