First Trimester Recap!

This Friday I will be 14 weeks pregnant. Some people count 12 weeks as the start of your second trimester. I figure either way, by Friday I am 1/3 of the way through this pregnancy!

So far things seem to have gone by very fast! Perhaps it because I was not anticipating the start of my first trimester, or that we were on vacation for a chunk of it. So much seems to have happened in the first trimester as well...3 ultra sounds, a handful of prenatal visits, and Harmony blood work!

Energy wise, this pregnancy has been at an all time low...EPICALLY TIRED is how I have been choosing to describe it! I am not sure if its because I am older, that I am chasing 2 kids around, the different hormones racing around my body, or all of the above! All I can say is thank goodness I have a couch in my office...I have been squeezing in naps whenever I can!

My history of morning sickness is quite varied. With Carson I had nothing, nada, zippo. The only thing that might have made me queasy was a gruesome scene on a TV show. With Crosby I had what I referred to as "mild" nausea. It wasn't fun, but if I kept myself busy and distracted, then I wouldn't notice it too much.

With BC3, my morning sickness seems to vary by the day. Some days I am totally fine, and other days I have moderate to severe nausea. For better or for worse I have never vomited, but sometimes I wonder if it might make me feel better! The nausea is still around a bit, but the number of good days between the bad days seems to be increasing, whooo hooo! Hoping it soon disappears for good!

Because of my history of miscarriage, I have always been put on progesterone supplements whenever trying to conceive. I started these supplements as soon as I could after my positive test. There are multiple ways to take progesterone supplements. One method is more favorable, but guess what?! My insurance doesn't cover it unless it is used along side with assisted reproductive technology! Ha! Since BC3 was unassisted, instead I am stuck with a much less desirable option....but I am happy to report that I only have to take it for a few more days!

With the boys, I started taking "bump pics" at 10 weeks, so we followed suit with BC3. I haven't gone back and compared bump pics as of yet, but I think I could have started taking bump pics at 6 weeks with the size of my belly! I suppose its fairly normal for a third pregnancy! But it was hard to keep hidden at work, daycare, etc! I have recently started telling clients, and of course we have gone public on social media and the blog. And now without further delay!

10 Weeks

11 Weeks

12 Weeks

13 Weeks

SURPRISE!

Guess what...we're pregnant again! Surprised? We sure were!

If you have followed this blog for the last 6 years, you know that starting a family was not an easy feat for Ryan and me. After 22 months of perfectly timed attempts at home, 2 surgeries, 3 different types of medications (including shots and weigh gain!), 7 fertility procedures, 3 miscarriages (5 pregnancies total!), an undisclosed ridiculous amount of $$$ (fertility treatments are not covered by insurance in NH!), and buckets of blood, sweat, and tears, we finally had Carson Michael Curtis in October of 2010 and Crosby Quincy Curtis in February of 2014.

Needless to say although we were thrilled to have the two kiddos we had...in 2014, we were physical, emotionally, and financially exhausted...

Ryan and I often discussed whether or not we would ever consider a third baby. I am one of two kids and Ryan is one of three. We both agreed that the 2 child parent to kid ratio was fantastic, and we weren't sure we wanted to mess with that balance. Ryan was perfectly content with his two sons. I would be lying if I didn't say that part of me was grieving the loss of the possibility of some day having a daughter to dress up, braid her hair (I am really good at braiding hair!), be the mother of the bride, etc. But I also knew that a baby girl was not a guarantee! And that three boys sounded slightly insane...

What we both agreed on was that in no way shape or form were we interested in going through the necessary medical steps again that we had gone through to have our first two children. We had essentially been told for various yet unexplained reasons that the likelihood of us conceiving a child and sustaining a pregnancy naturally was pretty much slim to none. So Ryan and I settled in with the two children that we had, expecting to be a happy family of 4 for years to come.

That didn't last very long! Fast forward barely a year and a half later after Crosby was born, and I am staring at two obvious lines on a pregnancy test after waking up not feeling very well one morning! How could this have happened? I mean we weren't doing anything to prevent it...but why use birth control when you can't get pregnant? Crosby was IUI #6 for goodness sake!

I immediately called my fertility specialist not even knowing where to start, especially since I have quite the history of early miscarriage. They asked me all the necessary questions...."Date of last period?" I have no idea..."When do you think you ovulated?" I have no idea....Numbers and data that I used to track on the regular were now an after thought! I was a total fish out of water! We figured out I must have been about 5 weeks pregnant.

I must say...early pregnancy for me is a total nerve wracking experience...almost daily blood draws for beta levels...are the beta's doubling? are you spotting? is there a heartbeat?....Many times the answer has been no...yes...no. This pregnancy has been almost a fantasy! No stress during the "two week wait" as I had no idea I was waiting...beta's more than doubled showing great values, no spotting at all...and a heartbeat right away! This baby definitely wanted to be in this world and in our family!

Overall this pregnancy has been such a different experience for Ryan and I. No anticipation before hand...some nervousness but not to the previous extent...but also not the huge level of thrill that we had experienced once we were in the clear as we felt with our first two...instead while in total shock, we are asking ourselves...what the heck are we doing to do with 3 kids? Did we even want a third child? What if its 3 boys? Do we need a new car? Do we need a new house? Where is this baby going to sleep? Our thoughts of excitement are replaced with thoughts of logistics! That is until we found out the gender...but more on that later! Regardless, we are most definitely thrilled to welcome another little Curtis into this world, as we like to think we make pretty awesome ones!

As most of you know...we like to nickname our baby so we aren't calling it "It". Carson was "Swarley", Crosby was "Wader"...and this baby is "BC3" as in Baby Curtis #3! (We know...we get less creative as the years roll on...) Aunt Kris likes to call it C3PO, ha ha ha.

One of my favorite things about this pregnancy is that my due date is April Fool's Day 2016...as in "You didn't think you could get pregnant? APRIL FOOLS!"

Here are some first glimpses of BC3!

6 weeks at specialist's office

8 weeks at specialist's office

9 weeks at regular OBGYN (can you tell the ultrasound machine quality is less?)

12 weeks at our "First Look" ultrasound

Stay tuned for a first trimester recap post, as well as the big gender reveal already!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Crosby!

After multiple text, emails, and phone calls from friends and family wondering if Crosby had made a healthy appearance into this world, I have finally found a free moment to sit down and update the blog...and my handsome little man is already a week and a half old! My sincere apologies for such a delay in his birth announcement!

Crosby Quincy Curtis

Born on Friday, February 7th 2014

9:11 PM, 8 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches

12 hours of labor, 10 pushes!

Crosby's labor in some ways was very similar to Carson's - started at the same time of day, (Carson 8:30 AM, Crosby 9 AM) and lasted 12 hours, both ending with just 10 pushes. But in other ways, it was a completely different experience!

I had had a week of "prodromal labor" which had left me utterly exhausted by the time we made it to that Friday. Contractions around the clock had kept me awake most nights, and by the time I made it to the hospital for the induction, I was looking forward to an automatic epidural and escaping any feeling in my body for a little while. And maybe even a few naps on and off as I waited for the baby's arrival!

We texted all of our family to let them know that we had arrived at the hospital, and eventually got a text back from Ryan's mom saying "I'm at the hospital too - I had my appendix out last night!" We also later learned that Ryan's family dog, Jessie, had passed away that same day. Between those events, and trying to fix our septic situation back at the house, Ryan did his best to keep his head in the baby game!

As soon as my doctor arrived, she checked me to see how dilated and effaced I was. I thought for sure after a week of intense contractions, I had to have progressed passed 3 cm and limited effacement...no such luck! I asked my doctor if she could try to break my water before she started pitocin, in hopes that it would kick start my prodromal labor into "for real" labor without needing the powerful labor inducing med. She tried her hardest, but was unable to access what she needed to in order for my water to break. 

Next she started the pitocin, and asked how long I wanted to wait before requesting an epidural. I said, wait? I have to wait? They put the order in right away, but just my luck, someone needed an emergency C-section, and the anesthesiologist quickly became otherwise occupied. I had about an hour of pitocin inducing contractions that rocked my world until I was relieved finally with an epidural. More power to women who choose to go without pain meds...but I am not one of them! Shortly there after, my water broke on its own.

While waiting for an epidural, they began pumping me full of saline, standard procedure for an epidural/pitocin combo.  6,000 ml of saline to be exact over the course of my entire 12 hour labor...I thought I was swollen and puffy before I arrived at the hospital...wait until you see how puffy I became over the course of labor! Luckily, most of the puffiness went away within 24-48 hours of Crosby's birth, except for my elephant size cankles...I would say as of today (a week and a half later) they are finally shrunken back down to normal size! I do wish I looked a little more dashingly beautiful in my post birth photos like most celebrities do following the grueling birthing process...but alas, I digress :) 

Lets get this party started!

Last photo as parents of only one kiddo!

So from about 10 AM until 8 PM, I felt like I just relaxed and enjoyed the ride! I snoozed on and off all day (I was exhausted when I arrived at the hospital!) watched some Olympics on TV (score for perfect timing of the start of the games with my labor!) Chatted it up with our awesome nurses, and visited with my mom who spent much of the day at the hospital with us helping us sort out our septic contractor issues! (THANKS, MOM!) I also ate a bunch of cherry Italian ice, which you will note on my lips in many of the pictures! :)

Both our nurse and doctor said that my contractions and Crosby's heart rate were textbook perfect through out the entirety of my labor, which was great news as pitocin can often be touch and go during inductions. Eventually around 8 PM, I had reached 10 cm and was fully effaced and it was show time! This is where things played out quite differently between my two labors! With Carson I remember having lots of adrenaline, lots of cheering and coaching from Ryan and nurses, the mood was GO GO GO! With Crosby, I was so sleepy I literally started dozing off in between contractions. My doctor was tied up with some other critical situations that evening in labor and delivery, so no one seemed to be in any rush to have this baby, including myself! 

Pushing kind of went like this:

Nurse: You are having a contraction, do you feel like pushing?

Susie: Nah, I am kind of tired, I think I will sit this one out.

Nurse: How about this one?

Susie: Alright, I'll give this one a try!

After about 8 pushes throughout 15 or so contractions, the nurse called my doctor into the room, and after two more relatively easy pushes, out came Crosby! The first thing I noticed was how blue he was! I don't remember Carson being that blue! Next we waited for him to cry for what felt like an hour...but was probably more like a minute...nothing...literally five minutes later all we heard were small whimpers, not big cries. The nurses began cleaning him off and vigorously rubbing him and massaging him, and he finally let out a big scream! What Ryan will tell me later was that Crosby had the cord wrapped around his neck multiple times! This most likely caused his blue color and lack of deep breathes immediately following delivery. 

And the rest is history! Here are some raw and beautiful pictures capturing such a special event!

Hi, Baby!

Finally a scream!

So nice of the nurses to round up to 8 lbs 4 oz!

Welcome to this world, Crosby!

Happy, tired, and puffy Mama!

I know you!

 

Getting pink!

First bath!

Swaddled...our favorite state of being!

Its cold out here, can I go back in?

Proud Daddy!

Crazy to think that Crosby weighed more then 2 lbs heavier than Carson at birth...its like a whole different type of baby to handle! He has very long fingers and very long feet. Perhaps he will have some Moffitt height just like his Grampa Moose! His feet are so big that they did not fit on the stamp pad for his footprints, therefore his toes do not appear on his birth record!

Big feet just like his Mama!

Because Crosby was born after Carson's bedtime, Carson came to meet his new baby brother first thing on Saturday morning. It was super cute as Crosby was resting in his hospital bassinet which is above Carson's eye level. So when he walked into the hospital room, Carson was so confused as to where this infamous baby was! Carson insisted on bringing a birthday gift to Crosby (a yellow ducky rattle) and Crosby returned the gesture by gifting Carson three new trains (Henry, Gordon, and Edward) for Carson's already massive train collection, which made Carson's day! He wanted to hold Crosby (so cute) which lasted for all of 30 seconds before he announced that he was ready to go to music class with Grammy. Grammy was able to get a few snuggles in before they had to leave. Overall, it was a great introduction and debut between big and little brothers!

We stayed at the hospital from Friday to Sunday, and enjoyed bonding with our boy, as well as visits from lots of friends! On the last night we were there, the hospital served as a "stork dinner" which was delish! I had filet minion, and Ryan had scallops! It was so romantic, especially since Crosby slept through the whole thing! 

Hi Debbie!

Future friend, Mason with his parents, Michelle and Darryl

Friends Jess and Stephanie (hiding from the camera!) meet Crosby!

Fabulous final dinner!

Eventually it was time for us to leave the hospital. The going home outfit I packed for Crosby barely fit him! Loved his elephant hat though...

And with that, we were off to start our lives at home as a family of 4! Special thanks to my mom for taking such great care of Carson while we were at the hospital, it was so comforting to know he was safe and secure while we took our time getting to know our new little guy!

More posts to come about our first week home when I find a few free moments of time...Ryan goes back to work tomorrow and Grammy leaves on Thursday! (eeeeek!)

38 Weeks - Final Weekly Update!

A lot has gone on this past week, too much to fit into my normal blog format! In fact, this will be my last weekly blog update before Crosby is born!

I went to my 38 week appointment this past Friday which lead to some unanticipated events! My blood pressure was measuring high, I was very puffy and swollen, and apparently my reflexes (when they bang your knee with the hammer?) were not up to snuff. This caused my obgyn to be concerned about pre-eclampsia. She decided to send me upstairs to labor and delivery to be monitored for a few hours and have some labs done.

Before I went up, she checked me and determined that I was still 3 cm dilated, and had not progressed much in the effacement department either. She explained that if I did end up having pre-eclamspia, I would be induced this weekend, so she might as well strip my membranes to get the ball rolling. So she did! And it hurt…a lot…

I went upstairs and was hooked up to the fetal monitor for about 2 hours. During this time, I started having mild contractions which were apparent on the screen. All of my labs came back normal, and my blood pressure eventually dropped down back into the normal range. They couldn’t discharge me until they confirmed that Crosby had a normal resting heart rate…the only problem was Crosby didn’t feel much like resting! For the entire two hours I was there! My doc eventually gave me the ok to head home.

So with the threat of early induction off the table, it was time to wait the 24-48 hours after a membrane stripping to see if I went into labor. Into labor I went…but not in the way you might imagine! I started a vicious cycle known as “Prodromal Labor” which by definition is:

1. “Pre” Labor that may begin hours or days before active labor.

2. Contractions may feel like Braxton Hicks but sometimes they can be much stronger.

3. Unlike true labor, where contractions usually become longer, stronger and closer together, prodromal contractions are irregular in duration, length and intensity.

Basically, I have had contractions, sometimes extremely painful ones, around the clock since last Friday. Today is day 6 of wondering if it will ever develop into the real deal! Last night, my contractions were so strong and painful and about 7 minute apart that I thought for sure we would be heading to the hospital.  But alas, they eventually tapered off.

In general, I would consider them mild to moderate in intensity, and occur between 15 to 30 minutes apart…all…day…and…night. Needless to say, I am exhausted, as sleeping has not been great! Having had my membrane’s stripped on Friday, my mom ended up flying in this past Saturday, which has been amazing. Not only has this allowed Carson the opportunity to warm up to her prior to our hospital stay, she has been a huge help while I have been feeling less than human these past few days! Thanks goodness I stopped working last week…I am not sure how I could have managed!

I called my doctor yesterday just to give her an update on my perpetual labor, and she recommended that we move my induction date from Tuesday February 11^th, to Friday February 7^th. I will be 39 weeks that day, and my doctor feels that a week of almost full blown labor physically and emotionally is enough! So we have a new potential birth date! 2/7/14! A good date, as 2 x 7 =14! In less than 48 hours, Crosby should be making an appearance….eeeek!

Some other crazy things have happened this week while I have been on the verge of legit labor. Some of you may remember when I was pregnant with Carson, our septic system blew back into our house and flooded the basement, less than 24 hours from when we were to go to the hospital for his induction, thanks to a crack in the septic pipe that lead from the house to the leech field. HORRIFYING! The septic people made the repairs while we were at the hospital. Well…Wednesday night, I decided to take a bath to try to calm my crazy intense contractions, and when the tub was draining…the same exact thing happened again! Septic water spewing back into the basement in the same manner! Poor Ryan was up until 1 AM cleaning up. The septic people came first thing this morning, and determined it was just a simple blockage, so we are now all set. Phew! But unbelievable that it happened yet again right before our child’s birth!

The other crazy event this week was the huge snow storm that occurred today. We were projected to get about 14 inches! I think we ended up with around a foot. Ryan worked from home for the day, and Carson’s daycare was closed so Ryan, Susie, Grammy, Carson, and Chomper were all snowed in together…and survived! For once I was actually willing the contractions away, instead of hoping that they ramped up into active labor. The last thing I wanted to do was make my way to the hospital during the storm! Luckily, the contractions stayed pretty calm and manageable today.

So there you have it! Ryan and I are scheduled to arrive at the hospital at 7 AM this Friday! We hope to keep everyone in the loop via the blog as things progress…here’s hoping for productive labor that results in a healthy baby in our arms! 

Last Bump Pic!