September 10th. I was driving home from work at about 2 AM. I had been feeling different all day and continued to have the thought that I should take a pregnancy test. The feeling did not go away, even at 2 AM, so I decided to stop at Wal-Mart on the way home.
Got home. Went to the bathroom. Waited. Positive.
I was elated. Apparently my late night antics woke up my son, so I excitedly went to him and whispered to him "I have a secret. You get to be the first to know." and proceeded to tell him the news (knowing full well that this one year old boy had no clue what I was saying..but, he was excited simply because I was.) We then went in and broke the news to a very tired father/husband.
Nearly 4 weeks later we broke the news to our parents and siblings. It was beginning to feel more real. Especially considering how sick and tired I had been.
October 15th. It was our 4 year wedding anniversary,and we were on our way to have our first ultrasound. We were so excited to be spending such a special day being introduced to our newest and smallest family member.
I had been tracking my pregnancy with a detailed app based on my cycle (and not necessarily the date of your last period like the doctor does before your first visit) and was extremely sure of how far along I would be. Jason and I had placed bets on how far along I was, and I thought "I'm definitely going to win this bet. Sucker."
We got to the office and waited in the car for a few minutes because we were pretty early. I was freaking out a little. "I'm so nervous!" I said to Jason. He asked me why and I asked him "What if something is wrong?". I also asked him, ironically, what he would do if I miscarried, which led in to its own discussion.
We got in, went over paperwork, spoke with the doctor for a minute, then went in for the ultrasound. We could see our sweet baby so well! I was so glad! And I was exactly, to the day, as far along as I thought I would be.
Several moments passed as the doctor continued to look around.
"I am going to keep looking for a minute before making this diagnosis."
What? Diagnosis? What does he mean?
He zoomed in on the baby and that's when I realized..you can't see it. You can't see any heartbeat. I sat there praying so hard "Please God, please let us see a heartbeat."
"I'm sorry, I am just not seeing a heartbeat."
The silence after he spoke was deafening. I felt like I was in a bad dream.
Jason rushed to my side, grasping my hand as the doctor proceeded to talk. Half of the things he said I didn't even hear. He explained our options. Said it wasn't my fault several times.
How is this possible? How could I be exactly as far along as I thought and not have a living baby in me? Did that mean the baby had died that morning? Why is this happening to me? Is this real? This doesn't make sense.
My head was reeling. The doctor, nurse, and my mom (holding Ollie) all left the room to let me change. Jason came to me and I completely broke down.
October 21st. Jason and I woke up bright and early and headed to the hospital. I was scheduled to have a D&C.
I told myself that others had it worse and it was so early in the pregnancy that I shouldn't feel sorry for myself. I was lucky it happened early on. I was lucky I was able to have the D&C. I shouldn't be sad.
The surgery went smoothly. I was actually beginning to feel much better emotionally (or so I thought at the time) and was feeling ready to move forward. I was involved in a play at the time and continued with rehearsals the remainder of the week and performances the following week. At first it felt great, I felt happier and felt that I had gotten through the worst of the emotional and physical aftermath.
I was in a state of denial.
I won't go in to detail, but the moment finally came. I totally lost it. I got in to a couple arguments with my husband that led in to one total breakdown. The mask came off. Every emotion I had shut out came flooding in. Every moment within the past few weeks where I had deemed myself as "fine" and "happy" were revealed as moments that I was actually, definitely not fine and happy. The hurt that I had blocked out came rushing in and I was feeling everything all at once.
I am now dealing with it. I am finally feeling the hurt I pushed out and it is so relieving. It feels good to allow myself to truly mourn my loss and let myself not be totally okay. Each day is getting easier and each day I feel just a bit brighter.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
You may or may not know that this month, April, is National Child Abuse Prevention month. This subject is very near and dear to my heart. I wasn't going to make a post at all about it until a friend of mine did. Although she felt the need to take her post down, her story encouraged me to speak up.
I am not going to share my experiences here but I will say that I have experienced, first hand, the affects of child abuse.
I try to be as uplifting as possible when I share my feelings and experiences on social media, but child abuse is NOT to be taken lightly nor is it something that should be ignored or tip-toed around. It DOES happen. Likely, more often than you could ever realize. Children, on a daily basis, however severe the case may or may not be, are being hurt. Physically, verbally, and emotionally abused.
When did this become okay?
Is it acceptable to physically hurt your spouse, parent, neighbor, friend, or any other person? No.
Does it become acceptable to physically hurt them when they have made a mistake, whether it be that they were caught in a lie, or they have simply made a mess in the kitchen? No.
So, why do some feel it is acceptable to do so to a child? They are not our slaves. They are not here to serve us and meet our demands. They are most certainly not our punching bags; to smack around when we feel it has been deserved.
We have been privileged with the task of raising children by a loving Heavenly Father. If in His presence, would we discipline our children if they have made wrongful decisions? Of course! We are here to teach them and raise them to be good people that contribute goodness to the world. But, would you hit or verbally attack your child in His presence? I would venture to say- absolutely not.
I am grateful for my life experiences. I am not sure that I would change them, because they have helped to shape who I am today. I feel that it has allowed me to connect with others in ways that might not have been possible otherwise. It has given me a perspective that others may not have. And it has given me a deeper appreciation for my loved ones and the grace that the atonement offers.
But I would never wish my experiences on any child. If I could, I would scoop up every child suffering and hold them until they knew how important they are. How precious they are. How loved they truly are.
Please, love your children and practice mercy. Pray to Heavenly Father to know how best to raise your children. Show kindness and mercy to children who are not your own, because you never know what may be happening to them behind closed doors. And show kindness and mercy to all, for you never know what they have been asked to endure in this life.
...Oliver Jason Cooper...
June 23rd, 2014.
6:40 AM
Last picture as a family of two, on our way to the hospital!
6:50 AM
Arrived at American Fork Hospital.
6:55 AM
Jason and I met with my mama. Ready to head up to labor and delivery!
7:45 AM
We were scheduled to come in and have a version done because our little guy had flipped to breech position. (A version is the procedure performed to turn the baby back to the head down position.) Somehow our acrobat had flipped a second time and was once again in the head down position ready to go! I was induced in order to avoid him becoming breech again and getting the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.
I am SO grateful Heavenly Father heard our prayers and helped the baby return to the head down position. We were told that versions are less likely to work during first time pregnancies due to the uterus being too tight and also less likely to work the further along you are because of the baby's size (I was 39 weeks 2 days along). If baby was unable to be moved to head down we would have had to do a c-section, and I was extremely nervous about that!
Prayer is real.
9:00 AM
Keeping an eye on baby's heart rate.
4:30 PM
Been hanging out all day. Family has been in and out, being such a huge support to us!
6:30 PM
Literally took naps and slept through contractions throughout the day. Thank you epidural!
7:39 PM
Nurse says I am fully dilated now and am ready to push, we just need to wait for the doctor to come.
8:14 PM
Oliver Jason Cooper came in to the world.
7 pounds 10 ounces.
19 inches long.
I was very fortunate and only had to push for about five or so minutes.
9:43 PM
Finally, I get to eat food!!
We are so happy and so blessed to have Oliver in our family. We are so grateful for his health and the joy he brings to everyone around him, especially us!
We love you SO MUCH Oliver!!
...37 week update...
Well, for starters, I graduated from school a few weeks ago! I am SO excited to be done with school, but I will definitely miss my Paul Mitchell family. I developed relationships with some amazing people, and I am so grateful!
(Clocking out for the last time!)
Now that I am done with school and Jason is on summer break from the nursing program, we have been preparing for baby! It has been a little weird for me to be home all the time, I still tend to think I am supposed to be waking up early to be to school. I have had a few times where I suddenly thought "Oh shoot! I probably have clients and I didn't call in to school to let them know I won't be in!" It has been nice though because walking (which really has turned in to waddling at this point) is not as easy as it once was!
My sweet mama threw me a baby shower last week, which was really fun! We just did an open house so people could come and go as they wanted. We have been given some really awesome gifts, both from people who could and could not make it, and we are super grateful! I don't know what we would do without the love and support from our family and friends. Thank you to everyone who has been there for us! Here are just a few pictures from the shower :)
(Me, my sister in law Tiffanie, and my mother in law Chris)
(Yes, I am starting to swell up a little..but hey, whatever. P.S. Yes I always wear these pants..they are the most comfortable pair I own right now, so they continue to be thrown in to the washer and worn repeatedly.)
(My second mom's from growing up, along with my actual mom!)
(My Blackhurst family)
(The feet and bum had cute little froggies on them!)
(Not sure what I was doing in this pic, but my wonderful aunts and grandma got us a car seat/stroller combo that I am motioning toward!)
(My mom was pretty tired by the end of the night!)
(My awesome mom and I)
(Jas and I)
WEEKS?: 37
WEIGHT GAINED?: At my appointment two weeks ago I had gained one pound putting me at 137, then at my appointment yesterday I lost a couple pounds putting me at 135. I was a little concerned but my doctor said it's totally fine.
STRETCH MARKS?: Oh yeah! I have them for sure. I'm not at all surprised because my stomach literally just keeps growing outward! I am short and have a short torso so it's no surprise.
BELLY BUTTON, IN OR OUT?: It's safe to say it is definitely out at this point.
HAPPY OR MOODY?: Really happy!!! A lot in shock, but seriously excited to get this little boy here.
MISS ANYTHING?: Not always feeling like I'm going to pass out! Baby has dropped but it's still a tight fit in there!
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Holding our baby for the first time. Jason and I were talking the other day saying how crazy it is that he will literally have just come from heaven. How cool is that?? I'm also excited for our next doctors appointment to see the progression!
DILATION/EFFACEMENT?: As of yesterday I am about 1.5 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced.
NAME?: Still Oliver :) Haven't decided on his middle name yet. Stay tuned!
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