Pictures!

Still don't have time for a formal update, but thought I'd at least post a few pictures of our new love! She is an amazingly easy baby - is eating great, no breastfeeding issues like we had with Keller, and is already giving us 5 hour stretches at night. Love her!

Keller loves her new sister!

My mom with our sleepy baby! 

Our chunky monkey : )

All 3 sisters!

Welcome to the World, Brielle!

Brielle Isabel arrived yesterday at 3:41pm weighing a whopping 9lbs 11oz and measuring 21 inches. She is beautiful and we are in love!

Update...

Well..... today has been very uneventful.  Brielle is just loving her cozy home and does not want to come out!!  The Cervadil didn't do much for my cervix last night.  It softened it more and moved me to 80% effaced, but my cervix was still not dilated any more than a fingertip as of this morning.  So, we then started Pitocin at a very low dose.  Their intention is just to nudge me into natural labor - not bring on the big guns or force labor.  The most Pitocin we used today was a level of 6.  To put this into context for you, most hospitals when they induce labor, start at like 6-10 and go up to 30+.  The contractions have all been very bearable and I haven't gotten into a regular pattern of labor yet.  So, we wait.  They will take me off the Pitocin in about an hour.  We will do another Cervadil tonight and then be a little more aggressive with the Pitocin tomorrow.  If nothing happens tomorrow and Brielle is still looking really good as she has been today, I will go home for a day and pray, pray, pray that labor starts on its own.  If not, then we will try again probably Monday with the same thing.  If nothing, then a cesarean. What a lesson in patience and letting go!!  The midwife is telling me that she isn't concerned at all about the size of the baby, but is more concerned about my age and letting me go too long.  However, Brielle looks fabulous and she feels totally comfortable with this game plan.  Did I mention this midwife is almost 70 years old?  She has 40+ years experience.  Talk about being in good hands!  She sat with me for about an hour today and told me her whole midwifery story.  She has been such a change agent in the midwifery field.

Prayers appreciated!!!  Hoping Brielle decides to come tomorrow!  October 12th would be a good day for her birthday : )

At the hospital!

We went in for another ultrasound on Wednesday morning and Brielle was measuring 10.5 lbs.  Oh my!  We really don't think she gained 2 lbs in a week and a half, but not sure exactly how big she really is!  So, it was determined that the best shot for a VBAC would be to try to induce me slowly.  My cervix was still posterior and closed on Wednesday.  Fortunately, my practice is so big on natural birthing that when they do have to induce, they do so incredibly slowly with a lot of patience and with a very low dose of pitocin.  They hope that they can wean me off the pitocin once my body kicks into labor.

I was admitted last night and given cervadil to ripen my cervix overnight.  The midwife on call last night was the one who started the midwifery practice we are with.  She has such an amazing reputation here in Atlanta with over 35 years of experience.  She is very "old school" and I really trust her explicitly.  She felt my abdomen and said that she didn't think she was a 10lb baby and then also checked out my pelvis and said that even if she was 10lbs, she didn't think I would have any issues pushing her out.  What encouragement!  They should be in soon to check what kind of progress was made last night.  I can say that I am having very regular contractions this morning, so I am hoping this is a good sign!  Brielle is slightly posterior, so we need to get her to move to a better birthing position and will be doing lunges and other positional exercises to encourage her to move today.

This morning I just enjoyed spending an extended time with the Lord reading His Word, listening to Watermark (love them!), and praying.  What a luxury when you have small kids up early in the morning.  I am loving my morning so far!  Getting my mind renewed and ready for the events of the day! : )

Still Waiting!

We had another u/s on Monday to make sure that baby Brielle was still doing well in my womb and that everything was going ok.  Afterwards, I met with a couple of midwives who gave me a bunch of options for Brielle's grand entrance.  They offered me another repeat c-section due to me being 44, overdue, and having a large baby.  They also said I could wait to see if I would go into labor naturally with some help with homeopathics and other labor inducing tricks.  We decided to go that route for this week while also going into get another u/s tomorrow to check on size and to (again) make sure she is doing well in my womb.

They checked me while I was there and while Brielle is SUPER low, my cervix was still posterior and only a fingertip dilated.  I was 50% effaced.  I was SO surprised to hear this when I have been having so many intense contractions.  I was 2cm and 100 effaced at 38 weeks with Keller without even feeling any contractions!  Crazy.  My practice doesn't really want to induce me since I am a VBAC, but we will be discussing all of that tomorrow once we get more information with the u/s.

Please pray for us!  I would so love to avoid another c-section.  I hate thinking of the recovery period.  Ugh.  But, overall, we want a healthy baby for sure!!

On another note... We got to meet Jennifer and Brielle's genetic siblings yesterday too!!  It was so great to meet them face to face.  It was only for a very short time because my appointment at the midwives took 3 1/2 hours (don't even ask!!!) and I was running super super late, but I was so glad that Jennifer persevered and came by anyway.  They gave Brielle the BEST gift too!  Seriously, a God thing for me.  They bought her an Angel Dear lovey with her name on it.  Keller has an Angel Dear lovey with her name on it and I just hadn't gotten around to buying one for Brielle yet.  It was literally the last thing on my list!  Check!!  I slept with it last night - I needed a lovey after hearing all of the bad news over at Intown Midwifery.  : )  The sad news is that we totally forgot to take a picture with the kids and Jenn!  Where is my head??!  I also had a really small shower with friends for Brielle several weeks ago and we forgot to take pictures there too!!  I am starting to worry about myself.  Ha.  Here is a picture of Keller's VERY worn out lovey along with the new bunny lovey from Jenn and the kids.  Thanks again, Jennifer!!  We love it.

Thanks for the prayers!

Past Our Due Date...

Well, here we are at 40 + 1 day with no baby in sight yet : (  This fact really wouldn't discourage me so much if I wasn't so uncomfortable and if I hadn't just found out on Monday that our sweet baby girl is measuring around 8 1/2 lbs!!  No wonder I am so huge in comparison to Keller!!!  My goodness!!

At 39 weeks our practice wants us to get an u/s and NST (non-stress test) done every week until the baby comes.  We hadn't had an u/s done since around week 24, hence the reason for my surprise.  I had no idea she was so big!  I think I assumed that she was in the 30th percentile because her genetic siblings with Jennifer and Aaron are in the 30th percentile.  Clearly, not so!!  Brielle did fabulously on the NST and I had a TON of amniotic fluid, so they were happy with how she was doing so far.

I did try to get checked on Monday to see if there was any progress at all, but my cervix has been pushed posterior and the midwife couldn't get to it around the head.  I am told that when labor starts, the cervix will move into an anterior position, but I can't help thinking that maybe this is why we haven't gone into labor yet.  Her head isn't directly on the cervix right now.  She did say it was ripe, but couldn't measure any dilation or effacement.

I am still having contractions left and right and thought I was going into labor again last Sunday night only to have the contractions slowly taper off Monday mid-morning.

So... we wait.  It is definitely testing my trust and faith in God with any outcome.  I have to continually remind myself and renew my mind to the truth that God is in control and will allow His plan to unfold in the way He desires.  Our practice doesn't typically induce women, unless the baby or mom isn't doing well, until right at 42 weeks.  They really don't like to induce VBAC patients because the risk for a cesarean goes up and the very small risk for uterine rupture goes up (but it is still only around 1%).  So, I guess I am just a bit nervous that Brielle is so big already and I am trying to birth this baby unmedicated.  She keeps gaining more the longer she is in there!  Being that this would be my first delivery, I am feeling a bit afraid.  However, I am trying to place my trust in God that He clearly knows what He is doing : ).  I'm just along for the ride!

Please pray for us that we will meet our sweet Brielle soon!!!  We are appreciative!

A Little Comparison...

So, I decided to look up my belly shot from right before I delivered Keller and oh my goodness!!!  What a difference!  This shot was taken 3 days before Keller was born... (at 39 weeks)

Tiny, right?  No wonder I was feeling pretty good throughout my pregnancy with her!  Just so you know that I didn't quite luck out the second go around like I did with the first ....

Ummmm. Yyyeah.  A. Little. Bit. Bigger.  HA!  You'd think by the comparison that I had triplets in there or something!  : )

No more major contractions for today.  All has been fairly quiet.  Ready, ready, ready for baby Brielle to come though!!