Time to get back to blogging...

Since the last time I blogged so much has happened. I've graduated college with my bachelors and I had a baby April 9th. She is already 3 months old! I've been so busy that in my free time I try to relax but now I think it's time to get back to blogging.

Since the highlights in September, Matthew the kids and I celebrated our first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in Utah. We had beautiful weather during the fall and winter. We also celebrated Mason's 2nd birthday in December and Alexa's 4th birthday in February. My mom came up for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Alexa's birthday and a few days after Aria Makenna Johnson came into this word.

Since I've blogged about my other pregnancies and the day I met my children, it's only fair that I also write about Aria.

Once again my platelets got lower throughout my pregnancy, like they did with Alexa and Mason. They got as low as 85,000, but this time I was able to take steroids to boost them back up to at least 100,000 so I could still get the epidural. Just to make sure that I got the birth plan I wanted, my midwife, Jen Krebs and I, discussed that I should get induced 1 week before my due date, April 16th. This would mean that I would go to the hospital to have Aria on April 9th. Getting induced at the earliest time I could, would give me a greater chance of having my platelets be where they need to be to get the epidural. However, when I went in, they drew my blood and it was 97,000. Thank goodness the anesthesiologist was okay with that level because it was only 3,000 short of 100,000 and I would have cried had I not been able to have my baby the way I wanted.

My time to check into the hospital was 6:30 in the morning. Matthew and I left the kids with grandma and grandpa and we were off. After we checked into the hospital, they immediately hooked my up to my monitors and started the IV's to induce me. I started getting contractions right away and by 9:30 I started feeling the pain. I asked for the epidural and at around 10 in the morning they gave me the epidural. Getting the epidural has always been an easy thing for me. I'm used to needles and it only feels like a pinch. This time, however, I got a shooting spark of pain through my right hip down my leg. It was weird. Never before have I felt that. I jumped a little making sure not to move too much while the doctor was doing the epidural process and I asked her what that was and she said that sometimes the needles passes by a nerve and it gives that shock like feeling. I felt fine after I got that shock, so I wasn't worried. About 30 after getting the epidural I was feeling great. I had no pain, my midwife would come in and sit in my room and just talk with Matthew and I. It was nice to have midwife vs. a doctor. They are so involved and made me feel more comfortable in case I needed something right away.

Around noon was when my contractions started getting stronger. I was started to feel some pain, but it was bearable. I wanted to make sure I felt just enough so I could push when the time was right. My midwife said that I would feel like I have to go #2 when it was time to push. By 2 p.m. I was not feeling  good. I was in pain and I asked for more of the epidural drug because I was able to feel pain on my right side. I felt every contraction. my left side was numb, but I felt everything on my right side. I got 2 large doses of the epidural drug and by the time I was ready to push, I was still in pain since I jumped quickly to 10 centimeters. I pushed about 4-5 times and Aria's head was coming out, but my midwife noticed something was wrong and paged the nurses, 911. The alarm was going off and very quickly about 10 nurses showed up and my midwife told me in a very stern voice to push as hard I can until she told me to stop. I got a little scared and was very tired, but at the same time I knew that I had to get my baby out in that push. I pushed so hard that my arms muscles were so sore the following day from holding my legs up. Aria finally came out in a a minute and a half and porr thing was blue, but the nurses got her to cry and I was relieved. It turned out that her shoulders were stuck behind or under my pelvic bone and my midwife had to really move her around and bruise her a little bit to get her out. Thankfully Aria came out and all was well. They cleaned her up and I got to have my skin on skin with her like I did with my other babies. Holding my babies after they are born is one of my favorite things to do. The bond and connection I have with my kids while they are in my tummy is satisfied and so worth everything I endured in the previous 9 months.

Aria Makenna Johnson

2:41 p.m. 8 lb 14 oz 19 1/2 in.

After I gave birth I felt good, but I felt a little nauseous from all the medication I took and on an empty stomach it didn't sit too well. I had a little sprite and 2 bites of jello and after about 5 minutes, while holding Aria, I felt really hot and knew I was going to get sick. I asked Matthew for the blue cup bag thing and with Aria in my left arm, I threw up a couple of times, and once I did, I felt so much better.

We stayed for the night and left around 3 p.m. the next day. I healed up just fine and Aria has been a great baby since the day she was born.  :)

The kids loved her since they first set their eyes on her.

Welcome baby Aria! Family of 5!