This was Monday. Tuesday morning, contractions started but were sporadic so I called my doula to let her know. She told me to keep her informed and go to my appointment. We went my appointment where baby and I passed everything. They wanted to talk about an induction but I had to say I was already  in labor, however, the non-stress test didn’t pick up any of the contractions I was having. I wasn’t getting credit, but they were there!

While this labor was mostly different, the only thing the same was the back labor. It was just as bad as I remembered with Jules.

So we left saying we’ll probably see her – my Doctor – later that night. Contractions were still sporadic but were finally picking up intensity. I managed to nap for a bit but eventually sitting or laying down was too painful. So I spent about 2 hours pacing and hanging onto the doorway when the contractions really picked up. They’d be 5 minutes apart, then 10, then 5, then 3, etc. They were all over the place.

Eventually, I had Justin call the Doula to have her come by. The back labor was too intense and I wanted her to help me get through them or at least offer suggestions to turn the baby. At this point, the contractions were 5 minutes apart. But within a contraction or two, they went to 2-3 minutes and I said we had to go. Now.

Justin called her back to say we were heading to the hospital and for her to meet us there. He also called the hospital to let them know we were coming. Thankfully the hospital is only about 5 miles away. I had 3 contractions in the car that were extremely uncomfortable (ok, painful) that I took off my seat belt and yelled at him to run the lights and stop signs. He needed to get there FAST. But then I had to tell him to slow down, it was freaking me out.

We quickly got to the labor and delivery floor and they wanted me to fill out paperwork. I made it through one sheet before they saw the contractions were basically back to back so they took me to the room – the same room Jules was born in.

The nurses realized I was probably further along so they started filling the pool. One checked me after a painful contraction and I was at 9 cm. They quickly called my Doctor and my Doula and told everyone to hurry. I got in the pool before it was even half way filled. It was nice and calming when I didn’t have a contraction but since the baby never turned the back labor was intense and no position helped. My Doula came running in minutes before I started pushing.

I tried to relax as much as I could and the water did help but once a contraction hit, I was doing everything to avoid the pain. I’d tense up then have to be told to relax and breath. Thankfully, I only had 3 or 4 contractions in the water before I started pushing – which honestly, didn’t make things feel better. I really, really had to focus. My Doctor, Doula and nurses were all cheering me on but I felt helpless and basically asked for guidance. They kept reassuring me I was almost done. It was hard to believe at the moment but in reality, I was only in the water for maybe 10 or 15 minutes total and I was almost done.

What I loved about the water was that it was mostly private. My business wasn’t up in the air getting poked, prodded or cut unnecessarily.  My Doctor just hung out at the end of the pool watching and cheering me on.*

Everyone told Justin to move to the front of the pool to catch the baby. And with two contractions, I pushed Marlo Jane out. Justin grabbed her from the water and handed her to me. She was so tiny, calm and didn’t cry. The transition to the water was obviously a benefit for her. Everyone was shocked at how fast it all happened, including us. We got to the hospital around 8pm and she was born at 8:45. Talk about fast and furious!

She and I hung out in the tub and relaxed for a while. They eventually cut the cord and handed her to Justin while I had to get out to finish up the delivery. I was amazed I was even able to walk but I felt great compared to the first time around (where I felt like I’d been hit by a truck for days afterwards).

Jules was so excited to meet his new sibling. We waited to tell him in person if it was a boy or girl. He had been saying it was a girl since the beginning. So when he walked in, we said “You have a baby sister!” After so many boys in our family, everyone was excited for a baby girl including Jules.

She’s tiny at 6 lbs but she’s a mini Jules in looks. Everyone commented they love her name, “Oh like Marlo Thomas!” and Justin kept saying “Who’s Marlo Thomas?!” We wanted another name that wasn’t too unusual, that wasn’t common and not a “J” name. Although, we did pick a “J” for her middle name. Jules can’t remember her name. He wanted to name her Wilson. I have a feeling her nickname will be Wilson.

Afterwards, my Doula stopped by and wanted to know what I thought. She felt bad that she wasn’t there for me but really, it happened so fast that I assumed once at the hospital, I’d be laboring in the tub for hours. But I’m happy that 1) we got there in time and 2) she was able to help me cope at THE WORST point possible. She said I must have a high tolerance for pain but felt like such a wimp at some points.

In the end it made for a great birth story. Welcome baby girl, Marlo!

(*While the hospital had done a bunch of water births, Marlo and I were the first to be delivered by my practice. They were excited and plan on using some of our photos.)

Welcome to the absolute homestretch. Actually, my first due date was yesterday but they moved it to next week at my 20-week appointment so I can really go anytime. I thought the way I was progressing I’d be done sooner than later, but alas, I’m still here. Since Jules was basically right on time, I’m anticipating going past the due date with this one. And I’m fine with that!

We’re doing things a little differently with the birth of this one. Nothing drastic. I’ll still deliver at the same hospital as Jules but they’ve revamped their procedures to allow for more natural birth even if you’re plug in with IV’s and anything synthetic. They are basically becoming more of an actual birth center than a hospital. AND one of my Doctors will deliver. Phew!

Jules is still excited. He thinks it’s a girl and that we’ll name her Wilson Robert. While I think his world is about to turn upside down, overall he’ll be fine. It helps that he’s older. I couldn’t imagine doing this again with him 2 years or younger.

And for the end-of-the-road belly shot:

Weight gain is normal but it’s all in my face!

Or is it?

As my mother-in-law once said while pregnant with Jules, “She’s all boobs and belly.”

But that’s not all. I just took on another project at work that I hope to get done before I’m out for the next few months. AND I have to move a website over to a new server before the end of the month. What was I thinking?!

The good thing is, really, I just have to make it through this weekend – the rest I can pass to my new temporary co-worker. Thankfully, my office hired someone to mostly do my work while I’m out. So I just need to spend these last few weeks training and generally taking it easy.

The girls from work had a baby shower for me. A very generous event even for a second baby (a baby we’ll find out the sex the day it’s born). It was a nice break and so nice to have friends gather for me and my little one. I only teared up once.

I can’t put my socks on. I’m ready for sandals but not ready to show my white legs. I want the snow to melt and I want it a bit warmer before I go into labor. Is that so much to ask for, Minnesota? (And don’t tell me I can move. I can’t. Not today at least.)

Yes a nap after dinner.

So what if I was going to bed an hour later. I needed to nap. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that I wake up at 3:45 every morning and stay up until 5 then doze until my alarm forces me to get up.

Anyway, I’m in the home stretch (with no stretch marks!), baby is head down and I’m tired. The bassinet is set up in our room ready to go. The crib isn’t assembled but I’m not freaking out over it, yet. I only have 3 packs of diapers. Should probably buy more. Cloth diapers are out of storage and washed. However, I found that some of my newborn ones have stretched out elastic. What’s up with that!? Jules wore them for about 2 months! So now I get to fix them if I want to use them.

I’m participating in a :30 second video of my work this month. Everyday I take one second of video and at the end, I should have a short, visual representation of my work. I plan on tossing in a few belly shots mostly because I’m on weekly appointments now and without my job, I wouldn’t have great health coverage – or any health coverage.

Speaking of work, I have a few major projects due before this baby comes. Part of me is hoping the baby comes early so I can say “see ya suckers” but the other part, the more responsible part of me is trying to get it all done so I don’t have to say that. I’d like a job when I get back.

Here’s a belly shot:

And just for comparison, me at 38 weeks with Jules:

Ok, a lot can happen in two weeks so it’s not a really good comparison. Plus, I’m wearing super slimming black (ha!), but my face is puffy so you get the idea that I’m really bigger than I look.

And just for fun, we took Jules to a local tap room. On a Saturday night. Me, 8 months pregnant. It wasn’t embarrassing at all. But he and Justin enjoyed the beverages – the alcoholic and non-alcoholic kind. (Don’t fret, they were family friendly, but it was still weird for me.) 

The difference for me this year was being 7 months pregnant. Compared to last year, it was a whole new challenge!

Last year, we were paired up with a youth performing group who’s website wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great. They had a ton of content (a TON) and needed organization. It was a mental challenge for me because I was doing project management along with site mapping, user experience and content. Needless to say, I was completely worn out when 9am rolled around.

This year, our team restructured. Justin and our other co-captain (captain from last year) organized people better and I think we were a bit more successful. We had dedicated people for tasks the entire night as well as some who were able to do multiple tasks when the need arose. I was all content and thankfully, our non-profit this time didn’t has as much. So I spent my time writing, researching, editing and doing some QA by just going through the site questioning pages. Mentally, it wasn’t difficult. I found it fun creating content in a way I don’t normally do. But physically, it was really hard to sit for so long.

If I was further along, I would have said no to participating. But thankfully, with restructuring our team, the non-profit we were given and my role on the team (and taking Monday off!) it was still a fun experience.

My teeth weren’t too terrible to begin with. Sure there was some crowding, overlap and an awesome crossbite. BUT, because I was attempting this as an adult, they couldn’t fix everything. Not unless I wanted surgery which would only yield me a 50% success rate. So I said, meh and went with traditional braces to fix what we could and I’d live with the crossbite.

(Looking back, I should have done the surgery. After all was said and done, I had beautifully straight teeth but a terrible looking face. One side always looks crooked thanks to the crossbite. It’s just something I hate and really wish I could fix.)

I had braces for about 2 1/2 years. Traditional silver on the bottom and “clear” – more like opaque on top. Even with “clear” rubber bands, you could still see them. So I always opted for colored bands. I felt if I was going to have food in my teeth, then I might as well try to hide it with colored rubber bands.

The Downside of Braces

The not so fun side of braces became apparently pretty quickly. Wires sticking to your cheeks, a mouth full of wax, constantly carrying little pipe cleaners, spitting when talking (ok, more than normal), not being able to eat certain foods or treats, flossing nightmares and pain after every monthly check up. But the upside was the progress made in a relatively short amount of time. I had my braces put on in October or November and by December, I had GAPS in my teeth where there were never gaps! It was amazing. Until the ortho threw the power chain on and closed those suckers up. Ouch.

The other down side to braces is the length. I’d say the average length of time (and this is solely on my own research of chatting with people) is about two to three years. As a teenager this can seem forever. As an adult, time tends to go a bit faster. So two + years wasn’t a big deal to me.

I was very happy with the results after getting my braces off. I loved my teeth!

Invisalign Time

Fast forward 6 or 7 years, my retainers no longer fit and my teeth hurt due to shifting out of place. I could have easily left them shift out of place but I admit, I’m a bit vain. Since I can’t afford plastic surgery to fix the really ugly parts of me, I can afford to fix my teeth. Invisalign promised a 5-8 month process so I said yes. I’m doing Invisalign 5 which means 5 trays. The first 4 trays were swapped out every two weeks. I’m still in the 5th tray, which I’ve been wearing for about 6 weeks.

The Downside of Invisalign

It would seem that there wouldn’t be a downside of going this route, but there is. While braces are a hassle to eat with and clean, you have to remember to put invisalign BACK IN after you’ve eaten or had something to drink. That’s been the hardest part for me. You can only drink water with them in. I have broken that rule a few times with juice but for the most part, I take them out to eat and/or drink and forget to put them back in. Sometimes its a day later before I wear them again. That’s not going to move my teeth very fast! It’s a big drawback in my opinion.

The other downside to invisalign is the constant lisp while wearing them. In braces, you get used to talking with them and the lisp goes away after a few hours to days. But with invisalign, I constantly have the lisp.

But, they do move your teeth quickly and discreetly.

The Price Difference

No matter which option you choose, it’s still an expense. I was able to take advantage of a Flexible Spending Account during both so that was helpful. Of course, it all depends on the amount of treatment you’ll need. I think my treatment with braces was pretty standard. I didn’t have any extras and treatment length was standard.

Treatment with Invisalign has been pretty standard too. They have various levels and the higher levels do cost more money. At this point, it would have cost me the same amount to do braces or Invisalign. But what I paid  years ago was still a chunk of change. Thankfully, both Orthodontic offices allow monthly payment plans with no interest. But I did pay slightly more for braces.

The Conclusion

Don’t put a kid or teenager in Invisalign. I’d say depending on the adult, that’s questionable too. If you’re a responsible rule-follower, then go with Invisalign. I’m only a partly responsible rule-follower but thankfully, my teeth don’t have far to go. Right now, we’re tweaking one tooth with a simple adjustment on my last tray. Once the tooth is where it should be, I’ll be in retainers for 6+ months. If you have minor adjustments to make, then go with Invisalign. But if you’re going for a full adjustment I’d suggest braces.