Labor and Delivery

My pregnancy with Evan was much different than with Curtis. Besides having 3 previous miscarriages, I had gallbladder issues that were most likely caused by basically being pregnant for 2 years straight. I also took progesterone supplements at the beginning of this pregnancy. Increased hormones can be causes of gallstones and gallbladder problems. On top of the gallbladder issues I had elevated liver enzymes and bile acids, and periodic itching of my hands and feet. These things are called cholestasis of pregnancy, and have the potential to cause stillborn babies. 

So, a few weeks ago after another itching episode I asked to have my bile acids tested. Before this time I had been tested for elevated liver enzymes but not for the bile acids (which is the main indicator of cholestasis). The levels came back higher than normal (although not incredibly high). I was referred to see maternal fetal medicine at the hospital, where an ultrasound showed Evan was measuring quite small (although I think this is because my dates were off) and they confirmed that they wanted me to deliver at 37 weeks due to the increased risk of having a stillborn baby in the final weeks. 

After having Curtis I was excited and set on an unmedicated delivery. Knowing I would be induced was very disheartening as inducing labor makes the contractions stronger and (supposedly) more painful. I decided I'd see how things went. 

On top of all of this we were in the middle of a house renovation that was already taking every waking minute of our time trying to get it finished in time for the original due date of May 30th. Needless to say I was  extremely stressed. Instead of 5 weeks we now had only 2. I'll go into more detail when I write about the renovation, but I have to say that we were so blessed with family and friends who helped us so much. We could never have been ready in time if it weren't for them. 

So, the night of May 8th we worked all day and were up till 2am re-installing baseboards, cleaning, and packing for the hospital. We were up at 5:30am to get to the hospital by 7am. 

Thursday May 9, 2013

We checked into labor and delivery at American Fork Hospital at 7am and were shown right to the delivery room. I changed into the lovely hospital gown and we got started on paperwork and the IV. The nurse who did the IV put it in my hand (I should have been more outspoken about it) so I ended up asking for it to be moved to my arm. Our nurse's name was Mary Ellen and she was awesome. She was with us the whole delivery. The midwife on call was Claudia, and I was glad because she is one of my favorites at the clinic. She was also with me most of the day, and helped a ton with the laboring. 

They started pitocin around 8:30am and contractions started soon after. The worst part for the first few hours was having to use the restroom every 20 minutes with all the cords attached to me. So annoying. Soon after contractions began they inserted a little balloon thing to help me dilate and progress faster. It was definitely unpleasant. A couple hours later I had progressed to about a 5 and my contractions were much stronger at this point. I decided to continue without medication. 

My mom came around 1pm and labor continued to progress. Claudia helped Mike and my mom find good pressure points to help relieve back pain. Several hours passed but it honestly felt much quicker than that. I was able to get in a good position for most of that time and somehow found a way to relax and breathe through the contractions. It was actually pretty hypnotic at times. 

A while later Claudia checked my progress and discovered that baby had an arm on top of his head that was preventing him from descending. She tried to move it out of the way (which was by far the most painful part of this delivery) but he wouldn't budge. I tried different positions but he still wasn't moving his arm out of the way, and I started to lose focus at that point. Labor was extremely painful at this point and I finally understood why women are always screaming in the movies when they have babies. It hurt! Claudia then called the OB on call to come see if he could move the arm out of the way. Again, this was the most painful part of the whole thing. After the baby still wouldn't move his arm, and somewhere in the midst of most likely passing through transition I got an epidural because there was a chance I would need a c-section if we couldn't get the arm to move. 

I finally felt some relief with the epidural, and was grateful it wasn't as strong as the one I had with Curtis. I was still able to feel contractions and pressure. 

Literally 30 minutes later (maybe sooner) I felt a lot of pressure and change. Baby had crowned, his hand had moved, and he was ready to come. Another 20-30 minutes later and he was in my arms. Mike assisted Claudia the whole time, caught baby when he came out, and cut the cord. It was such an amazing experience! Baby came right to me and got to stay there for a good amount of time. It was heaven holding my new tiny boy, and I was so grateful I was able to have the birth experience I was hoping for. 

Evan Mark Kitto

5lbs 9oz

Things to remember...

-Things were so much less "rushed" with this birth. The nurse and midwife were calm, helpful, and made us all feel comfortable. Things were allowed to progress as they should. I didn't have to have any stitches and recover was so much faster this time.
-Even though I had an epidural at the end, I still feel like I've experienced a natural birth. I'm excited to do it again.
-Evan was so tiny!
-Nursing was still difficult the first 24 hours, but he caught on quickly and is a pro.
-We had much fewer visitors than we had with Curtis, but it was a blessing to have more alone time with my little family.
-Curtis loved seeing his new brother (although the excitement wore off for a few days after).
-After staring at Evan so much, Curtis seemed so grown up and so big.
-We took Evan to the nursery for both nights we were there. We decided it would be best to get some sleep after basically pulling an all-nighter the night before. When we had Curtis I stayed up all night and held him, worried he would stop breathing.
-We wanted to leave after 24 hours but Evan's blood sugar wasn't consistent enough for us to leave. 

Three Days

I am sitting in our first home, listening to the hammering, nailing, and sawing of wood floors going in downstairs. It's currently 12:19am and I hope we don't wake up the whole neighborhood. But, we can't stop until it's finished. About two weeks ago we found out that baby boy needs to make his debut 3 weeks early due to ICP (cholestasis). I don't have a very severe case of it, and, in fact, I think I barely have it at all, but there is a much higher risk of having a still born baby after 37 weeks. So, he will be joining us this Thursday, May 9th. Three days until life changes forever, again.

Bye-bye three weeks of preparation and time to get settled. Instead, we had basically 10 days to get everything ready to move in. Painting, cleaning, putting in floors, moving in, etc. We moved everything in this weekend and we'll definitely be able to live here. But it's definitely not going to be to the point where I wanted to be as far as having things organized. When Curtis came I had everything ready at least a month in advance. Everything in our home was spotless and organized.

I'll be luck if we make it to the grocery store before Thursday, let alone make freezer meals. Heck, we may not even have any couches to sit on. But, life will go on.

The house is feeling so much more like home. I'll take some good "after" photos as soon as we get things put together a bit more. I'm really excited to be here. We have great neighbors and an awesome LDS ward. There are two separate nurseries because there are so many little kids Curtis' age. He's already made some great friends...as have we. I feel confident that this is where we need to be right now, and I'm grateful that things worked out the way they did. The timing couldn't have been better (even with baby coming early).

I'm so excited to see Curtis with his baby brother. He's going to be such a wonderful friend and example to this boy. I can't wait to see them grow up together and become great friends.

And those are my thoughts in the middle of the night.

Oh, and if anyone is getting rid of couches, a twin bed, a TV, or TV stand....we'll gladly take them off your hands!

28 Weeks

Finally starting to feel pregnant; like really pregnant. 

This baby is pretty active, and his movements are getting stronger and stronger each day. It's definitely reassuring to feel him so often...definitely not complaining. Things are going well. Feeling good. My energy is good. I've only had one gallbladder attack in several weeks. Around 24 weeks I had 3 severe gallbladder attacks over a 3 day period that landed me in the ER. I almost had surgery to remove it but decided to wait since there were risks to the baby (and I'd really like to keep all of my body parts if possible). I've been trying to eat less high fat/greasy foods and so far it's helping to control the attacks. However, I have never experienced anything so painful...ever, so if they don't continue to improve surgery might eventually happen. It's being stabbed with a knife, while your chest is on fire, and not being able to breathe for upwards of 5 hours. So yeah, I'm actually looking forward to natural childbirth this time after having gone through that! And that's about it for baby updates!

Excited for these next 12 weeks to fly by! :) 

Pregnancy Update

I always heard that, after your first baby, subsequent pregnancies go by much quicker. While I wouldn't say it's gone by quicker--especially since I've basically been pregnant for a year and half--I will say that I don't find myself thinking constantly about being pregnant. Sometimes I feel guilty that I'm not always thinking about the arrival of this baby, or about how big he is, or about what I want the nursery to look like. I haven't posted hardly anything about it, I'm not working on any baby projects, I hardly read anything about babies besides the short weekly updates my phone sends me each Thursday morning when another week has passed. 

But, none of those things mean I am not overjoyed at the thought of welcoming another baby into our family. It's no secret that we've had a difficult time getting baby #2 here, and for that fact alone I am completely full of gratitude that we've made it this far...

27 Weeks and 3 Days... A little under 3 months left. 

This little boy is a miracle baby. I no longer take pregnancy or the ability to have children for granted. This past year I've spent many nights contemplating the possibility that my body might not actually be able to carry another baby to full term. It is not always easy. It is not always possible. And we are not always in control. So, rather than writing many posts on what stroller to buy, or how the nursery is coming together, or what blankets I'm sewing, the thoughts I really want to share are that I am extremely grateful, and feel blessed beyond words, that we are having another baby.  

I'm grateful for all the kicks, for the sleepless nights, and for my growing belly. I'm grateful for my little family of three...soon to be four.

Hang in there baby boy. We want you with us for a long, long time.

16 Weeks

20 Weeks

24 Weeks

It's a Boy!

Baby Boy #2

Due to Arrive

May 30, 2013

We couldn't be more excited!

Some News

I had my 2 week post-op check-up today. I was hoping that we would learn some specifics about what happened to cause the miscarriage. The only news I got was that they weren't able to find any abnormalities and that all of the fetal tissue tested normal. They were also unable to determine the baby's gender (which was actually good news because knowing the gender would have made it harder).

In some ways I was comforted by this news. I am grateful that (most likely) we would have had a normal healthy baby, and I'm grateful that there were no chromosomal abnormalities. This comforts me for future pregnancies, and comforts me to know everything was going well. However, it was also hard for me to hear because it makes me question the event even more. He said it was most likely just an accident (a chord accident, or some other accident). This makes me sick to my stomach thinking that I could have prevented it. I took ballet classes during the pregnancy and I didn't feel a need to modify anything. I just can't stop wondering if my jumping and dancing had anything to do with it. I suppose it's possible that it could have caused it, even though I did the same thing while pregnant with Curtis. But I have to remind myself that an accident is an accident. 

March 28, 2012

March 28th was a difficult day. It started out great. I had a good morning, it was a beautiful day, and I got Curtis all ready and dropped him off at my mom's. My 16 week check-up was at 11am. I got there on-time after calling ahead to make sure they were on-time. Unfortunately, as had happened at almost every previous appointment, they were nearly an hour behind. So I waited, not patiently, for my appointment. For some reason my phone always freezes up inside the building. I was able to talk to Mike for a minute (on his lunch break) before I went back for my check-up. But after I talked to him my phone was pretty much out-of-commission.

Finally they called my name, I went back, did the weight and blood pressure check, talked to the nurse about the AFP test, and then went to wait for the midwife. Luckily I didn't have to wait long. The midwife came in, we talked about the pros and cons of the AFP test, we talked about natural birth (which I really wanted to do), and then I got up on the table to hear the heart beat.

Today

Today, April 6th 2012, was the due date of my first lost pregnancy.  

This one doesn't sting as much as I imagine September 12th will. 

And, as is typical in Utah, it snowed after several beautiful sunny days.

I suppose it would be appropriate for it to be a little gloomy today.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Easter weekend,

to ponder on the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior. 

This year it has a whole new meaning to me. 

And I'm even more grateful for Him.

No Words

There really are no words to accurately express the emotions I'm feeling right now. 

Feelings are so hard to explain.

Today I put away the picture of our little baby.
I cried as I put it in my journal.
There are so many questions.
So many emotions...

For the Record

This is just for me to remember....because I never really wrote it down anywhere.

While pregnant with Curtis I felt him move around 17 1/2 weeks.

Still waiting on Baby #2 to kick. 

I'll be 16 weeks on Wednesday.

For some reason I thought I felt Curtis around 14 or 15 weeks,

so I'm glad to know it was later than that.

Thank goodness for records of Facebook status updates. 

Doubling Up

Well I must say that I do feel better after my unloading session last night. 

Today I have a question for mothers with more than one child. 

I know I've asked some of you what you did with your babies, 

but here is my question, and my thoughts:

Finally

Good news!

This is finally starting to look appetizing again.

I was on the road to a permanent whole-foods, more greens, journey 

right up until week 6 of pregnancy.

Unfortunately it was nearly impossible to continue when all I could stomach was 

toast, apple butter, apple sauce, plain rice, and plain pasta.

Oh, and the occasional potato chips. 

So healthy, huh? 

What a cruel irony...

knowing the first few weeks are the most crucial to a baby's development,

but not being able to stand the sight of a salad.

I suppose my consolation is that I was the same way with Curtis,

and he turned out just fine. 

(And at least this time I have a nice Blendtec to make a few healthy green smoothies.)


Did you have any weird pregnancy cravings or aversions?

Curtis James Kitto

Our darling boy is here. We love him more than we can say. More to come soon.

Curtis James Kitto

July 22, 2010

7 lbs 11 oz, 19" long

Born 12:41pm

Maternity Photos

My sister in law, Rachel Kitto (the original), took these photos. 

She is very talented! Thanks Rach! 

I have to admit that I usually think couple maternity pictures are really cheesy.

Some are darling, but I've never been a huge fan of them.

In short, I did want a few with Mike, but we found it really hard to be serious!

These ones turned out nicely

Thanks Rach!

38 Weeks

(Photo taken by my sister-in-law, Rachel Kitto)

With only 13 days left until d-day, it's hard to think about anything else! I've found myself staying surprisingly busy, especially since I'm not teaching. My days, as of late, have consisted of cleaning, organizing, running errands, cleaning some more, organizing some more, doing laundry, doing dishes, and thinking a lot about how much my life will change within the next (hopefully) two weeks. I wanted to write about a few things that have been on my mind.

First of all, I am continuously more and more grateful for my husband! I thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with such a loyal, patient, supportive, hard-working, fun, handsome, helpful, sweet husband who I continue to love more than I thought was possible! Mike has been working such long days since I'm not working right now, and he never complains about it. Ever. He always has a smile on his face when he leaves in the morning, and he always has a smile when he gets home. I can't wait to see him with our son, to see him love and teach our little boy. He really will be the BEST father any child could ever wish for. He is the best husband any woman could wish for, and I often wonder how in the world I was lucky enough to get him. 

It's hard to imagine how different life is going to be. Sometimes when I'm up in the middle of the night I ask myself, "am I ready to be waking up multiple times to feed a little baby?" I don't know if I am ready, but I also know that I'll only be ready by experiencing it. There's just no way to really prepare for the changes to come. However, amidst my anxiety of change, I am SO excited for the change. I'm excited to move onto this new (and eternal) part of life and existence. I feel so grateful to be experiencing pregnancy, and soon experiencing birth and raising a child. I know many women will never have this opportunity in mortality, and I feel even more grateful that I am blessed enough to experience it in this earth life. 

Thinking about birth itself has me more nervous than ever. Knowing that it's inevitably coming is quite unnerving. I'm honestly terrified, as much as I don't want to admit it.  I'm afraid of the pain, of the recovery, and of the drastic changes my body will be going through soon. I'm also really excited for the experience, and I just keep praying for a safe, healthy baby, and as few complications as possible. People ask me often if I'm getting an epidural. The answer: probably. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other. I've never experienced labor pain before, and I'll plan to make a decision once I feel the pain. I think it's more manageable for some women, and I just don't really know if I'll be one of them. My pain tolerance isn't extremely high, but sometimes I think we as women surprise ourselves with how strong we really are. 

I'm nervous of the hospital we're going to, because I hear so many differing stories and opinions. Obviously there will be positive and negative experiences in every hospital, but it's disconcerting to hear the negative ones. We're taking a tour tonight and hopefully I'll feel more calm after that.

I've also gotten a lot of questions about how my pregnancy has been. Easy? Hard? Uncomfortable? Cravings? My ultimate answer...it hasn't been nearly as bad as everyone made it sound, which is another reason I feel greatly blessed. I wasn't sick much. I had few, if any, cravings. My emotions (for the most part) stayed in check. It's not nearly as hot as everyone says. Weight gain hasn't been fun, but I don't feel incredibly different. I'm still able to move fairly comfortably. I have been able to do most daily tasks and chores without being inhibited. My feet have just barely started to swell at 38 weeks. I can still wear my wedding rings (but only one at a time). All in all, being pregnant took a long time...but I can honestly say I (mostly) enjoyed it. 

What am I most excited for? The biggest thing is to see what our son looks like. I haven't been able to picture his face, other than picturing him looking like a Mini-Mike. I wonder if his face will seem familiar. I wonder if he'll really recognize my voice. I wonder what his personality will be like. I wonder how good of a sleeper he'll be. I wonder if nursing will be hard for me. I wonder if I'll feel the instant love and connection to him that I'm hoping to have. I wonder if I'll welcome visitors or prefer solitude. I wonder how much he'll weigh. I wonder if he'll have lots of hair. I wonder if I'll cry when I see him for the first time. I wonder if he'll really look like a certain name. I wonder what it will really feel like to be a mother. 

thirteen days before life changes forever

*Keep scrolling to see the nursery reveal

The Big Nursery Reveal!

After several months of piecing the room together, 

it's time to reveal the 98% finished product!

(Video #1: Short Version)

(Video #2: Descriptive Version)

Okay Little Boy! 

You can come any time!

We're ready for you!

Belly and Baby Update

36 Weeks

It's so crazy when I see these pictures all lined up, as I don't really feel like I'm growing.

We made a lot of baby prep progress this weekend!

Mike's family planned a wonderful baby shower for us, and we feel even more blessed than before! 

I really am so grateful for all of the help and support we've been given from our friends and family. 

The "to buy/borrow/make" list has shrunk! :)

To Buy/Borrow/Make:

-diapers/wipes (I think these will always be on the list, but we are more prepared than before!)

-diaper bag

-car seat cover (I'd love to make this)

-swing

-bouncer

-play yard

-nursing supplies

-bottles

-plant for baby room 

-diaper trash can

-first aid/thermometer kit

Wedding craziness starts today! 

Family starts coming to town tomorrow! 

Life is good!

One Month!

Today is June 25th...

Baby Kitto is due July 25th!

Only one month to go (at least I sure hope!)


I keep praying daily that he will come on time or early, and that he's facing the correct position, only because I HAVE to start work August 30th. If he's late, or if I have to have a longer recovery I don't know what I will do. 
I know things will work out, but I still keep praying. 

It's starting to hit me that this baby is going to be joining our family very soon. I wish we had a definite name for him so we could start calling him by name, but we still haven't decided on just one name. 

My brother Chris is getting married next week! I am excited for him. My dad and his wife are coming into town and will stay with us. I'm excited to see them too!


Been swimming 2 times with a good friend and have loved it! It feels awesome to be in the water, and in the sun!

Progress has been made on the list...here's what's left:

To Do:

-pack hospital bag

-make birth plan

-paint closet doors

-organize baby's clothes, toys, etc (partially there)

-clean out our closet (not necessity)

-organize/dejunk cd collection (we never use cds)

To Make:

-wedding scrapbook

-mission books for Mike

-binder for ballet/modern lesson plans

To Buy/Borrow/Make:

-diapers/wipes

-diaper bag

-bassinet (borrowing)

-car seat cover

-swing

-bouncer

-nursing supplies

-bottles

-white onesies (short/long sleeve)

-white socks

-white cloth diapers/burp clothes

-white washcloths

-thermal receiving blankets (my mom swears by these...they are the only ones, besides actually swaddling blankets, that stay tucked and wrapped because they have some stretch to them)

-plant for baby room 

-small fan for baby room

-hangers

-outlet covers

-night lights

-extra sheets

-diaper trash can

-first aid/thermometer kit

-diaper organizer (hooks onto side of changing table)

Ok, maybe not that much has been accomplished...but I did make our first year scrapbook (online at mixbook.com) and we used a gift card to purchase the Puj Tub (which I am really excited about!)

Oh, and we'll be posting the finished nursery photos/video soon!

Stroller

It's amazing how much more prepared I feel having the travel system. We were really blessed for the help we received from many shower gifts. Also, thanks to everyone for your advice and help in deciding what type of stroller to get. We had a few systems that we liked (Chicco was originally our favorite but a little too bulky and the car seat was really heavy). 

We ended up getting the Graco Flip-it. It's light and easy to maneuver, 

and I think it will be perfect for our stroller/car seat needs. 

Belly Update