Baylor Ray's Birth Story

 Induction was scheduled for 5am on Monday, June 8th. Bentley spent the night with MiMi & Pop Pop Sunday night and was staying with them while we were in the hospital. (thanks COVID! *side eye*)

We got up about 4 am, but lets face it...I barely even went to sleep. We got ready, fed the animals, and packed the car. The drive to the hospital was very quiet. I think Kip knew I was a little nervous, because he just grabbed my hand and held it the whole way to the hospital. 

We got the hospital about 5:15. (us, late? NEVER!) Got checked in through the ER. Since COVID was still rampant, we had to get temp checked, but no COVID test...hallelujah! We went up to L&D and had to wear masks. They made Kip sit in the waiting room while I got into a room and hooked up to all the monitors and got my IV. That took probably an hour. I think it was about 6:30 before he came into the room with me. 

I was still feeling good. I wasn't feeling any contractions but Baylor was moving a lot! It was almost shift change, so we a new set of nurses. At 7 am, they checked me and I was at 4 cm. I asked if they had started pitocin because I was feeling some contractions and Nurse Kaylee said that I was having contractions 2-3 minutes apart. She said because I was contracting already, she wasn't going to start pitocin until after Dr. Smith broke my water. He was delivering another baby so we were just in the waiting game of him to come in to break my water. He came in at 7:45 am and broke my water. About 20 minutes later, I started having stronger contractions. They were getting a little more painful, but bearable. Still 2-3 minutes apart. 

At 8:35 am, I started having some strong back contractions. I was still able to talk through them, but they were consistently getting more painful. Kaylee said they weren't going to start pitocin until I got my epidural, because she didn't want me progressing too quickly and not be able to get it. (i.e. Bentley's birth). She asked if I wanted pain meds, and I said I was ok for right now. She asked if I had a high pain tolerance, and I said that I didn't think so. She said she has girls that will be at a 2-3 screaming in pain by this point, so my pain tolerance was pretty high! 

At 8:55 am, she started the pain medicine. I was really hurting. I was at 5-6 cm, baby was super low, and I was progressing fast! Just very (im)patiently waiting on the epidural. One thing I do remember from the pain meds was that I felt really lightheaded and almost drunk! They kicked in quick and helped some, but I still had pain. 

Finally got the epidural about 9:45 am. It took and was working great. I was in very little pain and dilated to 6-7 cm. Kaylee decided they wouldn't give me pitocin because how fast I was progressing. She did tell me she was worried I wouldn't be able to get the epidural because I was progressing so fast on my own, but she waited to tell me after I got it! haha!!

10:40 am: At 8 cm, baby was a -1 to 0 station. She turned me to right side to help baby move down. I couldn't feel anything below my belly button! It was great! I wanted to take a nap, but she kept coming to check on me because it was all happening so fast!

11:15 am: Dilated to 9cm. turned to my left side to help baby come down some more. I started feeling really shaky and shivering some, but I wasn't cold. She mentioned I was probably in transition and my body was reacting. 

11:50 am: 9-10 cm dilated. A little bit of cervix was still in the way. She me up and I sat indian style to see if that would help get it to move. My legs felt like jello and super heavy, so she pretty much had to position me like that!

12:00 pm: She checked me and said sitting that way seemed to be working. She wanted me to sit like that for about 20 minutes then we would start pushing. 

12:15 pm: The whole team came in the room ready to get baby out! My tech, Jordan told me, jokingly, that she was gonna give me 10 minutes to get this baby out, because she hated wearing all that stuff they were having to wear due to COVID. I told her that was the perfect plan. They all knew I was anxious about pushing because of the experience I had with Bentley!

12:25 pm: I started pushing! I pushed about 4 times when Kaylee said to Jordan to go get Dr. Smith. I was concerned something was wrong, and she said that everything was great and baby would be out in no time. 

12:34 pm: Baby Baylor was BORN! I pushed 2 more times with Dr. Smith and he popped right out! He weighed 8lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long! 

We had the most amazing staff tending to us for labor and delivery! I couldn't have asked for better people! Kaylee & Jordan were MORE than I could have ever hoped for and made the whole process SO easy! 

 Hospital stay & first few days at home coming soon!

Baby Name Update & "Virtual" Baby Shower

Most people know the story of how Bentley got his name. He was named after Kip's grandfather, Bobby Gene, who passed away when we were about 8 weeks pregnant. When my grandfather passed away in November, Kip and I hadn't talked about baby names yet. Shortly after Pops passed away, we started talking baby names. We had decided we wanted to incorporate Pops name somehow with baby #2. His name was Billy Ray. We thought from the beginning that baby was a girl and decided quickly on using the name "Rae" as a middle name. We were so shocked when we found out he was a boy that took a while for us to decide on his name, but we have finally made a decision! We will be welcoming our baby boy Baylor Ray Williams in June!! I absolutely love that both our boys have special names that remind us of 2 special people in our lives!

"Virtual" Baby Shower

Since COVID ruined everyone's fun this Spring, we weren't able to have an in-person baby shower, so my mom, mother-in-law, and best friend put together an awesome virtual shower for us! We started getting things delivered to our house around early to mid-April. And I think we got a delivery every single day for almost a month. By the time May 2nd rolled around, we had SO many packages to open! 

We didn't open anything until the day of the shower. We went LIVE on Facebook in the event group and opened up all our gifts. We are SO very blessed with wonderful friends and family! We didn't need much since we kept a lot of things from Bentley, so diapers, wipes, and bottles were really all we actually NEEDED. But we received SO many gifts I was blown away!

Third Trimester with Baby Boy #2

My next appointment was on March 31st at 28 weeks. Due to the GD, I had an ultrasound to check baby's size. He was measuring about 3 weeks ahead, weighing around 3lbs 13 oz. His HR was 148 and he was breech. My BP was 120/85 (hooray for lower BP!) and weight at 184.2. 

I had my appt with the endo on April 1st. He wanted me to try to control the GD with diet and exercise. I immediately started looking up things to eat so made a grocery list. I knew it was going to be a long 10-12 weeks. But I also knew that I needed to do this for my baby.  

I had another appointment on April 16th right at 31 weeks. I had another ultrasound and baby boy was measuring 5 lbs 6 oz. He was measuring 4 weeks ahead. His HR was 162. My BP was 119/84 and weight at 182.4. Here is an update I posted on FB so I don't have to re-type it all. 

He scored 100% on his ultrasound for movements, breathing, heart beat, etc. He’s weighing in at a whopping 5 lbs 6 oz and measuring about 35 weeks. Dr. Smith is still thinking we will have to induce a little early, but we will continue to monitor how he is growing at each appointment. I do love getting to see him on the ultrasound screen though!

So far, my gestational diabetes is being controlled by diet and exercise-gotta start walking more though!! But on the downside of this, my iron is super low despite taking daily iron supplements. With the GD I can’t drink orange juice with the iron supplements like has been suggested to help my body absorb the iron quicker. Also, some of the foods I am eating for GD are causing a slower absorption of iron. I have to get an iron infusion Tuesday morning at the hospital. I’m nervous about going into the hospital during this time, and also having to go alone due to no visitors. Prayers are greatly appreciated for this process, that I will stay healthy and away from any of the virus mess that’s going on while going into the hospital. (I don’t have to stay or anything. Just an in and out thing) Also, please keep praying for me during this gestational diabetes journey that my numbers will stay where they need to be and that baby boy will not grow too big too quickly!

On a side note: I know that this stay at home order hasn’t been fun for many people and most people are ready to get back to normal, as am I!! But I’m also very thankful that I’ve been home during this crazy month with this pregnancy. I’ve had a lot of doctor’s appts and Telehealth visits, having to control my diet and eat every 2-3 hours, checking my blood sugar, low iron causing dizzy spells, etc. I am still working from home, but this whole process would have been a lot different if I was still going into the office to work-Missing days of work for all these appointments, probably not controlling my diet like I should be, not being able to lay down when having a dizzy spell, or going for a quick walk around the neighborhood if my blood sugar numbers were a little higher than they should. So I am very thankful for this “stay at home order”, even though I miss seeing my work family!

At this point, I am going every 2 weeks to my OB and every 2 weeks to my endo. I also have had to go to the lab for blood draws and get iron infusions. Lots of doctors appointments which isn't something I was thrilled about during a pandemic. 

At my next appointment at 33 weeks on April 30th, he was estimated to weigh 6 lbs 5 oz. His belly measured 37 weeks and head & legs measured 35 weeks. My BP was 129/81 & weight at 182.8. I was still controlling my GD with diet and exercise! Baby is super active & I am super miserable! I started having contractions every night between 7-10pm. They were pretty intense but not consistent and would start and stop almost exactly at 7pm and 10pm every night. 

35 week appointment (34+6 to be exact) on may 13th: Baby's HR was 157. He was estimated to weigh 6 lbs 8 oz. My BP was 127/86 & weight at 183.4. Still doing good with the GD! here is my facebook update from this appointment:

Baby Update! His growth has slowed down drastically! He’s only measuring about a week ahead now and weighing about 6lbs 8oz. His breathing, heart rate, and movements were great! He’s head down already and actually facing the right way unlike his big brother was! 1 cm dilated but that doesn’t mean he is coming any time soon. No more iron infusions for me!! Iron levels are increasing! Unless he comes on his own before 39 weeks, I’ll be induced around then (2nd week of June). We will know more after my next appointment on May 29th, but as of right now, we have 4 weeks or less til we meet our boy!

We celebrated Mother's Day with just our immediate families, due to COVID. It was bittersweet just knowing that this was my last year to celebrate with just my one boy! 

37 week appointment on May 29th: Baby is estimated to weigh 8lbs 1 oz. Measuring a few weeks ahead. INDUCTION is scheduled for June 8th!! My BP was 124/79 & weight at 183.2. Still doing great with following the GD diet and keeping my numbers low!

I've still been having contractions a lot. They are now coming all throughout the day and are pretty painful, but nothing consistent at all. Even though induction was already scheduled for Monday, June 8th, I had one final appointment on June 5th. 

At that appointment, baby was measuring 8lbs 15 oz. My BP was 130/82 and weight at 181.8. I was 3 cm dilated and almost completely thinned, so I wasn't going to have to go in Sunday night for cervix thinning meds! 

I was very anxious all weekend. Mom came and helped me clean my house and get it all ready to go which was a good distraction. I had a lot of emotions, and I think most of them stemmed from already having a child. What was he going to think? How was he going to react? Would he be jealous? How could I love 2 babies the same? What if something goes wrong with the induction? What if I end up having a c-section? What if it takes days? Just lots of emotions and nerves!

But we made it. We made it to 38+4 weeks, and we were going to get to meet our baby boy a little early! 

How he got his name & his birth story coming soon!

2nd Trimester with Baby #2

The 2nd trimester came with a vengeance!

Week 13-14, I was really hoping the nausea would ease up some, but it hit with full force. I had to start taking Zofran around the clock again! Making it through the day at work was the worst! I was just trying to make it through December 23rd, because I would have the rest of the week off!

Week 15 - Christmas Day. This was a very hard day for me. I woke up Christmas morning with a little bit of cramping, but I have been having cramping all throughout my pregnancy so I didn't think much about it. Not long after waking up, I had to throw up. Side note: I always take my clothes off when I need to throw up because I more than likely will pee on myself. So I take my pants off and put a towel under me. After throwing up, I notice a large glob of red blood that had come out while I was throwing up. I immediately panic. I bled most of the day with cramping, almost exactly like my period. I just knew I was miscarrying. I was scared to call the doctor. So I sat and cried a lot. Went to the bathroom multiple times to see if the bleeding had stopped. The next day, I noticed the blood was more brown in color, like old blood. This spotting lasted a few days. It was a very hard few days for me.

Weeks 16-18 were pretty much the same. No more bleeding but occasional vomiting. Just feeling uncomfortable. We did get to find out the gender of our sweet baby though! My appt for our anatomy scan was on January 16th. I was very anxious about the appointment, because of the bleeding episode I had over Christmas. I was afraid we would get in there and there would be no heartbeat. Of course, all was fine and baby looked great! HR was at 156. We were extremely shocked to find out baby was a BOY! But very excited nonetheless! My blood pressure was 131/88 and weight at 180.2.

We had our parents over for dinner that night and let big brother open up a gift that had a sleeper in it. It said "Little Brother" to announce we were having a boy!

At my 22 week appointment on February 13th I was measuring about 25 1/2 weeks. Doctor wasn't too concerned but wanted to order an ultrasound at my next appointment to check. Baby's heart rate was fine. I didn't write it down! :(  My BP was 130/87 and weight at 183.8. Around this time, I started having issues with elevated heart rate. While siting on the couch, my HR got up to 175. I was out of breath and felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I laid down and chugged some water and it got better. It happened again few different times over the weekend. Turns out, my iron was extremely low. 

At my next appointment on March 13th at 26 weeks, he opted not to do the ultrasound just yet. I was still measuring a little over 3 weeks ahead. I also had my glucose test on this day. I didn't write down baby's HR either! My BP was 142/101 and weight was 186.6. They did a second reading of my BP because it was high and the 2nd time, it was 132/92. They had me do a 24-hr urine collection to check for protein. I had terrible headaches/migraines starting around this week too. This is when everything started getting crazy, with my pregnancy and with the world. 

My appointment was on a Friday. That Monday, I find out that we will be transitioning to work from home from the time being due to coronavirus. School had been cancelled and things were pretty much shutting down. I got a call from the doctor that I failed my glucose test and needed to have the 3 hour test done. I scheduled it for the next week. 

I went in for my 3 hour glucose test on March 24th. The next day I get a call that I failed the 1 hour and 2 hour portions of the test, so because I failed 2 out of 4 draws I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I did get good news, that my 24-hr urine came back fine and no signs to protein or pre-eclampsia yet. But this explains the headaches I have been having. I had to make an appointment with an endocrinologist to help manage my gestational diabetes. 

So begins the third trimester!

Williams Party of 4!

We recently found out we were pregnant with baby #2! B is now 3 1/2 years old, so it’s perfect timing! I was ready for another one but hubs wasn’t completely all in. He wasn’t completely out either, but I just think most men are probably never really “ready” to add another person to their family! My EDD is June 18th, but I haven’t had an appointment to confirm just yet. I didn’t do this with B, but I really want to remember where I was, how I felt, etc. in the different stages of pregnancy!

I knew I was pregnant 3 days after ovulation. I just had that feeling. I had slight cramps, a headache that showed up every single day, and I was extremely tired when I would get home from work. These weren’t things that were normal for me by any means. As the week went on, the symptoms just continued to get more intense. Low back ache, headaches, slight nausea (as I am sitting in a meeting with our CFO and executive director), tender breasts, extreme fatigue, cramping that was almost constant, but mild with occasional more intense pains, just an all around yucky feeling. I knew I was pregnant. Into week 3, these symptoms continued to increase in intensity. I confirmed my suspicions when I got a biscuit from Jacks and couldn't eat it because of the smell of fried food.

Week 4, I missed my period, which was no shock to me. I took a test and it was quickly positive. A dye stealer they call it. That’s when the test line is darker than the control line. Apparently when your HCG is really high, the test pulls the dye all to the test line so it leaves very little for the control line. I even took a cheapie test from Walmart too. One of those $.88 ones. It was quickly very positive as well. At 4 weeks 2 days, I had pretty extreme nausea. I think it was due to me not eating like I should because once I ate a full meal at lunch time, I was fine. The fatigue continues to get worse. The cramps aren’t near as bad and only show up occasionally. Low back ache and sciatic nerve pain is a little more intense but isn’t constant. Heartburn...OMG. I have heartburn after drinking water. Tums are my BFF right now. No cravings as of yet. Boy or girl? I have a strong feeling it’s a girl. I wasn’t nauseated much, if at all with B. But this time, it’s pretty extreme! I also had a very weird experience with ringing in my ears. I wasn't sure what was going on at first. My right ear started ringing and then I got this weird tingling feeling, and the area around the outside of my ear went numb. I had muffled sound as well. It went away after a few hours, but it seems that the increased blood flow during pregnancy can cause this!

Week 5 started out pretty good. I went back to work after our 3 days off for Fall Break. Only felt a little queasy right after lunch but it quickly went away. I got a pretty severe headache soon after the nausea went away though. Had my first actual craving-Zaxbys kickin chicken sandwich. Toward the end of week 4, I started having some trouble going to sleep at night. It would take me a few hours to actually fall asleep, despite how tired I’ve been throughout the day! The cramps have pretty much disappeared, with only the occasional uncomfortable pinching feeling that lasts a few seconds. At 5w3d, I had pretty severe nausea most of the day. I finally went and got some ginger gum that does help for a few minutes until the flavor goes away. The rest of week 5, I was very nauseated and had headaches just about every day.

At 6w2d, the nausea was the worst it has been. I was holding back vomit, and doing everything I could to keep from vomiting, and it eventually went away. After that day, the nausea let up a little, but I got a terrible cold. And unfortunately, I can't take any cold medicines, so cough drops were my best friend. Also, coke has been the only thing that I want to drink, because it keeps the headaches away and helps with nausea. Moodiness has been the worst this week as well. I did begin telling those I work closest with I was pregnant this week too. I am planning a super cute photo shoot for B to announce to our parents, hopefully this weekend!

At 7 weeks, I experienced increased back pain, was very bloated, and my breasts were very tender. I had slight cramping and fatigue in the evenings, but again could not go to sleep at night. I started having some headaches that were borderline migraines, that made the nausea worse. Still very nauseated most of the day through week 7! I also had a little bit of slight bleeding. It was mixed in with cervical mucus, and was only when I wiped, but it was still alarming!

Week 8, my skin started breaking out all around my chin area. Back pain and bloating were even worse. I was pretty constipated, and I could hardly eat more than a few bites of anything at a time. I would get full so quickly, but also would get very nauseated if I didn't eat. This is the week I began vomiting, just about nightly between 9pm-10pm. November 12th, I walked into B's room to get him some pajamas and get him ready for bed when it hit me. I ran to the bathroom and threw up.

Week 9, I had my first doctor appt! Everything went well, and baby was measuring right on target at 9 weeks. Heart rate was 175. My BP was 126/94 & weight at 181. I was prescribed zofran, which I took around the clock because I was so nauseated. Still had a few vomiting spells at night, but the Zofran helped me make it through the work day! We told our parents the day of my appointment! They were so excited (and shocked!). I was still feeling pretty miserable, and come to find out, the Zofran made the constipation worse. I was completely miserable!

Week 10, all the same symptoms. Nothing new really. Still nauseated. Still couldn't eat much in one sitting. Still exhausted.

Week 11, we were planning on announcing to family at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, my grandfather got very sick and was unresponsive for a few days, so we just told my extended family in the ICU room where my grandfather was. He ended up passing away the day after Thanksgiving. We did tell Kip's family at Thanksgiving lunch though. I don't really remember much about week 11. I was pretty sick and in a fog from my grandfather passing away.

Week 12, nothing really new changed. I was hoping the nausea would ease up some. I stopped taking Zofran and fought through the nausea, because I really needed to clear up the constipation. I don't remember having any crazy cravings as I was still pretty nauseated. We had our next appt at 12w6d on December 12th. Baby's HR was 160. Still having really strong feelings baby is a girl! Such a different pregnancy than with B! My BP was 125/96 & weight at 182.

Jumping into the 2nd trimester, I am hoping to feel much better!

Beach Fun!

The first week of June we went to Orange Beach for the TAASRO (School Resource Officers) conference. It was a special trip this year! Bentley had both his Papa & Beck-Beck and PopPop and MiMi come to spend time with him at the beach! We left on Saturday and drove to Foley to spend the night with Kip's cousin Joey and Lynn like we did last year. We went to eat at Moe's BBQ that night and it was SO good! After eating, we went back to Joey's and let Bentley swim. He LOVED it and was a little fish! He also LOVED playing in the toy room upstairs!

Funny story, that wasn't funny at the time, but just to show how much he loved the toy room, I woke up Sunday morning and Bentley wasn't in the room and the door was open. I immediately freaked out thinking OH MY GOSH, THE POOL! I ran out the door to make sure he wasn't out there. I didn't even noticed that Kip wasn't still in the bed either. I came back in panicked wondering what happened to him when I saw the light on upstairs in the toy room. I walked up there and Kip was sitting up there with him. Kip said that he woke up and noticed Bentley gone and found him upstairs! That boy loves some toys but he sure did scare his momma and daddy! 

We stayed at Joey's until after lunch Sunday. We let Bentley swim and take a nap. Kip called our condo to see if the room was ready and if we could possibly check in early. They said it wasn't ready yet but would call if it was ready early. When Bentley got up, we went a head and drove to the condo. At this time, it was 3:00 and we were supposed to be able to check in at 4:00, so we hoped that maybe the room would be ready by the time we got over there. It was about 3:30 when we made it to Orange Beach to the condo. Kip went in to ask if the room was ready yet and they said not yet. The manager was in the office and Kip overheard this conversation: 

Manager: Does the customer know?

Lady at desk: Not yet but he is standing right there. (Pointing to Kip) 

Manager proceeds to tell Kip that the people who were in our room before us had to be escorted off the property about an hour ago because they were still there. They had destroyed the room, smoked in the non-smoking room, and caused damages. We were not going to be able to stay in that room. They had one other room available but we would have to leave on Tuesday and move somewhere else, but he was not sure where we would be moving because they had nothing available.

Kip is telling me this and I am livid. We have a 2 year old. Kip is in class everyday until at least after lunch, and I don't have a car because we drove his patrol car since we were there for a conference for his work. Also, we were staying at the same condo as the other SRO who Kip works with and they were going to ride together to the classes and I would be able to hang out with his wife and kids. Luckily, Kip's parents had driven over from Panama City Beach to see us before heading home. They had decided to stay with us for the night and play with Bentley on the beach the next day before heading home. They decided they would stay until Tuesday so they could help me if I needed to move rooms on Tuesday and Kip was in class.

We got settled in our room and went to eat. I was still fuming mad, because we had no answers as to where we would have to move in 2 days. Kip called numerous people trying to get an answer and no one could tell us anything.

It all worked out for the best though. We moved down 2 condos and they actually upgraded us to a 2 bedroom and let us move on Monday afternoon. Everything worked out perfectly. Kip's parents stayed with us for a few days then my parents came down at the end of the week! We ended up having the best time, even though the first of the week was a little rocky!

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Bentley and I ventured off on our first trip just the 2 of us in August. Every year (another job perk), Big Oak takes a trip to the beach in August. All the staff, house parents, and kids go spend a week at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat. Kip wasn't able to go because it was the first week of school and he had to be there. We had so much fun. We got to go to Shipwreck Island and Gulf World. It was an adventure but I had a lot of help from my sweet co-workers! We enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone and getting to know everyone even more than I already did! Hoping next year, Kip can go with us!

Monday night we had a Beach Party! Bentley was covered from head to toe in sand before the night was over!

Tuesday we spend the day at Shipwreck Island. Bentley loved the tunnel that he could crawl through in the kiddie pool area! Wednesday, we went to Gulf World. Bentley's favorite thing was seeing the dolphins jump! 

Wednesday night was Chick-Fil-A night. They had balloon animals, face painting, and of course, Chick-Fil-A chicken! Thursday was our last day. Bentley and I were going to come home later that afternoon, because it would be easier to drive at night with him. We got to spend some time on the beach and at the pool before we loaded up the car and headed back home!

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Labor Day weekend, we spend a few days at a beach house in Laguna Beach with my family. It was so much fun and we pretty much had the beach to ourselves until Saturday and Sunday rolled around. 

It rained everyday but usually in the afternoon, so we didn't miss much beach time! We played cornhole, and playing in the HUGE waves in the ocean. It was so much fun, but after about 30 minutes of being out there, we were so tired! 

We ate good, of course! Margaritaville on Thursday, Angelos on Friday, dad cooked fish and steaks on Saturday and we watched football all night, and Captain Anderson's on Sunday! We also tried The Yard for the first time! Let me tell you, those milkshakes are to die for! Bentley ate almost all of dad's! 

Bentley enjoyed hanging out outside on the deck. He ate breakfast out there every morning! But seriously, who wouldn't want to sit out there with that view??

Our summer fun finally came to an end. Bentley and I got to go on 3 beach trips, the most I have ever gone on in one summer! Making memories with my family is so much fun!