December 2, 2014

Welcome to the world, Lucas Evan!! A birth story...a lil late--just like him! #lifewithanewborn

Heeeey y'all!!!

I'm fiiiiiiiinally posting my birth story...two months later ;)

Now, this is the story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the parent of a boy called Lucas bear




The Birth Story of
Lucas Evan Bynum
Born 29 September 2014
(I was 42 weeks and 6 days preggo)
5:37 PM

My lovely and amazing and wonderfully skilled doula (Miranda) wrote a letter (my birth story) to my son. I'd love for you to read it...it totally made me cry all the happy tears! <3 (Ps. The pix are a wee bit out of order. lol)





Dear Lucas Evan,

Happy birthday, sweet, sweet baby boy!!! Your Mom and Dad are so grateful that you are finally here!!! Your Mom first contacted me on the 1st of April 2014, when she was about 16 weeks pregnant. She and your Dad knew they wanted the support of a doula for their first child, and I was excited to meet them! We met on the 7th of April, and hit it off immediately.  We laughed almost the whole time! Less than a week later, your Mom and Dad signed a contract with me. I was so honored, and excited to work with your parents!

Before we even met for our prenatal appointment, your Mom and I were in contact somewhat regularly. She was busy making plans for your arrival day, and beyond! She even decided to make the switch from one hospital and care team to another, when she was about 28 weeks along, because she didn't feel supported at her current practice. Your Mom and Dad trusted their instincts, and knew they would be better supported by another group of providers, so they made the switch. What an amazing team they were already proving to be!

After the switch, your Mom settled into what would prove to be a long, but comfortable pregnancy! She selected a pediatrician for you, attended birth circles, and continued to read every piece of evidence-based research she could get her hands on. She was committed to delivering you in the safest way possible, which she knew was with the support of evidence-based care.

We met for our prenatal appointment on the 16th of July. Our conversation was non-stop, and ran a little longer than we had planned, but it was because your Mom wanted to make sure she was on the right track to have the birth she desired. She was, I will say for sure!

Your Mom’s pregnancy continued at a very pleasant, relatively uneventful pace. She continued to do her research, and she and your Dad continued to firm up their goals for your birth. When your estimated due date came and went, without any activity, they both took it in stride, and continued to believe that you would find your way into the world when you were good and ready. Despite encouragement from your Mom’s care providers to intervene, they were steadfast in their desire to do what was best for you!

When your Mom went to her appointment one week after your estimated due date, she had her first pelvic exam. She was about 1-2 cm dilated, but she was thinning and having rushes (contractions) without even feeling them! Her midwife found that you were very low in her pelvis, too! All signs pointed to a nearing entrance for you! With your Mom already being at 41 weeks of gestation, though, her care providers felt it was important to schedule an induction date for your Mom, in case she didn’t go into labor on her own. They scheduled your Mom to have a Foley bulb placed on September 23rd.

When your Mom went in for her appointment on September 23rd she and your Dad had already decided that they would decline having a Foley bulb placed. They felt very comfortable with not intervening as long as you and your Mom continued to look healthy, which you both did at the appointment. They were also given a little encouragement for staying the course, as your Mom was found to be 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced! Your Mom and Dad left the appointment feeling a weight was lifted! They agreed to do an ultrasound to check your Mom’s level of amniotic fluid, and to check on the viability of her placenta. They found that her fluid had started to decrease some, though it wasn't dangerously low, and that her placenta had begun to calcify, slightly. While that news wasn't what they had hoped for, your Mom and Dad trusted their instincts and both agreed to hold off on inducing. Your Mom was scheduled for another ultrasound in two days, and your Mom and Dad decided they would base their decision of whether or not to induce on those results.

Your Mom was doing what she could at home to help her body along, and on the 26th of September, I received an email from her letting me know that she was having bloody show, and that her body was feeling different. She went in for her ultrasound, and they noted that her fluid level had decreased some, but with her new signs of labor starting soon, her care providers agreed to support her decision to not be induced just yet.

At 3:35 AM, on the 28th of September, I received a text message from your Mom. Her rushes were about 6 minutes apart, and lasting for about 30 seconds! This was it! Finally, after all the waiting, you were ready to meet your Mom and Dad, and oh were they ready to meet you!!

Your Mom continued to labor at home, and was making amazing progress. She updated me regularly on her rushes as they got closer together and lasted longer. She was feeling very “zen” about the whole thing, and was just taking it all in stride.

At 9:59 PM your Mom let me know that she and your Dad were headed to the hospital, and that they would love for me to meet them there. I arrived about 45 minutes later to find your Mom and Dad laughing and carrying on in the emergency room. What an amazing sight that was. After all the doctor’s appointments, and all of the hard decisions they had made over the last few weeks, you were coming soon, and they were in good spirits! We headed up to labor and delivery shortly after, and your Mom’s first cervical check was preformed. She was 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced, and you were at +1 station!

Your Mom labored beautifully over the next few hours. She moved about the room, listening to her body, and holding onto your Dad for support when she needed it. She had re-framed, in her mind, the way labor would feel for her, so that is wasn't an experience of pain, but one of intensity, and that mentality made her one very pleasant woman during this time! The three of us were laughing and joking around, all through the night!

At 2:45 AM you Mom was checked again. She was 8 cm dilated, and you were at +2! Her body was moving along just like it was supposed to, and she was doing an amazing job of working with it! Your Mom was a little concerned about the speed of her progress though, because of the doctor who was on call for the night. He was not one of the doctors at the practice she had moved to, and was one who came with a reputation for being very quick to intervene in birth. Your Mom asked the nurses to call her midwife, to see if she would be willing to come in to deliver her baby. The midwife agreed to, but she was unable to come before 5:00 AM. Your Mom’s labor was moving along with a decent amount of speed, so we were all a bit concerned about the midwife making it in time!

At 4:35 AM your Mom was checked again, and she was 9 cm dilated with an anterior lip. She was starting to feel the need to bear down, but knew she had to hold off for now so she didn’t make things more difficult for herself. This proved to be one of the most difficult things she faced so far!

At 5:30 AM the midwife arrived, and your Mom’s mood changed. Her body had worked with her, and waited, but with the news that the midwife had arrived, the gates were opened! Your Mom started having to focus more and internalize. She was bearing down during her rushes and focusing on moving you down. At 5:50 AM, a single tear dropped down her cheek as she opened her eyes to say, “I’m just so ready to meet him.” She was. She and your Dad both were. They had patiently waited so long, and finally it was time!

Time continued to move along, and your Mom continued to face each minute the same as she had so far. She focused on her body, and moved with it. At 7:00 AM your Mom was checked and she was 10 cm dilated! She still had an anterior lip present though, so as your Mom pushed, her midwife held her cervix out of your way. The help was successful in moving the anterior lip over your head, and with that, the birth team set up to meet you!

Your Mom pushed and pushed, making progress with each effort. She pushed on her hands and knees, she pushed in a squatting position backwards on the bed, she pushed using a squat bar, she pushed on her side, and she pushed in a sitting position in the bed. If someone suggested it, she was game! She was making progress with each effort, but it was only slight. Because of this, coupled with your gestational age, her care providers started to become concerned about your size, and with that, the size of your shoulders. They prepared for both circumstances, and your Mom just continued to work!

As the morning wore on, everyone became more and more concerned about your size, and what that could mean for your Mom. She was working so hard, and was starting to tire. She was trying to stay positive, but she was getting discouraged, and wanted to know what her options were. She had been pushing for about 6 hours, already longer than most care providers would support, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could sustain her effort. We thought for sure her options were limited to continuing as is, or opting for a cesarean section delivery. Her midwife joined us in our discussion, and provided a third option. Your Mom could get an epidural (without Pitocin), get some rest, and hopefully be able to use that extra energy to push you the rest of the way out! What a relief it was for your Mom to hear that third option! After discussing it with your Dad, she opted to try the epidural. She wanted to be sure she had exhausted all of her options before looking to a cesarean section for your delivery.

At 12:00 PM your Mom took a break from pushing as her epidural was placed. She was tired, and trying to make peace with the decisions she and your Dad had made leading up to this moment. She felt guilt for pushing off an induction, and wondered if she hadn't, whether or not she’d be in this position. The thing is, all along the way, your Mom and Dad made every decision in regards to your care with evidence-based information. They had done everything right, and there was no way to predict that this is how things would go! Nor was there any way to determine if things could have been different if your Mom and Dad had made different decisions. They worked through this though, and got to a place where they felt comfortable with their decisions, and with their situation. After they got to that point, we all agreed it was best if we took the opportunity to rest.

The rest was short, but sweet. At 2:30 PM the midwife came back in to see your Mom, and she started pushing again. While she hadn't actually slept in that time that we were all alone, she had rested some, and it was evident in her pushes. Each push brought you closer and closer, but not quickly! As you made your way closer to being delivered, your Mom’s body started to give way as her skin had been stretched to the max. The midwife suggested an episiotomy to enlarge the space you had to wiggle your head out. While this was certainly not something that your Mom or Dad had wanted, they talked it over, and both agreed it would be the best course of action. The midwife was still a little unsure, so she called in an obstetrician on her team before she made the cut. The obstetrician agreed that it was for the best, to prevent your Mom from having a “vaginal c-section,” and the procedure was preformed. It would have to be preformed another two times to accommodate your large brain, but the work was rewarded, and at 5:37 PM, with the assistance of a vacuum, you finally arrived in all your glory. Despite everyone’s suspicions, your shoulders delivered easily, and you only weighed in at 9 pounds on the dot, and were 21 ½ inches long. You were perfect!!

Lucas Evan, how sweet it is to finally have you here! Your Mom and Dad are so grateful to you for finally gracing them with your presence, and filling them with more love than they thought they could stand! Your Mom is so, so smart and stands her ground! She will teach you how to be determined, and to go after what you want! Your Dad is so sweet and supportive, and will be a champion for your family! You couldn’t have chosen better parents yourself! Happy Birthday, Lucas Evan, and welcome to the world!

 ****

Michael and I are sooo happy to have our lil Luca bug here safe and sound!!! I gotta admit, the first six weeks were really hard...I had some baby blues, even though I was massively in love with my sweet baby boy. Sleep deprivation is alive and real, people. But thankfully (knock on wood) our little bit is sleeping mostly all night now!!! Coffee is my friend and constant companion. My biggest piece of advice to all new mommies... Be flexible. There have been many things that went differently than anticipated or desired, but I am pleased with all our decisions because they were (are) made for the good of our little bug and that's what matters.

Just know, you are good enough and you can totally do this. Mommy power!


 

October 1, 2014

Can one night of magic heal his heart? Cover and title reveal for @pippajaygreen!! #UrbanFantasy #Halloween





Blurb:

Twelve months ago, Hal’s world crashed and burned, taking the love of his life with it. He’s waited all year for that one special night when the souls of the departed come home, hoping his candle will summon back one in particular to heal his broken heart. But the forbidden knowledge he’s learned could call something far worse, and put more than his own soul at risk...

Excerpt:

The thud and chink of beer bottles and glasses on the bar announced Dan’s return.
“So?”
Hal shook his head. “Not tonight.”
“Oh, c’mon, man. Just one beer.”
Hal dropped his gaze to the glass he was still drying with a vehemence it didn’t deserve, avoiding his friend’s pleading stare. “Thanks, but I’m not in the mood.”
Dan made an exasperated sound. “Look, I know it’s nearly a year—”
Pain lanced into his chest. “Stop.” He looked up.
A frown creasing his tanned face, Dan glared back, but he shut up.
Hal sucked in a breath. He didn’t want to fight with Dan over this. The guy had stopped Hal’s life completely falling apart after last Halloween. “I know what you’re trying to do,” he murmured, and relief flickered in Dan’s brown eyes. “But I’m not ready to let it go.”
“I’m not saying you should, man. But how about getting back into some social interaction? You can’t spend the rest of your life as a recluse.”
“I won’t.” Hal smiled. Dan had no idea.
“Then come out for a beer.”
“Another time.”
“Tomorrow then. I know you’ve got the Halloween shift off.”
Hal put down the glass he’d abused. “I’m busy.”
“Oh, yeah? Doing what? Trick or treating?” Dan scoffed. “What is it with you and Halloween? You never struck me as religious enough to find it offensive, but you don’t go out and have any fun either. So how come you always take the night off?”
Hal looked around the bar at all the tawdry holiday decorations, and debated how to answer. Maybe Dan thought he was a closet Christian or something. The truth would shock the hell out of him. Especially with what Hal had planned this year. “My...family don’t see it as something to joke about.”
“Oh. Strict Catholic or something?”
“Something like that.” Hal smiled at the thought of his parents taking Holy Communion. But let Dan interpret it any way he liked.

Coming 8th October, Hallow’s Eve will be available in all digital formats from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, and most digital online retailers.


Cover art and banner design by Danielle Fine

Bio:

After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), a scifi romance novella—Tethered—published by Breathless Press, a YA paranormal romance—Restless In Peaceville—published by Lycaon Press, three self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply, The Bones of the Sea, and Reboot), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).

You can stalk her at her website, or at her blog, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.

You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Wattpad

Giveaway:



(1 Pentagram necklace and 6 jasmine scented glitter tealights, open internationally, 1st-31st October, no cash or other alternative)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

September 23, 2014

A #DeadNewWorld...coming October 13!!! Zombies aren't mindless anymore. #YA via @CuriosityQuills

Check out the cover wrap for the upcoming YA zombie novel, DEAD NEW WORLD, from author Ryan Hill (THE BOOK OF BART). October 13 zombies aren't mindless anymore.




Excerpt: 

I ran my hand across the wall, groping for a light switch. After a minute I found one, and pulled it down. Nothing happened. I raised my rifle, and peered through the target sight, but forgot to turn on the scope’s night vision.

Breathe easy. 

Before I could use the feature, a fluorescent light flickered once, revealing a group of zombies.


Enter to win an autographed copy of DEAD NEW WORLD on Goodreads!


Find Ryan Hill at:


Pre-order here!!!

August 31, 2014

Unicorns, demons, and hot boys... Oh my! RUNNING FROM SHADOWS #8Sunday #YAPNR

logo WWW Vet 


Today I'm sharing from my (unpublished) young adult paranormal romance Running From Shadows!

Follow Greta Shore (a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty) and Paxton "Pax" Craig (an 18-year-old, blond-haired college student with a dark secret) as they discover the fate of their forbidden love.
 ****
(Read last week's post. Set-up) Greta runs away from her surprise engagement partthrough the woodsPax saves her from a shadow demon. Oh, and he's a unicorn! 
Pax tells her that the shadow has fed on her emotions. And that it's definitely someone she knows. And she must under no circumstance confront it because it will kill her. And don't get emotional about anything! >.< Now, her mother tells her Reed Clarkwell--Greta's shrink--suggested the marriage contract. She's gotta stay calm per Pax, and all she can do is think about it. Greta makes it to work and Pax shows up with coffee, and she goes into bumble-fumble mode...

Cover Art by Danielle Fine
Grammatical liberties were taken :)


“How did it go when you got home?” He stared at me intently and the concern in his eyes pushed my standard response of Fine to the side. I wanted to talk to him, and it wasn’t because he was my protector.

I scooted the lid of the coffee cup around with my index finger. “In a word, bad.”

He leaned down on the black countertop. “Are you all right?”
I hesitated before wrapping my hands around the warm coffee cup.


Tune in next week for more angsty spooky goodness!

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated!


****
Extra! Extra!

*Update - My son (Lucas Evan Bynum) is due SOON...September 9! So I might be slow visiting posts and posting on my own blog. I'll be back in the swing of things pretty soon...hopefully, maybe ;) Thanks for stopping by and supporting me! *HUGS*

*Would you like to see some pics of Greta and Pax? Check them out here! Gotta love Pinterest!! Ooo, stalk me there too, please...uh, here! ;)

 *Self-publishing? Need an editor and cover artist? Check out my uber-talented editor, Danielle Fine, she's wonderful to work with and does exceptional work! Click here for more info!

August 24, 2014

Open foot, insert mouth. Wait. What? She's confused... RUNNING FROM SHADOWS #8Sunday #YAPNR

logo WWW Vet 


Today I'm sharing from my (unpublished) young adult paranormal romance Running From Shadows!

Follow Greta Shore (a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty) and Paxton "Pax" Craig (an 18-year-old, blond-haired college student with a dark secret) as they discover the fate of their forbidden love.
 ****
(Read last week's post. Set-up) Greta runs away from her surprise engagement partthrough the woodsPax saves her from a shadow demon. Oh, and he's a unicorn! 
Pax tells her that the shadow has fed on her emotions. And that it's definitely someone she knows. And she must under no circumstance confront it because it will kill her. And don't get emotional about anything! >.< Now, her mother tells her Reed Clarkwell--Greta's shrink--suggested the marriage contract. She's gotta stay calm per Pax, and all she can do is think about it. Greta makes it to work and Pax shows up with coffee, and she goes into bumble-fumble mode...

Cover Art by Danielle Fine
Grammatical liberties were taken :)


“Oh, uh, thanks, needed this big time.” I took the lid off and savored the aroma before eagerly sipping.

He nodded then tipped back his own coffee. “Thought you might; last night was...different.”

“Yeah, kinda,” I snorted.

Ah, man, pig noises? Seriously? Can I get a re-do?

Tune in next week for more angsty spooky goodness!

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated!


****
Extra! Extra!

*Would you like to see some pics of Greta and Pax? Check them out here! Gotta love Pinterest!! Ooo, stalk me there too, please...uh, here! ;)

 *Self-publishing? Need an editor and cover artist? Check out my uber-talented editor, Danielle Fine, she's wonderful to work with and does exceptional work! Click here for more info!

August 20, 2014

Why the heck zombies??? Release Day!!! @pippajaygreen takes over!! #guestpost #YA @LycaonPress



Blurb:
Welcome to Peaceville, population 2067 and rising...from the grave...

Luke Chester has had enough. He’s the school geek, the girls laugh at him, he’s lost his dead-end job at the pizza place, and in the midst of the world’s messiest divorce his parents don’t even know he exists. An overdose of his mom’s tranquilizers and a stomach full of whiskey should solve all his problems...

But they don’t. Instead, Luke finds himself booted out of the afterlife for not dying a natural death, with nowhere to go but back to his recently vacated corpse and reality. How the hell is he going to pass for one of the living without someone trying to blow his brains out for being one of the undead?

And it just gets worse. He’s got to fight his own desperate craving to consume the living, evade the weird supernatural hunter who’s having a field day with the new undeads rising, and there’s this creepy black shadow following him around. Add to that the distraction of female fellow undead Annabelle burning to avenge her own murder, and clearly there’s no rest for the wicked. Jeez, all he wanted to do was R.I.P. 

A YA supernatural novella, coming from Lycaon Press 20th August.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE. 
Sign up to my no-spam newsletter HERE to get early sneak peeks at covers, and news of the latest releases, giveaways and contest.
Buy here: Lycaon Press!

 
Guest post: Why the heck zombies??

I've suffered from bad nightmares all my life. In recent years it's finally lessened somewhat, and I've taught myself to wake up before things get too scary. But not always. So as a child, I was banned from watching horror films—not that I would have chosen to watch them anyway. I avoided anything scary like fairground rides or horror—even the Hammer House films. (Funny, but climbing the 14 foot willow tree in our garden, or charging around bareback on my horse didn't qualify under 'scary'. Not for me anyway. My parents probably had regular heart attacks).

So zombies might seem entirely inappropriate thing for me to even want to write about. And yet, looking back, I realize I've been reading about zombies all my life. Just not the brain eating monsters from the movies. I met my zombies in Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett. Jonathan Zombie in Castle Roogna, the poor lost soul who, being deprived of the love of his life, chose suicide and zombie-hood as he waited for her through eternity. The comic yet tragic Reg Shoe, a regular in the Night Watch books. Wizard Windle Poons who had to go back to his body because Death had been given the sack in Reaperman. And the resurrected Baron Samedi in Witched Abroad, seeking revenge for his murder. These somewhat sad yet humorous figures in my favourite books are a huge contrast to the Hollywood classic.

So maybe that's why I fell for R in Warm Bodies. He might still be the brain-eating variety zombie, but we get to see life from his POV. His character was far more like the zombies in the books I'd read and loved—a tragic figure rather than a mindless monster. All he wanted was to make a connection to someone. I not only sympathized with his character, but desperately wanted him to get his Happily Ever After.

But when muse suggested zombies, my first reaction was 'hell, no!' I couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't write zombies. How could I write something I'd always claimed to hate?! It was an insane idea!

Luckily for me, muse didn't quit. She got her zombies. I got a story that my editor called adorable. And now I hope you have a reason to try it even if you don't like zombies either. ;)


Bio:

After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

You can stalk her at her website, or at her blog, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.