Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sprayground!
Yesterday morning, we decided to go down to Dillon Park here in Noblesville to play at the Sprayground. Sprayground...playground...get it? So cute! Anyway, Brett and Sophia suited up in bathing suits, and I took the camera and watched Claire while she napped. They had a lot of fun. It wasn't too hot outside and there was a little breeze, so Sophia got kind of cold. After playing for almost an hour, her lips started to turn blue, so we all packed up, got in the car, and zoomed through the McDonald's drive thru for lunch. It was a good morning, and I think Sophia really enjoyed a trip out of the house. I think Brett liked it just as much as her!
Our first week home
Our first week back home with 2 girls has gone really well. I'm so thankful that Brett has been home, and he's going to be here for another week. It's so nice to have help. We were changing diapers on both girls on the bed in our room the other day, and it was a classic "divide and conquer" moment. I wish he could be around all the time.
Sophia really likes that we have both been around lately. We can tell because she is constantly talking about us. She walks around doing head counts sometimes too, and we hear her rattling off all our names, "Dada, Mama, Cleer." Actually, lately she's been calling us Mommy and Daddy. It's kind of neat. She sounds so much older when she calls us that. She's really good at bringing Claire blankets and pacifiers. She's a great retriever and runs to get burp cloths for me. Who knew that a 19-month-old would be such a big help?
Claire seems to have changed so much since we had her in the hospital. Her face has thinned out a bit and she's not so swollen. She opens her eyes really well and will look straight at you when you talk to her. She's an amazing eater. I thought Sophia was an easy baby to nurse, but Claire is a natural! And she's a pig. I haven't had to get out a pump yet, although I should do that soon to make sure she can take a bottle if we ever need to give her one. I tried to get Sophia to take a bottle and then got lazy and just nursed her for about two months. After that, Sophia refused to take a bottle. Hopefully, we can get Claire to take a bottle soon.
I've been really pleased with how much sleep Brett and I have been able to get. Claire is a pretty good sleeper. I feed her at about 11, and she goes down until about 3 or 4. We are working on the awake time that she like to have between 3 and 5 though. Last night, she did a great job and went right back to sleep. She usually sleeps until about 7 or 8 after that, which is also when Sophia gets up. It's worked out pretty well so far. Sophia used to wake up at least 2 or 3 times at night, so only waking up once is pretty darn good.
We finally had the opportunity to take pictures of Claire with the bottle of sparkling grape juice that the hospital gave us. It's so cute! The label says - Clare Elizabeth Musick, Produced by Brett and Sara Musick in Noblesville, IN, 9 lbs 13 ounces and 21.5 inches by volume. She's changing more and more every day! I can't wait to take her to the 2 week pediatrician's appointment to see how much she weighs.
Sophia really likes that we have both been around lately. We can tell because she is constantly talking about us. She walks around doing head counts sometimes too, and we hear her rattling off all our names, "Dada, Mama, Cleer." Actually, lately she's been calling us Mommy and Daddy. It's kind of neat. She sounds so much older when she calls us that. She's really good at bringing Claire blankets and pacifiers. She's a great retriever and runs to get burp cloths for me. Who knew that a 19-month-old would be such a big help?
Claire seems to have changed so much since we had her in the hospital. Her face has thinned out a bit and she's not so swollen. She opens her eyes really well and will look straight at you when you talk to her. She's an amazing eater. I thought Sophia was an easy baby to nurse, but Claire is a natural! And she's a pig. I haven't had to get out a pump yet, although I should do that soon to make sure she can take a bottle if we ever need to give her one. I tried to get Sophia to take a bottle and then got lazy and just nursed her for about two months. After that, Sophia refused to take a bottle. Hopefully, we can get Claire to take a bottle soon.
I've been really pleased with how much sleep Brett and I have been able to get. Claire is a pretty good sleeper. I feed her at about 11, and she goes down until about 3 or 4. We are working on the awake time that she like to have between 3 and 5 though. Last night, she did a great job and went right back to sleep. She usually sleeps until about 7 or 8 after that, which is also when Sophia gets up. It's worked out pretty well so far. Sophia used to wake up at least 2 or 3 times at night, so only waking up once is pretty darn good.
We finally had the opportunity to take pictures of Claire with the bottle of sparkling grape juice that the hospital gave us. It's so cute! The label says - Clare Elizabeth Musick, Produced by Brett and Sara Musick in Noblesville, IN, 9 lbs 13 ounces and 21.5 inches by volume. She's changing more and more every day! I can't wait to take her to the 2 week pediatrician's appointment to see how much she weighs.
Monday, July 27, 2009
I ♥ Clarian North Hospital even more
I decided I really needed to do a follow-up posting for my I ♥ Clarian North Hospital post back in June. Our stay at Clarian North was amazing. Absolutely wonderful. I could go on and on...and I think I will.
Brett and my experience with the c-section, birth, and hospital stay with our first baby wasn't exactly stellar. While I felt like I was in good hands, I also felt like the hospital was lacking in some ways.
The c-section surgery was a much better experience than the surgery with Sophia. I guess it helped that we were both a bit calmer since we had been through it all once before. I didn't have to do any prep for the surgery other than fasting and not drinking for 8 hours before, which was great. With Sophia, I had to take two showers (one the night before and one the morning of) with this special soap. I also had to make sure all my nail polish was off and there was no products (hairspray or gel) in my hair. It was such a small thing, but I really ENJOYED having red painted toes for this surgery. The nurses in triage were nice and calm and efficient in getting us ready. Best IV stick I've ever had. Bravo.
Another thing that made the surgery better was the anesthesiologist. I'm so disappointed that I can't remember his name. Granted, I was drugged up half the time he was around. In triage, he went through the whole spinal process for the pain management, and then he answered ALL of my questions...and I had a lot. With Sophia's delivery, I experienced some really weird effects, and he told me which things were typical and which were not. It was nice to finally have answers for what I had experienced before. When we finally got to the operating room and I got my spinal, I was surprised that he did it so quickly. It was a lot less painful (and much less scary) than the first spinal I had. The whole time I was laying there, he kept asking me how I was feeling (as opposed to the anesthesiologist for Sophia's delivery, who barely spoke to me at all). He pumped me full of something when I started feeling nauseous. Best of all, he gave me some sort of long-lasting morphine, which lasted for 24 hours after the surgery, so I didn't have to start the narcotic as early as I had before.
My doctor that did the surgery, Dr. Flora, was also amazing. Even though I spent most of my pregnancy with another doctor, she made me feel so extremely safe in the three weeks that I saw her for appointments and for the c-section. She is perhaps the calmest doctor I have ever met. For Sophia's delivery, they had some med students in the operating room, which didn't bother me a bit. But, as the surgery progressed, I felt more like a guinea pig than a person because my doctor was teaching more than he was talking to me. On the flip side, Dr. Flora kept things nice and calm during the surgery and only really spoke up when she was finally delivering Claire, so I actually got to talk with Brett prior to the delivery moment. It was really nice. She pulled the baby out and didn't tell us what the sex was. All she did was hold her up and let us look for ourselves. ANOTHER GIRL! Yet again, our guess that we were having a boy was completely wrong. Is it awful that the first thing I thought was, "Yes! We can reuse all of Sophia's clothes!" Another great thing about the surgery - no staples, no stiches that had to be removed, and no steri-strips. YES! They used glue - yes I said glue - to patch me up, along with stitches that will dissolve. So now I don't have to go in for an incision check either. Honestly, does it get any better? Oh yes, it does.
Recovery was great. They wheeled me in to the recovery room and handed Claire right to me. It was the best! I started talking to her immediately, and she opened her eyes and looked right at me. Oh, my heart melted! It was the moment when you realize that the last 9 months were actually worth it! We got out in a little less than two hours, as compared with the 4+ hours with Sophia, and Claire spent the entire time with us. They gave her a bath right there in the room. Brett also got to feed her a bottle. Claire had been with us for a little less than 30 minutes, and she downed 2 ounces of formula. Hungry baby! We also got to carry her up to postpartum. It was the best.
Our stay in the postpartum wing was pretty much like staying in a hotel, minus the screaming babies being wheeled up and down the hallways (which we didn't hear all that often since they kept things as quiet as possible). The first night we were there, the nurses said that the postpartum wing was completely full, and some women had to stay in Labor & Delivery for the night. You wouldn't know it. Those nurses were working hard, but you couldn't tell. They took their time every time they came in our room. Best of all, they told me when they were coming back, they checked on how I was doing with pain, and THEY TOLD ME THEIR NAME. I can only remember one nurse's name from Albany - Nancy from recovery. She was the best nurse at that NY hospital by far. The nurses at Clarian wrote their names on this little wipe board in the room every time there was a shift change.
When I had Sophia, the nurses insisted that I get up out of bed and walk a bit the day of my surgery. So, I got up, and they took me to the bathroom about 8 hours after the delivery. That resulted in me almost passing out, a mad rush of nurses, alarms going off, and being taken back to bed in a wheelchair. With Claire's delivery, I didn't get out of bed until 24 hours after the surgery, which made me feel a lot safer about physically getting out of bed. It's not the most pleasurable experience, but it was definitely better than the last. They also did amazing pain management at this hospital. The nurses had me on a schedule for medication. A SCHEDULE! With Sophia, I had to buzz the nurse to get any medication, and I was usually about to cry when I finally buzzed them because I hurt so much. They gave me the same medication that I took in NY, but they gave me twice as much. That must explain why (in NY) I would take my medication, feel fine for about two hours, and then go back to hurting again. At Clarian, I took my medication and then had a blissful 6-8 hours without pain. I was able to get up and walk around a lot more, which made me feel more like a real person and not a bump on a log.
The facilities at this hospital were amazing. Brett actually had a fold-out bed to sleep in, which was MUCH better than the straight back chair and radiator that he slept on in NY. I wanted to take my bed home with me. I slept so well in it. And it was QUIET. The bed in NY bumped and thumped every time you sat up. The lighting in NY was also terrible - my roommate and I had to warn each other when we flipped on the florescent light that made a huge bang when you turned it on. I honestly couldn't count all the light switches in our room at Clarian. There were so many ways to turn on lights! Brett had fun with the mobile computer that was in the room. I was grateful for the mini-fridge and the nutrition room that was stocked with apple and cranberry juice. I was also thankful for the food service. In NY, you got your meal whenever they came around to take your order, and even after you put in your order, you were lucky to see a food tray in an hour. We honestly lived on pastries that Brett had picked up at a bakery on his way back to the hospital one morning. At Clarian, I got a menu, was able to call food service anytime between 6 am and 8:30 pm, and received my meal within about 20 minutes. The bathroom in this room was really nice too. First of all, there was a FULL BATHROOM WITH A SHOWER. So much better than sharing a toilet with a roommate and having to walk down the hall to the shared shower facility. Brett actually got to take a shower in the morning too.
By the time day 4 came around, Brett and I were ready to leave and get back to normal life. I missed Sophia, and even though we did get to see her when she visited us every day, it just wasn't the same. She seems so old now compared to Claire! We officially have a toddler and an infant. It was a great experience having Claire at Clarian North. Maybe her name was subliminally inspired by the name of the hospital! We came home with a bottle of sparkling grape juice and celebratory meals packaged up as a gift from the hospital. All of that wonderful care they provided for the three of us, and then they send us home with a gift. I feel like I should be the one giving something to them for all they did for us. Yes, the facilities were impressive, but it was the people that made our our baby's birth at Clarian North the best we had ever experienced.
So thank you Dr. Flora for a c-section surgery that was the calmest and most fulfilling that I have experienced thus far. Thank you to the anesthesiologist who made made me feel so extremely safe during my c-section. Thank you to a patient and caring nurse staff that took such good care of me, my husband, and our new baby girl. The nurses in Labor & Delivery and Postpartum have such a love for their jobs and their patients, and it shows in every late night conversation, every helping hand out of bed, and every infant diaper change. They are truly gifted.
Brett and my experience with the c-section, birth, and hospital stay with our first baby wasn't exactly stellar. While I felt like I was in good hands, I also felt like the hospital was lacking in some ways.
The c-section surgery was a much better experience than the surgery with Sophia. I guess it helped that we were both a bit calmer since we had been through it all once before. I didn't have to do any prep for the surgery other than fasting and not drinking for 8 hours before, which was great. With Sophia, I had to take two showers (one the night before and one the morning of) with this special soap. I also had to make sure all my nail polish was off and there was no products (hairspray or gel) in my hair. It was such a small thing, but I really ENJOYED having red painted toes for this surgery. The nurses in triage were nice and calm and efficient in getting us ready. Best IV stick I've ever had. Bravo.
Another thing that made the surgery better was the anesthesiologist. I'm so disappointed that I can't remember his name. Granted, I was drugged up half the time he was around. In triage, he went through the whole spinal process for the pain management, and then he answered ALL of my questions...and I had a lot. With Sophia's delivery, I experienced some really weird effects, and he told me which things were typical and which were not. It was nice to finally have answers for what I had experienced before. When we finally got to the operating room and I got my spinal, I was surprised that he did it so quickly. It was a lot less painful (and much less scary) than the first spinal I had. The whole time I was laying there, he kept asking me how I was feeling (as opposed to the anesthesiologist for Sophia's delivery, who barely spoke to me at all). He pumped me full of something when I started feeling nauseous. Best of all, he gave me some sort of long-lasting morphine, which lasted for 24 hours after the surgery, so I didn't have to start the narcotic as early as I had before.
My doctor that did the surgery, Dr. Flora, was also amazing. Even though I spent most of my pregnancy with another doctor, she made me feel so extremely safe in the three weeks that I saw her for appointments and for the c-section. She is perhaps the calmest doctor I have ever met. For Sophia's delivery, they had some med students in the operating room, which didn't bother me a bit. But, as the surgery progressed, I felt more like a guinea pig than a person because my doctor was teaching more than he was talking to me. On the flip side, Dr. Flora kept things nice and calm during the surgery and only really spoke up when she was finally delivering Claire, so I actually got to talk with Brett prior to the delivery moment. It was really nice. She pulled the baby out and didn't tell us what the sex was. All she did was hold her up and let us look for ourselves. ANOTHER GIRL! Yet again, our guess that we were having a boy was completely wrong. Is it awful that the first thing I thought was, "Yes! We can reuse all of Sophia's clothes!" Another great thing about the surgery - no staples, no stiches that had to be removed, and no steri-strips. YES! They used glue - yes I said glue - to patch me up, along with stitches that will dissolve. So now I don't have to go in for an incision check either. Honestly, does it get any better? Oh yes, it does.
Recovery was great. They wheeled me in to the recovery room and handed Claire right to me. It was the best! I started talking to her immediately, and she opened her eyes and looked right at me. Oh, my heart melted! It was the moment when you realize that the last 9 months were actually worth it! We got out in a little less than two hours, as compared with the 4+ hours with Sophia, and Claire spent the entire time with us. They gave her a bath right there in the room. Brett also got to feed her a bottle. Claire had been with us for a little less than 30 minutes, and she downed 2 ounces of formula. Hungry baby! We also got to carry her up to postpartum. It was the best.
Our stay in the postpartum wing was pretty much like staying in a hotel, minus the screaming babies being wheeled up and down the hallways (which we didn't hear all that often since they kept things as quiet as possible). The first night we were there, the nurses said that the postpartum wing was completely full, and some women had to stay in Labor & Delivery for the night. You wouldn't know it. Those nurses were working hard, but you couldn't tell. They took their time every time they came in our room. Best of all, they told me when they were coming back, they checked on how I was doing with pain, and THEY TOLD ME THEIR NAME. I can only remember one nurse's name from Albany - Nancy from recovery. She was the best nurse at that NY hospital by far. The nurses at Clarian wrote their names on this little wipe board in the room every time there was a shift change.
When I had Sophia, the nurses insisted that I get up out of bed and walk a bit the day of my surgery. So, I got up, and they took me to the bathroom about 8 hours after the delivery. That resulted in me almost passing out, a mad rush of nurses, alarms going off, and being taken back to bed in a wheelchair. With Claire's delivery, I didn't get out of bed until 24 hours after the surgery, which made me feel a lot safer about physically getting out of bed. It's not the most pleasurable experience, but it was definitely better than the last. They also did amazing pain management at this hospital. The nurses had me on a schedule for medication. A SCHEDULE! With Sophia, I had to buzz the nurse to get any medication, and I was usually about to cry when I finally buzzed them because I hurt so much. They gave me the same medication that I took in NY, but they gave me twice as much. That must explain why (in NY) I would take my medication, feel fine for about two hours, and then go back to hurting again. At Clarian, I took my medication and then had a blissful 6-8 hours without pain. I was able to get up and walk around a lot more, which made me feel more like a real person and not a bump on a log.
The facilities at this hospital were amazing. Brett actually had a fold-out bed to sleep in, which was MUCH better than the straight back chair and radiator that he slept on in NY. I wanted to take my bed home with me. I slept so well in it. And it was QUIET. The bed in NY bumped and thumped every time you sat up. The lighting in NY was also terrible - my roommate and I had to warn each other when we flipped on the florescent light that made a huge bang when you turned it on. I honestly couldn't count all the light switches in our room at Clarian. There were so many ways to turn on lights! Brett had fun with the mobile computer that was in the room. I was grateful for the mini-fridge and the nutrition room that was stocked with apple and cranberry juice. I was also thankful for the food service. In NY, you got your meal whenever they came around to take your order, and even after you put in your order, you were lucky to see a food tray in an hour. We honestly lived on pastries that Brett had picked up at a bakery on his way back to the hospital one morning. At Clarian, I got a menu, was able to call food service anytime between 6 am and 8:30 pm, and received my meal within about 20 minutes. The bathroom in this room was really nice too. First of all, there was a FULL BATHROOM WITH A SHOWER. So much better than sharing a toilet with a roommate and having to walk down the hall to the shared shower facility. Brett actually got to take a shower in the morning too.
By the time day 4 came around, Brett and I were ready to leave and get back to normal life. I missed Sophia, and even though we did get to see her when she visited us every day, it just wasn't the same. She seems so old now compared to Claire! We officially have a toddler and an infant. It was a great experience having Claire at Clarian North. Maybe her name was subliminally inspired by the name of the hospital! We came home with a bottle of sparkling grape juice and celebratory meals packaged up as a gift from the hospital. All of that wonderful care they provided for the three of us, and then they send us home with a gift. I feel like I should be the one giving something to them for all they did for us. Yes, the facilities were impressive, but it was the people that made our our baby's birth at Clarian North the best we had ever experienced.
So thank you Dr. Flora for a c-section surgery that was the calmest and most fulfilling that I have experienced thus far. Thank you to the anesthesiologist who made made me feel so extremely safe during my c-section. Thank you to a patient and caring nurse staff that took such good care of me, my husband, and our new baby girl. The nurses in Labor & Delivery and Postpartum have such a love for their jobs and their patients, and it shows in every late night conversation, every helping hand out of bed, and every infant diaper change. They are truly gifted.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Still here
Still here. Still pregnant.
Thankfully, the ultrasound and the non-stress test that I had today went very well. Thanks to my parents who came to Noblesville this morning. Dad stayed home and watched Sophia while Mom came with me to my appointments. Brett is working this week and starts his annual training tomorrow, so he couldn't be there. It was nice to have the support while Brett is out of town. Both of my parents even packed bags in case I went in to the hospital. Gee, they're great.
Our ultrasound tech that we had was really sweet. She took all the measurements she needed and then whipped out the 4D ultrasound scanner. (I really hope I don't have to pay for a 4D scan since she took that thing out on a whim and didn't ask.) She was determined to get a shot of the baby's face, and since the little one was facing my back, that was a little difficult. This is what she got:
Check out those cheeks. Yikes. Pudgy kid. Definitely has the same nose as Sophia. I think he/she looks more like me than Brett, but how much can you really tell from these ultrasounds? Still, it was neat.
After the ultrasound, the tech hooked me up to two monitors to keep track of the baby's heartbeat and any contractions that I might have. I did have one good contraction, which was neat to watch on the monitor. The kid moved so much during the test and kept moving his/her body away from the monitor, so on paper the heartbeat line would disappear for a while and then come back when the baby moved closer to the monitor. It was fun to watch.
So all is good and healthy, so I'm thankful for that. Sort of wish that I could have been admitted to the hospital today, but that's alright. I think I've just resolved to the fact that I'm going to have the c-section on Friday. I'm still only dilated to 1 cm, so no progress there for the last 3 weeks. Baby has started its nightly contraction schedule, so I'm having those sporadic contractions - 10 minutes, 8 min, 12 min, 25 min, 6 min, 10 min, 8 min, 15 min. Ugh. It's really exhausting, especially when I can't sleep. Right now, I'm doing the contractions and baby is going ballistic. Seriously, the moving/stretching/kicking/punching is painful - so much so that when the baby finally calms down after about 2 hours, I feel like my entire belly and hip area is bruised. I'm glad we'll be done with this soon. I think we'll both be more comfortable.
On another note, my parents are awesome. Not only did they help me take care of Sophia and come to doctor appointments today, they helped take care of things around the house that need to be done before we come home with a new baby. Mom came to the grocery store with me - to not have to push a cart around was great. Dad mowed our grass. They both helped make supper. Mom baked a batch of cookies with Sophia watching her every move while she sat on the counter. And then, they both cleaned my bathrooms, which were disgusting. It was great. Other than sweeping carpets and doing some laundry, this house is totally ready. It's such a relief. Parents are great. I hope I can do that for my kids someday.
Going to finish watching the Home Run Derby and then head to bed. Hopefully sleep will come a bit more easily tonight.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Stubborn baby
We went to our doctor's appointment today. I have to stop going to doctor appointments with my suitcase packed. I have been taking my hospital bag with me just in case my doctor wants to admit me there and then. I came home with my bag today. Bummer.
As of Friday, I will be 40 weeks. As of today, I am still sitting at 1 cm. I was convinced that something was happening this past week because, even though my contractions weren't steady, they were more painful. I guess not. Today I saw my new doctor (my doctor from last week went in to labor and had her baby, so I have to go with another doctor for the delivery now), and she said that I probably haven't progressed because the baby's head feels like it is tilted up. So I've been having more painful contractions, but baby's head is still too high to make me dilate. I'm hoping that once this kid decides to put his/her head down, POOF! Take me to the hospital.
We also rescheduled the c-section for July 17th, when I'll be exactly 41 weeks. I really didn't want to have a repeat c-section, and by pushing it back, I still have time to go in to labor on my own. My doc says she doubts I will go in to labor any time soon, but you never know.
I go in on Monday for another round of doctor appointments. I have an ultrasound to make sure that there is still enough amniotic fluid. I have a non-stress test to make sure baby and placenta are functioning positively. And then I have a regular appointment with my doctor. Brett will be at work. He leaves on Saturday, works until Monday, and then goes straight to his annual training until Thursday. Thankfully, my mom and dad are coming down to go with me. Or at least my mom will go with me while my dad watches Sophia. If there's anything negative that comes out of these tests, they will admit me for a c-section that day. I'm hoping that doesn't happen because Brett would miss the entire thing.
So that's where we stand for now. It's still a waiting game. I'm hoping that something happens while Brett is home tomorrow night to Saturday afternoon. I have my fingers crossed. Sometimes I think that my body is just holding out until Brett comes home. I'm SO READY for something to happen soon!
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Fireworks are motivating
The fireworks are flying again tonight, and I'm in no mood to fall asleep. So, let's blog. I haven't touched this in a while, so let's update everyone.
Normal life has slowed down a bit in the past few weeks. Reason? I'm really pregnant now (39 weeks), and it takes a while to lug this prego body anywhere. Example: an average trip to the grocery store now takes well over 2 hours because I can't run through the aisles like I used to. That probably means I buy more because I linger in the aisles longer. Hm...
We had an ultrasound at 36 weeks, and from the measurements they took, they said that the baby was already 8.5 lbs. I totally believed them then. Now, not so much. I really don't think this kid was that big at 36 weeks. Come on people. NOW, at 39 weeks, he/she is probably that big, if not bigger.
Labor has been a tease for almost 2 weeks. For over a week, I was having nightly contractions, 10 minutes apart, but they would only last 1-3 hours. Then I'd lay down, or odder than that, stand up and they would go away. I had a few nights off where I didn't have any contractions. Now, I can tell things are progressing because, even though the contractions are few and far between, they HURT in those places where you don't want to hurt. Baby has dropped even more, and I'm feeling it. And all this who-wah about babies not moving during contractions is SO WRONG. Seems like everywhere I read, if the baby moves during a contraction, then it's not really a contraction. I beg to differ. My baby moves like nothing else, head in pelvis, hands/shoulders in hips, and knees/feet in ribs.
Brett has had a crazy weird schedule this month. His work was so kind as to schedule his annual training RIGHT OVER MY DUE DATE. Thanks people. Really appreciate that one. So he's been gone and will be gone at work and/or training pretty much all month. I fear that I'm going to go in to labor, he's going to be stuck somewhere in DC with no way to get home until the next day, and I'm going to have to go through labor and/or c-section without him. (sigh) Thankfully, he has vacation coming up and will be home from the 17th through the end of the month. I'm looking forward to that.
So here's where we stand for now. At last Tuesday's appointment, I was only dilated to 1 cm, so let's hope that is changing right now. If nothing happens between now and this Tuesday, we go in for a doctor's appointment early Tuesday morning. Brett comes home late Monday night from work and then flies out shortly after our appointment to go to training in St. Louis. My normal doctor, who is/was also pregnant is officially on her maternity leave. She was induced yesterday. So, now I'm seeing a new doctor in the same practice. Yippee. Two weeks ago, we went ahead and scheduled a c-section for the 9th, just in case I didn't go in to labor. I was so sure we wouldn't need to fall back on a c-section, but now I'm doubting myself. I felt like my body would take care of things on its own. Not so much now. Bad thing about going for a VBAC delivery is that doctors won't induce you because it increases the risk of rupture, so everything just has to go on its own. So, we're going in to this appointment on Tuesday to see if we can move the c-section date to later. I'm not sure if they will let us do that because I will be past my due date with an expected big baby, but I'm going to try anyway. I would just feel bad if I went in for a c-section and would have gone in to labor if I had just waited one more day. I dread c-section recovery, and with a toddler at home and Brett being gone for training smack dab in the worst part of the recovery, I am trying to avoid being cut open at all costs.
So, we'll see what happens. Everyone out there, pray for strong, painful contractions for me starting tomorrow and in to the night on Monday. I could REALLY go for that right now. The hospital bag has been packed for 2 weeks. My mother-in-law took vacation this week and can watch Sophia for us. The timing would be great!
On other notes, I am VERY thankful that we live close to family now. People have been coming to visit a lot lately, especially when Brett has been gone. I really enjoy the company and find myself relaxing more than worrying while people are here. And Sophia has been awesome. She's even getting more teeth, and she's still in a good mood. I love that kid. Top it off that she's talking more now, which makes me feel less lonely because we can actually have a "conversation" even if it is in toddler talk.
And now, let's see some pictures.
This is what happens when you let your kid eat cottage cheese by themselves. Looks like a teenager with a major acne problem!
Ah, the "saur" (dinosaur). This was a McDonald's Happy Meal reward for...
THIS. Sophia got two shots at the doctor last Friday and didn't even yelp. No tears. It was amazing. They put bandaids on her shots, and she pointed at them with a big smile and said, "STICKERS!" She weighed in only a pound heavier, at 24 lbs. But she grew 1.5 inches. She's now in the 50th percentile!
We built Daddy's airplane out of big Legos.
I know, Sophia. It's so wrong. Aunt Cathy sent you an IU warm-up suit, and we actually PUT YOU IN IT! That was my reaction too!
So you're not supposed to let kids play with fireworks. Eh. She was being supervised.
Normal life has slowed down a bit in the past few weeks. Reason? I'm really pregnant now (39 weeks), and it takes a while to lug this prego body anywhere. Example: an average trip to the grocery store now takes well over 2 hours because I can't run through the aisles like I used to. That probably means I buy more because I linger in the aisles longer. Hm...
We had an ultrasound at 36 weeks, and from the measurements they took, they said that the baby was already 8.5 lbs. I totally believed them then. Now, not so much. I really don't think this kid was that big at 36 weeks. Come on people. NOW, at 39 weeks, he/she is probably that big, if not bigger.
Labor has been a tease for almost 2 weeks. For over a week, I was having nightly contractions, 10 minutes apart, but they would only last 1-3 hours. Then I'd lay down, or odder than that, stand up and they would go away. I had a few nights off where I didn't have any contractions. Now, I can tell things are progressing because, even though the contractions are few and far between, they HURT in those places where you don't want to hurt. Baby has dropped even more, and I'm feeling it. And all this who-wah about babies not moving during contractions is SO WRONG. Seems like everywhere I read, if the baby moves during a contraction, then it's not really a contraction. I beg to differ. My baby moves like nothing else, head in pelvis, hands/shoulders in hips, and knees/feet in ribs.
Brett has had a crazy weird schedule this month. His work was so kind as to schedule his annual training RIGHT OVER MY DUE DATE. Thanks people. Really appreciate that one. So he's been gone and will be gone at work and/or training pretty much all month. I fear that I'm going to go in to labor, he's going to be stuck somewhere in DC with no way to get home until the next day, and I'm going to have to go through labor and/or c-section without him. (sigh) Thankfully, he has vacation coming up and will be home from the 17th through the end of the month. I'm looking forward to that.
So here's where we stand for now. At last Tuesday's appointment, I was only dilated to 1 cm, so let's hope that is changing right now. If nothing happens between now and this Tuesday, we go in for a doctor's appointment early Tuesday morning. Brett comes home late Monday night from work and then flies out shortly after our appointment to go to training in St. Louis. My normal doctor, who is/was also pregnant is officially on her maternity leave. She was induced yesterday. So, now I'm seeing a new doctor in the same practice. Yippee. Two weeks ago, we went ahead and scheduled a c-section for the 9th, just in case I didn't go in to labor. I was so sure we wouldn't need to fall back on a c-section, but now I'm doubting myself. I felt like my body would take care of things on its own. Not so much now. Bad thing about going for a VBAC delivery is that doctors won't induce you because it increases the risk of rupture, so everything just has to go on its own. So, we're going in to this appointment on Tuesday to see if we can move the c-section date to later. I'm not sure if they will let us do that because I will be past my due date with an expected big baby, but I'm going to try anyway. I would just feel bad if I went in for a c-section and would have gone in to labor if I had just waited one more day. I dread c-section recovery, and with a toddler at home and Brett being gone for training smack dab in the worst part of the recovery, I am trying to avoid being cut open at all costs.
So, we'll see what happens. Everyone out there, pray for strong, painful contractions for me starting tomorrow and in to the night on Monday. I could REALLY go for that right now. The hospital bag has been packed for 2 weeks. My mother-in-law took vacation this week and can watch Sophia for us. The timing would be great!
On other notes, I am VERY thankful that we live close to family now. People have been coming to visit a lot lately, especially when Brett has been gone. I really enjoy the company and find myself relaxing more than worrying while people are here. And Sophia has been awesome. She's even getting more teeth, and she's still in a good mood. I love that kid. Top it off that she's talking more now, which makes me feel less lonely because we can actually have a "conversation" even if it is in toddler talk.
And now, let's see some pictures.
This is what happens when you let your kid eat cottage cheese by themselves. Looks like a teenager with a major acne problem!
Ah, the "saur" (dinosaur). This was a McDonald's Happy Meal reward for...
THIS. Sophia got two shots at the doctor last Friday and didn't even yelp. No tears. It was amazing. They put bandaids on her shots, and she pointed at them with a big smile and said, "STICKERS!" She weighed in only a pound heavier, at 24 lbs. But she grew 1.5 inches. She's now in the 50th percentile!
We built Daddy's airplane out of big Legos.
I know, Sophia. It's so wrong. Aunt Cathy sent you an IU warm-up suit, and we actually PUT YOU IN IT! That was my reaction too!
So you're not supposed to let kids play with fireworks. Eh. She was being supervised.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)