Bizi Baby #2 – Ryder’s Birth Story

Well hello again! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in on here. For the last 2 years, Miss Bizi Bee had been on hold as life over in the Bizi house has been a little hectic.

As you may remember, I had my first baby, Tucker, a little over 2 years ago… just after I quit my sales career to start Bizi Bee. Then we moved across the country (from California to Michigan) and embarked on a full DIY home remodel (more about that soon, hopefully!). And just 2 months ago, our newest little dude, Ryder was born. Crazy how time flies!

And while I like to think I’m superwoman sometimes, I don’t have preschool or a nanny to help alleviate some of the work I’m putting into raising our family. Kids are time consuming, energy sucking, and amazingly sweet all at the same time. But I have to admit, can’t do it all. I know, I know – shocker 😉 So while taking care of our family has become my #1 priority for the past 2ish years, Bizi Bee has taken a backseat (for the foreseeable future).

But while I’m hoping to have sporadic posts on here as time and energy permit, I felt compelled to fill you all in on Ryder; our newest Bizi boy! And what a sweet boy he is. The last 2 months have been a whirlwind, mainly because of his crazy, unplanned birth. I should have known better than to plan anything after what I went through when Tucker was born (you can read more about Tucker’s premature birth story here), but I was hopeful this time would be different. And while I was right in some aspects, I was so wrong in others.

Changing Habits Early to Prevent Premature Labor

It all started when Travis and I found out we were expecting another baby at the beginning of November 2017. We were in the middle of a DIY home remodel, but were so excited nonetheless. I never got any morning sickness, and had enough energy to take care of Tucker during the day, and remodel the house with Travis at night. Things were going swimmingly, and we were stoked!

Baby’s due date was set as July 16th (a week earlier than when Tucker was due in 2016), and I took every precaution not to have another premature baby. How is it possible to prevent premature birth? Well, it’s not entirely. But here are a few things I did for my own peace of mind:

• I stopped working out.
  • Let’s be honest. I stopped working out mostly after Tucker was born because I didn’t have enough time or energy to get my butt out for some cardio. BUT, I was determined to make sure I was staying fit while pregnant with Tucker, and had no idea if the daily elliptical contributed to his premature birth (even though my previous doctor told me continual workouts would help make for an easier labor). So this time, I wasn’t taking any chances. No running, elliptical, heavy lifting, or over exerting myself in any manner. Running after Tucker was going to have to be enough!
• I gave myself weekly shots of preventative medication.
  • Well, I couldn’t give them to myself. They had to be administered intramuscularly into my booty, so Travis gave them to me each week for 20 weeks (starting at 16 weeks until 36 weeks). Makena (branded progesterone) is indicated to prevent spontaneous preterm labor in women who have had a spontaneous preterm birth (ME!). And if you know Travis, you know that his BIGGEST fear is needles. He can’t even watch TV show scenes that involve needles. So for him to do this for me was a BIG DEAL. And whether they truly helped or not, I can’t thank him, or the company that provided them, enough.
• I ate as healthy as possible.
  • About 6 months before I became pregnant, Travis and I started eating a plant based, vegan diet. And whether or not this helped grow a healthy baby, it couldn’t have hurt.

So knowing what I knew about having an early birth, I was pretty hopeful that with the precautions I was taking that it wouldn’t happen again. And as I went to each doctor’s visit and each ultrasound appointment, I kept getting a perfect bill of health. Mama and baby were progressing “perfectly” and “right on target”. I was happy and hopeful, but also cautious, as I had a “perfect” pregnancy with Tucker as well.

But as I progressed, I didn’t let my previous preterm birth take away from enjoying every last second of this pregnancy. Travis and I always knew we only wanted 2 children, so this was the last time I was ever going to feel these kicks, the little hiccups, or have this pregnancy belly ever again. I felt a little slighted about only getting through 32 weeks and 6 days of my last pregnancy, so I wanted to take every second of this one in without letting my worries get the best of me.

Changing My Birth Story- Making it to Term

The Last Few Weeks of Belly

And for the most part, they never did. I was happy with a little, jolly, pregnant belly. And I had enough energy to power through up until about the 33 week mark. Travis and I were able to get through 95% of our remodel, and after a final push to get our house finished before Tucker’s 2nd birthday, I was SPENT. I was ecstatic I has made it past the point when I previously gave birth, and was ready to cook this babe for another 3-5 weeks (as I was starting to feel random contractions, and expecting another early delivery). Little did I know that the universe had other plans in store for me.

The 37 week mark came and I celebrated. TERM! I had finally carried this baby to term. I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and tired, taking care of my oh so demanding 2 year old. I was ready for this baby to be born, but had the notion in my head that he was going to be a 4th of July baby. One more week, I thought. Maybe he would be born on the 4th of July, at 38 weeks and 2 days.

Well the 4th of July came and went…and it was hot and sticky here in Michigan. My belly was getting bigger, and there were absolutely NO signs of baby. And although my contractions were increasing, I wasn’t dilating. I was sooo ready, but he just wasn’t. My doctor did everything she could medically to help me go into labor, and gave me advice of what I could be doing myself. I literally tried everything. Every old wives tale, everything my doctor suggested, and even a few silly things – just because. Nothing worked. He wasn’t budging.

Fast forward 2 more weeks to July 16th. My due date came and went… and no signs of baby boy. My doctor advised me to call the hospital and schedule induction for the following week. If he wasn’t going to come out on his own by 41 weeks, then I was going to help him along a little bit. Ok, easy enough. Induction scheduled for 41 weeks 1 day, on July 24th.

WHAT a difference from my previous pregnancy. From my water breaking at 32+5 and delivering early the next morning, to doing everything I could to induce labor and having to medically intervene to birth my baby – I clearly was going to have 2 completely opposite children!

It’s Go Time!

The day before d-day

Well, 40 weeks came and went, and I made it to the day of induction. The only nice thing about scheduling labor is that I was able to secure childcare for Tucker ahead of time, which was my biggest fear about going into spontaneous labor. So with Tucker being well taken care of, I was ready to have this baby, care free!

Induction was scheduled for 6:30am, so we arrived bright and early. I was hooked up and medication started by 8am. Ok here we go!

Passing the time with some TV, waiting for things to progress

My doctor came in multiple times to check on me, and by 11am I was fully dilated and effaced, but baby boy was not descending. She let me know that my baby’s head was turned sideways, and we would have to get him to turn it up or down for him to be delivered naturally. She had me turn on all 4s, and sideways, and try to push so she could manipulate his head. No luck.

With all the twisting and turning, they lost the heartbeat on baby boy for a bit and everyone scrambled into a panic for a couple minutes. I heard my doctor call out for an OR to be prepped, and Travis and I were freaking out. Luckily, it was only a quick mishap and they were able to get a read on baby’s heartbeat again. Of course, it was perfectly normal and healthy, as usual. And I was quickly given my epidural thereafter 🙂

Laboring through contractions

However, the baby’s head was still stuck in the sideways position. My doctor thought if I tried to labor on my side, with a birth ball in between my legs to help open my hips, it might help turn him. I labored this way for a few hours, with no success. So I turned on my other side and tried the same thing. This is when things felt wrong.

By this point it was 3 or 4pm, and I sent Travis away to get some food for himself (I was running on adrenaline and wasn’t hungry, but didn’t want him to starve on my behalf). And things were pretty boring, so I felt it safe for him to leave me for a bit. However, not 10 minutes after he left, and I had turned onto my right side instead of my left, did I start feeling intense pain. Literally, my hips felt like they were ripping apart, AND I still had my epidural in. Something wasn’t right.

The beginning of the end – laboring on my side

Well, Travis came back and I told him what I was feeling and he immediately called the doctor in. She tried manipulating the baby’s head once more while I pushed, with no success. Then she gave me the option to keep laboring however I wanted, for as long as I wanted, to try and get my baby to flip. But knowing it had taken almost a full day, with no success, she wasn’t hopeful – and I was in intense pain (and wasn’t looking forward to however many more hours with no success).

Changing Directions – A Tough Decision

It was then I knew what had to happen. I reluctantly gave her the go ahead for surgery, and started bawling. This was NOT what I wanted. I already had one crazy labor and was looking forward to a more “normal” experience. But I guess that just wasn’t in the cards for me. From delivering early to delivering late, I might as well have a completely different birthing experience for each kid, as well. At least I’d have good stories to tell each of them one day.

But if you know me, you know I like to be in control. If I was going to have a c-section, I’d want it to be planned, researched, etc. And I have always said that this baby was going to come out one way or another, I just really didn’t prepare myself for this option. So once I made the decision, even though I KNEW this was best for both me and my baby, I was a hot mess. I cried hysterically in my delivery room, all the way down the hall to the OR, and while in the OR. I should have calmed down, but I couldn’t. I was a ball of emotion, bursting at the seams.

Well they wheeled me into the bright white sterile room by myself while Travis was putting on his sterile suit. I kept demanding that they not let him see the surgery, and my doctor reassured me that he would not. They whisked him behind the curtain as fast as I was rolled into the room, and I squeezed his hand harder than I ever have (I even asked the anesthesiologist if I could squeeze her hand, too). And after what seemed like forever (it was probably 5 minutes) I felt a weight being lifted off of me and heard our little guy cry out for the first time.

Ryder’s cry was much different from Tucker’s. It was deeper and more intense of a cry, but it was perfect. And as they held him up for me to see, in another twist of events, I realized I had just given birth to a blonde baby. Not only did he come into this world in a completely different way than his brother did, but he looked completely different too. Completely opposite, but both completely perfect in every way. I may have birthed him in a way I wasn’t expecting, but I was overjoyed he was finally here! Ryder Jameson Biziorek completed our family on July 24th, 2018, at 6:19pm, weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces, and was 20 inches long. I couldn’t have been happier.

Seeing Ryder up close for the first time

In recovery

Bonding with out little guy in recovery – he was HUNGRY!

And he was PERFECT!

The next morning, after the initial shock had worn off

Tucker meeting his little brother

Giving Bro Bro some L-O-V-E

Angel Baby

Surgery Aftermath – Back to Reality

Ryder’s first car ride. On our way home – July 27th, 2018

The days and weeks that followed were a bit rough. C-Sections are extremely invasive; a very major surgery everyone sort of makes light of. I can tell you recovery was very, very hard, especially with a toddler at home. I don’t know how I could have gotten through without the help from Travis (and his family nearby). Travis took work off the week of Ryder’s birth, and the 3 weeks following, to focus on Tucker and the house 100%. I literally couldn’t even walk up and down our stairs, and lifting all 30 pounds of Tucker was impossible (and a big no no per doctor’s orders). Travis had to move a mattress into the living room for me to sleep, and even just sitting up from bed in the morning was a chore.

This was the hardest part for me; accepting help. And boy did I need lots of it. I have never felt so helpless in my life, and it was a very humbling experience. I started to question if I would ever feel “normal” again, and get back into my old habits with Tucker, with chores, and with my own body.

But I am now writing this 9 weeks out from surgery (well, I’ve taken forever to post this and at the time I’m publishing this I’m 12 weeks out) and I can tell you those worries have faded. Travis even said to me the other night as we were putting some furniture together, “It’s so nice to have you back to your old self”. Yes, I still have a scar. Yes, I still have 4 more pounds to lose (down to 2lbs at the time of this posting at 12 weeks post partum) and LOTS of muscle to tone up. I still have a long way for me to feel at my best again, which is so, so important to me.

But I am no longer a hot, sweaty, uncomfortable pregnant lady who can barely lift her 2 year old into bed. I am no longer a recovering gimp from surgery that can’t even walk up the stairs to bed. The worst has passed, and I now have 2 amazing, beautiful boys that I still cannot believe I grew in my belly.

Ryder turned 2 months on September 24th, and is the most smiley, happy, chill little dude. He loves to cuddle, loves his big brother, and has almost doubled in weight from birth (he obviously loves to eat). And although he came into this world very late, and in an unexpected way, I wouldn’t have changed a thing because he is perfect.

2 month old nugget