Brooks's Birth Story

December 17, 2018

I had my 39 week checkup on Monday, the 17th, with Dr. Houpe. I was 39 weeks and 4 days along. At the appointment everything looked great with baby boy and I was dilated to a 2. I had my doctor swipe my membranes, like we did at my last appointment with Stockton, in hopes that it would put me into labor.

While at my appointment I asked if we could set up an induction date as a back up plan. (I was really hoping to have baby boy before Christmas.) Dr. Houpe said she'd put me on the list to get a date set up, but that I probably wouldn't get anything before the 27th of December. I decided that if I couldn't get an induction date for before the 25th that I would just let my body do it's thing and not get an induction unless it later became necessary.

About an hour after my appointment I got a phone call.

"Hi, is this Nicole?"
"Yes, it is."
"Would you like to have a baby tonight?"
"Umm..."

I was taken completely by surprise. The lady told me I could either schedule an induction for that night and head to the hospital at 8 p.m., or I could schedule one for the 27th. I decided to schedule it just in case since I was already starting to feel more "crampy" from having my membranes swiped earlier.

I got off the phone and instantly called Nathan to tell him the news. He was shocked and nervous. I was too, but I was also excited! We were going to meet our baby boy soon! I also liked knowing I wouldn't go into labor in the middle of the night and have to worry about Stockton.

When Nathan got home from work, we all went out for a family walk to try and help my body go into labor. It was a hard walk. I waddled the whole time and I had to stop often. I was sure I would go into labor from it. (Just like I had with Stockton over two years ago.) But after the walk I felt fine, so we went to Chick-fil-a for dinner to support a friend's fundraiser.

Several people were there from our Ward and neighborhood. Everyone asked us if the baby was going to come that night. We just smiled and said, "Yep, he is." But we didn't mention that we had set up an induction.

At 7:30 p.m. we left Stockton at home with my brother and sister-in-law, who live in our basement. We gave Stock a big hug and told him we were going to go have baby brother and that he would get to come see him tomorrow. He just kept saying goodbye and was ready to play with his Aunt and Uncle.

On the way to the hospital I got a little emotional. It was our last day of being a family of three. My last day of it being just Stockton and me playing all day together. Stockton wouldn't be my baby boy anymore. I was nervous to officially be a mom to two little boys. But I was also emotional because I was so excited to finally meet my baby. I was excited for Stockton to be a big brother and get a little best friend.

We checked in at McKay Dee Hospital just after 8 p.m. and were put in delivery room 4508. By 8:30 I was changed and hooked up with IVs. At 9 they started oxytocin and penicillin. (I tested positive for Group Strep B, so I had to be on the antibiotic for at least 4 hours before delivery.) Then we just had to wait. Nathan and I tried to get some sleep, but those beds and couches really aren't the most comfortable things in the world.

By 11 p.m. I was dilated to a 4. I felt fine with the contractions and decided to keep breathing through them on my own and not get the epidural right away. We continued to try and sleep between nurse visits.

December 18, 2018

The nurse came in after midnight asking how I was doing with my pain level. I still felt fine working through the contractions on my own, but she suggested I get my epidural while the anesthesiologists was on the floor because he might not have been able to come back later when I would want an epidural for the pain. I got the epidural at 12:45 a.m. and was dilated to a 5 at 1 o'clock.

A little later I was told that Dr. Houpe would not be there for the delivery and that Dr. Diaz would be the one to deliver my baby boy. I was obviously hopeful for my doctor, but Dr. Diaz seemed very nice and I was fine with not waking up my doctor super early in the morning. Dr. Diaz broke my water at 2:20 a.m. and then we waited some more.

When the nurse came in to check me again at 3:10 I was dilated to a 7. I was going to call the birth photographer, but the nurse assured me we probably had another hour before we would need the photographer to come. She came in to check me 30 minutes later just to make sure we didn't miss the window to call the photographer, and was shocked to find that I was fully dilated... We quickly called the photographer and she rushed to get to the hospital. I was then told that Dr. Houpe was at the hospital for another delivery and that she would be the one to deliver our baby boy. I was so excited to have her there!

As everything was getting set up for the delivery, my body started to get the shakes. I couldn't decide if I was freezing, or if it was all the adrenaline, but I was shaking uncontrollably. It made me a little nervous that I couldn't calm my shaking down. Nathan was so helpful in holding my hand and shoulder trying to help me feel calm.

At 4 a.m. Dr. Houpe came in the room and I started pushing. With each push Dr. Houpe kept saying, "Just one or two more! You're doing great, Nicole!", but my baby just wasn't coming out. His heart rate was starting to drop, so Dr. Houpe did a quick episiotomy. Our baby came right out at 4:12 a.m., but he had the cord wrapped tight around his neck. It was so tight that Dr. Houpe wasn't able to unwrap it. As she quickly grabbed the scissors to snip the cord, she apologized to Nathan that he wouldn't get to cut it.

Once the cord was off of our baby he was placed up on me and I got to see and hold him for the very first time. He was perfect! It really is such a magical moment when you get to hold your little baby for the first time. Something you've been waiting for for nine whole months.

A few minutes later Devry, our photographer, walked through the door. We were grateful to have her there and felt bad we made her rush super early in the morning. She was able to capture all of the special first moments so that we could focus on each other.

After lots of first snuggles I handed over my little boy to be weighed and measured. He came in at 7 lbs and 10 oz and 20.5 inches long. Nathan was able to cut off the excess cord and then got to hold our baby after he was swaddled.

I loved seeing Nathan's face light up when he held our son for the first time. He is such an amazing dad! We spent the rest of our time admiring our sweet boy and trying to decide what his name was. We debated between Brooks, Lincoln, and Everett, but still weren't sure which one was a good fit.

While we were taking turns holding our baby, I decided to do some more skin to skin time and try to nurse. I had such a hard time trying to get Stockton to latch in the hospital, that I wanted to try right away to make sure we could figure it out. I was completely shocked and overjoyed when our little boy latched right on and instantly started to nurse. But we also noticed at this time that he had a severe tongue tie that made his tongue heart shaped. We were going to make sure to bring it up with the lactation consultant and pediatrician when we would see them later.

At 5:40 a.m. we were transferred to our new room, 4117. We tried to get some more rest before having Stockton and family come, but with all of the nurse and doctor visits it was a little hard. We did however get to witness a beautiful morning sunrise.

Finally, around 9 a.m. after lots of back and forth, we decided on a name for our baby boy, Brooks Nathan Ballard. We couldn't wait to have Stockton come and meet his baby brother for the first time.

(Funny story, right after we finally decided on Brooks's name, Nathan found a penny in our room with the Lincoln side up! We both laughed and wondered if it was suppose to be a sign his name was Lincoln, but decided he really did look more like a Brooks so we left it as is.)

Pregnancy Update

This pregnancy has flown by! I haven't been very good at keeping track of everything this time so I thought I'd quickly write down a couple of things while I kind of remember them.

7 Weeks:
I went to my doctor on May 7, and sure enough there was a little tiny baby in there. I was 7 weeks along and things were looking good. Baby's due date is December 20th. We are very excited for our Christmas baby!

We told our parents we were  pregnant on Mother's Day. Stockton wore a shirt that said, "World's Best Brother", and we handed them a small present wrapped in red wrapping paper with a tag that read, "Do Not Open Until December 2018". Both families were very excited for us.

12 Weeks:
At my 12 week appointment everything continued to look good. It was crazy to see how much the little bean from our first ultrasound had changed and already looked more like a baby. Thankfully I haven't had any intense morning sickness with this pregnancy either. I just need to make sure I'm good about eating and drinking and I feel pretty good.

16 Weeks:
During my 16 week appointment my doctor mentioned that my placenta was low and that next time we'd want to double check that to make sure I don't have a low lying placenta. So of course I looked it up and got worried. Everything I read said I would have to have a C-section if I did end up having a low lying placenta, which made me nervous. Obviously I'll do whatever I need to do to have a healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery. But I really hope to deliver vaginally again. On a happier note from this visit, we found out we are having another little boy!!!!

We decided to do a gender reveal party for family this time and bought a piñata for Stockton and the grandparents to hit. We filled it with blue raspberry tootie frooties and confetti that said, "It's A Boy!" After breaking open the piñata we had cupcakes and Aggie Blue Mint Ice Cream.

20 Weeks:
Thankfully at my 20 week appointment during the intensive ultrasound everything looked great. My placenta had moved up and baby boy looked healthy and was developing well. I'm always so amazed at everything they can see at that ultrasound. I'm very grateful for a healthy pregnancy.

At each of my following appointments so far everything has been great. Baby boy keeps growing just as he should and measuring right along with his due date. One thing that has been different with this pregnancy is that I've had way more heartburn. With Stockton I had some during the last couple of weeks, but nothing some Tums couldn't help. This time however I feel like I've had heartburn almost the entire time and it kept getting worse and worse.

I finally talked to my doctor about it and she told me I could get some Prilosec to help. When I finally started taking it, it was a night and day difference. I was finally comfortable again! Before I couldn't bend much, or eat very much without getting really bad heartburn. Now I just take a pill every other day or so and I'm totally fine. Thank goodness!!!

Stockton seems pretty excited for baby brother. He talks about him a lot and is always thoughtful of him. The other day my sister brought over a piggy bank for the baby that matches Stockton's. When Stock saw it he ran to his piggy bank and said that baby brother needed some money for his piggy bank. It melted my heart seeing Stockton take some of his money out and put it his the other piggy bank for baby brother.

37 Weeks:
Today I'm 37 weeks pregnant! 20 more days until we get to meet baby boy if he comes on his due date. But sometimes I feel like he's going to come before the 20th of December. I've had a lot more Braxton Hicks this time around and way more pelvic pressure and pain. I sneezed the other day, and I swear it almost put me into labor! But we'll see how it all plays out. At my 36 week appointment a couple of days ago I was only dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced. Who knows? But hopefully he's closer to his due date.

We are getting so excited to meet this little guy!

Round Two

I was pretty bummed I wasn't pregnant and that my period had started, but I decided to try and focus on the good...

• It started at the perfect time where I would be able to take my medicine and be done with my period before my girls trip to Texas.
• I would be back from the girls trip on the 12th day of my cycle and would be able to go in and check how my body responded to the Clomid again. 
• We should both be home during the ovulation window.

If I wasn't going to be pregnant, my cycle really did come at the perfect time for the upcoming month. My doctor kept my Clomid prescription the same at 50 mg and we started all over again.

When it was time for the girls trip I was a little nervous and sad. I had never left Stockton longer than a few hours and this time I was going to be gone for 4 days! But I'm glad I went! I had a blast with Nathan's mom and sisters, Meg and Carly, in Texas. We got pedicures, ate lots of yummy food, enjoyed the hot tub, and seeing bits of Houston and Galveston. Then we said goodbye to Carly and headed to Waco to finish off our trip. We went to the Silos and took in all the greatness of Magnolia.

After getting home I went to the doctor's that afternoon and again found out I had TWO follicles. The doctor said I would probably ovulate on day 15 or 16 of my cycle and to keep my husband and me in the same state this time.

Then comes the waiting again. It really does feel like the longest part of the whole process to me. I just want to know right away and what to plan for.

This month was different than last month. I kept cramping. They kind of felt like round ligament pains. Anytime I would get up and move quickly I would get them. It was so weird to me because with Stockton I didn't have round ligament pains until I was about 9+ weeks. I also kept getting Charly Horses at night when trying to fall asleep.

Of course I kept trying to look things up and see if those could be signs of early pregnancy...

I kept getting the cramps off and on and on April 13th, the 29th day of my cycle, they were super sharp at night before bed. I cried because they hurt, but I also cried because I was sure it was my body preparing to start a period again. Nathan was so sweet and comforting, but I was still pretty down about it.

I decided to hold on to some hope and if I hadn't started in the morning I would take a pregnancy test just to confirm everything. I woke up at 4 in the morning needing the bathroom so I took the test then. I kept staring at the test almost willing it to have a second line to show up. I was making myself go crazy waiting so I decided to just go back to bed.

While asleep I had a dream that I went in to check my test and that I found a faint pink line on it. I instantly woke up and thought, "I'm pregnant!" Then realized I was dreaming and brushed it aside and fell back asleep. I had the dream AGAIN! This time when I woke up I decided to go check the test...

I couldn't believe it! I WAS PREGNANT! Round two of Clomid worked! (Stockton was a round two miracle too!) I had Stockton tell Nathan and he was shocked! We were both so surprised that it happened so quickly once we started Clomid. (Though I think it definitely helped that we already knew what worked to get Stockton here.)

I took another test a week later just to make sure since the first one was so faint. This time the pregnant line showed up before the control line. I am definitely pregnant!

We are so excited and can't wait for December!

Trying for Baby #2

I've had on my mind that we should probably start trying for baby number two sooner than later since we have no idea if it will take us a while because of my PCOS.

After our Disneyland trip in October of 2017 I went off of birth control. Miraculously, my period came on it's own a month later (a little late, but it came) which made me super excited. Maybe we wouldn't need fertility help this time around since my body seemed to be doing what it needed to. But the next month it came even later, and the month after that a little later. I could see my body slipping back into its old ways and I was afraid it would end up stopping again.

Nathan and I talked about it and I went into the doctor to see what she thought. We decided to put me on Metformin and start a first round of Clomid. On the 11th day of my cycle, February 23, I went in for an ultrasound to see if I had any follicles showing I would ovulate. The nurse was super excited for me when she saw two of them in my right ovary. (TWO?! That sounds a little scary! The thought of having twins is super exciting and nerve racking to me.) She told me it looked like I was estimated to ovulate on day 14, which was the day after Nathan was suppose to leave for a work trip.... What timing! She informed me that would increase our chance of having a girl if we conceived before ovulating. Here's to hoping!

I did ovulate and for the first time felt myself ovulate. I've never noticed the cramping on one side before like that, but sadly Nathan was on a work trip. I was still hopeful though. It could still happen!

Waiting to get a positive pregnancy test, or the start of your period, is the longest time ever. I was over analyzing everything. "Did I feel implantation cramping?" "Was that a sign of early pregnancy?" "I sure do have to pee a lot! Maybe I'm pregnant? Or maybe I'm just drinking a lot more?" "I am getting fertility help so that definitely increases my chances of getting pregnant! Right?"

I was making myself go crazy!

I took a test on the 29th day of my cycle. It was negative, but I reminded myself that Stockton's was negative on day 29 too! I was so hopeful!

Two days later it was confirmed that I was definitely not pregnant, and goodness did it come with a vengeance!

I was pretty bummed because I had so much hope. I felt like it was our first month of really being able to try and knowing for sure that I had ovulated. I was also bummed that Nathan had a work trip right when he needed to be home. But it just wasn't our month, and that's ok. I picked up the order of Clomid and was ready to start round two.