James' First Few Days of Life

The first few days of life with James was already off to a busy start. We had family begin visiting the night he was born. First up, Uncle Mikey, Grandpa Jerry, and Grand-mommy (John's mom). John proclaimed that Mikey had to be the first to hold James given his middle name,  Michael, was given to him because of Uncle Mikey. It was a special moment introducing James to Uncle Mikey as Daddy got a little emotional.  :)

Our first night in the hospital was definitely not restful.  James ate every couple of hours and the nurses were stopping in assessing me and James every 2 hours. It was tough to get consistent sleep.

Meeting Uncle Mikey

Meeting Grand-mommy

Meeting Grandpa Jerry

Daddy supervising Uncle Mikey

Saturday morning came quickly. Next up to visit was Aunt Meggie. Her and James quickly snuggled in to one another.

Our friends The Fallons also made an appearance, and brought delicious Jimmy John's for lunch!

Baby swap! Savannah is 5 months older than James. I'm sure these 2 will get into lots of trouble together in the future.

Grammy and Grandad were up next! They immediately doted over grand baby #5. :)

Cousin Lindsay and family and Great Aunt Rochelle also stopped by for a visit. PJ is about 18 months older than James. I hope our boys grow up being close just like Lindsay and I have. 

It was a great first few days getting to introduce our sweet boy to family and friends!

James' Birth Story

Prepare for this to be the longest post to date about our boy as we share his birth story....

October 13th:
I started having regular contractions every 5-10 minutes while at work that afternoon. I also just overall felt "crummy". I called the triage nurse at my OB office and was instructed to head to triage. Then I called John who immediately left work to pick me up.

We got to triage about 4:00pm. They hooked me up to a monitor and checked my cevix. I was still dilated to 1 cm and of course hadn't had a contraction since walking through the door. Go figure.

We walked the halls for 1 hr and upon getting re-checked there were still no changes. From this point we were sent home and wait it out until my contractions  were every 5 minutes.

October 15th:
I woke up at 3:30 am with EXCRUCIATING lower back pain and contractions every 10-12 minutes. I got up and took a hot shower to relax but, was not successful. I determined it would not be wise to go into work so I notified the necessary people.

My OB office opened at 9:00 am and I decided I would call despite having my weekly appointment at 3:00 pm that afternoon. When I talked to the triage nurse she told me based on my symptoms that I was likely in the early stages of labor and that I'd need to go back into triage if my contractions started coming every 5-10 minutes.  I told her I'd just plan to wait until my afternoon appointment if possible.

Still feeling miserable, we headed to my afternoon appointment. I had my usual sonogram then saw my doctor.  She checked my cervix and determined I was "barely a 2", but 70% effaced from the 30% last week. I was tired,  beyond tired and she could clearly see that. We talked about induction and she had offered to induce the next morning or early the following week. After much debate,  we opted for a 10/19 induction, if I would even make it that far. We left the appointment and I was feeling pretty emotional and defeated.

We got home and I tried to nap,  but no luck. I then found myself doing things around the house to keep busy and distracted from my contractions. About 10:00 pm John and I went out on a 2 mile walk. I was contracting consistently every 4-6 minutes and was unable to walk or talk during the contractions.  We decided we were going to go back into triage if the contractions continued once we got home.  But, of course, once we got home they stopped!

October 16th:
John went ahead and went to bed.  I tried but still struggled to get comfortable. I took a hot bath to try and relax but, it only helped temporarily. My contractions were anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart so I went ahead and called the on-call doctor. She called back and told me nothing new- "take a hot bath, take tylenol, take benadryl, don't go to triage unless your contractions are 3-5 minutes apart, etc." I was so discouraged and still in so much pain.

The same pattern continued well into the wee hours of the morning. I was so restless that I finally woke John up at 3:30 am requesting his company on another walk. We got about a block from home with contractions every 3-5 minutes and I told him,"That's it, I'm exhausted and we are going in!" I called the on-call doctor again not to get her advice but, to inform her that we were headed to the hospital.

We arrived at the ED about 4:30 am, grabbed a wheel chair, and John wheeled me up to triage again. In true John fashion, he made sure to snap a "selfie" on the elevator as I was mid-contraction (pictured below). He will pay for that one day! :)

John WILL pay for this picture some day. :)

We got all checked into triage and it was determined I was still dilated to a 2 but, now about 80% effaced. We opted to walk the halls yet again for another hour despite my severe pain. I could not move or talk during contractions they were so intense. After an hour they checked me again....UNCHANGED. I was about to lose it and have a mental breakdown. I hadn't slept in 24 hours and the pain was excruciating at this point. I flat out told the nurse that I was not going home to which she replied, "Well if you aren't in labor then there really isn't anything we can do." She offered to let me walk another hour then get re-checked. I initially obliged until my pain at this point was so severe I could not move off of the bed. It was at this point John left the room to go talk to the nurses. 

When John came back into the room he said he "politely but firmly" let the nurse know that we were not going home. That he wanted them to call my doctor and move up my induction to the 16th and push things along. Apparently the nurses thought I would be too tired to push out a baby with my level of exhaustion (ha!). Moments later my OB popped her head into the triage room and let me know that we were staying to start the induction! WOO HOO!! I told my OB that if I was able to move I would have jumped off the table to hug her. I should note that I owe my hubby A LOT for his conversation to those nurses. Although he (and we) were not hot on the idea of being induced, he knew I was at my max and advocated for me when I clearly could not advocate for myself.

It was about 8:30 am at this point and we were moved to our labor room 15ish minutes later. The nurse got us all settled, started my IV, I had to sign a ton of paperwork, and John ran down to the car to gather our bags. This is where things started to get more real. We were really staying and we were really going meet our son sometime that day! 

Our labor nurse was simply awesome! She immediately contacted anesthesia to get my epidural placed so I could get some relief. The anesthesiologist was awesome and I had zero pain with my epidural. I was so much more relaxed and calm once the epidural started kicking in. Next up... the Pitocin! These made my contractions more intense, however I could not feel them. :) My Pitocin was started around 10:00 and from this point forward it was just my job to relax and try to squeeze in a nap. We alerted all of our family and some friends, John did some work, and I was happy as a clam enjoying my unlimited supply of popsicles and ice chips.

Playing the waiting game...

I was already progressing along relatively quickly once the Pitocin was started. In no time I was at 4/5 cm. My nurse informed me that my doctor was going to pop in over her lunch break to break my water. It was around 12:30/1:00 when all of a sudden I felt him kick and then felt this huge gush of fluid down south. My water had broken!!!! The nurse popped into the room again and sure enough, she confirmed my water broke. The nurse checked me again and I was at a 6!! My doctor had shown up at this point and we had a good laugh that she wasn't going to need to break my water.

This is the part of the story where it all starts to get fuzzy and run together. It was about 2:00 and I noticed that I was feeling a lot of pressure. I let the nurse know, she checked me again, and much to everyone's surprise I was COMPLETE! We were absolutely shocked. She immediately started getting the room prepped for James' arrival and paged my doctor.

The room was all ready to go and I started pushing about 2:30. I was nervous for the pushing part. Hoping that it would go smoothly and not take several hours. John was really great during this part. He was comforting yet provided comic relief. Some of his jokes provided some good belly laughs that helped move James down into position better. Everyone was in the room except for my doctor at this point. I was still having the urge to push but, my nurse told me that I needed to hold off (apparently she didn't want to catch our baby, ha!). My doctor finally showed up, I pushed two more times, and James was officially born at 2:59 p.m.! He came out screaming and was immediately placed on my chest. It was from that point on that nothing else mattered (as I type this I've got tears in my eyes). He was absolutely perfect and we were instantly in love.

We did skin-to-skin for a while as John and I doted over him. The baby nurse came back about a half hour later to weigh him, give him a bath, and give him his shots. James weighed in at 7lbs and 11.4 oz. He was 19 inches long with his head circumference at 13.5 inches. He is perfect! Once he was all bathed John finally got to hold him and love on him. We were simply in awe that he was finally here and that he came so quickly.

We spent the next two hours in out labor room bonding with James until we were moved to the mother/baby side of the floor. At this point we just spent time snuggling an getting to know our son. We could not be more in love with him and this new life journey that has begun. :)

Love at first sight.

Skin-to-skin with mom

7lbs, 11.4oz

13.5 inches

1

LOTS of dark hair!

Proud Daddy!

Snuggles with Dad after my first bath.

He's here!

Our sweet boy finally made his arrival and 3 days early!  We welcomed James Michael Leach into the world on Friday, October 16th. We've been rather busy adjusting to our new life.  I promise I'll have his birth story up soon! But for now,  here are a few pictures.

We are absolutely in love with our little guy!

Punked

A little someone (who shall continue to remain un-named) though it would be funny to punk his parents yesterday. Starting at about 1:00 yesterday afternoon, I started having contractions consistently about every 5-9 minutes. I waited until this carried on about 2 hours and then decided I should probably give my OB a call. (Side note: I had a similar episode of this Monday night but then it subsided). The RN at my OB office called back, took my symptoms, and then advised me to go check in at OB triage. So, I called John, he picked me up from work, and away we went to the hospital.

We checked into triage and of course my contractions started to subside. GO FIGURE! This nurse of a mom was already humiliated. They hooked me up to the monitor, checked my cevix (still unchanged at 1cm), and then instructed me to walk the halls for about 45 minutes to see if anything would change. Post 45 minute walk everything was still the same. No change in cervix and had maybe 4-5 contractions. We were then discharged home. Can you say embarassing?

I should also note how adorable John's reactions have been to all of this. He has been super doting and accommodating to any need that I've had. Monday night when I started having contractions he immediately started packing his back while inquiring, "What is the temperature like in those kinds of places? (a.k.a. the hospital)" Then last night we didn't eat a snack or anything before going into OB triage so we were both pretty ravenous upon departure. We ended up at our favorite mexican restaurant as we headed home to which he told me, "We're not going in that place hungry ever again. Next time it's the real deal we're both grabbing a meal before going in." Haha, noted my dear. Noted. He was sure to leave for work this morning with his hospital bag in tow. :)

This child is already keeping us on our toes. Let the fun continue.....

Final weekend as 2?

We are wrapping up a good, relaxing weekend. Could it have been our final weekend without our little babe in tow? The mystery continues.....

Saturday morning John was nice enough to let me spoil myself with a good manu/pedi. I felt bad for the poor lady touching my feet as they had not had much TLC in a while due to my growing belly. The Widmer's were in the KC area visiting friends and made sure to make time for us and a little ice cream date. The boys were of course excited to see their beloved Uncle John. :) Jack was curious as to "why is my belly so big and fat?" Saturday night we headed out to a nice dinner at The Rieger with our friends. The Reiger has been on our "pre-baby bucket list" for quite some time and it did not disappoint.

Sunday we enjoyed a lazy morning before heading to Lawrence. Freestate tapped a new beer John wanted to try and I suggested brunch at Wheatfields. The weather was gorgeous enough to enjoy a patio seat as we leisurely ate and enjoyed each other's company.

Brunch selfie

Biscuits and gravy and french toast, along with my decaf latte. Delish!!

I  realized as we were home this afternoon that I hadn't taken any pictures of his finished nursery. So, here it is... all ready for his arrival!

His crib- the bassinet will be relocated to our room when we bring him home.

Decor

Chair and dresser- I'm sure many nights will be spent in that chair. :)

One final painting for his room thanks to John's cousin Brittany who also painted the pictures that hang over his crib. I saw this picture on Pinterest, just in different colors and she replicated it with no problem. 

I also got ambitious and finished some freezer meals this weekend. I cooked and shredded chicken for soups/casseroles, prepped a pan of ziti, and made 2 loaves of banana bread (I'll freeze 1). I think we are now well stocked in our freezer as these joined the soup and meatballs I had already frozen. 

I think it's safe to say we are ready. As ready as we'll ever be! Now, will our little man make his arrival this week? We shall see.... :)

38 Week Update

Alright kid, your time is almost up! :) Your momma is tired, uncomfortable, tired of living in the bathroom constantly peeing, and not sleeping. I love you dearly already and am dying to meet you so we can be sleep deprived in person together. :)

 

I had my 38 week appointment yesterday and left feeling "hopeless" as my progress from the previous week was "unchanged". Still dilated to a 1 and still about 30% effaced. I had some protein in my urine (which she was not worried about), otherwise all looked good. He still passed his BPP with no issues (well done, son!). We talked about if there were no changes in my cervix at my appointment next Thursday that we would plan an induction date, especially if he isn't here on my due date. My next 2 appointments are on the 15th and 19th (my due date). Hopefully he'll make his appearance on his own by then and we won't need to opt for an induction.

 

There's no other news to report. We just pray all continues to go well these next 10 days until my due date and that he has a safe and timely arrival.

 

 

 

 

37 Weeks

I know I say this every week, but the weeks are seriously flying by. I can't believe today is the last day of week 37 and tomorrow starts yet another week of carrying this babe. What a blessing this journey has been thus far. It's wild to think that we just have a few short weeks until we finally get to meet him.

The week was an absolute whirlwind. Both John and I have been swamped with work. I was anxious Wednesday/Thursday as John had to leave for Mississippi and would be gone 24 hours. I knew I would be fine, but I was nervous that I would go into labor while he was several states away. But, we survived and that was thankfully his last time traveling for work until after the baby arrives.

I had my 37 week appointment on Friday morning. Again, all looked great on the sonogram and he passed his BPP with flying colors. My doctor and I reviewed being GBS positive and what that will all involve during delivery. She then checked my cervix and determined I'm at 1cm dilated and 30% effaced. She said she could feel my bag of water and his head...so crazy! She said I'm "on track". I'll be curious to see where I'm at when I go in for my 38 week appointment. I got my flu shot and then was out the door to work. I think my mind was foggy majority of the day as I kept thinking how real everything is getting and that he really is almost here!

Here are my respectible belly pics for the week!

The week also brought forth some crazy nesting instincts and the urge to make homemade cinnamon rolls and homemade meatballs at 9:00 Thursday night.

I was also thrown a diaper shower at my work on Friday afternoon. My belly was filled with yummy treats and my car was filled to the max with diapers of all sizes, wipes, and some adorable extra baby gifts. We are sooo blessed and thankful for all of the gifts we received. I think we'll be off to a good start in the diaper department.

And lastly, more nesting urge as I made a homemade apple pie on Sunday morning with our fresh fall apples from the City Market.

We're praying for another good week ahead with this babe. We are getting so excited to finally meet him and discover how it's truly going to transform our life. Bring on the snuggles and challenges of parenting. We're ready!