I am not a big fan of doing Memes on my blog. In fact, although I've read and enjoyed them on other writer's blogs, I've never done one myself. I found this one on Lu's blog, though, and decided that with the new baby just weeks away, this Meme dedicated to pregnancy and childbirth would be a great one to try! I'll start with Gavin, my firstborn, and I'll tackle Maddie and Owen over the next few days...
Gavin Christopher ***; December 8, 2002
1. How long had you been married at the time of the birth? One year, four months
2. What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? Extreme excitement. I had had a miscarriage at 12 weeks just a few months before and we were so thankful to have this new little life.
3. How old were you? I was 21 when I found out and 22 when he was born.
4. How did you find out that you were pregnant? I took a home pregnancy test, but I also had blood work done at the doctors because of my recent miscarriage.
5. Who did you tell first? Brian was with me when I took the test, but after that I think we called my family and then either Brian's mom or sister.
6. Did you find out the sex? Yes, we did. We were both hoping for a boy and that is exactly what he was. The office that did the sonogram offered to record on a video for us so we have a permanent reminder of that day!
7. Due date? December 1, 2002
8. Did you deliver early or late? Late, 7-long-days-late! In fact, my OB planned to induce first thing in the morning on the eighth day, but thankfully I went into labor on my own before that could happen.
9. Did you have morning sickness? Yes, terrible morning sickness for 6 months and mild morning sickness for the remaining 3! This may be too much information, but I was even still throwing up a week before he was born although it wasn't a daily occurrence by then!
10. What did you crave? Steak and ice cream, just not together! Even though I was sick, I still wanted to eat. I could NOT eat raw tomatoes or pineapple, though, which both had too much acid for my already weak tummy!
11. Who irritated you most? My boss where I worked for the first three months of my pregnancy who kept implying that morning sickness should be over by the afternoon!
12. What was your first child's sex? A boy, through and through!
13. How many pounds did you gain throughout your first pregnancy? A little personal, don't you think? I think I gained 39 pounds, despite throwing up and being sick!
14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not really. Everything went smoothly.
15. Where did you give birth? in our local hospital that was only about a 10 minute drive away
16. How many hours were you in labor? I woke up in labor around 1-2 am, but I wasn't sure until around 3 am. Unfortunately Brian, had worked late the evening before (at a different job than the one he has now) and barely got any sleep before heading the hospital around 7 am. When I got to the hospital my labor stalled and we ended up dozing and watching TV until things picked up again. Gavin was born a little after 2 in the afternoon so my labor was about 12-13 hours total.
17. Who drove you to the hospital? Brian did.
18. Who watched? No offence to anyone who feels differently, but I don't believe birth is a spectator sport. Brian was the only one I wanted at the birth. Of course, between the doctor, a nurse, a pediatric nurse, a respiratory therapist (because the amniotic fluid contained meconium), and few students who slipped in when I was in no mood to talk and asked me if it was okay if they watched, we were not alone!
19. Was it vaginal or c-section? vaginal
20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Despite my plan to have a drug-free labor, after lying on my back for hours (even though they promised it would only be minutes) hooked to fetal monitors and an IV, I gave in and got an epidural at 7 cm.
21. How much did your baby weigh? He was a whopping 9 pounds, 4 ounces, although I can't say it was too big of a deal since I only pushed for 20 minutes.
22. What did you name your first born baby? Gavin (a name we liked) Christopher (his daddy's middle name)
23. How old is your baby today? He's 5 1/2 and he'll be six on his next birthday!
I love to hear about other women's pregnancies and births. Right now, especially, it is a fun thing to read about to pass the time! Please let me know if you do this Meme on your blog because I'd love to read it. Or if you'd rather, tell me your birth or pregnancy story in my comments section.
I love to hear about other women's pregnancies and births. Right now, especially, it is a fun thing to read about to pass the time! Please let me know if you do this Meme on your blog because I'd love to read it. Or if you'd rather, tell me your birth or pregnancy story in my comments section.
I'm going to do this on my blog, so feel free to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog yet, so here's mine!
ReplyDeleteMadeline "Maddie" Ruth *
February 19, 2008
1. How long had you been married at the time of the birth? Two years, 6 months
2. What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant? We were trying, but it was still a combination of complete terror, total shock and extreme excitement.
3. How old were you? I was 23 when I found out and 24 when she was born.
4. How did you find out that you were pregnant? Home pregnancy test. I think it was like the 10th one I took and it was finally positive.
5. Who did you tell first? Justin, of course. And then my sister Katie. We waited until I was 8 weeks to tell the rest of the family.
6. Did you find out the sex? Nope, we wanted it to be a surprise! I'm so glad we did!
7. Due date? February 11, 2008 (my birthday!)
8. Did you deliver early or late? 8 days late!! I moved my induction twice just waiting for her to decide to come on her own. I had two false alarms and finally went into labor "for real" on the 19th.
9. Did you have morning sickness? Not too bad. And only when my stomach was empty. It was totally gone by 12 weeks.
10. What did you crave? Everything. Although I think my pregnancy was just an excuse to say "I'm craving a Frosty - gotta have one!"
11. Who irritated you most? Other pregnant women. Six women from church were pregnant at the same time - nope, it was not planned!
12. What was your first child's sex? A girl - I was the first one to see the sex when she came out. What a great surprise, we were so sure it was going to be a boy!
13. How many pounds did you gain throughout your first pregnancy? Ugh. Too much. 40 lbs.
14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not one.
15. Where did you give birth? Local hospital
16. How many hours were you in labor? It started around 10pm the night before and contractions were 10 minutes apart all night. We finally went in around 11am the next morning when they were 3 minutes apart (I did not want this to be my THIRD false alarm!). I was STILL only 1 cm. Two hours later I was 3, and things started moving more quickly after that. She was born at 8:36pm. So 22 hours total and about 10 hours of hard labor. Loooong day!
17. Who drove you to the hospital? Justin.
18. Who watched? Just Justin. And the doctor, nurse and two student nurses. Thank God for them, because my L&D nurse was a witch.
19. Was it vaginal or c-section? vaginal
20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Nope. Totally drug-free.
21. How much did your baby weigh?
7 lbs. 13.9 oz.
22. What did you name your first born baby? Madeline (the only name we both loved) Ruth (his Grandmothers name)
23. How old is your baby today? 7 months old!
I love reading these. I'm gonna do Grayson's this week too! :) Looking forward to reading Maddie's and Owen's. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to put it up on my blog, as well! :) Yours was very fun to read - you're right, it really is a woman's favorite discussion topic. I notice that in general, we all jump at the chance to share our special stories. I love hearing about it!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll do it on my blog, but it will be a few days before it posts, so I'll do it here too.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin
December 18, 2002
1. How long had you been married at the time of the birth?
-5 1/2 years
2. What were your reactions when you found out that you were pregnant?
-Disbelief, thrilled excitement. We had been TTC for 2 1/2 years and had just about given up on a biological child, when...BINGO!!
3. How old were you?
-I was 25 when I fell pregnant and 26 when the baby was born.
4. How did you find out that you were pregnant?
-3 HPTs, then blood tests because I needed further proof!
5. Who did you tell first?
-Technically, the OB's office, because they ordered the blood tests for me. I was fortunate to be able to get tested that day, and everything came up "baby!" My husband's birthday was the very next day, and I decided to keep it a secret and give him a special gift (a book called "The Expectant Father") as a birthday gift. I was so proud that I could keep the secret from him for 24 hours!
6. Did you find out the sex?
-No, we wanted a surprise!
7. Due date?
-December 7, 2002
8. Did you deliver early or late? -Late, 11 days late.
9. Did you have morning sickness?
-Not much to speak of. No vomiting, just the occasional wave of nausea.
10. What did you crave?
-Mexican food
11. Who irritated you most?
-My husband when we were doing our first "healthy pregnancy food" grocery trip. He said "Uh, you know you're only supposed to gain 3 or 4 pounds the first trimester...right?
12. What was your first child's sex?
-A boy
13. How many pounds did you gain throughout your first pregnancy?
-55 horrible lbs
14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
-No, none.
15. Where did you give birth?
-At a freestanding waterbirth center. It was lovely, like giving birth at the Ritz.
16. How many hours were you in labor?
-14 hours
17. Who drove you to the hospital? -My husband drove me to the birthing center.
18. Who watched?
-My husband and the birth team (midwife and 3 apprentices)
19. Was it vaginal or c-section? -Vaginal
20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
-No.
21. How much did your baby weigh? -8 lb 3 oz
22. What did you name your first born baby?
-Benjamin Wayne
23. How old is your baby today?
-He's 5 1/2 (nearly 6, though!)