Category Archives: Pregnancy

Baby / Motherhood / Personal / Pregnancy / Sky

Party of Five

November 4, 2019

Meet our newest bundle, Sky Casey Deatsch! Sky arrived on October 23rd at 1:15am, 12 days ahead of schedule. 

If you’d like to know how it all went down, please read on! I should note that this was not my favorite birth experience (thanks America!) and much like my other birth stories — it’s nice and long.Given that I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this pregnancy, I already knew that I wouldn’t be allowed to go past my due date (which was today — happy due date, Sky!) My doctor had already scheduled an induction for my due date, in the event that this little peanut hadn’t arrived by then.

Given that both Prim and Lark were early (and I’d been having lots of contractions and pre-labor starting at 36 weeks this time around), I was fairly certain that I wouldn’t make it to my due date. I was hoping to go into labor naturally and had already discussed doing a sweep at 39 weeks if I hadn’t already delivered, as I had had this done with Lark after a lot of pre-labor and ended up delivering less than 24 hours afterward.

However, just like all good birth plans, mine flew out the window when I went in for my 38 week appointment on October 22nd.

My appointment was at 2:15pm on the 22nd, and I had spent that whole morning sleeping. Our nanny was watching the girls that day and I had no plans until the afternoon, so I opted to catch up on some much needed rest (the end of pregnancy is super exhausting!) I basically rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes and had a super quick lunch before heading out the door with my mom, as we had plans to go look at kitchen appliances after my appointment (our fridge had been acting up).

We parked at the doctor’s office only to find a voicemail on my phone telling me that the midwife I was scheduled to see was at the hospital for a delivery and so would need to reschedule my appointment. I tried calling the office but no one answered due to it being their lunch hour still, so I opted to just head up to the office to reschedule in person.

Some background before I dive into all this: I had been thinking about delaying my Tuesday appointment to Friday all week, as I reasoned I could opt for a sweep then (closer to 39 weeks), but ultimately decided to just wait the additional few days and get the sweep on Monday, the 28th, when I officially hit 39 weeks. I was trying to make it to 39 weeks with this kiddo while simultaneously avoiding giving birth on Halloween, as I wanted to be around for the girls that day. 

If I could do any of this over, I would have just left the parking lot and left a message with the doctor to reschedule for Friday, but y’know, at this point I had zero idea what was to come.

I headed upstairs to the office and was informed that they would fit me in with one of the nurses. I almost forgot to leave a urine sample and so rushed into the restroom to deal with that and then was immediately whisked into a room when I walked out, where the assistant took my blood pressure.

She noted that my blood pressure was elevated — 142/80. Up to this point it had been higher than normal, but never above 130/85 (140/90 and above are where it gets to be an issue), and I had been monitoring it at home due to my history of preeclampsia with Prim. I should have asked to be re-measured after being allowed to sit quietly for a bit, since I was rushed into the room and immediately measured, but I didn’t.

The nurse came in to check me and informed me that protein had been detected in my urine and because I had a high blood pressure reading I needed to head to labor and delivery at the hospital for further tests and monitoring, as these things together indicate preeclampsia. I stupidly assumed that because my blood pressure readings had been fine at home that they would run some tests and likely send me home — surely they wouldn’t induce me based on a single blood pressure reading that wasn’t even above the 140/90 threshold.

At the hospital I was hooked up to fetal monitors, fitted with a blood pressure cuff, and my blood was drawn. My blood pressure was measured every 15 minutes, and due to white coat syndrome and all the activity (nurses coming in and out and telling me repeatedly that I would probably have to stay and be induced), my blood pressure readings were high. (The best example of this was when a nurse came in and told me that even though the baby was doing fine on the monitor and my bloodwork had come back completely normal, my midwife was still recommending induction. Like clockwork, the stupid blood pressure cuff went off right after I heard this and registered 150/85. COOL.) I was eventually able to get my blood pressure down to 125/80 as I waited for my midwife to come talk to me, and so remained hopeful that I would be allowed to go home and self-monitor.

My midwife finally showed up around 6pm (roughly 4 hours after I arrived at L&D) and informed me that even though my bloodwork was fine and baby was responding as expected on the monitor, she was recommending immediate induction. I had already communicated that I wanted to avoid induction at multiple appointments prior to this, and tried to explain that this felt extreme given that this was being based on a few high blood pressure readings and a single urine test (I also explained that I was sure I was super dehydrated as I had slept literally all morning and so had had zero water since the night before.)

I asked to delay induction in favor of doing a 24 hour urine collection (a more accurate measure for protein levels/preeclampsia diagnosis) and self-monitoring at home. This seemed reasonable to me, as I had been monitoring my blood pressure on my own anyway and had even managed to get my blood pressure down to a reasonable level on the monitors at the hospital, but my midwife informed me that my only option outside of induction was to stay at the hospital and do the 24 hour urine collection while remaining there on the monitors. I felt trapped, as the monitors were extremely uncomfortable, and I knew that staying in the hospital would just bank more high readings due to my stress level and discomfort, giving the doctors more ammo for their induction decision. I pleaded with the midwife to let me go home. I said that I could do the urine collection at home and routinely take my blood pressure and could call if I got a reading of 140/90 or above. I asked for a sweep to see if that might kick things off and I could go into labor naturally and said I would agree to induction if the 24 hour test showed a need for it, but this way I could at least get my stuff together, see my kids, and get into a better headspace for something that was very much not in my birth plan.

But the answer was no. 

The midwife then called in the perinatologist for an ultrasound, who noted that the baby’s growth had slowed and my amniotic fluid was on the low side of normal. I wish I had known at the time that both of these things are normal at the end of pregnancy and that dehydration can affect amniotic fluid levels, but I didn’t. The perinatologist agreed that I should be induced and so all other options were taken off the table. I was told that if I stayed at the hospital I would be induced and if I wanted to leave I would need to sign an AMA.

So I “agreed” to the induction. (I’m not really sure how else to put that, as it very much felt like I had no other choice.)

I was upset, not so much because this was not the plan, but because I felt like the midwife and doctors were not listening to me at all. They kept telling me that this decision was based on the “whole picture,” but to me it felt like it was being based on a couple of possibly inaccurate tests and no one was even willing to delay things for a day or two to see what additional tests would say.

KC and I made overnight arrangements for the girls and KC went home to grab my bag. I was brought into a birthing suite where they broke my water and started me on pitocin sometime between 9:30 and 10pm. (So much for a “gentle” induction — they came in every 30 minutes to turn the level on my pitocin drip up.)

I tried to rest while things were still bearable, but the contractions picked up and very quickly were coming hard and fast. Sometime around 12:45am I told one of the nurses that it felt like the baby was getting low and I felt like I was fairly far along. At this point the contractions were so intense I could barely breathe through them. I was trying to relax, but they were so painful I could feel myself tense up with each wave and I was shaking due to being in so much pain. I asked to be checked because I kept telling the nurses that it felt like I needed to pee (they kept telling me to tell them if it felt like I needed to use the bathroom y’know *not pee* but I kept telling them it didn’t feel like that, I just felt like I had to pee). I finally got checked around 1am or maybe just before, and the midwife told me I was 5cm. I was a little surprised, as I felt like I was at least approaching transition, but took her word for it and told KC shortly after that I wanted an epidural. I figured if I was only 5cm I would probably be laboring at least another 2-3 hours (as I had been 2-3cm dilated when the induction was started, and so had only progressed a couple cm in a matter of about 3 hours). At this point the contractions were extremely painful and pretty much unmanageable and I felt I couldn’t go on like this for hours and hours. I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to eat once I had the epidural and I was STARVING, so I asked for food first. I had some juice and Jell-o and crackers and then asked for the epidural.

The anesthesiologist took what felt like forever to get into the room and get set up (in reality, I think it was 5-10 minutes). At this point the contractions were coming every minute or so and I could barely speak in between. I sat on the edge of the bed while the anesthesiologist set up behind me and sterilized my back. He kept having to stop while I would have a contraction, as I would shake uncontrollably from the pain. He stuck a big sheet of plastic to my back and was about to numb me before placing the epidural when I had another contraction. Mid-contraction I felt like I was going to pee the bed, then quickly realized nope — this baby was coming NOW. I screamed “I NEED TO PUSH!” and basically — shit got REAL.

The nurse yelled at the anesthesiologist to move his stuff because I needed to lay down. She pushed me onto the bed, hit the red button on the wall (which I assume is the “OH SHIT” button that calls for backup) and I felt the baby crown and then birthed his head in one push. There was a break at this point where I came-to for a moment — KC was holding my hand and leaning right over my face, telling me to breathe (thank god I had told him before I gave birth that if I was pushing without drugs I needed him to be right in my face telling me to breathe. The midwife in Amsterdam had done this when I had Lark, and it was SO helpful to have someone to focus on during pushing, as pushing without drugs is so intense and scary.) I heard the nurse telling someone else “I’m holding his head” — she didn’t have time to get gloves on and was holding him with the hem of my hospital gown. She was yelling at me to grab my legs, which I finally was able to comprehend and did, right before I did one final push and out he came. 

Sky was lifted onto my chest and I opened my eyes to see a mass of people rushing into the room — my usual nurse who had been on break, my midwife, a few support nurses and the pediatrician. I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, as it had all happened so quickly. Somehow I had managed to dilate from 5-10cm in a matter of 15-20 minutes and then pushed twice and had a baby. I looked at the nurse who I remembered had been in the room when I was supposed to be getting the epidural and asked if she delivered the baby, “Yeah — with her,” (pointing to another nurse), she said.  “She caught him because I didn’t even get gloves on.” Sky was born at 1:15am, less than 4 hours after my induction started. He was 6lbs and 1.4oz (a peanut, just like his sisters) and 19.5 inches long. I literally have no pictures of Sky and I doing skin-to-skin immediately after his delivery because I think we were all in such shock from his swift arrival. KC didn’t have the time or wherewithal to get the camera or even his phone out in the minutes before or after Sky’s birth, and I just remember holding him and shaking while everyone rushed in the room and congratulated us. While I still feel frustrated by how everything came to pass leading up to Sky’s arrival, I’m glad that we’re all healthy and no worse for wear. (Poor Sky had some facial bruising due to his quick delivery, but I was rewarded with zero stitches after the fact — praise be.) It was a whirlwind for sure, but he’s here and healthy and very much loved by his mama, daddy and big sisters. Welcome to our family, Sky. We’re so happy you’re here!

Baby / Motherhood / Pregnancy

Pregnancy Update — October

October 11, 2019

KC thinks it’s hilarious that that t-shirt is one of my go-tos these days, as it’s a souvenir from this Amsterdam beer tour.

Well this is it guys, the last update for babe #3. Pregnant bellies are sort of fascinating and terrifying all at the same time, but since this is the last update for what I am 99% sure will be our last kiddo, I guess I can pitch any remaining pride I have for the moment and show off what a crazy and amazing thing the female body is. And also the pajamas, dirty mirror, and not-at-all picked up bedroom is just the byproduct of #momlife and being so damn pregnant. 

weeks: 36.5 (almost 37, really)

baby’s size: papaya. I had an ultrasound on Monday and baby was measuring in at close to 6 pounds now, so he seems to be on track with Prim’s birthweight at this point. (And yes, I’m little and tend to make not-huge but still totally healthy babies.)

i’m feeling: really pregnant. At this point I’m getting into the really physically uncomfortable part of pregnancy. The end is quite the mind trick, as you get so uncomfortable that you start to think “labor doesn’t seem so bad…” I guess that’s ultimately a good thing?

food love: honeycrisp apples. I bought some at Costco recently and if it weren’t for the damn glucose intolerance I would eat them constantly.

food hate: diabetes-friendly breakfast foods (like eggs and Kodiak waffles). I can’t wait to be able to just eat normally again!

3 pros for october: 1. I am really close to being ready for this babe. I’ve got my hospital bag packed (aside from a few last-minute items) and have the house mostly ready. 2. Bedtime with the girls has recently been really tough. Prim going back to school and Lark simultaneously being potty-trained and deciding she was ready for a big-kid bed has meant a lot of big developmental/transitional meltdowns and feelings in general (not to mention that these intuitive babes know that a big change is forthcoming!), but I think we’re mainly through the worst of it now (thank the lord). 3. KC’s mom is making the girls’ Halloween costumes again this year and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ve had a few sneak peeks and my heart can hardly take it — they’re so dang cute!

3 cons for october: 1. I am so pregnant, and SO uncomfortable most of the time. The end of pregnancy is just exhausting. 2. I’ve already been getting some early signs of labor, and while I think it’s still way too early for anything real, it’s a little stressful to weather the waves of consistent Braxton Hicks contractions while KC looks at me in a panic asking, “Are you in labor??” 3. Sometimes I worry that this kiddo is going to be really early (this is definitely the earliest I’ve ever had labor signs) and sometimes I worry he’ll just stubbornly stay put until they force me to be induced on my due date (gestational diabetes means I can’t go past 40 weeks, so one way or another this kiddo will be here sometime in the next few weeks.) Fingers crossed I can avoid pitocin!

currently living in: pajamas, mostly. 

looking forward to: meeting this sweet babe! (But cook a liiiiittle bit longer, please!)

dreaming about: eating all the carbs with reckless abandon once this kiddo is out.

Baby / Pregnancy

Pregnancy Update — September

September 9, 2019

I am now officially 8 months pregnant, and it’s sort of crazy to think that there will only be one more pregnancy update posted after this one. I haven’t organized and washed all the baby clothes and accessories just yet, so I’m hoping that another quick round of nesting energy is just around the corner!

weeks: 32

baby’s size: cantaloupe. I had an ultrasound this morning and kiddo is 4 pounds! Crazy to think about since little Larky Lou was only 6lbs 2oz at birth (but trust me, I had zero meds for that labor/delivery and she felt plenty big.)

i’m feeling: a bit uncomfortable. I’m not only sliding right into the really physically tough part of pregnancy, but the little one has positioned himself head-down with his feet straight up under my rib cage. Because of this, he’s been pushing everything upward, which has resulted in re-injuring an old rib fracture on my left side, which is not only really painful a lot of the time, but means I can’t sleep on my left side. (And belly and back sleeping are already off-limits, so… fun.)

food love: not much. Gestational diabetes has made eating a bit of a chore, so there’s not much enjoyment or indulging these days.

food hate: protein bars (aka easy, quick, diabetes-friendly snacks. Getting real sick of them.)

3 pros for september: 1. I am weeks away from being on maternity leave, which I am really looking forward to. Between my broken rib, terrible third trimester sleeping, and long commute, my work days are getting more and more exhausting; so it will be nice to have some time to rest before this wee bairn arrives! 2. The nursery is so close to being finished and it’s coming together so nicely. KC and I sometimes just hang out in there together because it’s such a calm, sweet little space. 3. Prim and Lark continue to be so sweet about “baby brother.” Most nights they will both insist on giving my belly a hug and kiss before bedtime and I can just imagine the snuggles/smothering this kiddo will be in for with these older sisters!

3 cons for september: 1. Pregnancy hormones + everyday stress is a real fun combo. I recently had a nice little meltdown during a therapy session because sometimes managing all these “little” (cough not really cough) stressors feels really big and overwhelming. 2. The broken rib thing is very much not comfortable. I really hope this babe adjusts his feet and it starts to get better soon. 3. Sleep has been so terrible lately. Even though I’m completely exhausted, it’s been torture trying to fall asleep and stay asleep. That third trimester insomnia is no joke!

currently living in: Blanqi maternity leggings and non-maternity Old Navy workout tops (similar here and here).

looking forward to: maternity leave, sleep, and the end of this unbearably hot weather.

dreaming about: having a waist again and THROWING MY MATERNITY CLOTHES AWAY. (By which I mean donating them, obviously. I’m not a monster.)

Baby / Motherhood / Pregnancy

Pregnancy Update — August

August 13, 2019

Enjoying my non-swollen feet and ankles while I’ve still got them.

I can’t believe I’m in the third trimester already, but here we are. Kiddo is head-down and, as I recently discovered, very not into the doppler and ultrasound wand pressing into his very limited living space — he kicks them away at every opportunity. 

weeks: 28+

baby’s size: head of lettuce (romaine? iceberg? butter? who knows.) I should also note that my uterus is apparently the size of a basketball now. I can tell you that visually this seems spot-on.

i’m feeling: pretty tired. I’m right at the beginning of when things seem to get more difficult and tiring by the day, and while some days I still feel like I can go about my day without much trouble, there are times when I am so exhausted and uncomfortable by the evening that I end up falling asleep on the couch right after putting the girls to bed at 7:30pm. Our bodies are pretty amazing, but this whole process is no walk in the park!

food love: avocado on everything, tuna sandwiches with extra pickles, and trail mix.

food hate: nothing at the moment. (I mean cake is gross, but that’s an all-the-time thing for me.)

3 pros for august: 1. KC and I recently spent a full weekend working on the nursery. We are converting our office (aka our “catch-all” room) into the baby’s room, which meant we had a lot of KonMari-ing to do in order to even start the process of getting the room baby-ready. I’m happy to say that we are so close to having the room done now; just a few finishing touches and a small chair to breastfeed in and we’re there! 2. We recently took care of a bunch of major house projects that we’ve had on our list since we moved in over a year ago; and while roof and dry rot repairs are not the most fun things to throw money at, our new exterior paint is totally giving me life. 3. As the end of this pregnancy is inching closer, I’m getting more and more excited to meet this little one. While I know that this will be a big transition for all of us and there will surely be some less than perfect moments, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see the girls with their new sibling. (Larky’s current favorite thing is to come up to me, declare “I want to see baby brudder” and lift up my shirt. She’ll hug or lay on my belly and tell me, “I’m gonna smash him.” If that isn’t 2 year old love, I don’t know what is.)

3 cons for august: 1. We have been watching the new season of Orange is the New Black, and while this season is great (so good!), a recent episode that mirrors a lot of current issues in our country made me literally sob (Episode 11 is a doozy, guys. Especially if you have kids.) 2. I was recently diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, despite having no prior risk factors (I didn’t have it in either of my prior two pregnancies either.) I was a little surprised by the diagnosis, but found out that stress can be a major contributing factor, which, given some things I’ve been dealing with during this pregnancy, makes a lot of sense. 3. Given my GD diagnosis, I am bidding farewell to all treats for the time being. Luckily GD can generally be controlled with diet alone, but I’m not gonna lie — I’m not stoked about giving up my nighttime dark chocolate fix.

currently living in: maternity dresses and my new Rothy’s flats.

looking forward to: finishing up the nursery for good. (PS: I did finally track down the perfect paint color — it ended up being Sherwin William’s Blue Peacock. I will tell you though, the first coat was totally nerve-wracking and felt very much like “THIS IS SHARKS TERRITORY” if you know what I mean. Thankfully three coats did the trick and it darkened into the perfect forest-y teal.)

dreaming about: naps and maternity leave.

Baby / Motherhood / Pregnancy

Pregnancy Update — July

July 11, 2019

Big belly on the big island of Hawaii.

The babe has started moving with gusto recently, and KC has even gotten a chance to feel some movement, despite my anterior placenta (which blocks a lot). This kiddo is clearly a party animal just like his big sisters.

weeks: 23.5

baby’s size: grapefruit

i’m feeling: ok. I’m not as tired as I was previously, and the nesting instinct has definitely started to kick in, but I’m definitely still not feeling like myself these days. My energy feels perpetually lower than I’m used to and I’m constantly wondering when I’ll actually feel like myself again (after delivery? Later? Who knows.)

food love: granola bars (specifically just the trail mix ones from TJs) and little ice cream treats (TJs Hold the Cone and the mini mint ice cream sandwiches — yum!)

food hate: not much. I’m not actively avoiding anything right now, but I definitely get tired of certain foods much quicker than I normally do when not pregnant (mostly meat and fish).

3 pros for july: 1. KC and I just got back from our little babymoon trip to Hawaii. It was so relaxing and nice to get away (and sleeeeep!) 2. Even though getting away on vacation is so dreamy, it’s so nice to be back in our own house with our sweet and crazy little ones. 3. KC and I have made it a point to go out every Friday on a date, and it’s become such a nice tradition over the past 6-7 months. I look forward to Friday nights every week and the girls get special time with our nanny on Fridays — usually with pizza and a movie — so really it’s a win for everyone.

3 cons for july: 1. I am continuing to despise the heat in my pregnant state. In Hawaii we hiked out to a secluded beach through more than a mile of unpaved/loose lava rocks. It was so hot I wanted to just lay down and die. 2. My mood has been pretty low lately. I’m not someone who stresses out a ton or generally has a lot of anxiety, but some recent life issues have bubbled up a whole lot of these feelings and I am really not into it. (Also, stressing out about feeling stressed during pregnancy is like the least fun Catch-22, ever.) 3. I’ve got the nursery fairly put together in my mind, but have nothing together in real life. I was hoping to take care of one piece, recently — a painted wall — but instead ended up taking two trips to Home Depot for five (5!) different paint colors, none of which are quite right. Ugh.

currently living in: shorts, dresses, and all the SPF.

looking forward to: finding the right paint color for the nursery.

dreaming about: getting the nursery put together.