The Birth

Tuesday, May 3, we went to see the dr. to evaluate what the plan of action should be. He was either going to admit me that day to just prepare me to be induced or I would have to go in Wed. morning to start the induction. The dr. came in to check me and he gave me a face and I thought, "Oh no 41 weeks pregnant and I can't even dialate to a 1!" But the dr said, "I do not have bad news, your a 1, that is just enough for me to break your water, tomorrow morning!!" I was so relieved that one I made progress and 2. I did not have to spend an entire day in the hospital and not even be in labor. I finished my day with working, taking advantage of the warm weather by walking around the camp taking pictures, and painting the tabernacle bathroom. I do not think Matthew or I could sleep very well because we had to get up at 4:30 am but at 2:30 am I woke up to contractions. For the first time in my pregnancy, I had contractions, I never had braxton hicks or false labor but tonight I started having a few contractions and I lost my mucous plug.

Wednesday, May 4, we left for the hospital at 5:00 am, I was still having contractions, they were pretty far about and really short. We got to the hospital, I think we were both nervous, anxious, and excited all at the same time. We filled out our paperwork and took us to our room. They started pitocin around 7:15, they started with a very low dose and the contractions were not bad at all and were around 4 or 5 minutes apart and about a minute long. Around 7:45 the dr. came in and checked me and I was between a 1 and a 2. He then broke my water, which took about a minute and felt very weird. At that point my contractions were getting much stronger and closer together. The part I hated most was that they had to have this stupid heart moniter on the baby and everytime a contraction came on and I moved the heart moniter or the baby would move and lose her heartbeat. So they would come in my room and tell me about how it had to stay on the baby. By this time my contractions were 2 mins apart and 120 seconds long and they were very painful. I would usually jump out of bed with the contraction and try to get in a comfortable position standing leaning on something which then brought a nurse to my room due to the heart moniter. The heart moniter made me stressed and very irritable (well probably the contractions made me irritable) The babies heart rate started dropping lower with some of the contractions which made the nurses worry. By this time I was having some contractions right on top of each other with no break and then I would get like a minute break. The dr. came in and decided to put an internal moniter on the baby to keep her heart rate and get a better reading. Let me tell you having to lay on a bed through several contractions not being able to move was very difficult, I was almost in tears. At this point he checked me and told me I was a 3 or maybe between a 3 or 4. I was horrified that it had not gotten further than that with such strong contractions. The baby was face up and it needed to be face down so he tried to see if he could move it with his hand. That was very uncomfortable especially with having contractions while he was doing it. The contractions started to make me sick and I then began to throw up. I had gone through almost 4 hours of terrible contractions of being 2 minutes apart and 120 seconds long and decided to get the epidural. I got the epidural around 11ish. The nurses were very happy because as soon as I relaxed the babies heart rate stayed consistantly higher. The dr. came in around 12 or 12:30 and checked me again. He told me I was between a 7 and an 8 and he thought we would have a baby by 3:00. The baby was still face up but this time as he was trying to aide in moving her I couldn't feel it thank goodness. I was now in transitional labor.

At 2:00 the nurse came in and started having me push, the dr. would be in soon. He thought it would be awhile of pushing since she was face up. I did hard pushing for 15 mins and she was not moving down and I had to put oxygen on because the babies heart rate was not recovery after the pushing and I took a couple minutes off from pushing. The dr. came in and realized that the baby did not have enough room to come down and began to cut the skin that was blocking her. I was so glad that I had an epidural at this point. After he was done cutting, I began pushing and she still had limited space so he decided that we would need aide in getting her out and they had to use the vacumn after I had pushed for 20 more minutes. Finally, after 10 more minutes of pushing her head came out. The dr. then told me one more push, after him telling me to push so hard for the head I started to push and he was like woa not that hard. There she was laying on my stomach crying, it was a very emotional wonderful moment for me and Matthew to finally see our little girl After Matthew cut the cord they took her over next to my bed to clean. Then I began to lose an extreme amount of blood. My room filled with more nurses and activity than I ever thought. All I remember was the dr. who is usually a patient calm man was giving quick orders and the nurses were not moving fast enough for him. Finally after 45 mins, the dr then began to fill me in on what was happening and that they may have to take me to an operating room if the bleeding did not stop. I just began praying, thinking the last thing I want to do is leave my baby and go to an operating room. Again, thank goodness I had an epidural for all of that!! Then within ten minutes then told me the bleeding was under control and as long as it stayed that way, there would be no operating room. Praise the Lord!! The room calmed down and I finally got to hold and feed my baby.

Somewhere in there Matthew was holding our little girl and said, "She has to be Niah, she does not look like any of the other names on our list." Niah Beth King was born at 3:02 pm, weighed 5 lbs 10 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She is doing very well and we both love and adore her.

This is a picture of her that I took just today. I realize she is my baby so I am partial but I do believe she is the most beautiful baby.

Due Date

Well today is officially my due date and as of yesterday I am no closer to delivering than I was 6 weeks ago. Somedays I actually think this little girl is climbing up my stomach instead of dropping down lower. I have been officially scheduled for an induction next tues/wed, if I do not go into labor. So my prayer for the rest of this week is that I do go into labor!! You may ask why tues/wed, well that is because I am headed to the dr. tues morning for him to check me. If I am in the same place I am now which is not even began to ripe, he will admit me into the hospital and begin the whole process of trying to make me ripe. It is pretty funny to me that you measure a baby by fruits and vegetables and then they tell you how close you are to delivery by how ripe you are, again fruits and vegetables. Apparently, the ripening can take awhile and then he will start the induction process. He pretty much told me that it would be wed. before I had her. So as you can see that sounds like a long lengthy process and if you think of it send some prayers that this girl will come before then!!

I am going take one of the pictures from our maternity session and put it on the wall in the nursery and I am going to either put the verse: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ~ Psalm 139:13, or The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. ~ Isaiah 49:1"

Now, knowing that either way I will have this wonderful baby in my arms by early next week makes me so excited. I have dreamed about her coming and prayed over her life for the last 8 or so months (I was 6 weeks along when I found out) and now she will actually begin life in this world. I am anxious to see her personality, and the wonderful person God created and what amazing things HE has in store for her.

Until she comes I am going to work on things at the house. Last night I cleaned all the windows, screens, and window seals and washed every blanket sheet and towel. Now on to removing every trace of dog hair off the furniture. Poor Addie will not know what to do when baby comes. She got kicked off the furniture but we did buy her a very nice dog pillow. She is well aware she is not allowed in the nursery and will stand at the nursery door watching me in there. I will have to get her lots of treats and bones so she does not feel left out.

Here are a couple more pics from our maternity session

Antsy Pantsy

My due date is around the corner and our baby girl is not showing any signs of wanting to come out. What can I say, she must enjoy warm environments as much as I do. I prefer the temp of the house to be high 70's where as the husband likes it at high 60's (even while I have been pregnant). Weeks ago, the dr informed me that she could come any day and now he is not so sure when she will make her appearance. The last few appointments she has not made any progress of exiting the wound. It's a good thing I didn't get my hopes up.

I continue to prepare things for our little one and with each passing day, I think of new things to get done at home and work. My thinking is it is easier to get things done now while there is not a baby to care for as opposed to when my attention will be on her. I get more excited for her arrival everyday!!

We got to preview our maternity pics. If you would like to go to them just go to this link it's a video preview.

Here is one of the pics from our session.


Well, a baby coming has not stopped progress in the basement being finished. Matthew and his dad have been hanging drywall all week in the basement. Matthew says his motivation to finish is so he can have a quiet place to go after the baby comes :-)

The end is near

Most people tell me that, my pregnancy has flown by for them but honestly my pregnancy has flown by for me as well. I can not believe that I am only 2 weeks away from my due date. Luckily, I have not been uncomfortable at all and have no complaints about the last trimester. I may have paid my discomfort in the first trimester, because at that point I was never going to get pregnant again and I think Matthew was on the same boat of never wanting me to get pregnant again. We joke now about it but Matthew said at times he was sure I was going die of dehydration and lack eating. I would gladly have two 3rd trimesters and just skip the first one. My only wish is that I had a little more energy, it seems I get less done in a day than I would like, due to exhaustion.

Well in the last week we have managed to go to birthing class, get maternity pictures done, and keep up with our weekly drs. appt. Birthing class was a relief for Matthew because the 7 hr class only took 4 1/2 hours. He said he learned alot and thought that everything that was shown in the class was valuable information. He also learned that birth is dramatized in the movies.... Matthew said you really have hours upon hours to get the hospital from your initial contraction. In the beginning I tried telling him this but I think he doubted me. Matthew's dr appt. went well, he has new skin growth!! It seems his hand his hurting him less, and he is getting his energy back! Thank goodness. My drs. appt had a little less news than his. The baby has moved down some but not enough to notice. I am not dialated to a cm yet just a dimple but the dr. told me that doesn't mean you can't have a baby this week. Christa wants me to have the baby friday, another friend put her money on the 16th. My due date is not actually till the 27th, whats your prediction?

Getting a hospital route down

As most of you heard, Matthew thought he would see how long it takes to get to the hospital in an emergency. Last Thursday, Matthew was working in the tabernacle and his thumb got cut by a chop saw (which is an electric saw used to cut 2x4's). Not knowing the severity of the accident and knowing the power of the saw, Matthew grabbed his thumb didn't let go and jumped in the truck with my dad. My dad driving at extremely fast speed at points of going 100 got to the hospital in 12 minutes which usually takes 25 minutes. Matthew's exact words were, "Your dad DROVE GOOD, It is important to have someone get you there quick in times like that." Matthew didn't let go of his thumb until they were in the E.R. and they made him let go of it. My dad and Matthew kept the severity of the situation away from my ears in fear of sending me into labor. They called and let us know they were going to the hospital. By the time I got there, Matthew had been heavily medicated and the Drs. had good reports so not quite as intense as the intial entrance to the hospital. The dr. did continue to ask me as they were cleaning and working on his thumb if I was doing ok. Matthew's thumb is still very tender and he doesn't like to move it much or put it below his heart but it is doing much better. The dr. told him it would be 6-8 weeks before it would be completely healed to the point he can use it but we are believing in a much quicker recovery. Matthew enjoys working with his hands and has found out how valuable his thumb is in working with his hand and says he knows God will give him a quicker recovery. Matthew has joined my club of weekly drs. visits, as well. But after this incident we do know we can make it to the hospital in 12 minutes if we have to.

Baby is doing well, I am 37 weeks and would be considered full term when she arrives from this point on. Our little one is gaining around 1/2 ounces everyday and practicing blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping. The dr. says I am not ripe yet and he said he would like to tell me based on that around when I will have her but that is really not accurate. He said some women can be dilated 2-4 inche and be 50% effaced for weeks and some women can not be dilated at all and go into labor within the week. Babies come at their own timing. The dr. also informed that I could not possibly carry her any higher and she can not grow any further up. My ribs definately realize that she is high and her body consistently hits them. Thankfully, I am not uncomfortable at all and have no swelling. For the first time in my pregnancy it seems I am more tired during the day and have a harder time falling asleep at night. I mostly can't sleep at night because I think about all the things I need to get done before she arrives. Matthew and I are attending birthing class on Saturday. He is not so thrilled that it is from 8:30 to 3:30.

The nursery is almost completely done. I am just waiting on a corner shelf from Kansas City. We have pretty much purchased all of the things we needed to start off with, that I could think of. I am sure there is plenty of things I didn't think of or forgot. I also have to put pictures on the walls they are pretty bare. I plan on using the little time I have left to get things ready and spring clean. I know after baby comes I will not have much time on my hands as it goes into busy season at the camp.
Me at 37 weeks, as you can see a very high large basketball is my bump :-)

Always a project in the King House

If you have not observed, Matthew and I seem to take on huge projects, one right after the other (more like overlapping). We got married, built a house, got pregnant, and now we are finishing the basement. Before I go in further, our lives are by far not perfect but we have definately been blessed beyond measure. I can not even express how thankful I am for everything in my life.

Ok back to the basement, we bought the bathtub/shower combo this weekend and the plumber is working today to finish the plumbing. Matthew started last night on framing in the last wall for the bedroom, bathroom, laundry room. As I said, our lives our not perfect and with that comes the accident of matthew backing his truck with 16 ft long boards into the garge to put a pretty little dent in it. My only reply was, "So glad that it was not me that did it :-)" (I have already had my fair share of denting things and him having to fix them.) Matthew's goal to finish the basement by the time the baby gets here or at least the drywall done. He says he is finishing it because he wants a quiet place to sleep but I know that he is just kidding and will want to be apart of the nightly wake ups.
Here are some pictures of the beginning our our basement project
This is the basement wall


This is the garage dent


The nursery is getting closer to being done. The bedding is done and we bought our crib mattress. The curtains are hung and the light fixture is up with a dimmer. Matthew made me a canopy and I am will finish the material for the canopy this weekend and we will hang that. Last few projects is pick up shelf in Odessa and paint it. Hang pictures on the walls. Put a second shelf in the closet.

Here are a few pictures of the nursery
The changing table with my diaper stacker (I made)

The finished crib with mattress and bedding

The curtains, for some reason the lighting made the room look orange


Of course I did not leave out the progress of baby girl. I am 35 weeks along which means only 5 weeks to go. I had an ultrasound last week and she is 4lbs 12 ozs which puts her in the 36% range. She is a little below average on size but very healthy. The most she could way if I went over is 7lbs 5 ozs according to the dr. The good news is that I will not be delivering a 8 or 9 lbs. baby. The best news was that she is not breech any more which means no scheduled c-section for me. She is already showing her strong will and making us wait for her delivery to get a good look at her face. I have had more ultrasounds than the normal person of around 7 or 8 and on every single ultrasound she has found a way to hide her face so we could not get a good look. I started weekly appts 2 weeks ago, and I make my way to the dr every week so he can track the progress. He is suspecting an early delivery but I am not getting my hopes up incase she decideds to make me wait. I have felt great and have not been too uncomfortable, thank goodness, because some people make it sound terribly in the last few months. I actually sometimes forget I have a huge basket ball in my stomach until I look down or look in the mirror or someone inquires about my pregnancy. There is still no name for our little one and will probably not be a name till after delivery, I have to see her.

7 weeks to go and counting

I am in the 8th month already and it is almost impossible to believe that my pregnancy has gone by this fast. The dr. says that our little girl has a healthy heart beat and that I have the lowest blood pressure he has ever seen in a pregnant lady. Next week, we will have an ultrasound to see the position of our baby and how she is doing. If you look at my belly anytime I am wearing a fitted shirt you will see lumps poke out where she is moving. Sometimes she will leave some part of her body poked out and I will have to push it back in.
As labor is approaching, I have been reading up on the Bradley method of delivery. As I am reading about labor and natural ways to help with pain relief since I am going to attempt a natural delivery, I am even more amazed at child birth. I do not understand how any woman that has been pregnant can deny that there is no God. I think about how this baby is created and formed and develops, the complexity of it is just amazing. It starts out the size of a poppyseed and grows into a baby with a brain, lungs, heart, and everything else it needs to survive. Not only is that truly amazing but God created woman to be able to house and deliver babies into the world.
Now, past all of that, I will have to admit that labor and delivery is slightly intimidating. I tell myself constantly there are 8 billion people in the world and all 8 billion have gone through delivery. I also tell myself if a teenage girl can survive delivery and labor surely I can. I also tell myself that moms that have had 1 baby PLAN, not surprise, but PLAN another pregnancy and try for it. It is not contractions or pushing it is the fact that an entire human being will be escaping my body through a very small opening is the part that is slightly terrifying but thankfully self talk and telling my self whether I am ready or not this baby will come so I need to prepare mentally helps. But I must admit, everyday as I read another chapter or start another book on delivery, there is alot of self talk going on and maybe even more prayer. Jesus, hears please give me a small baby and an easy delivery with a quick recovery daily!!
On the the planning for baby, we are getting the nursery complete. Dear friends of ours (Christa and I, it was a joint shower), Celia (and Steve, he did so much) threw us the most special baby shower with such thoughtful touches. They took pictures of the day, made posters and signs, had adorable napkins, everything was set up so lovely, and delicious food. Then we had so many amazing friends that have been around our lives that blessed us with wonderful gifts that helped us get ready for our little girls. I think how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life and excited for my little girl to be that blessed to have so many people that will love her and be apart of her life, is so wonderful. After the shower, I have been organizing and finishing the nursery. We found a great light fixture on clearance (My favorite aisles), we picked up the changing table, and have been moving things around the room.
Here is a picture from our shower with my mom and Celia


Here is our light fixture for the nursery