Natalie's Birth Story

                We were getting ready to have family in town for my 30^th birthday and also Easter.  I was also 37 weeks pregnant.  Things were busy, but exciting.  Wednesday April 4^th I was restless most of the night.  I noticed “Whoopsie” wasn’t moving at all.  Normally, baby kicks up a storm at night.  I was still very restless when Jonny left for work at 2 am.   I decided to drink some juice, lie on my side with my hand on my belly and wait for baby to move.  Nothing.  Thursday morning I call my OB.  This just isn’t normal and I was a little worried.  Dr. Cole told me to come in immediately.

                I walked straight to a room at Dr. Cole’s.  They find the heart beat with a doppler, but it was a little slower than normal.  Dr. Cole suggested that I go next door to Labor and Delivery for a non-stress test.  It was a little unusual and she wanted to have a longer test than just the doppler especially with the holiday weekend coming up.

                Alyssa, James and I walk over to the hospital.  I get all hooked up and wait and wait and wait.  It was very reassuring to listen to the baby’s heartbeat.  The nursing staff was awesome.  An L&D nurse, Hannah, entertained the kids until Jonny could make it.  It was great that I didn’t have to wrangle other kids while worrying about baby.   I was having contractions, but nothing too bad or very regular.  After a couple of hours and baby checking out okay I was released to go home.

                The weekend came.  We celebrated my birthday.  Family and friends were in town.  We celebrated Easter.  The kids hunted eggs.  We blew up their new pool.  We ate bbq.  It was a lot of fun.  Kids were exhausted.  I was exhausted.  Yet, again, I couldn’t sleep.  I was very restless and achy.  Thankfully, my parents were still in town and could help me with the little ones.

                Monday morning, April 9^th, I got up before anyone else (except Jonny who was already at work, of course) and started piddling around.  I unloaded the dishwasher and made coffee.  I noticed I was having contractions.  They were pretty strong, but not painful.  I figured I needed some water and to sit down for a little while.   My parents got up, as well as Alyssa and James.  My mom was going to stay to help out with the kids and for my repeat c-section scheduled April 16^th.  We went about our morning.  I made breakfast.  Cleaned up breakfast.  We played outside.  At some point I told my mom that was having pretty regular contractions.

                I still went about my day as usual, but I decided to start timing contractions…just in case.  They were 4-6 minutes apart.  I waffled back and forth.  I honestly didn’t think I was in labor.  They weren’t  in a pattern at all.  I told Jonny just to come straight home from work.  I got Alyssa and James lunch and Alyssa ready for dance class.  Thank goodness, my mom stayed!  Jonny arrived home and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do.  I called Dr. Cole and they said go to Labor and Delivery.  They whole way there Jonny and I talked about how we didn’t want to stay up there all day just to be sent home.  I was still questioning whether I was in labor or not.

                I walk in.  The nurse asked if it was the real deal or not.  I said I honestly didn’t know.  We went to a triage room and got hooked up to the monitors.  The nurse said, “Honey, your contractions are two minutes apart.”  Good to know!  She checked me.  I was only 1 cm dilated.  1 cm!!!!  Crap!  I was going to be sent home.  They decided to give me some IV fluids to see if it slowed them down at all.  2 bags of saline in 45 minutes and a shot of Terbutaline and the contractions were still going strong.  I was in pain now.  If I was still 1 I was going to cry.  If I had made any cervical change they were going to talk about scheduling a c-section for that afternoon.  So, I get checked.  3 cm.  Jonny and I talked about declining the repeat c-section.  I was in labor and they can’t kick me out.  Knowing I was progressing was encouraging.  The fact that I had been contracting all day and it was now 3 pm and I still had a long way to go wasn’t.  In the end, I was worried I was going to labor for a long time and end up with a c-section anyway.  If I needed a c-section I really wanted Dr. Cole to be the one to perform it.  So, we were put on the schedule for 4:30 that afternoon.

                I walk back to the operating room.  Receive my spinal.  Got prepped and ready to go.  At 5:10 pm Natalie Ann Osborne was born.  She weighed 6 lb 15 oz and was 20 in long (my biggest baby yet!).  She was covered in meconium.  I didn’t even get to see her over the curtain.  They wanted to take her immediately to get cleaned up and have her teeny nose suctioned out.  Jonny stayed with her the whole time and was the one to bring her all wrapped up over to me.  Dr. Cole said that whatever stressed her on Thursday not to move may have caused the meconium.  She definitely needed to be born sooner than later.  So, I didn’t get my VBAC, but things went exactly as they should be and my baby girl is beautiful and healthy.

She's Here!

Natalie Ann Osborne

April 9, 2012

5:10 pm

6 lb 15 oz

20 in



Neighborhood Egg Hunt

Poor Pitiful Pup

Daisy has one major obsession:  the tennis ball.  She loves loves loves her tennis ball.  Jonny was outside throwing the ball with her and she popped up her back leg.  Luckily, she had a vet appointment the next morning.  Doc seems to think it's her ACL.  We think she caught her nail on something because she absolutely refuses to let us cut them.  Jonny takes her back to the vet Wednesday for x-rays.  Doc is right (he better be though.  He does have the degree.) and her ACL is torn completely through.  Friday she goes in for surgery.  Everything goes as well as can be expected.  We are so sad watching her hobble around wearing a giant cone.  She must wear her cast for 3 weeks and have weekly check ups to see how she is healing.  Poor Daisy!

Jonny and Alyssa have a countdown. 

Baby #3 Birth Plan

My blog is mainly a scrapbook of my adorable children.  A good thing about technology, I can instantly share pictures and daily events, no matter how small, with my family all at once.  Every now and then I'm going to have a personal snippet included.  This is one of those times.  Although since it's about Whoopsie it still fits into "My Adorable Children" category.

At some point many pregnant women make a birth plan.  Birth plans can be simple one page requests with a few bullet points or a multiple-paged, detailed booklet.  Anything goes when making birth plans.  A woman might request certain music to be played, lights to be dimmed, to be able to eat more than just ice chips while in labor.  There can also be requests of no interventions, no constant monitoring, able to move freely during labor, husband cutting the cord.  Birth plans can also include things for the baby such as instant skin to skin contact, no eye goop or vaccines.  I've never been big on birth plans.

I've always had an idea of how I would like my labor and deliveries to go, but I've never made a formal birth plan.  None of my pregnancies, labors, or deliveries were picture perfect.  I feel that the less I have my heart set on and committed to paper the less chance I have to be disappointed.  My birth plan has always been Baby Come Out.  I trust my OB and I really feel as though she would do the right thing for me and my baby.

This time is a little different.  James was an emergency c-section because the stubborn little boy would not quite get in the right position.  After trying many crazy positions, the boy still wouldn't budge.  Once Jonny and I got past the surprise of baby #3 we talked about how we wanted things to go.  I really want to have a VBAC and Jonny supports that 100%.  I'm the perfect VBAC candidate.  I've had a successful labor and vaginal delivery before and James's c-section was because of his position.  First OB appointment with Whoopsie, VBAC was my only question.  My Dr. supports VBACs and thinks they are wonderful.  The hospital is a different story.  They say they support VBACs when in reality, they have impossible requirements for OBs to really offer their patients a VBAC.

I was devastated.  I researched and researched my options.  Very few doctors AND hospitals support VBACs around here.  The birth center, only took on patients who have already had a successful VBAC.  My only real option would be a home birth with a midwife.  My image of a home birth would be Alyssa crying and asking a million questions.  She is so sensitive to others, I would feel like I couldn't show any pain or discomfort without upsetting her.  James would want me to hold him.  And if I coudn't hold him he would voice his displeasure with his terribly loud pterodactyl scream.  Daisy would be all up in my business running away with the placenta.  And poor Jonny would be trying to calm all this chaos and not be able to participate and enjoy the birth.  Not the calming wonderful birth experience I'd hope for.

So, I stay with my OB, who I trust and love.  My new plan is to labor at home as long as possible.  Jonny is aware that the key phrase is "EMTALA."  Basically that is an act that states that no hospital can turn down a laboring woman.  The hospital cannot transfer a woman until she is in stable condition.  Stable meaning delivery of the baby and placenta.  And no hospital can force a woman to have a surgery.  As long as I'm far enough along not to be sent back home I have a snowball's chance in hell of getting my VBAC. 

My husband and my doctor are aware of my plan and are supportive.  Whoopsie, on the other hand, is not!  Whoopsie happens to be breech.  I have tried all sorts of techniques to get this baby to flip head down.  S/he will flip, but always flips back.  This baby just likes to stick his/her head in my rib cage.  I have accepted the fact that this baby may just be destined to be born via c-section.  I have been a good little patient and scheduled my repeat c-section date.  Unless Whoopsie flips and I spontaneously go into labor, d-day is April 16th.

I know c-sections do not mean failure.  A woman can still have a wonderful birth experience and have a c-section.  And I cannot wait to meet the new baby!  I also know that women can vaginally deliver a breech baby.  I definitely know I'm not brave enough for that one!!!!

An Enchanted Sick Day

Last Thursday, Alyssa spiked a fever.  She had zero energy.  All she wanted to do was lay around all day.  Lay around and watch Enchanted.  In a Princess tent.  While coloring in an Enchanted coloring book.  And eating an Enchanted snack (goldfish, mini marshmallows, sprinkles). 

There's a bear, I mean James, outside that tent!

My sleeping beauty.

Happy Birthday, Granny!

February 28th was my Granny's birthday.  Granny has very advanced Alzheimer's.  Alyssa loves to look at the pictures of Granny and Popa's visit when she was just a few days old.  Granny must live in a facility with around the clock care.  We've taken the kids to visit her many times.  Alyssa never seems to notice anything different or strange about where Granny lives.  Even though neither one of them are aware of it, they share a very special bond.  Alyssa wanted to make sure Granny had a present "just in case she came by" on her birthday.

Okay, she wanted Granny to have a lot of presents!



Every bag had a book and a hand made card.