Welcoming Brodie Joseph Gwinner

We went to the hospital at 6:30am. Once we got situated in our room they started my pitocin. At 8:45am they broke my water and I was dilated to 4cm. A couple hours later (about 10am) my contractions started getting intense so I requested that wonderful epidrual. Once I got that, everything got sooo much better! An hour later, I got checked again and I was dilated to 5cm and 90% effaced and baby was at a -1 station. By 12pm I was dilated to 7cm! Maybe about an hour later, around 1pm, they had to put me on oxygen because the baby had dropped further down the birth canal and the pressure on his head was making his heartbeat drop. But they said that it was totally normal, nothing to worry about. But the oxygen did help stabilize the heartbeat. By 1:45pm I was dilated to 9 1/2 cm! By 2pm they told me to start to push. We started pushing, but my contractions weren't close enough so we pushed for about an hour--totally didn't feel like that! It felt like only 10 minutes!! lol And by 3:10pm, our son was born.

Brodie Joseph Gwinner, 8 lbs 4.5 oz, 19.5 inches long and he has the sweetest face! All the nurses talked about how big his little baby hands were for a newborn. I thought all along that he was going to be between 7-8lbs, closer to 8lbs. :)

We love him SOOO much! We get to leave tomorrow and go home. The labor & delivery was sooo smooth and all the nurses were wonderful! The pushing was great as well! Didn't tear! Woo hoo! lol After it was all done I told the doctor and nurses that I could probably do that 5 more times! haha :)

It's so surreal how he's here now and not in my belly. But it's the most amazing feeling, my heart is filled with so much unconditional love and joy. He's beautiful.

<3 <3 <3

3 more days! Monday is THE day! :)

Our last appointment was Wednesday, April 15th. There was no progression from the prior week's appointment. We went ahead and scheduled to be induced on Monday, April 20th. We'll be going in at 6:30am and hopefully little man will be here by Monday evening/night. If not, he'll be here Tuesday morning.

Ben and I are SOOO excited! This morning I kept looking at our pets and telling them "By this time next week there will be a baby here! He won't be in here (pointing at my belly), but he'll be here (pointing on the outside of my belly)." I really don't think they understand, but that's ok. This morning as I was telling Sasquatch (our male cat) that, and when I pointed to my belly he started licking it, giving baby kisses. :) That just made my heart swell with joy! Our dog, Vida, she ALWAYS gives my belly kisses. I really have no worries that they'll be good with our son.

I can't wait to make that phone call to all our family and friends, letting them know that our son has arrived and he's x lbs and x oz, and measured in x inches. I can't wait to see his little face for the first time and kiss him. I can't wait to hold him and touch his little hands.

It's so amazing how when we first started this journey it felt like it was going to take forever to get to this point, and now, there's only 3 days left. I'm going to be a mom and Ben's going to be a dad. I can't even begin to express how amazing and awesome and wonderful that is to me.

The next time I post baby will be here!! :D Yay!!

Oh, here are a couple pictures from two weeks ago...

3 weeks left, or maybe sooner!!!

Hallelujah! We are getting cloooooser! haha :)

We had our 37 week appointment yesterday and our doctor checked our progression. She said that we are 3cm dilated and 75-80% effaced!! When she said that I was just like "what, really?!" haha :) She said that we could have this baby at any moment or it could be a few more weeks. But, she had us make our next appointment for next Wednesday, but she doesn't think we'll make it that far!!

This is all so exciting! While Ben and I were picking up our car seat and stroller yesterday, I looked at him and asked "So, how nervous are you?" haha He asked me the same thing. I'm nervous, but I'm SOOO excited that it could be any day that we meet our son!! I can't wait! I can't wait to hold him in my arms and to kiss his face and to bond with him! I can't wait for him to bond with his daddy!! This is such an amazing adventure, and it's only going to get better! YAY!!

Hopefully the next time we post, it'll be pictures of our little boy and his welcoming post!!

Yay, only 4 more weeks!!

Wow, only 26 more days!! We had our first appointment of April today, the nurse said that we're "like a book"! She listened to baby's heart beat and measured him. She said that we're measuring perfect and he's a "happy baby" in there! :) She also did a Group B Strep test today, so our next appointment we should know the results. Also, I've been sick for the past 5 days with a nasty cold. I'm starting to get over it. It's not pleasant, but I would rather be sick now than be sick after baby's born. Just gotta keep the Kleenex close :)

The nurse also talked about induction. She said that if he hasn't came by the 39th week we can plan on getting induced. We're thinking about it, but we haven't decided.

We pretty much have everything ready for baby boy when we bring him home. One of our friends gave us a great suggestion for the pets! She said that when she had her little boy, the nurse took a little plush toy and rubbed it all over her baby to get his scent all over it, and then stuck it in a bag for them to take home to their pets to smell and play with. We thought that was a great idea, so one of the toys we got from the shower-a cute little lion, we're going to take that with us when we go into labor. That way, when he's born we can rub the lion all over him and while I'm still in the hospital with our son, Ben can go home and let our pets smell it and get used to that scent.

We were just talking today about how excited we are for everything, this new exciting journey of parenthood. We couldn't be more ready for this little guy!

5 more weeks!

Only 5 more weeks until our baby boy is in our arms! :)

Over the weekend, on Saturday the 21st, we celebrated baby's arrival by having a baby shower!! Baby boy got SOOO many great things! He got a swing, bouncer, toys, clothes, toiletries, so much stuff! Yesterday evening, Ben and I set up the bouncer and swing. They are so cute and we can't wait to put him in them!

The baby shower was SO much fun! There were about 20 people who came. We had great food and played fun games. The baby shower was a success and we are grateful for everyone who came and for everything that was given. It was amazing! :)

Today, 3/23/09, I started feeling pressure on my pelvis. I think baby is starting to drop, which means he's getting closer to being here! Oh how I can't wait for everyone to meet our son!! He's already so loved by many, I can't wait for him to meet everyone that will be in his life. :)

960 hours=40 days=6 weeks left!

Getting closer!!! :) 34 weeks!

Things are still going really good. Still having those Braxton Hicks contractions. We went to the doctor today and we found out that the baby is head down!! Yay! We go to the doctor again in two weeks, and then after that every week. It's amazing knowing that next month our son will be here! :D

Here are a couple pictures of the baby belly from this week, they were taken 3/17/09.

7 more weeks!!

Only 7 more weeks, 47 more days left until our precious little boy is here!! Things are going great! Those Braxton Hicks contractions keep sneaking up on me. The baby boy keeps getting bigger, and so does the ever-growing belly! :)

Today we have our pre-admission visit with the Maternity Coordinator with the hospital and next Wednesday we have a doctor's appointment. Things are going great so far, just wish time would go faster!! :)

Aaahhh, 8 more weeks!!

Well, we have only 8 more weeks until our little precious boy arrives!! Everyone keeps saying how these last few weeks will be the slowest, but really, they seem like the fastest!!

We went to the doctor on Wednesday, and everything is going great! She said that baby boy isn't measuring large or anything like that, and on average he'll probably be about 7 pounds.

We have our hospital pre-admission appointment next Wednesday (3/11/09), this is when we'll fill out consent forms and all that paperwork.

Everything is coming together, and soon enough baby boy will be in our arms! :)

Breathe in, breathe out...

Well, yesterday we had our lamaze class--Childbirth prep one day. It was from 9-4, and from Friday to Saturday it SNOOOOOWED so much! There had to have been at least 3 inches by the time we left our house. By the time we left the class to go home, there had to have been 6 inches of snow on the ground. Anyway, because of the weather, we had to call the hospital like five different times, three different phone numbers, to make sure the class wasn't canceled. It wasn't.


So, we get there, and there were about seven other couples in the class. It was everyone's first baby, and all but two couples were having boys! We thought that was pretty neat! :) Our teacher was really nice, she had four daughters. Some couples were having their babies in March and some of them were having them in April-so we were all around the same time frame.


We practiced different breathing techniques, and also different positions. It was funny when the roles were reversed and the men had to act like the mama's and the mama's as the dads. Of course, Ben had to really "act" like a mama and say things like "You did this to me," and "It hurts so bad!" hahaha It was pretty funny. We both learned a lot yesterday!


We also discussed the contractions--early stage, active stage, transition stage, and then pushing (I think that's how they go haha). I don't feel quite as nervous as I did before, I wasn't quite sure how far apart the contractions had to be before calling the doctor. Our teacher told us about "TACO," Time, Amount, Color, and Odor. She said that when we do call the doctor when it's time, to remember those four things to tell them--how far apart the contractions are and when the membrane ruptured, how much amniotic fluid is leaking (amount), the color of the fluid, and if there's an odor.


We also talked about the medication you can take--none, epidural, or narcotics. I am pretty sure we're going to do the epidural, but I have to be dilated to 4cm. The difference between epidurals and narcotics, the narcotics do affect the baby whereas epidurals don't. The only thing I'm concerned about with the epidural, since you can't get up and walk around you have to have a catheter to empty our your bladder every once in awhile. I'm a little nervous about that, but I feel that if I'm numb from my chest all the way down to my toes I probably won't feel it as much, and it's not going to be left in the whole time, just in and out when they need to empty my bladder.


Our teacher also went around the room a few times asking each couple a couple questions--about how their families at home are going to change, and if they had a preference on how they would go through with the labor (meds or no meds). When she came to us, we said that the biggest change in our home will be with our pets. We have two cats and one dog, and they will probably be the most affected by the new person in the home. But we did get some great tips from our teacher and one of the other couples! They said that, when I'm still in the hospital, Ben come home with a blanket and/or hat that has the baby's smell on it, so they can smell it and get used to it. They also said that when we come home from the hospital, let whoever can control the pets best (Ben) go in first and then the other parent with the baby. Also, to let the pets sniff only the feet of the baby and not the face, because they would be prone to lick the face. We really thought these were great tips! And we of course, like the rest of the couples, said we were going to take some meds haha! I just really want it to be more enjoyable than dramatic. I don't want to be screaming and hollering because of pain. I want to be able to do what I have to to get to 4cm and then let the medicine kick in and just have smooth sailing from then on out.


I can't even begin to tell you everything we learned yesterday, it was so much! I feel SO much more comfortable about going through labor and delivering our little boy than before. I know Ben's going to be a great coach and an even greater daddy! I can't wait! :)

~ Baby Poem ~

Babies are Angels that fly to the earth,
their wings disappear at the time of their birth
one look in their eyes and we're never the same
They're part of us now and that part has a name
That part is your heart and a bond that won't sever
our Babies are Angels, we love them forever.

A friend sent this to me, and when I first read it I cried! :) I thought it was just lovely! Hope you enjoy it as much I do! :)

Scrapblog

9 more weeks!!

How exciting, only 9 weeks to go! Yesterday I was feeling some of those Braxton Hicks contractions and I'm sure I'll be feeling them more and more as the time gets closer. Baby boy is moving around like CRAZY, every day! This Saturday is our Lamaze Class. We are both really looking forward to that, and our next Doctor's appointment is next Wednesday. Everything is going great!! Just waiting for the final day to arrive when our baby boy is in our arms :)

3D Video!!! 2/10/09

This is baby at 29 weeks. You can see his little face! :)

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52163444

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