As you wish

Hope you and your family are all well. Who would’ve thought the year 2020 would’ve unfolded as it has. Coronavirus has flipped everyone’s lives upside down. I hope you’re able to find goodness out of this stressful crazy time. For us, part of the goodness was welcoming baby #2.

Let me explain… No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Last year, especially after losing my Nana, we knew we wanted to try for another baby. It took longer than we expected and we had another loss. I began to come with the reality that maybe our family size was set at 3. One day as my daughter and I were driving home, a little rain shower stopped and from the back seat she yelled, “mama, there’s a rainbow.” I looked to see that she was right. I told her sometimes God sends us rainbows as a sign that things will be better and asked her if she thought maybe this rainbow was for us. She quickly said it is and 2 weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test the day before Halloween. It was also as I completed a 100 day exercise program and had been feeling better than ever in a long time. 

Get some rest. If you haven’t got your health, then you haven’t got anything.

This pregnancy was so much easier, as I didn’t have any of the crazy potential miscarriage signs as I had with my first. I also was blessed with no morning sickness. All the kicks and baby hiccups, and how I looked was exactly as when I carried my daughter so I was thinking we might be having another girl. One night in January when my daughter wasn’t sleeping, I crawled into bed with her. I was about to do the infamous “parent slowly creep out of bed and crawl away on the floor maneuver “, when my daughter bolted up and declared “ mama, it’s a boy.” I opened my eyes with shock and asked her what she was talking about and she said “ the baby, in your tummy, it’s a boy!”. 

I got shivers and we both went back to sleep. She said it with such conviction she had me convinced it was a boy. I think safe to say, maybe God whispered this to her to pass onto us. 

Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.

Then as you all know covid 19 hit, we’ve all been in quarantine... and frankly we’re still in it. The hospitals all have more restrictions and new policies in place. I had to go through 3 checkpoints and a covid test while in labor before they would allow my husband to be with me.

I started to go into labor 2 days after my due date. I went into the office for a midwife checkup and did a membrane sweep. I left feeling fine and waddled away. 3 hours later, I started to have some light contractions about 7pm so I called my parents to pick up Dottie. They picked her up and my husband and I walked around the block before hopping into the car to drive to the hospital.

(Walking into the hospital)

Upon arrival, we parked, applied our masks and started to walk in. At the first checkpoint, there was a lady checking people in and taking temperatures. She saw I was in labor and was so nice and left the person she was checking and rushed to my side asking me questions, took temperature and walked us to the elevator for the labor ward.

At the labor unit, we waited in line. Finally, our turn, temperature checked and questions answered again. Then we waited in the lobby for an hour! Longest hour ever! But between contractions, I looked up to see another man sitting in a chair waiting. Looking familiar I finally got the guts to ask him who his wife was and come to find out, it was a friend I had danced with on poms back in high school! She was also there to deliver her baby! “ Inconceivable.”

After baby was monitored and my Covid test came back negative, they deemed me able to go to Karmanos Natural birthing center. I briefly talked to the midwife that was on that evening and she left my husband and I in the beautiful birthing suite. After an hour I was really feeling that things had progressed, I had my husband locate the midwife and bring her back to check me. Before checking me, she asked me if she could break my water and as I was saying NO, my water literally broke on its own. Phew! She then checked and let me know I was dilated to a 9 and left the room.

To me this was completely different that my first baby. I had a different midwife and she stayed and labored with me the whole time. I was very surprised that this midwife didn't stay at all considering how quickly everything was progressing. Even though Nate was super helpful and supportive, I couldn't help but feel a little discouraged that this midwife wasn't as attentive. I realize now how spoiled I was with my first birth and also so thankful because atleast this time I knew what to expect.

After 45 mins I had Nate get the midwife again. She told me I was at a 10 but I didn't seem read to push. After only a few pushes out came out baby and Nate was able to announce that it was a little boy!

We both looked at each other and both said "Dottie was right!" This is true love. You think this happens every day? 

Wesley Clarence joined our family at 8lbs 13oz and 19.5 inches long. Our Corona baby. So far a nursing champ, growing so quickly and has already been showing us his calm and chill personality. From the very beginning of Nate and I dating, we both have always liked the name Wes for a boy. For him, he has a friend/mentor that he admires and for me it was the Princess Bride movie. (P.S. try to count how many Princes Bride movie quotes are in this post!) Clarence means "bright" and comes from my husband's grandfather's name. Grandpa Clarence and Grandma Dorothy bought the property we are building our new house on and built the log cabin that we knocked down last year. So in a way, our own Wesley (Clarence) and Dottie are making their way back to Maceday Lake!

Dottie has been super sweet to him and we've been so thankful not knowing how she would adjust but she seems to be just fine. Knowing that when he cries, he usually needs milk, and she asks to hold him first thing every morning. We can't wait to see what these 2 children will bring to the world, and we're blessed to have them with us. 

Hope you and your family are well and healthy during such odd times. We hope you can find the good and beautiful.

New Addition to the Family

Dottie Lynn was born on January 9th at 1:06pm, 8lbs 3oz and 19 in long. Needless to say we are absolutely over the moon in love with her.  I know everyone says having a little one is amazing,  but now that we are parents ourselves, my husband sums it up as he was missing out on life before she was here. Somehow the love the 2 of us had multiplied and is overflowing with love for her.

I do want to share and document a bit about her birth in case it is helpful to others. I read a lot of natural birthing stories and want to be a supportive, positive light for those that are worried or have negative feelings.

I also want to preface a couple of items that I think helped contribute to an easier birth. Despite all of the green and healthy things I eat, I was absolutely devastated when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes toward the end of my pregnancy. I kept thinking, how could this happen? I eat my green smoothies everyday for breakfast, some kind of veggie soup and salad for lunch and a sensible dinner. It is what it is, so no carbs, no fruit and no sugar for the last 2 months of my pregnancy.

Since I wanted to try to have natural birth, I had to keep my sugar in check with diet and exercise alone. If I were to get on any medication I would be disqualified from the facility we choose. So I revamped my eating and exercised for 20 mins every morning, usually with light weights, and walked 2.5 miles with my husband every evening after dinner. Sometimes I would walk the 15 flights of stairs at my work as well.

I actually lost 4lbs the last 2 months of my pregnancy, I felt great and was mentally prepared. I did ask my midwife for a membrane sweep at my 39 week appointment as I was already dilated to a 3. I left the office feeling nauseous, lightheaded and already had some cramping.

My husband and I ate dinner and I relaxed for once, due the cramping and didn't walk our usual path. I did however lightly and slowly shovel some snow in our driveway.

I woke up at 2am with contractions. I was so giddy excited but tried to calm myself to go back to sleep not knowing how long this process could be. I knew I needed rest and strength. I woke at 5am with stronger contractions and debated whether or not to wake my husband.

5:30am I woke him and told him he probably shouldn't go to work. I called the midwife and she said since I could talk through contractions, that I should wait a little longer. They did ramp up, and in the meantime I slowly ate a spoonful of peanut butter and 2 scrambled eggs. The contractions were more intense and I called back an hour later and they said to head into the birthing center. From that point on, to work through the contractions, I would breathe in and do a slow and low hum out and repeat. Knowing that it was only a minute long was a big help and then have a few minutes break in between. I just kept at it.

At that point it was 7:30am ish on a Tuesday and there was some rush hour traffic that took us awhile to get to the hospital. Finally at the hospital, my husband offered to drop me off at the door but I really didn't want to leave his side so I insisted he park and we would walk in together. We were parked on the 2nd floor of a structure and stubborn me also insisted on walking down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

We got into triage, where baby and I were checked and they deemed us both healthy to continue onto the natural birthing suite. They also checked my progress and confirmed I was already dilated to a 7! We both cried and hugged. All of our worry at the beginning of this pregnancy when we kept almost losing this sweet baby, the memories of the one we lost in February last year, my determination and walking 2.5 miles in below zero temperatures....well here we were on the brink of baby's Birthday and it was just so sweet!

I lucked out with my favorite midwife on call, and she met me in the natural birthing suite with a full bathtub, the lights dimmed and lavender oils. It was like a luxury hotel room, not the typical stark, sterile, cold hospital environment. It helped my husband and I feel more relaxed, which is one of the reasons why we chose this facility. It is also apart of the hospital, so if any complications arise, a couple doors down was a surgical room and there was a crash cart located outside of our door.

I labored in the tub for a while and it felt best when they were putting the hot water with a hose on my lower back. Come to find out later, she came out sunny side up, which contributed to my back labor and longer delivery. After some time my water still hadn't broke but I was dilated to a 10, so my midwife had me sit on the toilet for 3 contractions, and sure enough, sploosh! My water broke.

My husband then helped me to the bed. I had a contraction on my way there and he literally held all of me as I was too weak to stand. We don't have any pictures of me in labor, but the mental picture I have of that moment still brings me to tears. What a great man I have.

There was then 3.5  hours of pushing. My midwife and nurse, massaged my legs between contractions. It felt heavenly. Not something I would have imagined but they knew exactly what I needed. Their supportive words and encouragement kept me going. My husband would put a cool cloth on my forehead as I got hot with each contraction and then I got cold and he would wrap me with warm blankets once it would cease. He said he knew when another contraction was coming because I would scrunch up my face.

Before I knew it, out the baby came. My midwife said, "Stacey, grab your baby." And I reached down and finished pulling her out and onto my belly. All wiggly and slippery, I laid with her on my belly in a heap on exhaustion and wonder. We didn't know if we had a baby boy or girl, so my husband helped pick her up and slide the umbilical cord over to announce that we had a little girl.

Dottie Lynn joined our family! I almost couldn't believe it, she was here, safe and perfect. I felt hot tears on my face, and I looked up to see they were not mine but my husbands. And we cried and held little Dottie.

We picked out her name for a few different reasons. My husband's grandmother's name was Dorothy and he describes her as revolutionary, and was a big part of his life. I wear her wedding ring today as my own.  Dorothy also means "gift from God." We had a hard time picking out a middle name but finally landed on Lynn. As a shortened rendition of Linda, another motherly figure in my husband's life and meaning "lake." Also suitably as Grandma Dorothy lived on a lake that we now own property and will work on building our home in the next couple of years.

Like everyone says, the time goes by so fast. We have already seen her change so much in the last 2 months. We look forward to seeing what kind of person she will be and we look forward to expanding our family, God willing.