As an expecting mom, I’ve always loved reading and hearing birth stories from other women. Heck, I’ll be honest, I’m a birth story junkie, I love a good birth story, no matter what season of life I’m in.

One week ago today, I gave birth to my fourth child (my second son), Paul Richard. I’ll admit to being one of the lucky ones, as his birth pretty much went down *almost* as I had planned.

Sure, I wish it would have been a bit faster.

Sure, I wish the pain wouldn’t have been so intense. (Don’t we all.)

And sure, the superstitious gal in me didn’t love that he came on Friday the 13th (although we’re already joking about it).

But at the end of the day, or should I say at 2:38 am, nothing beats delivery a perfectly healthy, full term baby.

No matter what happened during delivery, health trumps all. Continue reading »

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In the wee hours of the morning, after 10 hours of laboring, I welcomed my 4th child, my second son, Paul Richard into the world.

His stats:

January 13th, 2012, at 2:38 am.

7 pounds, 8 ounces. 20 – 1/2 inches long.

A head of dark brown hair. Continue reading »

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Have you fallen in love with Funktion like I have? I’m ready and waiting for my little guy to arrive (due yesterday), and I have a bag all packed for him with a few of the pieces from my mommassentials kit.

We had a lot of entries in the Funktion mammassentials kit giveaway, and in my opinion, the winner is one lucky lady.

Drum roll please…. Continue reading »

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Me, 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant

Yesterday was my “official” due date.

For what it’s worth, I’m not surprised at all to by sitting here at my kitchen table, plucking out an “overdue” post.

In fact, I’ve given birth 3 times in the past, and never have one of them come before the morning of 40 weeks.

This is my fourth pregnancy, and here I am, officially past that magical date that has been circled in the calendar for months now, twiddling my thumbs instead of holding a baby.

So what’s a girl to do? Or more specifically, what am I willing to do, to get labor started?

8 ways to naturally start labor (and my willingness to try them): Continue reading »

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Eight years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, smartphones didn’t exist. I remember my birthday present that year (which happened to coincide with my due date) being a “digital” camera. You know, a camera that didn’t use film. BRILLIANT CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY!

Looking back at photos from that pregnancy, I have exactly two pictures (both on film) of me being pregnant. I just didn’t take many photos, mainly because my camera was junk and film was expensive.

These days, thanks to my smartphone, I’m a bit addicted to snapping quick shots of myself at every stage in pregnancy. While some might think it’s a bit self absorbed, I think it’s fun to be able to look back at how I’ve grown, just how far I’ve come.

While I haven’t captured every single week since I started to show in this pregnancy, I’ve managed to capture some pretty fun shots of what this pregnancy was like.

My pregnancy, self portrait style: Continue reading »

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been gathering up gear that I will need for my short stay in the hospital when I give birth. My leisurely packing began around the 37 week mark, when I found the perfect going home outfit for my little guy. Since then, I’ve been lazily throwing items in the direction of the luggage, hoping I don’t forget anything when the time actually comes and we rush out the door.

So far, I packed a few baby items such as some cute onesies and swaddling blankets. I’ve gather up a change of clothes for my husband, and have packed a few essentials for myself. Essential things like my own pillow, a warm throw blanket, a comfortable going home outfit, and of course some of my favorite snacks.

I’ve given birth three times, and if I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that it’s 2 short days of amazing bonding with your new baby before being discharged into the “real world”. Knowing what I know now, I’ve decided that it’s ok to splurge on a few things, to make my time in the hospital as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible.

A few splurge worthy items you just *might* find hiding in my hospital bag: Continue reading »

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With my first two pregnancies, I didn’t hire a doula. Heck, I don’t even think I knew what a doula was.

I felt that giving birth was a completely private event, and I only wanted to share that experience with my husband and necessary medical staff.

I had no desire to have an unmedicated birth, and was completely comfortable ordering up an epidural as soon as the pain got too intense.

With both labors, I received my epidural around 4 or 5 centimeters dilated. What I now know is that epidurals and my body do not play nice together. While it took me two separate occasions to figure this little fact out,  I decided that if there was ever going to be a third (or now fourth) birth, I would do everything in my power to avoid getting an epidural. I came to the conclusion that a major part of my birth plan could hopefully be achieved by hiring a doula.

A Doula is someone who provides non-medical support to women and their families during labor.

A few reasons I hire a doula, and what I expect out of her: Continue reading »

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