It’s taken me 4 months to finally sit down and write out my birth story if that tells you anything about what it’s like to have a newborn. The last 4 months have flown by, and my beautiful baby boy is growing up before my eyes. It’s sad and exciting all at the same time! All my fellow moms understand what I’m saying and all those that aren’t moms yet listen to me when I say: Cherish every moment of motherhood! Those first months when they are so small and squishy go way to fast.
Like most first time moms I was terrified to give birth. I had no idea what to expect; I knew there was going to be pain but I didn’t know the true extent or how long it would last. Turns out, it lasted for about 24 hours, with the pain peaking during the hour of labor at the end!
I was 6 days past my due date when we went to the hospital for my first induction. At 8am we began with what my doctor called a “gentle nudge”, which consisted of Cytotec (a little pill the Dr. places in your cervix to help it thin and start contractions). It seemed like contractions somewhat started, but even after a second dose of Cytotec at noon the results weren’t what my doctor wanted to see. We all decided it was best to go home and try again Sunday night after – hoping the Cytotec and some extra time would work over the weekend.
That weekend I tried every trick in the book to start labor and, naturally, NOTHING WORKED. Fast forward to Sunday night (8 days past my due date) and we’re starting off with another dose of Cytotec. After a few hours of fitful sleep and minor contractions I get another dose at 11pm. Not enough was happening so my doctor told me to get some sleep and we’d start Pitocin (called Pit for short) sometime after midnight.
I woke up at 12:16am with contractions! YAY! They actually hurt too so I knew something was happening. By 3am I was 2cm dilated and we started Pitocin. Contractions picked up and they started to really hurt! I walked around as much as possible to keep them coming; and when I got tired I sat in the tub, which helped ease the pain.
At 7am I got a new nurse who had a nursing student shadowing her; that room got crowded fast with myself, Brandon, 2 or 3 nurses at a time, and occasionally the doctor. Luckily my new nurse was older and experienced. She really helped with all the back labor I was having, but she was also really pushing the Epidural. I didn’t want an epidural because I heard you’re much likely to tear, but I also wasn’t against it. I was getting through the contractions that were now 2 to 3 minutes apart really well so I kept telling her no and I’m glad I stood my ground. Even though every hour or so she would bring it up again I kept getting through each contraction and I knew I could make it to the end. By 8am I was 5cm dilated and the doctor broke my water! I had no clue what having your “water broke” all entailed but let’s just say it’s messy.
At this point I’m thinking “I’m half-way there! We’ll have a baby by 5pm.” Wrong! Even though my contractions were every 2 minutes and lasting 30 seconds I had a LONG way to go.
My nurse kept pushing an epidural and even had the anesthesiologist come in and talk to me about the procedure, but I was determined at this point to keep going without it. However, I did let her give me half doses of Fentanyl – a drug they administer through IV; I had to have an IV anyway for the Pit and Penicillin since I tested positive for group B strep. It didn’t make my contractions any less but it did make me groggy enough that I could relax through them! It’s honestly the only way I got through 3pm to 9pm because the contractions were BAD and it was mostly all in my lower back.
Okay so it’s now 9pm and I’m 9cm WooHoo! I was thinking any time now the doctor will tell me I’m 10cm and it’ll be time to push! Considering I had been 9cm since around 7pm. But no luck! I tried everything; I bounced, I walked, and I sat in the tub again! I stayed at 9.5cm until 11. Finally the doctor said it was time for this baby to come out. By this time I was still hoping we could have a “May the 4th be with you” baby, but Cinco de Mayo is good too.
To say what I did for the next hour was the hardest thing I’ve ever done doesn’t seem to do it justice but it’s true enough! So at this point I’ve been awake for just over 36 hours and my earlier nurse had taught me how to push (who knew there was a “right” way to push?). Breath in, breath out, breath in and push! DURING the most painful contractions. I pushed and I pushed from 11pm to 12:17am, and it felt like I was making no progress. I’m alternately pushing, screaming, pushing, screaming. I’m not sure how many times I said “I can’t do it” but the nurses and doctor kept telling me I could and who was I to tell them otherwise? Brandon was standing right next to me the whole time counting to 10 as I pushed and I’ve never wanted him to count faster in my entire life. He said he was pretty worried about me considering my face was turning purple but he stayed calm the entire time which really helped.
After pushing for what seemed like forever they placed him on my chest and he wailed and wailed! It wasn’t a cry or a scream it was definitely a wail. He still to this day wails and it reminds of the moment he was born. I held him there for the longest time! It’s a feeling I can’t describe. After carrying him for 9 long months he was here, laying on my chest. It was incredible.
What scared me the most about giving birth was having to get stitches. I had what the doctor called “A Very Normal Tear.” You read these awful stories about tears and the healing process and whereas the healing process is not fun getting the actual stitches wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! After going through what I did a couple stitches seemed pretty minor and I didnt even feel them numbing me. I did however feel the last stitch which hurt pretty dang bad. Apparently anesthesia wears off pretty fast on me.
After they weighed Colton (8lb. 7oz) the doctor congratulated us and I apologized to the nurses for screaming at them. 😛 They assured me it was totally normal but I felt like a crazy person. Once we got into our post partum room I tried nursing, but Colton had a hard time latching; we finally ended up using a “Nursing Shield” which helped so much! After he ate we called all the family that had been waiting to hear from us for over 24 hours. Finally, mommy got to sleep!!
Even though the family wasn’t allowed to visit (because of Covid), the next day was a total blur. We spent the day cuddling our sweet boy, taking pictures, making calls, and filling out paperwork. That night Colton and I slept for 7 hours straight which was the most sleep I had gotten in 3 days. We got to go home the next day and the next 4 months have flown by!
Looking back I still can’t believe I did it. I gave birth. It was the hardest, most challenging thing I’ve ever done. My tolerance for pain is low, so for me to be in labor for 24 hours, push for an hour, and get stitches without an epidural is pretty incredible. I was proud of myself but at the same time freaking out that someday I would have to do the same thing all over again if Colton was ever going to have any siblings. But I also knew I’d do it all over again to get my sweet boy into this world.
If you made it to the end of this congratulations! I’m excited to be sharing more about motherhood and how our life has changed since little Colton arrived. Stay tuned as I take on life as a new Mom. 🙂
Well I did it! I completed LadyBossBloggers Course: “How to Make Money as an Influencer.” I would like to thank LadyBossBlogger for sponsoring this post!!
In this post I’m going to be sharing:
· My Honest Review of the Course
· Why Investing in a Course is Beneficial
· What the Course Teaches
· My PROMO code to get you $$ off
· How you can WIN a course for FREE
1. My Honest Review
What I love about this course is that it doesn’t take weeks to get through, gets right to the point, and is jam packed with tons of great information and resources. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to grow their instagram following while getting paid to promote products. Elaine tells you exactly where to start and how she made money doing the same thing!
2. Why Investing is Beneficial
I didn’t know where to begin when I first started my Instagram. I just started posting everyday and thought everything would take off on its own. Ha! Wrong! Throughout this course you will learn about all of the different websites out there that really help you promote yourself and make brands want to work with you. I wish I would have taken this course last year when I first started my instagram and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t gaining followers. (For More Info On What I Did Wrong Check Out My Blog Post – How I Went From 100 to 1000 on Instagram) Without taking this course I never would have known all the websites and groups out there to help you get started and make money!
3. What the Course Teaches
Here are just a few of the things Elaine covers in her course:
This course is so beneficial for your Instagram I would gladly pay full price! Thankfully you don’t have to! LadyBossBlogger was so sweet and gave me a promo code to save you some money!
· Use code “SHAREL” for 40% off a course of your choice!
I get asked a lot how I grew my following on Instagram so today I thought I’d share something that has really helped me! Before I jump right into the post, I’d like to thank LadyBossBlogger+Elaine Rau for sponsoring this blog post!
I recently started taking Elaine‘s course “How To Make Money As An Influencer” and realized three mistakes I was making on my social media platform within the first 20% of the course. Once I started making the necessary changes I’ve seen my Instagram grow drastically!
Here are my initial thoughts on the course and the three things I started implementing immediately.
As many of you know I’m a new mom. My beautiful baby boy is 2 months old! It’s so much fun but it’s also a lot of work; with being short on time I knew I wanted a course that is easy to understand and straight to the point.
That’s one of the things that I love about LadyBossBlogger’s course. There’s no going through module after module of useless information just to get to the point, like so many other courses make you do.
From the start it dives right into what we are all searching for: how to make money and grow our influence! Like I said- I immediately saw things I could change on my platform to help it grow, and with being a first time mom, it was so nice that I didn’t have to spend hours on the computer.
I started my Instagram in the Spring of 2019 and after months of trying to get it to grow into something successful, I gave up! I couldn’t get past about 100 followers; I had heard about different courses but didn’t know which was the right one for me.
The 3 Changes I Made:
Post Consistently: Elaine goes into detail about just how important it is to be consistent with your posting, how to edit your photos to create a consistent and appealing feed, and which tools are best to use so you can “auto post.”
Engage! It’s called “SOCIAL” Media for a reason! I’m actually embarrassed I didn’t realize this one sooner. 😛
Reach Out! There are thousands of Influencers out there, don’t expect brands to come to you. Instead tell them WHY they should work with you. In her course Elaine tells you what tools to use to stick out to potential brands, which could turn into business deals and so much more!
As of right now, I’m only half way through her course, and I’ve already seen a huge difference in my followers and engagement! I can’t wait to see what my end results will be!
Disclaimer: By using my link I do earn a small commission at no cost to you! You can also use my code: SHAREL to get 40% off. AND for a limited time, if you go to my Instagram page @simply.sassy.style I’m doing a giveaway where one lucky winner will get the “How To Make Money As An Influencer” OR “Start a Money Making Blog” For FREE!!!
The contest will run from 7/20 until 7/3. The prize will be a @LadyBossBlogger course of your choice (either the blogging or influencer course). The giveaway winner must post a photo of themselves on their feed talking about winning the course in order to claim the prize – PROFILES MUST BE PUBLIC NOT PRIVATE. Please email ladybossblogger@gmail.com your published link and state which course you’d like to win (can’t be a bundled course and limit one course per person). Must be 18+ years old to enter. Giveaway is available to contestants worldwide. Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Instagram.
LadyBossBlogger Also Offers Some Great Free Course Options:
Every woman’s hospital bag is going to look a little different, for instance, I live 30 seconds from my hospital so if I forget something or feel I REALLY need something my husband can easily run home and get it for me. Obviously this isn’t the case for most women so in this post I’ve compiled some of the most essential things a woman will definitely NEED in her bag, including the comfiest clothes, electronics, toiletries and so on!
Let’s start with the basics: Comfy Clothes! After going through hours and hours of labor and then having to deliver our precious bundle of joy we are going to want to be comfortable! I’m talking loose fitting, baggy, and most importantly non- restricting clothing! All the while still trying to look cute! I have found the softest of the softest lounge-wear and pajamas from Target! The best part is they have something for everyone; if you prefer shorts over pants they have you covered! Capris? No problem. Joggers over sweatpants? They have ALL THE OPTIONS! When I first started thinking about what I wanted to wear in the hospital I knew I wanted sweatpants and something button down to make breastfeeding easier! Another great thing about shopping at Target is they are “Tall Girl” friendly! I hate it when my sweatpants are too short!
Another thing you’ll want to think about is Nursing Friendly attire if you plan on nursing (I do) so I also grabbed a nursing friendly tank and some nursing bras to wear! Walmart has a great selection in store and online of nursing and maternity clothes! All at a really affordable rate! I grabbed a nursing tank and just plan on wearing my favorite cardigan over top!
To recap here are a few things I would consider when packing clothes for your hospital bag: 1. Comfortable Non-Restrictive Clothing 2. Button Down Pajama Tops to make Nursing Easier 3. Nursing Tanks and Tops 4. Nursing Bras (See link below to come of my favorite Amazon nursing bras) 5. Your Favorite Cardigan!! ( I linked some comfy, affordable options below) 6. Postpartum Underwear (I lIke Fruit of Loom Low-Rise briefs from WalMart) 7. Socks (I thought that went without saying) 😛
Next up let’s talk Amazon Essentials. Honestly I could go on and on about all the things you need from Amazon but I decided to just stick to some of my favorite basics. I knew I wanted a nice new bag to take with me. I didn’t want anything to big and bulky, just something that would easily fit everything I wanted to bring, after a little bit of looking I definitely found a winner! And it’s so cute!! This Quilted Leather Bag is amazing quality and won’t cost you hundreds of dollars.
Next up, you’re going to want your make-up bag! I was actually gifted this one last Christmas and it’s so handy! It easily holds all my make-up and keeps everything perfectly organized.
Someone else mentioned grabbing your Amazon Fire Stick or Roku and I think that is such a genius idea! Especially with everything going on right now with Covid-19 you aren’t going to have any visitors after baby is born so why not entertain yourself with a movie at night? Or put The Office on while you’re in labor to distract you! (that’s my plan anyways :P) And of course the last thing from Amazon you’re defitnely going to want is your phone charger! I recommend finding a 6 to 10 foot cord because you have no idea how close you’ll be to an outlet while in your hospital bed. I picked up a two pack for me and my husband and then realized he doesn’t have an IPhone. 😛 Oops! This one from Amazon has great reviews!!!
I also linked my favorite nursing bras from Amazon. I’ve been wearing them during most of my pregnancy because they’re so comfortable!! For reference I’m a 36DD and got a size XL, they fit great and I love that they come in a 3-pack.
A lot of the “Postpartum Care” necessities will be provided for you by your hospital so don’t feel the need to bring your pads, mesh underwear, cooling pads, spray, etc. unless you have certain things that you know work better for you keep that stuff at home to avoid over packing.
I would love to know in the comments below what you had in your hospital bag that proved to be the most useful/helpful thing during your labor and delivery visit! Am I forgetting anything? Let me know! As always thanks for reading!!
Today I’m going to show you a step by step of how I achieve the perfect, full, luscious ponytail using INH’s ponytail extension!! I’ve always wanted a nice thick ponytail and always thought extensions were impossible because I didn’t think any would match my true hair color! Thankfully INH’s team color matches you to the perfect product for your hair color!!
For this tutorial I’ll be using their “Lily ponytail” in the color “Ginger” I’m so impressed with this ponytail extension (made with Japanese Synthetic Fibers) it comes pre-styled with full bodied waves for that perfect “Full Look” We all want with a ponytail! Lily comes in 8 shades and if you reach out to the INH team they can color match you to your perfect shade!
Here are 3 easy steps to help you create the perfect pony!
Step 1. Put your own hair in a high or low ponytail depending on your preference. If you want an extra full look I suggest curling your own hair to match OR you can put your own hair in a bun so it isn’t visible. (Use 2 ponytail holders for an extra secure base)
My Natural Hair in A Medium Ponytail
2 Ponytail Holders For a Secure Base
Step 2. Secure the clips on the top of your ponytail, once secure wrap the Velcro around your ponytail base.
Clip On The Base of Your Ponytail
Wrap Around And Secure With Veclro
Step 3. Using the extra piece of hair attached to the lily pony, wrap it around the Velcro to hide it! Secure it using the 2 bobby pins provided and you’re done!!!
Wrap Extra Piece Of Hair Around The Base/Velcro
Secure Extra Hair With Bobby Pins
Wall-Ah!
That’s it! SO easy and so much fun! You’ve successfully created the perfect ponytail!! I could easily wear this for a night out, special occasion, or just for fun! Its lightweight and I hardly feel it.
INH has a huge selection of Wigs, Extensions, Bangs, Ponytails, and Buns! Whatever look you’re trying to create, they can help at an affordable rate!
