Welcome Lincoln Matthew to the Grant Gang

Welcome Lincoln Matthew to the Grant Gang!

April 14, 2016

1:58 PM

9 lbs 2 oz

21.5 inches

Every pregnancy and delivery has yielded a very different story---and the Caboose was no exception!  Without further ado, here is Lincoln's arrival story:

It all begin about 1.5 weeks before Lincoln joined us...I cam down with a HORRIBLE sinus infection and URI...coughing, drainage, sinus pain.......even after all sorts of medications it was still raging when I went into labor.  That made everything in labor even more interesting.

Wednesday (41 weeks), 4.13.16, 10:35 pm
Matthew and I lay down to go to bed expecting nothing to happen that night because I had no contractions yet.  Matthew said something really funny so I started to laugh REALLY hard and I felt a little tiny gush, "oh no something just happened" I exclaimed.  It was so tiny, I was uncertain if it was my water leaking or something else (insert embarrassing pregnancy woes).  I went to the bathroom and little more trickled out.  Still not convinced I stood up....more.  Sat down again....a little more.  Now I knew.....it was time.  We called my midwife, Heather, to tell her my water was breaking but I had no contractions.  She instructed us to wait 15 minutes for fetal movement and if none, to come to the hospital.  If I had movement, I could labor at home longer.  Either way, the clock was ticking, we had 24 hours before baby should be delivered because of my water breaking.

Wednesday (41 weeks), 4.13.16, 11:10 pm
No movement, so we head to the hospital for monitoring.  My neighbor Holly came over until our friend Elissa, who would watch the kids until we had the baby, arrived. 


Wednesday (41 weeks), 4.13.16, 11:30 pm
Arrive at hospital.  Get checked into triage.  We confirm my water DID break *at least some* and they monitored the baby for a while.  Everything was ok with the baby but since he still was not moving much, Heather wanted me to stay for monitoring and try to sleep in preparation for delivery.  I tried to sleep that night, but the baby had dropped and I was having a lot of back and hip pain.  Apparently labor after your water breaks is more painful...who knew?

Thursday (41 weeks, 1 day), 4.14.16, 7:00-10:30am
My midwife arrives, checks me and I am STILL 3 cm (which is what I was at my appointment the previous Tuesday.  UGH!  Typical of my body to hold those babies in!  She explained at the 12 hour mark if I had not progressed much we needed to start pitocin.  We spent the remaining 12 hours walking the hospital and bouncing on the yoga ball.  I had a lot of painful contractions...a lot of back labor...and was feeling optimistic about progress!

Thursday (41 weeks, 1 day), 4.14.16, 10:30am
I get checked....NO PROGRESS.  I was very disappointed to have no *safe* choice other than starting pitocin.  Alas, I was stuck to a pole and monitor.  After getting my vein blown and difficulties getting any blood from my IV line;had to draw labs from elsewhere, we labored with Pitocin.  It was ALL back labor.  VERY different than my others.  I have done labor with pitocin and no pain meds and I have done labor with NO meds of any kind.  Natural 100% med free labor is amazing and incomparable.  I was also having a hard time breathing well during contractions because my nose was completely stopped up and I was choking on drainage and coughing.  Sometimes I could not even catch my breath and it got a little scary.  After about an hour like that I decided I wanted to rest *and breath*.  I asked for the epidural.

Thursday (41 weeks, 1 day), 4.14.16, 12:45 pm
 Anesthesiologist arrives.  They forgot to check my progress.  He spends 45 minutes trying to get the epidural in; after five attempts it is finally in.  During that 45 minutes, I had to sit totally still through contractions on top of one another and slumped forward squashing the baby.  As soon as I lay down I tell the nurse I feel like I need to push and that the epidural is not working on my right side *which is the side the baby had been laying on the entire last trimester*.  She halfway checks me and says I am at least 7 cm.  She updates my midwife over the phone who decides she is coming to the hospital because Blythe came so fast.  I have two contractions on the epidural and the midwife checks me----yep, I was right....time to push.  So---the epidural was in a whopping 5-10 minutes.  I *THINK* slumping over for so long just put a lot of pressure on him to GET OUT.

Thursday (41 weeks, 1 day), 4.14.16, 1:45-1:58
Pushing begins.  His shoulders get stuck and his hand is by his face making it difficult for him to come out...even for a fourth baby with very large babies paving the way before him.  Heather was glad his hand ended up being there even though it was hard for me because she could help pull him out :)


Thursday (41 weeks, 1 day), 4.14.16, 1:58 pm
With my eyes still closed tight from concentrating on delivery I hear "Kelly....Kelly....It's a boy" from Matthew and "Yeah that is no small baby, where do you hide these things" from my midwife.  I was in complete shock that it was a boy.  I just could not believe it.

I cannot begin to describe the rush of emotions when he was born.....the relief, the finality of knowing he is the last pregnancy and delivery and baby, the shock of a boy, the idea of a BIG family and just knowing a new chapter begins.  I also could not wait to tell the other kids it was a BOY!

Cutting the cord

After delivery power nap :)

Doing the baby sign

Shes obsessed with his eyes!

41 Weeks-Comparing Bumps

41 Weeks, Caboose

41 weeks, Blythe...Spontaneous delivery at 41 weeks, 3 days

41 Weeks, Caleb.....this was the morning of the induction

41 weeks, Addison....induced 41 weeks 2 days but born on 41 weeks, 3 days

41 weeks {tomorrow} with our Caboose

No picture today, just didn't happen. But. We did have what was hopefully our last doctor appointment!

I had a NST (non stress test) and it showed great heart rate accelerations and decelerations.....no contractions though :) Along with an NST for post dates you generally have an ultrasound to make sure the fluid levels are good to continue with pregnancy, as with the last three pregnancy I have an abundance of fluid. Yay!  She checked my progress: 3 cm, 50% effaced and -2 station. They were able to strip me. Now. I have had that done THREE times now and for whatever reason, this one hurt the most!  Whew!

The midwife sounded pretty certain the baby was coming tomorrow. So now we just.....wait :)  hopefully my next post will be a picture of a squishy baby and three older siblings, hopefully smiling :)

Caboose 40 Weeks {Good bye Due Date}



We have seen another due date come and go....and I was SURE this time the baby would be early!!  And by looking at these pictures it does not even looked like the baby has dropped because it seems to be spread versus sticking out like the others!!!!!  I also think this little thing likes to be stretched out and not crumpled up.  If I were a betting woman I would bet this ends up the smallest babe yet, by a long shot and here I was hoping I would finally break into the 10 pounds...we have been so close :)

HB: 140s
Weight Gain:  Gained a pound, YAY!
Fundal:  Still 38, hmmmm
BP: 107/70
Illness:  I would be do everything I could to get labor moving but I am SO sick with a sinus infection or URI.  This is by far the worst one I have ever had in my life too.  We are praying I have some relief before the baby comes; a labor where I can barely breathe, not stop coughing and this run down sounds HARD!
Plan:
Tuesday 4/12-Check progress, NST and Strip if I am at least 3 cm
Friday 4/15-Check progress, repeat NST and strip if unable to Tuesday
Monday 4/18 7 am induce

I have been induced twice and while that is clearly not my first choice, I am familiar with it...we just want a healthy caboose here.

In other news, while our house may not seem ready for a baby...we cannot wait to live this miracle one last time.  One last delivery.  One last gender surprise.  One last sibling reaction.  One last adventures in newborns.  One last.......and it will be beautiful.  We are thankful for this precious gift, because that is what it truly is, a gift.

40 Weeks, Caboose

 

40 Weeks, Blythe

40 Weeks, Caleb

 

41 Weeks, Addison

39 Weeks with Our Caboose

I honestly did not think I would make it to 39 weeks, but we did!!!

HB: 135

BP:  110/72

Fundal Height: 38 still

Weight Gain: Zero, humph

Progress: We will not know until baby is here or 41 Weeks

Contractions:  I have had a LOT of braxton hicks contractions and even some real ones but so far no pattern WHEW!

Prayer Request:  Please pray God would show us grace in the form of protection from illness as we wait for the baby to arrive any day.  We pray that we would be healthy for the arrival.  As many of you may know, we have had a tough run since August with illnesses.

Caboose, 38 Weeks

Blythe, 39 Weeks

Caleb, 39 Weeks

Addison, 39 Weeks

38 Weeks with Caboose

38 WEEKS!  I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by...in 3.5 weeks or less we will have the final biological addition to our family (or that is OUR plan at least).  We are hopeful caboose stays nice and cozy like the others until at least the due date.  I have a feeling that this baby wont be as big as the others...I guess with three other kiddos running around plus working out, you just do not have as much time to notice you are hungry and you burn more calories!  I have not gained as much weight as I did with the other pregnancies :)

BP: 120...BOY???!!!!
Fundal Height: 37 (I am usually shrinking by now, so this is interesting)
Fetal Position: ROA (Right Occiput Anterior); not totally ideal but baby can still spin at delivery or before.  Apparently LEFT Occiput Anterior is most ideal.  Not Worried.
BP:  Within normal Range
Weight:  Gained one pound!
Me:  Doing pretty good.  More sore this go round, but its the fourth and it is to be expected.
Gender:  Heartbeat says boy, the way I am carrying looks more like Blythe now.....WHO KNOWS!

3.23.16, 38 Weeks with Caboose...we need some SUN for these pictures to turn out better.  There was WAY more sunshine when I was pregnant with Blythe!

04.08.14, 38 Weeks with Blythe

10.06.11, 38 Weeks with Caleb

03.16.10, 38 Weeks with Addison

37 Weeks with the Caboose Baby

Man, it has been a long few weeks.  A trip to the ER with Blythe, yet another plague on my house of illness, more antibiotics for Blythe....UGH!  We cannot get well and stay well; it makes enjoying ANYTHING difficult.  But, that is for another post, another day....or maybe I do not want to document the frustrations because I sort of want to forget all the illnesses since August.

SO, on to exciting things....CABOOSE!

We had our 37 week appointment yesterday, I opted to have them check me because we have considered a quick family trip to Kansas City and I wanted to know if I had made progress unusually early.

HB:  130, when awake!
BP: 112/70
Weight:  Gain is much slower this time, very different
Fundal Height: 37 cm
Progress: -2 Station, thick and 1-2 cm; I did not want her to mess around in there too long to confirm the 1 or 2, not worth it!  Next time I get checked will be never (because baby came before 41 weeks) or 41 weeks when they strip me.
Baby:  Wild mover when I take a moment to sit down which is not often
Me:  My reflux is FINALLY eradicated and I can EAT!  I have been TRYING to take it easy as much as possible---trying not to pick up Blythe or climb the stairs or clean quite so much---so I am not so sore and do not have contractions all evening when I do sit.  It seems to help A LOT.  On the days I try to take it easy I am not sore at all.  I will be anxious to be back to the gym running....I will start back in a week or two.  I laid off the running the past couple weeks to see if that helped the soreness and contractions, which it did.  We want baby to make it to the due date!!!

Assuming I remember to take a picture Wednesday at 38 weeks, I will have comparison tummy pics; I still maintain I looked oddly better throughout Blythe's pregnancy than the others---wonder why! Maybe I did my make up better back then?? LOL

37 Weeks with Caboose