Little Miss Betty arrived the 22nd of July 2020.
Not surprisingly, now that I am on child #3, it takes a bit longer to get through my 'to do' list. So here I am with a nearly 3 month old writing about my pregnancy and birth. But this is for her as much as anything, and writing down my experience later is better than never.
The pregnancy was really quite uneventful in the beginning. No nausea or anything. We were able to share the news with Ulises family in person when we went to Spain for Christmas. Things continued smoothly when we went back to the states too. We found out early baby was a girl and we started brain storming baby names. Covid of course came and life was uprooted a bit. My work teaching a parenting class went online and then the program was discontinued for fall of 2020. Ulises and Walter also were brought home to work and study. We used the time at home for home improvements which I do not recommend doing while 7 or 8 months pregnant. We leveled soil, we brought in sod, we built a giant playground and I complained a lot.
The heat and the lack of exercise during this pregnancy probably made it harder towards the end. With my gym closing and the yard work and the homeschooling and the heat.... I started retaining a lot of water. I was incredibly swollen! I was uncomfortable and very very very big. haha. I asked my OB if she could guess how big baby was, and she said moms who have given birth before are better able to estimate the size of subsequent babies than their doctors are. To me, it felt like I had a big baby in there.
and I did.
and I did.
(This shows before and after. I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy and lost most of it within 2 weeks of giving birth. Not to say I have any type of enviable pre-baby figure back... far from it... but just to point out how much of that weight was super uncomfortable water retention)
For weeks I was dilated to a 4, then a 5, then to an almost 6 and I still didn't go into labor! I knew my body would eventually go, but it was annoying to be so far dilated with no big signs of labor coming. I talked with my Doctor and because I really wanted her to deliver my baby, I opted for an induction on a day she was going to be on call. We were given the opportunity on July 21st to go in on July 22nd. And that's what we did.
My parents and eldest sister had driven over the night before to be there for Walter and Belen. I entered the Hospital 2 days past my due date and was dilated to a 7 but still no contractions. They broke my water early in the morning but it didn't bring on any contractions. It wasn't until 7 at night that my doc said we should try some Pitocin. I hadn't thought that was an option since I had a previous c-section, but my doctor said I was a great candidate so we did it!
The contractions started to ramp up as soon as Ulises decided it was a great time to bring in and chat with a neighbor who was a nurse working that night. Not great timing, honey! I couldn't concentrate and I started moaning and such and we were soon left to the task at hand.
The contractions started to ramp up as soon as Ulises decided it was a great time to bring in and chat with a neighbor who was a nurse working that night. Not great timing, honey! I couldn't concentrate and I started moaning and such and we were soon left to the task at hand.
I had opted to not have an epidural since I was so far dilated at the start of this thing. The nurses helping me labor made it possible. They also encouraged and guided Ulises so he could provide support and counter pressure and all that stuff. My nurse was amazing. Ulises also was a great support once he knew what to do ;)
The contractions were strong and quick. I used the birthing bar and was on my knees a lot. I remember yelling " I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do!" when those big contractions towards the end were happening. My nurse said " Don't worry, you're doing it!"
Within 2 hours of starting the Pitocin it was time to push. I did that from a crouching position on the bed with my doctor ready to catch the baby. When Betty was being born she experienced some shoulder dystocia. I remember being flipped over and a nurse just started pushing on my abdomen to help get her out. Doctor B was able to get Betty out and while it was a little bit of a scary moment, Betty had no lasting effects and her mobility wasn't affected. I also had no tearing and I experienced SO MUCH RELIEF the instant she was born. It was amazing the difference actually.
The cord was a bit short so they couldn't put the baby in my arms until they delivered the afterbirth. So I held Betty by my hip and just stroked her chubby little face and enjoyed looking at her thick head of hair. Dr B had told me earlier that morning during an exam that she could see baby and knew baby would come with lots of hair, and boy was she right!
Within 2 hours of starting the Pitocin it was time to push. I did that from a crouching position on the bed with my doctor ready to catch the baby. When Betty was being born she experienced some shoulder dystocia. I remember being flipped over and a nurse just started pushing on my abdomen to help get her out. Doctor B was able to get Betty out and while it was a little bit of a scary moment, Betty had no lasting effects and her mobility wasn't affected. I also had no tearing and I experienced SO MUCH RELIEF the instant she was born. It was amazing the difference actually.
The cord was a bit short so they couldn't put the baby in my arms until they delivered the afterbirth. So I held Betty by my hip and just stroked her chubby little face and enjoyed looking at her thick head of hair. Dr B had told me earlier that morning during an exam that she could see baby and knew baby would come with lots of hair, and boy was she right!
Once Betty was weighed and measured I was vindicated to see she was 9 lbs 6 ounces. She looked so chubby and healthy and cherubesque! No wonder I felt so big towards the end of pregnancy, and no wonder I felt immediate relief!
The next moments were joyful with Ulises taking a turn to hold Betty and me, in a rather incoherent way, apologizing to the nurses for my whining and wailing, and thanking them for delivering my baby safely. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by strong knowledgeable women when Betty was born. I really am glad I decided to be induced so the Doctor I saw for each of my prenatal visits was the one that delivered me.
The next moments were joyful with Ulises taking a turn to hold Betty and me, in a rather incoherent way, apologizing to the nurses for my whining and wailing, and thanking them for delivering my baby safely. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by strong knowledgeable women when Betty was born. I really am glad I decided to be induced so the Doctor I saw for each of my prenatal visits was the one that delivered me.
I've had three children now with different methods of birthing. Walter was a c-section, Belen was a vaginal delivery with Epidural, and Betty was without an Epidural. All were different and beautiful in their own way. If I get pregnant again I don't now what I would choose to do. I know some people say birthing without an epidural is best, But I think I was only able to pull that off because I already came in at 6 cm! It was by far my fastest healing time however. So I guess I don't know how I would do it again....
Since being home Betty has been such a delight. She is 100% formula fed and boy does it feel great to have found what works for us and to go forward with no doubts and just spend time enjoying my baby instead of worrying about the mechanics of my imperfect body and lactation ( You can read Belen's and Walters birth stories here and here for more context)
Since being home Betty has been such a delight. She is 100% formula fed and boy does it feel great to have found what works for us and to go forward with no doubts and just spend time enjoying my baby instead of worrying about the mechanics of my imperfect body and lactation ( You can read Belen's and Walters birth stories here and here for more context)
She eats well, sleeps well and is the most chill baby! I wouldn't say that Walter or Belen were very difficult children, but sometimes we will put Betty down on a play mat and I will go fuss over the other children and when I return to Betty she will be sound asleep just laying there under her dangling baby toys.
Initially she slept 3-4 hour stretches, but she is less than 3 months old and we have had several nights of 8,9 and even 10 hour stretches of sleep. She is the perfect 3rd child for this crazy household.
Initially she slept 3-4 hour stretches, but she is less than 3 months old and we have had several nights of 8,9 and even 10 hour stretches of sleep. She is the perfect 3rd child for this crazy household.
Both Belen and Walter love her. Belen sings to her and calls her pretty. Walter will talk to her. "Betty, do you know you are on earth now?! Well, you are!" He loves to give her a kiss before he runs off to school.
We named her Bethany May. We chose Bethany because it is a Biblical City and it matches her sister's name--Belen! ( which means Bethlehem in Spanish). Bethany in Spanish would be Bettania, but Ulises preferred the English version. And then I just call her Betty for short.
We used the name May because I wanted to name the baby after my eldest sister Rachel who has been not just a sister, but has cared for me with love and friendship for my entire life. She is an exceptional Aunt to my other children and I thought it fitting that one of them share a name with her.
Betty May is the perfect addition to our family and I feel so grateful that I get to be her mother...
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And here are some cookies I made for my OB cause I am a nerd.
