Journey to Motherhood: Becoming a Mommy
It has taken me forever to figure out how I want to tell my "Becoming a Mommy" story. I figured I would need to break it up over the course of a few posts so it's not so overwhelming. Lol.
So let's see...where do I begin....
I had my first son in 2006. He was a surprise. By the time I realized I was pregnant, I was already 9 weeks. (I knew something was weird about me...I just couldn't put my finger on it.) I scheduled my first doctor appointment and couldn't believe my ears when I heard his heart beat for the first time at 12 weeks. My pregnancy (excluding the circumstances around it) was PERFECT for my 21 year old self (yes, I was practically an infant lol). I was never sick , I worked, and I went to school up until the end. By sheer grace, I was blessed with an AMAZING midwife who took fantastic care of me!
By 36 weeks, I was ready to see my baby boy! With my mom and sister scheduled to arrive a few days before 40 weeks, I was adamant that I wanted him here on or before his due date. I walked, bounced, vacuumed, you name it - all with zero movement by my very uninterested and comfortable infant.
So at 40 weeks, I opted to be be induced. VERY BAD IDEA.
I got to the hospital at 6pm to start my induction. They gave me the cervix softener...and we waited. About 2 hrs later, the flood gates opened (also known as - active labor). Wave after wave of contractions hit, and needless to say, I was not prepared! To make matter worst, though I'd begun dilating, my cervix hadn't moved into place yet for my son to be born. This large detail became fetal distress...and they almost tried to send me off for an emergency C-section. But did I mention my midwife was AWESOME?!? She showed up right in time to stop my contractions, that C-section, and settle my body so I could rest through the night.
But in the morning (6am) - the pitocin came. Medically stimulated contractions are like being hit with a 18 wheeler on a loop! My baby hated the monitor, so I was turned onto my left side and laid...clinging helplessly to the side of the bed, fading in and out of sleep as contractions came and went. My Midwife popped in to check on me around 8am and from that point things got better. I couldn't sit up for my epidural, so they had me lay on the bed curled like a cat, and inserted the needle. Yes, painful - but then, all the pain was gone! At 10am, she checked me and began prepping me for delivery. I started pushing at 10:35am and 3 pushes, and one small tear later... I gave birth to 7lbs 2oz and 19 1/2in of baby boy perfection. He latched perfectly and nursed perfectly straight out the womb.
From pregnancy to birth to baby, my 21 year old self couldn't have asked for better. I'm not saying everyday was easy, but my oldest has always been (and still is) such a mild tempered kid. Even though I loved this new mommy role I'd taken on...I was done!!! He was due to be an only child, and I was content with that for a really long time.
Postpartum, I opted for the Mirena IUD over birth control pills. I hadn't done much research into it (remember...21 y/o kid here), but at this point anything was better than the shot or the pills! Like I said, I knew I didn't want anymore kids, so birth control for 5 years sounded great to me!
It was GREAT!
By Jan 2012 when it was removed, I was married - and finally ready to embark on a new motherhood journey. I knew for a fact I'd be pregnant by June!
I was wrong...