Cooper's birth story

Well... I'm a little late. In fact I'm 8 months to late to write your birth story. Who can blame me right?!? Chasing your brother around and now you! You are scooting everywhere. Let's start at the beginning.

I think the last I updated was when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I must say it was terrible. I would never wish that disease on anyone. I had to do finger sticks 4 times a day and count carbs on everything. If anyone knows me, knows that it is very hard for me to do. I LOVE FOOD. I am thankful that I was able to manage it with diet alone. I didn't have to be put on any medication. However, that calcium rich diet gave me 5 kidney stones that I am dealing with now.

Things went fairly smoothly after the gestational diabetes diagnosis. I was still having contractions but not near as bad as with Mason. We moved back down to Grovetown, GA for Fort Gordon. I was able to have Dr. Ray again. The same doctor I had with your big bro. It was a big sigh of relief because he knew my history and I trusted him.

37 weeks came along and it was time to get off of the procardia to stop the contractions.  Dr. Ray kept me on it a week later as a precaution. I was sooo convinced that you would come soon just like Mason. I even thought the super moon of 2016 would get you. Nope! You had us all fooled. You didn't want to come out. We had the scheduled c-section on the morning of November the 16th. You were born at 8:57 am weighing in at 6 lbs even and 19.25 inches. The c-section was fairly smooth other than you pushing my bladder in a weird spot and you tearing my uterus on the way out.

This recovery was much harder on me than Mason's. I'm not sure if it was from the tear, the 2nd c-section, or just being older. I was sooo sore. You ate like a champ. You latched straight away and snuggled with momma for 40 min. It was glorious. I was so proud of you. You pretty much slept on my chest the next few weeks because that is where we got the most sleep. Sleeping was going pretty good I was just so exhausted. You and your brother was wearing me out. We finally got the hang of everything. Your story is so simple and sweet. Uncomplicated birth that brought you beautiful boy in the world. Cooper Benton Davis

Gestational Diabetes..... 30 weeks

The dreaded phrase every pregnant women hates to hear. Gestational diabetes.... I was in total shock and it is still hard for me to accept. I had no risk factors other than being over 30. I have never had any sugar problems in my life. When I failed the one hour glucose test, I thought it had to be a mistake. Then when I also failed the 3 hour glucose test, I just couldn't believe it. I felt like I failed myself and my baby as a mother. Now I know that gestational diabetes has nothing to do with my lifestyle (I'm a relatively very healthy person) and I know that there is nothing I could have done to prevent it. It is how the placenta hormones are reacting to my own body producing insulin. But it is still hard to hear.... I'm not good with diets. I am always constantly eating and always hungry. I burn through food like crazy. Even though I am eating right were they want me to be I am still getting high numbers. In my head I know it's not my fault....I could not have prevented it....etc.... It is STILL hard for me to accept. Why is my body failing me? Why am I having this problem? Why can't I fix it? I go next week for my first ultrasound to measure the baby and make sure this diagnosis isn't hurting the baby.  Now while my numbers isn't as bad as it could be. I'm borderline and barely over the limit. It is still very hard for me to hear. Now will I get type II diabetes later in life because of this? Will my baby have insulin problems? It is too many unknowns for me to be comfortable with. I do not like relinquishing control. Now before you say, "oh she's just being dramatic," think about how a diagnosis like this would affect you. Were you shocked? What were your emotions? Now I just wait an see.....

Patrick is finally on the east coast!!!! No more Fort Irwin!! I cannot be more excited to get our house in Georgia and get everything ready for this baby. I just ready to be settled with my little family. Well at least as settled as the army will let me. We finally decided on a name! Cooper Benton Davis!  Mason's middle name is Wayne and comes from Patrick's family. So we thought it was only fitting to have my side of the family in this little one's name. Benton comes from mine. It is my Great Grandmother's maiden name.

We were able to get some 3D images of Cooper yesterday and he looks identical to what Mason did. He may be a little bigger. Which I don't know if that is from being the second baby or from the gestational diabetes... We will find out soon on that... Cooper is breech just like Mason was and he has his feet up my his head. JUST LIKE MASON. I have a feeling they will look so much like twins. Let's just hope I can make it to at least 37 or 38 weeks. That is my goal.

The next photo is Cooper on top. Mason on bottom.

Anatomy scan and contractions....

Had the anatomy scan back in July and it went perfect. This little nugget is measuring in the 60th percentile which is right along side of Mason. I have a feeling he will be about the same size. I'm a little disappointed in the anatomy scan this time because it literally lasted 15 min tops. When we were in GA with Mason they took tons of photos and even gave us some 3D photos as well. We didn't get any of that this time. BUT I am going in two weeks to get 3D photos done so I will have them with this one too!

Those are a few photos that we got.. We barely got any. I wish the ultrasound techs would show some compassion when doing these instead of cranking them out like machines. The ultrasound tech in GA was amazing so I think it skewed my opinion a little. 

Fast forward to 24 weeks pregnant and the contractions start. :( I was so hoping that they would not start this pregnancy. That my body "knew" what it was suppose to do but I guess not. We made our first Labor and Delivery visit at 24 weeks due to contractions every 2 minutes. Some were registering at an 8 out of 10 on their monitor. I was giving a terbutiline shot and some procardia and that calmed them down. So now I am taking Procardia everyday in hopes to stop the contractions. I still have them everyday but not every two minutes.  I'm starting to get wore out easier as I approach the 3rd trimester. We found a house in Fort Gordon and move in October. I'm sooo excited for us to be back together in one house and not at Fort Irwin. Patrick is making the cross country trip soon and we will be on our way! I'm so excited to decorate the house and make it our own. We will be there for about 3 years so it will feel a little more like home. I can't wait to decorate the boys rooms and get everything set up!  I have a doctor appointment in GA soon with the same doctor that delivered Mason and I'm soooo very thankful for that. Until next time........

19 weeks

Florida beach trip July 8

Florida beach trip July 8

Florida beach trip July 8 - 20 weeks

Florida beach trip July 8

21 weeks

21 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

And baby number 2 is......

a boy!!!! I was shocked! We did an elective gender ultrasound at Before the Baby in Bristol to find out the sex. I am not having any of the problems I had with Mason so I am not having extra ultrasounds.. So I had to go to an elective place. I am thankful I'm not having the problems but sad I won't get to see this little one so much....

So about this boy. I was completely shocked. I was convinced we would go in an see those three little lines that said girl. Every symptom said it. All the wives tales pointed to a little girl and since this pregnancy was sooooo different than Mason's, I just assumed. Boy were we in for a surprise! We are thrilled for another little prince to join the fam bam. Patrick was giggling with joy. Mason will have a best friend for life. The ultrasound tech couldn't catch this little peanut. He wouldn't sit still just like Mason. Now if we can come up with a name.......

I am feeling so much better with this pregnancy. The morning sickness has finally went away and I am able to actually do things. I do not have the cramps or the backaches I did with Mase Face. So I'm actually able to do things, like fishing or swimming... Which is GREAT! This little peanut has started kicking up a storm and I have a feeling he will be just like Mason. Lord help me ha

Here are a few photos from the ultrasound....

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks!

Sprouting little Davis Part TWO!

Well here we are again! I would have never dreamed we would be back here so quick but we are pregnant! I'm due November 23 which is almost a month past when Mason was due. I'm 12 weeks now and I can't believe how quick this pregnancy is moving. First off, it was a complete surprise. We were in Fort Irwin and if anyone knows that place it is not a place you want to pregnant at. Especially me with all my complications I have. The doctors are sparse and there isn't a NICU around for 2 or 3 hours. Considering I went early with Mason I can almost guarantee that I will go early with this one too. Patrick and I decided it would be in my best interest if I come home to VA to have help while he finishes up in Irwin. If you know Mason, then you know it is very hard alone not to mention while pregnant. Hopefully Patrick only has a few months left there. Our goal is to be in Georgia by Sept or October. That way I could have the same doctor as I had with Mason.

When I found out....... Welllll I got sick one night and thought that was so weird and I had been having a feeling that something was off so I just knew I was different. The next morning I tested and sure enough it was a big fat pregnant. But I knew even before I tested. I know that's hard to believe but it's true. I was like that with Mason too. I had a feeling and I just knew I was pregnant. Patrick was in total shock. I think he turning 50 shades of white when I told him. He didn't know how to react and it was so funny. I was in shock to but his reaction was priceless.

This pregnancy is completely different than my first. I have been soo soo sick. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, wellllll actually if you want to count even before I knew, I was sick. I'm not saying every once in a while sick. I'm talking about can't keep food down and not a human being sick. I couldn't eat anything because it would make me nauseous but if I didn't eat I was nauseous. It was a vicious cycle and I couldn't keep anything down for weeks. From about week 4 to week 9 I was miserable. I finally got put on Reglan that helped a little with the nausea and throwing up. I honestly felt horrible. It was the main driving force to get me home so I could have help. Fort Irwin is a training facility and Patrick is gone literally 80-90% of the time and I am not exaggerating at all. So you can imagine how it went those weeks. I was having to call him everyday to come home to watch Mason as I was throwing up. It was not good for me to be by myself during that time and it wasn't good for his career to be running home every second with me.

Thankfully, I haven't had any of the other problems I had with Mason. So far no cramping, bleeding, or subchorionic hemmorages. So I am very very thankful for that. I am on progesterone again for this pregnancy and baby aspirin to prevent miscarriage. Other than being sick this pregnancy, so far, is completely normal. (knocks on wood) The heartrate has been steadily in the 170s so that has been much higher than Mason's. His was steadily around 150s and 160s. I have had two ultrasounds. One at 6 weeks and another at 9. Both looked good and measured right on time.  I haven't hit the point in Mason's pregnancy where I started having contractions so I guess that will be the turning point. I hope I will not have those again but we will see. I get to find out the gender on June 8 in about another month. I hope it's a girl but in all honestly as long as he/she is healthy and happy I don't care.

The bump... well the bump is huge. I couldn't fit in my jeans at 6 weeks and I'm already bigger at 12 weeks than I was at 16 weeks with Mason. So it will be interesting how big I get. Good news is we already have extra carseats and all the essentials. We just have to get a double stroller and I want to get an Owlet. If you haven't seen those you need to. We haven't decided if we need another crib or not because Mason's transfers to a twin bed. I guess that means we will have to have something. Ohh and if you are trying to get pregnant please check out the Ovacue moniter. It is literally a God send and so much more accurate than pee sticks.

Lil peanut at 9 weeks

me at 11 weeks

For records sakes here's all my stats. So ignore this last bit if you don't care and don't want TMI. Due November 23rd. LMC was Feb 14th and ovulated on March 2nd. First positive pregnancy test on March 14th and blood test positive on that same day! First beta number was 49 so I literally just became pregnant lol. Second beta number two days later was 157 so it was doubling nicely!

Don't know if we are ready but here we are again!!

Mason Davis Birth Story

Well most of you know that Mason is HERE!!! He was born on Wednesday October 1st at 4:52pm at 36 weeks and 5 days. He came a little bit early and this is his birth story......

Over these past few months we have had our scares with preterm labor multiple times as well as other mishaps. I was put on procardia with is a medicine that helps with contractions. When I hit 36 weeks, which is a miracle in itself, I was taken off the medicine. Shortly after the contractions got stronger and I just had a gut feeling it was coming soon. On the night of September 30th I was having pretty consistent contractions and a couple of weird feeling ones I haven't felt before... I just chalked it up to coming off the medicine and finally went to sleep. At 12:30am on October 1st, I woke up to an upset stomach and just not feeling right. I was nauseous and it wasn't shortly after until my body was clearing out it's system. I was throwing up and had diarrhea. Within a few minutes of that the strong consistent contractions every 2 or 3 minutes started coming. Patrick decided it was time to go in because last time I got sick they had to give me fluids because of dehydration.. So we thought it was better safe than sorry. I got to the hospital at about 1:30am and the contractions were still coming. Each one was getting stronger and I just knew this was it. Mason was breech so there was no way I could have him naturally so that meant cesarean section which I was not to happy about.

We saw doctors after doctors.... students after students..... and residents after residents..... That is the only thing I do not like about our hospital. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Anyways...... I was not dilated because he was breech and his head wasn't pushing on my cervix to dilate me. So the "doctors" continued to say I wasn't in labor. We hit all the bad times at the hospital; shift changes, lunch, and rounds for the doctors. So there were times where I wouldn't see anyone for hours. At one point my contractions were a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. I was literally shaking and crying because of the pain but because "I wasn't dilating" they were not going to do anything. At the shift change in the morning from night shift to day shift I didn't see a doctor for at least 4 hours and that was when the hardest contractions were hitting. They came in and gave me morphine which I wasn't happy about either.... At this point I wanted to try anything. I was so weak from the contractions and pain I couldn't even stand up. I had been having strong contractions for at least 6 hours. The medicine kicked in and I was able to get a little rest. I could still feel the contractions but they were not as strong.

We finally called family at about 5am. Mom, Nannie, and Kayley jumped in the car and rushed here. I kept telling them not to come but there was no stopping them. At about lunch time they arrived and the residents kept saying they were wanting to send me home. I was refusing I just knew something was different. All I had ate in about 18 hours were ice chips. I was so weak I could barely walk to the bathroom. Finally convinced them to give me a little food and after two bites it came right back up. I was miserable and the morphine was starting to wear off.  At this point I was getting ill. I was tired of the residents telling me I was ok and wanting to send me home. I was getting very rude and I believe it was completely deserved. Mom noticed how hot I was and I noticed I was tactycardic at about 150 bpm. I was running a temperature at 101.9 and Mason's heart rate was in the 180s which is entirely too high. FINALLY I got doctors to listen to me. Who knows how long I was running the temperature and our heart rates were high for a few hours. I finally demanded to speak to MY doctor and he was able to stop by. Dr. Ray is amazing. He will listen to you and your concerns and will explain everything. I wish he was there from the start.

Dr. Ray came in at about 3:30pm and starting to discuss our options. He believed I had an infection in the amniotic sac and that was why I was running a temp and our heart rates were high. He thinks that is what threw me into labor and agreed that I was not going to dilate because he was breech. At this point I knew I had to have a csection. He didn't believe it was safe for either of us to wait at this point so we were going to have an emergency csection. He knew Mason was in stress and didn't want to take the chance to "wait and see what happens." That is why I love Dr. Ray. He will do anything to ensure the safety of his patients. So within 30 minutes we were having a csection.

At this point I broke down. I knew a csection was the safest but it was still so emotional. I guess I was just wore out from labor. I had a good cry for about 5 minutes and Dr. Ray hugged me and promised everything would be fine. We signed all the paperwork and off we went. I had a spinal and that literally scared the crap out of me. The doctor said I did great and the spinal took well. Patrick was in the delivery room with me and helped me through it. The csection wasn't that bad. All that I felt was pressure from them operating and the worst part was my arms shaking. They kept saying that's normal but it was the worst part. It was uncontrollable. Dr. Ray was able to do the surgery himself and it was a blessing in itself. They kept it light hearted during the surgery. They were cracking jokes and asking the students questions. I let a couple of students view their first csection. The funny part was he asked them a question and I knew the answer. ahahah

At 4:52pm on Wednesday October 1st Dr. Ray said "hey big daddy look at this." Patrick stood up and said "HOLY SHIT!" LOL He was able to see Dr. Ray pulling Mason out of my tummy!!! Mason was born the exact time during the day that I was born. So I believe it was fate. He didn't cry at first and they had to incubate him. When I heart that first innocent sweet little cry it was like music to my ears. That was the first time in my life that I have cried happy tears. They told me everything was fine but they wanted to check him out at the NICU. After surgery Patrick and Mom went to NICU to see him. I got to see a few pictures of him from them but until my temperature went down I wasn't able to see my little baby. At this point I was so delirious from the medicine and surgery I passed out.

Within the next day they got my temperature down and they were able to take him off the breathing tube. He was only incubated for about 5 or 6 hours and that was a blessing. I was able to see him the next day and he was so pitiful hooked up to all the IVs and monitors. We made tons of trips down to the NICU to see him over the next few days and I was able to breastfeed him. He latched on great and the nurses were amazing. I had to stay on antibiotics for three days and so did he.

Dr. Ray came in to talk to us a few times after delivery. They sent off the placenta to check for infection and it came back positive. I had chorioamnionitis which is an infection in the amniotic fluid. If Dr. Ray did not take him when he did, our birth story could have been entirely different so for that I am thankful and blessed. Dr. Ray said that Mason was literally stuck in my pelvis. His little bum was wedged so far in there that there was no way he could turn. He said I was just too little for Mason to have room to turn. His legs were literally pinned up at his head. Poor little guy just didn't have room. I don't know if I would have made it another month to my due date. He would have really been in stress.

We were finally able to be sent home Saturday after only 3 days in the NICU. We are truly blessed to have only a short stay for both of us. For me the recovery has been hard. Dr. Ray said my uterus was so thin because of all the contractions I have had that Mason ripped it coming out of me. I was told I have been moving good but I don't have anything to compare it too. The first night home was hard. I was too scared to sleep and was afraid something would happen to him. I literally just watched him all night. I was beyond exhausted. The second night was a little better and by the third I was able to sleep in two hour increments to feed him. It's now 10 days out and we are doing better. I'm slowly getting the hang of things.

We have been pooped on, peed on, and puked on.... LOL  I guess it comes with the territory but we are truly blessed. I can't believe our little Mason is here already and doing great! I'm still breastfeeding and he's eating a ton. On a funny note I finally have boobs. LOL  Patrick is an amazing father and I fall in love with him more everyday after watching him with Mason. Marley has done great! She was so concerned with Mason when we brought him home. She just kept smelling him and checking on him. Every time he would whimper or cry she would run over to check on him. She is such a good big sister and is so gentle with him. Well that is it. I think that is our birth story and I can't wait to start our little traditions as a family.

Love,
Jasmine

Breaking out of the hospital with a grin!!