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Baby Bruther Watch: Ish is getting REAL!

BY SHR

It’s go time, friends! My Mama has arrived, the diapers have (finally 😅) been bought, the nursery has been (somewhat) finished and maternity leave has begun: BabyBruther watch is officially ON! 😱😱I am currently 38.5 weeks pregnant and my official due date is October 10th. If you’re wondering what our birth plan is then this is the post for you..

WARNING AND DISCLAMER: What follows is lots of nitty gritty REAL pregnancy and delivery talk— if you’re not into that sorta thing or if the V word makes you uncomfortable now would be the time to close your browser! 🤗  I am not a doctor and this post is based  on my personal experience and choices towards labor and delivery and a little googling. Please consult your doctor before deciding what type of birth is right for your family. Oh, and one more thing- notice the quotations around “natural” birth through out the post? Let the record show that there is NO WAY I AM DOING THIS WITHOUT AN EPIDURAL; “natural” just means non-Caesarian in my book. Got it? OK, let’s dive in..

 

Back to the Beginning: Chickie Day

As you might remember, Chickie came to this world after a looong labor that ended in an emergency C-section. It all started on a Sunday night riiiight before Game of Thrones when my water broke. No big SWOOSH- I just went to pee and after I was done peeing, water kept coming.. I wasn’t even sure it was happening, it was more like huh 🤔🤔 this is interesting? After calling the doctor and watching GOT (no way could we have avoided spoilers until after baby!!) we headed to the hospital.. only to come right back home. My water broke that night but labor didn’t really start so they told us to get a good night’s sleep in our own bed and come back in the morning.

Around 11AM Monday morning we headed to the hospital once again. I was still leaking like crazy from my water breaking but was otherwise feeling totally normal- no contractions, cramps or pain whatsoever- so naturally, we were the last thing on the nurses mind that morning, they had bigger (more labor-ry) fish to fry. I didn’t get my first “dose” of Pitocin (the drug they use to induce labor) until around 3PM and it wasn’t until around 6PM when I started really feeling the contractions and they finally gave us a room. Once in our room I walked, I bounced on the ball, I listened to my birth playlist and distracted myself from the pain the best that I could- mostly by making inappropriate vagina jokes to the nursing staff 🤗 By midnight the distraction game had gotten old and I was screaming for an epidural. The epidural was HEAVEN; it was like a switch when I got it at 6cm of dilation- after dyyyying of pain only a second ago, I could hardly feel anything once I got it! I even managed to get some sleep while my body just kept on doing it’s thing.. The epidural did slow down my labor though, which I hear is very common and why I tried to hold out as long as I could before asking for it. I believe my exact quote when I was ready for the epidural was “GET ME ALL THE DRUGSSSSSS!” Yup, patient of the year over here.. 🙋🏽🤰🏽🙈

 

Around 7AM Tuesday morning I woke to the weirdest feeling down there- it wasn’t pain really, it was just a LOT of pressure as if- In Chickie’s words- I really, really needed to go “yucky poop!” 🤣💩 Apparently, this meant that it was time to start pushing. The nurse came in and confirmed that I was now 10cms dilated and 100% effaced- it was GO TIME! I was so excited- this was really happening! Soon after I began pushing. I pushed and pushed and pushed. I changed positions and kept on pushing. For THREE HOURS we did this dance- me pushing, #handsomehubbs cheering me on, the wonderful nurses confirming (upon my asking in between pushes) that I hadn’t just pooped on the table (I totally had) until… I just couldn’t do it anymore. My head was spinning and I was feeling weak. They took my temperature and I had a height fever; turns out so did little Chickie in my tummy! 😭😭😭 Too much time had passed since my water broke (Sunday night) and go time (Tuesday morning), too much time for baby to be without a barrier to the outside world.. the doctor’s were calling it; baby had a fever and it was emergency C-Section time.

In my stuburness, I wanted to keep trying. I wanted to give birth and I was SO CLOSE, I wasn’t about to give up now- the nurses were yelling out her hair color for G’s sake! My thoughtful husband knew exactly what I needed even before I did- he brought in my mom and my sister into the room and left us alone. I sat in the labor and delivery room with my mom and my sister and cried my eyes out, mourning my “natural” birth…it was heartbreaking. Until it wasn’t. My baby was on the other end of this regardless of how we get there- it took that moment alone in the room with my women with mascara running down all of our cheeks to remind me of that. In came #handsomehubbs and off to the operating room we went, just us two. About 15 minutes later Chickie Lou was here (all 9 pounds 10 oz of her!) and the world was never the same 💕✨

 

To VBAC or Not to VBAC?

Fast forward two years and four months later and here we are.. with BabyBruther fully cooked in my belly and a big decision ahead of us: to VBAC or not to VBAC? If you’re not familiar with the term a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) it’s exactly that- trying to labor and have a “natural” birth after having gone through at least one C-section. There’s some risks associated with it, mainly your scar rupturing and a higher risk of something going wrong if you do end up needing an emergency C-Section- but overall, it’s done quite a bit here in the US and doctors don’t generally consider it overly risky, if you’re a good candidate for it.

I am very thankful Chickie’s birth ended the way it did- with a healthy, chubby baby that we got to take home after just a total of 3 days in the NICU- but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was sad to go into the operating room for a C-Section that Tuesday morning. It felt like I was entering motherhood in someone else’s terms. Even before seeing the doctor for baby number two, after the positive pregnancy test I started thinking about the delivery… would I get a second chance at child birth? Would I want it? I make big babies (and big bellies!), even if I try for a “natural” birth who’s to say it doesn’t end up in an emergency C-Section again? So. Many. Unknowns.

Thankfully, my doctor was amazing about it. She didn’t put any pressure on me one way or another and simply talked through the different options with me- I could give up on labor all-together and schedule a C-Section for week 38 of pregnancy, I could go all-in on trying a VBAC and not schedule a C-Section at all or I could take a middle ground and schedule a C-Section for week 40, giving myself some time to labor and avoid inducement by just skipping to the Cesarean if I hadn’t given birth by my due date. The last option is what I went with..

On October 10th, 2018 at 2PM I have a C-Section scheduled but my hope is to give birth “naturally” before then. Does it feel a little like I’m taking the easy way out? Maybe.. Considering my prior almost 10-pound baby, the chances of me delivering “naturally” after 40 weeks are not great, in my (and my doctor’s) opinion so the 40 week cut-off seemed to strike a good balance between trying to deliver “naturally” while still being conscious of the risks associated with a VBAC and not pushing them. Do I hope I go into labor before 10/10? You bet.. Am I terrified of both scenarios? ABSO-EFFING-LUTELY.

Anyways.. there you have it, my friends- the ramblings of a very hormonal mama waiting to meet her forever boyfriend while savoring the last weeks (days?) with just babygirl and #handsomehubbs… and Peter.

Please know, if you had a different experience with childbirth, that I am in no way passing judgment on it. There’s no doubt in my mind that you did/chose whatever was right for you and your babies. The point of this post (and every post here on LTL) is to be open and honest about my experience to encourage open dialogue on a topic that is not talked about enough- or at least not honestly. Please keep our little family in your thoughts and send good vibes for a healthy baby boy.. Oh, and if you’re a nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital- my apologies in advance, there’s a whole lotta crazy heading your way soon!

PS- as of Friday morning, I am 2cms dilated and 50% effaced.. this baby might be coming sooner than we think! (JINX MUCH?) 😅😅😅 See you on the other side, my friends..

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  @ALittleTooLoud
Just a happy, HAPPY day 🌊🤍🙏🏽✨ Find l Just a happy, HAPPY day 🌊🤍🙏🏽✨ Find links to everything, inflatable SUP board + $30 striped Amazon set included, at the link in my bio 💥💥
Sharing ✌🏽 of our favorite Boston Summer adve Sharing ✌🏽 of our favorite Boston Summer adventure with the kiddos ☀️🙌🏽💦 both of which just opened this week! Stay tuned for more ways to make the best of summer in Boston with kids— we’re only getting started!! 💥💥 

Did you know there are @bcyfcenters like the Mirabella pool all over the city?! They are free but you have to register online to reserve a spot - registration opens 24 hours before swim time 🏊‍♂️✨ 

What’s YOUR favorite way to enjoy (and beat!) the city heat? 🔥🏙🤗
HI FRIENDS! 👋🏽 It’s been a minute and ther HI FRIENDS! 👋🏽 It’s been a minute and there’s some new faces around here so.. Hiiiii 💁🏽‍♀️ my name is Stephanie and I’m a little too loud 😅😅 I was born and raised in Panama 🇵🇦 but have been living in Boston for the past 15+ years with my #handsomehubbs 🧔🏼‍♂️ and our three babies: Chickie (6) 🐥, Teddy Bear 🐻 and Peter, our scruffy rescue pup 🐶🫶🏽✨ I started this blog in 2017 after spending my first year of motherhood like 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ WHY didn’t anybody tell me any of this?!? 

🤳🏽 My content reaaaally runs the gamut— mom + general life hacks, home, fashion, easy meals, traveling tips, gardening, bad guitar playing/singing— the one constant is REALITY. Motherhood is messy and chaotic, the idea is not to pretend otherwise but to learn, laugh (and sometimes cry!) through it all, together 🫶🏽🫶🏽 

If you are new here, WELCOME! 💕 If you are an OG - what can you tell our new community members about LTL?! 👇🏽 Old, new, auntie, grandma, mom or/and friend— thanks for being here, love! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🤗🤗
#sponsored Did you know @zoonewengland’s Frankli #sponsored Did you know @zoonewengland’s Franklin Park Zoo has a new exhibit? 🤩🤩 #GorillaGrove is a state-of-the-art outdoor gorilla habitat 🦍 that lets visitors get up close and personal with the critically endangered species 🙌🏽 I visited the Zoo with my monkeys 🐒🐒 and had so much fun learning about Western Lowland Gorillas 🫶🏽🫶🏽 Our favorite part of #GorillaGrove was the central observational outpost within the habitat - such a cool perspective of the gorillas’ new home sweet home ☺️ Thanks for having us @zoonewengland 🙏🏽 we will surely be back very soon!! 🦍 #franklinparkzoo #fpzoo
Let’s get crafty, my friends 🖊💥 I learned Let’s get crafty, my friends 🖊💥 I learned (very basic 😅) lettering skills about 5 years ago with @chalkfulloflove ‘s 📚 Hand Lettering 101 📚 It’s linked in my bio if you’re curious! HAPPY LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN TO OUR BEST GIRL!! Please stop growing 😭😭
A very Boston day to celebrate our very Boston guy A very Boston day to celebrate our very Boston guy ⚾️❤️💫 

Tips for Fenway with kids: 

⚾️ Enter through Gate K, aka the kid’s gate for lots of fun hands-on games 💫

⚾️If kiddos lose interest or get tired (we surpassingly made it through all 9 innings!!), head to Wally’s Club House for face painting, a magic show, toddler playground etc.. open from innings 3-7 🙌🏽

⚾️Although game-goers are limited in what size bags they can bring in (nothing bigger than a small purse, essentially) diaper bags get a free pass ✅ 

⚾️Small strollers are allowed in the stadium - although we left ours behind. 

⚾️ There’s 5 Family bathrooms, all large enough for multiple kiddos + parents 🔥

⚾️Kiddos 2 and under don’t require a ticket 🎫 

⚾️ Purchase tickets at the CVS Family Section if you’re worried about cursing and drinking - no alcohol is allowed in the CVS Family Section. 

⚾️ Forgot your sunscreen? Head to the Customer Service Booths and they’ll hook you up with that and much more- think bandaids, Neosporin, etc…. 

⚾️Nursing/pumping stations are located all around the park 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Wait for it…. 🥲🦃🤣🤣 I gained 75 pound Wait for it…. 🥲🦃🤣🤣 I gained 75 pounds when pregnant with Chickie and she was a little over 10 pounds at birth 🤯 so no matter how many @melissawoodhealth ab focused flows I do, my turkey neck belly is here to stay… and I wouldn’t want it any other way 🔥 I earned this extra skin!! 💪🏽👊🏽🤍🙌🏽 

Your turn! Tell me you’re a mom without telling me you’re a mom.. and GO!! 👇🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
We love you like THAT @matthewburkerice ❤️✨ We love you like THAT @matthewburkerice ❤️✨ Happy Fathers Day to our #1 🌟 the man of our dreams, king 🤴 of our hearts and bellies👨🏼‍🍳 su papá 🐥🐻🐶 y mi papacito 🔥🤭😂 We love you forever and ever, in this lifetime and the next 💫  Gracias por tanto, mi amor. Te amamos like you ❤️ Boston sports!! 😂😂🥰🥰🥰
📚✏️First grade, here comes my best girl! 💕🙏🏽✨ After 3/4 of pre-k being remote, it honestly feels v fitting that Mama is also “wearing” a 🎓!! 🤣🤣🤣🤪 #classof2034


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Teddy Bear Sandwiches MoreOne Cake Topper / Number 1 Cake Topper / Where The Wild Things Are First Birthday / Smash Cake / Wild One / 1st Birthday
Lumberjack Birthday Party Food Ideas - MommyhoodingBoy Smash Cake Crown- Boy 1st Birthday Crown, Cake Smash Outfit, First Birthday Hat, Mini Crown Headband, Wood Crown, Boy Crown Photo PropEYMではお子様のお誕生日用ケーキトッパーを通販しています。 Birthdayケーキトッパー【ケーキトッパー3本セット】は流行の動物のお人形「シュライヒ」とのデコレーションにピッタリのケーキトッパーです♪ 赤ちゃんと一緒のホームパーティにご利用いただけるよう、直径15cm程のケーキに挿してちょうど良いサイズでお作りしています。 さらに数字のトッパーは、シュライヒのケーキで最も人気のある「クマ」に持たせてちょうど良いサイズです。 また、こちらのケーキトッパーはお名前や日付(誕生日)をカスタムできる商品です! 大切なお子様のお誕生日、お洒落なケーキトッパーを使用して思い出に残るバースデーパーティにしてみてはいかがでしょうか? こちらの赤ちゃんのお誕生日用ケーキトッパーはベビーグッズ通販サイトEYMにて販売中です♡
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Just a happy, HAPPY day 🌊🤍🙏🏽✨ Find l Just a happy, HAPPY day 🌊🤍🙏🏽✨ Find links to everything, inflatable SUP board + $30 striped Amazon set included, at the link in my bio 💥💥
Sharing ✌🏽 of our favorite Boston Summer adve Sharing ✌🏽 of our favorite Boston Summer adventure with the kiddos ☀️🙌🏽💦 both of which just opened this week! Stay tuned for more ways to make the best of summer in Boston with kids— we’re only getting started!! 💥💥 

Did you know there are @bcyfcenters like the Mirabella pool all over the city?! They are free but you have to register online to reserve a spot - registration opens 24 hours before swim time 🏊‍♂️✨ 

What’s YOUR favorite way to enjoy (and beat!) the city heat? 🔥🏙🤗
HI FRIENDS! 👋🏽 It’s been a minute and ther HI FRIENDS! 👋🏽 It’s been a minute and there’s some new faces around here so.. Hiiiii 💁🏽‍♀️ my name is Stephanie and I’m a little too loud 😅😅 I was born and raised in Panama 🇵🇦 but have been living in Boston for the past 15+ years with my #handsomehubbs 🧔🏼‍♂️ and our three babies: Chickie (6) 🐥, Teddy Bear 🐻 and Peter, our scruffy rescue pup 🐶🫶🏽✨ I started this blog in 2017 after spending my first year of motherhood like 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ WHY didn’t anybody tell me any of this?!? 

🤳🏽 My content reaaaally runs the gamut— mom + general life hacks, home, fashion, easy meals, traveling tips, gardening, bad guitar playing/singing— the one constant is REALITY. Motherhood is messy and chaotic, the idea is not to pretend otherwise but to learn, laugh (and sometimes cry!) through it all, together 🫶🏽🫶🏽 

If you are new here, WELCOME! 💕 If you are an OG - what can you tell our new community members about LTL?! 👇🏽 Old, new, auntie, grandma, mom or/and friend— thanks for being here, love! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🤗🤗
#sponsored Did you know @zoonewengland’s Frankli #sponsored Did you know @zoonewengland’s Franklin Park Zoo has a new exhibit? 🤩🤩 #GorillaGrove is a state-of-the-art outdoor gorilla habitat 🦍 that lets visitors get up close and personal with the critically endangered species 🙌🏽 I visited the Zoo with my monkeys 🐒🐒 and had so much fun learning about Western Lowland Gorillas 🫶🏽🫶🏽 Our favorite part of #GorillaGrove was the central observational outpost within the habitat - such a cool perspective of the gorillas’ new home sweet home ☺️ Thanks for having us @zoonewengland 🙏🏽 we will surely be back very soon!! 🦍 #franklinparkzoo #fpzoo
Let’s get crafty, my friends 🖊💥 I learned Let’s get crafty, my friends 🖊💥 I learned (very basic 😅) lettering skills about 5 years ago with @chalkfulloflove ‘s 📚 Hand Lettering 101 📚 It’s linked in my bio if you’re curious! HAPPY LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN TO OUR BEST GIRL!! Please stop growing 😭😭
A very Boston day to celebrate our very Boston guy A very Boston day to celebrate our very Boston guy ⚾️❤️💫 

Tips for Fenway with kids: 

⚾️ Enter through Gate K, aka the kid’s gate for lots of fun hands-on games 💫

⚾️If kiddos lose interest or get tired (we surpassingly made it through all 9 innings!!), head to Wally’s Club House for face painting, a magic show, toddler playground etc.. open from innings 3-7 🙌🏽

⚾️Although game-goers are limited in what size bags they can bring in (nothing bigger than a small purse, essentially) diaper bags get a free pass ✅ 

⚾️Small strollers are allowed in the stadium - although we left ours behind. 

⚾️ There’s 5 Family bathrooms, all large enough for multiple kiddos + parents 🔥

⚾️Kiddos 2 and under don’t require a ticket 🎫 

⚾️ Purchase tickets at the CVS Family Section if you’re worried about cursing and drinking - no alcohol is allowed in the CVS Family Section. 

⚾️ Forgot your sunscreen? Head to the Customer Service Booths and they’ll hook you up with that and much more- think bandaids, Neosporin, etc…. 

⚾️Nursing/pumping stations are located all around the park 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Wait for it…. 🥲🦃🤣🤣 I gained 75 pound Wait for it…. 🥲🦃🤣🤣 I gained 75 pounds when pregnant with Chickie and she was a little over 10 pounds at birth 🤯 so no matter how many @melissawoodhealth ab focused flows I do, my turkey neck belly is here to stay… and I wouldn’t want it any other way 🔥 I earned this extra skin!! 💪🏽👊🏽🤍🙌🏽 

Your turn! Tell me you’re a mom without telling me you’re a mom.. and GO!! 👇🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
We love you like THAT @matthewburkerice ❤️✨ We love you like THAT @matthewburkerice ❤️✨ Happy Fathers Day to our #1 🌟 the man of our dreams, king 🤴 of our hearts and bellies👨🏼‍🍳 su papá 🐥🐻🐶 y mi papacito 🔥🤭😂 We love you forever and ever, in this lifetime and the next 💫  Gracias por tanto, mi amor. Te amamos like you ❤️ Boston sports!! 😂😂🥰🥰🥰
📚✏️First grade, here comes my best girl! 💕🙏🏽✨ After 3/4 of pre-k being remote, it honestly feels v fitting that Mama is also “wearing” a 🎓!! 🤣🤣🤣🤪 #classof2034
The last of our Father’s Day Gift Guide ft. gift The last of our Father’s Day Gift Guide ft. gifts for the Dad that maaaybe should’ve been born in Europe 😎🤌🏽😂💕 Neutral everything with clean, sleek lines - all links in bio!! 💥💥 Happy Dada Day, my friends! 🥰
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