- 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! 

__________

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! 

- From Four to Five -

THANK YOU, Mother Nature, for giving us a tiny break in your sweltering August heat wave to squeeze these family/maternity photos in at the park one evening!  And THANK YOU to my parents for snapping them!  :)  Maternity photos are never something we've hired a legit photographer to take [because honestly, I've never had the desire to wallpaper our house with enlargements of me being enlarged -- but also because by the time we take them, a baby is only a few weeks away from joining the fam and it's much more exciting to hang up new and improved family photos with our littlest member included!] -- but!  That doesn't mean I don't want them taken at all!  While pregnancy doesn't feel rull glamorous in the thick of it, I tend to adore looking back on this stage of growing a tiny human and will always enjoy reminiscing on our last few weeks as a family of four!

 

 

Totally grateful for these 3[.5] beautiful humans that I'm lucky enough to do life with! :)  I am so excited for us to navigate the next chapter together and see what dynamic our newest little pal will bring to the fam! <3

 

- Pregnant through a Pandemic: THIRD TRI -

 

...but for real.  Hellooooo third trimester where HOLY HUGENESS is alwaysss mine.  After outgrowing all of Brian's T-shirts as well as 93% of the tub of maternity clothes I wore through the entirety of Harper and Scarlett's pregnancies, I pawned a stack of T-shirts off my dad and also hit up Facebook marketplace to replenish my very small "going out of the house and not wearing scrubs" maternity wardrobe with a few new sized-up [and up] pieces.  "Gestate a third baby!" they said... "You'll be glamorous!" they said...  L to the O to the L. 

As a side "funny" to my [literally] expanding closet, I happened upon this article the other day about the evolution of maternity fashion over time; apparently in the 1860's, pregnancy was considered "a condition to be concealed," and women wore these [doctor-endorsed!] maternity corsets that were structured with whale bones and intended to flatten out a baby bump.  Oh em geeeee, can you even imagine?  As proven by my wardrobe sitch, there is something curious about a uterus on its third ride around the block that makes it think it can be totally uncontainable, so mebbe I could've/should've/would've benefited from a whalebone corset....... However!  I'm secretly glad I could just let 'er spill -- especially because, otherwise, we couldn't all enjoy these comments together:

Stranger at Michaels trying to make conversation with Scarlett:  "Are you going to be a big sister?!"
Scarlett:  "Yes but we don't know if 'da baby is a boy or a girl!"
Stranger:  "I bet you'll find out soon!  Looks like your mom's turkey timer has popped!"
Scarlett:  ".......Mommy, what is a tuh-key tima?"
Me [at only 29w]:  .....

Harper:  "Mom, mom, HEY MOM, I think people in public will notice you're prag-nant!"
Me [at 32w]:  "Yes, I think so!"

Man walking out of Golden Oak Pancake House as we were walking in: "Mannnnn, I'm glad I'm not a woman!"
Me [at 33w]:  ..... [Me too.]

Barista at Mercy's coffee shop:  "What department you work in?"
Me:  "Labor and Delivery."
Barista:  "GOOD THING!  Looks like you could pop any day, at least you'll be in the right place!"
Me [still at 33w]:  "Yep..."

Woman chasing my mom down inside the grocery store:  "RESA, is Bridget doing ok?!"
Mom:  "Yes, why?"
Woman:  "She is just so huge!"
Mom:  "Yep, everything's just fine......."

Usher at the Cardinals game:  "When ya' due?!"
Me [at 34w]:  "A couple more weeks!" [...AKA a couple more months, but what are details amongst strangers?]
Usher:  "Dang, you're about to pop... Try not to have that baby inside the stadium tonight!"
Me:  "Duly noted..." [...but would it get me on the Jumbtron?]

ANYWAY, not bitter about people's opinions or anything.  

Onward!

Juuuuuuust like this baby who is THE MOST ACTIVE BABY in the history of active babies [hello rib kicks and bladder punches and obnoxious rolls/twists/flips from breech to transverse to vertex every 5 minutes!], I shockingly also stayed super active throughout the early third trimester and had a decent amount of energy given all the factors at play [2 other kids! summer heat and humidity! working 40 hours/week!].  Around 28 weeks, I passed my 1-hour glucose tolerance test, which was a huge relief since I failed with Scarlett and am a TOTAL CARBIE! Who could ever make it to the finish line of the marathon called pregnancy without bagels! pasta! potatoes! cereal! and everything in between?! ...NOT ME.  During the height of the June/July heat wave, we enjoyed several evenings out on my parents' boat...

 ...and a few 4th of July parties and festivities!

In between working two days/week at the office, I also worked two days/week on labor and delivery.  Whew!  Taking care of sweet mommas and babies at the bedside has always been a dream job for me, but this was the first time I've been full-time status since Harper was born and it. was. physically. taxing!  The 12-hour shifts felt longer than ever as I got more and more [and more] pregnant, and I usually needed part of the next day to lay around lazily and let my old lady body recover from the [over]use slash abuse!  I was lucky enough to work many shifts alongside some coworkers who have been friends since the very beginning of my nursing career, and it was great to catch up with them and reminisce on the good 'ole days!  ...Is it 2011 or 2021?  #nooneknows #wemaybeold #butwestillgotit  Thanks, girls, for hanging with me and Baby F. #3 in the trenches! ;) :)

At 32 weeks, we made a move on getting our two little monkeys moved into the same bedroom before baby's arrival!  We hit up several furniture and decorating stores to get inspirache for their new combined room [Scarlett is moving in with Harper and Brian is currently working on a set of bunk beds...].  If you have any room-sharing/space-saving tips, send them our way! 

^^ Also around 32 weeks, the baby started taking over Scarlett's nap lap!

^^ ALSO at ~32 weeks, we got another peek at baby's sweet little profile AND my blood pressures starting going up juuuust a smidge!  Nothing too serious, but something to keep an eye on perhaps?!  ...Maybe I should drink more water and stay out of the heat?! ...Probably so!  We stayed inside a little bit more, basked in the A/C instead of the sun, and did lots of "back to school" prep with the Cricut!  Both of the kids enjoyed making art shirts and helping me cut labels for their water bottles, pencil pouches, folders, etc.  I'm hoping Baby F. #3 is as creative and crafty as his/her sisters!

After the 32-week mark, I started seeing my OB every 2 weeks, and my blood pressure crept up a tiiiiiny bit more at each appointment.  At 34 weeks, it was elevated but still nothing too concerning...  ...And since Brian scored some all-inclusive Cardinals tickets from work, why not trudge a few miles up and down the ramps of Busch Stadium?! :)  For real, though, we enjoyed taking Baby F. #3 to his/her first baseball game and had a really great family night out.  The girls weren't mad about the food buffet and unlimited dessert bar [and neither were momma + baby, TBH!].  To put the cherry on top, the Cards boasted a "W!"

With a steep rise in COVID-19 cases and the hype over the new Delta variant around this time of the summer, the Cardinals game turned into our last public outing and I hunkered down SO HARD at home for the last month of pregnancy.  Looking back, I am so disappointed that this time that I was prepared to enjoy every moment of became a month when I was more on edge than ever.  Especially since I'm not the fertile-ist Myrtle on 'da earth, we went into this pregnancy knowing it may be our last, and I was prepped to soak up every single [good AND bad] second of it all.  But add in all the unknowns of a pandemic + hearing horrible stories from work + reading terrifying COVID/pregnancy headlines on social media + juuuuust my baseline anxiety of being a labor nurse in general and knowing way too much about anything/everything that could go wrong...........there's a pretty strong recipe for mental disaster!  If I didn't feel baby moving at least every 5 minutes, I poked and prodded around on my belly until the poor kid would wake up.  ...Do I have COVID with such mild symptoms that I don't even know it, but the placenta is full of little clots? ...I haven't felt movement for about 3.87 minutes now, is the baby losing blood flow?! ... Is my blood pressure spiking so high that I'm about to abrupt?! ...The baby flipped and rolled and cartwheeled soooo much over the last several months; is it tangled up with a cord around its neck that might strangle it and I won't even notice decreased fetal movement because I'm sleeping?!  Oh emmm GEEEEEE.  With Harper and Scarlett's pregnancies, I literally cherished every milestone and loved knowing that baby was tucked tightly and safely inside me wherever I went, safe from the crazy outside world. But this time around [mostly during the last month of pregnancy -- but honestly a little bit the entire time], the doomsday feelings that I struggled with during the first trimester came back in full fuller force and I replayed rare but horrible scenarios over and over in my head.  [Please, no one admit me to the psych ward!  As a spoiler, I'm one full week postpartum now and completely worry-free + happier than a lark!]  Through all of this, there were a small handful of family and friends who knew my heart and understood my crazy; they kept me semi-optimistic through it all.  For all of you who validated my emotions or who offered prayers and rosaries and masses for baby and me, I appreciate you more than you know! :-*

From the outside looking in, things appeared to be bigger and better than ever [no pun intended].  35 weeks had Harper telling friends and neighbors and strangers alike that, "Mommy weighs more than Daddy!" and literally everyone we encountered was glancing wide-eyed like, "HI BIG OLE' BABY!"...

...which actually wasn't that big of a baby...?!  Even though I was growing larger by the second, the 35-36 week growth ultrasound measured baby at 5lb 11oz; Dr. Phillips said he/she was "teeing up to be mid-7's by delivery."  Ha..ha....haaaaa.....  Surely the sonographer measured wayyyy way wrong, because historically my body has not grown teeny babies, let alone an itty bitty 5-pounder at almost-term!  Also, my blood pressure continued on it's slow and steady upward trend.  But as it was time to start weekly OB appointments, I got the "ok" to keep a close eye on them at home...

...^^ which was perfect, because snapping a few maternity/family pics was still on the to-do list.  And back at the homestead, we had a very important couple of weeks ahead with sending Harper and Scarlett off to their first days of school [and getting all 4 of us settled into a new school year routine, which was kind of a big adjustment this year if I'm being honest]!  So proud of our 1st grade Bluejay and Pre-K Little Jay; I know these beautiful sisters will try hard and learn lots and fly SO HIGH this year! 

By 37 weeks, my blood pressures were consistently >140s/90s and I knew it was only a matter of time before my Dr. Phillips would diagnose me with gestational hypertension and throw in the towel... All of us were feeling kinda term-ish, and Baby Watch 2021 was in full force!

At 38 weeks, I had another weekly OB appointment during my lunch break.......

...and alllllmost didn't get to go back to work thanks to clocking in the highest blood pressure to date.  "Wanna walk over to Labor & Delivery and start an induction RIGHT MEOW?" Dr. Phillips said?  Noooooo no no.  But!  Since the blood pressures weren't technically "severe" range, I talked her down into letting me go home for the night to pack our bags and take a shower and get the kids settled for the rest of the week and [try to] get a good night's sleep before serving Baby F. #3 his/her official eviction notice.  And that's what we did!  Bags packed and belly poppin'!

The next morning, we got a call from the hospital at 6:30am that they were ready for us to head in!  Cheers to induction day!  I can't believe it's finally here and we're heading in with an active/alive baby...!!! Cue the trumpets and trombones and THE WHOLE ENTIRE BAND!!!  

Baby F. #3, WE CANNOT WAIT TO MEET YOU!  :D