Our {natural} Birth Story: Part One

Remember this photo from my Week 40 BUMP DATE?

 This moment is what started our journey to baby Rae's arrival!

For those of you who don't follow me on social media, our sweet girl was named Reagan Grace! Feel free to friend me here!

Our Birth Story: Part One

Tuesday morning, June 13th, I went in for my 40 week + 2 day appointment.

I checked in.

Left a urine sample.

Then went back for an NST.

Nate had to sit outside the door because two other gals were also sitting in the divided room on heart rate//contraction monitors next to me.

I sat there for 25-30 minutes on my phone while I watched my braxton hicks on the monitor. I remember thinking that baby girl must be sleeping because she didn't seem to be moving as much as normal.

My midwife popped in about halfway through the test to say that things looked great & that I was having regular contractions! I told her they weren't painful & the frequency was probably because I needed to drink more water & pee again (little did I know). She said that she would see me in an exam room in a few minutes.

A nurse popped in to unhook me, wipe my belly off & walk me back to see my midwife. As I stood up to pull my shirt down, I felt a H U G E gush in my pants of warm pee.. or was it?

Hahaha, I bet the look on my face was priceless!

I shockingly looked up to tell the nurse I either peed my pants or that.. *another gush* my water just broke.

Yep.

I instantly knew it.

MY WATER BROKE.

My heart started beating fast with SO much excitement!!
I immediately walked out the door to Nate sitting against the wall with huge eyes because he was able to overhear the conversation between the nurse & I behind the cracked door.

I flash him a surprised smile & waddled quickly in my soaked pants to the closest bathroom.

The flow didn't stop - there was NO doubt in my mind what had happened - but the nurse said to come on back so they could make sure.

As I sat on the table, where I snapped this photo, with water flowing down my legs, I looked at Nate in silent disbelief & we laughed.

I wanted SO badly my whole pregnancy to experience my water breaking, but knew that doesn't happen for most people until they're in labor, and often it's done for them.

Gosh, I felt so blessed already in my labor experience!

It all truly felt like a gift..
Sure enough, the midwife confirmed before she even gave me a formal exam. She asked if I wanted to be checked, which I had opted out of completely thus far, & I said sure!

(people say it's PAINFUL to be checked, but if you go in very relaxed or excited in my case & don't dread it, it's not bad at all! I only decided to get checked ONLY since my water broke in the office. I truly feel like it's un-necessary since those numbers in NO way dictate a timeline of labor.)

I was 1 centimeter dilated & 70% at 9:45am.

She mentioned I'd probably be in active labor within 12-24 hours. I told her I planned to go home & labor until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, as we had discussed previously from my birth plan, & she sent us on our way!

I came home & decided to workout, incase it could speed things up.

So I did a 45 minute strength training workout, but my braxton hicks still didn't change in frequency or pain.

I took a shower.

Walked a little.

Helped Nate put together the pack n play.

Then we went for a quick lunch.

The whole time, we kept saying how crazy it was to literally know that our girl was on the way!!

After lunch we came home from lunch & I mentioned that we should try for a quick nap to be rested up. I slept for about 30 minutes & woke up to some LEGIT contractions.

The contractions quickly went from painless braxton hicks to full fledged labor, about 5 minutes apart. We're still trying to decide if my body went from 0-60 or if I have a high pain tolerance & never fully felt that early stage of labor.

I used the breathing techniques from my Hypnobirthing book (HIGHLY recommended read for my natural mommas!) & labored on my hands and knees in our bedroom or walking the main living area of our house for a few hours.

Nate had detailed notes from his reading for each stage of labor, helping remind me of what was to come & giving several massages when my surges came on. I remember him saying, "I think we're way further along & totally skipped the first page of my notes!"

My mom came to the house & we decided shortly after, around 8:45pm, to head to the hospital when my contractions were averaging 2 minutes & 15 seconds apart with lots of pressure.

We hopped in the car & I sat on my knees in the floor of the back seat area, continuing to breathe through each contraction.

Then we arrived at the hospital...

Ready for part two?

Click HERE#BabyRaeGhoens

Growing Ghoens: Week 39 Bump Date

39 Weeks.. I keep thinking, "could this be the week?!"

My belly is the size of a watermelon, baby girl.

What size does that mean YOU are??

Hopefully smaller than that!! HA

We are PRAYING praying for a healthy arrival very soon!! I don't think I've ever been more ready for something in my entire life!!

___________________________________

Mommy's accountability partners, who have been praying for you so fervently, especially can't wait to meet you. They coordinated a little gift card shower for us from our the small group at church! So so thoughtful + helpful!!

Thank you, Hollen & Taylor.

We love you!

Mommy had a little sign happen like week that means you might REALLY be making your appearance anytime now. So your dad & I have gotten creative with things to try to see if it'll help you come see us asap!!

Just to name a couple (& keep it PG.. HA), we tried:

Thai Food

A a 9 mile bike ride at your Mimi & Papa's house

Even a pedicure.. shucks right?? :P

(I heard they sometimes hit labor inducing pressure points!!)

 I keep snapping photos of my belly every day to see if it & YOU are dropping!

#BellyTracking

Your movements are so fun & so BIG.

I think I can feel you getting into position to come see us.

Gosh, I'm going to MISS having you close to me in this way..

Your dad has been SO helpful.. making sure I'm fed, trying to keep me distracted from obsessing over when you're coming & helping me practice breathing/stretches for your birth! I'm beyond blessed to have him.. & so are you!

You still seem to share my DEEP love for breakfast food.. because we seem to somehow be eating it even MORE now!!

You might just come out of the womb asking for protein pancakes, turkey bacon & yogurt bowls :)

We're alssssooooooo experiencing a slightly less healthy hankering for Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Let's hope you don't have my sweet tooth!!

So what does the week before your due date look like?

Well.. it looks like lots of healthy food, lots of exercise & lots of rest.

I've been a bit LOW on energy during workouts, partially from OBSESSIVELY cleaning & because moving this belly around ain't easy anymore, so I started drinking a little natural, plant-based energy booster (aka "energize") to help me out. 

I have a feeling this stuff will be GOLD when we're in the sleep trenches of figuring you out & not getting any sleep :)

 Our sweet neighbors invited us to relax by their pool, so mama took them up on it finally!!

Putting on a bathing suit at 39 weeks pregnant sure was an adventure.

I wonder if your fur sisters know you're coming soon!!

Tannyn, the spotted one, has been extra snuggly with you & I lately.

I ordered them some fresh flowers for their collars before you meet them - they want to be spiffy for their baby sister's homecoming!!

Speaking of that, our plan is to bring home some of your hospital blankets for them to smell & sleep with before they officially meet you.

I wonder what that will be like!?!

We're all ready, baby girl!

 I just can't stop thinking about your arrival, peanut.

We pray for you multiple times a day.

We imagine seeing you the first time.

Holding you & kissing you.

What will you look like?

(besides your dad's twin, I'm sure)

What will your NAME finally be?

So many questions!!

Come soon, sweet thing.. mama's ready!

Growing Ghoens: Week 30 Bump Date

Here we are.. at week 30!!

Where has the time gone, little one?

Although it seems to be absolutely flying by, I'm told that this last little stretch will start to crawl as we anxiously await your arrival.. & as you get BIG//I get huge. I guess we'll see!

So what were we up to this week?

Well for starters, we officially finished the first 30 day block (called BURN) of Chalene Extreme. This is the weight training program that I started 5 weeks ago! After a rocky first week from missing two workouts & fully recommitting week two, I'm happy to say that we rocked it out STRAIGHT through the rest of the time & didn't miss a beat.

We got in every workout!

DESPITE the ever changing body.

Despite traveling to DC & being in a hotel.

Despite having company.

Despite all the days I felt too tired.

Gosh, is that a rewarding feeling!! I always tell my new clients to stick it out & grasp onto the vision of what it will feel like to FINISH. Holding onto that is what helps keep the fire lit within on the days that life is trying to dim your potential.

Shout out to the Gracefully Balanced monthly accountability groups that helped keep me motivate enough to finish as well! You ladies mean more to me than you know!! This tribe is the best!!

{ Want to know more about my monthly virtual groups? Email me at lindseykollar@yahoo.com! }

We're also in that "stage" of pregnancy that I'm hungry ALL the time. I can't eat huge meals because of the lack of space, but you better believe this girl is eating now every two hours or even less sometimes. I've been trying to find lots of healthy options to avoid guilty-binging & excessive weight gain. No "eating for two" or "I'll just work it off later" excuses over here.

So here's a glimpse of what I ate this week.. NOT including my weekend splurge at my shower + family lunch on Sunday. Don't worry, there's still an 80/20 balance going on, y'all!

Breakfast (protein pancakes + eggs)

BIG salads

Fruit salad (strawberries + kiwi is my JAM)

This delicious oaxaca bowl from a local healthy restaurant called "freshii."

PS: There's a little bed of kale & brown rice underneath all of those toppings. Need to figure out how to make this at home!!

OH! And I took some time to meal prep on Monday. I made 12 meals in about an hour.. turkey burgers with a squash, zucchini & mushroom mix + asian chicken with broccoli & roasted carrots. SO SO good & saved me many times from getting hungry!

During our 30 week checkin at the OB's office, we got to meet a third midwife who was SUCH a doll. While we missed our normal provider, it's nice meeting the other women who could potentially be on call depending on which day you decide to come, sweetie. We're measuring on track & you're head down for now!! We'll see if you stay that way :)

Momma has officially gained about 18 pounds & everyone seems to be really happy with where we're at!

Overall this week, we were mostly hunkered down in the home office.. finalizing our April accountability group, planning our month out, welcoming 2 new coaches to the Gracefully Balanced team & prepping for an exciting new push group I was working to be selected for. At the end of the week's hustle, it was BABY SHOWER time though!!

My mom & oldest sister threw the sweetest brunch shower for us complete with miniature pancake stacks, fruit/yogurt parfaits & a breakfast burrito bar. It was so special & we were beyond blessed by all of our friends who attended & those who sent us something special from afar!

Little girl, you are LOVED!

While we still have SO much to do in these next ten(ish) weeks & are going to hustle to knock it all out, I'm determined to soak up all of these precious moments.

The last few weeks of having you close to me in this way & all to myself.

The last few weeks of your daddy putting his hand on my belly in the mornings to feel you wake me up.

The last few nights we stay up to talk about life once you're here & the moments we just sit in your room in wonder.

The last few weekends of your daddy & I being alone with just your fur sisters.

This season we've been in for the past 8+ years together has been so very special. This time I've had all alone with your daddy (even while we were waiting for you) I would never ever change.

But we're ready for this next adventure.

We're ready for you to join us.

And we're ready to see what God has in store for all of us moving forward!

So here's to single digit week countdowns (unless of course you come late.. and you better believe we're all betting on certain dates! So make your momma a winner! ha).

We love you, sweet girl!

Growing Ghoens: Week 29 Bump Date

Week TWENTY-NINE kicked off while we were still away as a family in DC.

The purpose of our trip away was to lay my grandparents to rest in Arlington. The service while we were there was absolutely beautiful & a memorable experience that I will never forget. It was amazing to see both my grandfather & grandmother honored as patriots.. they sacrificed SO much over the course of their lives for our country.

Before & after the ceremony though we did lots of activities together as a family including lunches & dinners at some awesome restaurants, Smithsonian trips, checking out the Supreme Court, visiting the Holocaust museum & spending the evening hours in each other's rooms hanging out!

Right after the memorial service.

Our AMAZING dinners at Founder Farmers!!

Touristy photos with my parents.

Having my morning shake & working out in our room. Thanks to Beachbody on Demand's all access membership, I was able to stream my workout straight to my room! No missing a beat in my Chalene Extreme program!

The rooftop view from our hotel where we had take out for dinner one night!

 

Entertaining ourselves while we were stuck on the train one night for an hour and a half!

Our flight adventures coming home. Surprise surprise. We were ALL obsessed with my niece Finley!!

The day after we got home from our trip, we hustled to prep our house for some guests!! We unpacked, cleaned & grocery shopped like crazy people. Within 24 hours, Jeff, Uli & Aspen arrived to spend the weekend with us after missing them for 4 months!

We made a trip down to the beach.

Had a Saturday morning family run/bike ride!

Watched some final four basketball.

Took them to our FAVE breakfast joint down here (the Donut Hole).

Then said "see you soon" until we go see them for Easter!

We also wrapped up week 29 with our first BABY SHOWER!! This fun, thoughtful, coed shower was hosted by a couple of gals from my discipleship group. The couples from our small group & church really loved on us & blessed our baby girl!

Big thanks to Hollen & Taylor for a special night.

Mexican food + red velvet doughnuts + a couple competitive games.

Y'all know me so well!!

Here's to week THIRTY coming up.. stay tuned :)

Before we know it, our sweet girl will be here!!