Zion's newborn pictures

On Zion's 1 week birthday we took him up to Salt Lake to get his pictures taken by Mary Clark at DMC Studios.  Several of our clients have used her and all raved about how good she is, and we couldn't agree more.

 

Introducing Zion Lee Price

ZION LEE PRICE

Born July 9, 2010 @ 9:40 pm

6 pounds 2 ounces & 19.5 perfect little inches

Thursday night my contractions started getting even more painful.  I told Zac I couldn't go to work Friday morning because I had a feeling we would be having little Zion and that I needed to get some rest.  I tried to sleep as much as I could but I was in pain.  I woke up and decided to get everything ready, just in case.  I scrubed the house top to bottom.  Did all of the laundry, sheets, bath mats, rugs, everything!  Showered got ready and put the last couple things in my hospital bag.  When Zac got home at noon we tried to take a nap for a little while, but I was in so much pain.  I was trying to breath through the contractions, but they were worse then they had ever been.  We got in the car and started driving toward the hospital.  I told Zac that if I got sent home again, I was going to have them give me some morphine and sleep the week away until they could induce me on the 16th.  We decided to stop at my OB's office and have them see if I had dilated any more so I didn't have to face the heartbreak of being monitored for an hour and then sent home if I didn't progress.  The doctor felt one of my contractions and said these are labor contractions.  She checked my cervix and I was dilated to a 5 so she called the hospital and told them I was on my way.  We got to the hospital at 4:40 pm and they had all of my paperwork pulled so we were able to bypass registrations and head straight to the room.  I was still afraid they were going to send me home.  When we got back to the room they immediately hooked me up to IV fluids, and I asked the nurse if it was for real this time or if they were going to send me home.  She reassured me that I wasn't leaving the hospital without my baby!  We called our families and my mom, dad, Cyd, Gary and Leesa all came up.  We let them come in the room and talk with us while I labored and ended up leting them stay in the room for the whole delivery.  Of course we made our dad's look out the window during the time I was exposed.  We spent the next 2 hours watching the nurse get the room set up and doing the paperwork.  At 6:40 pm the doctor came in and broke my water and I was given an epidural and I was completely pain free.  It was fun having my family in the room.  We just chatted and joked around and had a good time.  A little after 7:00 pm they started me on pitocin... still no pain.  A little after 8:00 pm the nurse came in and check me and I was only dilated to a 6.  I felt discouraged that I had only dilated 1 cm in the last couple hours.  A little after 9:00 pm I started feeling pain in the left side of my back and belly.  I told everyone I didn't think the epidural was working anymore.  The baby's heart rate which had been super steady through all the contractions, started dropping just a little bit and my mom said I was probably ready to deliver.  I didn't believer her because it had only been an hour since they last checked me.  They came in and gave me another dose of the epidural and 5 seconds later the nurse checked me and said I was dilated 10 cm and the baby was at a +2 station and it was time to call the doctor back in and start pushing.  I couldn't believe it.  I started pushing and about 30 minutes later, at exactly 9:40 pm after 5 hours of labor in the hospital, I heard the most amazing sound in the world.  Baby Zion was crying before his shoulders were even out.  When the doctor held him up for me to see I couldn't believe how beautiful he was, and how much hair he had.  We thought for sure he would be bald just like me and Zac were.  He turned pink so fast and didn't need any oxygen.  After all of the stress we've had the last couple months over the preterm labor, I am so thankful that Zion made it exactly 38 weeks and is perfectly healthy.  I feel so blessed to be his mommy.  He is the most amazing little guy.  I can already tell he is going to do great things with his life.  I love him so much.

Just got to the hospital

Just starting the pitocin after they broke my water and gave me an epidural

The nurse just told us it's time to start pushing

The look on Zac's face as Zion's being delivered

The look on my face right after Zion was born

Zion Lee Price

6 pounds 2 ounces & 19.5 inches long

More in love than ever before

Done being checked by the nurse and trying to get warm

First time holding our baby

Proud Daddy and Zion

Amazed at how much we love this little guy

We can't take our eyes off him

Gary, Mom, Dad, Zion, Zac & Cyd

First time nursing

1 day old getting loves from Daddy

1 day old getting loves from Mommy

Happiest family in the world!  We love you Zion!

MISERABLE!

We made it to the goal of 36 or 37 weeks and now I am ready to be done being pregnant!  Over the past couple weeks I've had several episodes of crazy intense painful contractions every 3-4 minutes that last for 10 hours or so, and then they all of a sudden slow down to every 5-7 minutes and become pretty mild.  Yesterday was one of those days.  I was having them regularly every 4 minutes all morning long.  I went to the doctor for my normal weekly visit and was dilated 4 cm.  The doctor decided to strip my membranes and said if the contractions pick up within the hour to head over to Labor & Delivery.  About an hour later we were at the hospital.  I was in so much pain and felt like I was having 1 giant contraction that never let up.  They put me on the monitor and sure enough my contractions were about 2 minutes apart and lasting almost the full 2 minutes.  Sometimes I would get a 15 second break in between.  1 hour later I was still in so much pain and contracting like crazy, but my cervix hadn't changed- SO THEY SENT ME HOME!  Seriously, who gets sent home at that point?  I guess it's standard procedure because I'm not 39 weeks yet (actually I'm not even 38 weeks until tomorrow) so they can't break my water, or give me pitocin, or do anything else to help things progress.  They told me to go home, walk a lot, have sex, and come back later, and if I was at a 5, they would admit me, give me an epidural and get things going.  Unfortunately I was in so much pain and so exhausted from the long day and not sleeping a drop the night before, that I was only able to squeeze out a couple little walks before physically and emotionally I just couldn't do it and decided to just go to bed.  Now, it's 6 am, the contractions have completely slowed, and I'm a mess!  I'm thinking at this point my best option is to figure out a way to break my own water.  Then they can't send me home!  Either that or I have to wait 8 more days, until next Friday when I'm officially 39 weeks, and they can give me a little bit of pit or break my water to help labor progress beyond this point.  Any ideas??

36 weeks!

This has been a great week!  Zion passed his non-stress test and had more than enough fluid when they did the ultrasound, so they didn't make us deliver early!  When the doctor checked me, my cervix had only changed slightly (closer to a 2 than 1.5) which means all of the precautions we've had to take have worked.  My belly grew a little bit... I'm still measuring 3 weeks small, but they just figure Zion is going to be a smaller baby.  Tomorrow I am 36 weeks so the doctor gave me permission to start being a little bit active again and to stop taking the medicine that slows my contractions.  He even gave me permission to go back to work Monday... until we reminded him that I'm a personal trainer, and then he quickly changed his mind.  Even though we've made it to our goal of 36 weeks, and we're out of the danger zone, he still thinks it's best to keep Zion cooking for a while.  He said if we make it to 37 weeks the odds of Zion having to spend anytime in the NICU are pretty much 0!  I can't tell you how relieved I am that this little guy has stayed put and that I don't have to stress about having a premature baby and a possible NICU bill without health insurance.  I told the doctor that my main concern, now, is that all of the preventative measures we've had to take are going to make it so my body won't go into labor on its own and that I'm going to end up being pregnant as long as an elephant.  He reassured me that I definitely won't be pregnant as long as an elephant and that if I haven't gone into labor yet, they will induce me 1 week before my due date.  Apparently the hospital is really picky about women being induced with a first pregnancy before their due date, and has a certain criteria as far as "ripeness" that has to be met, and I'm already so close to their requirements that he has no doubt I will be able to be induced a week early.  What a relief!  Now I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel.  I can pretty much go into labor any time, and we don't really have to worry about Zion having any health problems, and if I don't go into labor, I only have to be pregnant for 3 more weeks max!  I am so grateful that everything has worked out so well, and I can't wait to meet our sweet little boy whenever he wants to come!  Here's my belly at 36 weeks.

35 weeks!

Hooray!  We've officially made it a week since our last appointment, and on Friday we will officially be 35 weeks!  Today we went in and got some encouraging and some not so encouraging news.  It looks like the precautions we have been taking for pre-term labor are helping.  They sort of "checked" me today.  Not to invasive because they are worried about aggravating my cervix and uterus even more, but they were able to get a general idea.  I'm now 100% effaced, but without really poking around, they think my dilation has stayed about the same, which is encouraging.  The not so encouraging part is that my stomach is measuring 3 weeks to small (a little less than 32 cm and it should be at 35 cm)  Last week I was measuring a little small, and that's part of the reason they did the ultrasound to check for fluids.  My fluids were fine and Zion was measuring right on his due date, but this week I'm measuring even smaller.  Basically, I kind of shrunk this last week which makes them think I am losing fluid and that Zion might not have grown this past week... both caused by all of the stress on the little guy from the pre-term labor.  Tuesday we are scheduled at the hospital to have a non-stress test done on Zion and another ultrasound to see where my fluid is at now.  If either number isn't up to par, they will deliver little Zion right away, because the risks associated with both of those things are even greater than the risks that come with a premature baby.  If everything checks out the way it's supposed to, I have a regular appointment scheduled for Wednesday and they will decide what to do with me then.  So, it looks like we are just playing a fun little game of waiting.  Waiting to see if I go into full blown labor, and waiting to see if I don't but they have to deliver him early anyway.  Or.... it might turn out that in another 5 weeks I'm totally frustrated out of my mind because they've been treating me for pre-term labor for such a long time that I end up not going into labor on my own and I have to be induced.  Once again, I guess we will just have to wait and see!  Did I mention I might pull every single one of my hairs out... one by one... in the mean time?  All of the anticipation, anxiety and stress is driving me nuts!

Update

My contractions have been getting worse.  They still aren't painful, annoying yes, but not really painful, but they are getting closer together and lasting a lot longer.  Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Labor & Delivery at UVRMC because my doctor's office was closed.  We don't have health insurance on the little guy... I have coverage, but he doesn't and won't until after he is 2 weeks old and is approved by my insurance company (the joy of being self employed).  So we are trying to be extra cautious and keep him out of the NICU.  They hooked my up to the monitors to check Zion's heart rate and my contractions and the doctor immediately ordered a shot of something that made me feel really funny, to stop the contractions.  They checked me and my dilation hadn't changed from Wednesday to Saturday, but I'm now 90% effaced.  They did a few routine tests, and everything is still looking perfect with me and Zion.  There is not one thing to indicate any type of a problem... my blood pressure is perfect, weight gain is exactly where it should be, ultrasounds have shown proper fluid and placenta development, all of my lab results have been good, no infections, no swelling, no water retention... nothing!  And Zion is measuring exactly where he should be, and in all 3 of the ultrasounds we've had, his organs have been developing right on schedule.  They have no idea why my body is progressing so early.  It's not totally rare, but it's early for a first pregnancy.  Zac and my dad have decided that we "just cook 'em fast", because my mom had all of us a month early, too.  They sent me home from the hospital with medication I'm supposed to take every 3-4 hours to help slow the contractions, along with a big list of things I'm not supposed to do.  The goal is still to make it to 36 weeks at least, and hopefully that will keep little Z out of the NICU.  We go back to the doctor on Wednesday, so I guess we will have an update then.

Zion's nursery!!

It looks like the little guy is wanting to come early, so today we finished up the last couple things in his nursery.  I think we are all ready to go now!

This is the view from the door.  Me and Zac both love the quote above his crib... "let him sleep... for when he wakes, he will move mountains."  Hopefully we can raise Zion to know that he is more than capable of making all of his dreams come true!

His bedding from a bunch of different places.  I don't like animals and trucks and baby prints, so it was kind of hard to find.  I think it turned out pretty good though!

His closet with the magnet picture board I made for him, and his little bouncer in the corner.

Inside of his closet with a bunch of his clothes, blankets, boppy, bumbo and bath stuff

Night stand and Nap Nanny, which I am totally excited for!

I love this quote from Winnie the Pooh "Promise me you'll always remember; You're braver than the believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think"  And I love the Puffed up Prince that grandpa Gary sculpted.

Changing table/ dresser that's all stocked up!

His play-yard is all set up for when he sleeps in our room.  It has a handy little changing table that hooks on top and a mobile, but I haven't put it on yet.  And yes that's our hospital bag and diaper bag all packed and ready to go.  We don't want to waste any time getting to the hospital!

I love that the play-yard has the little bassinet top so we can use it in our bedroom now, but it will be super handy for vacations in the future.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY.....

THE CAR SEAT IS IN THE CAR!

We really hope that Zion holds off at least a couple more weeks before he makes his debut, but we are totally prepared in case he doesn't.  Although, we might have to send my mom to grab a preemie outfit to bring him home in.  I'm sure she wouldn't mind.