Kamryn's Birth Story

So, I wanted to have K's birth story here with the other's, too. I realized I had a great one typed up in response to my first midwife's question of how it went. She had predicted that despite a different genetic baby, that she would still be a decent sized baby (read big) and labor would be quick. Here is my response on June 8th:

{Yes, you predicted very accurately! Here are the awesome details for you... I was 7 days overdue and really starting to wonder if I had another Sydney situation on our hands although I was having off and on prodromal labor (no rhyme or reason or rhythm) for about a week. Then on Sydney's last day of preschool (subconscious?) after everyone was in the middle of nap/rest time at 4:00pm I started to notice the gentle contractions although this time there started a rhythm to them every 3-5 mins. As they steadily got stronger, I was getting excited that the time had finally come. We got the kids fed and in bed and my mom here, and they were getting stronger but still tolerable. Then about 9:30 or so I decided they were starting to get intense enough to go to the hospital since I didn't want to be miserable in the car... I was comparing the pain to my labor with Brynna and I still was not internalizing yet and it was really tolerable. So we arrived around 10:20 and checked in. By the time I was getting my gown on and in the room, the intensity started to pick up quickly so I sent my hubby to heat up the heating bag for my back and the nurse went to get the dilation check kit or something. Then I had a really intense contraction and my water exploded all over the floor (completely clear, yay no meconium for once!). SOOOO immediately after that I went into transition and felt the need to push and felt her head/ring of fire right away! My hubby comes in and then yells for the nurse who comes in and gets me to the bed to "check" and says whoa the baby is coming! Haha! So I hop out of bed to relieve the pain and push some more and the nurse was holding my perineum and telling me to stop. Haha! So she yells down the hall for someone and a Dr. who just finished a C-section runs in. And they somehow got me back in the bed despite me saying, "I can't, I can't". I did not want to be in the bed. Haha! And then one push for the head, unwrap the cord a few times and then one push for the body and it was over!!!! She was born at 10:40.... We were at the hospital for only 20 minutes! The major blessing and answer to prayer was I was Group B positive this time and desperately didn't want antibiotics due to my systemic yeast issues with nursing Sydney, but I really didn't want to risk the baby either. But with my water breaking and baby being born in the next couple minutes, her exposure was almost none, and I also had too fast a labor to have any antibiotics! So I was able to hold Kamryn and nurse her for 2+ hours while they checked me in... haha! She was surprisingly big and long (I still hide it well, because they were guessing 7 pounder) but her head it so tiny compared to my first two... I only had a first degree tear on my scar tissue from before. Seriously very little healing pain this time around! So I was blessed with a rooming in baby this time (yay no NICU!) and the transition to home has been so amazing. She nurses awesome, although I still managed to get some open sores to heal again. Almost healed now. Every time! Must be the way my body does things until my milk comes in... So far she is a great sleeper and has just started the evening fussy time, but she has been giving me a 4 hour and 3 hour stretch of sleep at night for over a week now. God has really blessed me, and the girls are in love. We all are! }

Kamryn Joy was born on May 19th, was 8lbs 10oz, and was 22 1/2 inches long.  

I am going to brag on my God a bit by sharing about my baby girl. She is such a joy, just like her name. I had TWO hard babies first, so trust me when I say I have "paid my dues". Ha ha! J/K We are doing great breastfeeding and she has NO intolerance food issues!! I can eat whatever I want!! She barely ever spits up. You can lay her flat on her back to sleep... no reflux. She is such a dream baby.  She goes to sleep on her own when I lay her down.  She barely fusses if she has a paci.  No evening colicky crying hours.  She is so sweet and smiley.  She sleeps 4-5 hour stretches at night.  Actually she sleeps so much I have wondered if something was wrong.  But according to charts she is normal... my first two just weren't. =P  She is the type of baby that I understand why people have baby fever and want a million babies to love...  It is so nice to have her being my third because I am soaking up every last moment knowing time is fleeting.  And my experiences with my first two have also made it easier since I learned so many baby tricks through them.  Also it is such a blessing that she is so easy so far since I have the older two to keep up with.  Because let me tell you, two year olds are NOT easy. =P  But the transition to three has been almost no issue since she has been so easy.  I just praise God from whom all blessings flow!  I was so worried about three, and He just granted me a dream without me even wanting it.  He is so Gracious!  And to clarify, I love all my miracle babies equally no matter what.  They all have taught me something and formed my character and for these experiences I am grateful.

Infertility Journey Summary and Quick Check-in

I was responding to a FB post of a fellow EA mom and just thought I would paste it here, too since is sums up our infertility journey so well.  

I suppose this is also my blog announcement of sorts of the birth of my third girl, Kamryn Joy. =P Life is SOOO busy and hard, but SOOO fulfilling and grateful. LOVE all my girls!!


{My husband and I had accepted that we would not have any genetic children after trying for 5+ years with unexplained infertility. When we had two girls from two successful EA transfers two years apart, we were elated and felt so underserving of two beautiful children. We often joked in secret that "store bought" was the best and any of our "homemade" children would never live up to them. We were planning a baby break before we went back for our last embryo. We both felt that we did not want any biological children after having our girls. But God had other plans, and I got pregnant on my 2nd or 3rd cycle back from breastfeeding my second girl. That was 11 years into marriage! We were shocked and had to majorly process it. I felt sooooo guilty for not wanting a biological child at that time. She wouldn't compare to our first two...she would be the odd one out...I wanted another year to enjoy our first two before adding another crazy baby year....how could I being an infertile, not want a spontaneous pregnancy? But I of course now am soooo thankful for our third baby and love her to death. Honestly, so far it has felt no different than my first two. But realized I just had to process the emotions from it since we had resolved and "buried" the chance of a genetic child. I also realized with infertility and EA, I had some "control" over my children's arrival and timing and that was taken from me. So anyway, it happened to me and of course now i would not change a thing. Only time will tell how the girls all relate to each other over the years with their different stories. Now instead of saying, "I love my snowflakes", I say, "i love my miracle babies", because that is what they all have in common.}

Born 5/19 @ 10:40pm, 8 lbs. 10 oz., 22 1/2 inches

Baby Girl #3!

I have come to terms I am not really blogging anymore. I just don't have the time. :P But I forget I have left some of you wondering. Sorry! 

We are excited to be having another precious girl, we have named Kamryn Joy. I have finally accepted the God's timing is not mine and am so excited to have another little snuggly one on the way. They grow SO fast! But any prayers for the transition will be so appreciated.  God is so good! I can't wait to meet her and neither can Sydney. Brynna is quite oblivious. ;) Only two more months, give or take a few days!!

Announcement Picture

I forgot to post our announcement picture in the last post.  I also want to apologize if I hurt anyone with my honesty in the last post.  I probably should have kept some of that to myself being that I was sharing with the infertile world, where I remember the dreams of wanting to be overwhelmed with children are very painfully real.  I think I just to have to honestly say, I am just stretched a little thin but wouldn't trade it for the world...  We are very grateful!

Overwhelmed by God's Goodness

It is hard to believe that it has been about 8 months since I last posted!  I never intended to for that to happen but life with young children is just non-stop busy!  I am so grateful for that problem though. ;o)  A few recent pictures taken in September of the girls:

15 months and 3 years old

I do have some news to share...  Back in July we were shocked to find out that we were pregnant on our own.  It was a spontaneous miracle since we have never been pregnant naturally before in our 11 years of marriage, despite our unexplained infertility.  Our heads were spinning with the thought of a new baby so soon.  We were planning a year off to give us some breather time between baby phases before we went back for our last snowflake.  We also had come to terms with the fact we would not have genetic children.  We love our girls so much, we feel one of our own genetics will never compare. ;o)  So in one day all that was changed and our world as we knew it was totally shifted.  We were grateful and yet overwhelmed.  Three kids, all two years apart!  And we thought we would never have any for five plus years trying!  And then for me the guilt hit, that question of why me?  I have two beautiful girls, and I know many women just wanting one baby or a sibling.  How could I not want another pregnancy so soon?  I have always dreamed of four kids since I was little!  But being a realist still recovering from 3 years of survival mode, I just couldn't help how I was feeling even though I didn't want to.  I just know how hard babies are, especially my special diet, reflux, intolerance babies!  I also felt like I didn't belong in the infertile "club" any more.  I can now conceive on my own...  I KNOW that ultimately God is painting the masterpiece that is our family, and He wanted these snowflakes to be ours.  But I couldn't help the thought of that I am not part of the identity of infertile anymore.  So weird to come to terms with that, and then have it change.  So weird!

So for two weeks we finally wrapped our heads around the thought and excitement of another blessing.  But I had noticed that my symptoms were waning, and I was feeling more normal.  Then I started spotting.  Then in August at 6 weeks 3 days, the miscarriage started.  We took it hard, I guess not thinking that would happen, but then remembering of course we are broken at conceiving. ;0) TMI:  Then by accident I came across the small pea sized "amniotic sac".  There was nothing in it, thus it was a blighted ovum miscarriage.  That can happen to anyone my research says.  I was relieved there was no baby involved, but still had to grieve the loss of the idea of a baby coming.  But I will say that it was so much easier to handle the loss with these two beautiful girls to care for.  I was oh so grateful for them!!

So fast forward to September 4, I found myself about 4 days late for my period again.  I am usually like clock work.  It was like dejavu of the last cycle.  The girls and I took a trip to the dollar store again to get two more tests...  Although this time I had noticed some similar signs the same as last time (diarrhea and nausea a week before- around implantation time), so I had some suspicion although still skeptical.  And just like last time, the test turned positive right away after lunch.  So this time there was still shock (especially of it happening two cycles in a row!), but now doubt of it sticking around.

But today, here I sit 12 weeks pregnant with our genetic child, due May 12, 2015.  An amazing blessing from God we don't deserve.  I can't explain it other than God's plan for our lives.  I do know one major difference was that I was still on a strict wheat free, soy free, nut free, dairy free diet from nursing B, although she was only nursing at night.  I have had time to work through some of my thoughts and emotions, and we are so excited/scared to have another little love to raise.  The baby years are temporary, and God will give me strength.  And we can't wait to see what God has in store for the last snowflake patiently waiting for us.  I may be granted my childhood dream of four children!  Only God.  I have been doing an amazing Job Bible study at church right now and the timing is so Providential.  I have learned through our suffering God will reveal Himself more clearly to us.  Learning to be a selfless mom has been such a molding of my character and is teaching me a lot about my spoiled self.  Minor suffering compared to other major things in life people deal with, but still the hardest times of my life so far.  God is so good!  All the time!  We are overwhelmed with God's goodness!

10 week ultrasound

P.S.  Sorry to be so honest and real, but I felt I needed to share in case it helps ease the sting of a pregnancy announcement for some.  But maybe it made it worse, I have been there and that is why I  have struggled with announcing this pregnancy!

Fun in the sun today! Picnic at the park... Love my life with these girls!

Brynna- 5 months