The Birth Story by Mom

[Disclaimer: I will admit I have a REALLY bad memory so the times and info might not be completely accurate. Josh’s story will be a lot more accurate.]

Monday, November 25^th finally arrived…the day I would officially be admitted to the hospital and be holding a sweet baby in my arms within the next 24 hours. Of course, this day was long as I experienced every emotion from excitement to fear (dang pregnancy hormones). To calm my worries, Josh gave me the most remarkable priesthood blessing I have ever received. As soon as we said, “Amen,” I instantly had this feeling that I could do this. I was ready to give birth and become a mother. Everything was going to be ok and I would be surrounded by knowledgeable nurses and doctors to guide the way. I’m always and forever grateful for Josh, a worthy priesthood holder, and his ability to comfort me in all situations.

 

bags packed, out the door we go

We got all checked in and sent to the delivery room with the nurse. Her name was Toni and I loved her to death. She was an older lady with white hair and an easy going personality + she has roots in Utah so we had plenty to talk about. For the next few hours she asked me a million questions and got me prepped.

...waiting...

last pic with the "prego belly"

Around 11 PM she inserted Cervadil in me which is supposed to soften the cervix and get contractions started.  A couple of hours later I woke up in a little bit of pain which was due to the contractions starting so she gave me some medication that would take the edge off the pain. I instantly dosed off to sleep. At 5 AM I woke up in a lot more pain from the contractions getting longer and more frequent. The nurse informed me that it was time to get the epidural. Josh sat beside me as the doctor prepped and inserted the needle in my back. Getting the epidural wasn’t all that great. He kept hitting nerves and it was very painful, plus Josh almost fainted watching me go through the pain BUT once he was finished I felt instant relief and could no longer feel my contractions (or my legs). Thank the world for epidurals!!! I think I slept a few more hours and then when 10 o’clock rolled around I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. My doctor was delivering 4 other babies at the same time so the nurse would only let me push 3 times and then have me rest for a few minutes. I think I pushed a total of 6 times and then…there he was!

Cooper Keith McDonald
11.26.13
10:58 AM
7 lbs 8 oz
20 in

holding him for the first time

my heart is melting

our new little family

What an amazing feeling it was to have this beautiful baby boy in my arms for the first time. I remember feeling complete joy and happiness in knowing that this sweet guy just came from heaven where he was surrounded by many wonderful guardian angels. Then, I handed him over to Josh to hold for the first time and my heart instantly felt full of love in knowing that he was going to be the greatest father to our son. I wish this brief moment in time could be bottled up and I could relive it over and over again. I love my new family and couldn’t be more in love with our little Cooper. 

our handsome little guy

Prego-- 38 Weeks

I think this will be my last and final pregnancy questionnaire I fill out, which I am very pleased to announce!!

How far along: 38 weeks

Total weight gain: 30 pounds

Maternity clothes: For bottoms I have one pair of maternity jeans that i finally caved and bought at 30 weeks (i thought it was a waste of money to wear for such a short time, but they've gotten their use out of them!!) or i'll wear leggings...and for  tops anything that will fit comfortably over the belly and is long enough to cover... my favorite thing to wear is a large pj t-shirt, yoga pants, and flip-flops (all other shoes are super tight but i'm hoping its from my feet swelling and not that they grew in size)

Stretch marks: no...count my blessings!

Sleep: Terrible! I do sleep through the night but wake up a lot feeling uncomfortable...either my left leg feels numb/dead or his bum is up in my ribs making it difficult to breathe

Best moment of this week: the 38 week ultrasound we had today. we got to see his cute little side profile one last time before i can stare at it all day everyday!!! not in a creepy way

Miss anything: sleeping on my stomach and waking up after 9 hours of sleep and feeling rested and energized

Movement: yes! now that i know exactly the position he is laying he definitely sticks his bum out a lot...he must have his dad's cute "bubble butt"

Food cravings: everything and anything that has no nutritional value...i haven't wanted any fruits or vegs lately but loving all junk/sweets...i only have a little longer to feel ok about eating like crap so i'm sucking it all up

Anything making you queasy or sick? no

Have you started to show yet? obviously. one of our neighbors said to me the other day, "You look like you're going to pop!" that's the first comment i've had like that, but i appreciate the honesty because that's how i feel

Belly button in our out: when i looked at it today it looked like it has popped out as far as it can possibly go

Wedding ring on or off: on. it's always been a little big for my finger so now that my hands are swollen it fits perfectly and is a little tough to get off when putting lotion on my hands

Happy or moody most of the time: moody. i'm in the stage where i'm totally over being pregnant and ready to be cuddling him already. but i can't complain because these past 9 months have been a breeze for me and i'm so lucky that my body has been able to handle the pregnancy so well

Looking forward to: our check-up with the dr tomorrow and the anticipation of baby cooper arriving. i just want to know where i'll be/what i'll be doing when i start to experience labor signs. i'm hoping the contractions come first and not the water breaking but no such luck there!

Prego--29 Weeks

So I logged onto the blog yesterday and noticed my last post was from when we first got Ozzie...over 3 months ago and I am WAY bummed that I didn't keep up on my pregnancy pics and questionnaire so I'm going to try my best to flashback and remember how I felt the past little while. Here I go...              ---September 8---

Pregnancy Questionnaire

How far along: 29 weeks

Total weight gain: I'm not totally sure but probably 17 lbs

Maternity clothes: i don't fit in any of my regular jeans anymore but i'm debating whether i want to invest in maternity jeans

Stretch marks: no, thank goodness

Sleep: Great

Best moment of this week: Recently returning from Utah from visiting family and friends

Miss anything:

Movement: By this point I had definitely felt him move. I remember the first time I felt him and knew it was for real. It was on a Sunday in July during sacrament meeting. Our newly called yws president (who had just called me to be a mia-maid advisor) was bearing her testimony when i felt a sudden kick. I quickly turned to josh to share the exciting news. even though it might not seem like that big of a deal to most, it meant the world to me and reminded me that i have a sweet little baby growing inside of me!!

Food cravings: chips and salsa could be a daily snack for me

Anything making you queasy or sick? no

Have you started to show yet? yes it looks a lot like an actual pregnant belly and not just some extra blubber. People actually notice it now and mothers always give me that "pregnant mother smile"

Belly button in our out: by now it had been sticking out for a few weeks. not my favorite thing

Wedding ring on or off: on 

Happy or moody most of the time: happy

Looking forward to: