- Postpartum Paradise -

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's onnnnn to postpartum we go!  

[You can find Juliette's Birth Story PART I and PART II here first!]

After Juliette's labor and delivery events went by in the blink of an eye [like literally a blink; it was wayyyy way way too fast!  Am I the only person in the history of humankind that wishes my labor would've lingered on a little longer?! PROBABLY.], my 2-hour recovery was over and it was time for Lori to load us up and wheel us over to postpartum!  With COVID-19 still surging, the visitor policy at the hospital remained just as strict as it was back in March 2020!  I was allowed to have one support person with me at all times [AKA Brian] and then a second visitor that may switch in and out between 7am-7pm.  Absolutely no kids under age 16 were allowed inside the hospital -- including BRAND NEW [very healthy] SIBLINGS -- which is the worst rule in the history of bad rules and of course totally broke my heart!  From the moment I found out I was pregnant in January, I hoped and prayed that the policy would loosen before I delivered...but nope, nope, nope.  I saw some TikTok video a few months back of a dad wheeling a brand new big sister inside the hospital in a zipped-up suitcase to meet their new baby, and I'd be lying if I didn't try to play through making that work for us, too!  Some of Harper's favorite memories of Baby Scarlett are meeting her moments after she was born and holding her on the couch in my postpartum room for the next few days before we all got discharged together as a family, and I sooooo wanted those experiences and memories for both of the older girls this time!  But!  COVID calls the shots these days and life is life and rules are rules.  I digress. 

As it turned out, postpartum was actually a rare sort of "vacation" for Juliette and me, which I suppose is not something I should complain about!  Unlike our postpartum experience with Harper, being void of [most] visitors wasn't such a bad deal after all.  [And to keep away all the unnecessary and most annoying door-knockers -- AKA Bella Baby photographers, "fancy birth certificate" makers/volunteers, and finance personnel who come in and request that you pay your delivery bill in full and/or get started on a payment plan before it's even been a full 24 hours OR you've even seen the bill printed on paper zomg -- I requested that my nurse put a sign on the door that read, "DO NOT DISTURB:  Call RN before entering," and low and behold, it worked!  Perhaps the only people the sign accidentally warded off was a pharmacy tech who was trying to deliver some ointment for my poor, raw breastfeeding nipples annnnd the chaplain who typically brings communion to Catholic patients, whoops.]  But long story short, our [mostly] uninterrupted time on postpartum was chill and full of skin-to-skin snuggles!

 

We sent Juliette off to the nursery a time or two each night, and my nurse would bring her back every 3 hours to nurse again.  By the time I fed her and changed her and sent her back, there was only a little window of time left for shut-eye...but why sleep anyway when I could stare at this beautiful face?!  4am never ever looked so good. :)

Brian stayed the first night at the hospital with us and then left around lunchtime the second day to shower at home and pick up Harper from school and Scarlett from Grandma Ann's.  I know it was good for him to be home with them that night and bring a little normalcy [and sleep!] back into their routines.  Between staying with grandmas for the prior two nights and being excited/nervous/anxious about the news of the new baby that mom and dad were suddenly M.I.A. with, I'm sure they were so happy to have him home!  ...And Juliette and me?! Well, we didn't mind the peace and quiet, either! ...In fact, WE LOVED IT! :) 

Somewhere in the mix of our stay, we got to spend a little time with Dr. Phillips, Grammy Resa, and Nurse Anna! Three of my favorite humans right there!  Thank you ladies for always loving us so well! <3

 By the time two nights had passed and the sun rose again, Juliette was over here like #MOOD...

...and I couldn't have agreed more!  Time to pack up and bust out?!  I'd say so!  Brian returned to the hospital late morning on Thursday after dropping Harper and Scarlett off at school...

...just in time to snap a few photos of Juliette, order a lunch tray, deliver a stack of thank you cards/gift cards to all our nurses, see the lactation consultant [FINALLY!], pack our bags, and get. the. boot!

Hasta la vista, babyyyyyy...we're outta here and on our way to pick up two very excited big sisters from school!!! :D

- Juliette's Birth Story {Part II} -

In good/traditional "birth story cliff-hanger" fashion, I left off with PART I at: 

1:14pm -- Dr. Phillips was gowning and gloving, my nurse friends had the baby warmer turned on and room all ready, and we juuuuuust had to wait for a contraction to come...

1:15pm -- ...and as soon as everyone was prepped and standing in place, that big 'ole contraction came!  I couldn't even tell if I was pushing or not [thank you heavy epidural!] -- but apparently I was, because one minute/a couple pushes later...

...Dr. Phillips told me to reach down and grab under the baby's armpits to pull him/her out [WHAT?!], and........

1:16pm -- ...IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  It's a stunning Juliette Thérèse!  :D

Hello, beautiful.  Another little lady to love; someone pinch me!!! 

 

 

 

 Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes...we are OBSESSED with you from head to toe!

After vital signs and footprints, Emily turned the scale on and weighed our pal in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces.  ...Are you kidding me?!  This little peanut is smaller than her big sisters by a LONG shot [Harper 8lb 4oz, Scarlett 8lb 13oz!].  Sooooo tiny, but so perfect, too [confirmed by Dr. Phillips, because I legit thought she had a growth restriction or some time of syndrome or something -- how could something so teeny come out of my uterus?!  But nope!  Turns out she's perfect, just petite!]!

After inspecting her from head to toe and then from toe to head again, we concluded that she is another [very much smaller] clone of newborn Harper!  Are genetics weird, or are they weird?! I cannot get over the way these newborn girls of ours all resemble each other so much.

And GOSH...seeing this photo right here makes my heart flutter all over again!  HOW LUCKY were we to have this birth team full of people that I've worked with for the last entire decade?!  I love you all soooo much; we've been through so many long shifts and life experiences together and bonded in ways most people could never imagine... It meant/still means the world to me that you were at my bedside for one of the best days of my life.  THANK YOU for everything!  It was the most perfect birthday party and birth story because of you all.

...And in her usual angelic fashion, Jamie stayed around even longer after the rest of the birth team dispersed to take special photos of Brian and I soaking in all those sweet first moments.  I will treasure these precious pics forever.  Thank you so much, Jame!!!

One proud Girl Dad! :)

During the 2-hour recovery period, we soaked up allllll the snuggles and even had a successful skin-to-skin + breastfeeding session before nursery came in to do Juliette's head-to-toe assessment.  She measured 19.25 inches and checked out perfect from nursery's standpoint.  All in all, recovery was a breeze [not in much pain at all! not bleeding too much! blood pressures were normal!] and we also had some other special visitors including Mrs. Ty!  [NOT PICTURED but definitely worth remembering:  Lori/Bridget pushing/riding the Sara Stedy to the bathroom.  Was this the moment Brian realized how crazy we L&D folk actually are?! I think so.]

And lastly but not least[ly]... Lori, where do I even begin with you?!  You were one one of the very first nurses to take me under your wing when I started as a new grad and someone who quickly became such a great friend while always remaining a mentor... You are such a wonderful nurse, and I am SO HAPPY you agreed to take care of my crazy @$$ during Harper's delivery and now Juliette's [especially since I finally got to redeem myself after Harper's horrible labor]!  Thank you for making this the very best day ever!  You are the world's greatest. [...And I owe you a burrito, so let's do Mexican + marg night soon!]  <3

Ahhhhh, we're over a month in to being at home with Juliette, and looking back through all these photos to make this post just made my heart so happy all over again!  My only regret of the entire day was that it all happened so fast and was over in the blink of an eye... Couldn't we have drug things out a littttttle longer to have twice the fun?!  ONE CAN ONLY WISH.  ;) :)

...But turns out the fun is just beginning, because on to postpartum we went with a brand new baby in stow!

Next post coming soon! 

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Postpartum Paradise posting/babbling continues! 

- Juliette's Birth Story {Part I} -

Nearly one month into surviving life at home as a family of 5, and... 

...*drumroll*...........

...IT'S BIRTH STORY TIMEEEE!  

If you've milled around this page for longer than 30 seconds, you've probably easily concluded that there's an extra [extra extraaaa!] soft spot in my heart for fertility and pregnancy and labor and birth and alllll thangs women's health.  I cherish my career[s] which have become vocations; I love love LOVE helping couples who are trying to achieve pregnancy ...and then celebrating them when they DO achieve pregnancy ...and then sprinting ahead to the finish line to take care of women again as they birth/bring a brand new soul into the world!  The delicacy of femininity is so beautiful, and having these two jobs combined really is THE BEST.  

...But you know what's even better than the best?!?  What's even better is:  going through the whole journey myself and then jumping on the other side of the bed to be the patient!  After 10+ years as a labor and delivery nurse, my three favorite days on the maternity floor [and also probably definitely my three favorite days of my entire life] are the days we welcomed our own three beautiful babies into our family alongside some of my very best friends and co-workers!  TALK. ABOUT. SPECIAL.  Even the third time around, my labor process and delivery day brought about the most surreal and magical feelings... I would do it over and over and OVER again [if we had a house big enough for 20 offspring and also a money tree growing in the back yard lolzzz].  

Anyway, where was I going with that ^^?!  Oh yes...nowhere...  But back on track with the birth story!  So, this time around, I started my maternity leave from labor and delivery at 36w [after feeling the complete physical and emotional MISERY that was working 12-hour night shifts up until my delivery day with Harper].  The leave start date was planned way ahead but turned out to be a complete blessing with my elevated blood pressures and all else that transpired in the last couple weeks of pregnancy.  After being diagnosed with gestational hypertension at my OB appointment on August 30 and being scheduled for a medical induction the next morning, I left the doctor's office with a very pointed to-do list. 

Bags packed - check! 

Shower - check!  

Finalize plans for the kids for the rest of the week - not check...  

To add to the equation, I knew that the inductions had been running hours -- sometimes days! -- behind schedule because the floor was already so busy with spontaneous labor patients.  How does one plan for this when trying to arrange school drop-offs and pick-ups and overnight care for 2 other kids?! Rawr...my type A mind was spinning.  After lots of him-hawing and mind-changing, Brian and I ultimately decided it would be best to send the girls to his parents' house that evening to spend the night; his mom could get them ready and drop them off at school in the morning and everything would be covered if we were lucky enough to actually get called in Tuesday at 4am and would need to head in to the hospital super early.  And so!  We packed their bags, gave them big hugs and said goodbye [and I may or may not've cried a little inside!], and they were off to Grammy and Papa's for the night! 

Meanwhile, my night shift pals kept me updated on the status of the floor throughout the evening [a huge rain storm blew in which brought a bus full of spontaneous labor patients! The floor was full, no beds at the inn! Evening inductions were running behind!] and it wasn't looking promising to be called in by 4am...

...but Tuesday, August 31 @ 6:30am -- WE GOT THE CALL from my friend Ann, and she said there was a room available and the charge nurse was ready for us to head in!

Glooooory, glory, hallelujah! 

7:40am --  We arrived at hospital and were greeted at the front door by my friend Lori who had happily [or maybe unhappily, we'll never ever know] agreed to be my nurse!  This was a pre-arranged situation, and I'm so glad she bent over backwards to make it all work out.  PS - did I mention she was also Harper's delivery nurse?!  :)

7:53am -- I was officially registered into the system, consents were signed, and we were headed up the elevators to to Labor and Delivery.  We walked into room 6220 ready to be admitted, excited to welcome Baby F. #3, and surprised by some adorable room decor made with love by Katie.  Thank you so much, girl!  You are so crafty and have a way of always making us feel so special! <3

 

8:39am -- The admission was complete, the orders were entered, and the IV was started [on first stick at that, and we only had to send Brian out of the room for 10 minutes -- because who wants to have the fans spinning full blast to aide a blacked out husband this early in the morning?! #notus].  May or may not've been there for almost an hour at this point, but we were still hanging out and making chalkboards and taking photos, because why get an induction going when we could be partying it up instead?! Am I right or am I right?  RIGHT.

9am-ish --  Next!  My cervix was 2/60/-2, and Dr. Phillips came to visit.  We beg/conned her into ordering high-dose Pitocin.  Getting this labor going right away annnnnd having 1:1 nursing care at my bedside?!  #dontmindifwedo   So just.like.that, meds were flowing and contractions were coming regularly/frequently ...and out of nowhere, at that!  This. Is. Happening...

 

 ...and Lori had no remorse for cranking up the Pit as fast as she could! ;) :)

9:47am -- HALLO REALLY GOOD CONTRACTIONS.  But we know that pain is gain and we really want to meet this baby before night shift takes the reins, so long story short is:  we like really good contractions!

 

10:22am -- Dr. Phillips came back to break my water.  And while she probably thought she was just coming back to break an amniotic sac, she actually broke loose a whole ocean that flooded 20 towels and 4 chuck pads and pretty much the whole damn bed [and I think maybe her scrub pants too?!]!  SO MUCH FLUID, holy cow...  In an instant, my baby bump deflated to approx. half of the size that it was and Baby F. #3 lost all his/her cushion -- you know, the cushion that permitted all the rolls/flips/somersaults for the last several months!  And since he bee-lines out the door every time he sees a doctor or nurse or anesthesia personnel walking in [because #queasyMcQueaserson], Brian sadly missed this entire event!  After AROM, my cervix was 3/70/-2 [I think, but my memory is getting a little foggy with details since we're so far removed lolz]. 

 

10:38am -- Lori convinced me I could get up without dropping the baby's cord [...but are we SURE about that?  Like positively certain?  Because holy fluid still gushing out and where exactly is the baby's head?...NO ONE KNOWS!] so I hesitantly log-rolled out of bed and donned a diaper. Time to ambulate the room and shake this baby down!  The high-dose Pitocin + AROM combo was bringing on some decent contractions, but I was still enjoying labor enough to be able to take "HOT MOM SUMMER" photos with my frans [including a sexy session on the couch in said diaper, but 'dem fotoz are probs not PG enough for the World Wide Web!].

11:30am -- Things were getting significantly more uncomfortable, so I encouraged Lori to go get lunch before I needed my epidural and things actually spun out of control!  As a seasoned L&D nurse, I know that multiparous mommas are alwayssss unpredictable; if you have a rare chance to pee or eat while things are semi-stable with your patient, YOU DO IT.  She set up my delivery table and then agreed to go downstairs and get food.

11:38am -- I called text-summoned her back in the room just a few minutes after she left:  Call. For. An. Epidural. Right. Now. Because. Holy. Sh*t. I. Changed. My. Mind. And. Can't. Wait. For. You. To. Eat. Lunch. Anymore. Owwwwwwwwww.

11:50am -- Brian departed as the anesthesia resident [!!!] arrived with her magical epidural cart and tray in hand.  And while I would never wish a resident on my worst enemy AND also originally wanted to wait for a dear CRNA friend to finish up a C-section so she could come place my epidural, things were getting more intense by the second and I easily agreed to the first available person who could potentially help!  Lori assured me that this resident was actually really good...annnnd she was!  Dr. Morgan came for extra support!

12:08pm -- The epidural was functioning in full fullest force, and JOYFUL BLISS BE MINE.  Lori rechecked my cervix which was now 4-5cm.  I was so comfy and could now thankfully resume chalkboard photos and visits from friends!  When Andrea popped in moments after the epidural and saw me shaking uncontrollably, she knew what that meant... ;) :)  Then! Brian left the room again [to do...not sure what? Mebbe poop his pants that he's about to be a dad of 3?!] and I took a selfie titled: "THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM..."

12:22pm --  As I was finally settled in and comfy [and numb AF], Lori decided this was her "now or neva" chance to leave the floor to get lunch.  She left me in Nancy's hands juuuust for a few minutes. :)

12:39pm -- The baby started having some variable decelerations that Nancy noticed on the monitor [this can sometimes be a sign of fast labor progress and/or complete dilation].  She came in to help me reposition [which sometimes resolves the decelerations]; and even though my epidural was heavier than heavy, I told her I thought I felt "some pressure."  We decided she should check my cervix just to be sure it was nothing, and she quickly said, "Welllll, you're 8 centimeters annnnnd the cervix is melting away as I speak..."  We text Lori with the update at which point she decided to leave the Taco Tuesday burrito line that was 13 people deep and grab some fried food from the grill [which always sounds like a good idea at the time but is ALWAYS a regretted decision several hour later when you're peeing out your booty. So sorry pal!]...  We also text Jamie that should head on in from home since she so graciously agreed to take our delivery photos again!  But pushhhh that pedal to the metal, girl, because...

1:00pm -- OFFICIALLY COMPLETE AND REALLY REALLY READY TO HAVE A BABY!...

...but we weren't actually ready yet, because Jamie was still flying down 270 like the superwoman that she is!  I squeezed my buttcheeks together really hard to hold 'dat baby in, because what would this delivery even be if it wasn't a THREE-PEAT for Jamie??!  I beg/demanded Lori to turn the Pitocin off since those hard contractions were squeezing the baby down whether I liked it or not, and we agreed to half it instead.  Meanwhile, Dr. Phillips arrived to the bedside and started getting the stirrups up and bed ready to break down.  In a totally unlike-me fashion, I did not notice/review the fetal heart rate tracings one time during all of this chaos; I however, found out later, that the baby looked pretttttty terrible and was probably ready to slide on out about 20 minutes prior to actual delivery time, but! #priorities... and everyone in the room was so calm and acted like not a thang was going on, so why would I panic?! 

1:13pm -- Jamie sprinted inside from the parking lot, up 7 flights of stairs, and into our labor room, and the gang's alllll here!  I love you guys! <3

1:14pm -- Dr. Phillips was gowning and gloving, my nurse friends had the baby warmer turned on and room all ready, and we juuuuuust had to wait for a contraction to come...

...but I can't spill alllll the delivery deets here!  

SUSPENSE BE YOURS!

Part II coming soon!  :)

__________

PART II IS HERE! 

- Home, sweet HOME! -

Maybe it was because I delivered in the late afternoon this time around [versus 10am with Harper] and spent less hours on postpartum or maybe it was because we got discharged around noon this time [versus staying several hours later to take pictures in Shannon's delivery last time], but for someeee reason, it felt like the two nights we were admitted to the hospital were here and gone in the blink of an eye! All the sudden, Scarlett was three days old and we were hitting the road with two occupied car seats in the back of my car and driving away as one big happy family! Boom. This is a blessed life.  Wahhhhh! 

ALSO, I'm just gonna spell this out from the beginning: I'm not a panicked pyscho mom when it comes to germs and sharing my baby and such, but this year's flu outbreak has me a tiny bit paranoid... 

[Side note because it's on topic and I'm appalled by these numbers... I just read an article last night that reported the latest statistics:  "In Missouri, there have been 53,769 cases of the flu since October and 49 deaths. Last year at this time, there were 9,338 illnesses and two deaths. The virus has also hit hard this season in Illinois, where more than 1,000 people have been hospitalized in intensive care for the flu." Humph!!!]  So add the flu pandemic ^^ to the fun fact that three years ago I had a real jewel of a sleep-deprived/hormonal meltdown when the postpartum visitor train arrived at our doorstep [I do love our family and friends dearly but wowza, toooooo many visitors for too many days in a row when I/we were just trying to learn the new normal of nursing and sleeping and keeping a newborn alive!] and so...where was I going with that? Oh yeah, so, my mom skin is a lot tougher the second time around and so I stomped my foot down about shutting family and friends out for a week [or three] while we adjusted to our new family life.  #thenewnormal #thisisus

...Speakkkkkking of which, HOLY MOLY!!! Homegirl and I watched the latest episode of This Is Us last night and I can't even!  ...But that's another topic for another day...but the anticipation and anxiety of Jack's death approaching...but I'll stop now.

In light of two paragraphs up ^^, I thoroughlyyyyyy enjoyed this sweet time with just the four of us as we learned how to meet each others' needs and adjusted to all hands on deck in caring for our newest member!

Judge me real good that Scarlett was dressed like a boy for the first few days, but I only washed the few unisex sleepers we had stored away because I just knew she'd be a boy...

...but unisex or not, the love still runs deep!!! She was never hurting for attention!

"Mommy, tan I hold him?"...always a him. [We're working on pronoun usage.]

Harper and I either had our pajamas on or our boobs out [or most usually a combo of the two!] twentah-fo' seven for the first entire week:

^^ Extra milk in the background for backup!

We spent our days by listening to lots of stories read aloud by "'da tee-chur"...

...reviewing the newest house plans...

...busting out some yoga...

...and snuggling like crazy!!!  Napping: the obvious Fleming family favorite.

After a visit back to Mercy...

...^^ and Scarlett's first pediatrician visit on the freakin' coldest day of the year [where both she and Harper's baby checked out A-ok, by the way!], we changed back into our warmest pajamas and cozied in for the evening! 

Finally, we recognized that there was indeed other life outside our humble abode and the grandparents all re-surfaced... :)

...and the great grandparents, too!

Even Aunt Laura and Uncle Garett snuck in for a visit!  Everyone loves a little Scarlett snuggle!

All these visitors can wear a girl out! [I feel ya, sister!] 

^^ Harper has been revolting against nap time for the past several months, so we just recently started having "quiet time" instead where she goes in her bedroom with the door shut and plays/reads by herself until her night light turns green. [<-- I ordered this guy from Amazon and it's been a lifesaver!] One day before the alarm clock came, I went in to tell her quiet time was over and found her like this! Be still my heart! Ever since Scarlett's arrival, Harper has seemed like she's at least five years old [she even calls herself "an older girl" now] and so I adore moments like these where her sweet baby face and big chubby cheeks remind me that she's still my baby girl, too!  So sometimes she falls asleep during "quiet time" and sometimes she doesn't, but most importantly she always gets a little down time to rest and I get a little uninterrupted baby time without wondering if I'm making Big Sister jealous... :D #winwinwinning

Just when we were all starting to get a little stir crazy and maybe a tiny bit sick of each other, our old neighbors Danette and Nicolle called to see if they could come pick up Harper and take her out for shopping and dinner!  So thoughtful; I almost cried! She loves them so very much and was thrilled to get out of the house!!! 

She came home with a bag of clothes from Old Navy [a Minnie shirt she picked out for herself and a cute little outfit for Scarlett, too!] and some new toys from the toy store in town!  I love that they were able to give her this special one-on-one attention that she hasn't been able to get from me lately.  She was absolutely on cloud nine, and so were Brian and I to get a couple hours of toddler-free time!

Because toddler-free time + laziness + rest is necessary when you know a few hours later go' be like:

...and a few hours after that go' be like:

...!  Daddy and his babies; my heart just melted all over the floor when I woke up in bed by myself at 8am and came out into the living room to this sweet sight!!! Dad/husband of the year be scoring some major brownie points with wifey on his last day home before going back to work! 

And then .just.like.that., his two weeks of paternity leave came and went, and home alone with the girls was I...  Both girls and momma worked tirelessly on the valuable virtue of patience this week, because 2:1 is not near as fun for anybody as 1:1 was!  Harper and I did some crafts while Scarlett slept, then Scarlett and I nursed while Harper watched TV, etc., etc., etc. Give and take is the [nick]name of the game...

 ...and it turns out the game called "being a mom of two" is not so hard after all! 

In fact, it's pretty dang great! I love #thenewnormal because #thisisus !!!

Bring on the next nine weeks of maternity leave!!! :D