Wow, it’s hard to believe that we have a baby. If you would’ve asked me last year around this time what my plans were looking like for 2018, I probably would’ve said find a job and snowboard as much as possible. Although I did do both of those during my pregnancy, we also produced a mini human as well! It’s funny to look back at my pregnancy now because even when you plan for things, it really never does go accordingly. Here’s my story.

We found out we were pregnant while we were on our honeymoon in New Zealand trekking around the country in a van for several weeks.

There wasn’t any clear symptoms, I just felt a bit different and was a few days late on my period (which never happens). So, as we were headed down towards Milford Sound we stopped into a grocery and I grabbed a test. Funny thing is, it was like a piece of litmus paper, not the usual stick you are used to seeing that you pee on. It was a floppy piece of paper that you apparently let sit in the pee for a few minutes, and then it changes color with the line. Once we got down to Milford, I decided as soon as we set up camp to head to the bathroom and do the test. Drew was cooking dinner, and I didn’t tell him I was going to take it. I went in with an empty beer bottle, thinking I was going to have to pee into something to stick this paper in. Well, thank goodness they provided me with a small cup. Did the business and let the paper sit for a few minutes. Of coarse, the lights were automatic so right around the time it was ready to be checked the lights turned off. I had to awkwardly stand up in the bathroom while holding the paper in my pee and wave my other hand around to get the light to come back on. Lights on, faint pink line! So faint, I was almost unsure if it was a positive. Although I know nothing about being pregnant, I do know you can’t get a false positive. I was in shock. Not that I don’t want a baby but, holy moly it happened fast! All I was thinking, “am I ready to be pregnant, birth a child, have a kid?!” I made the trek back to our van with the paper in tow and the box. When I opened the van door Drew instantly asked me, “What is up? Where’d you go? Why do you have that look on your face?” It was that obvious I guess that I was in shock!

I told him I took the pregnancy test and I think it is positive. He asked, “What do you mean YOU THINK?”  I explained how faint the line was, so I was a little unsure. But, when I explained you can’t have a false positive it must be real! He hugged me all excited and then instantly went into provider mode. “What are we going to do!? Are we going to have to move?”

We continued on with our honeymoon and not much changed except I stopped drinking. By the end of the trip I had to pee almost every ten minutes! It felt like and I was starting to cat nap a whole lot more throughout our drives as well.

When we returned to the US, I got online and started hunting for a great OB. I called and got an appointment scheduled for around the time I was going to be 7 weeks. So, for about 3 weeks I just pondered in my head a million different questions and thoughts. Thank goodness for GOOGLE (or not depending on what you search)! I feel like I spent endless hours reading, looking up apps to download, and different recommendations from other mom friends. Appointment after appointment things were going well. Early on we decided we didn’t want to know the sex until the baby was born. It’s really the only miracle you truly experience in life! People seem to think it would be so  hard and kept saying they could never do it. But, for us it was a piece of cake. It’s not like you can return it if you don’t get the sex you were expecting! We got to pick neutral colors for the room, not stress about people wanting to know name choices, and didn’t get overwhelmed with clothes before baby was born. I can tell you our family and friends weren’t the biggest fans of shopping gender neutral colors for clothes, but I loved the simplicity.

Throughout my pregnancy I didn’t experience any nausea or really any symptoms at all for that matter. I had  been doing Crossfit almost daily up until our honeymoon, and continued with that up until almost the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. Snowboarding is something I’ve done my entire life, and competed in for a long time and I was able to ride the entire season which was amazing. I think because I stayed consistently moving, I never experienced any imbalance or anything like that. I went hiking as much as I could bare the heat and stayed as busy as I could!

I started getting some aches and pains in my groin and hips it seemed the last few months. Nothing severe but I definitely waddled a little harder at the end. By the 36 week we went in for our weekly appointment and as we were discussing our plan to have everything au natural, no epidural, just going to roll with it… the doctor informed me that my birth plan was out the window. The baby was BREECH. What the hell does that mean? She thought she felt the head up on the left side of my rib cage and wanted to do a quick ultra sound to check if it was the butt or head. Well, it was the head and after a long ultra sound, it looked like baby was Frank breech!

She also thought I seemed low on fluid, and I instantly was panicking. Was I going to have to go in and have a c section now? She did some looking around, and confirmed I was okay on fluids but that I would in fact need a C-section because the baby was breech. I had a few weeks that I could try some different methods to get baby to flip over, but I had to get a C-section scheduled in case it didn’t work out. Was I shocked? Yes. Was I bummed? Beyond bummed. Was it because I worked out the entire pregnancy? Did I do something wrong? It was hard for me to not doubt myself. But, the doctor also told me being so fit, having such a strong abdomen wall, and my placenta on the outside could be making it more difficult for the baby to flip. But, it could also be that the chord is wrapped around the neck. It could be that my hips are not aligned. I will never know why it happened. For some having a breech baby is even hereditary. Some times that is how the cookie crumbles. I spent the next few weeks doing everything under the sun that I read about online & suggestions from my doctor. I lived on the Spinning Babies website trying all the different techniques.

• I did flips in the pool
• Hung upside down on my neighbors inversion table
• Floated in their pool every day and tried to relax (I read floating in the pool can help make space for the baby to flip)
• Laid upside down on an ironing board in my living room
• Webster Technique at the Chiropractor up until the day I went into labor

You name it I tried it! I had heard so many stories of the baby flipping when the lady went into labor. But, of coarse my kid was determined to leave an impression and show us who is boss. So, Sunday (4 days before my scheduled C-section) at 37 weeks and 6 days, I went into labor. After hours and hours of laying on the show and unsure if these were contractions cause they didn’t hurt that bad, we went to the hospital. Things started intensifying for me… you know all the pretty things about labor (throwing up, going to the bathroom, pain) but when they checked my cervix I wasn’t dilating. They told me I had enough contractions for the entire floor! But, since she was still breech and I wasn’t quite 38 weeks, they could not proceed. After 4 hours or so they sent me home with some sleeping meds and told me if things intensify come back when the clock strikes midnight! Some how I was able to hold off until Thursday. Things calmed down that night, but I was still unable to eat until Tuesday evening. I was smashing Pedialyte like it was Friday night at the bar to stay hydrated, and resting as much as I could. No gym, no pool, nothing much except for sleeping and staying cool in the house. I still had not come to terms with the fact that I was going to have a C-section until the morning of the surgery. I realized that the most important thing was that I am healthy and baby is healthy. At my last appointment before the surgery, my doc even showed me her C-section video of her 2nd born from a few months prior. She showed me the tool they use and how the procedure goes. I am over here picturing them removing my insides to get to the baby and she assured me that is not the case with video proof of herself! That was a bit of a relief.

I have to say, after talking with my mommy friends who ended up having emergency c sections, I was so grateful to have a pleasant experience with my whole process. Everyone hung out with me in the room until they were ready for the procedure. The hubby and I walked to the back and they injected me in the back with the numbing agent. I laid there while that kicked in talking to the staff and hubby. Then once they started we just played music and tried to talk and keep each other busy. Once they had her out they dropped the sheet and Drew got to announce if it was a boy or girl! IT WAS A GIRL! Just like that we were parents. They cleaned her off and brought it her over and put her on my chest. It was the most amazing moment I’ve ever experienced. She was crying and as soon as they tucked her into the bandeau I had on, she stopped crying and just rested peacefully on my chest. The rest of the time they were working on sewing me back up, she stayed on my chest. Then when they took her over to do official weight and all that good stuff, Drew assisted and watched.

Looking back on the whole experience there are a few things I always tell my pregnant friends now:

• Don’t be married to your birth plan. Your baby and body are going to tell you what is going to happen. NOT YOU!

• Relax and enjoy the ride. It goes by way faster than you expect (although the last few weeks do feel like they drag on and on and on and on….) Definitely try to get massages and even maybe chiropractor visits. Your body changes so much & it can really effect the way you walk and move.

• Your body is amazing and yes it changes drastically but hello you’re doing the coolest thing in the world… growing a PERSON! Stop worrying about putting on weight. You need that space and area for the baby to grow and move and hopefully flip in the correct direction for the ride out! (Unlike mine! LOL)

• Eating healthy and take care of yourself and your body. It is SO IMPORTANT. Think about your deodorant (does it have metals), take a good prenatal, eat lots of protein and get lots of rest!

• Don’t be a pregozilla! Or at least try not to. Obviously there are moments when hormones take over. But, don’t make the excuse that you are pregnant so you can suck with everyone around you.

• Don’t make the excuse that you are pregnant so  you can’t do things. Put in the effort! You will feel so much better if you stay moving.
• Do your research. Don’t assume your mom or others knows best. Hello, she probably had you like 20+ years ago. Things have changed a TON & we have improved a lot! Also, what works for someone else may not work at all for you.

 

Your world changes forever once you find out you are pregnant. Then when you meet the little one it’s like a whole new world unfolds! There’s definitely ups and downs and so many unknowns. But, if there’s one thing I learned it’s to take it one day at a time! Don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy every second of those snuggles cause they don’t last!

 

Did you have a birth story that didn’t go as planned? I would love to hear about other mamas experiences! Being a first time mom, it’s been a whirlwind of a ride so far!