FAQs

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You don’t always hear about pregnancy healthcare and today we’re sharing our experience and the program we used to pay for our first pregnancy.

I’ve shared so much here about our experience with PCOS like when I first found out I had PCOS, the supplements I take and how I prepared my body for pregnancy. Then when we found out we were pregnant with Cooper I shared our trimester updates and all about her birth story. 

I thought it was time we share a little bit of the information that people don’t always talk about when it comes to pregnancy: pregnancy healthcare and the money involved! Let’s face it, kiddos are expensive (but so worth it). 

Our Pregnancy Healthcare:

Zach and I were both on Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM).  CHM is a membership-based, nonprofit ministry through which hundreds of thousands of Christians voluntarily share to pay each other’s medical bills. So your monthly payment actually goes towards paying other’s medical bills (how cool!?). You can learn more about how it works here.

Does Christian Healthcare Ministries include pregnancy?

Yes they do! They will share up to $125,000 of pregnancy bills (if you’re on the gold plan with Brother’s keeper like us), as long as you join at least 300 days prior to your due date. Lucky for us we’d been on it for 6-8 months prior to becoming pregnant with Cooper. Here’s a bit more information on their website!

What we loved about it: 

• We knew that our monthly gift went to helping others with their healthcare costs when we weren’t in need of them (prior to pregnancy).
• Our maternity bills were covered 100% (yes you read that right!). Because CHM isn’t insurance (they’re a ministry!), there were no additional fees and we didn’t have a deductible other than our monthly gift (amazing right?!). 
• We were reimbursed in a timely manner and it was a simple process to follow (keep reading for how it works).

What is included in the gold maternity program?

• Prenatal coverage: Routine office visits, blood work, up to three ultrasounds (unless there is a complication that requires more) and prescriptions related to pregnancy.
• Delivery: OB/GYN labor and delivery charges, hospital labor/delivery charges + room/board, anesthesiologist (if applicable), charges from legally-practicing midwives, birthing center charges, and charges for complications that arise may arise.

Postnatal: Mom’s 6-week postpartum check-up and Pap test, well check-ups for the baby up to six weeks and one lactation consultation.

Just to give you an idea, our hospital bills were close to $17,000 after delivering Cooper and they were shared completely by CHM members.

Do they cover high risk pregnancies?

CHM does cover costs associated with high risk pregnancies. I had preeclampsia at the end of our pregnancy and CHM covered 100% of our extra bills, including extra doctors visits, lab work, ultrasounds and 3 ER visits. Because of this I’ll be considered high risk for our next pregnancy and they ensured us anything extra will be shared.

What the payment process is like

CHM requires you to identify as self pay when your doctor’s office asks for your insurance. Typically doctor’s offices will give you a discount for being self pay. I’ve always had traditional insurance, so telling the doctor I was self pay at first felt a little weird/uncomfortable. I’d never done this before, but once I realized the discount they gave and that we were actually saving money it made much more sense to us! 

Once you get the bill from the doctor, all you do is submit them to CHM and they will pay you once it’s processed and you directly pay the doctor’s office with the funds you get – easy as that!

How we organized and paid our medical expenses

Fortunately we had enough in savings that we were able to pay any bill received in full so we paid it and simultaneously uploaded the bill to the CHM portal and then we received a check in the mail from CHM to be reimbursed.

If you don’t have enough in your savings, no worries! Most doctor’s offices will let you go on a payment plan until you’re fully reimbursed.

Want to know the best part? We paid all of our bills using our Southwest credit card and paid it all off in full right away so we got credit card points and received the Southwest companion pass for free travel. Win-win for us because we love to travel so much!

Our #1 tip to keep expenses organized

The toughest part about it is that you are the one that has to keep track of all of your own bills and follow up with doctors or CHM about questions and payments. So keep that in mind! It’s why our #1 tip is to stay organized.

• First, create a google drive folder called ‘CHM.’ From there, take a picture of every bill and upload it. We also kept a physical folder of them. Create a spreadsheet that includes the service, amount, invoice numbers and the dates you submitted them to CHM. 
• Here is an example of the spreadsheet we used

Our 2nd tip: Get the “global estimate” from the hospital and OB

If you don’t want to get reimbursed and want to pay in full (or even if you don’t), ask your doctor’s office for an estimate of what everything routine will cost and they will give it to you no problem. You can upload this to CHM so you can get paid for everything before it’s owed. Do the same thing for the hospital! 

Overall I highly recommend their maternity program. I tell all of our close friends about it and anyone who will listen because it’s the best. I compared our experience with my sister, who isn’t a CHM member, and was absolutely blown away by the amount we saved. Not to mention we know our payments are helping others in the process.

As usual, I’m an open book and will be happy to answer any questions you have about pregnancy, our experience with CHM. Shoot us an email or message me on Instagram!

This post is sponsored by CHM. We were not paid by CHM during our pregnancy experience and these are simply our opinions about it. We decided to work with CHM after we had such a great experience with them. Thanks to them for believing in us and helping us share our experience with you.

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I’m sharing an in depth look at my PCOS labs and a comparison of when I was first diagnosed vs postpartum. Three years and one baby later, let’s see what my labs are saying!

Source: I want to note I am not a doctor, this is a combination of my personal blood work/experience, as well as information shared from my functional CNP, as well as what I’ve learned from Dr. Jolene Brighten and Dr. Lara Briden.

If you’re new here, I’ve been sharing my PCOS journey for a few years now! I shared when I was first diagnosed with PCOS, my anti-inflammatory diet, my initial pcos blood work, all of my pcos supplements, how we conceived on the first try and more!

What is PCOS?

At the root, PCOS is a metabolic issue. Inflammation and blood sugar dysregulation manifests in hormonal problems. Those hormonal issues include weight gain, acne, infertility, irregular periods and hair loss, among many more.

The name, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is misleading because it doesn’t mean you have cysts on your ovaries (see diagnostics below for more info).

According to Dr. Jolene Brighten, “Symptoms of PCOS are the result of insulin and inflammation messing with your cells. The insulin resistance is what drives increased weight gain and the ovaries to produce testosterone. The excess testosterone leads to acne, hair loss, hair growth on the face and abdomen, along with irregular cycles and infertility.”

PCOS FAQs

PCOS labs to order

After you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, it is CRITICAL to get blood work done so you know exactly what’s going on in your body. PCOS is a spectrum. There are different types of PCOS and you can fall anywhere on the spectrum, so knowing your labs will help you understand and treat your PCOS.

Here is a list of labs my functional CNP, Julie Grafmeyer ordered for me:

• DHEA
• Sex hormones: FSH, estradiol, progesterone, total testosterone
• FULL thyroid panel: TSH, T4, T3, Reverse T3
• Metabolic: Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, Hemoglobin A1c
• Lipid panel: Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides
• Inflammatory panel: CRP, GGT
• Vitamins: Vitamin D, B12, Ferritin

Prefer to watch instead of read? Watch this video!

2020 Postpartum PCOS Labs (compared to 2018)

DHEA:

What is it? This is a reflection of your adrenal health.
DHEA: 215.9 (2018), 181 (2020)
Reference Range: 84.8-378

How to improve and maintain adrenal health: Take magnesium (I take Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate), minimal caffeine, licorice tea, sleep and other “relaxing practices” like yoga, medication, acupuncture, massages etc.

Sex Hormones:

What are they? These numbers all work together at certain parts of our cycles for separate reasons. FSH helps grow the follicle, while progesterone begins to rise right after ovulation and peaks right before your period starts.
Reference range: I can’t share reference ranges because they change depending on what day you are in your cycle.

FSH: 4.3 (2018), 4.9 (2020)
LH: TBD (2018), 5.5 (2020)
Estradiol: 25.8 (2018), 26.5 (2020)
Progesterone: 8.5 (2018), TBD (2020)
Total testosterone: 22.9 (2018), 21.4 (2020)

How to improve and maintain sex hormone health: Follow an anti-inflammatory diet (order my anti-inflammatory diet cookbook!) and do things that improve overall health like sleep, gut health and stress management. A few good articles: how to increase progesterone naturally and how to balance hormones naturally.

Thyroid

What is it? Your TSH is the hormone that your brains (pituitary gland) sends to your thyroid organ that signals it to make thyroid hormone, while the T3 and T4 is the actual thyroid in your blood produced by the thyroid. When you have increased levels of TSH and low levels of Free T3 and T4 (like me), your brain keeps telling your body to make more thyroid, but your body doesn’t do it.

TSH: 5.01 (2018), 5.23 (2020)
Free T4: 1.09 (2018), 1.03 (2020)
Free T3: 2.6 (2018), 2.7 (2020)

How to improve thyroid: eat more nutrients with iodine, selenium and zinc. Also watch soy intake, especially soy protein isolate products like powders and bars. Also try to avoid sports drinks that contain bromine. They also put me on a natural thyroid supplement to help boost it. It’s actually true thyroid hormone from a pig(!!).

Metabolic

What is it? A lot of times in PCOS, these numbers are elevated because PCOS is closely tied with insulin resistance. Insulin’s job is to clear sugar from the bloodstream and insulin resistance is when the body becomes resistant to insulin and is a major contributor to diabetes.  High insulin levels lead to to an appetite that is out of control and increased weight gain, especially around the belly. That’s why balancing blood sugar is so key to women with PCOS.

Fasting glucose: 89 (2018), 94 (2020)
Fasting insulin: 5.4 (2018), 6.4 (2020)
Hemoglobin A1c: 5.1% (2018), 5.2% (2020)

How to improve: Avoid an abundance of quickly absorbed sugars and carbs and focus on eating lots of veggies, protein, healthy fats and fiber with every meal. Eating enough and often to avoid spikes and drops in blood sugar is critical. Supplements that help balance blood sugar include berberine and myoinositol.

Lipid Panel

What is it? The cholesterol found in your blood. A good lipid profile reduces risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Total cholesterol: 201 (2018), 239 (2020)
Reference range: 100-199
LDL: 120 (2018), 153 (2020)
HDL: 72 (2018), 69 (2020)
Triglycerides: 47 (2018), 85 (2020)

How to improve: If you have a high lipid panel, eat a healthy diet, balance blood sugar and take at least 2000 – 4000 mg of omega-3 fats (fish oil) as part of your supplement plan.

Inflammation

What is it? CRP is the main marker for the amount of inflammation and GGT is the marker for oxidative stress in the body. Inflammation can lead to many diseases including heart, cancer, and dementia as well as arthritis, autoimmune disease, allergies and digestive disorders.

CRP: .3 (2018), <1 (2020)
GGT: 12 (2018), 8 (2020)

How to improve: Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. You should also target inflammatory culprits: avoid processed foods, exercise more, reduce stress, avoid food allergies, identify hidden chronic infections, avoid mold, reduce environmental toxins (like skincare products)

Vitamins

Vitamin D: 34.7 (2018), 30 (2020)
B12: 1196 (2018), 566 (2020)
Ferritin: 106 (2018), 54 (2020)

How to improve: take specific vitamins that help each vitamin.

Did my PCOS go away after pregnancy?

One of the things I was most curious about before measuring labs was if pregnancy helped level out my hormones. They say pregnancy can truly be a hormone reset.

For me, that wasn’t the case. My numbers were pretty much in line with what they were when I was first diagnosed except my TSH and cholesterol were worse.

What I’m focusing on to heal

• Balancing my blood sugar: eating protein, fat, greens and fiber at three meals per day and avoiding sugar.
• Eating an anti-inflammatory diet: this reduces inflammation and as a result heals PCOS and other inflammatory diseases.
• Taking my supplements: these are so important in addition to a healthy diet.
• Minimizing stress: I’m doing this through a lot of ways like getting enough sleep, going on walks, meditating and taking supplements.
• Move my body: I’m focusing on working out most days (5-6), with a focus on light cardio/HIIT and strength training.

Thanks for joining me on this crazy PCOS journey! I truly believe our pain is never wasted and I want to use my experience to help as many people as I can who are going through what I went through.

As always, please email me or message me on Instagram if you ever have any questions or comments. You can also find all of my PCOS tips here.

More posts you might like:

• PCOS Supplements
• Seed cycling for hormones and fertility
• My anti-inflammatory diet
• Types of PCOS and how to know which one you have

The post PCOS Labs: Postpartum Update appeared first on What Molly Made.

It’s been over 2 months with Cooper and we finally feel like we have our bearings when it comes to newborn life! We’ve been doing it long enough to know the products we can’t live without and what’s just a “nice to have” in our opinion.

The purpose of this post is to share the essentials that we feel like are crucial to those first few months of life with a newborn. I hope it helps mama’s-to-be figure out what to buy and have ready because I searched high and low for a post like this and just couldn’t find it all in one place.

Obviously every babe is different and yours might not like certain things or you feel like you need other things for your needs, but overall these things have been so helpful to us!

Newborn Essentials We Love

Nursing Essentials

Boppy: This is a nursing pillow and I couldn’t nurse without it! Those first few weeks you are both figuring out the whole nursing thing and having a pillow to support baby is so important.

Boppy Cover: We wanted something kind of neutral for the cover because we knew it would be out in our living space a lot. It was actually really hard to find one we liked because we were particular but we finally found this fleece “LOVE” cover we love from Pottery Barn Kids. It’s not a bad idea to get two covers so you have a backup while you’re washing it. Here’s another cute neutral one.

Haakaa: If you want to build a freezer stock of milk this is my favorite way to do it! I’m not a huge fan of pumpking so this is awesome. It suctions to one side while you nurse on the other so when you have a let down it catches the milk. I usually get like an ounce our so every time I nurse. If I do it every time I’d have like 10 extra ounces a day to freeze! It also helps with your milk supply because its all about supply and demand. The more milk comes out the more your body will make!

Drying Rack: You have to constantly wash the haakaa, bottles and pump parts if you’re using them so having a drying rack is helpful to keep things clean and organized.

Hand Pump: I love having this hand pump because you can use it wherever without need electricity. So if you’re on a long car ride you could pump right there then give your babe the bottle right away! I also use this in bed in the mornings if Cooper only feeds on one side and my other side is really full.

Bottles: There are so many out there it can be overwhelming but the bottles we use are the madela ones that came with our pump and Dr. Browns. We mostly use the madela ones to store pumped milk and the Dr. Brown’s to feed her. We also have Avent ones but haven’t tried them. It’s not a bad idea to have two kinds to see which your baby likes best!

Playtime Essentials

Tummy Time Toy: Our pediatrician recommended we start tummy time right away once her umbilical cord fell out so we love this cute toy that she can look at while she’s doing it. It will be useful for months!

Activity Center: We love this activity center because it has the piano and music. Even though it’s super bright and may not go with your decor, it’s super bright which catches a baby’s attention. She likes to stare at the lights and rainbow colors.

Bathtime Essentials

Tubby Todd Hair & Body Wash: We really love this all natural brand of soaps for babies. We use this soap every time we give Cooper a bath. They also have a really great bundle that includes the soap, lotion and and ointment.

Bath Tub: We plan on using the sink once she’s big enough and can sit up but until then we’re loving this newborn bath tub. It tells you the temperature of the water and it’s even a scale. We love to put Coop in it before her bath to see how much weight she is gaining.

Burts Bee’s Washcloths: We just love all things Burts Bees and these simple white washcloths are what we use to wash her body and hair.

Sleep Essentials

Dock-A-Tot: You have to get this, I promise you! If you’re hanging out in the living room you can set it on your coffee table or couch or you can put it on your counter or even on the floor while you shower. Your babe will love it and we use it every single day.

4Moms Bassinet: We put this big pac n play next to our bed and love it because it’s a bassinet and a changing station. When we change her in the middle of the night we just have to place her in the changing station. We keep a basket of diapers and wipes on the night stand too.

White Noise Machine: The white noise mimics the rushing of blood inside the womb and is super soothing to babies. We have this on all night while we’re sleeping.

Portable Noise Machine: Just like at night, we like to keep white noise on pretty much anytime she sleeps. So when she’s napping we keep this portable one with us that we can take wherever, even in her carseat.

Momaroo: So sometimes she likes this and sometimes she doesn’t. She enjoys it for a bit and gets kinda fussy but we’re thinking she will like it eventually. It plays white noise and moves around. Make sure to get the infant insert and know there’s a setting to lean back the momaroo to better hold a newborn.

Halo Swaddles: We have the cotton swaddle and the fleece swaddle. We use both depending on what she’s wearing to bed! If she has a fleece sleeper on we use the cotton one and if she has a cotton sleeper we use the fleece one:) That way she doesn’t get too hot or cold. We love the fleece one in the winter! They have zips and velcro and make it super easy to swaddle in the middle of the night.

Love to Dream Swaddle: As Cooper gets older she wants her arms out more and we found she sleeps better with this swaddle! She loves it.

Cute swaddles: We use these during the day for her naps. We’re hoping as she gets older it helps her differentiate daytime sleep vs nighttime sleep. So she knows to sleep longer when she’s in the halo! Here are a few of my favorite swaddles:

Pacifiers: We really like the BIBS pacifiers and Cooper likes them too!

Clothing Essentials:

Onesies: We put these on under Cooper’s clothes to add an extra layer, especially in the winter. She pretty much lived in onesies the first few weeks!

Headbands: I love this brand of headbands from Amazon. They’re super affordable, comfy, great colors and fit so many sizes!

Clothes: A few of my favorite places to buy Cooper’s clothes are Amazon, Spearmint, H&M, Kate Quinn, Childhoods, Cozys, Carters and Old Navy.

Health Essentials:

Humidifier: We use this at night sometimes and when she seems congested. You can put lavender essential oils in there to help promote peaceful rest too!

Nose Frida: This one is a little odd but you basically suck the snot/boogers out of their nose. Babies can’t blow their noses so this does the trick when they start to seem congested.

Frida Windi: We’ve used this several times to help Cooper with gas. It makes a lot of parent’s nervous so please read reviews and make the best decision for you, but we love it.

Travel Essentials:

Baby Wrap: I love this to use while we’re out and about but don’t want to keep Cooper in her stroller. It’s especially great when they’re young and you’re in public but you don’t want anyone to touch them:)

Diaper Bag: We love this diaper bag because it’s cute, neutral and easy to carry. It has pockets for everything and it’s affordable.

Stroller and Carseat: Definitely recommend getting a travel system that includes the carseat, the base and the stroller rather than each separately. It saves money! We love the look of this stroller and it’s lightweight. It’s kind of middle of the pack in terms of price.

Milk Snob Cover: You can use this to cover the carseat, cover yourself while nursing and so much more. Definitely get one!

Double Bottle Bag: It’s insulated and holds two large bottles so it’s great for traveling with milk. It has a clip so you can just clip it to your stroller or diaper bag.

The post Newborn Baby Essentials appeared first on What Molly Made.

Must-Have Boho Decor (with shop sources)

simple, peaceful, calm, clean.

Everything we need to raise our sweet girl is in this room and it’s such a special space.

Read more for links to decor and to get boho nursery ideas for your baby girl too! If you love Amazon, IKEA, Target and Pottery Barn then this nursery is for you!

Boho Nursery FAQ

The post Neutral Boho Nursery Decor for Girls appeared first on What Molly Made.

It’s taken me a while to write this (#newbornlife), but I’m finally excited to share Cooper Jo’s birth story!

I love when people write these because I’m always so curious about other people’s experiences, but I especially love writing posts like this more for my own benefit. It helps document this sweet time and reminds me of the details of our special moments. Kinda like a journal!

I love going back to read our engagements story and our wedding details, first look, ceremony, and reception.

So here it is, the story of how sweet Cooper came into this world!

Before her birthday:

To truly understand the whole picture, we have to back up 3 weeks. Zach and I were on vacation to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends. I had some serious swelling, but I attributed it to traveling, long car rides and just normal pregnancy swelling. We went to a Walgreens one day to check my blood pressure (BP) just in case and it was a little elevated but nothing super concerning.

Fast forward to the next week when we got home, Zach and I went in for our routine OBGYN apt. They took my BP and it was high so they took it again before we left and it was still high. They said I needed to take my BP at home a couple times a day and if my top number was over 140 or my bottom number was over 90 more than once I needed to call back.

That night and the next morning it was over those numbers so I called the doctor and they had me come in that Tuesday to get a jug to do a 24 hour urine test (super glamorous:)) and get blood drawn. That Wednesday I went back to the doctor to return it and get another BP check. Still high. Sigh.

They said I’d hear back that afternoon about the results and because I didn’t hear anything I assumed no news is good news.

Thursday afternoon I was working on the couch and I got a phone call from the doctor. They found protein in my urine and I needed to come in right away. I was so not expecting this. I sobbed on the couch, pulled myself together thanks to Zach’s amazing supper and we went to the doctor.

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 35 weeks

We sat in the doctor’s that Thursday and the doctor explained what preeclampsia was. It basically means your body is working like a pressure system and that pressure puts stress on your organs and causes high BP. This explains the protein in the urine because your kidneys are under stress. I also had some increased levels in my blood from my liver.

The doctor reassured us so well and basically told us she would not be making it to our due date. And in fact, there was a chance she was coming that night (at 35 weeks).  She explained they’ll be constantly assessing my health and the health of Cooper to find a balance of when to induce me.

She also explained that preeclampsia can turn dangerous really quickly and I had to continue to monitor my BP and symptoms every day. Let’s just say the next week and a half were stressful. I had to stay on the couch and every headache, ache or pain made me question if it was getting serious. Not to mention checking your BP makes your BP higher…. we were in and out of the doctor and hospital almost every day for BP checks and non stress tests.

God and my family and friends got me through the waiting. People SHOWED UP for us. We had nothing done and people came over to help, brought us food and were just there to comfort us.

By the grace of God we made it to almost 37 weeks when they scheduled me to be induced. They were planning to induce me Friday night when she’d be exactly 37 weeks but the doctor wasn’t on call so they switched it to Thursday night at midnight.

Checking in to the hospital:

That Thursday morning I had an apt with our OB to do one last non-stress test and BP check. My BP was slowly getting higher but it wasn’t dangerous.

At the end of the non-stress test the nurse came in and said Cooper had a decel in her heart rate one time which indicated she was under stress.

The doctor came in and explained since I was being induced that night anyway they were just going to send me to the hospital right then to be induced because of the decel. Of course, this was the ONLY apt Zach wasn’t at with me. I told him not to come because we were going to be induced that night and I figured everything was fine.

The doctor said I had to go straight to the hospital. I was planning to go home, finish laundry and pack our hospital bags. So I called Zach and told him to meet me there. I parked myself, walked in and waited for Zach. With no bags or anything at all:)

Luckily we have the best friends and our friend Lauren went to our house, packed our bags and brought everything to the hospital. She even came back again when we realized we didn’t have our contact solution.

Getting induced at 37 weeks:

The nurses got us settled and our doctor’s explained that inducing at 37 weeks typically means a long labor, especially when it’s your first. We were prepared for a 24 to 48 hour process.

I also had to have constant BP checks. If my BP ever went in the dangerous range they were going to have to start me on magnesium. I heard magnesium makes you feel really sick and slows down labor so I prayed over and over and over that it would stay low. Again, by the grace of God, it never got too high and I didn’t need magnesium!

1:40pm: They got things started with a Foley Bulb and Misco tabs. I’ll let you do your own googling on what a Foley Bulb is. But all I have to say is, it was one of the most painful experiences of my life.

2:40pm: I started having really intense contractions because of the foley bulb. I couldn’t have done it without Zach. He let me squeeze his hand and lean on him and he helped me pretty much do everything.

5:05pm: The foley bulb came out and I cried actual tears of joy. I was 4cm dilated. After it was out, the contractions settled and Zach and I watched a few movies with our doula. I definitely ate snacks too. There was no way I was going 24-48 hours without food.

7:45pm: We walked the hospital halls to get up and try and help things get moving. Zach and I just walked in circles for a while and it felt good to get out of bed.

11pm: The contractions picked up again and they were starting to get extremely uncomfortable. I planned all along to get an epidural so at that point I asked for it. I had to have my BP checked and another set of blood work done before the epidural because of the preeclampsia.

11:30pm: We got the OK based on the blood labs and they came in to give me the epidural. Zach is such a champ and was my comfort during everything. They made him sit down in a chair when they did the epidural just in case needles made him light-headed. Which they don’t!

12am: They checked me and I was still only 4-5 cm. WHAT! I figured it was going to be a longgg labor at this point. The epidural made me reallyyyyy shaky and feel super weird. For about 45 minutes I was shaking and couldn’t calm down. Finally I did and tried to fall asleep. They kept coming in and moving me every hour and checked my BP every 15 minutes. I only slept about 45 minutes.

4:20am: I was extremely nauseous at this point. I was just staring straight ahead hoping I wouldn’t get sick. When the nurse came in to move me to the other side I told her I was going to puke and she got me a bucket. I puked so hard my water broke:) I felt a huge gush and told them, “either my water just broke or I peed my pants!” lol. They checked me and I was STILL 5 cm. Woof. For the next couple hours I was sooo nauseous. Every time they came in to move me I threw up. It sucked, I’m not going to lie. They said it was because my contractions were getting so intense, but I couldn’t really feel them because of the epidural. Just felt pressure, but it wasn’t bad.

7am: They came in to check me again and guess what?! I was 8-9cm dilated! Things really picked up after my water broke and I was getting sooo close.

8:30am: I told the nurse I was feeling a lot of pressure and they checked me. Sure enough, I was 10cm, 100% effaced and +1, which means Coop was very low. Our doctor came in and her and our doula had me sit up to help bring the baby lower with gravity to get ready to push.

9:15am: I told our nurse that I was feeling a lot of pressure and I felt like I needed to push. She checked and said said we should start pushing. She set me up and taught me how to push. I pushed 2 times and Cooper was like right there! They told me to hold my breath and wait because they were goin to call our doctor for delivery. Cooper’s heart started to decel so they called the resident that was on the floor to come in. She had me push one more contraction because she thought Coop was in a spot that was putting her under stress. I pushed one more time and she was RIGHT THERE. They put my legs down and asked if I wanted to wait for our doctor. I said heck no because I was ready. The resident frantically took off her jacket and put gloves on while she yelled at me to wait for her.

9:37am: The second she got there I pushed again and Cooper’s head was out! I pushed one more time and she was HERE! The moment our lives changed forever.

9:39am: Our doctor JUST missed it. She came in right after she was born because everything happened so fast! Zach cut the cord and we loved on our sweet girl and did skin-to-skin. They were checking Cooper while she was laying on me. They thought she might have had some oxygen issues because she looked pretty pale but everything was fine! They said it was just because I was tan (thanks vacation).

Cooper Jo Thompson
November 8, 2019
5lb 10oz
19 inches

It was the hardest and most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. Zach and I did it together and it was an amazing bonding experience to do something like that together. He really is my rock.

Also, once you go through labor together, it really just takes your relationship to another level. You can’t unsee certain things lol!

We also could not have done it without our doula, Caitlin from The Inspired Birth. She was there for us the whole time and helped Zach coach me and relax me. She made us feel comfortable and reassured us that everything was normal. She also took all these notes so I knew exactly what time everything happened:)

Recovery:

Because Cooper was so small and I only pushed for 20 minutes, I thankfully had a very easy recovery. I think it was God’s way of giving me a break because of all the stress before delivery. I was still having high BP for a few weeks after so I felt like that was enough to deal with!

Cooper was born on a Friday and our families came to the hospital to visit while were were there. Zach’s mom and sister even came all the way from Iowa!

We got to go home Sunday morning and we’ve been loving every minute and adjusting to a family of 4 (can’t forget Feller!) ever since. We can’t imagine life without Cooper and we love her more than words can explain.

LIFE IS GOOD. GOD IS GOOD.

The post Cooper Jo’s Birth Story appeared first on What Molly Made.

Happy Friday, everyone! This post is long overdue. Two trimesters overdue to be exact:) But I thought it was time I share some more info about my pregnancy!

I’ve been getting a ton of questions about pregnancy and fertility, especially since I have PCOS, so I felt this post might answer some burning questions anyone has. Or if you just feel like staying up to date on what’s going on:)

Before getting pregnant:

I’m going to be sharing an entire post dedicated to what I did to get my body ready for conception and pregnancy, especially with PCOS, so stay tuned for that! But, I will say this. We got pregnant on the first try. I know that isn’t the case for everyone and we are grateful beyond measure for this blessing.

Here are a few things that helped me: ate an anti-inflammatory diet, took pcos supplements, started seed cycling, saw a functional NP and more.

1st Trimester Update:

We were in Palm Springs for a trip before Zach started his new job when I was pregnant. I didn’t know it at the time, but a few days after we got home I got a positive pregnancy test! I actually messed up the first pregnancy test and got an error so I had to wait a few hours until I had to pee again before I could take another! The anticipation was KILLING me. I didn’t tell Zach I was taking it and surprised him when I came out of the bathroom with the test:)

The terrible sickness: I started feeling nauseous around week 6 and it peaked around week 9 and continues to this day. I kept telling myself that it was a good sign that I felt sick, and I knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier, TBH. I couldn’t even look at pictures of food without wanting to throw up. As a food blogger, that makes it really hard to do my job. I had to take almost a month and a half off of working.

Food aversions/cravings: I didn’t really have any cravings at all. In fact, the only thing I could really stomach was a bagel. Carbs saved me. Tasteless carbs. Needless to say, I haven’t been eating gluten free. I do feel less puffy when I eat GF, but my body has been wanting gluten, and especially dairy, so I’ve just been listening to that and feeling good about my decisions.

The loneliness was real: Because I felt so sick, I felt like no one understood what I was going through. If I didn’t take my prescription I would puke 5 times before 11am. I work from home and so I was the only here all day and I couldn’t work so I spent a lot of time on the couch and that started to get really lonely. I struggle with feelings of anger, depression and guilt and it really got to me. Here are some unfiltered thoughts about pregnancy I shared on instagram. Ever since sharing these thoughts I’ve had so many people reach out and say they’ve felt the same way. It’s made me feel less guilty and like I’m not alone.

I was so exhausted. Around week 9 I hit a peak here too. I was taking multiple naps a day and sleeping twelve hours a night. To make it worse, my morning sickness medicine made me really drowsy. I had to take it twice a day so I was basically sleep walking for 8 weeks!

Body Image: I had mixed emotions about body image. I wasn’t in a place physically I wanted to be when we got pregnant so I really struggled with the thought of gaining weight on top of where I was. At the same time, I was so incredibly grateful for what my body was doing. I was in awe that my body was creating a human and amazed that it could. As my stomach grew my clothes stopped fitting, but you couldn’t quite tell I was pregnant so I was in a weird limbo. I made the decision to not weigh myself at all and not even look at the scale at the doctor. I know myself well enough to know it’s something I would stress over so I decided to set a boundary and just choose to not look. It’s been really freeing!

Our gender reveal: Despite feeling very sick and wrestling with the emotional side of pregnancy and the huge change coming, we were still over the moon excited about our growing family. We decided to do the chromosome blood test at 9 1/2 weeks and thank the Lord everything came back normal. We always got to find out the gender at that time! Zach and I took our envelope to the bakery and had a cupcake made with frosting in it. We ate it at the same time and found out WE’RE HAVING A GIRL. I was sure we were having a girl before we found out so I wasn’t surprised. We did a mini reveal with some close friends and Zach hit a baseball. We already knew the gender, but it was fun telling everyone else that way!

2nd Trimester Update:

Heading into the 2nd trimester I was really hopeful for starting to feel better. I’d heard so many people tell me the exhaustion and sickness go away after the first trimester and I was so ready for it.

I’m still sick: Unfortunately, I’m still getting sick. It started to lighten up around week 15. I was starting to feel more like myself so I decided to try and not take my medicine around week 19, but unfortunately I still got sick so I started taking it again. I tried again one last time last week (week 25) and the same thing happened. So I guess I still need it! The good thing is when I take it I feel completely normal. And I take it at night so I’ve been getting a really good night’s sleep.

When I started showing: I started noticing around week 16 that I had a tiny bump, but I was really showing by week 20. Now that I’m at the beginning of trimester three it’s very obvious that I’m pregnant! I actually love having a baby bump. It’s been really fun! My belly is starting to get in the way of every day things like painting my toenails, but I’m not uncomfortable yet.

Our little scare: Around week 17 the doctors thought I might be leaking amniotic fluid. Needless to say, I was terrified. My husband met me at the hospital and they took us back right away and checked everything. Luckily everything was totally normal, thank goodness. Everything came back totally fine and we haven’t had a scare since.

The nursery: We started getting the nursery ready! We painted our home office (for the third time) and Zach’s mom bought us our dresser and crib from Ikea. I’ll definitely be doing a nursery reveal when we’re finished, but we’re going with a more neutral and bohemian feel. Nothing super girly, but it will probably be obviously we’re having a little girl. We don’t have much in there, we’re waiting for our showers before we starting filling it up!

Our showers: We’ve got two showers planned and we’re so excited! We’re doing a couples shower at the end of September that’s going to be so fun! We’re doing a tailgate for an OSU game at a friends house and it’s going to be really relaxed. We’ve got a more traditional shower planned for early October in my hometown. After that we’ll start cleaning, organizing and putting the final touches on the nursery.

We’re so excited! After the first trimester sickness and exhaustion I was struggling with not feeling super maternal. We were anticipating getting pregnant would take a little longer because of my PCOS, but we got pregnant right away, so I was a little taken aback and not feeling totally prepared for motherhood. Now that we’re 27 weeks in, I’m feeling so excited to meet this little girl! Zach and I can’t wait to see what she looks like and grow our family. I can’t wait to see Zach become a dad and I know our love and relationship will only grow.

What Feller thinks: I don’t think Feller had any clue something was going on in the first trimester, but we really think he knows something is changing. He isn’t a very cuddly dog, but lately he has been following me everywhere and laying on me. He’s been laying on my stomach a lot! He goes into the nursery and sniffs it out often and just overall we can tell he knows something is up!

Our doula: We met with our doula two weeks ago and we feel so good about this decision. She’s an expert in labor and delivery and because we’ve never done this before, we feel really good about having another expert in the room that is there to be our advocate. She’s there for emotional and physical support during labor and to help get the baby in the best position for labor before. She’s also a lactation specialist and will be a huge help since I plan to nurse!

We’re really looking forward to this last trimester and really soaking up these last few months of just Zach and I. We’ll be going to the doctor more, hopefully finalizing a name, finishing the nursery and reading all the books. This little girl is coming soon and we can’t wait!

The post 1st and 2nd Trimester Updates appeared first on What Molly Made.