Happy Birth Day Reid!

Ok, here is a picture of Reid. I didn't get one of his hair but it appears to be blond!

Reid William McFarland Is Here!

This is Sarah, Allison's sister. I am happy to announce that Reid William was born at 7:56. He weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz. He is 20 in. long. Allison and Reid are doing great! I think he has Allison's nose and Brian's cheeks!
I can't post a picture right now. But I will later.

A major change in our marriage...

Don't worry, I'm not about to share anything overly personal.  I'd never do that ;)  

As we've been counting down to "D-Day" (Delivery Day), I've been frantically nesting.  I just want to make sure each area of the house is ready for Baby Boy McFarland's arrival.  I plan on him sleeping in our room for awhile after we come home from the hospital.  I have decided to use our new Pack-n-Play for this purpose in our bedroom.  The only problem was figuring out how to configure our bedroom to make things work logistically.

Since I plan to breastfeed, I wanted the baby on my side of the room for easy access.  Since I'm having a c-section, I wanted to have the Pack-n-Play very close to my side of the bed so I could reach over and pick him up with minimal getting in and out of our bed.  The only way we could get this arrangement to work involved rearranging our bedroom furniture.  We tried this for a couple of days, but our bedroom felt so "off"--it drove me crazy.  I just kept thinking how Brian's side of the bed was such a better location for the Pack-n-Play.  The traffic flow through our room would still be perfect.  

I threw around a solution in my head during one of my recent sleepless nights.  I just kept thinking, "could we possibly make this momentous change after 4 1/2 years?" I got up the courage to share my idea with Brian, and he went for it!  So, starting Thursday night, we began a new chapter in our marriage.

We switched sides of the bed!!!!

The added bonus is that I'm now right next to the bathroom.  If pregnancy has taught me anything, it is the critical importance of minimizing ones steps during middle-of-the-night bathroom trips!  The first few nights were a little rough.  It just seemed so wrong.  In fact, we somehow managed to bump heads rather hard in the middle of the second night of our experiment when we both rolled over at the same time. 

It's good to know that we could be successful with this major change in our marriage--especially since we've got another very minor change to contend with in a few days :)  

It wasn't meant to be...

We went in for the procedure this morning, and everything went well.  The doctor felt like he was able to make several good attempts at turning Baby Boy McFarland.  But alas, we still have a breech baby.  The doctor feels that this is almost certainly because of the issue with the size and shape of my uterus. There's just not enough room at the bottom of my uterus for him to sit head down. There were no complications, and BBM handled the whole thing like a champ--no deceleratons in heart rate whatsoever.  

I handled it pretty well too.  I had to have a medication called terbutaline to relax the muscles of the uterus which has the lovely side effect of making your heart race and making you feel like you're going to jump out of your skin.  I had been told that this procedure could be extremely painful, and, well....   I will say it was 3-4 minutes of extreme discomfort, but definitely manageable. I would never discourage anyone from having it done based solely on the pain level. They told me I'd be sore tomorrow, and I can already feel that setting in.  

So our plan remains a scheduled c-section on February 20 (next Friday, scary!) unless I go into labor on my own before then.  If that is the case, once they're sure I'm in labor they would go ahead with a c-section at that time.  So one week is the longest we will go without holding our precious little boy.  It's a thrilling and terrifying thought.  Brian and I keep saying, this is our last week/last weekend/last time to ____, but it's so hard to fathom that our lives are about to change forever.  We are SO excited and SO creeped out :)

Cautiously Optimistic...

We had our weekly sonogram and doctors appointment today, and we received some good news.  The umbilical cord had moved from around the baby's neck enough that the doctor is comfortable with performing the external cephalic version/ECV/manual baby turning procedure.  To recap, this procedure is to turn the baby, who is currently breech, into a head-down position in order to avoid a c-section.  

Brian and I are excited about this turn of events, BUT we understand that the odds of this working are not in our favor.  Depending on the doctor/hospital stats this procedure is usually successful 60% of the time.  Because of the small size and weird shape of my uterus along with the fact that our "little" guy is estimated to weigh 7 pounds 10 ounces at 37.5 weeks, the odds are definitely decreased in our situation.  

That being said, Brian and I are very hopeful that we will leave the hospital tomorrow with a head-down baby and then wait to go into labor on our own.  If the procedure is not successful, then we will feel confident that we've done all we can and move forward with the scheduled c-section on 2/20.  We are getting so excited to meet our son no matter how he decides to come out!

Our procedure will be done in labor and delivery just in case emergency intervention is needed. (This is standard protocol).   Brian and our doula, Elizabeth, will be there with me. The procedure is scheduled for 8 am, and we should be home again by about 10 am. We'll keep you posted on the outcome!

And for those who desire more information, below is a brief explanation of the procedure from Dr. Spock's website.  

Turning a Breech Baby: External Cephalic Version

by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.
reviewed by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.
External cephalic version (ECV) is a procedure to change a baby from breech or other non-headfirst presentation to headfirst (cephalic). The physician pushes on the baby through the mother's abdomen, either creating a forward roll like a somersault or a back flip. For details about the procedure itself, see "The External Cephalic Version Protocol."

Why do external cephalic version?
Since all transverse babies and most breech babies are born by cesarean, moving the baby to cephalic presentation increases the chance of having a vaginal birth. Research has shown that offering ECV to all mothers with breech babies at 36 weeks gestation decreases the cesarean rate for that group of women. The success rate for rotating a baby to headfirst position is quoted as anywhere between 35 and 86 percent. The procedure is more successful in women who have had other children, since the baby can move around more easily, than it is for a first-time mom whose baby sits low in her pelvis.

The risks involved
Often the baby's heart rate will slow during or immediately after the version, especially when it is successful. The heart rate usually comes back to normal within a few moments, and there is no evidence that these short-lived heart-rate changes harm the baby in any way. In very rare situations, the heart rate stays slow long enough that practitioners will start the initial preparations for a possible emergency cesarean section. Although preparation is sometimes necessary, emergency C-sections are extremely rare under these circumstances.

While it's rare to have a serious complication of ECV, it may be uncomfortable or even moderately painful. You always have the right to stop the procedure for any reason. (Remember, it's your body!) If you can keep your abdominal muscles relaxed, you might be more comfortable and the procedure may be more likely to succeed. You may feel sore for a few days. Ideally, you will want a support person with you during the version, and you'll need someone to drive you home afterward.

Yuck!

We had our weekly appointment on Tuesday, and it was more of the same--breech baby, cord around the neck but otherwise good.  The doctor went ahead and scheduled a date for a c-section which is (drumroll please), Friday, February 20.  We still go back this Wednesday to see if things have changed, and the c-section can always been cancelled or moved.  For now, though, we have a date.  

On a much less happy note...  I started getting sick late Wednesday night with what we lovingly refer to around here as the Black Death.  I'll spare the majorly graphic details, but hours of vomiting, diarrhea and fever ensued.  After the prescriptions that were called in in the middle of the night (and picked up by Brian who deserves the husband of the year award) did nothing to help,  my OB ended up admitting me to the hospital Thursday morning.  I had severe dehydration which had started causing some contractions.  After 24 hours of IV fluids, medications and baby monitoring (he's perfectly fine), I was released yesterday around 11 am.  I'm still not feeling 100%, and I'm still only tolerating clear liquids, but overall I feel much better.  Now we're in serious disinfecting mode and praying that Brian does not get sick.  Keep your fingers crossed...

We're planning a quiet weekend of resting and baby preparations around here!  Hope you all have a great weekend.  

Baby Showers!

We were so lucky to have two awesome baby showers in the month of January! 

COUPLES SHOWER:

On January 10, we had a "Winter Wonderland" themed couples shower hosted by my sister and my dear childhood (and forever) friends Sally, Martha and Cara. There was an impressive array of hot beverages including every variety of hot chocolate imaginable. There were even different kinds of marshmallows. Fancy! Our dining room table was covered with a delicious assortment of desserts. The boys ate and played with the Wii while the girls ate, talked and opened gifts. We had so much fun visiting with friends and family, and Baby Boy McFarland got tons of great gifts.

Enjoy the pictures:

Me and Brian before the shower

Some of the pretty gifts

Me, Martha and Cara

Helmut, Brian and Toby "Wii-ing"

Cute snowflake cake

I was so excited about getting My Brest Friend

Beau was such a great assistant!

Adorable diaper cake made by Sally

Cason's first big social event

CHURCH SHOWER:

On January 31 the wonderful girls from my small group at church hosted a shower for me and Brooke.  Brooke is also in our small group, and she is having a baby boy who is due March 6!  We had lots of fun with the girls from our Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) class and enjoyed some delicious food.  Brooke and I both received many amazing gifts for our little boys. Brooke and her husband have decided to name their little one Gavin.  My mom was so excited that someone was announcing their baby's name, so she embroidered Brooke's baby gift.  

More pictures from our church shower:

Brooke showing off Texas Tech gear

Our small group girls: Lee, Kelly, me, Brooke, Lindsay, Sarah and Brandy (poor Sally was at home sick!)

Cute and delicious petit fours

My mom gave me the quilt for our baby bedding that she made!  Such talent!

Excuse my stupid expressions--I was so thrilled to have my first Tulsa Golden Hurricane baby gift!

Completely NOT shower-related but way too cute not to post!

Cason's winter hat :)