My nursing fan club

There is a blog that I enjoy reading and one that probably a lot of you have heard of called C Jane, Enjoy It. If you haven't heard of her, you may have heard of her sister Nie Nie (the woman who was in a terrible plane crash a few years ago that burned 80% of her body). Nie Nie's blog is good and uplifting, but C Jane's blog is snarky and often sarcastic--can you guess which one I tend to like more? :) Anyway, C Jane had a baby back in November and so lots of her posts are about mothering a newborn and balancing that new baby with her other children (she has 2 others). She recently posted a 2 part series called "While I was nursing" and I thought it was hilarious.

And completely different from my own experience. Completely.

I think that my boys have some kind of built in sonar or high frequency hearing like a dog who hears a whistle that no human ear can hear, because when I sit down to nurse Zach, it doesn't matter where Owen and Eli are, they seem to magically appear and want to sit right next to me or on me or behind me. Owen often thinks he needs to rest his head on my arm right at that moment or "help" me nurse baby by adjusting my positioning (read: boob). This is also the time when they NEED something like a drink or a toy or their movie turned on.

It's frustrating (and funny).

So I guess if I were to submit a pic to C Jane's series it would be a picture of me nursing Zach and being smothered by my two 3-year-olds.

Fun.

Commercial

Maybe it's the post pregnancy hormones or the lack of sleep. Or more likely it's because I was holding my own sweet new baby when I saw this commercial last night. It made me a little teary. I had to share.

Dinner (and dessert)

It looks like he's going to have blue eyes like Marcus!

Zach will be three weeks old tomorrow. This is crazy! My month long babymoon is almost over and I have really enjoyed it, but I guess a person has to go back to real life eventually. We have been so taken care of by friends and family. Gifts, visits, homemade bread, treats, carpools, playdates. We had meals brought in for almost 2 weeks! Last night, when the boys saw me making dinner in the kitchen, I think they got a little confused (and disappointed). Eli started asking, "When are the friends going to bring dinner?" and then Marcus said something like, "I guess this means we don't get dessert anymore."

Seriously though, Marcus's Primary teacher told me that they had talked about Heavenly Father and how often He shows His love for us through other people, and when they were talking about some of the ways people show love Marcus said, "My mom's friends bring us dinner." :) I'm happy that he (and Owen and Eli) have noticed the love others have shown us during this time. We have been so cared for by so many. It has been awesome.

And I, too, will miss the desserts, but a snuggle from this little guy will undoubtedly provide the same joy as a plateful of chocolate brownies or a homemade pie (and help me get into my jeans that much quicker).

Birth Story

Okay, I'll admit that I like to hear/read about others birth stories and I thought some of you might be curious about mine. Others (like my mom) can just skip this post--hey, not everyone is into hearing about this sort of thing :)

Zach's birth was a scheduled induction. My mom and sister came into town on Saturday afternoon and he was set to come on Monday. Sunday evening was spent watching the Super Bowl, visiting, and eating yummy food. It was also the time when I became emotional and cried while I gave my children a bath because holy-cow-they-soon-won't-be-my-babies-anymore. Tim gave me a blessing of peace and comfort that evening and my mom said a really nice family prayer and then we all went to bed and everyone slept except for me. I don't really think I got more than a couple hours of rest because I was a ball of excitement, anxiety, and WOW for what was going to happen the next morning.

I got up at 5:30 am, had some cereal, packed, and we headed out the door around 6:45 for our 7 am appointment. I told Tim that I felt like I was about to defend my thesis again, lots of nervous excitement and energy. As soon as we got there, they put us in our room and I got into the lovely nightgown. I am Strep B positive, so they put in my IV and got the antibiotics going. Then my awesome nurse, Bonnie, did a quick ultrasound to make sure Zach was still in a good position (he was) and she started the pitocin. She also checked me and I was still a 2 and 70% effaced (my week of walking had accomplished nothing!) I told her that in my experience things wouldn't start happening until my water broke. I sort of wanted them to just come and break my water so we could get the show on the road . . . but they didn't. She told me Zach was still a little high and wondered how I was at pushing, to which I responded, "I'm rock star when it comes to pushing."

I started having small but regular contractions but they weren't painful and I still wasn't really dilating. Like I said, this was no surprise to me. We spent the morning watching Super Bowl recaps on ESPN, playing cards, and just chatting. My room had a nice big window that looked out onto an empty courtyard with a nice fountain. It was very pleasant. I started to get REALLY hungry though. At one point the epidural woman came in and introduced herself and asked if it was something I was interested in. I told her, "Yep." I appreciated her coming in to visit with me before I was in the middle of huge painful contractions. She was very kind and I told her I'd see her in a few hours.

Eventually, my nurse came in and asked me if I'd like to try sitting on the birth ball--it's like a big exercise ball. Honestly, my first thought was, "How granola," and "Can we just break my water already?" but I just shrugged and said, "Sure." I bounced around for awhile and found that I actually really liked that big ball. It was really nice for my lower back. I think I sat on it for 45 min or so and then Bonnie came in and said she wanted me to take a quick break so she could monitor Zach for a minute (it was difficult to keep track of him when I was bouncing around). As I was getting up off the ball I had a quick thought of, "Yikes, I really need to go to the bathroom," and then my water broke--gush--. Bonnie suggested we call for that epidural now to which I quickly agreed because just like the other times, the contractions really ramped up in pain. The epidural woman (angel of mercy) came and and administered the best epidural I've ever received and I went from a 3 to a 6 in 20 minutes (I told you things really happen once my water breaks).

My nurse called my doc and told him he probably better start heading this way and then she started getting things all ready for the baby's arrival. I was really comfortable for awhile and rested as the epidural moved throughout my body. It felt warm and cozy and I felt sleepy and comfortable, but then I think I went through transition because while I couldn't feel the pain of the contractions, I did start to get very shaky. I've had that happen before but it came after the twins were born if I remember correctly. This time I was shaking before. Bonnie got me some warm blankets and gave me some oxygen and Tim looked at me with lots of concern and said, "I don't like seeing you shake like this." I wasn't worried about it, though, I just knew it meant that baby Zach's arrival was pretty imminent and my body knew it.

Dr. C arrived and I moved into position and began my "rock star" pushing. I'm not going to lie, I felt some pressure to perform after my bragging. It didn't take too long and they had to tell me to back off a bit on the pushing :) and then Zach arrived. They put him right up on my belly and the doc handed Tim the scissors to cut the cord to which Tim said, "No," and I said, "Just do it," and he did. So I was induced at 7 am, my water broke at 1:00 pm, and Zach was born at 3:40 pm.

Untitled from kmt63 on Vimeo.

I did have a second degree tear (I tore with Marcus as well but not with the twins--go figure) and then we had the blood sugar scare--see earlier post. But overall it was great and I was very happy with my experience.

So there you go, my birth story.

Sweet

Right before his very first sponge bath.

When I was pregnant with the twins I seemed to have one thing that ran constantly through my prayers: please let me be able to nurse these two babies. That prayer was answered. So many of my prayers regarding the twins was answered except for maybe one: an uneventful delivery and postpartum. I think we all remember that shortly after the twins were born, little Eli had to go to the NICU where he spent the next week overcoming low blood sugar and fighting an infection. On the day he came home, I got a horrible uterine infection and had to administer (with the help of my mom) a daily dose of antibiotics via an IV. Then there was the simple fact that we were going on very little sleep and balancing two newborns with a three-year-old. Is it any wonder then that my constant and heartfelt prayer this time around was an uneventful delivery and postpartum? Friends, my prayer was answered. I truly believe we have a Heavenly Father who know what we can handle and apparently I was equipped and ready to handle my experience of 3 years ago, but this time I was blessed with a break. Okay, I see it as a break, but maybe others might think, "What? Those twins are now 3-year-olds and she has a newborn. Wowsa, some break."

Zach's birth actually showed me how deeply I was affected by Eli's stay in the NICU. I don't think I'd really understood it and how difficult and painful it was for me to go home with one baby and leave the other at the hospital until I had Zach. After he was born, they suctioned him out and checked his sugars and low and behold they were low like Eli's had been. It turns out that little babies and big babies tend to have this issue. When they said this to me, I felt an immediate wave of anxiety sweep over me. It was difficult for me to enjoy those first few moment after Zach was born because I was so fearful that he would soon be taken away from me and rushed off to the NICU. We followed the same plan of attack that we'd followed for Eli: nurse, nurse, nurse. We even tried to give him a little bottle of formula. They said they would have to check him periodically over the next 24 hours. It was hugely stressful for me for a few hours but I clearly remember sitting alone in my room with my sweet baby Zach and saying to myself, "Nope, I am not going to let my fear of what could happen rob me of this tender new moment with my baby. I can't control what may happen but I can control my feelings about it." Zach and I said a prayer together and let it go. This time around, things went differently and I was blessed to watch my baby's sugar levels go up and stay where they needed to stay. This time, my baby came home with me.

I have really been enjoying Zach's newborn-ness more than I think I ever have with any of my children. I think this is because Marcus was my first and there is a great sense of anxiety that comes with the first anything. The twins came with a certain level of stress because there were two of them. But Zach came alone and at a time when I feel I have at least a little more of a grip on motherhood. I hold him without fear that he needs to get used to sleeping in his bed. I nurse him when he needs to and wants to nurse and not so much when the clock tells me. I enjoy giving him a sponge bath and watching his sweet face when I wash his hair under the faucet. I don't quarantine the older brothers and refuse to let them hold him because they have runny noses. I feel more relaxed and happy and grateful to a Heavenly Father who knows me and what I am capable of and who pushes me hard sometimes and lets me just sit and enjoy at others. It is undoubtedly because of those "push hard" moments that I am able to savor and enjoy the "just sit" times. Without the bitter there can't be the sweet, right?

And baby Zach is oh so sweet.

One week ago . . .

Sorry to family and friends who have been waiting for more pictures of Zach. My excuse for not getting them up here sooner is probably pretty obvious: I now have 4 boys and am running on very little sleep :) That said, I am so happy and feel such love for this new little person and such gratitude for the support, generosity, and kindness of those around me. For me and Zach it really was love at first sight--how could I not immediately fall in love with my very own baby hippo? More pics to come (I promise).

Zachary Tew Richey

Hello all,
In case you hadn't heard yet, Zachary Tew Richey (Tew is my maiden name) was born on Monday, Feb 6, at 3:40 pm. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. We came home on Tuesday afternoon and my mom and sister are here helping us until Sunday. Zach and I are both doing well (just tired) and we are so happy to have him here. I will post my whole birth story later for those who are interested but until that time . . .

Here are some pics of sweet baby Zach. A photographer came and took some pics of him while I was still in the hospital and I'm giving you the link to the website and the password so you can take a look at our cute little fellow. The pictures will only be available for viewing for 2 weeks. Thanks for the well wishes.

http://www.bellababyphotography.com/login

Password: ARohn0206ZacharyRichey

Love,
Katie and her men