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14 Week Blogpost

It's completely pathetic that it's been 20 days since my last post -- shame on me. You've gotta understand what a woman goes through when preggo though, I was tired a lot.

What's happened lately?

I took Braiden (my first son 1.5 years old) to the doctor's for a well baby visit. He's doing well is pretty tall, about average for both weight and head size. Everything else was biz as usual for the next few days and then I found myself in San Francisco for a work conference. It was interesting and fun, but so hard to get a good night's rest in when you're in a lonely hotel room. I know what it means to find happiness in waking up to the one you love, because there really isn't anything else like it... especially being away on biz travel.

I had my OB appointment on Friday, Feb 11 and had the most embarrassing moment at the OB to date. I went in and was excited that they were going to do the ultrasound. I decided to switch to Cedars Sinai and sans UCLA med center (not that I'm not loyal to my Bruin family...just need to do what's best for the baby)...and felt more comfortable with the wondrous feedback I'd heard about Cedars. I went in to see the ultrasound technician and she said "hop on up here" onto the table. I had seen one of the 'earlier' ultrasound mechanisms set up -- it's the kind that goes inside of you to get the ultrasound -- so I naturally just assumed I needed to get undressed. The technician had the look of death on her face. Apparently I was already far along enough where they could take the ultrasound on top of my belly -- OOPS! So it was the most awkward visit to say the least. Moving along, everything looked great. My due date according to the ultrasound is August 18th (my dad's bday!) We'll be full of summer bdays.

I finally met my own OB Dr. Tsui and he is great. Very knowledgeable, personable, and encouraged I also meet the other doctors since they all work as a group and depending on who is on call on the day that I deliver, that is who will be working with me when the baby is due. Everything else is on track, next appointment in mid-March will likely be when we can determine the gender. Hip Hip Hooray.

We've got a name if it's a girl: Mia Victoria Vinco Bartlett.

If it's a boy...we've got a few floating around:

- Dallas Bentley Vinco Bartlett
- Cameron Jacob Vinco Bartlett
- Killian Jaxon Vinco Bartlett
- Kavanaugh Slater Vinco Bartlett (Nickname: Kav!)

I'll probably put up one of those voting polls to see what name gets the most votes. Either way, we're so excited to be welcoming another one into the home.

I'm off to get a little bit of work done before the week gets off to a full start.

This week we'll be seeing Josh, Christa, Blayne, and Logan! We're so excited to have a little piece of home here with us in LA. We plan on going to Legoland, but the weather doesn't look too promising for the weekend, so we'll see how it all nets out.

All Star weekend finally came to a close, but now it's time for the Oscars to move in...LA is a city that never really sleeps.

We love it here.

Till Next Time.

<3 Mama Bartlett.

Hello / Goodbye First Trimester

It's officially out in the open (AKA on Facebook). I am 12 weeks pregnant and couldn't be any happier than to share the news with family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances.

I can't believe I'm pregnant -- AGAIN. As many of you know, I knew I was pregnant because I sat on our couch and ate a tub of goat cheese, and nothing about it felt normal.

I couldn't be any more excited to be having another baby. It's really a miracle to think about growing a PERSON inside of you. What more -- I've seen it with Braiden and I can't wait to see it with our second, but it is truly an amazing experience to see half of you and half of your significant other in your children. I love that Braiden learns things so quickly and that he does things that make me introspective of my own self, and I see things that he does that remind me of everything that his father is. . . and it is AMAZING.

So, while we aren't married, and we haven't bought our house, and Jeff is in school and I'm embarking on my 'career' it isn't the cleanest path to the future, but it's still a great one.

A lot of things have been different about this pregnancy - I have more morning sickness, and I am tired all the time...and i definitely have more cravings. I know, I know, it's always fun to then assume that I'm having a girl or a boy or this or that, but as long as the baby is healthy, we are A-OK.

I was originally going to UCLA Med, but didn't enjoy my experience there, so I decided to switch to Cedars-Sinai. I go in for my next appointment on 2/12 and am pretty excited to meet my new OB. I know the drill, so it shouldn't be anything unexpected, but am happy I'll get to see another ultrasound of baby #2.

How this pregnancy happened -- well we all know about the birds and the bees, but, was it planned?? Not really. But here is how everything transpired. Jeff and I decided that we want to get married in June 2012. We can celebrate his graduation from $UC, have the wedding, then celebrate the busy birthday month of July (Jeff, Dustin, Braiden, Natalie, Josh, Adam) and then August birthdays (me, baby #2, my dad).

So, Jeff got to thinking -- if we didn't have another child in the next few months, I'd be pregnant or just have given birth right before our wedding, and no offense, but who wants to be big at their wedding? Not me. So, point, Jeff. Then, he also pointed out that if we just decided to wait to have another child after the wedding that Braiden will be 4. The kids would be 4 years apart!!! It was too long in my opinion, as the relationship for the two kids would be quite different than if they were a bit closer in age. So, I (-- ignorantly agreeing to this "great idea") disregarded the real facts (increase in health care premiums to support 2 dependents instead of one, Jeff is in school and an EXPENSIVE school $$ $UC, I've been traveling more for work, daycare costs, getting a car big enough for two kids and all the baby gear that comes with that, diapers, and formula costs again...). We used the "what will be, will be" attitude for two weeks and I spoke to a friend of mine who then pointed out all of the disregarded facts above and additional points of consideration (i.e. where are you going to settle down, will this affect your options in the future for going back to school, etc) and so then I decided -- it's probably not a good time to be "trying" or "testing God's will for us."

But apparently I was too late. On December 14th, I found out we were expecting. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to be sure. I went to my first Docs appt on Jan 5th and there the baby was, itty and bitty on the ultrasound and as beautiful/handsome as ever.

I can't wait to find out the gender... I think it's a boy, but what mom doesnt' want a lil baby girl to doll up in dresses and sassy swimsuits and fancy shoes! We'll see what the good Lord above has in store for us.

Night night from me and Baby Bartlett #2 !

So excited to have shared this news with you alllllll <3

Video Of Braiden Walking

Delivery Day - The Experience

I've had this post half written for the past month...and it's about time I finish it.

First and foremost, I'd like to give a BIG thanks to all of my friends and family that have visited and offered their help/support during my pregnancy and post-pregnancy times...and a big thanks also to those who sent their best wishes and congratulated Jeff and I on the arrival of Braiden :)

SO - as many of you have asked - WHAT WAS IT LIKE, DID YOU DELIVER NATURALLY, DID IT HURT, DO YOU WANT MORE KIDS AFTER GOING THROUGH THAT, WAS YOUR LABOR LONG OR SHORT etc... here's allll of it <3

My official due date was July 10, 2009. Jeff and I went in to our last weekly OB appointment with Dr. Ecklund on July 3rd. At that appointment Dr. Ecklund had stripped my membranes (meaning loosened some stuff down low to get the labor process started). It was mildly painful, but nothing like real labor (which you'll hear about in a few paragraphs - LOL). After she stripped my membranes I felt contractions for the next week or so off and on. The deal was that if I hadn't gone into labor on my own, I would be induced on July 9, 2009 because July 10th didn't work out logistically for the hospital - they already had several scheduled C-sections and inductions so I was assigned July 9th. Typically, doctors don't schedule an induction or induce labor unless there is something that could cause harm to the baby or the mother. Because I had gestational diabetes (my body wasn't processing sugar correctly due to the hormones present in my body b/c of the pregnancy) medical professionals don't let you go past your due date because it leads to a higher risk of a c-section (non-vaginal birth.)

I was instructed to call the hospital the morning of July 9th to find out what time they wanted me to come in. I was supposed to call @ 6:30 am but after a night of restless sleep I ended up calling at 7am. I was expecting the nurse to say come sometime in the afternoon but lo and behold when I called they said, alright 7:30am - see you soon! I frantically woke Jeff up and said we have to get ready and then I woke up my mom, dad, brother, and Jeff's grandparents who were all here the night before I delivered.

I got to the hospital at about 7:45am and they admitted me into my delivery room. It was HUGE and gorgeous and had lots of room for everyone to join. When Nurse Sue (who I must say was AMAZING) came in to do the preliminary check I was already close to 4cm dilated (meaning my labor would have probably started on its own in the next few days anyway). Nurse Sue put in the IV (2nd most painful part of the birthing experience - next to contractions) and then put on the monitors for the baby's heartbeat and for my contractions. Like you see on most TV shows like Baby Story and Bringing the Baby Home on TLC the sheet that prints out of the machine shows the baby's heartbeat on one of the graphs and another graph illustrates the length, intensity, and time between contractions. Up until I went to the hospital my contractions were sporadic. Often they'd come in spurts about 10-15 minutes apart, sometimes 5 minutes apart, but never VERY intense (just uncomfortable) and they never lasted longer than 1 hr.

At about 8:30 Sue started the Pitocin (chemical released through the IV drip that speeds up contractions). The Pitocin got my contractions to be closer together, but not that intense. Nurse Sue asked me what my pain tolerance level was from a scale from 1-10 and I told her I'd go till 8 or 9 even - I wanted to do the entire birth NATURALLY - without an epidural. She said she was proud of me for picking 8/9 since most women say 5/6. She said her goal was to make my face turn into the face of pain (not that she wanted to hurt me) but she needed to get my contractions close together.

At about 10am my contractions were still a few minutes apart, some more intense than others....so to get it going even faster, Sue got Dr. Ann Wong (who delivered Braiden :) ) to break my water. In order to break my water, Dr. Wong took a stick put it up there and poked the bag holding the amniotic fluid and I felt a GUSH of water and for awhile after trickles of water...like I was peeing uncontrollably.

After my water was broken...my contractions became MUCH more intense coming still about 3 or 4 minutes apart sometimes. They were definitely starting to hurt more and more. I'd say the pain level by noon was at a 5 or 6 even.

The pain went to a 7 around 1 or 2pm and it stayed at that level for another couple of hours. I cried...yeah..I tried not to....but it HURT...it hurt BAD....by 3 o'clock pm my contractions were coming every minute or two and were SO intense. The pain felt like I wanted to poop out a bowling ball (pressure on my tail end from Braiden's head) and THE WORST menstrual cramps in the world. Take normal period cramps and multiply it by 8723648. It ached, it was sore, it was a sharp pain, and it came OFTEN. I felt like I only had 30 seconds of rest between my contractions because they were close together and they lasted such a long time!

Nurse Sue came in and asked me if I wanted an epidural - it was at the point that I NEEDED to decide. If I said no, I wouldn't be able to get one because I was already 8.5 cm dilated!! I looked at Jeff and he told me to do what I needed to do. So I said, yes, please....anything to make the pain go away. She left to go find the anesthesiologist and came back a few minutes later to let me know that he was doing the anesthesia on a gal who was having a c-section and he'd be by within the next half hour to do my epidural. Sure enough Dr. Alex the anesthesiologist came in 15 minutes later to administer my epidural.

I turned around and he first cleaned off my lower spine and then put some kind of tape on it. I don't really know since I couldn't see. I hurled over and crunched down into a ball, holding my pillow and Nurse Sue's arm. Dr. Alex then administered the epidural, I got a catheter as well because I would be numb from half of my stomach down. Once the epidural was in and had kicked in - I was a happy camper. I could still feel pressure, but the pain of the contractions had gone away.

At 4pm, it was already time to push. Everyone except for my mom and Jeff left and waited until I finished. At the start of the induction they said with good time I would be done by 8 o'clock so I made EXCELLENT progress.

At 4pm I pushed and my first couple of pushes were pathetic. I didn't make any progression because I couldn't feel what muscles I was pushing/using b/c of the epidural. By the third push I had started to understand which muscles I needed to use and I was making good progress. Dr. Ann Wong came in to see how we were doing and she was surprised at how quickly things were moving. She 'stretched me out' meaning she was 'down there' pulling and stretching out the walls as I pushed so that I progressed faster. Jeff could see the baby's head starting to crown as I pushed, then it would go back in as I took in a breath. I was exhausted. So exhausted that I puked! Nurse Emily (who took over for Sue shortly after my epidural) put an oxygen mask over me since I wasn't breathing as efficiently and we needed to make sure Braiden got an ample supply of oxygen.

Nurse Emily put a mirror down below so that I could see what was going on down there - I didn't think I'd want to see it, but it was motivating. When I could see Braiden's head I wanted to push. When Dr. Wong came in for the 2nd time she said - let's get everything ready, looks like we'll have the baby here in 15 minutes! I was getting so excited. I had some VERY productive pushes and soon enough Braiden's head was OUT. Dr. Wong said not to push when his head came out, they suctioned his mouth and nose and then she told me to push and then there he was. <3

5:24pm on July 9th, 2009 - 7 lbs. 4 oz., 20" long and beautiful as ever. They wiped most of the vernex (white gushy stuff that covers them while they're inside) off and then they put him right on my chest. Jeff cut Braiden's umbilical cord. I cried so hard as soon as they placed him on my chest...the moment was completely jaw dropping, awe inspiring, and UNFORGETTABLE. The nurse(s) took Braiden back to clean him up and bundle him up and get a beanie on his head. He was crying and crying (the only time I think I will appreciate that he was crying) and then when they handed him to me he was quiet. It was amazing.

Jeff held Braiden shortly after I had my time with him, and my dad, brother, mom, and Jeff's grandparents all took their time looking at Braiden. So far, all we see in "who does he look like" so far is - Braiden has my nose, and Jeff's feet, and possibly Jeff's eyes. Expression-wise, his bottom lip quivers and drops really low just like mine does before crying. :) Jeff is in trouble with our pouty lips.

Braiden's got the most beautiful smile ever - so I'm gonna hand that to Jeff since he's got a handsome smile as well. We'll see as Braiden gets older.

Following delivery, they moved me into the maternity ward. Braiden was in-room with us all night long. I am exclusively breastfeeding until I go back to work and we'll see how my milk supply keeps up when I go back. The first night in maternity I didn't have a roommate and the second night I did so Jeff had to go home, but he stayed till midnight and came back at 5am with a nice White Chocolate Mocha for me <3 YUMM. I missed caffeine!

As for the do I want more - yes, I still do. I mean it's been a month now and though I remember the pain, the moment when I got to hold my baby boy in my arms...makes me want more! I'm hoping to have a houseful and have 4 children, but we shall seeeee as time goes on.

I hear Braiden now and should go nurse him...SO glad I finally finished my 'birthing experience'.

Love,
Mama Val

A scrapbook of the first few days.

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