The last time I was riding down the road writing a blog post, mom, Brennan and I were on our way home from Myrtle Beach! Shawn and I had JUST GOT ENGAGED in New York City (see post here) and had flown back to Myrtle Beach to spend a couple of days there, so they greeted us at the airport and was my ride home back to Virginia.  While we were driving home, I worked on our “We’re ENGAGED” post.

Fast forward 10 months, and here I am writing Bo’s Birth Story as Shawn, Bo, and I are on our way to Myrtle Beach for the first time since he arrived.

As many of you know, Shawn lives in Myrtle Beach, SC and I live in Tazewell, VA. We have a lake house in Lake Norman, NC, as it is halfway between us. Hopefully after the first of the year, I will be able to spend most of my time in South Carolina, but for our entire relationship, it has been long distance.

For the last 9 months, life has been a little hectic, traveling while pregnant, working longer hours, and Shawn having to drive to Virginia for our doctors appointments.  We were so afraid I would go into labor and Shawn NOT be there. We talked about HOW I would tell Shawn IF I were to go into labor and who I would call to BRING Shawn to us quickly…Lord knows he doesn’t need anymore speeding tickets, lol.

We had our 38 week doctor appointment on Friday, October 20th, so we decided that Thursday, October 19th would be the last day for Shawn to work in SC and he would head to VA to be with us until Bo was born.  We still had some things to put together and figure out (the Halo bassinet, and we had to learn how to install a carseat, etc. hehe).  I am SO thankful Shawn decided to come then, because if we would have waited a couple more days, I would have had to make that phone call to Shawn.

On Friday, we got up, met my mom and headed to Dr. Edwards office.  It was like any other visit.  He checked to see if I was dilated, we chatted a little, and had planned on heading to the hospital to have Bo on October 30th about noon so we could start the labor process and hopefully have Bo on October 31st, his due date.  I was only 2cm dilated then and he said he didn’t think Bo would come sooner, but you never know.

We left the appointment and I went back to work and Shawn went to my apartment to set up his “office” in my dining room.  I was supposed to go get the Whooping Cough shot with my mom but didn’t really feel that great so I had her cancel it. Shawn and I had maternity photos that evening with Rachel Wells, so got my hair curled and then we headed do pictures around 5:30 pm.  My stomach was feeling a little different but I literally thought I had to go to the bathroom.

After pictures, my parents, Shawn and I headed to Cuz’s (one of my favorite local restaurants) to grab some dinner.  There, I didn’t really have an appetite so just ordered Mac & Cheese and ate some of my dads salad.  My stomach was really starting to hurt, and as we were casually sitting there chatting, I told them that it was time to go home, I needed to lay down.  I thought Bo was either moving a lot or I really had to go to the bathroom.

We headed home and got all settled into bed.  Around 10:00 pm, I started having the worst stomach cramps I have ever had (I had never had a period cramp in my life so wasn’t sure what to expect).  I would go and sit on the toilet and literally bend over in so much pain.  I would grab the towel bar, lay in the floor, walk, you name it-I tried it.  These pains happened every 30 minutes for about 10 minutes.  I, of course, resorted to Google-DO NOT EVER DO, and texted my doctor.  He said I could be dehydrated, so be sure to drink plenty of water, as I had just seen him earlier that day.  So, I started CHUGGING bottles of water, and of course Googled some more.  At this point, I just assumed it was Braxton Hicks contractions since I hadn’t had them yet either. 1 am, 3 am, 5 am, 7am, all came and I was still experiencing these same pains.  At 8 am I texted my doctor again, and he said if they kept happening, to come on in to the L & D department and get checked.  Shawn woke up shortly after and I told him about all the pains I was having.  I didn’t wake him in the night because I knew IF something was going on, he needed to rest because who knows what would happen in the next 24 hours.  At about 9 am I called Bluefield Regional Medical Center and asked to speak to L & D Department.  I told the nurse that I was having sharp pains every 30 minutes and that they lasted about 7-10 minutes long.  She said there wasn’t much they could do until the contractions were about every 5 minutes, so to time them and come on in if they were.

I then decided to call my mom and tell her what was going on. She and my dad were supposed to head to Blacksburg to the Virginia Tech game but she told him to go on-that she didn’t think much was going on other than I was having some Braxton Hicks Contractions.  She came down and we started timing my contractions.  She would rub my back and that helped some, but for the most part it was very painful.  They were starting to happen every 5 minutes, at first when we started timing, it was 7 minutes then down to 5 minutes, and would last about 2-3 minutes.  Poor Dolly was up and down with me all night, she KNEW something was wrong.  We were sitting on the couch, she was on my moms lap and we were watching the Hallmark channel,  I was tearing up and I looked over at Dolly and God love her heart, a tear was coming down her face, it completely broke my heart.  I told mom I was going to text my doctor again.  I texted him that the contractions were about 5 minutes apart and were lasting about 2-3 minutes.  He immediately called me and our phone call went something like:

-Me: “Hey Dr. Edwards,”
-Dr. Edwards: “Hey Whitney, it sounds as if you may be in labor, how about you all grab all your bags, I will go ahead and let the hospital know you’re coming and I will see you in about an hour.”
-Me: “LABOR, Ooooh, ok, we will see you in a bit…”

Let me back up a little here, while we were timing our contractions, Shawn was finishing building the Halo Bassinet and trying to figure out how to install the carseat, the mirror to see Bo, and fasten the carseat.  When I got off the phone with Dr. Edwards I told Shawn that we were in labor and he needed to put our hospital bags (all 10 of them, lol) in the car.  I then started freaking out, bawling crying, and wondering WHAT IN THE WORLD I NEEDED TO DO!  We still had ANOTHER WEEK! I hadn’t washed my hair in 4 days let alone SHAVED, and poor Shawn didn’t even have time to shower.  My mom ran to her house to grab their “it’s Bo Time” t-shirts and we met her at my store.  Saying goodbye to Dolly was the HARDEST thing to do, oh my gosh, it had been just us two for her whole life.

At around noon, we were on our way to the hospital, all 10 of our hospital bags, Shawn, and my mom.  Mom was squeezed in the back of Shawn’s truck because we had the carseat in there too.  When we got to the hospital, we checked in and they wheeled me to the L & D department. The nurse up there said “we hear you are in just a little bit of pain.”  I followed up by “well, yeah, just a little bit,” and we all kind of giggled.  They sent me straight into a room and from there everything happened REALLY FAST.  A nurse came in and checked me.  She had barely put her fingers in (TMI, I’m sorry!) and said WELL, there’s his head, you are about 4cm-LOOKS LIKE WE ARE HAVING A BABY TODAY.  My mom says that my face had a look on it she will never forget.  I, of course, start crying again, and mom asked the nurse about what time she thought Bo would be here.  The nurse guesstimated by 11 pm he would be here.  We all then started letting people know he was coming and what time they thought he would be here. Shawn called his family, who was still in Myrtle Beach, and they all hit the road.  My dad was at the Virginia Tech game so mom texted him and he left the game. Now, if you all know my dad, this was a BIG DEAL as he NEVER leaves games early, lol.

The nurse came back a little while later to take my blood so they could start my epidural.  She said they would soon start the Pitocin.  She checked me again after Dr. Edwards had broke my water and they had started my epidural and I had went from 4cm to 8cm before they could even get the Pitocin started.  It wasn’t long after that Dr. Edwards came in and said that Bo should be here by around 8 pm.

Dr. Edwards is a fantastic doctor and I will never forget the care and compassion not only he gave to all of us but his entire staff.  I was literally sad to leave the hospital because for the short time we were there, they had all became like family to us.  Dr. Edwards, like the rest even wore an “it’s Bo time” shirt during delivery.

Delivery was so surreal.  I really had no idea what to expect, you always only hear horror stories, but for me, it was not bad at all.  As weird as this may sound, labor was by far the most incredible experience.  With every push, Shawn pushed too, lol, and he was most definitely my strength through it all.  I remember Dr. Edwards telling Shawn to look at Bo’s headful of dark hair.  He then asked me if I wanted to look in a mirror-NO WAY!  Bo was kind of stuck so Dr. Edwards used what looked like a plunger that went on Bo’s head to help pull him out.  All of the sudden it popped off of his head and I thought Bo’s head popped off too, lol.  When Bo arrived, it was like nothing I have ever known in my life.  It was the most overwhelming feeling of love when they placed him on my chest.  It is so true what they say about labor being the only blind date where you know you will meet the love of your life.  After Bo and I had our hour of skin to skin, the nurse and Shawn took him to the nursery to get his weight, length, give him a bath, and let everybody see him through the glass window.  While I was giving birth, I didn’t realize there was a pizza party going on in what would be my room.  My dad, Susan, Johnny, Vicki, and Madison, Veronica and Cooper (Shawn’s sister and nephew), his mom and dad, my best friend Mary Ann, my cousin Kristen and aunt Keela all were there to welcome Bo when he arrived, texting me pictures of him inside the nursery.  My brother couldn’t be there, so my mom had him on FaceTime.  After they got me cleaned up, everyone came into visit and congratulate us on our beautiful baby boy.  There is no greater feeling than seeing so many loved ones so happy, in their “it’s Bo Time” shirts.  Shortly after, I was then moved to my own room where we would stay until it was time to go home.  Everyone left (we had him at 8:54 PM and by the time they finished with him in the nursery, visiting hours were over-so everyone who wasn’t in the delivery room with me had to go home and come back the next day to meet him) and they brought Bo into our room.  Shawn and I were both excited, worn out (I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours), and hungry but all we wanted to do was stare at Bo.  He was the most precious thing we had ever seen and he belonged to us.  

For anyone contemplating whether to have a birth photographer or not, DO IT! I LOVE looking at these pictures (obviously I did not post them all), and every time I do I swear I feel different emotions.  Blythe Glover Photography was our birth photographer and I am SO lucky we had her in the room with us.  I texted her and her mom (one of my FAVORITE people in the world) to let them know we were in labor and she responded back immediately “ON MY WAY”.  I was so nervous to get a response from her because 1. it was a Saturday and 2. we were EARLY!  I kept telling Dr. Edwards, “we cannot have this baby until SHE gets here” (as she had a 2.5 hour drive)! Blythe arrived, with plenty of time to spare, ha ha.  She kept us all laughing and somehow, was able to keep us all calm.  She was able to capture the real emotion of Shawn, my mom, and the first time we got to see Bo.  Reliving his birth over and over through these images is something I will forever be grateful for.

Saturday, October 21, 2017 is a day I will forever cherish and I feel so blessed to be the mama of my sweet Bo Becker.  I am so thankful for my labor and delivery experience and I know I am so blessed to be able to say that.  I cannot thank you all enough for your sweet comments, messages, emails, texts, etc.  It truly means the world to me.

To my darling Bo, I love you more than anything in this world.

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22 weeks down, 18 to go! I cannot believe almost 6 months have already passed by.  The first 16 weeks were really, really long as I was sick the entire time but now that I feel better, the days just get shorter and shorter and I am ready to skip ahead and he already be here! Shawn and I have been working on his nursery.  We have all of his bedding, ordered his crib which should be here by now, and we have ordered the glider for his nursery.  I am trying to decide on wall decor but I change my mind everyday!  Finding a rug and a light I LOVE has been the hardest part.  I feel like every light I like is just a little too girly soooo-I am trying to find a more masculine light that fits with our theme.  Researching things to register for and following along with other momma bloggers has been one of my favorite parts about this time.  We have had so much fun picking our items for Bo and registering for them, even tho we have NO idea what we are really getting, ha ha.  I know you all are probably so annoyed by all the question on Instagram and Snapchat but I TRULY appreciate it more than you know.  I decided to register us on BabyList as it is easiest for Shawn and I to share the app and do things via long distance rather than actually going to a Target or Babies R Us and registering.  BabyList has actually been helpful in more ways than just registering.  It has a lot of great reads and recommendations so if you are a momma to be, I highly recommend taking a look into registering there!

How far along: 22 Weeks!

When is your due date: October 31st

Name: Boeing Everett Becker

Movement: Yes, the little guy moves like crazy now!  For a while when I would feel him, I wouldn’t be around Shawn, and I didn’t want to say anything away from him because I wanted him to be there when we could both feel him but last week he asked on FaceTime “have you felt him move yet,” and I very shyly said “yesssss.”  It was the weirdest thing because I NEVER have my shirt up and Dolly had wrestled with me and pulled it up, I could literally see my belly moving and his foot, I’m assuming, kicking my stomach out.  It was like Bo knew his daddy was asking about him and talking to him.  I hung up the phone really fast and told him I would call him back so I could record it.  I sent him a couple videos where you could really see Bo moving.  It makes me so sad to have to do it this way and I know it breaks Shawn’s heart not being around for EVERY moment, but it was so sweet that at that moment Bo was saying “hey dad, I’m ready to get out of here and meet you,” he he.

Belly Button:  It isn’t starting to “poke out” yet! I think that is the thing I DREAD the most! OH MY GOSH! I am NOT a belly button person so when/if it does come out, bikini days are OVER for me!

Cravings:  I am finally just now back to eating normal again.  The only thing I like and want more now than usual is crab legs, and I still LOVE Waffle House.  I know Shawn is SO over it but God love him, he still takes me ANYTIME I want to go.  The All-Star breakfast is just…amazing.

Size: Bo is the size of a corn on the cob! He is weighing about 14 oz.

Weight Gain:  I have gained about 4 pounds.  I lost around 10 pounds in the beginning so I am just starting to actually gain weight that was weight I had lost.  My belly is showing and two people asked me when I was due and what I was having without me ever mentioning I was pregnant.  At first (at McAlister’s) it caught me off guard, but the little lady at the nail salon was asking because they have a “mommy pedicure” ha ha, of course I just HAD to get it!

Physical Changes:  My belly is really out after lunch and dinner of course, and I can tell most in a bathing suit.  Other than that not many physical changes.  My breasts have been growing from the very beginning, which I didn’t mind then but now they are getting a little out of control!  They are not sore yet, but my lower back has been KILLING me!

Nursery: We are only working on Bo’s nursery at the lake right now.  I wanted it to be soft and the most beautiful baby blue I could find-which was a bumper set I fell IN LOVE with from Restoration Hardware, to only find out the picture via Pinterest was OVER 4 years old! Ah, I was devastated and finally reached out on Instagram! The sweetest woman in the world commented back that she had the set I was looking for and would sell it to me! Come to find out, she literally lives only an hour away from here! I am blessed to have found her because I absolutely LOVE Bo’s crib accessories and she gave me so many beautiful ideas that she had done in her sons nursery!  Hopefully his crib will be in soon as well as his glider and I can start sharing pictures.  I love how his room sets as you can see the lake from his crib and when you will sit in the glider which I know will be so nice when we are rocking him.

Things we have purchased so far:  We purchased this crib and this glider.

I am IN LOVE with our strollers we got! We purchases this stroller, this carseat, and this stroller.  The Bugaboo stroller is really big, but I cannot WAIT to go shopping with him in it.  I have wanted it since I saw Rachel Parcell (my favorite blogger) with it years ago, so I couldn’t WAIT to get it in!  I do have to say the Rachel Zoe Stroller is a DREAM!  It is so easy to snap together and the colors are PERFECT!  He is going to look so handsome laying there in his little carseat and then it is super easy to pop out of the car and into the stroller plus, we can use both of these strollers for years.

Shawn bought me the LV Neverfull to carry as Bo’s diaper bag but I also ordered this one to match the Rachel Zoe Stroller.

Of course we have picked him up tons of clothes already 🙂 oops-I think he already has more shoes than his daddy but that’s ok!

Since we are between locations, we sadly need more than one of things so we don’t have to pack it all up EVERY time.  We have gotten this wipe warmer, this Rock ‘N Play, and this Baby Einstein Jumper.  We have just picked up these things here and there when we have seen them on sale.

Instagram/Snapchat questions from readers:

Where are we planning on “baby mooning”?
We are planning on going to Bermuda and are veryyyy excited! We are unsure how our honeymoon will play out-my mom says she will watch Bo while we go on a honeymoon, but I mean, can we really leave him at 6 months old?!!! We are going to go over Shawns birthday on our baby moon and I will be 31 weeks pregnant.  Some of you have asked about Zika and traveling then but I have cleared all of these travel plans with our doctor, and if you know Shawn and I-we travel all the time.  If for some reason the time approaches and we do not think it is smart to go, we have insurance so we will just postpone or cancel the trip but as of now, we couldn’t be more excited to get away for a little bit, just us two before we become three!

Are you planning a baby shower for Bo or focusing more on wedding activities?
Before we found out we were pregnant, there were some wedding showers in the planning stages, but once we found out we were having a baby-those all kind of changed as getting things for Bo is much more important to us.  My Virginia family and friends are throwing us a couples shower here, and then our friends in Myrtle Beach plus Shawn’s family are throwing us a shower there-both baby showers.  When the wedding gets closer, Shawn and I may have some type of wedding shower but we really haven’t thought anymore about a wedding shower.

Will you be full time at the lake house?
Bo will be born near my hometown as that is where our doctor is.  Once he is born, we plan on being at the lake house (2.5 hours away) for a little while and finding a pediatrician around Lake Norman.  If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE email them to me as we are in the process of trying to find one now.  If he comes in November, it will be holiday season for me at The Retail Therapist, so I will need to go back to work as soon as possible.  Thankfully Bo can go with me to work but his daddy isn’t going to like that very well so I guess we will see closer to then IF I will go back to work so soon.  Black Friday at The Retail Therapist is one of my favorite evenings so I am hoping to at least be back by then!  I told Shawn that it was typical for dads to take at least 12 weeks off for maternity leave-he thought I was crazy! 🙂

What will happen to the store front once Bo arrives/wedding happens?
This is a question I think about at least 1,000 times a day.  I do not want Bo away from Shawn-heck, I don’t want to ever be away from Shawn, and while we were dating and engaged it wasn’t easy to be away Tuesday-Friday, but we made it work.  With Bo, I have NO idea what is going to happen.  Even being at the lake it’s still 3.5+ hours from Myrtle Beach.  I love my storefront and I love going TO the store and not just fulfilling online orders everyday but thankfully I have amazing employees who I know will help me 100% so I trust in God that he will lead us to the right decision and give us all strength to get through.

What belly butter are you using?
I had so many great recommendations via snapchat! I just so happen to have thought about it tho when I saw this Mama Bee Belly Butter walking through Target so it’s the one I went with.  I like it thus far as it doesn’t have a smell and I am not a scent person.  So in the next bump date I will let you know how it really is.  I have only used it 5/6 times as of today.

Has your skin changed?
My skin has actually not changed, sometimes I feel my arms and legs are dryer, but other than that everything is normal.  My face hasn’t had any breakouts, which I am thankful for.  This may be TMI, but it’s hard not having a period!  I never, ever thought I would say that but sometimes I am like, “dang, it would be nice to have one this month,” ha ha.

How are you feeling?
I am honestly feeling fine, other than my lower back hurting.  My eating habits are back to normal, and I am able to stay up late and wake up as I did before.  I am feeling a little more tired by the evening but Dolly and I will relax or Shawn and I will go out on the boat (on weekends) and I feel great!  I honestly really do feel pretty.  I always thought I would HATE having a bump or Shawn touching it, but sometimes when we are laying on the couch and he isn’t, I find myself thinking “I wish his hand was on my belly,”  maybe that is just because he is so dang sweet it literally makes me love him even more in little moments like that.  I know he is scared to because I have preached for months DO NOT TOUCH MY BELLY, ha ha, but when I am “still sleeping” in the mornings and he is awake I can feel him rub his hand across my belly (hoping I don’t wake up and catch him, lol).  I get so sad when I have to come back home and he goes back to Myrtle Beach because I know the next time I see him, I will be just a little bigger-well, much more noticeable than if he saw me everyday so I send him pictures as often as I can.  He tells me everyday how beautiful I look and that he didn’t know he could love me anymore than seeing me carrying our child.  I am sure most men feel this way-but to really experience that yourself is very magical.

What kind of workouts did you do pre-Bo and now with Bo on the way?
I hate to say this, but I hate to work out, I think because I am so active running around the store during the day, that is how I stayed small? I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to the gym, and I really do not eat that healthy.  I know all of this is going to catch up with me, but I have always just had a fast metabolism and only eat in moderation.  I eat many times a day, but they are not HUGE meals.  Now that Bo is on the way, I do not us the “eating for two” motto.  I enjoy food like I used to, now, but I do not overdo it. Because my stomach is small, it gets full really fast-so I still continue to eat many times a day, just smaller amounts.  I know after he is born it will be crunch time as I will have SIX MONTHS to get back in my wedding gown!

Are you wearing maternity clothes?
I am not.  I am going to try to avoid maternity clothes period and style cute, boutique clothes.  Hopefully I will be able to give other mamas ideas, especially the ones who are not fond of maternity clothes.  I can still fit in my small dresses and some things that come in for the store that I love I will keep in a small to wear next year or if I want to wear it in the weeks to come, I will get a medium.  Truly just depends on the individual piece.  When fall comes-I will just wear a lot more leggings and piko tops!

What are you most scared of?
LABOR! I do not tolerate pain very well, so I am SCARED of that-and breast feeding/trying to make the best decision for US.  I was not breast fed, nor my brother-and we are fine but I feel as a new mom it’s what I am supposed to do.  I do not know anything about babies, feeding them, holding them, etc. and with all the traveling we will do and with both of us being business owners-the responsibility and commitment I have read about it totally stresses me out!  If any of you moms have any advice or reccomendaions-please leave it on todays Instagram photo or DM me! I would LOVE to know your experiences!!!

How is Shawn? Does he act different?
Shawn is SO excited.  Bless his heart.  Because I was so sick and upset for many weeks, he held in all of his excitement but now we talk about baby things ALL the time.  Of course he is ecstatic we are having a little boy and is already planning all of their off shore fishing trips, etc.

He doesn’t act any different really other than he is more cautious on the boat, or driving, and going certain places.  For a while he wouldn’t do things we used to do until one night I was like “FOR LORD SAKES, I AM GOING  TO GO TO WAHOOS AND SIT AT THE BAR BY MYSELF AND DRINK A STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI (virgin) AND JUST BE NORMAL! YOU HAVE JUST QUIT LIVING AND ACT LIKE WE HAVE TO STAY HOME 24/7! THAT IS NOT US, are you coming or not?!” And since then, we have been back to our normal selves, thankfully!!! He is so good to me, to us, and I just really couldn’t be more thankful.  A time I thought I would never want has really changed our relationship for the better.  I loved him when met him-I am in love with him-but now that love is even more.  I can’t wait to see how it will change in the next 3+ months.

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