My Coach

Tonight’s Bradley class was all about the coach and the various ways they can be there for their laboring wife. The first assignment was for the coach to draw a picture of a deserted island, including him and his pregnant lady. Here is what Chris drew.  Like my preggo belly?  hehe. I love our deserted island!

Then we talked about all the things on the island that he could use to assist with labor; like physical things for comfort (ie shade, water fan, etc) as well as ways he can emotionally support me. We went on to talk about the importance of public praise since in the delivery room, there will be strangers coming in and out and Chris needs to be comfortable with telling me I’m doing a good job and the like while those people are there listening and watching. I really think he will do a fantastic job of being verbally supportive. So the second assignment was for Chris to journal for 5 minutes about all the things I do well. Then they had to read it to the class. Here’s what Chris came up with. He’s so sweet!

Then we watched a real Bradley birth. It was so peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, the mom was working really hard, but she wasn’t screaming and the room wasn’t chaotic. It’s exactly what I want for our birthing experience. I know it will hurt but if we focus on relaxation, I know I can get through it without drugs and without screaming at everyone. I am so glad we are taking this course. I can already tell what a difference it will make in labor over any other method out there. It makes me even more excited for that stage of the pregnancy.

A little pregnancy survey to pass the time...

Name: April Michelle

Birthdate: 4/6/82

Current Age: 28

Height: 5'1"

Weight before pregnancy: 105

Current Weight: 110

Partner's Name: Christopher Lynn

Partner's Birthdate: 9/27/80

Partner's Age: 29

Partner's Height: 5’4”

When did you find out you were pregnant? March 7th

What was your reaction? I was in disbelief. I thought I was imaging the incredibly light pink line on the test! It took a couple of days for it to set in and for the line to get darker...I took about 10 tests!!

Who did you tell first about the pregnancy? Chris

Date of Conception? 2/21/10

Due Date? 11/11/10

Was the pregnancy planned? Most certainly. Took us 6 months, but this is the baby we were meant to have and I can’t wait to meet him/her.

How did your parents react? My mom thought I was joking around; she is very excited! My dad had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face!

How did your partner's parents react? His mom knew it! His dad was very excited!

Did you go to the doctor yet? Many times now, every four weeks since 3/26

Did you have your first ultrasound? We’ve had 3 so far! One at 7 weeks, baby was a tiny dot. The next at 11 weeks, baby has 10 toes! And another at 18 weeks, baby is getting big!

Do you know the sex? Boy or Girl? We’re not finding out for another 20 weeks! I think it’s a boy. :O)

How is the baby's movement? Constant! There are lots of rolls and kicks.

How is the baby's heartbeat? Fast…160 bpm

Baby's name? None really. We like Lacey Lynn for a girl and pretty much nothing for a boy! We have some work to do.

Who do you think the baby will look like? I’m hoping for the Bright nose, daddy’s small ears but my detached earlobes, my eyes and daddy’s smile.

Mom-to-be's favorite foods? Don’t really have a favorite food, just trying to eat healthy and get lots of protein.

Mom-to-be's latest cravings? Not really having any cravings. I will always eat a bag of Cheetos or an Auntie Anne’s Cinnamon Sugar pretzel if you bring me one!

Mom-to-be's latest "mom" moment? I excused some teenagers for cursing in front of my 5 year old niece.

What was the first change you noticed in your body? The ladies were extremely sore and getting bigger!

What was the latest change in your body? My belly exploded onto the scene!

What is your sleep schedule? Not good; 6-7 hours of sleep a night and a nap when I have time.  I know I would have a ton more energy if I'd get more sleep.

What is your work schedule? 8-5 5 days a week, unless it’s month end, then I’m usually there until about 6.

What is the last thing you bought for the baby? Diapers; we’re buying a package every time we go to the store.

What was the last thing you bought for yourself? Clothes since mine are starting to get tight.

Planned birth place? OU Medical Center in OKC; I'm very excited since I know 2 ladies that have delievered naturally there and 2 other couples in our bradley class are delivering there using Ann as well.

Who will be in the room with you? Not sure yet; defiantly Chris because he’s my labor coach, but maybe my mom, his mom and my nana. And Tonya if Chris needs a break from coaching if she’ll have me!

Are you scared? Are you going to use drugs? Scared of the unknown, but I think I'll be okay and No sir, No drugs!!

How do you think you will react? I think I'll be relieved and happier than I've ever been. And of course I will ball my eyes out!

How do you think your partner will react? I think he'll fall in love at first sight.

Have you started birthing classes? Yes, we’re on our 4th Bradley class; 8 more to go.

What is the nursery theme? Nothing so far; simple and traditional I suppose. We have the Peter Rabbit bedding but I don’t want the whole room decked out in rabbits!

Are you going to breastfeed? Absolutely; it’s the best nutrition for a new baby and the bonding experience is beyond compare. Hopefully I can for at least a year.

Oh Boy...or Girl!

Look in the mirror and you will see, whether a girl or a boy it will be, Is your hair full of body, with a lustrous shine or is it thin and stringy, and makes you want to whine?

    Thinner and stringer

For the next question, you need to look to your legs, there down there somewhere, a little voice said. Is your hair growing faster, could you make your own braids? Or is it the same as before you were pregnant?

    Same as before

How about your nails, my pregnant friend are they growing stronger and fast like the wind? Or is the growth about the same as before no changes at all, which can be quite a bore.

    Same as before

When you wake in the morn are you green at the gills? Unable to rise from your bed without being ill? Or are you a lucky one who morning sickness has missed, and you spend your mornings in a state of happy bliss?

    Bliss for being missed

Look at your cravings, for I'm told they will tell the gender of your unborn child as well...Is it sour taste that makes your day? And lemons and pickles keep you on your happy way? Or do you find yourself craving sweets, and always looking around for a nice little treat?

    Sour

SO FAR, 40% chance BOY, 60% chance GIRL!

When you look in the mirror at your tush (that's your rear) do you find that it's growing in size? OH DEAR!

    No

How about your feet? (No, not do they stink) To answer this question, I need you to think Way back to your pre pregnancy days...Are your feet colder now or were they always this way?

    No

*swisha swisha swisha swhisa* goes baby's little heart already full of love for you right from the start, but if you wish to use it, to help you see your fate, you will need to look at baby's sweet heart rate! Is heart rate below 139 or above 140?

    140 or above

In Florida, they call Orange Juice, liquid gold or sunshine, do you find now that you're pregnant, you crave it more of the time?

    No

High or Low? Which way does baby go? Are you carrying high as the sky? Or is your baby resting low?

    Low

SO FAR, 50% chance BOY, 50% chance GIRL!

Is your tummy shaped more like the watermelon for the picnic? Or the beach ball for the beach? This way of guessing baby's gender is right within in your reach? Reach out now and feel your tummy, Do you think bounce or do you think yummy?

    (Bounce) Beach ball

Kick to the left, Kick to the right, Stand up Sit Down, Fight Fight Fight! So which way does your future soccer player kick most often? Right or Left?

    Right

High or low again, here we go...Is your baby kicking high (in the ribs) or are they kicking low? (in the stomach)?

    Low

To answer this question glance over at Dad, is he gaining weight in sympathy with you? If so, that's a right gentlemanly thing to do!

    Yes

During pregnancy you gain weight all over the place, but to answer this question can you see it in your face?

    No

FINAL TALLY, 60% chance BOY, 40% chance GIRL! Guess we’ll see in about 20 weeks! What do you think it is? We’re starting a pool at work…most think it’s a boy.

Halfway!!!

It is hard to believe that we’re halfway to meeting our little bundle of joy. But when I think about it, it’s hard to believe that we’re only halfway. 20 weeks is a really long time and to think we have another 20 weeks to go is boggling. Good thing though, we have so much to do. Now that we are well into our Bradley course, we need to work on the exercises and relaxation techniques, start working on our birth plan and get moving on the nursery. I have been searching for a crib for weeks now. I want something sturdy, made of solid wood and if possible made in the USA or Canada, or even Europe. Some that I have found are not being very clear as to where their products are manufactured. I need to get something ordered soon since some places take 8-12 weeks to deliver. I’d rather not be putting a crib together the night before I end up in the hospital! As far as design goes, I’m at a loss there as well. I think once I get the crib nailed down I will be able to start thinking about the rest. I’m really excited to get started. We will be registering mid-July so I am looking forward to that too. I have been tempted to just do it online but I really want to go to the store and tag everything with the little gun!  Here is the crib I am in love with...made in America!!!

Baby Bright has been moving around like crazy the last week or so. And I think my belly has doubled in size just in the last 3 days!! I am definitely starting to feel pregnant, but I’ll admit I’m still in shock. After trying for so long (yes yes, only 6 months, but that’s a long time in conception world) and now we’re halfway through our pregnancy. Someone pinch me…oh wait, the baby just kicked my insides, yep this is real! I always wondered what it would feel like. It’s quite amazing really. I am obsessed with feeling the baby move from the outside. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t believe what I’m feeling on the inside or what, but every time the baby wakes up and starts to squirm, I have to put my hand on my belly. It has been so fun to have other people feel it too. Anna felt it last weekend; it was so sweet! And I told Stacie she’s going to have to run to my desk if I call her so she can feel it. I hope I can convince little one to move around long enough at one time for her to make it back to my desk! My mom is staying with us tonight and I said, let me lay on the couch and I bet we can get a few kicks. Sure enough, right as I lie down I said come quick and she got a few kicks!! It was fun that she was here on the day that marks halfway and got her first kicks from her first grandbaby. I can’t wait for the rest of the family to feel baby move. It really is amazing.

So halfway is here and will be gone before I know it. I’ll be halfway to baby’s first birthday and look back and wonder where the time went. I am trying to take it day by day and really enjoy the miracle of pregnancy.

 

Mango Baby

The Bradley Method

We enrolled in a Bradley Birthing Course which actually started 6/8 but I thought I might have strep so we went to the clinic instead. Thankfully it was not strep but I’m glad we didn’t risk it. So we started our classes tonight. They are every Tuesday for 12 weeks so we’ll be finished at the end of August. The Bradley Method teaches that “Natural childbirth is an important goal since most people want to give their babies every possible advantage. Without the side effects of drugs given during labor and birth. Bradley® classes teach families how to have natural births. The techniques are simple and effective. They are based on information about how the human body works during labor. Couples are taught how they can work with their bodies to reduce pain and make their labors more efficient. Of over 200,000 Bradley®-trained couples nationwide, over 86% of them have had spontaneous, unmedicated vaginal births. This is a method that works!” Chris’ sister has used this method twice now and has had successful drug free births. We have a lot of work to do to master the relaxation techniques and I need to get moving on my exercises. The Bradley Method also focuses on nutrition so I’ve done pretty well to get the servings I need according to the Brewer diet. Our teacher is a momma of 3 little boys and has successfully used the Bradley Method all 3 times. She is well informed on the method and I am looking forward to really getting into the course. So far we’ve talked about nutrition and gestation. The 4th course is all about the coach so I hope Chris learns a lot. We are very excited about our labor and birthing process since we know this method will help us stay away from medical intervention that leads to more and more drugs.

We see you!!

Our big ultrasound was today! I was so anxious to see what baby Bright looked like now. We got to the doctor’s office and signed in. The lady at the front desk had me fill out some paperwork and said if the baby cooperated, we would be able to find out what the gender was. I immediately said, we don’t want to know! So she said she would write a note on the chart but to be safe we should tell the sonographer right away. The tech finally came to call us back. I was so excited. She was adorable and was excited we weren’t finding out the gender. She said we would call baby Bright a he throughout the exam. We got started and she looked at the heart first. I’m no doctor but it looked good to me!! It was beating strong at 160 bpm and we got to see the 4 chambers pumping. Then we got to hear the heartbeat again. I’ll never tire of that sound! She moved to the head and measured across and around and each side of the brain. Baby Bright put his hands above his head; I think he was saying hey, stay away from my head! She showed us the lips but didn’t get a good view of the face. Then she went on to measure the arms, hands, legs and feet. We still have 10 toes!!  At the very last second baby Bright threw his legs up and it would have been so easy to say, hey, let's swing on around there and see what this baby is!  But we didn't and it will be such a wonderful surprise! It was amazing to watch baby Bright move around during the ultrasound. I could have stayed all day if they’d let me. It was over before I knew it but we had some great pictures to take home and enjoy. We will do a 3D/4D ultrasound in August so I can’t wait to be able to really see Baby Bright’s sweet face!

Sweet Profile

Left Foot

Right Foot

Left Hand...ET phone home...

Bottom's Up!

7 weeks ... 11 weeks ... 18 weeks

IT'S A TRUE MIRACLE!

Oh baby...BOY!!!

We all have been anticipating the arrival of Baby Smith for about a week now. I have been in constant communication with Toni the last few days. I’ve checked how she was feeling waiting for the word that it was time. Finally on Thursday evening, she sent me a message. All it said was “April”. I knew right away!! I replied “Toni. Is this it?” I tried to stay calm until she replied saying “This is it!!” I was in disbelief. All this waiting and now the time had come…naturally I might add thank you very much! Thank the Lord baby Smith decided to come before medical invention was ordered. We traded a few more texts and I started crying my eyes out! I messaged my mom who was so thrilled. She wanted any news no matter what time it was. So I went to bed thinking about our wonderful friends and the journey they were about to embark; to give life to a sweet baby, oh what a miracle. I woke in the middle of the night after having a vivid dream that it was a girl! I immediately checked my phone…no news. Darn! So back to sleep I went. On the way to work I messaged Ryan asking how everything was going. I wanted to try to leave them alone as best I could but I was so excited I wanted to call them every 5 minutes! He said Toni had started a pit-drip, she was at a 7 and was doing great. I was so relieved that things had gone well overnight. I was calm all morning…sending Toni my calm vibes…I hope she got some of them! Then about noon, I messaged Kylie who was going to the hospital shortly. She had heard that Toni got an epidural and was at a 9. I thought baby would be here any second. By 4, I hadn’t heard anything and Ryan was not replying (can’t blame him!!). I was getting worried to be honest. Toni had been in labor for 20 hours by that point. Kylie hadn’t made it to the hospital yet so I called Cara to get an update. She answered the phone and I swear sounded like she was crying. She said I have to call you back and hung up. I was freaking out!! Thankfully she called back about 20 seconds later and explained that she, along with everyone else, was sleeping. She scared the crap out of me!! She told me that Toni and Ryan were resting and that she was still at a 9. Sheesh! Was this baby ever coming? About 10 minutes later I got a text from Cara, “Baby is coming!!” I nearly shouted it from the rooftops. Big mistake…about 5 minutes later, “False alarm.” :o( So I had to message my little circle to tell them just kidding! I left work and got home about 6 and started packing for the trip to Tulsa. Sil messaged me at 6:25 asking if I had any news. I told her all the updates I had received the last 22 hours. Little did I know that Toni was on her final pushes! I got a message from Kylie at 6:37…It’s a boy!!! That’s all the info I got until 7…9 pounds 15 ounces…whoa baby! The whole way to Tulsa I was trying to get more info. Was it a c-section, how long is he, how is momma? It was killing me. Finally at 10, Sherry, Ryan’s mom, posted more pictures with all the info I needed; Dylan Tice Smith born on 6/11/10 at 6:34 pm; 9lbs 15oz, 21 ¾” long. I decided that it was too late to go up to see them. I figured both Toni and Ryan were exhausted and they needed some personal time with their new baby. My mom and I put 2 pieces of letter paper together to see how long this baby really was!! Wow, this is a big baby!

The next day we went to Target to buy some gender specific clothes. How fun to finally be able to buy little boy things for Dylan! I bought a cute onesie that read Daddy’s Caddy in Training. Of course it was green…now that I know I can buy blue, here I am buying a bunch of green stuff! I got some cute khaki colored shorts to go with it. There is a dress code on the course no matter what age you are! Dylan has to be fashionably dressed for golfing. I also bought a cute green sleeper…it had little stars on the bottoms of the feet and said Little Dreamer. And I bought some blue mittens and a cute hat, mitten and booty set. It was so fun to shop for him. We went up to the hospital around 3. We walked all over the hospital…the wayfinding machine did not help us find our way very easily. We finally made it to the room. I was so excited. It was just Ryan, Toni, baby Dylan and Toni’s momma Theresa. I was glad we weren’t barging in on a bunch of other visitors. Ryan was holding Dylan in the rocker and Toni was up and about. It was so cute. I gave Toni a huge hug and nearly started crying! Then I went over to see Dylan. He was sleeping and looked so sweet. I gave Toni her presents, one from Amber and the one from Chris and me. It was so fun to talk about her labor while she opened her gifts. Then I washed my hands and got to hold the baby for the first time. I could stare at him for hours!! He had just been circumcised so he was out like a light. He would make different faces if I moved him around too much but it was so cute. Sherry came in a bit later and had I known this was the first time she’d seen him since he was born and that she hadn’t even held him yet I would have given him up much faster!! Ryan’s sister Jennifer and her husband Eddie came in. They are expecting as well…it’s always fun to talk to someone else that is pregnant too. Then Kevin and Nate came up…it was a full house. Then a nurse came in to take Toni’s food order for the next day…then the nursery nurse and floor nurse came in. I ran to Toni and said, we’re outta here!! I gave her a huge hug and said we’d be back the next day.

Sweet Baby Dylan

Daddy's Caddy in Training!

Dylan with his favorite Auntie April <3

Auntie April and Uncle Chris with baby Dylan (just 21 hours old!)

I couldn’t wait to go back and see Dylan. We went up around 3:30 and Ryan said Dylan was feeding so we waited in the car for a little bit. We got to the room after the okay and he was in his nursery crib just looking around. I washed my hands and scooped him up. Toni got me all set up with the boppy and I had Chris take some more pictures. Dylan would cry and I would try to rock him or change his position to make him happy. He finally stared at the wall and seemed pretty content for a while. Then he’d cry again…oh baby, don’t cry with Auntie April…mom and dad will think I’m a bad Aunt!! Toni said he likes to be more on his side so she helped me twist him over. He seemed pretty happy for a while. Then he started crying again. It was so sad but so cute!! I propped him up on my shoulder and patted on his back. He had just eaten so maybe he had some bubbles. It was so fun to “take care” of him for a little bit. I was happy and kind of surprised that Ryan and Toni just let him cry in my arms and let me figure out a new position for Dylan rather than running over to see what was wrong and taking him away from me! Ryan said he has been so sleepy that it was a nice sound to hear! They are going to be such good parents I just know it. I decided that he was in need of a better swaddle so I passed him off. Ryan did a great swaddle and Dylan immediately settled down. See, Auntie April knows how to take care of baby!! I grabbed the camera for more pictures while he was happy. I even got a super cute one of both Ryan and Toni kissing his cheeks. Oh so sweet! We got a group shot of the 6 of us...haha, don’t forget about baby cousin Bright...then headed out the door. Rosemary, Toni’s grandma came in as we were leaving and I told her congrats and she jumped for joy! She is the cutest lady I’ve ever met and I know she is just thrilled with her precious great-grandbaby.

Shy Toe

What a lucky little man!

Yawn!

What a handsome young man you will grow up to be!

Such happy Momma's, Daddy's and Baby(s)

I can’t wait to see Dylan again. Toni and I have so much to talk about and I can’t wait to hear about her labor experience. What a miracle to fall in love with someone and create such a masterpiece together. And the unconditional love that comes with it is inexplicable. It’s just a miracle. I cannot wait to meet Baby Bright and this whole experience has made me even surer than ever that I don’t want to find out what we’re having. It was so fun to get the news that it was a boy! Our big ultrasound is on Tuesday and I can’t wait to see baby Bright again. With all the kicking and rolling that’s been going on, I am hoping we get to see a lot of movement. What a great weekend this has been and I am very much looking forward to this week. I can’t wait.

We have a soccer player!

So the last two weeks, I’ve been feeling tiny little flutters in my belly. You never know if it’s just dinner or if it’s your little miracle finally moving around. It’s kind of early to feel anything, but everyone is different. My midwife asks me at all my visits if I’ve felt the baby yet. I’ve had to say no so far, but now I can say YES!!! I will be 18 weeks tomorrow so I’m shocked I started feeling flutters at 16 weeks. So today around 4 while I was at work, I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was tiny kicks but it was definately different than the flutters. I kind of put it off thinking nothing of it until tonight. I was sitting on the couch watch TV and bump, bump, bump!! I told Chris to come quick and he got to feel it too! Most of the time, the hubby has to wait a few more weeks to be able to feel it. I am so excited he got to feel it so early. This makes it even more real! And maybe even more unbelievable! The kicks certainly didn’t last long so I’m waiting in excited anticipation for the next round!

Onions have layers