Small Business Feature: Laura Ryan Photography

Photo Credit Laura Ryan Photography

Today we are excited to feature a business that we both love and adore. More specifically we love the business owner! Laura Ryan Photography has captured a few special moments for our families and we just can't get enough. If you are looking for a photographer with passion, heart, and someone who is genuine, Laura Ryan is your girl. We hope you take the time to get to know and love her as much as we do!

Photo Credit Laura Ryan Photography

What made you want to be a photographer? (Or How did you get your start as a photographer?)

Why? I think the why is the most important behind everything that we do, and for me it is the foundation for my business; it is my heart. I want to capture real life – the raw, the messy, the good, the beautiful, and the story that is their story.

What is your favorite type of a photoshoot?

Photo Credit Laura Ryan Photography

This is hard! Each type of photoshoot tells a different story and I love it for that reason, but births certainly have a special place in my heart. There is nothing more special than the love that I get to witness during a birth. The way a mama embraces the pain because she know that it will be worth it, the way a husband comforts his wife because he would trade her places if he could, and the way they both embrace their baby for the first time. There is nothing like it in this world.

I still remember my first birth. I knew this family had struggled with 5 years of infertility so I knew that it would be emotional and that I could not miss that first moment. The nurses hand baby to Mama and she whispers, “I have waited for you for so long.” I was able to capture that moment for that family. A memory that sadly would have faded over time, but because they have those images, the family can remember that moment forever.

What is the most rewarding thing about your job?

Aside from being able to capture such precious memories for people, I think the most rewarding part of my job is the relationships I form with my clients. Because of the nature of the photos I take, I get to know my clients on a more personal level. I am with them through some of the most vulnerable times in their lives and it’s an honor to be part of it. I truly believe that God has given each of us a story and it’s my job to do that story justice.

Photo Credit Laura Ryan Photography

How would you describe your style of photography?

Technically speaking I am natural light lifestyle photographer. My sessions typically take place in either the client’s home, an outdoor location, or a hospital/birthing center and we utilize whatever natural light we have available to us.

I also use a different approach to “posing” my clients than the traditional “look this way, place this hand there, and this leg that way, and so forth.” I like to use verbal cues to bring out different emotions (I have to thank my mentor Jamie Clauss for this suggestion) in clients. To give you an idea, at a recent maternity session I asked Mom to just walk through the field for a few minutes and reflect back over her pregnancy and just be in the moment with her daughter. It was beautiful.

What advice would you give others trying to start a business?

As crazy as it sounds, I would give the same advice that my husband gave me. He told me,  “you love this and you could be good or even great at it, so do it or don’t do it because just thinking about it isn't getting you anywhere.” In that moment I decided there was wisdom in what my husband was telling me, and I ran full speed ahead with that and have not looked back.

After that I would tell you that it takes a lot of hard work. Do your research and then validate that research with professionals in your area. Know what it takes to own a business and how to run a business. Know that you will fail but also know that you will soar. Know that success takes time. Know that no dream is too big but also know your limitations. Know when to ask for help and know when you need to take control. Know your vision and know where you want to go.

Photo Credit Laura Ryan Photography

God Bless,

and

Birth Story Week: Little James Part 2 + Giveaway Winner!

WELCOME BACK! 
Part 2

(CLICK HERE for Part 1)

Saturday, October 26^th, 2013

31 weeks, last bump picture.

Our days ran together with no windows in the room and my husband would only leave to make phone calls or get us food. One of our good friends had been keeping Bailee for us and kept everyone back in Enid updated. We kept our parents updated. Every so often, the nurse would come in and empty the contents on my catheter bag. The nurse was supposed to be doing a 24 hour urine collection but a miscommunication happen during shift change and she just dumped it all in the toilet. So we had to start over. But, I will tell you that it was God’s will and for good reason.

All day I would hear the BP machine tell me my blood pressure was too high. I was running out of places on my arms for the nurses to poke and prod me. All day, we prayed that God’s will be done. We tried to watch TV and movies to pass the time but we were tired from not getting any sleep. The magnesium made it so it was hard to look at anything bright and I felt so out of it. I kept trying to text friends and family checking up on me. My amazing hubby would help me eat, brush my teeth, and put my hair up. I almost forgot to take a 31 week bump pictures so we took one without realizing it would be my last one.

Today was just filled with waiting, praying, and being patient for this 24 hour urine collection to tell us just how much protein was in it.

Bake baby longer!

Sunday, October 27^th, 2013

Thankfully, the sound of the BP machine going off is a far off memory of mine now. But on Sunday morning, I prayed so hard for it to stop. I hated the constant reminder of how my health and that my baby’s health was in danger. Hubby even turned the volume all the way down and we still heard it. With everything going on, my husband was my advocate and interpreter. I am sure I heard what the doctors would tell me but I would always have him repeat it, again with the side effects of magnesium.

We ate breakfast that morning but I just had no appetite for anything. Now, I wish I had eaten more because shortly after I was told to not eat until just in case I needed to deliver soon but depending on how baby and I were doing might be able to eat dinner. WHAT?! Nope. Delivering was not an option. We kept praying. My back also started to hurt quite badly. No position was comfortable.

Late afternoon rolled around and the doc wanted to do an ultrasound. I wasn’t getting any better so she wanted to see how little man was doing and see if he could practice breathing. He looked good and measured well. She asked me if I have felt Little James moved recently. Thinking about it, when I first arrived he moved and hiccupped like crazy. Although, now I had only felt him move here and there. According to the fetal monitors he was stable but she checked him out. He was very still and only had very slight movements but his heart rate was good so she didn’t look worried. Then we just waited to see if he would practice breathing, but nothing. She tried to jiggle my belly, pretty vigorously, to get him to move and breathe. Nothing. He was a very tired baby. She left the room. It was weird to us that she didn’t say too much after that.

A doctor and a nurse came into the room. They never came in the room at the same time. The doctor told me I would be induced. Little man wasn’t doing as well as they wanted him to and I wasn’t doing so well either so it was time. The doctor didn’t want me to get to the point where I would bleed out and my liver looked like I had been drinking alcohol non-stop. Usually with HELLP syndrome the only solution is a c-section but to vaginally deliver is better so I had the opportunity to labor. I felt that if there was one thing that was going to happen, I would get my all natural, unmedicated birth. The nurse tried to talk me into an epidural but I respectfully declined.

 I was started on Pitocin and as well as a cervical balloon dilator and my bag of water was broken. To the doctors surprise, I was already dilated 2cm and having contractions (which I didn’t feel). My body knew it was go time. But let me tell you, not being able to walk around and labor in the positions you want is pretty difficult. Baby's heart rate kept going down so I kept having to switch position with all nine machines and dripping medicine attached.

Monday, October 28^th, 2013

After 7 hours of labor and being dilated to about 5cm, the nurse came in to explain to me that Little James wasn’t taking labor well. Changing positions was not helping and his heart rate just kept going down. We had 2 options. To take a break and stop the Pitocin for 30 minutes and then try to labor again but if he still wasn’t doing well it would probably end up in an emergency c-section where my husband wouldn't being able to come with me and see the baby and I would be put to sleep. Option number two was to go ahead and do a c-section now, have hubby with me and let him go up to the NICU with our son and I get the opportunity to see him. She left us alone to think about our options.

We prayed about it and were scared. We told God. We ended up in a situation far greater frightening that we ever expected. With God’s guidance, we decided to do a c-section now. I needed my husband with me and I needed him to be with our son when I was not able to.

They prepped us to get ready to go into the operating room. A NICU doctor came to brief us on what would happen to our son and complications he could have. The one thing I remember about the doctor is that she was a nice little French lady. Then it was almost time for me to go and shortly after they would come get my husband. I was still having contractions and still wanted to have him by my side, but I needed to go. I got nervous I felt like I was going to throw up and told the nurse to wait. My hubby reminded me that it was okay and to keep praying.

The operating room was sterile and cold. No amount of blankets could keep me warm, my teeth chattered the whole time I was in there. The nurse had me move from my hospital bed to the small operating table. It was the first time I been able to do something on my own since Friday. This time I had to have an epidural. I was dreading it because I wanted nothing to do with one from the very beginning but of course this time it was for good reason. The anesthesiologist was very kind. I had not responded on the right side and felt pain so he adjusted it and then I was completely numb from the neck down. Such a weird feeling. In the case that I had a c-section, my OB back in Enid found a cyst on my left ovary on our 20 week ultrasound so I was going to have that removed as well.

As they finished prepping me, hubby came in. FINALLY! He sat next to me and they began. We prayed. I don’t remember telling him this, but guess I told him I was tired and wanted to close and eyes. He kept talking to me though and didn’t let me. Our son would enter the world soon. All I wanted was to hear him cry to know he was alive and well. The doctor told me I would feel a bunch of pressure. I felt lots. I said “OW” even when it really didn’t hurt. All of a sudden we heard his cry! Hallelujah! They rushed him to the warmer. My eyes were blurry but I tried to see what they were doing to him. They wrapped him up and before taking him up to the NICU they asked brand new dad, my hubby if he wanted to hold him. He took him and showed me our baby. I saw him and said, “My sweet boy!” He was amazing! hubby's voice was shaky and he started crying. Never have I seen him cry like that. Our little boy only a few minutes old and had captured our hearts. October 28^th, 2013 at 2:20am he was here. 3.4lbs and 16.7 inches, he couldn’t be more perfect.

 It was time for our son to leave. They asked if my husband wanted to stay with me or go up with little man. I told him to go up of course. Someone needed to be there with our little guy. I still needed to be closed up and have my cyst removed. This felt like an eternity. The cyst ended up being a dermoid cyst. It had hair on it, yes hair. The doctor suspecting it was left over from the baby’s yolk sac and it was about 6cm. He also tried to keep as much of my ovary as he could. It was funny when he saw the cyst, he was shocked at all the hair he saw, the nurse who stayed with me since hubby left laughed because it was so hairy. We now joke that, it was Little James' twin and he wanted to come out all by himself.

Finally I was all sewn up and ready to go back to my room. My husband was there waiting for me. I was excited to see him and get an update on our sweet baby. He took pictures and golly did our boy look exactly like his daddy. He was now in an isolette to grow.

Looking like his Daddy!

Nice and cozy in the isolette.

 I still had to be on magnesium for the next 24hrs which means I was bed ridden and couldn’t see my baby. It was the longest 24 hours of my life. I hated the fact that our baby was in the NICU all by himself without his parents so I constantly asked hubby to be up there with him. I also started pumping to provide breast milk for our son. Since Little James didn’t get to bake for a full 40 weeks, I wanted to at least make sure he was getting my breast milk and then eventually breastfeed. I was determined. Hubby was super dad, helping me pump and taking care of me as well as making frequent trips to see our little miracle. He is the best husband and father ever. 
And then remember how I told you that instead of collecting my urine, it accidentally got thrown out instead of saved for my 24 hour urine collect? Well if that didn't happen, little man wouldn't have been born at exactly 32 weeks. See, I later learned that babies 32 weeks and beyond do a lot better in the NICU. Praise the Lord for his timing and helping me bake our little miracle a little longer.

Daddy, our hero!

Tuesday, October 29^th, 2013

2:20am on Tuesday morning, they asked me if I was ready to see my baby! Um, YES! But first I had to get my catheter removed, get cleaned up a bit, get my IV removed and move to my recovery room. I was supposed to walk to the bathroom to go pee. Hubby and my nurse helped me because I hadn’t walked in 5 days. The nurse said to take it easy and not push it. I tried, but I was on a mission to see my boy. If I could run, I probably would have. I got cleaned up and we were moved to a recovery room, with a window, yay! As my husband wheeled me out of room B2, I felt overjoyed. We were on the road to recovery.

Finally with my little boy.

Finally, we went up to see our son. my husband wheeled me up to the NICU. We stopped at the washing station to wash our hands. We continued onto see our baby. The floor was so quiet, filled with little babies. We finally reached Little James' room. I saw my precious, tiny boy. When hubby showed him to me in the operating room he was wrapped up so I didn’t really grasp how small he was. He was sleeping. He showed me what to do when we come to see him, he opened the isolette door and hand cradled him. Then I got to do the same. Oh, I finally got to hold him. He was hooked up to so many machines, like I was.  I wanted to do skin to skin with him. Then the nurse on duty came in and Little James had some jaundice and had to go under the bili-lights right away. So, I didn’t get to do skin to skin. I was losing steam, so it was time to go back to my room. Hubby wheeled me back. I didn’t want to leave our son but my husband reassured me that he would be okay, we’d be back soon. 

I ended up in the hospital for 8 days and Little James for a month. I’ll save his NICU stay for another time. But, I want to leave you with this. We are so blessed and grateful for the Lord who got us through this experience and put so many awesome friends in our lives who got us through this time! Things certainly didn't go as planned, but God got us through one of the scariest things we have ever gone through. Everything was out of control, but God was in control. God showed us what trusting in Him means. God is so good!

Photo Credit Audrey Weaver

Thanks for reading friends!

GIVEAWAY WINNER! Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway! Our winner is RACHEL PITTMAN! We will be in contact with you!

Birth Story Week: Little James Part 1

Photo Credit DH Photography

Part 1

The birth of Little James was the most joyful, scary, and humbling experience my husband and I have experienced in our lives so far. I was reminded time and time again by experienced mommies to have a birth plan to know what you want but be prepared and know that anything could happen. So I decided to go into my labor with little man with just that. It started all on a calm day in October…

Friday, October 25^th, 2013

I went in for a routine exam with my OB at 31 weeks and 5 days. I was running late that morning, so I took a fast shower, told our Bailee girl that I would be back in an hour. My husband, would be driving back from Altus, Oklahoma for the weekend, so I was glad to have this appointment to pass the time.

This was my third visit with my new OB. I had recently switched because the OB I had prior was moving and I wanted to get established with my new doctor. I went in and gave a urine sample and I sat down for them to take my blood pressure. It was pretty high for me, 160/40 something. This whole pregnancy my blood pressure had been pretty elevated but my old OB told me not to worry and that we would just watch it. The nurse did not seem to be pleased with my blood pressure so she was going to talk to my doctor and have her take it again later.

I was taken to a room thinking nothing of my blood pressure. It has been high but like I said, my old OB said its fine. As the doctor came in, I could tell she looked a little serious. She started off with, “How are you feeling?” I felt great and normal as usual. She then proceeded to tell me that my blood pressure didn’t please her and that I had some protein in my urine. She also wasn’t please that my old OB let me go so long without putting me on blood pressure medication since it has been on the rise since I was 20 weeks. With all that said, she wanted to take some extra precaution on things. First off, I had an appointment scheduled with a perinatal specialist to get a special ultrasound done to make sure baby wasn’t growth restricted and that he was growing properly. Second, she sent me to the hospital next door to do some non stress test on baby to make sure he was okay, do some extra blood work, take another urine sample, and then go home and do a 24 hour urine collection, as well as do non stress tests every week from here on out. WHOA! Lots to do, but as long as baby and I were kept healthy I was fine with all of this.

I checked in at the hospital expecting to be there for a few hours. I did blood work, gave another urine sample, I went on to read a book. I was headed to Mommy and Me Bible Study after this so thankfully I had something to pass the time! I was hooked up to a fetal monitor, had a fancy button to push every time little man moved, and a BP cuff. The nurse set the machine to take my blood pressure every 15 minutes. If it was too high, there would be an alarm. Every 15 minutes, the machine would alarm. I was there for a few hours and the nurse came in and said the doctor isn’t happy that your BP keeps getting higher. She will be in to talk with you.

Keep track of baby kicks!

The doctor came in and explained that it looks like I have preeclampsia. My mom had it, and I have heard of many other women having it so I was still okay at this point. Although, since my BP kept getting higher as the day went on, she wanted to send me down to Oklahoma City just in case I needed to deliver early. See the hospital in Enid, Oklahoma could only accommodate a baby born 35 weeks and beyond depending on the condition of the baby. The doctor and nurse left me alone to make phone calls and prepare me for my trip down to the city. I started crying. I was not ready to deliver this baby anytime soon. This was more serious that I thought. I called my husband. Swallowing my tears, I told him I needed him with me.  He was just about to head into a training simulator where if I called any later, he wouldn’t get my phone call. I called my Mom, letting her know what was happening.  At this point I was worried about Bailee. So I hopped on Facebook, and sent out a post to my Wives of Warriors friends to have someone take my poor dog out potty and keep her for a while! My friends of course came to the rescue. And they all started praying for baby and me. Praise the good Lord for these ladies.

Soon the nurse came in and needed to give me some medication called magnesium to give me some to keep me from having a seizure from having such high blood pressure and some fluids. This medication is horrible. It makes you feel woozy and completely out of it. I was on it for a total of 5 days. The doctor came in and let me know that I would have to travel to OKC via ambulance and that she wanted to do an ultrasound. Baby boy was doing okay! I had plenty of amniotic fluid for him and he was measuring right on track for 31 weeks. Praise God! My awesome hubby was on his way up to Enid to grab some clothes and essentials and see Bailee, then he would trek down to the city to meet me.

The ambulance finally arrived to transport me down to OKC and my OB had contacted OU Children’s Hospital. Hubby had made it to our house and I was on my way to OKC. While on the ride down, the EMT that was taking care of me was in constant contact with the doctor team that would be taking care of me. My blood pressure was still on the rise, so the EMT was instructed to give me some medication. Now the roads in Oklahoma aren’t the smoothest and the ride down was like having a vibrating machine on high underneath your bottom and the EMT had to get this through my IV. Good thing the EMT was confident and had a steady hand because I was sure nervous! Then my phone rang, it was my husband. He asked me what color was the ambulance I went in. I told him it was green and blue and he said, “I think I am following you.” I looked out the back window and there was he was. What a relief to see him. As we entered the city, I was finally responding to the medication and my blood pressure was at its lowest so far. 150/90.

We pulled up to OU Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. The second they wheeled me out of the ambulance, I was looking for my husband. For majority of this experience I had my sweet friends texting me and praying for me. Although when it boiled down to it, I needed my other half. As he walked up, I told the EMTs that my husband is coming so we waited for him. He looked exhausted. He had been through 4 ½ hours of driving. But we were together again.

They wheeled me to Labor and Delivery floor, then took a turn to the “high risk” area. I felt scared again. Then I heard, “Is that the transport from Bass?” (The hospital in Enid) They had room all ready for me. Instantly, the doctor and nurse on duty were in the room transitioning me into the hospital bed. They started switching me to their monitors and machines, getting a catheter in, changed into a gown and taking more blood for tests so that they could properly treat me. Finally, the doctor and nurse left the room to give my husband and I a breather and do a shift change as I got there right when that was about to happen. I asked him how he was doing and he asked me if I was okay. I think we were all still in shock about everything that was going on. I started crying and told him I wanted to go home.

After the shift change was over, another doctor and nurse came in to introduce themselves and give me an update. Eager to get home, my first question was, “When do I get to go home?” See I was eager to go home and keep this baby cooking. Back in Enid, my OB told me they could keep me up for a few days and send me home with medication or keep me till the baby is born. Being optimistic I prayed for going home with medication and bed rest. I wanted to go past my due date like so many of my mommy friends told me I would, being a first time mom. The doctor told me otherwise. She told me they would have to keep me till the baby was born and would like to try and keep Little James in till 34 weeks if we could make it. I was also told that my preeclampsia was accompanied by HELLP Syndrome. (HELLP syndrome is a group of symptoms that occur in pregnant women who have: Hemolysis (the breakdown of red blood cells); ELevated liver enzymes; Low Platelet count). The doctor was also shocked that this entire time I had felt completely normal throughout this whole pregnancy. I had no outward symptoms of high blood pressure or HELLP syndrome! None. Praise God for my appointment today and my OB who took action.

So we were camped out in hospital room B2, until our little one or my body decided it was time. With being on magnesium, it really messed with my vision. We had to keep the room quite dim and it just so happened the room had no windows so that worked out great. Every hour all day and all night, the nurse would come in and check my vitals and reflexes. I also had wraps that went around my legs that would massage them and prevent blood clots. Every six hours they would draw my blood to check my levels. The blood pressure machine would check my BP every 15 minutes and if it was too high, it would alarm. It would alarm every single time. If I was awake, I’d pray that it would go down. I prayed that I could keep this baby in as long as possible and prayed that the Lord would keep us strong.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2! 
Curious about HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia? Click below:
 HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia

Remember to check out our GIVEAWAY!

Birth Story Week: Baby June part 2

Welcome back for part 2 of Baby June's birth story! Get caught up here on part 1.

So we had the decelerations under control, but sometime in the early morning, I developed a fever. Since my water had broken so long ago, I had more than likely developed chorioamnionitis, a bacterial uterine infection. I was given antibiotics and the nurses told us that Baby would also need antibiotics after she was born, just in case the infection had spread to her. There is a test they could run to see if she had the infection before giving her the meds, but by the time the test came back she could be gravely ill if she was infected. This meant that she would be taken to the NICU soon after delivery and could possibly need to stay there for the first 24 hours for monitoring. This definitely did not fit into our birth plan. But we were willing to do anything that needed to be done to keep her healthy.

Christina Driscoll Photography 

When the day shift came on at 7am, a new nurse and midwife came in to check me. I was...get ready...9cm dilated! Honestly, I was just happy she didn't say 3cm again. However, there was some meconium staining when she checked me. This means that June had her first bowel movement, probably from the stress of the decelerations and infection. The nurses and midwife then began preparing us for what would happen when we delivered. A NICU team would be in the delivery and Baby Girl would immediately be placed under a warmer so she could be assessed and ventilated if needed. Before they're born, babies "breathe" the amniotic fluid for practice. This meant that Baby could possibly inhale the meconium fluid and have trouble breathing and/or develop an infection in her lungs. This also meant that she might need to be stimulated to cry after delivery and that Hubs would not likely get to cut the cord. We were losing every little thing we wanted to experience. But I would've given birth on my head if it meant she'd be ok.

A few hours later, I was finally completely dilated. I started pushing at 11am. Surprisingly, pushing was the easiest part of this whole ordeal. That epidural does wonders! We had a mirror positioned so I could see the whole thing. This is not something I recommend if you're squeamish or easily grossed out. Birth is a beautifully disgusting thing. After being present at so many other births, I was excited to finally see one from this point of view.

When the midwife told us she could see June's hair, we both started crying. I was just so glad she wasn't bald like I was as a baby. Then they said she had dark hair. That was it. We both lost it. We were crying before we even met her!

After 25 minutes of pushing, she was here! She started crying immediately, thank GOD! I could barely see through the waterfall coming out of my eyes. And I've never seen my husband cry so much before. He was able to cut the cord before she was whisked away to the warmer to be checked out. While I mopped up my tears, Daddy went to stand close to the warmer and soak up her first few minutes of life on Earth. The NICU team gave her the all clear and I was able to hold her for just a few short minutes. She looked so much like her Daddy from the very start. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. I had our new baby in my arms and a loving husband at my side. My life was complete.

Christina Driscoll Photography

Christina Driscoll Photography

Christina Driscoll Photography

While Travis went with Aleah and the nurses to the NICU, I stayed in the room and called all the grandparents and other family members to tell them she was finally here! Everyone was so happy to hear that we were both doing well. I even got to eat a quick lunch before Baby and Daddy came back to the room.

He said that they tried at least 12 times to start an IV while she was in there, but that she handled it really well. She would need antibiotics periodically for the next 48 hours , but other than that and her standard newborn medications and vaccine, she didn't need any neonatal interventions, thank the LORD!

Christina Driscoll Photography

We spent the next 48 hours learning how to be a family of 3, at least in a hospital. We learned infinitely more once we brought her home. It may have been a rough couple of days, but she makes it all worth it.

Before I go, I want to say something that might shock you. Or you might be able to completely relate. Here goes...I wasn't head-over-heels, madly in love with our daughter from the moment I saw her. Yes, she was beautiful and healthy and I was so happy to finally meet her. But because I didn't get the immediate bonding experience due to extenuating circumstances, I think our true bonding came a couple of days later. I wouldn't go so far as to say that she didn't initially feel like mine, but I do think that if everything had worked out so that we could've had skin-to-skin and breastfeeding time right after birth, I might've felt closer to her from the start. Maybe it took a couple of days, but we did fall in love and I haven't looked back since. We absolutely love our little girl and we wouldn't change a thing. Our story may not have been the one we had in mind, but it's our story and we're sticking to it!

Christina Driscoll Photography

I encourage you all to be informed about what you would like to happen during your birthing experience. Making decisions while you're in pain is not easy to do. But keep in mind, that plan may get tossed out the window if there are complications. You have to be prepared for that, too.

Did you have the Labor & Delivery experience you planned?
How did you handle it when/if things changed?
Have any questions about the interventions we went through? Just ask!

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win the Birth Story Week giveaway!

God Bless,

Birth Story Week: Baby June part 1

Kiona Sewell Photography

My pregnancy was pretty uneventful compared to a lot of my friends' pregnancies. Besides it taking 6 months to get pregnant and 20 weeks of morning sickness all-day nausea, it wasn't too bad. Yes, I had the typical aches and pains, but those are long forgotten now. I'll tell you more about some of the things I learned while pregnant later, but for now I'd like to share with you the story of how June entered this world.

My mom (Nana) came to stay with us on Sunday, Feb. 16. She was able to take a month to work off-site and stay with us. As it turns out, she has really good timing! Around 1am the next morning, during one of my many nightly trips to the bathroom, my water started leaking. I woke Hubby up and said, "I think my water just broke. I'm going to try to go back to sleep, just in case." He didn't think much of it and fell right back to sleep. I was really excited and anxious for contractions to start, but nothing happened. I woke up a few hours later and we went through the morning as if it was a normal day. I was beginning to think that it wasn't my water breaking, but that I had just peed myself. Gross, right?

We went to Wal-Mart around lunchtime and as we're walking in the doors, it happened again. I told my mom and husband that I was pretty confident that it was in fact my water breaking. But I still wasn't having contractions, so we continued our shopping trip. When we got home, I called Labor & Delivery and told them all the fun details of that morning. The nurse told me I should come in just to be safe.

We loaded the car with all the prepacked bags and headed to the hospital. I was giddy with excitement as I texted all our close family and friends to tell them that this could be it! Hubs, on the other hand, was stoic. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't think this is it." was all I heard during the drive. I have a tendency to get my hopes up way too soon and he's the level-headed one.

We made it to the hospital around 2pm. They hooked me up to a contraction and fetal heart tone monitor and checked to see if I was dilated. We worked with the sweetest Clinical Nurse Midwife student who told us I was already 3cm dilated! Soon after that, I started to feel the contractions. Those first few are so fun....until they're not. But while they were still cute, we were getting so excited!

Christina Driscoll Photography

I spent the next few hours walking around the halls, watching the winter Olympics, bouncing on yoga balls, and moving into different positions to help her move further along. Some of the positions that worked best for me were: 1) raising the bed to the highest level and leaning over it, 2) leaning over the bed while someone put counter pressure on my hips, and 3) moving my hips in a circular motion on the yoga ball.

Christina Driscoll Photography

Christina Driscoll Photography

When the contractions became too strong to walk through, I got in the whirlpool. The warm water was definitely a nice relaxation between contractions, but I found it hard to get into a comfortable position during the pain. When I got out 30 minutes later, I was confident that I was dilated to at least 6cm.

Christina Driscoll Photography

After 10 hours of contractions, I decided I needed pain medication. I don't have the highest pain tolerance so I'm honestly surprised I made it that long. Per standard procedure, they checked me before giving me any IV medication or an epidural. When the words "...still 3cm..." came out of the midwife's mouth, I'm pretty sure all the air left the room. You could see it on all of our faces that we were shocked.

Christina Driscoll Photography

Since I hadn't progressed at all, we needed to make a decision between IV meds and an epidural. 3cm is still pretty early for an epidural. I could run the risk of slowing my labor down even more. I opted for IV medication (I wish I could tell you which one. I want to say it was Nubain, but don't quote me on that). When the nurse flushed my IV with saline before giving me the pain med, Aleah's heart rate took a nose dive with a contraction. It wasn't coming back up on it's own after a few seconds, so I got on my left side and was given lots of fluid through my IV at a fast rate (a.k.a, a bolus). Fortunately, this temporarily made Baby Girl very happy and her heart rate rose. Unfortunately, any pain med at that point was out of the question. We needed to figure out what the problem was. Occasional small dips in baby's heart rate could be harmless, but June's heart rate dropped consistently with each contraction.

For the next couple of hours, I repositioned to my left side, was given an oxygen mask, and had many boluses. Each intervention would work for a few contractions, then we'd be back to square one. I then got on my hands and knees to try to relieve the pressure on the umbilical cord (the probable cause of all the decelerations). This worked for awhile but made my arms feel very weak and I wasn't able to hold myself up for very long. Guess that pregnancy arm workout would've come in handy.

There was a short reprieve from the scary heart rate dips, so I was able to get an epidural. Thank God for epidurals. It originally didn't take on my right side, so all the pain was concentrated on my right hip. Once the anesthesiologist adjusted a few things, we were in business. I could now focus on helping my little girl and not be consumed by pain.

I had to get on my hands and knees very quickly once I was numb due to another deceleration. Let me tell you, this is probably the hardest thing I did. Baby Daddy helped hold up my 500 lb dead weight self, which I'm sure wasn't easy. But just like all our previous interventions, this one stopped working, too. The final position we tried was sitting straight up in the bed. This worked the longest, but eventually stopped working as well.

We were becoming very stressed. I started preparing myself for a C-section. I asked the nurse a lot of questions about what would happen should I need one and she did a great job easing my fears. She understood that as a fellow Women's Health Nurse, knowing how another hospital runs an emergency can really keep someone from freaking out. We prayed hard that our baby would be born happy and healthy. We had planned for an unmedicated, minimal intervention, vaginal birth. So far we were 0 for 2. But I wasn't going to jeopardize my baby or myself just so I could have the vaginal birth I wanted.

The midwives and doctors caring for me decided baby and I could benefit from an amnioinfusion. In Lamen's terms, this is "reinflating" the uterus. Since my water had started leaking over 24 hours prior to this point, there was very little fluid left to keep Aleah from resting on her umbilical cord. There was nothing to keep her alfoat. So saline was infused through a catheter into my uterus. Not long after the first infusion started, we discovered our little girl was in fact a water baby. She did tremendously better with the amnioinfusion.

Once the situation seemed to be under control, we were all able to get a few short naps in. Daddy and Nana had been with me the whole time and were exhausted as well. We had all been up for almost 24 hours and had just been through some pretty scary stuff. Those couple hours of sleep did wonders to put us all in better spirits. I did need a few more amnioinfusions over the next few hours, but they all worked perfectly at keeping June happy.

Christina Driscoll Photography

We had more ups and downs throughout the night and early morning. Come back tomorrow to read about June's grand entrance! (It's a happy ending, I promise!)

How did you cope with the pain of labor/delivery?
What planned or unplanned interventions did you need during labor/delivery?

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God Bless,

Birth Story Week : Intro

Welcome to Birth Story Week! In honor of Labor Day we thought we'd share with you how our little ones entered this world, but by no means do we want to overshadow the true meaning of Labor Day. That being said, I believe there is a lot of similarity between American workers and mothers. The U.S. Department of Labor says:
"Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

If I were to rewrite this to apply to mothers:
"...tribute to the contributions mothers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our children."

Giving birth is probably the most physically and emotionally challenging thing many of us women will ever do. There are many decisions to be made about how your baby will enter this world, but in the end, that little one will dictate everything. You are now playing by his rules. We had our birth plans; we thought we knew what we wanted. And even though neither of us had the birth experience we planned for, our babies were born healthy and happy and that's all we could have asked for.

So to commemorate and remember these amazing moments in our lives, we'd like to share them with you. We know not all of you will be interested in these tales, but they're there anyway. Be forewarned, birth is never a clean ordeal and our descriptions may get a little, well, descriptive.

We are also not saying that you should follow our lead and plan to do any of what we did. This is purely for educational purposes and we only wish to inform you of how the birth of our children went. Many women experience far easier and far more difficult deliveries than we did. We are thankful each day that our stories were written the way they were. God knew what He was doing when He brought our sweet babies into the world.

This Friday we're doing a Birth Story Week giveaway! You could win a copy of A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers for our upcoming book study or a homemade set of gender-neutral bibs and burp cloths! The choice is yours! To enter you just need to do 3 things:  Like the James & June Facebook page, follow us on Pinterest, and comment on this post. We want to know if you're a Mommy/Daddy (and how old your kids are), a Mommy/Daddy-to-be (and how far along you are), or if you're still happily enjoying kid-free peace and quiet! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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