Wyatt's Birth Story

With our kiddos history of large birth weights (9 lbs 6 oz, 10 lbs 3 oz, 10 lbs 11 oz) and Genevieve's birth ending in an emergency C-section, we decided a scheduled C-section at 39 weeks would be the safest way to bring our next baby into the world.

Even simply stating that sounds like it would be a breeze, but I was going into Wyatt's Birth with trauma from Genevieve's birth. 

No matter how many times I told myself this time would be different, a little voice would show up and say, "Yea, but do you remember how your epidural stopped working and you were in extreme pain for 6 hours, screaming and crying before the Dr decided it was time for a C-section?? Oh, and then do you remember how recovery was so much different and difficult?"

The couple weeks leading up to the C-section I was having quite a bit of pelvic pain. I thought for sure I was going to go into labor before our scheduled date, and that scared me. 

Luckily, Wyatt followed in his siblings footsteps and stayed comfy and cozy in my tummy until it was eviction day.

Our C-section was scheduled for Sept. 11th at 7am, and we had to be at the hospital at 5am. After arriving the nurses had me shower with a special soap that would aid in preventing any infections from surgery.

Once that was done, it was time for the IV. I hate getting the IV because it never goes in a comfortable place- This time it was placed in my left hand.

The anesthesiologist came in to go over plans for the C-section and protocol questions. I informed him of my previously failed epidural, and he could sense how traumatic that was. He said instead of an epidural he would do a spinal block. That way I could be numb for the duration of the surgery without having anything in my back, and risk the epidural not working. He was very knowledgeable, and brought a lot of peace. I agreed to the spinal block, and we only had about half an hour to wait before we would be taken into the OR.

The nurses gave me an extremely sour liquid to drink half an hour before the surgery to prevent nausea and vomiting. It tasted awful, absolutely awful! I do not like sour things and this was a shot of straight bitterness. I downed it quickly, then waited the remaining 30 minutes. 

Cameron was suited up in hospital attire and walked with me and the nurses to the OR. He also knew how nervous I was and did very well at soothing me and bringing me comfort. 

I sat on the operating table as the anesthesiologist began prepping for the spinal block. It was incredibly difficult to remain relaxed when this was the very source of my trauma. A very kind nurse gently reminded me to relax my shoulders throughout the process. I forced myself to stop trembling and closed my eyes.

The anesthesiologist then asked if I had ever had a diagnosis of scoliosis. The answer: Never. 

He said my back had a slight curve to it which might have been a factor with my epidural last time. He said with pregnancies, sometimes the spine can shift and it may or may not shift back afterwards. 

With that in mind, he worked slowly and cautiously to make sure the spinal block was perfect.

He injected the numbing serum, but it wasn't enough. He injected another dose and asked if I was one who needed lots of numbing medication for fillings. I was never told I needed more numbing serum before, so I was surprised I needed so much now.

Just as he was about to put in the spinal block, a nurse came in and told us that my Dr was on her way in when another mom came in with her water broke and ready to push. My Dr then had to rush to her room to deliver her baby. The anesthesiologist said the spinal block would only last 45 minutes to an hour, and we weren't sure how long my Dr would be with that other mom. He suggested we go ahead and do the spinal block, but also do an epidural so he could make sure I was numb for the length of the surgery. Cameron and I agreed. The spinal block was fairly easy to do, I was in constant communication with the anesthesiologist about any pain. Then came the epidural. It felt like it took a while to finally get the epidural right, but that's how precise the anesthesiologist was. He was not about to move on or let it be until he knew it was in the right place by my verification that I could not feel any pain from it. 

Once it was in, it was a big trust game. 

I was laid down on the operating table as the epidural and spinal block quickly went to work. I began to feel light headed and nauseated. I told Cameron I had to throw up, and a second later, I did. I threw up all of the bitter liquid I had consumed 45 minutes prior. It was awful. 

The anesthesiologist said my blood pressure went down, and he acted quickly to get it under control, once he did, I was fine again. 

We ended up waiting a full hour for my Dr to come in. By the time she entered the room, the blue partition was up in front of my face and she went to work right away. Cameron was curious about watching the whole procedure and my Dr was very willing to let him watch. Cameron stood next to me, holding my hand and watch as they slowly cut down to Wyatt.

My Dr discovered that my uterus was attached to scar tissue from Genevieve C-section-that was the cause of all my pelvic pain for the last couple weeks. Also, another reason I was grateful we were having Wyatt now instead of a week from now. Scar tissue attaching to the uterus can be dangerous.

She then burned away previous scar tissue. I was so anxious for them to get to Wyatt. They pulled him out and Cameron asked what color hair he had. My Dr plainly said, "Oh, it's red."

I was floored! I fully expected him to have brown hair, but no, it's red, just like Waylon's. I was shocked we ended up having two redheads. 

The nurses folded down a section of the partition and left a clear plastic window for me to see Wyatt. They were able to bring him close enough for me to kiss against the window. Afterward, he was passed through a window in the back of the room to the NICU for cleaning, vitals check and to check his breathing cause he was still a bit purple. The nurses announced that he weighed 10 lbs 5 ounces, and was 21.5 inches long. 

They got his color to come back, but they noticed that he was struggling to breathe a bit. He was breathing but not oxygenating. With his body working so hard to breathe, his blood sugar levels also dropped.

Wyatt was then admitted to the NICU. I was sewn back together and wheeled back to my room, waiting to hear what was happening to our baby boy.

Nurses would come in and update me, Cameron was sending me text updates, but I just wanted my baby boy. The nurses proceeded to push on my uterus to encourage blood clots out. The thing is, they did it for a while and multiple times that day. My uterus was extremely sore.

Later that day, once the anesthesia wore off enough that I could stand, a nurse helped me to a wheel chair and took me to see Wyatt. My sweet, fresh, new baby boy was hooked up to oxygen, he had a tube going through his nose to his stomach to suck out extra air from the oxygen he was receiving. It's common for c-section babies to have some extra fluid in their lungs because they weren't pushed out of the vagina, which naturally helps push out that extra fluid.

The nurses wanted to get him an IV of fluid to help with regulating his blood sugar. They made a few attempts to get in an IV with no luck. Finally they inserted it into his umbilical cord and tried to get it to his diaphragm area. But it kept trying to go to his liver. They left it just outside of his liver for the time being.

I instantly cried seeing Wyatt hooked up to all those wires and tubes. I reached up to rub his sweet head and the nurse told me not to do more than that cause they didn't want to over stimulate him. I was struggling big time.

I was wheeled back to my room and laid in bed, pumped what colostrum I could and tried to get some rest. Later that night they told us they were willing to let me do skin-to-skin with him. The nurse told me I was only allowed to hold him, and not feed him. With the level of oxygen he was receiving, they didn't want the extra air in his stomach and the colostrum to cause him to vomit. But I told her if he is wanting to nurse, I'm not ignoring it and will feed him. She then turned down his oxygen to a level that would allow him to nurse. Within a minute, Wyatt was showing signs of hunger and wanting to eat. I was able to feed him and I was so happy for this bonding moment for Wyatt and I.

The next day I visited Wyatt as often as I could. I was in the NICU every 3 hours to nurse him. 

With me feeding him, he was no longer needing as much fluid as my colostrum was helping his blood sugar levels and they lowered the amount of fluids he was getting. 

Later that day, they finally removed the oxygen as he was able to maintain healthy oxygen levels on his own. 

Because the IV in his umbilical cord was going towards his liver, they decided to go ahead and remove it, then put a new one in. The new one ended up in his head, which hurt to see. 

He still had a tube going through his nose to his stomach, but while feeding him, he reached up and pulled it pretty far out. The nurse came over and pulled it out entirely and said it was fine since he wasn't on oxygen anymore. 

Late into the night Sunday, we finally had him off of fluids. He was getting great blood sugar levels with nursing and no longer needed to fluids. 

He was doing well enough Monday morning that the nurses began working on his discharge checklist. The only major hold up was a 90 minute car seat challenge. We would have to buckle Wyatt into the car seat and he would have to go 90 minutes without his oxygen going below 85 for more than 30 seconds. He had just eaten and was very relaxed, so 20 minutes in and he was so relaxed, he failed. The Dr agreed to let us try one more time later than evening. This time we made sure he was more alert and hungry. Cameron gave Wyatt a blessing and many many tearful prayers were said on his behalf.

At 7pm, he passed the test and Wyatt's discharge papers were off to the printer. I went back to my room so that I too could be discharged. 

For the first time, Wyatt was no longer hooked up to wires and tubes. He was finally able to leave the NICU. We were thrilled to be leaving the hospital with our healthy baby boy. 

Since leaving, Wyatt has been great. His breathing is perfect and he nurses like a champ. Waylon, Walker and Genevieve love having Wyatt at home. They love to see him and are fascinated by him. 

I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that we have 4 kids now, but I love our sweet family and grateful we are all healthy and well enough to be home together.

WE'RE PREGNANT! AGAIN!

Surprise! We are pregnant again!

I'm a tad late in sharing this as I am now 18.5 weeks along, Due Sept.17th and will be finding out the gender next week!

I'll be honest, Genevieve's birth traumatized me. I knew I wanted more kids, but after a major surgery, I was hesitant to have them as close as Walker and Genevieve are (18 months). 

The shock of my failed epidural, the rush of an emergency C-section and the long difficult recovery was fresh in my mind for a while.

I was not prepared for the recovery after a C-section. It hurt to laugh and cough, I constantly needed help getting off and on the couch, as well as in and out of bed. I was not used to this extreme dependency. I constantly felt so helpless. Even though everyone, especially my husband, assured me that I was not a burden and that they freely and willingly helped me. It still felt uncomfortable.

My internal organs truly felt shifted, like they had been messed with. 

I broke our rule of never sleeping with children in the bed for the sake and convenience of not having to get out of bed to nurse my child; rather I put her in the bed with us and nursed her. 

Knowing that any child I birthed from here on out would have to be a C-section, I reflected on Genevieve's birth quite a bit, and would begin to shake. When I say this, most girls give me a nudge with a wink and say, "If you find the right Dr you can have a VBAC." (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)

Well, I deliver 10 lb + babies, and if I try to push one out now having a C-section scar, either myself and/or my child could die, sooo no, I will not be searching for that 'special' Dr that is willing to jeopardize mine and my child's life so I can have a vaginal birth... thank you.

I have spoke to so many women who have undergone multiple C-sections and each and every one of them has assured me that a scheduled, un-labored C-section is significantly easier on the mind and body.

Speaking to these women has helped me tremendously. Speaking with my husband about my concerns and struggles has also helped, so when we did get pregnant, he would be aware of my fears to better help me cope through the next C-section we would have.

I refuse to be on birth control because it interferes quite a bit with my hypothyroidism, so it was inevitable that after I stopped nursing Genevieve, we would get pregnant. I nursed her for a full year, and by that time, I was coping much better with the thought of a C-section delivery. 

It didn't take long before I found out I was pregnant. My periods were still a bit off from when I stopped nursing Genevieve, but according to my period tracker app, I was supposed to start a period mid January, and I never did. I took a test, in disbelief cause I was expecting at least another month of an off period.

Those 2 pink lines showed up so fast and that was it, I was on my way to C-section #2.

Cameron came home and I shared the exciting news, he was just as thrilled. He loves having kids and was ecstatic to hear a 4th baby would be joining us.

My nausea in the first trimester was not awful, but just lingered at moderate intensity for about 6 weeks straight. I got night time headaches, which was a new one for me. As well as lower back pain.

I was sure that we were having twins this time, but after 2 ultrasounds, they have confirmed that there is just 1 sweet little babe in there. 

I have been feeling sweet jabs and kicks over the last several weeks, which is so comforting to know that the baby is ok.

I have not had any real strong feelings of what the gender of this baby will be. Of course, I will be happy with either a boy or a girl, but I think deep down I'd like another girl. Cameron without a doubt believes it's a boy. 

We'll know in 10 short days what our sweet little one will be. I am so anxious and excited!

Genevieve's Birth Story

On Sunday November 17th, I woke up having some painful contractions that were 10 minutes apart. Those contractions lasted about 5 hours then they stopped. I had Cameron take me into triage at the Naval Hospital anyway to see if I was starting labor. 

The nurse checked us and my contractions weren't picking up and I was only dilated to 3, so they sent us home. 

Thursday November 21st I had a check-up with my Dr. I was 39 weeks & 5 days. I was still at a 3 and she did a membrane sweep to help my body start more contractions. 

Friday November 22nd I woke up having painful and frequent contractions so off to triage we went. They had been monitoring Genevieve's heart rate for a while and brought to our attention that her heart rate was pretty high, which wasn't very good. They also checked my dilation and I was at a 5. I wasn't in labor yet, but they encouraged us to go ahead and get admitted for an induction. We agreed that would be best, and around 9:30am I was hooked up to fluids and pitocin.

I started contracting pretty regularly, and they were becoming more painful. I wanted the epidural before they broke my water, and within a couple hours I was set up with an epidural. It worked just fine, and I asked the nurse to bring in the peanut ball to help me dilate with my contractions. 

My Dr came in soon after to break my water. SO MUCH FLUID CAME OUT!! They had to bring more and more towels to soak up the fluids. I ended up needing a new gown cause the one I had was soaked with fluid. Cameron told me it looked like a gallon of fluid came out. My Dr was amazed at how much came out, and my stomach looked significantly smaller. I was checked for dilation and I was at an 8.

About an hour later I noticed my contractions getting more intense, which I expected but it hurt more than I remember from past deliveries. Then I could feel my legs, not good. I pushed my button for another dose for my epidural, and nothing. I waited to see if it would administer on its own... Nothing. 

Suddenly my contractions were the most intense I have ever felt. Striking, piercing, pressured pain in my pelvic area, about where Genevieve's head was. I remember thinking that once she moves farther down the birth canal, it won't hurt so much in that area. 

My Dr went off her shift at 7pm and we were all sure that Genevieve was gonna be born any minute. I started puking, my tell-tale sign that delivery was not far. 

More time passed. No baby yet. My contractions had become so intense that I was yelling and crying during them. I was so exhausted from the amount of pain I was in that I was falling asleep in-between the contractions, which were about a minute to a minute and a half apart. 

We asked for the anesthesiologist to come in and see what was wrong. She pushed lidocaine through my epidural line and it was the first bit of relief I felt in HOURS! I fell asleep cause I was starting to worry that I wouldn't have enough energy to push. But my nap didn't last long. The lidocaine wore off and I was back to intense pain, still in my pelvic area. 

A nurse came in to check my progress around 9, and I was still at 8, with cervix still in the way. I felt a contraction coming on and my body instantly wanted to push, so I let it. I was already screaming in pain so I yelled to the nurse that I was pushing. I needed Genevieve to move down the birth canal! The nurse yelled back at me to immediately stop pushing. I was so confused cause I know when you feel the urge to push, you should push! The nurse said my cervix were still in the way and if I pushed, I could seriously damage them and things could go south very quickly. 

The anesthesiologist stayed with us and pumped more and more lidocaine through my epidural line, but it only relieved pain for a moment. She suggested we re-do my epidural. 

To keep me from pushing, the nurse had me doing breathing exercises. It was so incredibly difficult to not push. I was crying during the breathing cause the pain was just so intense. I remember saying "Why won't she move down??"

The on-call assistant Dr came in and felt my cervix as I had a contraction and he said that Genevieve didn't even budge. She wasn't coming down. Since I was on my back for that check, Genevieve's heart rate dropped significantly during that contraction.

Then the on-call Dr came in. Same one who delivered Walker. He was very calm and told us that it's very unusual to be dilated to an 8 for so long with no progress, and that with our track record, Genevieve is probably bigger than we think. He suggested a C-section. I looked at Cameron, he looked at me and nodded. I knew what he was thinking. Vaginal delivery was no longer safe for myself or Genevieve. We needed to have a C-section. 

I was still having intense and painful contractions. The anesthesiologist began to re-do my epidural. It took everything in me to not move while still enduring the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. I had to breathe through the contractions while she carefully adjusted my epidural. 

Once the new epidural was in, it worked pretty quickly, and I finally, FINALLY had relief. I grabbed the anesthesiologists arm and cried as I thanked her repeatedly. 

I was wheeled into the OR, moved to the operating table and they started rubbing a solution over my stomach to sanitize, then the orange numbing solution was rubbed all over my stomach multiple, multiple times. The curtain was placed in front of me, and then they brought Cameron in. He stayed beside me and the anesthesiologist also stayed with me and told me when I'd feel movement and pressure. It was the strangest thing to know I was being cut open, to feel my body being shoved and jerked around as they cut through to get to Genevieve. I felt a sudden big jerk and I felt lighter. We heard her sweet cry and Cameron and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. She was here. Relief. 

They brought her over to us and my goodness was she BIG! All the nurses were saying "Oh yea, she's at least 10lbs." 

Cameron went back with Genevieve to our room to see her get weighed and measured. 10lbs. 11oz. 21.75 inches tall. 

The Dr who performed the surgery said that he normally has to pull the baby out of the birth canal, but Genevieve was an easy one to pull out cause she wasn't in birth canal at all. 

Overall it was about 40 minutes from the time they got us into the OR until they finished stitching me up. The nurse gave me a liquid to drink right before the surgery to keep me from getting sick during the operation, but I still ended up throwing up as they were stitching me up. I couldn't roll over to throw up, but the sweet anesthesiologist held a bag next to my face and used the same suction tool used by dentists to help me not choke. I apologized many times for throwing up at that point, but they assured me it didn't interfere with what the Dr's were doing.

In the last few weeks leading up to delivery I was told by so many "The 3rd one is a curve ball!" I thought I as ready for every curve ball that could come our way, even C-section. But I was not prepared for the massive curve ball of my epidural not working, then needing a C-section. 

I'm so so grateful that Genevieve and I are safe and healthy. I'm grateful for Dr's who were ready to act and do what was best for us. 

Recovery is much different this time around than with my vaginal births. 

I love my little family, and I'm so grateful that we have been able to bring 3 beautiful children into the world.

One thing is sure, I couldn't have gotten through this without Cameron by my side. He was so strong during the whole thing. I know it was hard for him to watch me go through so much pain, but he was there every second. He let me squeeze his hand as hard as I could through the pain.

I am so lucky to have him with me through this wild ride of life. 

Baby #3 Is A....

We are nearing the end of my pregnancy and I realized I never posted about the gender of this sweet baby!!!

During the ultrasound to find out the gender, the baby was being so shy. It took a little while to find out and there was a moment that I was worrying we wouldn't be able to find out that day.

We had planned a gender reveal party for that night so I was really hoping we wouldn't have to cancel.

After what seemed like an eternity, our OB looked at us and said "Are you ready?" We said YES! Cameron pulled out his phone to take a video, and our OB announced "It's a girl!" A GIRL! A GIRL! A GIRL!!!

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!

GENEVIEVE ANN FLEWELLEN

I have a great grandmother named Genevieve and I've always loved that name.

We decided that if this baby is a girl, we will name her Genevieve after my great grandmother.

It has been so fun and so surreal having cute little girl stuff start coming into the house!

I saw a quote on Pinterest that said "In a field of roses, she is a wild flower."

I want Genevieve's room to be floral to help inspire her to learn from the flowers.

Flowers teach us to still blossom despite how others are growing around us. They teach us that we need both compliments and criticism to grow because they need sunshine and rain to grow. All flowers are different from each other, and each are beautiful in their own way.

I had my baby shower last weekend and it was so fun! We had a flower making station, and the flowers are going to go onto her wall above her bed. 

We got some super cute stuff for Genevieve. She is already so loved by so many! 

I am 2 days away from being 33 weeks. I just have to make it 4 more weeks and then I'll be full term and she can come anytime.

My great grandmother Genevieve was born on Nov. 13th, so I'm actually very curious if our little Genevieve will make her arrival around then.  

Adding More Love To Our Family

Surprise! We are expecting another little bundle of joy!!

When Cameron came home from deployment in February 2019 we decided we'd try to see if we could have one more baby before he gets out of the Navy in March 2020.

On March 16th I made us breakfast burritos and hot sauce sounded really good to put on it. When I ate it with the hot sauce, it tasted REALLY good. And I know from past pregnancies that things only taste THAT good when you're pregnant!

I looked over at Cameron and said "I think I'm pregnant."

His eyes opened wide, and was surprised to hear that I could possibly be pregnant already after only a month of trying.

The next day on St. Patrick's Day, I was still 3 days away from starting my cycle, but I was so anxious to know, so I pulled out a pregnancy test. I took it and 2 faint pink lines started showing up. Because it was kind of hard to see, I pulled out a different test and also took it, and it showed up with a big blue plus sign. About a minute had passed by since taking the first test, and by then the 2 pink lines were very clear to see. We were pregnant! 

I calculated that we were due around November 23rd. which would put Walker and this new baby 18 months apart.

The first ultrasound went very well and found out there's only 1 baby in there. With twins running in my family, the first ultrasound is always nerve wracking. 

My mind was put to ease when we saw one healthy baby, and there was a heartbeat.

Nausea soon started and luckily it wasn't as bad as it was with Walker and our miscarriage pregnancy. Nausea is never fun to deal with, but it was manageable, and we were able to go visit family without me getting too sick. Except for the random time that I took one bite of a fish taco and threw up before I could even swallow it haha 

Everything has gone very well this pregnancy, and I've been feeling small jabs here and there. We are now at the end of the first trimester and have a date of June 24th to find out the gender! I've been saying from the very beginning that I think this one is a girl, so we'll see if I'm right.
Plus, Cameron's dad always correctly guesses the gender and weight of each grandchild. He has already said that this one will be a girl and she'll be 9lbs 3 oz. We'll see if it comes true!

An Update on Waylon

Waylon has had a speech problem for a little while now. He echo's a lot and he's had difficulty with articulation.

We also noticed that he occasionally has trouble making eye contact, and it can take him up to 2 hours to complete a meal because he can get so distracted. He had some other struggles that concerned us as well so Cameron and I discussed it and decided to get Waylon tested for ADHD.

I went down to the Naval Hospital and filled out a 2 page form of my concerns and Waylon's behavioral patterns. After a week I got a call and was told that they usually don't test children under the age of 5, so I shouldn't have been given a form, but I was and the concerns I have are consistent with a child who has ADHD. So they asked me to come in and get him tested. 

After waiting nearly a month, we were finally able to get him tested on Tuesday October 30th. After a 2 hour evaluation, lots of questions and feeling like we were right in our accusation that Waylon had ADHD, the therapist sat across from me and handed me a paper. At the top read " Autism Spectrum Disorder". She looked at me matter-of-factly, like it was obvious that Waylon was autistic. 

She could see my shock and confusion and asked if it had even crossed my mind that he could be autistic. I remember my mom briefly mentioning it a couple months prior, but I brushed it off because I didn't see any signs of Autism in him. But as a parent, it's difficult to see signs when you are so used to those traits being part of their personality.

After the therapist explained why she diagnosed him as autistic, so many things started to make sense. Why he organizes and categorizes everything. Why he shakes his hands when he's stressed or excited. Why he flaps his arms when he's happy. Why he doesn't understand when he gets too close to other kids, and why he doesn't understand when they get frustrated by it. Why his meltdowns are over the top and can have a hard time calming down afterwards. Why he echo's every sound or phrase. Why he reenacts every show or movie. Why his imaginative play is pretty much non-existent. Why he has difficulty with change, and why he insists on having the same cereal every morning, even after I've made him eggs or pancakes.

It took a good 24 hours for all this to sink in. I was slightly overwhelmed at first, and I knew our lives would become very busy very soon.

Having previously worked with remedial children, and occasionally helped with autistic children, I knew how much work was going to go into helping Waylon. 

Our families have been so supportive and helpful. And honestly, I'm glad we received this news now so we can get him the help he needs before he starts school.

This week I made Waylon some calming bottles filled with a mixture of glitter glue, fine glitter and water, and they have helped tremendously with his meltdowns. Having been informed of his autism has allowed me to do research and find the best way to help him, and it's a relief to finally know how to help him. 

This journey will be a learning process, and it won't be easy, but I know everything will be alright.

Any words of advice are welcome and wanted!

Why I Took A 10 Day Break From Social Media

No social media at all for 10 days?? Why??

Well, I'll tell you why..

Twice a year I participate in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints General Conference. It's a 2 day event in April and October. We get to hear from our Prophet and Apostles, as well as other general authorities.

In April there is a General Priesthood Session Saturday evening for all the Priesthood holders in our church to attend. And in October there is a General Women's Session Saturday evening for all the women.

Yesterday, on October 6th we had our General Women's Session. Great talks we given, and our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson spoke to us and challenged us to do 4 things.

1. Read and study the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ, before the end of the year.
2. Refrain from social media for 10 days and make note of how you feel and what your thoughts are.
3. Attend the Temple as often as possible.
4. Read, ponder and study the Relief Society Statement of Purpose.

After the Women's session I immediately went to Facebook and wrote that I was accepting the challenge and turned off all notifications for Facebook and Instagram.

Day 1:
Out of habit I've wanted to open my phone and click on to Facebook to see what's going on in the world. But instead I moved the apps to another screen on my phone so they wouldn't be as much of a temptation, which has helped tremendously.

One thing I looked forward to was being more focused on my family. What's happening now. I felt that I was able to be more tuned in to my family and not bothered by little interruptions.

I also noticed that as I checked my phone throughout the day to check for notifications, I almost felt a disappointment that I had none. That I wasn't wanted or needed. But then I looked around, and right here with my husband and 2 sons is where I am needed.

I also felt that as much as I love staying in touch with others through Facebook and Instagram, as no one reached out to me today, I realized that constantly knowing what's going on in everyone's lives isn't detrimental to my life, and growth.

I know as the days pass, I will not have as strong an urge to constantly be wondering what's going on with everyone else. I'm also looking forward to filling more time with pondering the scriptures, progressing and focusing on my family.

Day 2:
Today I feel like my mind is clear. I had much more enthusiasm to take on today's task.

This morning a friend came over to work on a project with me and it was great to be able to stay engaged with her and not worry about what anyone was posting about on Facebook. And having her over was a great distraction from wanting to check my phone for the latest gossip.

Afterwards I got a surprise text from another great friend just to simply say she was thinking of me. This friend didn't know that I was currently in this challenge because she deleted her social media a couple weeks ago. Now, I'm not saying I need all my friends to always reach out to me all the time, but it was so nice to know that she thought of me and acted on that prompting to tell me. We then had a brief conversation about what we are up to and it was great!

Next I sat and played with my 3 year old while our 4 month old slept. Not saying that I never play with my child, but again, I didn't have the worry or the urgency to check what my friends kids were doing or compare my son to other kids. My son was being himself and was so perfect in my eyes.

I found myself wanting to fill my time with other things so that I wouldn't want to check my phone.

Day 7:
You know what's been nice? Not having to see a bunch of negative comments all the time.

I have don't have to see the corrupt and biased opinions of media influencers. I don't have to see anything vulgar that certain Facebook friends have been known to share.

I feel myself being more positive. I don't feel the need to constantly compare discipline techniques, or how my child's development compares to another.

We only see a moment of each other's lives on social media. We would have much different views if we spent an entire day with each other.

I think social media can be used be for good, and that's the change I will make after these 10 days. I'm going to filter out the unnecessary, and limit how often I'm on social media.

I'm reminded of my favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 2:27
"27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

We are given free agency. We are free to choose happiness and love. I don't have to allow myself to see such filth and negativity on social media. I can put down my phone and not care about what everyone else is doing and saying.
I don't have to be bombarded with thousands of differing opinions.
Instead of scouring Facebook for updates on friends, I can call or text them and ask how they're doing without the entire world knowing our conversation.

Day 10:
Through this fast I have seen what truly matters and what is most important. And not caring so much about what is on social media. I also see that more positivity and spreading the gospel is needed.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this media fast. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated because of it.
I'm so grateful to have a living Prophet on the earth today that was inspired and gave this challenge.

If you feel encouraged to take this challenge, then do it! You won't regret it!

Walker's Birth Story

Monday May 14th, 2018:

Monday morning I had an appt with my OB to sweep my membranes and talk about an induction. I was nervous about going over my due date again and having a really big baby and needing a c-section. My Dr was willing to induce me before my due date, but after 39 weeks. But she wanted to sweep my membranes to give my body a chance to go into labor on its own. 

Welp, between 37-39.5 weeks, I had my membranes swept a total of 5 times, and still did not go into labor. 

That morning we came in for the 5th sweep. I was dilated to 5 and having some contractions, but they were mild Braxton Hicks, so I didn't think much of them. My Dr told us to not go home just yet and to walk around for about an hour and if I have more contractions, then I needed to go up to labor and delivery triage.

After walking around the hospital, up and down stairs, trying everything to help get me into labor, I did have more contractions and I thought my water broke a little bit, so we headed up to triage. They put monitors on me, gave me some water, and called my Dr in. She said my water wasn't broken, but they noticed Walker's heart rate dropped when I was having contractions. They said that alone was enough to admit me. So the induction began, we were admitted and having a baby!

By this time it was around 9:30 in the morning. They first they started an IV of fluids to help with Walker's heart rate. We waited another 2-3 hours and then they got me started on Pitocin to help regulate my contractions. My Dr wanted to break my water to help things progress quicker and I wanted the epidural before she did that. So we waited for what seemed like forever to get an epidural. Once the epidural was in and working, my Dr came in and broke my water around 2pm. There was so much fluid that came out my Dr said "Well, that's why your belly looked so big. You had all that fluid in there. Yep, you're definitely gonna have about an 8.5 lb baby." 

That's what they told me with Waylon too, and he was 9 lbs 6 oz.

I could tell the hormones were getting to me, and having the epidural and not being able to move around, things get to you. Cameron came back from getting food at the galley and I was crying haha I wanted our other son, Waylon, with us. I missed him. That was the longest I've ever been away from him, and I just wanted our little family together.

Once I gathered myself together again. The nurses brought in the peanut yoga ball to help with dilation. My OB had already ended her shift, so another Dr would be delivering Walker. We were getting close to the end of the day and they had upped my pitocin. My contractions were much stronger and about 2 minutes apart. It didn't take long and I was finally at a 10. 

This time around I was determined to not spend 3 hours pushing, again. My hope and goal was to push for an hour or less. This time Cameron and I had a plan to help me push. I could barely get my shoulders off the bed, so I asked him to put an arm behind me and lift me while I pushed.

At 11:45pm, we started pushes. I asked the nurse to bring in the mirror because it helps me to see my progress and I can push myself more. And just like with Waylon's delivery, I threw up right before we started pushes. While pushing, I noticed some pain near my tailbone. The nurse said that Walker was face up and facing my left hip, so the back of his head was on my tail bone. But once I pushed him down some more, the pain was gone. At midnight, the Dr came in ready to catch Walker. During the next few pushes I threw up some more. I pushed a few more times and I finally had Walker crowning. When I got his head out Amniotic fluid shot across the room haha I actually had no idea this even happened, Cameron told me about it later. 

The nurse told me to take a break and breathe in more oxygen, but I didn't want to, my body just wanted to push. I did stop for a second to get some air to prep for the next push. The Dr started taking off the end of the bed ready to catch Walker. I remember thinking "At this point with Waylon, I had one push left. So that's it Chels, one more push and he's here." So I gave it my all, I pushed and pushed and pushed. During this push, Walker pulled a 360 move and he went from face up to face down. He still wasn't out yet. His shoulders were barely through. His shoulders never got stuck, they were just a little snug. Everyone kept telling me "Almost there, one more push, he's almost there, just give it one more push." I gave one last big push, and he was out! at 12:33am our little Walker was here. A total of 45 minutes of pushing. I remember telling Cameron, "I didn't even break a sweat this time!" haha

They laid Walker on my belly, Cameron cut the cord and Walker's hand clasped around my finger. He was crying, of course, so I started talking to him and he instantly stopped. I felt his legs and they felt smaller than Waylon's, so I thought, "Maybe my Dr was right, maybe he will only be 8 lbs.". They let me hold Walker as long as I wanted before they weighed and measured him. I was very curious about his weight, so I let them take him and weigh him. As I'm laying in the bed, Cameron is standing in front of the scale so I couldn't see the numbers, so I just waited patiently for them to say the weight out loud. Except the only words out of anyone's mouth was "Oh my gosh!" Gasps were everywhere, The nurse looked at me with her hands over her mouth in shock. I looked around and kept saying "What? What is it??" But nobody answered! So I said "Somebody needs to say something now! What? What is it??" And the nurse just said "Look!" Cameron stepped back to reveal the scale. 10lbs, 3 oz. I was FLOORED! I was so shocked! I was so terrified of having a 10 lb baby and not being able to delivery that baby vaginally. I could not believe I had just delivered a baby that big, and how easy it was to get him out! 

I truly underestimated the capability of what our bodies can do. 

We spent the next 38 hours in the hospital before we were finally discharged. Luckily, everyone is healthy and doing well. I can't believe how quickly my body is recovering. I feel like I've bounced back quicker this time.

Waylon is so in love with his baby brother, and he has made this transition much easier on us. we're so excited to be a family of 4 now and I can't wait to see Walker grow and develop his little personality.

Third Trimester, Here We Go!

FINALLY!! We are in the 3rd Trimester! I remember when I hit 28 weeks with Waylon, your body just feels different. It hurts more, you ache, you take longer to get around and exerting energy takes a lot out of you.
Well, this pregnancy wasn't any different. As soon as I hit 28 weeks, BAM, my body had more aches and pains. Except these pains also came with chasing a toddler around. So I hardly have time to nurse my pains. During my pregnancies I experience what they call lightning crotch. If you don't know what that is, it's exactly how it sounds; sharp zapping pain in the ho-ha. And this time around I'm getting it more frequently and it stops me in my tracks. And then Waylon comes up to me asking me if I'm ok and gives me a hug, which does make it better :)

On top of all these aches, pains and contractions, I decided it would be a great time to potty train Waylon haha Yep. I tried to prep him as best I could one week, knowing the next week I had wide open with no plans but to stay home and potty train. The Friday before I took Waylon to the store to pick out some fun undies. And of course he picked out the pack that had Toy Story and Cars. I also picked up some kids Culturelle and Pedialyte to encourage pooping :)
I started out having him run around butt naked and that was working, but then he wasn't pooping. After 3 days of naked butt it was time to wear underwear, which he wasn't too excited about, but he knew he couldn't go outside without them haha
The first day in undies he had quite a few accidents and I needed him to poop. So I took him to the store and let him pick out a toy. He chose a Lightning McQueen car, so when we got home, I told him he couldn't have it until he pooped on the potty. The next day, he pooped! On the potty! And he got his car and he was SO excited! And that was it, he was potty trained! We of course still have a few accidents, but he can now take himself to go potty at home and he's getting much better about telling me when he needs to go. And now we will only have 1 kid in diapers when Walker gets here! *victory dance!*

I am now 31 weeks and it seems like the weeks are flying by! We will have our sweet little Walker here before we know it!

It's Another Boy!!

I am now halfway through my pregnancy and I've got to say, it's such a relief to be halfway to meeting our little baby.
At first, it felt like we'd never get here, and that May was too far away. But here I am, 20 weeks pregnant and 4 months away from meeting our new baby boy.

So, usually you find out the gender around 19-20 weeks when you have your anatomy scan ultrasound, but we knew Cameron would be working and wouldn't be able to make that ultrasound, so our amazing OB scheduled to have us find out the gender on Dec. 11th when I was 17.5 weeks. Lucky for us, Cameron's parents were in town that same weekend and would be able to come with us to the ultrasound!

My Dr ended up being switched to on-call that week, so when I went in for my appt, I didn't know if we'd even be able to do the ultrasound because my Dr could possibly be delivering babies. So we hoped, prayed and crossed our fingers that we would be able to do the ultrasound. When we checked in for the appt, they got us into a room right away, and my Dr was in shortly after and spent plenty of time with us to find out the gender. Our little baby was being just a little stubborn, but it was really fun watching my in-laws reactions to seeing our little baby move around. And then when we go close to the baby's legs, suddenly we all saw without a doubt, we were having another boy!!!! We are so SO excited to welcome Walker James into our family!

Now, being 20 weeks, the kicks and flutters are getting stronger and stronger. Cameron was finally able to feel Walker kick last week, which is one of my favorite parts of pregnancy!

I had my 20 week scan this last Friday. The appt took about an hour, which I was fine with cause I got to see Walker moving around a lot. But the tech was a little rough, she kept digging into my stomach to get certain pictures of Walker. My belly was extremely sore afterwards, and it's still a little sore today. I loved watching Walker move around, opening and closing his mouth, and seeing that he looks a lot like his big brother!!!