Noah's Birth Story

Jonathan Noah Bernardon is FINALLY here!  At 41 weeks, per my doctor's recommendation, we decided to induce labor.  There's always concern about the baby not getting enough nutrients in the 41st and 42nd weeks and it was obvious that he was going to be big.  Annabella was 8 pounds and 9 ounces, so I really wasn't willing to risk having a 10 pound baby.  I had hoped so desperately that I would go into labor naturally, but my body has never been able to dilate on its own, so my chances were slim that I would this time.  At 7:20am, Jonathan and I arrived at St. Mary's in Athens.  I was an absolute nervous wreck. They started the IV and Pitocin at 8:00.  The nurse was very nice and read my birth plan, got the birthing ball and put the walking monitors on me.  We were ready to go.  It was finally happening.  About an hour into it the alarm started going off on the baby's heart rate monitor.  They rushed in and tried to adjust the monitor on my tummy, but it wasn't the monitor.  Noah's heart rate had dropped drastically.  They put me on oxygen and stopped the Pitocin right away.  I was terrified.  I remember thinking, 'How could we have gone through all that we did at the beginning of this pregnancy, only to lose him during labor?'  Thankfully the oxygen helped and after a little while on the oxygen, everything went back to normal.  Unfortunately we had to go through that a few more times throughout the day and there wasn't a single time that I didn't think the worst.  

Around 10:00, my doctor came in to check my progress and break my water.  I wasn't even 2cm and she wasn't even able to break my water.  Two hours into it, I already had two strikes against me and my chances of c-section were increasing.  There's always a chance of c-section when you induce, but based on his heart rate dropping and the fact that I was 0% effaced and 1cm dilated was not looking good.  So I got to my feet and walked and bounced on the birthing ball for two hours straight.  The mere thought of having to have a c-section terrified me and I was determined to help get things moving.  Every time they had to put me on oxygen and turn the Pitocin off, they had to restart it at it's lowest setting.  So if we were already up to an 8 on the Pitocin, once they stopped it and restarted it, I had to go back down to a 2.  Which meant less of the medication and slower contractions, which equaled very little progress.  I also wanted to try my hardest to avoid an epidural this time.  I lasted until 3:00.  They had already broken my water and with the Pitocin bringing on almost constant contractions, I couldn't handle them anymore.  

The picture below is in between contractions at 4cm dilated.

Once I was at 4cm, Jonathan couldn't stand watching me in so much pain, so he got the nurse to come in and discuss pain relief options with me.  The epidural made the most sense, so they got the anesthesiologist within minutes and administered the shot.  I HATE getting epidurals.  I'm not afraid of the pain or the needle, it's the chance of something going wrong that terrifies me.  What if he puts it in wrong, paralyzes me, or there's an adverse reaction?  I was praying like crazy and in tears.  Turns out this was the best anesthesiologist I've had thus far and it was a much less painful and scary process than I had expected.  Since I wasn't feeling much anymore, I was able to get some sleep before things really got rolling.

Finally at 5:00 I was at 7cm.  I was progressing so quickly that the nurse stood by my side, watched the monitors and checked me until I was at 10cm. It was finally time to push.  Jonathan put his "Coach" scrub shirt on, grabbed the camera and the video camera.  He kept asking me if I was excited, but I was SO nervous.  The photo below was taken RIGHT before I started pushing. I could still feel the contractions and I could feel almost everything as I pushed him out-it was just less intense. 

   
The good thing about my body when it comes to labor is that I have never pushed longer than 15 minutes.  On the third push, he was here.  Perfect and crying.  

He was born at 5:46.  Jonathan cut the cord for the first time.  Because I chose to do delayed cord clamping, he stayed on my chest for several minutes before Jonathan cut the cord and they took him to the warming bed.  He was perfect.  8 pounds and 4.5 ounces and 20 inches long.  As soon as they brought him back to me and I snuggled him, he nursed with no problem for a full 15 minutes.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  My little boy was finally in my arms, healthy and nursing.  He looked just like his daddy and reminded me so much of what Madelynn and Annabella looked like when they were born.  He had more hair than any of them and the first thing I noticed was how big his hands were.  We were overcome with emotion and joy.  This was the miracle that God has surprised us with.  We had been through so much already; a surprise pregnancy, the possibility of miscarriage and a very rocky first trimester, what we thought was a miscarriage that ended up being unexplained bleeding, the flu and bronchitis-you name it, we had experienced it.  I can't tell you how many nights I cried myself to sleep in the very beginning and how many prayers I had prayed throughout the whole thing.  All for this beautiful, precious little boy.  I would do it 100 times over.  

At this hospital, they leave you with your baby for as long as you want before they give them their bath and take them to the nursery for everything else.  They finished cleaning up (I didn't need any stitches, thank goodness!) and left Jonathan and I alone with our son.  It wasn't long before mom, dad, Madelynn, Annabella and my grandmother got there.  We were more than anxious to show him off.  Here is our first photo as a family of five.  

None of us could take our eyes off of him long enough to look at the camera. The girls are of course, smitten with him.  How could you not be?

Look how tiny he is with his daddy!

Proud mommy

Mom, take it easy with the pictures.

My handsome little man

And here he is in his car seat, ready to FINALLY go home!!

Although I didn't deliver him like I had planned, he's here now.  He's healthy and he's absolutely amazing.  We are so thankful and beyond blessed.   

*** On a side note, I'd like to say to my husband that I am so, very grateful for you.  You were my rock throughout the pregnancy and delivery.  No matter how hard I was to get along with, you shut your mouth and humored my ridiculousness.  While I was in labor you were attentive and supportive, loving and sweet.  You're an AMAZING father and though I didn't think it was possible, I love you even more each time we have a baby.  Those moments in the delivery room were some of the most intimate and precious memories I have and I can't imagine sharing them with anyone but you.  I love you.  Our kids are so blessed to have you as their father.  ***

A Snow Day!!

Today it snowed!!  The girls were SO excited!  I had a doctor appointment at 11 this morning, so they were at mom's when it started.  The second flurries started, Madelynn called me ecstatic that "everything was going to be white!" and asking when she could go play. It didn't take long before the ground was covered and the second I walked in the door to bring them home, they were both begging to go out and play in it. Annabella kept pointing out the window saying, "No, No.  See no?"  This was Annabella's first snow and the first snow that Madelynn can remember. Watching their excited faces and seeing them experience it for the first time was precious.  

Once Jonathan got home from work (which was several hours early, of course), we bundled up the girls and took them out.  The neighbors were out, so they all got to play together.  They learned how to make and throw snowballs and just how much fun making designs in the snow with sticks was.  They played on their bikes and ran as fast as they could.  It was so adorable.  
  

After a little while, Annabella was announcing that she was "told", so we packed it up and came inside for a family dinner and a warm fire in the fireplace.  It was such a fun and unexpected day.

On a different note, today is my due date with Noah!  I'm 40 weeks pregnant and more than ready to meet my little man.  I've made a little more progress, but the doctor discussed with me that he doesn't want me going over 41 weeks and that Noah appears to be a pretty big baby.  Annabella was 8lb, 9oz so I'm hoping he's not much bigger than that.  We decided to induce him this Saturday.  I could still go into labor at any time, so he just might be born in January.  Otherwise, we're looking at a February 1st birthday.  Only 4 more days!!!

Life As We Know It...

I'm entering week 39 of my pregnancy with Noah and as anxious as I am to meet my precious son, I have to remind myself that life as we know it is about to drastically change.  These are the last few days that we will be a family of four.  Our lives won't revolve around just two precious little girls, but a little boy as well.  Annabella will no longer be "the baby" and Madelynn will assume the role of big sister to two little ones.  My attention will be split between three children who need my all and we'll have to reprogram how we live, being a new family of FIVE.  Nothing will ever be the same again. And while that's okay and I'm so excited to embrace our new lives, I'm finding myself soaking up every single second of what I have now.  What I've known for the last two years.  These two precious faces that are growing up faster than I can stand.

I remember how scared I was when Annabella was born.  I was induced the day after Easter and I cried almost all day long on Easter because that was Madelynn's last day as the only child.  She was too young to understand what was going on and I was so afraid she was going to feel sad and left out.  Of course she adjusted better than I ever expected and she became a fantastic big sister.  This time I'm not quite as worried about how they're going to adjust because they're such sweet and loving little girls.  Noah is going to think he has three mommies with as much love as they're going to give him. What's better than a real life baby doll?!  

So I head into this new journey with no idea what life will be like with three children, but so absolutely excited and thrilled to see what God has in store for us.  In the mean time I'm going to spoil, hug, love, and cuddle with my little girls.  

Noah's Nursery Reveal

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby Noah.  His official due date is January 28 which is only 12 short days away.  With the exception of a few tiny details, his nursery is complete and I am so excited to share it!  I had an extremely small budget to work with now that we are a soon-to-be family of five on one income, so I had to be extra creative with the details of this room. Our goal was a tranquil nursery with an underlying dinosaur theme.  The colors on the wall are colors that he can grow into and his crib will convert to a full size bed, so he's set for the next few years.  I'll also do a budget breakdown as I go.  

This is the view from his door.  We kept the existing light fixture from when this was first used as Madelynn's nursery.  The wall color is a gray Behr oops color from Home Depot ($8) and the accent wall is a pretty jewel tone blue ($12/quart).  His crib is a second hand crib that I found online and we only paid $60.  Like I said before, it will convert all the way to a full sized bed and it was in great condition. All I needed to do was slightly sand and restain some spots that had been chewed on from the previous occupier and then I gave it a good cleaning. There were a few scuff marks on the wood, so I used a magic eraser to go over those marks and it looks good as new.  The stain was around $8 and we have a TON left for other projects around the house. 

We purchased the chair for Madelynn's nursery and this is the third nursery that we've used it in.  It's from Ikea and is so comfortable for late night feedings and rocking.  The quilt rack in the corner is the drop side off of Madelynn and Annabella's old crib.  I was clicking through Pinterest when I came across the pin and thought it would be such a sweet way to keep a piece of furniture that was so important to me, but now useless.  I was also able to display a quilt that my great grandmother hand made, while adding a trendy chevron receiving blanket to keep it looking modern.  I painted it with the paint that we used for the dresser that you'll see on the other side of the room.  The mobile is tissue paper poofs that were from Annabella's first birthday and the letters are from Joann's ($6).  I painted them with paint I already had and a $0.50 jar of oops sample paint from Home Depot.  I received the rug as a baby shower gift.  Don't be afraid to add decorative nursery items on your registry!

I have never been a fan of changing tables.  They're so temporary and rarely stylish with no storage, so this time I decided to use a dresser.  That way we have extra hidden storage and it's a piece of furniture that he can continue to use as he gets bigger and out of diapers.  Plus, it gave me the opportunity to make it a one of a kind piece for him with a bright, fun paint color.  I still have to repaint and install the hardware on the drawers, so ignore that it has no pulls.  The dresser was a second hand piece that we found online for $50 and repainted.  The paint cost $12.  The entire piece is in excellent condition and didn't even need to be sanded before I painted it.  The changing pad, changing pad cover, and bouncer were Madelynn and Annabella's as well.  

The dinosaur bank and lamp came from Target. We used gift cards that we received as baby gifts to buy those.  The basket is one I already had and I filled it with soft toys and teething rings that the girls had when they were little.  

As for the art work, I free handed the dinosaurs right onto the wall.  I already had the three unpainted wooden frames that didn't have any glass or a backer, so I painted them and hot glued ribbon on the backs to hang them, just like the letters over his bed.  

The drapes are a light khaki color and came from Ikea ($10/pair).  We already had the curtain rod.  The black frame on the wall above the chair was a mirror from Ikea that had broken.  Art work can get expensive, so during my search in the house for something to fill that space, I came across it and got creative.  I popped the glass out and I hot glued yarn across the front of it in two places.  Then I painted clothes pins red to hang pictures and artwork from.  For now, his ultrasound pictures are hanging, but we can add more clothes pins so we can hang pictures of him and artwork for him by the girls.  

Here is a closer shot of my homemade art.

I already had the green bin that's sitting on the floor next to the chair and it's holding more blankets, extra sheets, and a snuggly teddy bear.  

This is the inside of the crib.  The sheet, mesh crib bumper, and big dinosaur pillow were baby shower gifts.  The Boppy is the original one we got for Madelynn and the smaller dinosaur is a puppet we bought from Ikea ($8).  You can also see how great of shape the crib is in from this angle. If we bought this brand new, it would have been $200, so I'm pretty proud of this find.  In case you're wondering, we didn't get the used mattress that was being sold with the bed, we used the mattress we already had.  I don't recommend buying used mattresses.  

  

Just so you get the full view of the room, this is the view from the chair in the corner.  The star hanger to the right of the closet doors is from Madelynn's nursery.  I painted it from pink to red and hung his robe on it.  That's his packed diaper bag hanging on the door knob, ready to go to the hospital when he decides to make his arrival.  

I still want to make some more art to hang on the walls, hang another star hanger near the dresser to hang his outfits from, and finish the pulls for the dresser.  All in all, we spent a total of $174.50 of our money in this room.  (That's not including the little bit of money we used in gift cards.)  By buying second hand, using items we already had, utilizing Ikea, baby shower gifts, and putting a lot of creative effort into it, we have a beautiful nursery that's ready to welcome our precious little boy.  The best part to me is that it has so many sentimental pieces from when the girls were babies and the quilt from my great grandmother.  I can not wait for this little boy to hurry up and get here already!!