Magnificent Mamas (Closed Group)

Steph you are expecting again! Congratulations!

Is my pic not visible in the OP? I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong, considering I have done it a 1000 times. I am lacking proper sleep!

As for weight, I was 208 last Friday, so 33 pounds over my prepregnancy. It sucks, I do feel better than I did after my last too, but still ick. I am charting my calories now, starting today. I do miss food though and eating as I was in pregnancy.

Annabelle- what a precious bundle of joy esca is!! how much did he weight?

So I was looking at old photos from my photobucket account, and I came across these when I was about 20. (And of course I thought I was fat, lol)... But dang these definitely give me motivation after I have the baby!

I think we all ought to post some motivational photos for ourselves.

These are my motivational photos. I was not super thin, but having struggled with my weight my entire life I had lost almost 90lbs when these photos were taken. This is where I will strive to return after baby arrives.

Annabelle -- Esca is so handsome!

I suppose this is my motivational photo, from the middle of September 2010 at or near my lowest adult weight of 192. Very far from thin, but the smallest I've ever been by far.


I was a size 12 then so ultimately, I'd like to weigh about 45 pounds less than that, I think. :drinker: I'm totally ready! The pants that fit my hips/thighs now (with absolutely no chance of zipping and buttoning, of course) are all size 16s. :indifferent:

Here is one motivation pictures for me. This is from my wedding 2.5 years ago when I was at my ideal weight. I was at this weight for some time but can't find the other pictures this early. This is me at about 137, I would like to be around 140. Right now I am at 175 33 weeks in... going to have some work to do!

First try ever at this so I'm doubting it will work. If I get it figured out I'll try to post a wedding picture later. The picture of just me would have been the summer of 2007. The one of DH and me (would have just been boyfriend then) was summer 2008. I would have been close to my lowest weight of 143 pounds in the first one. Somewhere between then and our wedding I gained about 10 pounds, but I don't think that I really look that different.

Anne - When was your wedding? We must have gotten married about the same time! Our wedding was December 6, 2008.








WOW!!! I am SO amazed!!! It actually did work!!!

Annabelle- Esca is absolutely gorgeous, glad all went well

Anne- I wouldn’t worry about the ultrasound dating, it just means she is most likely on the bigger side. My babies usually measure bigger than what they expect, Brooklynn was measuring bigger but the doctors usually do not change your due date since it is just an estimate

Lynn- Definitely no “failure” you did amazing and went through a whole lot. I am sure I would have asked for an epi much earlier than that and screw everyone who said you couldn’t do it naturally. Just remember that no matter how Josh got here he made it and is in your arms. I would definitely say that the doctor did what she could to avoid a c-section and would have made the same call you did.

Megan- Happy 2 months to Annabelle!
Annabelle- Esca is absolutely gorgeous, glad all went well

Anne- I wouldn’t worry about the ultrasound dating, it just means she is most likely on the bigger side. My babies usually measure bigger than what they expect, Brooklynn was measuring bigger but the doctors usually do not change your due date since it is just an estimate

Lynn- Definitely no “failure” you did amazing and went through a whole lot. I am sure I would have asked for an epi much earlier than that and screw everyone who said you couldn’t do it naturally. Just remember that no matter how Josh got here he made it and is in your arms. I would definitely say that the doctor did what she could to avoid a c-section and would have made the same call you did.

Megan- Happy 2 months to Annabelle!

Ronya- Hope your anniversary dinner went well

I am at work so no motivational pictures here though I do have some at home. Sorry I am a little off lately, I thought it was just because I have been struggling keeping afloat at work but I have realized that I have gone into a depression. This happened last time I was on birth control but it also caused severe anxiety where I would ball up in a corner. Not so severe right now but I just feel pretty down, hopeless and like I have disconnected from everyone and everything. Glad to say once I came to the realization last night that I have been going in a downward spiral since starting the mini pill I discontinued its use. Hopefully those hormones can quickly leave my body so I can be me and enjoy life again. So tired of feeling gloom when I have 3 beautiful kids, a wonderful husband and a paycheck.

Mel - I know you are going through way more right now and you are still in my T & P

I looove seeing everyone's motivational photos!

Sheri- I am sorry you are feeling down, I have noticed you have not been around as much.Hopefully going off the pill makes you feel better soon and you can get back to business as usual. Thinking of you!

Esca was 8lbs 7.5oz. One of my littler ones. He was 21 3/4" long.

Here is my birth story.

The morning of June 2nd, I awoke around 8ish. I had a couple of stronger, but painless contraxs. Dh woke and we lay together in bed. Dh touched me in the way for intimacy and I thought afternoon would be more fun, more time. Then I thought why not, LOL, maybe it start the contraxs stronger, maybe this is baby day. So we made love, I finished, got up to go to the restroom and my water spilled out. I looked at the bed and saw a huge wet spot so my water broke as I climaxed. Dh had yet to finish so I offered, but he said he couldn't now. I felt alot of adreneline and excited, but scared. I went to take a shower, it was around 9am. I announced the the kids that my water had broken. The contractions in the shower were relatively mild and I wondered w/ a few if they were a contractions or what.

I came back up to my room and dh had set up the pool, started filling up. He had put the old sheets on and chux on as well. I then took calcium and vit C, for contraxs pain and broken waters. I was leaking all over and lined my bedroom w/ chux pads. I noticed that the waters were stained w/ meconium. It was light and w/o pieces thankfully. I looked up in Heart and Hands about mecomium to refresh my memory since I had never dealt w/ the issue before. I knew from reading that the new reccomendation was no suctioning for light mecomium. I prayed off and on and walked around my room. I had a commode upstairs and used that. I had loose stools often. I told dh as he sat on the bed and I on the toilet this was the ultimate in surrender and letting go, to have no control at all as to some basic functions of your body.

The contractions were relatively mild so far, but were increasing lightly in intensity. At some point I checked my cervix and could feel some thickness lift along w/ the baby's head and some soft down of hair. After a bit I laid on the bed as the contractions got more intense. Dh asked what I wanted, if I wanted him to touch me and I said just hold my hand.

After a time I called to the kids to pray the rosary and I got into the pool. It felt too hot at first and I asked dh to put more cold water in, but then said no, it feels fine. So he turned off the water. The contractions were getting very intense and I could hear the kids praying which brought much comfort. At this point I start to lose track of anyting and all I fear is intense pain as I ride the contractions. Soon I started to feel pushy and pushed a wee bit. I felt so overwhelmed and at timesmy breathing was ragged. I felt close to total panic. I reminded myself as dh did to breathe deeply. For the first time dh doesn't question if I should be pushing yet, LOL. It was planned that Arden would take birth pics, as she had last time, and dh kept asking if I wanted her to come now, but I kept saying no. I didn't want her to see the raw intensity of this birth. I regret it now though, I wish I had thse pics. I have usually felt the need to push when baby meets the perinium, but this time I felt the urge earlier. I swayed, got on my knees and begged God to help me. I felt almost crazy, I could hear dh tell me it will be ok and could feel him holding my hand. I know I must have looked wild, I could myself on a totally different plane of life, like I knew there was people here, but it was only me. And in a way it is b/c no one could fix this pain or intensity, only me, by pushing out the baby. It is such and odd feeling in that spot. As I had another contraction on my knees I felt a pop as he passed my bones and his head filled my vagina. I pushed w/ every bit and had my hand there as his head crowned. On my knees I pushed his head out and then sat back to push the rest of him out. I puhed w/ more might and out he came thank the Lord. As I lifted him out he had the cord wrapped once over his neck, in the back. I lifted my torso out of the water to unlooped as I told dh he had a short cord. After I unlooped it he gave a lusty cry and continued to cry. I then looked and of cpurse he was a boy! There was no consoling him, as he must have had just as much of an intense birth as I had laboring w/ him. Dh called all the kids and they came right after. I felt slightly stunned, as I often do right after birth. W/in minutes some blood came. Finnian, my toddler looked very confused about the baby. Then they all went downstairs and put Finnian to bed.

I got out of the pool as dh helped me, by carrying Esca w/ the cord still attached and pulsating. I laid back on our bed w/ Esca. I felt his cord was now cool, limp and no longer pulsating so dh clamped it and cut. I wanted the placemnta out and sked dh to bring the bowl. I pulled a bit on the cord and could feel the placenta right there so I asked dh to cup the bowl around so I could push it ino the bowl. It slipped out easliy. It was the first time I had not squatted to birth the placenta.

I then sat down w/ him on bed and looked him over. He was so squishy and adorable. I then dressed him, nursed and we rested.

Sheri – I’m sorry you’ve been feeling down lately. ::hugs:: Hopefully going off the pill will help. It’s great that you were able to recognize what was happening.

Annabelle – thank you for sharing your birth story. You are amazing!!!

My in-laws will be here tonight! Possibly tomorrow morning if they decide to stay the night with my MIL’s friend who lives by the airport, because their plan lands so late tonight. It’s been 8 months since their last visit so I’m super excited to see them! :happy:

Here is a picture of me from last January. This is what I would like to look like again. I have been so bummed out and feel like it will never happen.

Hmm it isn't working. Says photo has been deleted or removed.

motivational photos



I was 160ish with hubby when we moved in together size 9/10 but naturally wanting to be more like 130

The other is at the Colorado river probbly about 150 and wanting to be 125, hmm wondering if I've ever been happy. I've set my goal to 150 which is the high end at 5'7 but will see how I feel then, ideally I would say 135-140 is my perfect weight

Thank you Annabelle for your birthing story. You are amazing.