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The Pregnancy
I always knew I wanted another baby, but I really wanted to cherish every second with Emmalyn before her time was shared. We wanted to grow our family and decided it was time in mid- 2018. Emmalyn was a little over 1.5 years old. The pregnancy was confirmed on Emmalyn's second birthday, September 6, 2018. Her present arrived almost 9 months later. Pregnancy with Everett was almost exactly like my first with Emmalyn. All the symptoms throughout his pregnancy were so identical to Emmalyn's that I was convinced I was having another girl; pretty clear that old wives tales are myths.
My main symptom was fatigue, especially during the first trimester. Then it seemed like Emmalyn was bringing home all kinds of illnesses from preschool, from the flu to stomach viruses to the common cold. Luckily I only caught strep throat in the beginning of my third trimester. Otherwise, pretty smooth sailing. Except for one scary moment...
It was the day after Christmas. I received a call from my doctor at 9am. The call went to voicemail. After listening to the message "the doctor would like to see you ASAP to go over your 20 week ultrasound..." my heart dropped. I called Mike at work in tears. Mike and I met with the doctor as soon as I was able to calm myself down and get out of the house. The doctor pointed out on the ultrasound that our baby has Pectus excavatum. We wanted to keep the gender a surprise but they told us we were expecting a boy. Most parents find excitement when they find out the gender. Celebrating with balloons, family and friends. The feeling was different for Mike and I. In tears we prayed that everything was OK. The doctor referred us to a cardiologist, another gynecologist for a second opinion and genetic counciling. I was also scheduled for an amnio a week later. It was an overwhelming process but we made it through and Everett is healthy.
In March, I felt the same exact symptoms I had with my first pregnancy, intense itchiness at night.
A week later I found out I tested positive for Cholestasis Of Pregnancy, a condition in which the normal flow of bile is affected by the increased amounts of hormones due to pregnancy. Looks like Everett will be here sooner than anticipated- fine by me!
The Delivery
It was April 25, 2019. 37 weeks pregnant and it was time. Babysitting coverage for Emmalyn came to our home and we were off to the hospital around 6pm. Induction started at 9pm using pitocin. I was up nearly the entire night patiently waiting but feeling pretty comfortable. 2:30am I received an epidural. At 9:30am the nurse broke my water. 40 long minutes went by and the doctor finally arrived.
4 pushes within 10 minutes and Everett James entered the world at 11:33am weighing 6lbs, 15oz 20.5 inches long. Mike loves to tell everyone how Everett was trying to crawl under the warmer, just before the nurses did the measurements.
3 months with Everett James
He lives up to "our sweet baby (Everett) James". Everett loves to sleep, especially in our arms. If you put him down he won't be happy. He loved pooping on his Daddy and everyone else, but never on Mommy.
He LOVES his sister the most. The bond they share is irreplaceable and grows stronger everyday. Emmalyn has even mastered giving him his pacifier when he's fussing. It has been an abolsute blessing to be home with Everett during these 3 months. It doesn't even