We welcome Jonathon Edward Gould into our family of 4!

021, a photo by ajgould on Flickr.

Well on Monday March 19th, 2012 at 1007 am we had a beautiful baby boy and we named him Jonathon Edward Gould. We loved the named Jonathon and wanted to stay with the J names since our first boy is Jamison. Jonathon also means "A gift from God" and he truly is just that. We named his middle name Edward after my dad. He weighed 6lbs 8.7oz and was 19.5 inches long.
The labor started when we went to the hospital, Bergen Mercy in Omaha, NE at 5pm on Sunday March 18th. We went there to be induced but once I was hooked up to the uterine monitor I started having contractions so I think I was in early labor at that time oddly enough. The first thing that was ordered was a foley bulb catheter that would dilate me to a 3. It took 3 times for them to be successful since I was only 1 cm dilated at that time and it was successfully put in by a resident that funny enough was from Sioux City. It was started about 7pm and I started to have a little stronger contractions. Around 3 am (10 hours later) the catheter fell out and I was 3 cm dilated! I was so excited that it had worked! At that time they started pitocin and then the contractions were really coming on...so much so that I decided to get the epidural. I was told that I may not be able to have one for awhile as there was a possible c-section next door and the anesthesiologist may have to be in for the surgery and I thought Oh NO! R u kidding me?! Finally at 5 am I got the epidural and it was such a relief. I also have to tell the story of what happened to daddy when I got the epidural...So for an epidural you have to sit on the edge of the bed with your back hunched and someone has to be standing there so you don't fall of the bed...well anyway Andy was my support person and he almost passed out! LOL! He started to turn pale and the nurse had to fill in while he went to go get a drink of water. (I think he might've been dehydrated) It was quite entertaining but I am glad that he didn't pass out. =) The next time they checked me was at 6:15am and I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced and they broke my water and nothing came out, but later on The contractions were stronger but I couldn't feel them as I had the epidural. My water did slowly leak out later which I was thankful for because that was the major problem we had with Jamison's delivery. I was then checked again at 8 am and I was 7 cm dilated and 90% effaced! Woohoo! 30 minutes later I was dilated to a 10 and ready for the delivery room to be set up. As they set it up I sat on the bed at a 90 degree angle and the nurse said that this would help so I wouldn't have to push as much and gravity would bring the baby down. At 9:15 I started pushing and around 9:50 my Dr., Dr. Barsoom, came in and he gave me an episiotomy and I pushed 3 more times and Jonathon arrived into the world at 1007! Daddy cut the cord and Jonathon weas wiped off and handed to mommy and put on my chest! Jonathon was crying and had APGARs of 8 and 9 which were perfect. It was the most amazing experience and I am so glad that we were able to have a normal delivery. Jonathon was perfect in every way and we were so happy to have him in our arms...

Am I in labor?

This last weekend I was having contractions all weekend but they were irregular. Monday morning I was having a lot of contractions but was unable to time them since I was working. I scheduled an appt with my office and saw Dr. Hunt to see if I was in labor. (My Dr. is on vacation this week = (    I wasn't dilated or effaced so it was pretty disappointing. I still kept my Thursday afternoon appt with Dr. Holtz to check me again.

Also I received a phone call from my Dr. in Omaha Dr. Barsoom. He wanted to talk about options for us and recommended that we come in on Sunday to Bergen Mercy in Omaha, NE at 5pm and he will do a foley induction. They will put what they call a "long straw" with a balloon in my cervix and inject sterile water to fill the balloon up and this will dilate my cervix. They can't use cervical ripening medications due to my previous c-section, but the foley induction is perfectly safe. They will leave the catheter in until I am dilated to a 3 and then the catheter will just fall out. At that time they would start pitocin to initiate labor or break my water or do both. I am super excited to meet our little boy next week and it will be nice to not have to worry about when to drive down to Omaha and if I am in labor, etc,etc. With induction there is still a chance that I may have to have a c-section but I am hoping that everything goes well and we don't have to think about that.

 We all have our bags packed just in case and I am going to finish cleaning my house this week and doing laundry so it is all done when we get home. I may have to repack for the baby and myself as we are having 70 degree weather and I definitely didn't think that would happen in March. What a crazy winter?! Well my next post may be after baby is born so wish us luck!

Dr. Barsoom phone call

Today I contacted the Dr. that could be delivering me in Omaha to find out what the plan is if my cervix doesn't progress. If it doesn't progress then I will be have a C-section in Sioux City with Dr. Eastman probably on March 19th, which makes me sad but at least I tried. =) If my cervix does dilate before the next appt (which I moved to Thursday at 2pm) then I can wait until I am 40 weeks to see how things progress and may be able to be induced/go into labor during that week. I am hoping for the 2nd option as I would really like to try a VBAC. Dr. Barsoom does not want me to go past 40 weeks so if I have not had labor/induction after 40 weeks then I will have a c-section. It will be interesting to see what happens. I am really excited to meet our little boy and hold him for the first time. I know that Jamison will be a great big brother to our new addition when he arrives. Please pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby for us.

37/38 week appt

Well I had my appt today and everyone is healthy which is a plus, however I am only 50% effaced and no dilation of the cervix at this time. : ( Well I guess baby Gould just wants to stay in there a little bit longer. The baby's head is down which is still a good thing. My next appt is next Friday so hopefully that will give baby G some time to get ready. I have been doing a lot of walks and eating spicy foods lately. Also I have been cleaning and baking like crazy so I am thinking that I am nesting. Andy is pretty anxious too and he has been occupying his time by planning a basement remodel. It does seem like the end of the pregnancy takes awhile compared to the rest of the pregnancy. It has gone by super quick up until now. Well I guess I will just enjoy my last few weeks of being pregnant and hope for some improvement next week.

37 week appt.

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks. Woohoo! My baby is considered full term now! I had my appt on Tuesday and My Dr. said that the head was down more than last week but no effacement or dilation. =( That is ok I guess he just wants to stay a little longer. The baby's HR was 142 and my BP, HR, and urine came back fine. I am glad that everyone is healthy! I also love feeling the baby move during the day and in the evenings. I know that I will miss this when I am not pregnant. I have noticed that my hands have a little bit of swelling but my ankles are doing pretty well with not a lot of swelling. I do think that I have more amniotic fluid with this baby than I did with Jamison. I am also going to the bathroom a lot more so I think baby is starting to move his way down.

Also yesterday was my last day driving out to Nebraska for my job. I will still be working in Sioux City but my Dr. said that I shouldn't be driving that far in my last month. We are all anxiously awaiting baby J's arrival and are really excited to meet our little boy! I will update you next week as my 38 week appt is next Tuesday.