My Labor Experience

Well here’s the post everyone’s been waiting for. I’m going to start from the very beginning:

At 41 weeks, Jacob and I started doing everything, literally EVERYTHING, to induce my labor. From eating spicy food, going on bumpy rides every single day, walking until my feet felt like they would fall off (BTW I didn’t swell during my entire pregnancy because I drank plenty of water), doing the dirty, acupressure, massages, bananas, yoga, stripping my membranes (twice!), whatever you can think of, we did it, and NOTHING WORKED. So my conclusion on inducing labor based on my personal experience is that nothing can induce labor, your baby comes whenever he/she decides to come.

I was scheduled to be induced Monday morning, and as much as I was opting not to be induced, I was going to let them because one, it would be safer for the baby not to exceed 42 weeks in utero, and two I would be more than ready at that point for Natalia to be here. Fortunately my water finally broke the Friday afternoon prior to my induction date. At first I wasn’t sure if it broke or not, so I asked my mom what it felt like. She said it feels like you’re uncontrollably peeing on yourself. Soon after that, about 15 minutes, I was confirmed of my water breaking because liquid started pouring out, lol. I didn’t call the Doctor nor did I go to the hospital. I waited until I started having contractions 5-10 apart for an hour like my doctors instructed, which didn’t happen until 18 hours later. Bad idea for me to not go in right away because of the risk of infection, but how was I supposed to know? This is my first time having a baby, and BOTH of my GYN’s told me not to come in until I started having contractions. There was no mention of my water breaking. And since I’m totally healthy, I didn’t think there was any reason for me or my baby to develop an “infection”. According to what I researched, the vaginal exams are what cause infections in the first place, which makes complete sense to me.

So the next morning around 6am I started having mild contractions, then they increased in pain and decreased in time apart, so by 8 am Jacob and I were on our way to the hospital. When we got there the nurses asked me if my water broke & I told them yes it did, yesterday afternoon. They all looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I waited so long to come in. I told them that I didn’t feel the need to come in because everything seemed fine and that my Doctor told me not to come in until I was having contractions, so I was simply following instructions. Well, when they started my IV they told me they were going to start me on antibiotics. In shock I asked “for what?” And the nurse said “the GBS that you’re positive for”. I was in total disbelief and said “excuse me, but what in the world are you talking about?” She explained to me that I was positive for Group B Strep, (the test they give you when you’re 36 weeks) and that the baby has been swimming in infected amniotic fluid for the entire time since my water broke. GBS (Group B Strep) is a bacteria that is carried by both men and women, that does not affect adults but can be very harmful for unborn babies, which is why pregnant women ate tested for it at 36 weeks. Men will never know if they have it or not because they will never be tested for it since they obviously can’t get pregnant. Well when I took the test, nothing was ever mentioned about it after that, so I assumed I was negative. I would expect a Doctor to tell you the results of your tests, ESPECIALLY if you’re positive for it, don’t you?! So yeah, I was carrying this infection and had no idea about it. I was infuriated by this new found information because now my baby is at risk. If I would’ve known about this infection, I would’ve been at the hospital the day before when my water broke.

Anyways, once your water breaks you have 24 hours to get the baby out or it can become something serious. So I had 6 hours to deliver my daughter and I was only 2 cm dilated (and have been for two weeks!). They started me on pitocin right away. 2 hours later they checked my cervix to find that I was still only 2 cm dilated, so a c-section was the final decision. At first I wanted to cry because I felt cheated out of my wanting for a natural delivery since I was never informed about this infection that could be potentially fatal to my unborn daughter. I also was not so phsyched about having such a dramatic surgery, especially since I’ve never had surgery of any kind. I asked the nurses if they had c-sections and even asked if I could see their scars because I also wasn’t very excited about having such a large scar on my belly. One of the young nurses showed me not her scar because it was so low, but pulled her shirt up just to show me that the scar was below her panty line. I couldn’t even see it! And she was so skinny you wouldn’t even be able to tell that she had a baby, and she had 2! So that made me feel A LOT better about it. So on we went with the procedure.

They had me fill out all kinds of forms and explained to Jacob and I what would be happening. He had to change into scrubs so he could be there with me while the doctors carried me into the operation room so they could numb me from the waist down. They gave me a spinal anesthetic that literally took 5 seconds to kick in. I felt a rush of a numbing sensation that actually felt really good, lol! I felt very shaky though shortly afterwards which I didn’t like too much. Also, the shot they gave me was a MUCH smaller needle than that of the epidural, which I was very happy about because that was the very reason I had decided I wasn’t going to have an epidural if this would’ve happened naturally.

They cut me open and tugged, pushed and pulled (which I could feel a lot of although it didn’t hurt, it was just a lot of pressure) and then out came the baby, 7lbs. and 14oz. of her. About a minute later I heard her first cry and was in tears at the amazing sound that I had waited 9 long months to hear. Jacob cried with me and we were both very happy. However, because she was infected, they took her from us right away. I got to see her and kiss her cheek before she left and dad asked to see her hair because she was wearing a cap. When they took it off, we were amazed to see a head full of dark hair, just like I dreamed about!

So they took me to the recovery room while we waited to hear from the doctor’s what was going on with Natalia. Now there are a lot of details to what was happening between the surgery and the end, so I’m just going to make the long story short: The doctors were concerned about her breathing patterns. They ran blood tests and white blood cell tests which came back triple the amount of what was normal, meaning that her body was already building white blood cells to fight off whatever infection she had. They were also concerned about some “seizure-like episodes” that she was supposedly having which made the nurses decide to transfer her to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville because they were a small town hospital that did not have all the tools needed to run the tests they wanted her to have. They weren’t sure what she was doing because she’s a  newborn, hence their wanting to run tests just to make sure she was acting normal. I was completely devastated because the doctors made it seem like she was having all these problems, they even mentioned a possibility of meningitis. I cried so hard and asked “what are they going to do to my baby?!” Jacob tried his hardest to keep his composure because I was so upset about everything and then he broke down and started crying with me.

Natalia went through so much in the first days of her life in the outside world. She IV’s since she was born, she had all kinds of tests run on her, she had MRI’s she had her spine tapped, all kinds of bullshit. I know that they were just trying to be on the safe side, but what new mom wants to see her first baby go through all this trauma?! Anyways, in the end Natalia was completely fine. They ran all these tests just to find nothing wrong with her. She just had an infection and the antibiotics they started me on before the surgery killed it just in time. So we went through all this heartache for nothing. It was very crazy. We ended up being in the hospital for 5 days before finally bringing her home.I was in the hospital for 3 days recovering from the surgery. They transferred Natalia on my second day of recovery so I couldn’t even go to the hospital to be with my baby until the next day. Jacob had to drive from Lake City to Jacksonville, back to Lake City to pick me up, back to Jacksonville so we could be at the hospital every day and then finally back to Lake City so we could come home, and then he had to drive back so he could go home, lol! Lots and lots of driving.

At the end of the day, there were a lot of lessons learned from this entire experience. Although it was scary, it was very worth it and I am happy to say that I am a new mom to a very happy and healthy baby girl. According to her pediatrician she eats better than the average baby for her size and is growing at a great rate. She is such a good baby, hardly ever cries unless she needs something. She is always very content and has such a well-developed personality already. She’s definitely mommy and daddy’s little diva girl!

I also would like to mention that my perspective about c-sections have dramatically changed since I underwent the surgery. I actually prefer to have the c-section because I didn’t have to feel any pain WHATSOEVER, everything went by so quick it was unbelievable. The entire procedure took a total of 55 minutes. No contractions, no pain, GREAT pain meds during and afterwards lol, and my little girls head did not get squished and my vagina didn’t rip! The scar is barely noticeable, looks like a pen line just below my bikini line and nobody will ever be able to see it unless I show them, which means I can still wear my bikini this summer! Best of all, this entire event brought me and Jacob closer together and he loves me more now than ever before since having to be there with me and watching me go through all of this craziness. I definitely want to share my story because I think it’s well worth mentioning to people. Always prepare for the worst because you never know what’s going to happen, and always be optimistic about negative things that you have no control over because they are not always as bad as they seem.

Today my baby girl is 2 weeks and 3 days old and she is making the cutest “ooh” and “ahh” sounds, she picks her head up all by herself to look around because she wants to see everything, she will NOT fall asleep without being held, so she’s already spoiled, lol! (Thanks Jacob!)

One more thing I want to add before I conclude my super long birth story; because Natalia was taken from me right from the beginning, we didn’t get to experience the first bonding of mother and baby to establish breastfeeding, which is essential! And I am completely against giving my baby formula for several reasons. One because I’m pro-natural, two because I don’t feel that formula gives babies everything they need like breast milk does, three because of all the side effects that come from formula fed babies that I’ve researched, such as being more prone to obesity and becoming sick with diseases, and four because although the formula feeds the baby for longer periods of time (formula fed babies eat 6-10 times a day vs. breastfed babies eat 8-12 times a day) which means the formula “sits” in their stomachs and that just reminds me of McDonald’s food which is totally gross in my opinion. I already decided I wanted to breastfeed exclusively. Well since I didn’t get to breastfeed for the first week, I didn’t establish a good milk supply, so I couldn’t produce enough milk to feed my baby. Not only that but the doctors shoved bottles and pacifiers in my newborn baby’s mouth which pissed me the **** off! If they needed to syringe feed her then okay, but I was not about the pacifiers or bottles because of nipple confusion. So Natalia had a difficult time latching on for the first week and a half of our being together. It was making me sore and I was to the point where I was about to just give up all together. But then I decided “screw that!” I’m not going to give up because I WANT this for my baby, so I’m going to MAKE SURE it happens, no matter what it takes. If I have to breastfeed her every half hour then so be it. I consulted with a lactation specialist who was so inspired by my determination and told me that that’s what it takes, you have to really want to breastfeed for it to work out, which is what I truly want, exclusively. I only will use formula if I have to supplement, but otherwise I want to strictly breastfeed my baby mostly because it’s the healthiest for her, but also because it does establish a bonding relationship with you and your baby that just feels like pure love, and I want that with me and Natalia. So I have a $700 hospital grade breast pump that I’m using FOR FREE for a week-2 weeks just because my lactation specialist wants to help me because she sees how bad I want this. Unfortunately Natalia and I had a rough start, but now that things are back to normal we are going to work this out to both of our benefits. My advice to anybody else out there with this problem is to never give up on the things that you truly want. I am proud to say that Natalia has gotten MUCH better about latching on (although she still needs some improvement) and I am finally being able to produce enough milk to catch up with her needs. (:

Bringing Natalia Home ❤

Natalia & I Now (:

Pregnancy Post #22 – 41 Weeks

*41 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant Today
*150 lbs. – 40 lbs. Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy

Well, still no baby. I’m getting so impatient! But I’m trying to keep calm and not think about it so much because I know she will be here very soon. As a matter of fact she won’t be here no later than Monday because yesterday my Doctor told me that if she hasn’t come yet, they will have to induce me. Jacob and I went to my doctor appointment yesterday because I was 41 weeks yesterday and Ms. Marlene wanted to do a fetal stress test (NST – No Stress Test) to make sure that the baby wasn’t stressed out which would be the reason she hasn’t come yet. I don’t know exactly if the results were good or bad, but I was sent to the hospital right after. She sent me to the hospital to do a labor test because as I got my pelvic exam done before the NST, Ms. Marlene sweeped my cervix and stripped the membranes. When she was done I started leaking blood. Because of the blood, she wanted me sent to the hospital to make sure that it wasn’t something to do with the placenta and just her irritating my cervix, because if I was bleeding internally, they would have to induce me right away to keep from infection.

When we got to the hospital, they did something similar to a pap smear and sent my results to the lab. 30 minutes later they came back and told me everything was fine and that my water had not broken yet. At that point they sent me home. I got a little taste of what it’s going to be like when I’m actually in the hospital giving birth. The nurses there were very nice and asked me all kinds of health questions. When they asked me about the vaccinations (offering them to me and asking if they were up to date) I politely refused and told them no they were not up to date and I didn’t plan on getting any because I’m against them. The doctor’s did not seem to care, which I was grateful for because I expected them to push them on me since that’s what most doctors do. I then overheard a conversation the nurses had with each other saying that vaccinations were no longer going to be protocol and the nurse made a comment saying “good, they don’t need to be”. This reassures me that I’m obviously not the only one who is against vaccines which I am very happy to hear because the last thing I want to do immediately after giving birth is have to fight for my right not to vaccinate my baby with a doctor. I don’t think I will have to do that at this hospital. (:

After leaving the hospital Jacob and I went on a very long and bumpy ride, took a long walk, got something spicy to eat, he gave me a massage, we tried to do every natural way to induce me because I read forums from other women who had their membranes ruptured by the doctor and they all said that they went into labor within 49 hours, some on the same day. So we were expecting that to happen. But no, it’s the next day and Jacob already left Lake City to go to work in Jacksonville since he missed work yesterday to be with me at my appointment. I, as well as everybody else, believe that the full moon tomorrow night will help bring the baby into the world. I’m really hoping so because I would hate for them to induce me. I’ve read all kinds of things about being induced with Pitocin and I’m not very excited about what I read and what will be having to look forward to if that’s the route I’m going to be asked to take by my doctors. But I’m not too worried about it because somehow I have a feeling she will be here no later than Friday. I’m going to continue going about my day normally and doing normal activities. But if anything changes, expect a blog about it! ❤

Pregnancy Post #21 – 40 Weeks

*40 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today
*150 Pounds – 40 Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy (stayed the same, thank God!)

Well I’m 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant today and STILL NO BABY! Lol, but it’s okay. I’m totally fine with letting her come on her own time when she’s ready, although that could be any day now because I’m really looking forward to being able to sleep on my stomach again, and turning over in bed without struggle, and bending over, and less frequent bathroom breaks…

I feel like she will be here at any moment because the pain in my ribs that I felt last week, which turned out to be from the positioning of the baby being so far up in me, has subsided tremendously, which makes me assume that she has dropped some more. I am having a lot more discharge these days which is confusing me because I have no idea if I lost my mucus plug already or not. I had to ask my mom “how do you know when your water breaks?” and she replied that I will feel very wet, like I peed myself, but I feel really wet all the time! So I’m confused.

Monday was her due date, and it was also baby daddy’s birthday. He came all the way to Lake City from Jacksonville just to see me for his birthday (and to induce labor, lol) even though he had to wake up at 5:30 the next morning to go back to Jacksonville for work. I surprised him with an amazing beer cake that I made for him over the weekend, as well as a beautiful handmade card!

I had a doctor appointment this morning that went great. The doctor checked me to see how far dilated I was and the results are *drum roll please* : I’m 2 cm. dilated! Looks like we have some progress! My doctor thinks she will be here within the week, but she scheduled me to come in on Monday instead of the usual Wednesday because I will be officially 41 weeks on Monday. She wants to do a fetal stress test to make sure the baby is not stressed out which could be the reason for her post due date. At that time we are going to discuss what I want to do about being induced, if that is even the route I want to take.
Jacob is going to come with me to my next appointment since it will be early Monday morning, so he’s going to come spend the weekend with me. (:

I’m overdue in my pregnancy and still get countless compliments on how great I look, which gives me the best feeling in the world. I love that people can see my happiness through the way I present myself and that my body didn’t turn into a big lump of fat in the process! I really CANNOT wait for her to be here. My impatience will be the death of me, lol.

Pregnancy Post #20 – 39 Weeks

38 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Photo

*39 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today!
*150 Pounds – 40 Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy.

This past week has been so eventful for me, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Over the weekend I visited Jacob’s family while staying with him in Jacksonville for the weekend. We went shopping, where he bought me and adorable $40 purse and the best hair styling tool ever created: the curling wand. We bought outfits that we could wear for our maternity shoot that we had on Saturday with his uncle and my friend Ashley. We got the final proofs from Ashley but are still waiting on the ones from his uncle, so I’m going to post a few of the photos that we have so far!

Jacob’s birthday is coming up, ironically on Natalia’s due date! So today I did a little shopping (as usual, and by a little, I mean a lot) for some things that I’m going to use to make his card and put his gift together. I also browsed the mall to compare prices of a couple of things I want to give him; at a later date when I can afford it because he’s very picky and has expensive taste! I also picked up a couple items for myself and the baby, as well as groceries so I can make plenty of meals that will leave me with plenty of left overs so I don’t have to worry about cooking dinner every night for the next week or two while waiting on Natalia to get here.

Today I had a doctor’s appointment to see Natalia’s progress. Oddly, I’m still 1 cm. dilated, but the doctor says it doesn’t mean anything. First baby’s usually drop when labor begins. All baby’s after that drop first and then labor begins. So because this is my first baby, she’s still wayyyyy up there. I complained about an excruciating pain that I’ve been feeling for the past week in my ribs right under my left breast. It’s a heavy pressure that eases when I lay down and starts to bother me when I cough, or breathe too hard, or move around too much. At first I was concerned about it, so I looked it up on the internet to see what kind of information I could get. According to other pregnant women who experience/are experiencing the same discomfort, it has to do with the baby’s position and unfortunately is not going to go away until after birth. Yay me! -_-
Anyways, the doctor confirmed that that was exactly the problem and not to worry about it. She said because the baby hasn’t dropped yet, she’s still way up in my diaphragm which has a lot of nerves that the baby is pushing up against. Honestly, I feel like the pain has gotten better ever since I heard that reassuring information. I’m just glad that it’s nothing concerning, just uncomfortable, which was expected. I guess this makes up for me not having too much back pain or any swelling through my pregnancy. If you don’t get one side effect, you get the other!

Me Shopping Yesterday, As Usual! (:

My next appointment is next week and if the baby’s not here by then, she will be 2 days overdue. So We shall see what happens in the upcoming week. Regardless, this waiting game is keeping me excited and anxious. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue doing my every day activities, such as painting my nails, finishing my nesting crafts and adding the finishing touches to the nursery, which by the way I just ordered some new items for her bedroom this afternoon, so I’m really excited for them to get here!

When the baby is born, Jacob is going to take his paid vacation week to come stay with me at my mom’s house. I’m so happy that he’s going to do that because I’m going to need help recovering, caring for a newborn, and keeping up with the house. He’s going to bond with the baby, help make sure I get enough rest, and help me with the cooking and cleaning. I’m also looking forward to spending quality time with my new little family. I love the idea of having MY OWN family, versus being part of one?! I am completely in love and cannot wait to meet our baby girl ❤

NOTE: I was 38 Weeks & 5 Days Pregnant during this photo shoot. (:

Pregnancy Post # 19 – 38 Weeks

37 Weeks & 6 Days Pregnant Photo – Please excuse the dirty mirror.

*38 Weeks & 2 Days Today!
*147 Pounds :  37 Gained Since Pre-Pregnancy

I had my weekly Doctor’s Appointment today and was happy to find out that I am already 1cm. dilated! Which means I’m 1cm. closer to seeing my precious baby girl. This appointment was very short, I was in an out in about a half an hour and am scheduled to come in again next week for another pelvic exam to see Natalia’s progress.

I also was scheduled for my biweekly Pregnancy Care Class appointment today, so I went there straight from my Doctor’s appointment. I learned a lot of need-to-know information about caring for your newborn. I relearned some things that I already knew, and learned new information that I’m thankful to know now! Also, a nursing student who is studying for her bachelors degree was there today and we spent about an hour and a half talking about baby care, birth and labor, and how to deal with your crying baby. She was 32 weeks pregnant with twin girls! So it was very interesting to have a talk with her. She also already had one daughter, so I asked her all about her labor experience, because now that I’m getting closer to the due date, I’m getting a little nervous about how I’m going to go through this. Her personal experience definitely helped ease my worries about giving birth, but even more so the after-birth. I am not looking forward to the breast pain that I’m going to experience when I get “engorged”, actually I might be even more nervous about that than the labor itself, lol!

My Super Cute Diaper Bag! (:

So I asked her all about that and she gave me a few good tips on how to deal with it. I feel very good to be able to talk to other mothers who have gone through what I am about to go through. It helps me to feel more confident about giving birth and caring for my baby. Also, I don’t know if I have mentioned it before, but this care class that I attend gives you paper money for every appointment, which you can use to purchase things in their resource room. I’ve accumulated enough to buy an entire bassinet, which I’m going to get for my baby daddy since he doesn’t have anything for the baby to sleep in yet. I figured I could help him save that money and then he can spend it on me! ;D

Yesterday my adorable pink and zebra diaper bag, electrical breast pump and Natalia’s zebra print light switch plate finally came in the mail. I am totally in love with the diaper bag! It’s HUGE so it will carry everything I need, not to mention how stylish it is. It looks exactly like it did in the picture, so I am very satisfied with my (actually daddy’s) purchase. I am now waiting for the storage bins, the electrical outlet covers, the hair bows and hair bow organizer, the zebra print picture frames, the wall pops, hamper, and zebra baby shoes to come in and then that will be everything I need to complete the nursery. I’m still trying to find things I can get to decorate the dresser, although I don’t want to clutter it because I have pink rhinestone scatters all over it. Besides, it’s not like her bedroom is going to have an audience anyways. Once the room is finally finished I’m going to make a tour video of it because the room is small and it’s kind of hard to take pictures of every little detail. So I’m just going to make a video showing everything off! By that time, Natalia will be born, so she’s going to be in her first video as well! (:

Baby daddy and I have been getting along very well since we spent the weekend together a couple weeks ago in Gainesville. In fact, when the baby is born he is going to take a whole week off of work to stay with me and the baby at my mom’s house. He wants to be around the baby for the first week of her being born so that she recognizes who her daddy is. He also wants to help me keep up with things around the house and make sure I get plenty of rest because he knows I will be feeling very tired post-pregnancy. I am very appreciative of the way that he is behaving towards me and am surprised but happy about his attitude towards the baby and taking care of us once she gets here. We are going to continue living in separate households until he gets a house, which should be no later than the end of this year. He is being extremely sweet and helpful to me, getting me everything I need for the myself and the baby, offering to clean and cook for me in the first week of my being home after labor, and taking me out so that I’m not cooped up in the house all day. I really am enjoying the new and improved him and I’m happy to say that he has definitely exceeded my expectations.

This weekend we have plans to take professional maternity pictures. His uncle, who is a professional photographer, will be shooting a set of photos, and one of my good friends has asked me to be her maternity model for her portfolio. I proudly accepted her request and am going on a shopping spree this Friday with baby daddy to buy outfits for the shoot. So I have a busy weekend ahead of me that I am looking forward to!

After my eventful weekend, I am not planning to go out at all anymore unless absolutely necessary. I feel the need to be at home saving my energy for labor as I get closer to the due date.

As far as my body and emotions, I am trying my best to remain calm as time passes by what seems like very quickly! I am extremely anxious and a little nervous about giving birth, especially because I have been feeling very strong Braxton hicks contractions. I can feel the baby moving inside of me near my upper thighs and it is so intense that it literally makes me want to just fall to the ground. I was fully aware that the contractions would get stronger and happen more frequently as I got bigger, but I had no idea that they would be SO uncomfortable! Sometimes, it paralyzes me and makes me not want to move at all for like 5 minutes straight. I’m getting more convinced that I might be getting an epidural, but I’m going to try my hardest to be a soldier and stick out the pain as long as I can. I will only settle for an epidural if the pain is ABSOLUTELY UNBEARABLE and has me in tears, because I saw a video demonstrating a doctor giving an epidural and I do NOT want that big ass hollow needle going into my back! Especially when there are rumors that half the time, the epidural only numbs you halfway. But we will see what happens, I am hoping for the best!

I’m going to continue doing my prenatal yoga all the way up until the very end. I read that this also helps induce labor. I am also going to try to refrain from thinking about any negative thoughts about giving birth because I want this to be a happy experience for me, even though I know it will be painful, but only for the periods of contracting and pushing. Once I see my beautiful baby girls face, I will forget all about the pain, and I am looking forward to that moment. ❤

38 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant Photo

Pregnancy Post #18 – 37 Weeks

37 Weeks & 2 Days Pregnant Photo

*37 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today!
*146 Pounds

Us @ Oaks Mall

Sorry about the slack on the blogging. I’ve just had a very eventful week and weekend, so I haven’t had too much time to squeeze in a blog. But I’m back! So here’s the update. (:

This past weekend, Jacob came to visit me in Lake City so he could spend time with me and the Natalia before she arrives. He was very eager to see how big my belly has gotten since the last time we’ve seen each other. Also he wanted to buy a few items for the baby to help me better prepare for her arrival. Over all I had a wonderful weekend with him. He took me out to eat at several places: Jason’s Deli, Starbucks, Hungry Howie’s, Krispy Kreme, Carraba’s, making sure he satisfied all my cravings.

Jason’s Deli Lunch

Carraba’s Dinner

He bought Natalia a few outfits, even though she really didn’t need them (lol), a very expensive baby book from Hallmark ($45), my diaper bag along with all the items on my online Amazon shopping cart, some baby hygiene products such as shampoo and body wash, and a couple of things for me as well, like adorable black, glittery flip flops and the cutest flower earrings ever! He was definitely very generous to me and very sweet to me on our very busy and romantic weekend before I have the baby. He made sure I got plenty of exercise as we walked around the big mall of Gainesville and the strip of Downtown as well as plenty of rest in the hotel where we stayed at.

Clothes for Natalia from Daddy

We went on a very nice walk in the downtown area of Gainesville where it reminded me of Old Town St. Augustine. I expressed to him how much In Love I was with the city of Gainesville and told him that that’s where I want to go to college. The college campus there is HUGE and it’s in the center of the entire town across the street from the strip that was lined with all kinds of restaurants, café’s, bars, clubs, consignment shops, everything you can imagine.

My Cute Diaper Bag! (:

Although we spent a lovely weekend together, I still don’t feel like we need to be together. At least not right now. I need to get my life situated and established the way I want it before I can commit to a relationship, as does he. We both have things that we still need to work on, our lifestyles and ourselves, before we can actually “be” together. But regardless of our relationship status, we are both going to continue to be involved in Natalia’s life so that she can have both her parents. I feel that regardless of the parents’ relationship, they should both still have a relationship with the child.

My baby dropped! (:
& Props to Prenatal Yoga for that Toned Booty! ;D

I have a very strong feeling that Natalia will be here sooner than the expected due date. I can feel so much more pressure on my pelvic area than ever before. Braxton Hicks contractions are definitely in full range and happening longer, stronger and more frequently. I can feel the baby so low in my stomach, people actually can tell the difference because I carried high my entire pregnancy; she has definitely dropped into position, which was confirmed in the appointment prior to the last. My belly is not so round anymore. It’s more “lumpy” and I can feel her body parts inside of me, which I think is the coolest thing ever. If Natalia was to be here before the 18^th I would actually be very happy because then all this built up anticipation would be over with, I wouldn’t be pregnant anymore (Thank God!), and I would finally be able to hold my little girl in my arms. Daddy is very anxious to meet Natalia, probably even more than I am! The waiting period makes us so antsy.

My doctor’s appointment yesterday went pretty good for the most part. Other than waiting an entire hour and a half before I was actually seen, I had an overall good experience. The doctor told me that my blood pressure is absolutely perfect, my urine looks good, which lets me know that the Group B Strep Test that I took at the last appointment was negative. She also felt the baby in my belly and told me that she could feel all the body parts because I’m such a skinny pregnant girl and that the baby is measuring perfect size. I have been getting a lot of compliments lately from random strangers as well as friends about how pretty I am and how cute my belly is, how I have a “pregnancy glow” and it makes me feel so good, especially since I’m a little over two weeks away from having this baby! Prenatal yoga has definitely benefited my body in every way possible, keeping my body fit as it adjusts to the continuing added weight and alleviating the little back pain that I have.

$45 Baby Book from Hallmark

The baby book that Jacob bought ironically fits perfectly in the shoe box that I picked to be Natalia’s baby box. It fits right in, like a glove on a hand. I drew a sketch of how I want to decorate the box and will spend my last two weeks of pregnancy making it. I already bought all the supplies needed to decorate the box. Now I just have to put it all together which I plan on starting this afternoon. This will be my next art project that I blog about.

Supergirl BackPack – Because That is How I will Feel after Giving Birth!

I also have my hospital bag packed and ready to go for when I go into labor. I even have a last minute check list hanging right next to the front door so I won’t forget ANYTHING important. I probably over packed, but it is okay because I would rather have more than enough than not enough. And who knows?! This baby could end up being so big that I end up having to need a C-section. So I feel the need to have plans A, B, and C so I can be prepared for anything. I am very anal about preparedness and having back up plans. I like to be ready for anything that may or may not happen! I also plan to leave candy with the nurses who help deliver Natalia as a friendly thank you gift for their support and hard work. I know this gesture will be greatly appreciated.

For the next two and a half weeks, I’m going to spend my time waiting on the rest of the nursery items to come in so I can add the finishing touches to the nursery, I’m going to relax and spend my time crafting to keep my mind busy, and I’m going to be blogging almost every day to keep my emotions and anxiety under control. I have a few craft ideas that I’ve posted about that I want to work on while I wait for Natalia’s arrival. I’m so very excited to meet my baby girl. ❤

Me on my Date Weekend (:

Pregnancy Post #17 – 36 Weeks

Me @ 36 Weeks ♥

*36 Weeks & 3 Days Pregnant Today!
*35 Pounds gained since pre-pregnancy.
*27 Days Until Natalia’s Due Date & Head is Already Down! (:

Before & After Laundry Pics
2 Whole Hours of Washing & Folding Baby Clothes!
They still need to be organized by size and put away. “/

To all my lovely readers, I cannot tell you guys how anxious I have been over the past week (really the whole pregnancy but a lot lately). I am pretty much done doing all the main necessities in the nursery, as I’ve talked about in my last post, however there are still a few touch ups that I still want to do. I even came up with new organizational ideas for the closet. With that said, this morning Natalia’s satin zebra print dresser runner came in the mail this morning! So I wiped down the dresser and neatly placed it on top. Now all I need to do is figure out exactly how I’m going to decorate it. Today I started washing all the baby clothes and did not realize that I have WAY more than I need! I don’t even think Natalia will be able to wear them all before she grows into the next size! This is wonderful because it means she has more than she needs, which makes her the definition of SPOILED, lol. I can honestly say that I am not too much looking forward to doing all this laundry. -_- But I’m glad that I will be able to dress her in a different cute outfit every day though. I’ll be taking lots and lots of pictures to add to the baby book and scrapbook.

Aside from my generous friends that gave me clothes, and my mother and I buying clothes, I attend a Pregnancy Care Center every two weeks that also gave me a TON of clothes yesterday! I am so grateful that there is a pregnancy care center that I can go to that helps you out with everything you need. The people there are so very kind and thoughtful and I will recommend them to anybody and everybody. You go in to watch a video that has to do with pregnancy, prenatal or postnatal, take a short 5-10 question quiz on the video, and they give you “mommy money” which is paper money that you can spend on items from their resource room. This room is filled from wall to wall, floor to ceiling with alllll kinds of baby items imaginable, all donated. Most of the stuff is brand new and hasn’t even been opened. They have everything from bassinets, bouncers, cribs, swings, breast pumps, blankets, baby hygiene (i.e. shampoo, body wash, etc.) diapers, wipes, baby food, TONS of clothes, shoes, socks, hats, bottles, everything you can think of really. So I was able to spend my mommy money on several of these items yesterday and left with all kinds of useful things, for free! I am so thankful that I am going to donate anything I have to them because they deserve it more than anyone I know. I told my care taker, Ms. Bonnie that I am going to spread the word and let everybody I know about them because I think they are the greatest help center I’ve ever known.

I also had a doctor’s appointment yesterday which my mom accompanied me in. We had an ultrasound so we could measure the baby and see where she is positioned. She is already head down, so she could be here any day from now until her due date. I have a feeling that she could be here earlier than her due date! I had to take a Group B Strep test (whatever that is) and should here the results at my next appointment, which from now on will be once every week until Natalia arrives. I weighed in at 145 pounds, which means I’ve gained a whopping 35 since pre-pregnancy. Hopefully I don’t pass the 40 mark! But this is good and it tells me that I have a big, healthy baby girl inside of me.

Additionally, the baby’s father and I have started talking again for about a week now. We are surprisingly getting along really great (so far) and are going to spend this weekend together in Gainesville. He wants to see me and Natalia, take me out and take me shopping because he is also very excited that it’s this close to our daughter being here and he wants to go baby shopping with me. So we will see how this goes. (:

Braxton Hicks contractions are definitely happening more frequently and lasting anywhere from 1-3 minutes. Sometimes they can be quite uncomfortable to the point where I have to be real still and stop everything I’m doing. For instance, the other day while I was taking a shower, I was having a mild contraction that was so intense I actually had to sit down in the shower. But then it went away shortly after and I was fine. Now I know what I can expect during the real event. I have a feeling that I’m going to be able to take this like a champ and hopefully not need any pain medication because my goal is to do this whole thing completely natural. I am very optimistic about this pregnancy and going through labor and I think this will be a fast, uncomplicated birthing experience for me.

Next week I plan to install the car seat and pack my hospital bag. The only reason I haven’t packed the hospital bag yet is because I still need to find out what the hospital will provide so I know what NOT to bring, and I don’t quite have everything I want to bring with me yet. I looked up what a typical outfit would be for the mommy to wear home from the hospital because I have a going home outfit for the baby already, but I have NO clue what I’m going to wear! After reading a few forums from other pregnant women, I have made the decision that what sounds the best for me to wear is a cute cheap sun dress. Some girls mentioned wearing gauchos or yoga pants, but since I will most likely be bleeding, I don’t think I feel comfortable wearing pants; so a dress is the way to go for me. I get more and more excited everyday about Natalia’s arrival and expressing my feelings definitely helps me out a lot with my anxiety. My next post will be about packing my hospital bag so I can give a detailed example to other girls who would have questions about it like I did.

Pregnancy Post #16 – 35 Weeks

35 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant
I was dressed up for my mom’s Birthday.

I have been working my pregnant butt off getting this nursery ready for Natalia since my last post! I had to take a break completely from my computer just so I could start getting things done at a timely pace; but it was a good, much needed break. I reorganized everything in her bedroom, clean and fully painted her entire dresser, plastered and sanded the walls, then taped the borders, painted that, and shampooed the carpet so it would be clean and fresh when baby girl gets here. I did so much work that I had to stop because my back was killing me! The most proud aspect about it is that all the hard work was done by me, 8 months pregnant, BY MYSELF. So I definitely have a lot to be proud of! Now all that there is left to do is reorganize the furniture once more, paint her night table to match the dresser, and put the crib and changing table together. That’s just the hard stuff though. I also have to wash all her clothes, towels and bedding, basically anything that will come in contact with her skin, put all that stuff away and organize her closet. I ordered some very cute zebra print handles and knobs to put on the dresser and night table a couple days ago, so I’m expecting those to come in the mail by next week. When I get those, I can put them on the dresser and night table and those items will be finished! I’m getting a little bit done every day and it should be fully completed within the next two weeks or even sooner if I keep up at this pace! I am very excited about how everything is turning out. The room looks absolutely GORGEOUS so far and I can’t wait for it to be done so I can take pictures of all my hard work.

Tattoo looks good! No stretch Marks (:

Still no doctor’s appointment since my last, but I go next week so I will have a medical update on my next post. (:

I’ve been getting some baby shopping supplies crossed off the baby needs list. I was even able to afford to get myself a matching outfit! I only shop for things on sale, with deals and coupons or just all around really good prices. You could call me cheap, but I like to think of myself as a smart shopper because I always try to make sure I get the most for my money, especially these days when that green stuff is so limited.

On Tuesday, I finally realized what this familiar pounding feeling was going on inside of me that occurred before but I couldn’t figure out what it was for the longest time. My daughter was having the hiccups and I even read that babies got hiccups inside the womb but never really payed attention to it. I didn’t even know what they felt like, if I could feel them at all. Well I definitely felt them Tuesday night while lying in bed. I just felt like this reoccurring beating sound in my belly that seemed to ‘loud’ to be a heartbeat; then I put two and two together. I had felt these before but did not know that Natalia was having hiccups. It was the cutest discover ever. I went to show my mom so she could feel them also and she laughed thinking it was the funniest thing ever. Mom also says that she can’t wait to hold this baby, she’s going to spoil her rotten, and in my head I’m like’Greattttttttt’, lol. No I’m just kidding. I know my mom is going to spoil her rotten and she is not the only one either. My little girl is going to be the happiest baby because she’s going to have nothing but love and affection around her all the time. I know I say it in every post, but it’s because it’s how I truly feel and I can’t help but to say it; I cannot wait to hold my daughter and have her here with me in my arms, holding her, cherishing her, caring for her, cuddling with her. This is going to be a very special and happy part of my life that I am totally ready for.

35 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant ♥

Pregnancy Post #15 – 34 Weeks

34 Weeks & 1 Day Pregnant

34 Weeks 4 days pregnant today and counting! It is incredibly hard to believe that I am less than 6 weeks away from delivering the most beautiful little girl. I am so ecstatic and cannot wait until my little Natalia gets here. Wow, she’s got her momma so anxious to meet her! Every time, I feel her, think about her, talk about her, or see anything baby and girly, a huge smile forces itself across my face. She makes me so happy and she’s not even here yet. I didn’t know it was possible to love somebody so much. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my mother with every inch of heart, but it’s just not the same kind of love that you have for your own child. Now I know how much my mom loves me. (:

Of course, one of my BIGGEST flaws kicked in: my procrastination. I was supposed to be done with painting Natalia’s dresser by now, but a couple of road bumps delayed me. First, I didn’t have everything I thought I needed. Then I realized I bought too much paint, so I had to return it and buy a smaller (more affordable) amount. Then I lost the brushes I bought, so by the time I found those I really didn’t even feel like painting anymore. But then, I finally was able to get everything I needed together: primer, paint, tape, trays, brushes, sandpaper, and shower curtain liners to catch the mess.

As you can see, the dresser is disgusting.

I’ve already taken the dresser apart, sanded it down, primed it, and painted one coat. Tomorrow I’m going to finish it with a second coat and then when it drys, prepare the room for the walls to be painted. Since I don’t have a man around to help, I’m all on my own, which is also why it’s taking me so long to do a less than 24 hour job. But hey? I’m pregnant! So it’s totally fine that I’m taking my sweet time to do this. I don’t feel guilty one little bit. I’m totally capable of moving the things that are in the room around without straining myself or lifting anything heavy. When I get ready to paint the walls I have to move everything to one side of the room, paint half of it, let it dry, and then move everything to the other side so I can paint the other half. This will probably take me an entire week to finish! I also plan on ordering some cute zebra handles and knobs that I saw on Amazon to replace the old ugly, rusted gold ones that I will hate to have to put those back on. Then I will finally start putting her crib and changing table together and organize the room to make it look like the perfect nursery for my princess.

2 outfits for 2 bucks @JCP! 😀

I’ve been doing quite a lot of shopping lately, but allllllll baby stuff, so it’s not guilty shopping, it’s productive shopping. That’s my positive way of looking at spending money. I got a bunch of bottles, cloth diapers, clothes, and some hygiene items; plus the paint for her room and dresser. I don’t know a whole lot, but I know one thing is for sure: Natalia will never lack anything. I will always make sure I make provisions to be able to provide for my daughter. She will always have everything she needs and be able to depend on me as a mother until she is old enough to care for herself. I am very fortunate to be able to provide for her on my own. But of course, I’m not completely on my own. Fortunately I have a mother who is very supportive of me and my pregnancy, and we help each other. She’s my best friend. My only hope is that my daughter and I will have the same kind of relationship with each other that my mother and I have. ❤

Primed Dresser.

Dresser drawers in the hallway out of MY way. (:

I don’t see my doctor again until next week. After that I will start having weekly appointments, so there will be a medical update on every post from then on. So far, everything looks, sounds and feels perfect. Well maybe not that last one. At my next appointment, I’m going to have the doctor recommend me a good pediatrician for Natalia. In the last week I was experiencing this somewhat painful pressure in my abdomen. It was right under my right breast in my rib cage it felt like, and sometimes when I would cough it hurt real bad, or when I would breathe in too deeply, I could feel a lot of pressure there. I was getting concerned about it because it wouldn’t let up and considered coming into the doctor’s office without an appointment because it was hurting so bad. But before I freaked out, I researched it online just to see if it might be something completely normal and sure enough: it is. Turns out that the pain I was experiencing had to do with the baby and the growing uterus putting pressure on my rib cage and other ligaments, thus causing this on and off pain. Actually, I read several different articles about this from girls who are pregnant at 18 weeks, 20 weeks, & 25 weeks. So then I thought, well, I’m already 34 weeks and JUST now starting to feel this pain? I must be one of the lucky ones! And after that the pain subsided. Then it went away, and I haven’t felt anything like it ever since. I’m so glad that I think before freaking out and actually take the time to figure out my own problems without running to every which person for an answer or solution.

A couple of Natalia’s things I bought this week ❤

If you’re considering buying maternity jeans, I recommend that you save your money unless you buy them used. To me, they were pretty much a waste of my money. I bought a pair of the cutest maternity jeans online at Amazon for $30. Sadly, I won’t be able to wear them past my 8th month. Shoot, I can barely squeeze into those things now! They are very stylish, but when I sit down, the seam connecting the jean part to the fabric part just cuts into my skin and is SOOOOOO uncomfortable. The funny thing is, I had a pair of skinny jeans that were so stretchy around the waist line that they fit perfectly as my maternity jeans! It’s weird that I had them because when I would wear them before I got pregnant, I constantly had to pull them back up on me because the waist was so stretchy that they just would not stay up. But I’m glad I kept them because they ended up serving me a great purpose during my entire pregnancy, and I still plan on wearing them afterwards! ;D

1/2 way

1st coat done!

As for Natalia, she is growing more and more each day. I feel like there’s a little sumo wrestler inside of me because sometimes she kicks me so hard, I jerk and jump and make noises thinking “somebody’s beating me up in there!” I get a kick out of it. Her soft little kicks have now turned into some hardcore karate chops (it feels like) and I can’t wait for my next appointment when they do the last ultrasound because then I will get to see exactly which of her body parts keeps pushing me on my right side, lol! The most interesting thing about her is how clever she is already to be just in utero. She is very responsive to things outside of the womb. For instance, the other day, my mom’s boyfriend dropped a pan on the floor and the noise was so loud it scared the baby and made her kick me really hard. So she obviously doesn’t like loud noises, thank goodness for that!

As it gets closer and closer to my due date, the reality of transitioning from a young lady to a young mother is becomes more and more real to me, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Lord knows I’m ready to hold this precious baby girl in my arms already! I am going to try my best to remain patient because I don’t want to rush time since it has gone by so fast. I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy one day at a time. ❤

^ 35 Weeks & 4 Days Pregnant Photos From This Afternoon. (:

Pregnancy Post #14 – 33 Weeks

• 33 Weeks & 5 Days Pregnant Today.
• 142 Pounds; Gained a Total of 31 Pounds since Pre-pregnancy.

With everything that has been going on for me & Natalia since my last post, I am EXHAUSTED. I spent an  entire week preparing for the baby shower, had the baby shower over the weekend, celebrated my 20^th Birthday, and for the past week have been shopping & preparing to finally start on the nursery. I still have a little over a month and a half until Natalia’s due date, but I want to get the room done as soon as possible before I get too big to do anything. I love the idea of playing mommy & daddy because it gives me a sense of independence and it reassures me that I can do everything I need to do to care for my baby, with or without the help of ANY man. And that makes me feel good. (:

I went shopping a few days ago to buy some pink paint and painting supplies so I could start working on Natalia’s dresser, along with some adorable, had-to-get baby items. The dresser I am painting is my old dresser and is in desperate need of a few touch ups. The top is ruined with chipped paint, nail polish, marker stains, etc. I used to be like the typical American teenage girl and draw “I love so and so…Laura & ____ Together Forever” all over my things; in permanent marker. So I need to cover all that up! I got some painter’s tape, and some brushes (I already had the other supplies I will need) to start my project. I spoke with the painting people at Lowes to figure out exactly what paint was best for the dresser I have and got a list of everything from supplies, to preparation, to the actual job itself. I’m so excited about this because I love painting! I plan to start this project this afternoon and hopefully (if I stay persistent) I will have it completely done by the time Monday rolls around. After the dresser is painted, my mom’s bf is going to rip out the carpet in the bedroom and put tile down. When that’s done I’m going to start putting the crib together, setting up the furniture and decorations, and organizing the closet and all the baby items. I don’t have to worry about installing the car seat until another 2 or 3 weeks, so I’m not going to worry about that for now.

I also had an OB appointment on Tuesday. It was a very fast 10 minute appointment for them to check my weight, heart rate, pulse, and protein levels. They also heard the baby’s heart beat on the Doppler to make sure she is healthy as well. I requested to have one last ultrasound done before the baby is born so I can actually see how big she is and where she is positioned. I thought that’s what they were going to do at this appointment, but I guess I misunderstood. I love my doctor because the nurses there are so very nice. They actually gave me really nice comments at this visit, saying how pleasant I was and how happy I seemed to be, and I confirmed to them that I was definitely extremely happy about everything that has to do with this pregnancy. My nurse and I discussed birthing options and a plan for my laboring and delivery. We both agree that I should do this as natural as I can, which was my ideal birth anyways. I want no medications unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. She informed me that as long as I’m not drinking any fluids, I don’t have to have IV’s running through me, which gives me the freedom to walk around, get in the shower, or whatever it is I feel the need to do at that time. She also informed me about anesthesia, which I told her I was going to try to do without it unless the pain is too unbearable. I know that I will experience pain throughout this experience, but as soon as I see that adorable little face for the first time, the pain will subside immediately. I even had a dream about giving birth and crying tears of the happiest feelings I have ever experienced. That’s how confident I am about this entire birthing process!

I’ve been on a cleaning spree since I am getting ready to do the nursery. I super cleaned my room, my bathroom, somewhat cleaned Natalia’s room to prepare it for everything, and even cleaned the rest of the house just because I could not sit down! Nesting has DEFINITELY kicked in, but I’m enjoying it because it’s making up for the yoga I’ve been slacking on (which I plan to do tonight before I go to sleep) so at least I’m still getting my exercise. I also want to get started on making a baby box for all Natalia’s keepsakes, including her baby book, as soon as possible. I want to decorate it to match her room so I can display it on a shelf as a decoration. Pinterest is steadily distracting me from actually doing my projects and thinking up new ones. So I think I need to calm down with that a little bit. ;D

As far as my pregnancy physically and emotionally, I’m continuing to feel good every day. I have no additional stretch marks, which I’m extremely happy about! I actually got a mirror to look under my belly just to make sure, because I can’t see anything below my belly button, lol! I do have this very noticeably dark line running down the center of my belly, which I’ve read about and it’s completely normal. My belly button bulges out and you can see it through some of my shirts. I think it’s the funniest thing ever! I get a kick out of looking at it and playing with it because I’ve never been able to see the inside of my belly button before. It’s getting more and more uncomfortable to bend over. I can hear myself grunting and making funny noises when I struggle to get near the floor or my feet, let alone turning in bed at night. I came home from running errands all day last night and realized I left the coffee pot on by accident, so I decided to make a small cup of coffee to give me a little energy to make something to eat. I will NEVER do that ever again while I’m pregnant. Natalia did not like having coffee so late and started kicking me like crazy, kicks that actually hurt me; and her kicks never hurt me! I had to dance around the kitchen just to distract myself from the pain. It didn’t last very long, thank goodness, but It was definitely something I never experienced before. There is no doubt in my mind that this baby hasn’t turned already (I get the confirmation at the next appointment because it’s an ultrasound!). I can make out what position she’s in based on where she kicks or punches me, lol. She seems to be running out of room because I can feel her in every part of my stomach; it’s kind of weird. But I feel so big already and I still have a month to go. I am SO READY for Natalia to be here already!!! But those are really all of my thoughts for this post, so ta-ta for now! –xoxo<3   :*