Kylee Violet

Here is Kylee's birth story, my 100th post :). If you don't want to read it that's fine. I do this mostly because I need to write it down before I forget. Don't worry, there aren't any gross details in this birth story. Though I guess it depends on what you consider a "gross detail."

I was scheduled to be induced on June 14. I was sort of assuming I'd go earlier than that because Kara came on her own 11 days early, but I am glad Kylee didn't come sooner because it allowed me more time to get the house unpacked. The day before, a nurse called me to tell me how it'd work. Basically, you wait for them to call you and tell you that you can come in. You have about an hour from that point to get to the hospital. If it's really busy then you don't go in till later and I guess if it's REALLY busy you might not get a call at all. Thankfully, I got a call at 8 AM after I'd had time to shower and get ready. My mother-in-law came up to get Kara and then Trevor and I headed off to American Fork Hospital. It was a really weird feeling to be walking into the hospital to have a baby but not being in labor. With Kara I was hunched over in pain; this was so easy it almost felt unreal. We checked in, I got changed, and by 9:15 my doctor came in to break my water. I was measuring 3 1/2 cm at that point. I'd been at around 2 cm for 4 weeks prior to this point. And, during the previous night I was experiencing semi-regular contractions on and off for a couple hours. I'm glad I didn't go into labor during the night. That would've made for a miserable labor/delivery.

My nurse, Becky, was awesome. I was her only patient so she was there the entire time. She got me hooked up to everything and started my antibiotics (I was group B Strep positive). At first, I didn't really feel much. Then I felt a few dull contractions. Becky kept telling me that there was no one in front of me so the anesthesiologist could be there right away, if I chose to have an epidural. The first time she told me this I didn't think I had to rush because the contractions weren't that bad. The second time she told me this I thought, "She keeps telling me he can be here right away...maybe I should listen to her." At that point I was experiencing strong contractions so I gave the go ahead. And boy, I'm glad I did. I swear in the 10 min it took him to get to my room I was in agony. It seemed like once the bad contractions decided to start they came with a fury. This was about an hour after the doctor broke my water, by the way. The nurse checked me and said I was at a 6, then she called out the door, "She's at a 7, get the anesthesiologist in here."

So, I made it farther epidural-free with Kylee than I did with Kara. Not that that was my goal. While getting the epidural I had to try to keep myself from shaking because I was in so much pain. I have really bad back labor, which I've heard is more painful than front labor. Before the epidural kicked in I felt a ton of pressure in my bottom, though I didn't have the urge to push. I'd like to say that all was right in the world shortly after getting the epidural but that's not true. It really only took effect on my right side so the nurse rolled me over to my left side. Then, there were these two spots my left side, one in the front and one in the back, where I could still feel pain. This was at 10:30. The nurse checked me and said I was at 9 cm. She said if the epidural didn't fully kick in (after the guy came back to up my dose) in five minutes we'd just start pushing because it's not worth being in all that pain if you're ready to have the baby. The only problem was that I'd only been on the antibiotics for just over an hour and the minimum time they want you on it is 2 hours, with 4 hours being preferable. Thankfully, the epidural kicked in and I was pain-free. So I just sat there, ready to have a baby, for another hour and fifteen so Kylee could get as much antibiotic in her as possible.

Despite how long it took for the epidural to kick in I preferred this experience over Kara's. I could still move my legs and feel when I was having a contraction, but with Kara I was completely numb and my legs were dead weight. They had to tell me when to push because I had no clue.

At around 11:45 Becky checked me again and I could tell that Kylee was right there, ready to come out. She said we needed to start pushing soon because Kylee was showing a few signs of distress during contractions. Trevor and his mom were out getting lunch so I texted Trevor and told him he better get back or he'd miss his second daughter's birth. At this point I'd been on the antibiotics for over 2 hours so Becky called the doctor. He came in right after Trevor and Sheryl walked in and after about 3 contractions Kylee was born at 12:14 PM. I think I pushed for 5 minutes. Awesome.

She came out SCREAMING and the first thing I said was, "That's not blond hair!!" I was excited about that. They put her on me right away, which is one of my favorite moments after giving birth. It's so exciting to meet your little one for the first time. Then Kylee was cleaned up and I got all taken care of (it took longer to deliver the placenta than the baby!). After that we just snuggled for an hour before they moved me to my room. It was great. I was able to nurse her right away, which I didn't get to do with Kara. I don't remember why exactly. I just remember they took Kara off to be bathed and whatnot before I had the chance to try to nurse her. I liked my experience at AF hospital more than UVRMC and this was one of the reasons why.

So, almost exactly 3 hours after the doctor broke my water little Kylee was born. More than half of that time I was ready to have her but I sat around so the antibiotics could be in my system longer. They never even had to give me Pitocin because I progressed so quickly. It was a fast labor and delivery and now I know to call for the anesthesiologist the second I walk in the room. :)

Having a new born is hard, but there are things about this stage you just don't get with any other stage (which I try to remind myself of all the time). I love all the little squeaky noises they make, the way they smell, how difficult they make waking up look, when they laugh in their sleep, how their arms move like little robots, when they curl up into a ball, the tiny sneezes and hiccups, the little snorting sound they make when they cry (okay maybe that's just Kylee. She sounds like a little piggy. It's so cute!), and their oh-so-soft skin and hair that feel like you're touching a cloud. I definitely bonded with Kylee much faster than I did with Kara and I have Kara to thank for that. She made me a mommy and forever changed my heart. I love my two little girls so very much. Oh, and I love Trevor too. He made it possible for me to have these wonderful children and he's a great daddy. So, thanks, hun! :)

Right after they broke my water. Still feeling good!

Mid-contraction

Dr. Haskett (a great doctor) and Nurse Becky

Dark hair! (sort of)

Love this one. Pretty sure Kylee will have awesome cheeks like Kara's.

Kara Date

The day before I had Kylee I took Kara to Farmland at Thanksgiving Point. I wanted to do something really fun with her one last time before having another child. Admittedly, I was a little sad that it would be my last time doing something fun with just Kara. She's my little buddy. My best friend. I was sad to see things change.

It was her first time going on the pony ride. Last year I didn't even consider it because she was so shy and nervous about new things. This year I figured she would be a little nervous but I knew she'd be fine. Guess what? She did awesome! The girl running it asked me if we owned horses because she was so impressed with how comfortable Kara was with them. That was a proud momma moment. :)

"Giddy up!"

Patting the pony

Feeling a little sad on the inside that this would be our last time together with just us two. Man, I love this little girl.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I totally adore Kylee. And I realize that I can still go on Kara and Mommy dates in the future. I think I was just nervous about the unknown and was sad to see this phase of life be over.

Preggo Pics

I only took 2 pictures of myself while pregnant. I'm not a huge fan of them mostly because it's just plain weird to take a picture of yourself like that. Also, it's really hard to take a flattering pregnant picture. I'm vain. I know. I only do it so that one day when my kids are looking at old pictures they'll think, "Hey, that's me in Mom's belly."

Here is a 28 week and a 39 week comparison. I remember feeling a whole lot bigger than the pictures lead you to believe, especially in the 28 week one.

Looking a little more tired in this one



Scheels and The Park

Back before Kylee joined our family we went to Scheels so Trevor could buy some disc golf Frisbees (his new interest). Well, they have a Ferris wheel right in the middle of the store so I decided to take Kara on her first Ferris wheel ride.

Side note:
I kind of have a fear of Ferris wheels. Back in my college days I went on a date to the carnival that Provo Towne Center used to put on (they don't do that anymore, do they?) and that's when I realized I. Don't. Like. Ferris wheels. This was a big one and it was old and rickety. Every time it moved I thought I was going to fall to my death. I seriously almost cried. The things you discover about yourself on a date...

Anyway. Kara really wanted to go on it so I thought it would be good for me to go on another, smaller one. At first I think I kept it together mostly for Kara's sake. I didn't want her realizing I was nervous because that would make her nervous. In the end it was fun for both of us. This Ferris wheel was newer and smaller so I got used to it pretty quickly. Fun times :)

Gettin' on the Ferris wheel.

Just. Breathe.

Waving to Daddy.

Later that night (I think) we went to the park so Trevor could test out his new Frisbees. This is what my kid was doing at the park:

Can you tell what she's pretending to do with the chalk?

She's giving herself a bath. Ha! She sure does love bath time :)

And I sure do love that girl.

Tulip Fesitval and Discovery Gateway

Hello. It has been a while. First we moved, then I had a baby, and then I had to find the cords for my camera to download pictures. Now that Kylee has started to take a few good naps throughout the day (and usually I can get one to coincide with Kara's nap) I hope to update this thing over the next week or two. Okay, maybe two or three...I've got a lot of catching up to do!

 Wayyy back in April I took Kara to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We were joined by Grandma Bodily and Auntie Jess. It was Kara's first time going, and mine too! Every year I've been here, going on nearly 10 years now (sheesh!), I have meant to make the drive up but never seemed to find the time. It was very pretty and a good time was had by all. Though I was pretty large-and-in-charge so walking up even the slightest hills while pushing Kara in a stroller tired me out.

Playing in the fountain :)

 

Last winter I bought a 3-month pass to Discovery Gateway with a friend of mine. We split the cost so it was cheaper than paying full price for Kara and me. Okay, it was $4 more but if we went only one more time it would save us a bunch of money. We ended up going 3 times and Kara had a blast each time.