welcoming baby maxwell

around 3:45 am, on september 26, i woke up with contractions, but they weren't super intense so i just got up and walked around trying to get comfy. they weren't stopping, so around 4:15 i woke my husband up {it took a good ten minutes for him to actually wake up enough to understand what i was saying} and told him what was going on. he sweetly suggested that i roll over and he'd scratch my back. i didn't think that would do the trick...but i did, and within two seconds of him scratching my back, he was asleep again. i kept trying to get comfortable but nothing was working. this went on for two more hours, until finally i decided that enough was enough. i really didn't want to get sent home from the hospital but at this point, i didn't care. if anything, we would be able to get pre-registered. i finally got danny out of bed and we threw a few essential items into the diaper bag and around 7 am we were on our way to the orem community hospital.

as soon as we arrived, my contractions basically stopped {go figure!} but we went in anyway and checked in. the nurse asked for my name, and i told her, while smiling. i'm sure she thought "she thinks she's in labor...but she's not..." they admitted me to the back, had me change into a gorgeous hospital gown, and minutes later sent a nurse into check me out.

within seconds of checking me, she said, "yup! i feel a head! you are dilated to a four so let's get you admitted and start your i.v. you are going to have a baby before you know it." we couldn't believe it.

the next few hours were a complete blur. ann {my nurse} escorted us back to the room where we would stay/deliver the baby and then she started my i.v. and called the anesthesiologist to get my epidural started. by the time he got there {around 9:30} i still wasn't in a lot of pain but the second i got my epidural...i was in heaven. people tell you epidurals are amazing, but i guess you can't fully appreciate them until you are the one receiving it. after 9:30 am, i didn't feel any pain. at all. it was amazing.

around 11 dr. judd came in and broke my water for me to speed up the process a little bit. he estimated the baby would be born around 4 pm {i was still only at a five} so he left, and danny and i just hung out. still in shock. {i think it was finally starting to sink in that we were about to become parents}

at 12:30 ann checked me again and i was at an eight. she said, "looks like this baby is coming sooner than we thought!" and she went off to call dr. judd. i decided then was a good time to call my mom and have her head over to the hospital and by the time she got there at one, my room was filled with nurses and doctors getting ready to deliver a baby.

at about 1:05 they told me to start pushing...and at 1:13 maxwell scott entered this world. it was the MOST spectacular thing that i have ever witnessed or been a part of. seeing my little boy for the first time was miraculous. i couldn't stop crying. dr. judd made fun of me, telling me i was crying more than the baby.

but seriously, it was wonderful.

i couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

the birth story of jonah.

I delivered my sweet Jonah on December 31st, 2008 at 5:50 AM,
sixteen days before his due date.
he is my second born.
he came out with my strawberry hair and his daddy's features.
his birth was really different than what i had expected it to be.
it was a natural birth.

and here is the story...

the day before jonah was born i woke up feeling as if my belly weighed an extra 100 pounds.
it was so tight and i could feel that things were changing, like maybe his head was about to come out...
that day i walked a lot, ate an oreo mcflurry, washed baby clothes,
and then i wondered if today would be the day.
but then again, he wasn't due for 16 more days.

the evening rolled around and we decided to go swimming.
it felt so good to be weightless in the water.
we went home, put our little girl to bed at about 8:30,
and it was then that i knew i was feeling "real" contractions.
i labored at home until the pain really set in.

we went into the hospital at 2 am.
i was only at a 3, so they put me in a recovery room thinking it would possibly be 10 plus more hours until he came.

shortly after, my contractions were coming hard, really hard.
i asked for my epidural, but my nurse said it was too early.
all the while i'm sure she was thinking i was such a wuss!

the hours passed...still no epidural.
those hours were almost unbearable for me.
i hadn't prepared for a natural birth at all and was in too much pain to think straight.
my husband did his best to help me get through the pain, but i remember his voice sounding so faint as i tried to take myself to another place to run from the booming contractions.

at 5:30 i told my husband that he was coming.

and coming he was...

we were in the room alone when i started to push, in fact we had been in the room alone all along.
then pam came in.
she was a calming, obviously experienced nurse, who then announced that the baby's head was in sight.

she delivered my jonah right then and there.

it was all so indescribable!
the pain, the joy, the fulfillment.
and although i hadn't planned for a natural birth, there were so many amazing things about it.
i have never felt so much in my life...physically, emotionally...
and although it went different than i had planned,
it all turned out just fine.
beautiful in fact.




the first time my daughter preslee met her new brother...

here's pam, the nurse that delivered him:)

and here are my jonah and preslee now...

p.s. just so no one is scared to deliver a baby now...my nurse was new and inexperienced, hence the unusual circumstance of jonah's birth... that probably happens one in a billion times, so don't be scared that your nurse wont give you an epidural per your request.

Luke’s Birth Story

Like most expectant mothers, by the time 40 weeks rolled around, I was ready to have my baby NOW. However, I told myself (and everyone else) that he would probably arrive late, thereby hoping to jinx him into coming early. And I guess it worked, because two days before my due date, I was up all night with regular contractions. That morning, I timed them and was thrilled to find that they were only four or five minutes apart. They weren’t too strong yet, though, so I decided to go into work (my office was 2 minutes away from the hospital).

After about an hour, the contractions started picking up the pace a little bit, and since I wasn’t having a particularly productive morning at the office (shocking, I know) I decided I might as well head over to the hospital to see if they’d admit me. I was a little afraid that the nurses would point fingers and laugh if they decided it was too early to admit me (I know you all worry about the same thing deep down) but everyone was very nice and took me seriously. They hooked me up to a monitoring station, where I sat for an hour or so sipping juice before they determined that yes, the contractions were holding steady at 3 minutes apart, but I wasn’t dilated much, so it would be better if I came back when the contractions were stronger in a few hours or so.

A little disappointed, I called my husband (not wanting to be caught driving if the contractions stepped it up), who told me that his office was having a work party at Tucanos for lunch. Spouses were invited, and while it seemed like sort of a weird thing to do to go out to lunch in early labor, we figured it was a free meal of delicious food. So we went. While there, the contractions stepped it up big time, and by the time lunch was over I was about ready to keel over from trying to look perky while wanting to yell and possibly curse every three minutes. My husband’s hand was a mangled claw from my squeezing it under the table.

However, despite the painful lunch, I didn’t want to go back to the hospital unless I was SURE this was real labor (I didn’t want to be sent home twice. Prideful, prideful). The nurses at the hospital had told me to come back when the contractions were so strong I couldn’t talk through them (I never did figure out what they meant by that, by the way. I could yell the whole time. Did that count?) So I went home and tried to take a bath. Tried to watch a movie. But I wanted to die, so I figured that was good enough and went back to the hospital.

They admitted me, thank all that is holy, and things progressed pretty rapidly from there. The epidural wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought it would be. In fact, after it was placed I told my husband how much I loved it every five minutes or so for the rest of labor. Only a few hours passed, and I was ready to push. So I pushed. And then pushed some more. And some more. After three hours, they decided my baby just wasn’t angled right, wasn’t going to come on his own, and they needed to do a C-section.

The rest is a little bit of a blur, since by then it was 2 a.m., but after some slicing and dicing and some pain-killer that didn’t quite work, I heard the song I’d been waiting to hear: baby boy’s cry. I’m sure I’ll never forget the moment my husband brought him over and let me see his little face. I think the phrase “all worth it” sums it up pretty well.

Giveaway Winners

Drumroll please ...

Bonnie and Amanda!

These lucky ladies will each win a copy of Lullaby Renditions of Kanye West. Just e-mail us and we'll tell you how to claim your prize.

Congrats!

{and sorry for the late announcement}

Rockaby Baby! Review & Giveaway

Think babies can’t listen to rock music? Think again.

The folks at Rockabye Baby sent us a few CDs to review. Here’s what we think:

{Lullaby Renditions of AC/DC}

For those of you who aren’t married to a classic rock junkie who knows every word to every AC/DC song, they’re the Australian band who brought you “Hell’s Bells,” “Highway to Hell,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” etc.

As you can gather, their songs don’t naturally fall into the baby-friendly category. But when I popped the CD in and heard the gentle monotrone music, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I started laughing as I imagined rocker guys in a studio tapping their feet as they play monotrones and triangles to the subdued melody of “Back in Black” (my favorite song on the CD. Very catchy.)

I was surprised even more when I played the CD for my baby girl. She was fussy, but as soon as she heard the music, she calmed down and started listening intently — no joke.

AC/DC now has a softer side, and my husband couldn’t be more pleased to introduce our daughter to one of his favorite bands this early on.

—Kim

{Lullaby Renditions of Kanye West}

Kanye West Lullabies: Oxymoronic? Maybe. Good listenin’? You betcha.

When you think of Kanye West, the words “peaceful,” “pleasant,” “lulling,” and “soothing” come to mind, right? So maybe not. But maybe they will now, with Rockabye Baby, Lullaby Renditions of Kanye West.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I popped in the CD, although I smiled at the album artwork as I flipped through the jewel-case booklet. Inside the case I found paper doll cutouts of a baby brown bear wearing a diaper—and his R&B outfit complete with microphone and boombox. You’ll also find a page where you can record your little rockstar’s name, “birthday to be celebrated by future fans,” “favorite foods that will be demanded in future dressing room,” etc.

The music began to play, and instead of drums and guitars I got a tinkling, soothing melody (the back cover says mellotrons, vibraphones, and bells. I know what the last one is.) I immediately recognized Kanye’s “Good Morning,” though if I hadn’t known the song beforehand, this rendition would have fit in with any children’s lullaby CD.

So here’s my take: I’m sold. I have nothing against “Once There Was a Snowman” or “Pop Goes the Weasel” (although I have serious questions about the deeper meanings of the latter), however I sometimes feel a little too “babied out” when I have those songs stuck in my head 24/7. With “Rockabye Baby” (there are tons of other iterations, by the way: U2, Coldplay, Queen, Beatles, Nirvana, etc.) I got the best of both worlds: lullabies my baby liked mixed with songs I knew and liked. There aren’t any lyrics to “Rockabye Baby” (so don’t worry, your lil’ shawty won’t be exposed to Kanye’s choicer gems.)

Really, if you think about it, rock and R&B aren’t all that different from a lullaby. Strong rhythm and repetition are key to both. So take away the more “adult” lyrics, tone down the heavy-duty instruments, and you’ve got something baby appreciates. Plus, sometimes it really helps to have “Da-da-da-dat dat don’t kill me can only make me stronger” running through my head as I change a particularly ripe diaper.

—Noelle

{Lullaby Renditions of Journey}

As my Journey-obsessed husband opened this CD, he thought it would prove to be a major butchering of the beloved tunes that defined his guitar-playing style from his youth.

As the first few notes tinkered the ever reckognizeable, “Open Arms” in music box fashion, we were both instantly mesmerized. A shared glance and jinxed expression of, “Cool!” sent us both giggling and aching for more. The next few songs sent us reminiscing into the days of our youth, while proving pleasant and soothing to our energetic 10-month-old.

I admit that although Journey’s strong melodies lend themselves to be effortlessly transformed into quiet lullabies, some songs just never should be played in a nursery. It was hard to listen to the signature guitar rif of “Don’t Stop Believin” being played on a subdued xylophone (or a similarly synthesized instrument). But if you can get past that and the cheesy cricket noises shamelessly added to every song, then you’ll love this subtle introduction of the ever-popular Journey to your rocker-in-training.

—Jeni

And now for the giveaway. Two lucky readers will win a copy of Rockabye Baby’s Lullaby Renditions of Kanye West. Rock on!

1 entry: (mandatory) Become a follower of Belly Mamas using the link on the left.

Extra entries:

3 entries: Add the Belly Mamas button to your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your blog.

3 entries: Send an e-mail to 10 of your friends with a link to Belly Mamas, and copy bellymamas@gmail.com. Leave a comment here once you've sent the e-mail.

2 entries: Become a fan of Belly Mamas on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. Remember to comment here too so you get your entries counted.

2 entries: Blog about Belly Mamas on your own blog, and leave us a comment here with the link to your post.

Winners will be announced here Monday, June 7.

The Cans and Can'ts of Pregnancy

{the hubs and I on a lovely hike ~ 6 mos preggo}

I swear, as soon as you see those two pink lines, immediate worry and paranoia seem to take up permanent residence in your mind. It's not just about you anymore, and your body is now responsible for growing a little human. Wow, talk about pressure huh?!

Luckily, our body's capabilities are nothing short of miraculous. While it is more important than ever to take care of your body now, I'm here to help you realize that the list of "can'ts" while you're pregnant isn't quite as long as you might think.

CANTS:

- As far as eating goes: obviously, drugs and alcohol are a no go. You should also keep caffeine intake to a minimum and avoid sushi, deli meats (unless they're heated through), soft cheeses, and certain types of fish (mercury levels too high).

- You can't take most over the counter medications. Always check with your doctor before taking anything, especially during the first trimester.

- You can't overexert yourself during exercise. Remember, don't work so hard that you are breathless. Oh, and no contact sports of course.

- You can't lift heavy objects. You may feel silly, but let other people do the lifting for you.

- You can't paint. Be careful and avoid strong chemicals...even some cleaning products. "Sorry, honey. I really shouldn't be scrubbing the bathroom and inhaling the fumes."

-You can't get a period. Hallelujiah!

-And last, but not least, you can't see your feet :)

Now for the CANS:

- You can and should exercise. But you already know how I feel about that.

- You can eat healthy. Yes, technically you are eating for two, but remember that second person is the size of a grapefruit right now. Also, there's a big difference between dieting and eating healthy. Please, don't diet while you're pregnant.

-You can use pregnancy as an excuse for all sorts of fun things: going to bed early, crying at the drop of a hat, your newfound pant size, wearing the same 2 outfits over and over, using your belly as a shelf, the list could go on and on...

- You can enjoy your changing body. Growing a baby is unlike anything else in this whole world, enjoy every moment. Even the swelling and backaches. They won't last forever, and when they're gone, you'll miss the feeling you had while you were pregnant.

The best advice I can give you is to relax, be smart (just use common sense), and enjoy the preggo journey! If you have questions about specific worries, ask your doc, even if it is just to put your mind at ease!

What is the most common "can't" that you always hear??

-Karlee

It was all i could think about...

... ICE CREAM.

Not just any ice cream, but the oreo mcflurry kind from McDonald's.

i even ate it the day i went into labor, for good luck i suppose :)

i wonder if carrying a boy is what made me crave the sweets.

i have heard that myth, that having a boy or girl will determine the things you tend to crave.

i've also heard that some pregnant women crave laundry detergent ... um, that's one you might

not want to act on.





when i was pregnant with my daughter, it was fruit that i craved.

plain fruit and smoothies,

the kind from jamba juice.

in my last weeks of pregnancy with her it's pretty much all i ate.



so, with each pregnancy i acted on what the books said,

even though it may have made my bum bigger :)

i catered to my cravings some, not all, but some of the time.

and i quite enjoyed it :)



according to this article published just last month, here are top ten things pregnant women crave:

1. ice cream

2. pickles

3.anchovies

4. salt

5. heavily spiced foods

6. laundry starch (so it is true!)

7. red meat

8. cheese spread

9. pizza

10. pineapple



what kind of cravings have you had?



—tamara