Stella's birth story

Stella Dorothy Kaup

8/5/15

6lbs 15 oz, 19 inches

My sweet little Stella is already 2 months old, and i'm JUST getting around to documenting her birth story. I guess that's to be expected with a newborn and a just barely toddler. I just hope I remember everything well enough. SO here we go!

I had a doctor's appointment at 11 am on August 5th. It was just business as usual except I was dilated to almost 4 CENTIMETERS and about 70% effaced. I was SHOCKED. My doctor asked me if I wanted my membranes stripped. It basically will only work if your body is ready. I decided to just go with it, because even though I was TERRIFIED to have her, I was also really excited to meet her. So I went back home and just went about my day with Elsie. I felt a little crampy, but I had been feeling that way for days already so it was nothing new. I put Els down for her afternoon nap and decided to lay down myself. Josh got home from work and we woke up. Josh asked how I was feeling and it seemed like as soon as he did, I started feeling some pretty regular contractions. I couldn't tell if it was all in my head, or if it was the real deal. Josh convinced me to start timing them and they were about 7 minutes apart. I was still sort of in denial because I did NOT expect things to happen that fast. About 20 more minutes of regular contractions and I decided I should call the nurse line and see what they thought I should do. They weren't very helpful, basically just told me that if I felt like I should come in, then I could. OKAY? Aren't you supposed to TELL me what to do. Don't give an indecisive woman OPTIONS lol. So anyways, after much consideration I decided I should probably head in. I drove myself to the hospital because Josh was going to wait at home with Elsie until his mom and sister got there. We wanted to Elsie to be able to stay at home so she didn't have TOO much going on at once. 

This was me driving to the hospital...basically freaking out. 

So I got to the hospital and get everything situated and got into my hospital gown and the nurse checked me. I was dilated to a 5 and 90% effaced so they admitted me! I was going to have this baby TODAY!! Such a surreal feeling! It was kinda scary being at the hospital by myself, but we only live about 15 min from the hospital so I knew Josh would be there soon. 

My last belly shots!! So crazy to think that she would soon be OUTSIDE of the belly. There is just no feeling like that anticipation. It's so exciting! 

So, I got all settled and Josh got there. The contractions were getting really strong and really regular. The nurse told me that the anesthesiologist isn't in house, and is about 30 min away. So I would need to plan my need for an epidural around that. Well shortly after that, we got word that he was going to be coming through the area and we decided that there was no point in NOT having him administer the epidural while he was there. (duh) So we started my IV fluids and waited for the main of the hour to show up! He got there and everything went very smoothly and I was feeling like a million bucks in no time. Cause those contractions were getting STRONG. In reality though, I only had to endure about an hour or 2 of actual labor so it was a cake walk. So, after that is all said and done I was bed ridden. For some reason this time the epidural made me very anxious. My heart rate would randomly shoot up, and I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest and like I couldn't breath very well. It was NOT a good feeling. And I really felt panicked about not being able to move my legs for some reason. I don't know, obviously I enjoyed not feeling any labor pain, but it was not as enjoyable as I remember it being with Elsie. So after that, It was basically just a waiting game. I was progressing nicely, but my water hadn't broken yet so it was going AS fast as it could. And my doctor was not there, so she couldn't break it and the nurses aren't allowed to do so. At this point it was probably about 10pm or so. Another overnight labor, which is NOT fun. You can't sleep a bit, and your sleep from then on is just totally screwed up. So fast forward a few hours and it's about 3am and I am STARVING to death. I mean like stomach growling and everything. I was tired, hungry and miserable! It was so bizarre cause I remember when I first laid down, my belly was big and round and sticking up, so as I was laying down I reached down to rub my belly once more and I felt it and it was like oblong and felt much flatter. I was SO scared, I thought she was probably coming out and I couldn't feel it. Well my doctor finally got there and she checked and my water bag was bulging OUT. She was all startled because she thought it was the babies head! So I started feeling all extra nervous, for some reason the moments just before pushing are the most nerve-wracking for me. I mean, it all just becomes so REAL-you are about to meet this little person that has been growing in your belly! It's the most amazing anticipation in the world, truly nothing like it! So we got everything all situated and the time to push came! AH! I kept saying over and over "I'm scared! I'm SCARED!" So a contraction came and I started pushing. 2 pushes and 1 full contraction and this little one was OUT! It was unbelievable. She was absolutely beautiful, and just perfect as can be. 6 lbs 15oz and 19 inches long. She took to nursing right away and we just laid there for an hour or so nursing and loving each other. There's just nothing like those first moments, you're just on cloud 9 filled with so much emotion and adrenaline. We love her SO much and we can't imagine our lives without her now, She's perfect!! 

23 weeks...or 24....?

How far along? Well i'm 24 weeks today, but so much has been going on that I missed my 22 and 23 week posts. BLAHH...moving (and not moving), and caring for an infant and her unborn sibling REALLY take up a lot of time. So sorry to her sister, who will probably be deeply offended that some of her posts are missing ;) Mom tried....really, I did. 

If you'd like to go back to when I had OODLES of time, and read about my 22nd week with Elsie, click right here! 23rd week?...click right here! and lets just add the 24th week for good measure! You can find it HERE! Uff da! 

Maternity clothes: Still on the same routine as far as that goes. 

Stretch marks? Nada. My belly is still pretty small. Some days it still barely looks like i'm even pregnant, which is actually sort of a bummer to me. (Sometimes lol) I had a doctor's appointment last week and I've only gained about 3 lbs so far. They aren't very concerned, especially considering I only gained about 15-17 lbs with Elsie and she was an almost 8 lb baby. Also considering the baby is right on track with growth, she's actually measuring AHEAD. I'm definitely not restricting myself as far as my diet goes, so it's a mystery to me why i'm not gaining weight. They are going to start monitoring my weight gain a little closer from here on out. 

Sleep: No problem! 

Best moment this week: Week? Don't you mean closer to MONTH? gulp. Let's see..I guess getting the official word from my ultrasound that she's a perfect little healthy babe! That's always such a weight off my mind. So grateful and blessed to have another healthy baby a'brewin. Also we've had a couple field trips as a family now that the days are getting warmer. LOVING that.  

Miss anything?: Meh, i'm good. 

Movement: Yep! She's a little wiggle worm! But she doesn't seem to wake me up at all through the night. (fingers crossed that will remain the case AFTER she's born! hehe) 

Food cravings: Lots of ice cream has been on my mind lately. Also I had a DEEP craving for brownies/cake with chocolate frosting. I got all the supplies, but my dear husband had already packed up our pans. I still haven't had that brownie. Tragic. 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nothing!! Funny story though, literally within hours of me saying that on my last post, I threw up. So i'll tread lightly on that one.   

Gender: Chickadee 

Labor signs: Nope, lots of braxton hicks though!! 

Symptoms: Indigestion like a mofo!! braxton hicks, general achiness especially my hips 

Belly button in or out? Still rockin and rolling. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Meh, the process of buying a home is for the birds. It's had me down lately. Also packing is legit my most hated thing. Literally #1. So annoying.

Looking forward to: I'd like to say moving...but who knows when that will ever be. I'll just say steady warm weather. lol. This up and down crap ain't cool. 

21 weeks with baby #2!

How far along? 21 weeks! 
If you'd like to read about my 21st week with Elsie, feel free to click here!!

Maternity clothes: Meh i'm slowly adding more and more to my daily outfit. But I still fit in all my pre pregnancy clothes, it's more just about comfort and making everything look a little bit smoother. haha 

Stretch marks? Still no issue

Sleep: No problem! 

Best moment this week: I have to think a bit backwards since i'm so behind again this week. But I would have to say Easter! We stayed in the cities and celebrated with Josh's family. It was a really nice time! Elsie got lots of cute little Easter gifts, it was a wonderful way to celebrate our babe's first Easter! :) 

Miss anything?: I really can't think of anything specific! 

Movement: Ohhhh yes, she likes to focus all her strength directly on my bladder lately. I definitely think I can feel her more than I did Elsie. And she's STRONG!  

Food cravings: It's really just random things. I'm trying to get my fill of as many of my favorite "city" things that I can before we move! It's definitely more slim pickins up in homeland! 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  I've done WONDERFUL on this front lately!! (knock on wood)    

Gender: A little lady bird

Labor signs: Nope 

Symptoms: Horrible indigestion lately. No pain, but just feel like none of my food makes it past my chest. Just feels constantly lodged. Really uncomfortable!  

Belly button in or out? It's still hangin' in there!

Happy or moody most of the time? HAPPY!!! 

Looking forward to: Getting this move over and done with and getting settled!! I'm so nervous. 10 days!! AHHHH!!! 

19 weeks with lady #2

How far along? 19 weeks! 

You can find our 19th week Elsie post right HERE 

Maternity clothes: Lots of pants, but I don't have many shirts. Looks like I need to go shoppin! ;)  

Stretch marks?  Nothing to report! 

Sleep: Sleepin just fab!

Best moment this week: My very best friend in the world is in town from Delaware, so we've gotten together a few times. Wish we lived closer together!! :( 

Miss anything?:  Nothing!

Movement:  Still just the usual flutters and bumps. I can definitely tell she's getting stronger and stronger. (or just bigger and bigger) cause there have been a couple times where I can feel little pokes from the outside! 

Food cravings:  Italian food 100%. YUMMMMM I could eat spaghetti everyday as it is, but this has been pretty intense. lol  

Anything making you queasy or sick?  I've been doing REALLY well this week. knock on wood.   

Gender: GIRL! 

Labor signs: No! 

Symptoms: Not a whole lot besides a growing belly and some round ligament pain!! WOO HOO!!! My head has been a real champ this week! I still get some sporadic headaches, but it's been NOTHIN like what I was used to. AHHHH! 

Belly button in or out? Still in! But it's gettin shallow! lol  

Wedding rings on or off? Just the band..i'm thinkin i'll just delete this question from here out. lol  

Happy or moody most of the time?  Super de duper happy!! 

Looking forward to:  I have my 20 week anatomy scan next Wednesday. Say a little prayer that this little girl is nice and healthy! :) 

16 weeks with baby GIRL #2

How far along? I'm 16 weeks, well since i'm slacking so hard with my blog this time around, i'm actually closer to 17 weeks. But SHHHHH, just go with it. 
Elsie's 16 week update can be found riiiiiight here! :)

Maternity clothes: I've worn some bits an pieces from my maternity wardrobe. Still surprisingly not all that necessary. I guess in my mind I figured I would just blow up immediately,  but that just hasn't been the case. In fact, I sorta like i'm smaller than I was with Elsie. Maybe a more petite baby than my chunky monkey, who knows but I suppose i'm not complaining! 

Stretch marks? Nothing to note! Back to my good old Earth mama-angel baby stretch oil. Can't exactly be sure that's what did the trick for me last time, but why change what worked the first time. 

Sleep: Still getting decent sleep, which makes everything else that much easier on me! 

Best moment this week: Well as many of you know, we found out we're having another little GIRL!!! As much as we kinda "knew" it, it was awesome to get a definite answer! I would have been thrilled to have a boy, but I feel like for the "situation" we're in, it will be a lot easier on us to be able to just slip back into familiar territory. And we have everything she'll need already, so it will be great!  

Miss anything?: Nothing really that I can think of? 

Movement: I definitely am feeling movement! I asked the ultrasound tech if my placenta was in the front again, like it was with Elsie, and she said no-it's underneath her. So there's nothing cushioning the blows this time around! haha. 

Food cravings: Mashed potatoes! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still get quite nauseous right away in the morning. Sometimes I puke, sometimes I don't.  Ready to be completely past this stage, whoever said morning sickness ends after the 1st trimester was LYING! 

Gender: Baby GIRL!!! 

Labor signs: Nope 

Symptoms: Round ligament pain and i'm still getting very frequent headaches. HOWEVER, the fioricet I was prescribed has helped IMMENSELY!! I haven't had a real explosive migraine since i've had that available. I just take one as soon as I get the inkling that something may be brewing and it stops it in its tracks. I've still had headaches, but SO much more manageable. 

Belly button in or out? Still in

Wedding rings on or off? still off

Happy or moody most of the time? I've sort of been experiencing some hormonal blips this week. Not unhappy or anything, but just sort of weepy at certain things! 

Looking forward to: Spring!! And maybe, just MAYBE getting our house?? We shall seeeeee!!! ;) 

15 weeks with baby #2

How far along? 15 weeks! 
If you'd like to read about my 15th week with Elsie, you can find it here

Maternity clothes: Still the same ol routine, luckily my work wardrobe consists of yoga pants and sweatshirts ;) Can't wait until the dress code changes to sun dresses and swimsuits!!! I don't feel like i'm showing as fast as I assumed I would this time around! 

Stretch marks?  None to report!  

Sleep: Sleep isn't an issue here! 

Best moment this week: Well my baby turned 6 months old, so that was pretty exciting! My little lovey sure is growing up fast!! 

Miss anything?:  Not having to walk on eggshells to disturb my stupid head. UGH. 

Movement:  Still feel the little bubbly flutters here and there. 

Food cravings:  hmmm....
Mexican food, white castle, and charleys subs. It wasn't a very healthy week lol

Anything making you queasy or sick?  I had a really rough week in terms of nausea. Felt like I was back to square one with feeling sick every morning and even sometimes all the way through the day. So over it!!!  

Gender: Not sure still! Still totally gettin the girl vibe! 

Labor signs: No! 

Symptoms: Still being utterly tortured with migraines. My doctor finally gave me a prescription of Fioricet, so i'm PRAYING that will work. I'm reaching my wits end, literally the only thing that I can do to NOT get a headache is to lay completely still in bed all day. (HAHA) I can't pinpoint any specific thing that triggers them besides literally just living my life. It's HARD!! 

Belly button in or out? Still in!  

Wedding rings on or off? Off 

Happy or moody most of the time?  It's hard to be real happy when I feel so crummy all the time, but i've got a pretty sweet reason to be happy! 

Looking forward to:  Finding out what this baby is! 

14 weeks with bambino #2

How far along? 14 weeks, baby!! This chick is officially in the 2nd trimester!! 
If you'd like to read about my 14th week with Elsie, you can find that bad boy here

Maternity clothes: I wear some maternity shirts here and there, but no pants yet. 

Stretch marks?  Not Chyet  

Sleep: Getting great sleep still, thanks to my little angel baby! ;) 

Best moment this week: Well it was Valentine's this past weekend. Josh was out of town, but he surprised me by sending me flowers so that was very sweet. Then we went out for a little date on sunday to the casino (NO LUCK) and then a steak dinner which was delish. It was really fun, nice to get away just the 2 of us.

Miss anything?:  being able to go outside without my lungs literally forming icicles with every breath. I'm getting cabin fever big time, I need some warm weather.

Movement:  I swear I feel little fluttery bubbles here and there!! I think i'll feel this babe a lot sooner than I did with Elsie

Food cravings:  Oh good grief, don't even get me started. I feel like it's something different every day. I could eat tomatoes whole, and I feel like I could eat a red onion like an apple. And i've been craving blue cheese dressing a lot too. So I've been having a lot more salads again and buffalo wings. HAHA. For fat tuesday, I satisfied ALL my cravings in 1 meal and it was AMAZING. lol      

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nausea has more or less gone away (still rears its ugly head here and there) but these damn headaches are killer again, and my stomach always spins when I have a bad headache.    

Gender: Still don't know for sure, but it's a girl. ;) 

Labor signs: No! 

Symptoms: Friggin headaches!!!! It's a good thing that having babies is such a beautiful amazing experience, because if it wasn't I would never get pregnant again JUST to avoid these incessant headaches. HORRIBLE!!!!! 

Belly button in or out? Still in!  

Wedding rings on or off? Still off

Happy or moody most of the time?  I've had some nasty surges with hormones this week (lol) but for the most part i've remained pretty happy! (considering how nasty cold and gross it has been)

Looking forward to:  Spring (which will never come) and finding out FOR sure what this baby is! :) 

13 weeks #2!

Figured big sister should be featured as well! 

How far along? 13 weeks!!
I feel sorta bad for this babe, because their bump updates are going to be a lot less "glamorous" than they were with Elsie. (when I actually had a reason that I needed to look presentable everyday) You're all lucky I at least showered and put some clothes on ;) 
 If you'd like to see my 13 week update from my pregnancy with Elsie, you can find it here

Maternity clothes: None yet! 

Stretch marks?  Not much stretching is occurring in general quite yet. haha

Sleep: Sleep has remained pretty much the same, which is a GOOD thing. Els lets me get a lot of good sleep, which helps IMMENSELY! 

Best moment this week: Well I had the ultrasound for the genetic testing, which again we opted for just so we could see the little bambino more or less. So it was a lot of fun to see the little monkey bouncin around in there, definitely made things that much more REAL for us! haha We got the results back from that today actually and it was nothing but good news- 1 in 10,000 for down syndrome and trisomy 13 so that's wonderful! We got a couple cute ultrasound pictures too! :) 

Look at those stretched out legs! Certainly cozy in there! haha

Hi mom! :)

Miss anything?:  Having the energy to do more than just taking care of my little lovie. 

Movement:  Nope, not yet!! 

Food cravings: Salad!! I found the Olive Garden salad dressing and I've basically been obsessed. So i've been eating TONS of salad and sliced cucumbers! Could be worse, right?? 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  It's touch and go, somedays I can make it though without any, and others i'm smacked in the face with it again. No rhyme or reason. Sigh. 

Gender: Still don't know that! I'm still thinking totally has to be a girl!! 

Labor signs: No! 

Symptoms: I had a horrific, hideous migraine last night. I felt it building as I was getting ready for bed, so I promptly got to bed and thought I could beat it by just sleeping it off. NOT so much. I woke up at about 3:45 from a dream that a doctor was telling me I had a brain bleed. YEAH.....It was freakishly bad. I took some pain reliever and some dramamine and laid as still as I possible could until I could fall back asleep. Thank GOD it was gone when I woke up in the morning. In a weird way, I was grateful that it happened in the middle of the night. Yes, it disturbed my sleep, but I would rather deal with it by myself in the wee hours of the morning than be absolutely worthless to my daughter during the day. I just can't believe this is happening all over again like clockwork. I would rather deal with daily nausea than one of those headaches, it's scary! I'm basically on my knees in prayer that this doesn't start happening daily again.

Belly button in or out? It's still in

Wedding rings on or off? Off actually, but not because i'm swollen, but cause my rings are too BIG! I lost quite a bit of weight after I had Elsie (somehow) and they don't fit very well at the moment! 

Happy or moody most of the time?  I've been happy for the most part

Looking forward to:  Spring time, and hopefully finding our home soon!! 

12 weeks! Numero Dos

How far along? I am officially 12 weeks pregnant today! Still basically all bloat, but the doc felt my uterus pretty high up so I'm sure I'll start legit popping any day now haha.
If you want to see my 12 week update with Elsie, you can find it here :) 

Maternity clothes: Haven't had to bust those bad boys out yet. Oh let's be real, they never got a chance to get put away! haha  

Stretch marks?  Somehow didn't get any, i'm hoping I am just as lucky with this one! Crossin my fingers!  

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well. Elsie only gets up about once a night around 4 or 5 and sometimes I have a little trouble falling back to sleep but she's a dream boat and will usually sleep in until about 9, so I'm still getting plenty of sleep which is GREAT! 

Best moment this week: We got pre approved for a mortgage, so we will be able to move before this baby comes (If all goes accordingly) and I am THRILLED about that!! I also had my first doctor's appointment today with a NEW doctor, and that went really well. She didn't make me feel the least bit "guilty" for being pregnant again so soon, which I was really worried about for some reason.

Miss anything?:  I am looking forward to not feeling like a character in The Walking Dead. Cue the zombie groans. 

Movement:  Not quite yet. I'll be very curious to see how much sooner I'll feel movement with this baby (If I do)  

Food cravings:  I haven't really had a real STRONG craving for anything. I'll crave certain things for dinner, but I haven't had any real constant cravings early on like I did with Elsie.     

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Thank goodness the nausea has started to settle down a bit. Just like with Elsie, really the only time I would/do get real nauseous is right away in the morning when I'm hungry. As soon as I get something in my stomach and get moving, i'm usually pretty good the rest of the day, unless I get a bad headache.  

Gender: We don't know yet! I have a strong feeling it's another girl just because of how similar this pregnancy has been so far! Will be very very interesting!

Labor signs: No! 

Symptoms: Nausea, Pretty debilitating fatigue (Thank GOD I have an easy going, snuggly baby) and I've started getting some headaches again which scares the death out of me especially since I have Elsie. When I had them when I was pregnant with her I could just retreat to my bed with an ice pack and call it a night. Obviously a little hard to do that with a 5 month old. I've only had 1 really bad one with vomiting and the whole 9. I'm just really hoping I can just keep them under control this time around. 

Belly button in or out? It's in...for the time being lol   

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time?  Pretty happy. Obviously I struggled for awhile when I first found out because I was scared (still very much am) but I am getting more and more happy about it everyday. I've been able to hear the heartbeat on my doppler and that's such an amazing little sound. (Even if I wasn't expecting to hear it again SO soon haha) 

Looking forward to:  We have an ultrasound tomorrow, so it will be nice to see the little peanut!