I-am-pregnant.com - leahsmom's Profile

leahsmom
	Age: 39 Country: USA Province/region: NW City: Portland Area Partner: John Children: Yes, 3 Pregnant: No Occupation: Teacher
	Online: 7 hours ago. Last updated: 211 days ago. Member since: 604 days
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March 20, 2008 Leah's Birth Story
I was induced at midnight on March 19th at 39 weeks. Leah was already estimated to be 9.5lb and I had polyhydramnios and was measuring 45cm. They started pitocin but needed my labor to progress slowly because of the excess fluid. I was already contracting from an irritable uterus due to it being stretched out so far. Things progressed very slowly and I was just crampy all night. I didn't really sleep but John did, on the couch by the window. The day was very surreal. I thought I would have my baby by then but I was barely dialted and they couldn't break my water until Leah's head was down more. She was just bobbing around in all that extra fluid. Both of the boys were at home, waiting for us to call them to come for the birth. We held off, knowing Alec would get antsy sitting in that little room.

Later that afternoon the boys were there and my Mother In Law came over too. I was STARVING so they gave me a liquid dinner of Jell-0, broth, and juice. The midwife on call said Leah's head was down and it was finally safe to break my water and turn up the pitocin. I got the epidural then and kept on waiting. By 9 that evening, Joel decided to go home but Alec stayed. He and John dozed off around 10 and I was just starting to notice the contractions getting stronger and "breaking through" the epidural. I pushed my little button to deliver more meds and it only helped a little. I was facing ANOTHER night in the hospital. It seemed like I might lay there in that bed forever waiting for my baby. Finally around midnight I was approaching 9cm. Everyone was getting excited. I was fully dilated and ready to push around 2am. The doctor who was on call then (I had been through 3 by that time) had a med student with her. He attended the birth as well and I must say it made me a little nervous when he got to help her deliver the baby. The other midwife who was on call come in for the birth too. It all worked out beautifully. I only pushed for about 20 minutes and Leah was born. Alec was there but half asleep. My MIL was taking pictures. After weeks of begging to be allowed to cut the cord, Alec just couldn't do it. So, for the first time, John got to cut the cord and I was finally able to hold my little baby girl. Leah was 9lb 8oz, just as my midwife had predicted. I delivered with no complications and she was healthy and perfect. At my six week checkup, my midwife (who was not able to be there for the birth) told me she had heard from everyone that attended what a beautiful experience it was. She said the med student was really touched by the relaxed, family oriented atmosphere. The only thing missing was my Mom and Dad who attended both of the boys' births but had to cancel their trip to attend Leah's birth.

March 2008
My husband and I had been married for 17 years when he sent an e-mail from Kabul, Afghanistan, in the middle of a year-long deployment. He had done a lot of thinking about what was really important in life- family. We always talked about having a third child and he was ready to take the steps to do just that. He returned home in May of '07, had a vasectomy reversal a week later and we conceived our third child in June. After our two amazing sons, I dared to dream that we might now have our little baby daughter. In October we had an ultrasound that showed our little girl, perfect and healthy. Just after our 18th anniversary and our oldest son's 17th birthday, Leah was born in March '08- our dream come true. Having three kids including a teenager, 2nd grader, and a newborn has its challenges- as any family configuration does. But, we couldn't be happier!

April 2009
A year has passed and our family is changing, yet again. Our oldest is graduating this year and has joined the Marine Corp and leaves for boot camp in January of 2010. It is joyful and sad at the same time. I feel pride, excitement, dread, and sadness about this big change. We'll be a family of 5 forever but only 4 of us will be around the house soon. Leah will move from our room into her own room. Our focus will shift from high school sports in the afternoon to mommy and me swim classes. I'll have less cooking, laundry, and waiting up for my teenager to make it home safely. There will be a missing piece of our family but he is taking the steps into adulthood and that's the way life is meant to be, I suppose.

Me with Joel before his Senior Prom

Leah and Mommy at the tulip fields- April 2009

Alec, Leah, and Me- Volunteering at Whiskey Creek Fish Hatchery April 09

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lillhill79 - Thursday, 19 November
Thanks for your comments about crying out in sleep - this has been going on (off and on) for most of her life. She'll do it for several weeks in a row, and then not for about a week or so, then right back to it. She wakes up happy and rested so I guess that's the main thing, but since we'll be having another in just a couple of months, I'd really like to stop it for good so I'm not waking up for both of them.
As far as DH - I know how frustrating it can be to deal with a spouse that won't do the treatment for sleep apnea. Anything you'd like to ask, please feel free.

collsbaby - Wednesday, 11 November
I posted this as a blog too. I get credits on my thing if someone uses my code and as a SAHM I'm trying to do whatever I can to save a buck haha! Sorry if you already read it.

Hey ladies, I just ordered some stuff on diapers.com for the first time. My cousin said she liked it because it comes the next day usually and they take discounts and you can get bigger boxes of the hard to find diapers like Seventh Generation and other 'green diapers', so I thought I'd check it out. I got some other stuff too and saved almost $16.00 in coupons and discounts! I couldn't believe it. They have a sale going on now (but it ends Nov 12-tomorrow), but there's free shipping (next day) and a lot of coupons and stuff for Huggies and Pampers and other brands. Anyway, I signed up for their referral program, so if you are a first time customer and you type in my code you get an extra $10.00 off! That is what I just did, I used another person's code and I got $10.00 off. I found the 7th Gen diapers in bulk there, I can only find bags of like 26 in the stores, but there they have boxes of over 100. Anyway, just wanted to pass it along since the sale ends tomorrow, but you can use my code whenever and still get $10.00 off if you are a first time customer. When you check out in the promos & referrals section type in: COLLSBABY
The site offers a first time customer discount too, but it's only $5.00, so I wanted to be sure to share this with everyone. $5 bucks is $5 bucks!! ;-)

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