We conceived right after Isaiah turned 2 years old. I was sick again. I wasn't homeschooling anymore and we lived 30 minutes away from the school. It was hard to drive the kids to school every morning while I was feeling so nauseous. Even though I had managed to make it through 3 pregnancies without medication, I knew I would have to do something this time. I had 3 other kids to take care of and my husband was working and going to school full time. I couldn't function without some help.
My doctor suggested I start by taking Unisom. It helps curb some of the nausea and would help me sleep. It didn't completely eliminate my morning sickness, but it helped enough that I could do what needed to be done.
We traveled by car for Thanksgiving. It was a long drive to Utah. Tim did all the driving because I felt too sick to drive. I did some black friday shopping with my cousins. It was rough, but I managed. :)
I felt sick for most of the pregnancy. I didn't get much relief from the nausea. I usually feel pretty good during the fifth or sixth month. I think my body just had a lot to deal with this time around.
Right before we found out I was pregnant, one of Isaiah's doctors referred us to a pediatric cardiologist. We knew he had a heart murmur, but she heard something else. We took him in and they did an echo. We found out that he has aortic stenosis with a dilated aorta. The cardiologist was surprised that our doctor heard the clicking noise and referred us. Most doctors aren't trained to hear it, so most people don't discover they have it until they are around 10 years old and other symptoms arise. We are so very thankful for our awesome pulmonologist who heard it and God's hand over it all!
Aortic stenosis is usually genetic so we needed to keep an eye on our baby's heart in case this one had it too. This meant that I would have several ultrasounds from a specialist throughout the pregnancy. The doctor couldn't see everything he needed to see because the baby wasn't cooperating. (Was this a sign of things to come?) After a couple more ultrasounds the doctor was concerned that there was a problem with the baby's heart. We came back for another ultrasound and everything looked ok. He thinks what he was seeing is pretty common, but most women don't have ultrasounds looking at their baby's heart and so the way the valves were forming was questionable. God knew all along and was taking care of our baby as we were trusting in Him.
I didn't want to find out the gender of the baby this time either, but again, Tim wanted to know. We found out we were having another boy! Wow, 3 boys and a girl! I was hoping for another girl so we'd have 2 of each. Mikaela cried when we told her we were having another boy. She really, REALLY wanted a sister. Well, God had other plans for our family! She is still hoping to have a sister someday if we adopt. Elijah was also hoping for a sister too, but for different reasons. He wanted our family to be even with 3 girls and 3 boys. Oh well!
Everything was going well with the preparation of my first natural birth. I had read everything I could read. Sought encouragement from those who had done it before or who were on the same path. I was even doing the exercises I was supposed to do (to strengthen and get ready for labor, but also to try and turn the baby around so I wouldn't have back labor again). We had a private session with a Bradley instructor. We met with my doula. All that was left to do was pray and trust that God had it all under control.
I was hoping the extra strain of caring for 3 kids and Tim working and going to school would cause this baby to come a little early. However, the trend of my other births didn't show much promise. My first was born at 38 weeks. My second at 39 weeks. My third was on his due date. Surely he wouldn't wait that long!
I had been having contractions (Braxton Hicks) for almost the entire third trimester. As 38 weeks approached, I knew it could turn into labor at any time. Then 39 weeks came and I began to worry that I was going to be forced into induction. I REALLY wanted my last labor and delivery to be completely natural.
My doctor had asked if I wanted to schedule an induction. I said no. At 40 weeks, my doctor asked one last time. He said he was going to be on vacation the following week and if I wanted him to deliver, I would have to be induced. Having him deliver baby #3 was SO important to me. This time, however, having a natural birth was more important to me. He scheduled an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level and ordered a non-stress test. If those came back ok, he would allow me to keep waiting for baby to come on his own.
On Wednesday, July 27th, Tim and I went in for the testing. The ultrasound showed that he was doing great and the fluid level was just fine. The non-stress test showed that I was having regular contractions 4 minutes apart. Baby was doing great and it looked as though he would be making his appearance very soon! I was the last appointment of the day so after the testing, the nurses walked out with us to go home. In the elevator, they joked that I should go get a good dinner because I was probably going to deliver that night. I was excited and hopeful. Well, the contractions eventually slowed down. I continued to have regular contractions that would start and stop. I just couldn't believe I was still pregnant. I was 41 weeks!
The next morning I laid in bed crying. Tim and I prayed and I tried not to worry. Later that morning we went to my appointment. Since my doctor was out of town, I saw one of the nurse practitioners. She checked me and I was almost 4 cm dilated and my bag of water was bulging through the cervix. Good news overall. After checking me she told me I could go straight to the hospital and they would break my water. She was completely shocked when I said no. I told her I wanted a natural birth and wanted baby to come on his own. It's funny because she didn't know what to say. She ended up saying she would have to go consult with one of the doctors to see if they would "let" me go home. She came back and said the doctor said we could go home because he didn't think I'd last the weekend. But, if I was still pregnant on Monday, I would have to be induced.
I was already 8 days past my estimated due date! When would this baby come?!
Josiah's Birth Story Part 2
