Arielle's Birth Story

Arielle's 3-D Ultrasound ~ 29 weeks

My first born daughter arrived on April 7th, 2005. My due official due date, the date I had been counting down to for nine months, was April 3rd. When my due date came and went with no sign of Arielle showing any interest in dropping down for her arrival my doctor {hesitantly} scheduled an induction.

A photo of me on my due date, April 3rd, 2005

Zak and I headed to the hospital on the evening of April 6th not having any idea of what to expect about when or how our precious little girl would make her appearance. We got settled into our room and shortly after that I got started on my induction meds. I think we watched some television but I don't remember much because they gave my a sleeping pill so I could have my last full night of sleep for a long time to come. From what I remember, I actually did sleep all night and was very comfortable too.

The next morning I started to feel the contractions and requested the epidural. Shortly after they administered it, less than an hour before Arielle's arrival, there was a flurry of activity. The nurse came in to give me an internal exam so she could check on the progress of my dialation but she became very uneasy in an instant. "I think this baby is breach!" she said, to which we replied that we had an ultrasound the night before and that was not the case. I think she might have attempted another internal exam or maybe she just went to get another nurse for a second opinion, I'm not exactly positive but I remember starting to feel uneasy.

When the new nurse arrived and performed her exam she was quite overwhelmed by what happened next. "The baby just sucked on my finger" she said and she told us that she could feel the baby's nose too. I didn't think there was anything wrong with this and thought it was quite cute! However, the nurse explained that this meant that the baby was presenting herself face first instead of head first which is not an ideal position for a natural delivery. They told us that while it wasn't impossible to deliver a baby in this position, it could cause complications and it was a risk that they didn't think was worth taking. Immediately the nurses began prepping me for surgery...an emergency c-section followed very soon after.

Arielle's first photo taken by Zak on his cell phone camera minutes after she was born.

While I wasn't exactly thrilled about the fact that I wasn't able to deliver Arielle vaginally, I accepted the fact that this was Arielle's birth story and I was happy with the outcome. Arielle turned out to be a healthy, happy baby and I recovered from my surgery within a few short days. Sometimes I wonder how this story would have changed if we had the patience to wait a few more days for Arielle to make her arrival instead of scheduling an induction. But I really believe that everything happens for a reason and I wouldn't change anything about it if I could.

Having said all of that, when I found out that I was pregnant again and my doctor said a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) was definitly an option I felt happy to have another chance at a natural birth . I recently learned that there is a 1% chance of major complications arising from a VBAC and only 60% of women are ultimately able to deliver vaginally after a c-section. That pretty much made my decision for me and my life, and the new baby's life, is not worth taking that risk. The only option in my mind is for a planned c-section.

October 2nd, 2009 is the date. This time we both have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Wish us luck!

~Momma to Bug~

Summer is in Full Bloom

It's my favorite time of the year when the gladiolus are blooming! It's been hot but we have gotten a lot more rain this summer than usual. There have been some heavy and powerful rain storms recently but thankfully I haven't lost any of my flowers (or trees or windows like some people I know).

The flowers aren't the only thing growing these days. Averi is getting bigger too! Check out my baby bump at Week 30.

Arielle seems to be getting taller by the day and she is growing up! It is amazing how much she talks about the new baby and wants to give her things. She was cutting out stuff from a Build A Bear catalogue the other day and said, "Awww, this shirt is so cute; we should buy one for the baby." Then she colored a wooden tiara ornament that we bought at the craft store and told us it was for the baby's bedroom door. I love to see this sweet side of her and can only hope that she stays that way after her baby sister is born.

What is your favorite summer bloom?

~Momma to Bug~

29 Weeks ~ 3D Ultrasound

Here are the first pictures of Averi Jaye.

We had the 3D ultrasound yesterday and I was very happy to confirm that she is a girl! My first reaction was that she doesn't look anything like Arielle did in her ultrasound pictures nor did she act anything like Arielle while they were performing the ultrasound. Averi was comparably still the whole time and only yawned once, which we didn't even see. In fact, she spent most of the time snuggled up against the placenta which didn't make for very good viewing. Arielle yawned several times throughout her entire ultrasound and moved her arms and hands over her face a lot at times appearing to be blocking us from her. I already have a hunch that these girls are going to be complete opposites in looks and personality! Averi appears to have a bigger forehead and smaller chin than Arielle. Her nose is also quite different {Zak thinks Averi's nose looks like mine}.




We can't wait to meet our new little princess!

~Momma to Bug~