With each baby's birth, I found it so much fun to record the birth story. I love hearing and sharing birth stories. And I love reminiscing, especially on each child's birthday, about my children's birth stories. SO, how is it that a little over a year after baby N entered the world that I still have not written his story out??! Poor, poor fourth kid! So the details may not be AS sharp as the others' stories, but the heart of the story remains the same.
Saturday, November 5th, 2016.
JJ was working, of course (he was on a medicine rotation -- same as when baby L was born!). The three kids and I met up with the H family at a fun park. It was a beautiful day, especially for November in MN/ND! The kids played and played until supper time. I was too tired to cook so we ate at Qdobas in MN. Not sure if it was the spice, the time being on my legs, or what, but I started having contractions! At Qdoba! I remember C being a bit alarmed, but I assured him all was well. We went home and I'm pretty sure the kids watched a show as I tried to clean up a few things and maybe get their clothes picked out ? Can't remember if I went that far with prep! I know MY bag was packed! I put the kids to bed and reminded them about the plan we had been talking about for probably about a month (!): Auntie L or Grandma/Grandpa may one day be at our house in the morning or maybe will pick you up from school. That just means that Mommy might be having the baby! You will never be left alone - someone will always be there, but it just might not be Mommy!
JJ got home later that evening and I said, "We're going to have a baby tonight!" It didn't seem like he necessarily believe me, but he decided to go to bed in the event that I woke him up. I started tracking my contractions on my phone and alerted both LJ and my parents to my current activities. I also looked up info on when to go to the hospital and the like. My contracts were coming relatively intensely, but spaced out quite a bit around 9/10pm. LJ said she would be sleeping with the phone by her bed and signed out. My parents made the decision to come early Sunday morning, since we were in no way headed to the hospital at that time.
I kept timing my contractions until maybe 11pm and then decided I should try to sleep. I would lay in bed and just crumple from the pain every maybe 10-12 minutes. Around midnight I called the hospital. The nurse said those dreaded (for me) words: "This is your fourth baby! You know your body! Generally we want contractions spaced more closely together for things to really be happening." I just am always like, "NO! I don't know! I can't tell!! Am I moving up in dilation??! You tell me!!" :) So anyways, At around 1 am I told JJ that things were pretty intense and lasting a long time, but not consistently spaced close together - I feel like they were coming around every 5-6 minutes at that point. He was like, well, according to the pamphlet, you don't need to go in yet, and rolled over to sleep some more. UGHHHHHH. I was on my knees in the livingroom, which felt like the most comfortable position for about another hour until I was like, "This is crazy. We are going in." I believe right around 2 (?) we called LJ and she rushed right over! I was feeling like I would barely make it to the hospital. We were living in MN at the time and didn't live all that far from the hospital, but I had probably a handful of contractions on the way.
It was the middle of the night (again -- see L's story) but I don't remember any crazy events getting to the floor this time. Maybe I went with JJ into the parking garage and walked into the building with him? In either case, by the time we got to the OB floor, the first nurse we talked to was the one who had answered my phone call earlier in the night. She said, "OK! Looks like you knew when to come in!" No triage this time (thank goodness) and they got my set up in a room right away. Contractions were definitely coming and I was fully effaced. I can't remember exactly what I was dilated to. I feel like it was 8 cm. So, it was go time. Also, it was Daylight Savings Time, so I remember they had to manually write everything in because my labor at home was an hour more than recorded based on the time on the clock. They asked if I wanted an epidural and I said, "YES DEFINITELY." (I always like that opinion to be known early and often -- see M's story). The anesthesiologist (maybe nurse anesthetist?) came up and gave me two options. They could do an epidural OR an intrathecal instead. She went over pros and cons of both. And my nurse was discussing it with me as well. Based on all the info, I felt like the inrathecal would be my best bet. They prepped for the procedure as I was about a 9 at that time. And. then. nothing. ALL my labor stopped. No more contractions (not just that I wasn't feeling them, but they were nonexistant). The nurse felt SO BAD. She felt like she had talked me into this and it had not been the right decision. She was supposed to be on her meal break, but came in thinking of another thing we could try. We tried different positions, the bean thing to help everything drop, etc. etc. etc. Nothing. At all. The intrathecal (I believe) was supposed to last a little over an hour and that came and went. I was comfortable and baby's heartrate was fine, everything just STOPPED. I almost cried. Actually I might have and just don't remember?! :) Well, THEN the contractions started again and I felt the full brunt of them going from nothing to NINE CM DILATED CONTRACTIONS! I felt woozy and not quite sure I could do this. My blood pressure dropped very low, SO they gave me a saline drip and an epidural.
Shortly after that commotion, the nurse said, "Why don't you try a practice push." and then "STOP!!!" She called the doctor, I pushed about two times, and baby came into the world at 5:23 am on November 6th!! JJ said, "This baby has a ton of hair!! Do you still think baby is a girl???" I was absolutely convinced this baby WAS a girl!! BUT, we are so, so blessed that baby NAJ is a wonderful and fun BOY!! He was our biggest baby by far, weighing in at 8 lbs, 5 oz (a pound and an ounce over the next biggest sib) and 20 3/4 inches! He was a great eater from the start and loved to be bundled up and cuddled! He has fun, little curls and BIG beautiful brown eyes! He is ours and we love him so! JJ cuddled him, loved him, then took a shower and went up one floor to work. (sad face). We were discharged from the hospital the following day (Monday, Nov 7th) and N even had his first photoshoot in the hospital AND at home with Nikki Englund!
Daddy, Mommy, Big Sis, Big Bro, and baby #3!
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Monday, November 6, 2017
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Baby #3 - the Birth Story! Part 2 - The REST of the story
At about 4:15 I was getting crazy contractions. I had a lot of
trouble breathing through them (huh... maybe I should've taken a baby
class after all) and enlisted JJ for help. We started timing them and
they were anywhere from 5-7 minutes apart. I struggled walking,
breathing, talking. Yup. I finally realized what real labor felt
like! At this point, I think I started punching JJ, too. He just
seemed so lax about it. I was like I'm over here struggling and he's
like, well... so.... yeah... I think that was about 6 minutes. Huh. Ok...
PUNCH. PUNCH. PUNCH. At about 5:30 am we woke up my Mom and headed to
the hospital. I struggled breathing through several contractions on
the way. JJ dropped me off at a door close to the elevator we needed and said to go sit in the little waiting area they had. He parked the car and came as fast as he could, but in the meantime, I was hit by two very strong contractions.
I ended up doubled over a fire hydrant breathing one out. A gentleman doing deliveries at the hospital came running over asking how he could help. I was able to communicate that I was having a contraction and that my husband was just parking the car. A gal who was with him ran and got me a wheelchair and got me to the little lobby. She was NOT very happy that I was alone, but the guy with her said my husband was on his way from parking the car. There was another guy waiting in the lobby and the delivery gal told him, "If anything happens, just get this lady up to the 4th floor!" His eyes got about as huge as saucers! It was kind of funny. I assured him my husband would be there any second! And then I did see JJ on his way.
Back up the the 4th floor we went and we saw the same nurse. She took one look at me and admitted me. Pronto. I remember thinking, "See! I really am in labor! I wasn't lying!" Another nurse and a nurse following her took over and got me all hooked up. Baby's heartrate looked great. Contractions were definitely coming. They checked me and I was a 7. Progress!!!!! But, baby hadn't dropped quite yet, so I think I was a +2 (or -2... whichever one means baby is NOT there yet). JJ continued to help me breathe and the head nurse with me helped too. I have found that I NEED encouragement during those times. Having her say, "You can do this. Breathe in through your nose. Out through your mouth. You're doing it. Good job!" was VITAL to my successful delivery. I remember asking her to do it, too! "Would you please keep saying those things to me?!!" I yelled one time.
I said that I did INDEED want an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist was able to get all hooked up, I was at a 9, so probably I could've just sucked it up and gone without it, but I think it just made things so much more peaceful at the end. I had two contractions while the Dr. put in my epidural and they were amazed at how stoic I was. The nurse was like, "She was NOT kidding. She WANTED that epidural!!" :) Yup. So then it was pretty much just smooth sailing. Phew. A new shift came on at 7, so they rechecked me - and there again was a nurse and someone following the nurse. They said they like people who are learning to try to judge dilation, effacement and what stage the baby is at when ladies have epidurals. Learn away my friends. I couldn't feel it! :) When baby had dropped (maybe about 8:15 am), they had me do a few practice pushes and same as with CEJ, they were like, "STOP!! We need to call the doctor." I told them I was feeling a little light headed so they took my blood pressure. It was 88/48 (I generally have low blood pressure, but that was quite low even for me). They ran a bag of saline through and in the meantime the doctor showed up.
We waited for a contraction to push, but then he said, "You know what? The baby is RIGHT there. Why don't you just push?" I pushed and out came the baby at 8:40 am!! JJ took a peek and said, "Baby has tons of hair! What do you think?? Boy or girl?!" The hair threw me off because MVJ had so much hair, but I still thought it was a boy. Ta-da! Baby BOY made his arrival and he really is a sweet mixture of M & C. Out at 8:40 and nursing by 9 am. Our first visitors at about 9:30 because JJ's parents were still in town, but ready to leave for home. Good thing they waited another day! :) We were able to have so many visitors this time since we are close to family. It was really fun and really special. The kids did awesome meeting Mr. LWJ and have been excited, helpful, and on Cloud 9 since meeting him. We are so blessed!
I ended up doubled over a fire hydrant breathing one out. A gentleman doing deliveries at the hospital came running over asking how he could help. I was able to communicate that I was having a contraction and that my husband was just parking the car. A gal who was with him ran and got me a wheelchair and got me to the little lobby. She was NOT very happy that I was alone, but the guy with her said my husband was on his way from parking the car. There was another guy waiting in the lobby and the delivery gal told him, "If anything happens, just get this lady up to the 4th floor!" His eyes got about as huge as saucers! It was kind of funny. I assured him my husband would be there any second! And then I did see JJ on his way.
Back up the the 4th floor we went and we saw the same nurse. She took one look at me and admitted me. Pronto. I remember thinking, "See! I really am in labor! I wasn't lying!" Another nurse and a nurse following her took over and got me all hooked up. Baby's heartrate looked great. Contractions were definitely coming. They checked me and I was a 7. Progress!!!!! But, baby hadn't dropped quite yet, so I think I was a +2 (or -2... whichever one means baby is NOT there yet). JJ continued to help me breathe and the head nurse with me helped too. I have found that I NEED encouragement during those times. Having her say, "You can do this. Breathe in through your nose. Out through your mouth. You're doing it. Good job!" was VITAL to my successful delivery. I remember asking her to do it, too! "Would you please keep saying those things to me?!!" I yelled one time.
I said that I did INDEED want an epidural. By the time the anesthesiologist was able to get all hooked up, I was at a 9, so probably I could've just sucked it up and gone without it, but I think it just made things so much more peaceful at the end. I had two contractions while the Dr. put in my epidural and they were amazed at how stoic I was. The nurse was like, "She was NOT kidding. She WANTED that epidural!!" :) Yup. So then it was pretty much just smooth sailing. Phew. A new shift came on at 7, so they rechecked me - and there again was a nurse and someone following the nurse. They said they like people who are learning to try to judge dilation, effacement and what stage the baby is at when ladies have epidurals. Learn away my friends. I couldn't feel it! :) When baby had dropped (maybe about 8:15 am), they had me do a few practice pushes and same as with CEJ, they were like, "STOP!! We need to call the doctor." I told them I was feeling a little light headed so they took my blood pressure. It was 88/48 (I generally have low blood pressure, but that was quite low even for me). They ran a bag of saline through and in the meantime the doctor showed up.
We waited for a contraction to push, but then he said, "You know what? The baby is RIGHT there. Why don't you just push?" I pushed and out came the baby at 8:40 am!! JJ took a peek and said, "Baby has tons of hair! What do you think?? Boy or girl?!" The hair threw me off because MVJ had so much hair, but I still thought it was a boy. Ta-da! Baby BOY made his arrival and he really is a sweet mixture of M & C. Out at 8:40 and nursing by 9 am. Our first visitors at about 9:30 because JJ's parents were still in town, but ready to leave for home. Good thing they waited another day! :) We were able to have so many visitors this time since we are close to family. It was really fun and really special. The kids did awesome meeting Mr. LWJ and have been excited, helpful, and on Cloud 9 since meeting him. We are so blessed!
Baby #3 - The Birth Story! Part 1 - the build up
I just have to write about my deliveries. I always think I'll remember all the details... and of course there are some that I never forget... but some that I do. I love looking back and reading about each baby's special day.
This particular story begins on Thursday, October 9th. At my doctor's appointment, my doctor said I was a "loose 3 cm dilated" and fully effaced. At 37 weeks, I was 1 1/2 cm and 60%. Then at 38, I was 3 cm and 70%. So there was clear progression every week. My doctor said she could strip my membranes if I wanted. I wanted. I mean, not that it is awesome to go through with a membrane stripping, but I was READY to meet this kiddo! Plus, JJ has an easier rotation (schedule wise) this month, so the sooner this baby came, the more Daddy help was available for longer! See, makes sense, right? My doctor said that it doesn't work every time, but IF it works, delivery usually occurs within 72 hours. I put my family on standby! JJ happened to leave his cellphone at home so I couldn't contact him to just casually tell him. (AJ, JJ's brother, DID give me the info on how to go about contacting JJ if I REALLY REALLY needed to!) I figured with my "luck", Thursday would be the day since I couldn't get ahold of JJ as easily. (When he got home for the day, he said I didn't have to reprimand him because he had heard about it ALL day from nurses and colleagues who couldn't believe he had forgotten his cell phone THAT day!)
Ok, so I started feeling quite crampy throughout the morning, which I read was a normal thing with getting membranes stripped (yes I read up on it afterwards...) :). Also, I should mention that JJ's parents were in town because his Dad had hip surgery Monday, October 6th. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but he encouraged him to stay a little while longer before getting on the road for home. Our house is one level, so his parents were staying at our house. JJ was at work. AJ was with his parents as my FIL CJ recovered. My SIL LJ had my son CJ [dang, all these initials are getting tricky!] while I had my doctor appointment and we met up at CJ's gymnastics. I continued to have more and more cramps and some contractions as well. My Mom said she had her bags packed. :)
Alright, so with all of the above going on, AJ and LJ brought up having JJ's parents stay at a hotel. The boys (AJ and JJ at this point) helped settle them in and we ended up getting pizza and the kiddos had an absolute blast swimming in the hotel pool. So now, AJ is staying at the hotel to help his parents if needed. LJ is home with her kiddos (and, thankfully, her Dad DJM came to town for Grandparents Day at our kiddos' school). JJ and I are hanging out that evening. I start having contractions. I had a hard time kind of figuring stuff out because while it was my 3rd pregnancy, it was my only "normal" going into labor situation. We had NO idea what was going on with MVJ. We induced with CEJ. I started timing and it seemed like there was about 2 minutes between contractions, but they weren't intense. So I was confused. There were SOME intense ones, but for the most part, I was still busy around the apartment making sure M was set for school the next day, throwing in a load of laundry, cleaning up from the swimming, etc. I ended up calling the Birth Center at about 9:45 pm. They suggested taking a bath, walking around, seeing if things slowed down or got more intense. They said to call back in about an hour, but assured me that I could come in whenever I felt like I needed to.
I called LJ at around 10 pm just because I wanted her to have a chance to prepare if she wanted to. She started prepping lunch for her kiddos and informing her Dad that he was going to get all 3 kids up and ready for school the next morning! :) I owe DJ big time! :) I called my parents and they thought initially that they would get up and come right away in the morning. Then they called later and said they were on their way! I gave them LJ's number and then LJ came over. We chatted for a while and she suggested timing the contractions again (by they way at this point, JJ was attempting to get some rest to prep for his day ahead!). The contractions were again about 2 minutes apart, but not very intense - or certainly not regular with intensity - some were more intense, but definitely not every one. She suggested we head in to the hospital.
We got JJ up and headed in. I walked in and I could tell the nurses were doubtful. They hooked me up in a "triage" room. They got baby on the heart monitor and the heartbeat was great. There were some contractions here and there, but again, they were not very "intense" on the monitor. The nurse checked me and I had NOT progressed from that morning. I was super bummed out. She said that happens with stripped membranes - the cramping feels like you are progressing, but you might not be. I seriously, seriously felt so let down. I felt guilty for calling my parents and LJ. I felt like I didn't even know my own body and didn't know anything about real labor. I thought JJ had a big "I told you so" coming (he was really very great about it though and assured me that no one was mad at or disappointed with me). They continued monitoring me and I believe in about 30-45 minutes checked me again. No progression so they sent us home. Oh, worst story ever, right? That's the one thing you don't want to happen -- going to the hospital and getting sent home. Yuck.
We ended up getting to our place the same time my parents did! We all walked into our apartment to a VERY surprised LJ. (I had texted her, but she was sound asleep - which I was very glad about.) She went home (so thankfully DJ wasn't completely on his own in the morning!) and we all headed to bed.
This particular story begins on Thursday, October 9th. At my doctor's appointment, my doctor said I was a "loose 3 cm dilated" and fully effaced. At 37 weeks, I was 1 1/2 cm and 60%. Then at 38, I was 3 cm and 70%. So there was clear progression every week. My doctor said she could strip my membranes if I wanted. I wanted. I mean, not that it is awesome to go through with a membrane stripping, but I was READY to meet this kiddo! Plus, JJ has an easier rotation (schedule wise) this month, so the sooner this baby came, the more Daddy help was available for longer! See, makes sense, right? My doctor said that it doesn't work every time, but IF it works, delivery usually occurs within 72 hours. I put my family on standby! JJ happened to leave his cellphone at home so I couldn't contact him to just casually tell him. (AJ, JJ's brother, DID give me the info on how to go about contacting JJ if I REALLY REALLY needed to!) I figured with my "luck", Thursday would be the day since I couldn't get ahold of JJ as easily. (When he got home for the day, he said I didn't have to reprimand him because he had heard about it ALL day from nurses and colleagues who couldn't believe he had forgotten his cell phone THAT day!)
Ok, so I started feeling quite crampy throughout the morning, which I read was a normal thing with getting membranes stripped (yes I read up on it afterwards...) :). Also, I should mention that JJ's parents were in town because his Dad had hip surgery Monday, October 6th. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but he encouraged him to stay a little while longer before getting on the road for home. Our house is one level, so his parents were staying at our house. JJ was at work. AJ was with his parents as my FIL CJ recovered. My SIL LJ had my son CJ [dang, all these initials are getting tricky!] while I had my doctor appointment and we met up at CJ's gymnastics. I continued to have more and more cramps and some contractions as well. My Mom said she had her bags packed. :)
Alright, so with all of the above going on, AJ and LJ brought up having JJ's parents stay at a hotel. The boys (AJ and JJ at this point) helped settle them in and we ended up getting pizza and the kiddos had an absolute blast swimming in the hotel pool. So now, AJ is staying at the hotel to help his parents if needed. LJ is home with her kiddos (and, thankfully, her Dad DJM came to town for Grandparents Day at our kiddos' school). JJ and I are hanging out that evening. I start having contractions. I had a hard time kind of figuring stuff out because while it was my 3rd pregnancy, it was my only "normal" going into labor situation. We had NO idea what was going on with MVJ. We induced with CEJ. I started timing and it seemed like there was about 2 minutes between contractions, but they weren't intense. So I was confused. There were SOME intense ones, but for the most part, I was still busy around the apartment making sure M was set for school the next day, throwing in a load of laundry, cleaning up from the swimming, etc. I ended up calling the Birth Center at about 9:45 pm. They suggested taking a bath, walking around, seeing if things slowed down or got more intense. They said to call back in about an hour, but assured me that I could come in whenever I felt like I needed to.
I called LJ at around 10 pm just because I wanted her to have a chance to prepare if she wanted to. She started prepping lunch for her kiddos and informing her Dad that he was going to get all 3 kids up and ready for school the next morning! :) I owe DJ big time! :) I called my parents and they thought initially that they would get up and come right away in the morning. Then they called later and said they were on their way! I gave them LJ's number and then LJ came over. We chatted for a while and she suggested timing the contractions again (by they way at this point, JJ was attempting to get some rest to prep for his day ahead!). The contractions were again about 2 minutes apart, but not very intense - or certainly not regular with intensity - some were more intense, but definitely not every one. She suggested we head in to the hospital.
We got JJ up and headed in. I walked in and I could tell the nurses were doubtful. They hooked me up in a "triage" room. They got baby on the heart monitor and the heartbeat was great. There were some contractions here and there, but again, they were not very "intense" on the monitor. The nurse checked me and I had NOT progressed from that morning. I was super bummed out. She said that happens with stripped membranes - the cramping feels like you are progressing, but you might not be. I seriously, seriously felt so let down. I felt guilty for calling my parents and LJ. I felt like I didn't even know my own body and didn't know anything about real labor. I thought JJ had a big "I told you so" coming (he was really very great about it though and assured me that no one was mad at or disappointed with me). They continued monitoring me and I believe in about 30-45 minutes checked me again. No progression so they sent us home. Oh, worst story ever, right? That's the one thing you don't want to happen -- going to the hospital and getting sent home. Yuck.
We ended up getting to our place the same time my parents did! We all walked into our apartment to a VERY surprised LJ. (I had texted her, but she was sound asleep - which I was very glad about.) She went home (so thankfully DJ wasn't completely on his own in the morning!) and we all headed to bed.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Ready (or not) for Baby!
In the last week or so, here are a few things we've accomplished:
- crib put together, including fresh washed bedding
- new to us glider rocker in the room
- closets organized and a bunch of craft stuff donated to M's Kindergarten (yippee! So glad someone will use it!)
- co-sleeper assembled, sheets for it washed, still trying to decide layout of our room!
- diaper bag put together - including tiny, tiny diapers!
- hospital bag packed -- all except my toothbrush and contact case!
- helpful hints for taking care of our two older children - including things like activity time schedule, bedtime routine, useful addresses, etc. emailed to my Mom & Dad
- backups confirmed for our kiddos in the event of imminent labor!
- house cleaned - including random things like rugs
- an Old Navy shopping spree where I bought exactly three outfits... of both genders! I did realize that not finding out the sex of the baby was good for me - I would've bought WAY MORE things throughout this pregnancy that we really did not need since we already have a boy and girl.
- read up on labor signs in the What To Expect Book that I actually have never read... third time's a charm?
- discussed with my doctor what to do/where to go (again, third baby, but different cities/hospitals every time!)
Friday, August 1, 2014
Baby #3
This baby seems to be a bit on the crazy side. I can't decide if he/she is wearing him/herself out now and will just sleep when he/she makes his/her appearance or if this will be his/her temperament... the latter scares me a little bit! :) I also feel like my body is gearing up for labor earlier than with the other two. I am more achy. More tired. More moody. I have had some Braxton-Hicks. At my 28 week appointment, my doctor checked me and there is no progression, thank goodness! I also had the pleasure of doing the glucose test - no gestational diabetes. Phew. Then I got a shot in my behind since I have a negative blood type. So, all in all, it was quite a wonderful appointment.
In talking with my doc, I made some realizations about why this 3rd pregnancy feels different. First of all is the obvious - my body knows what's going on and has started adjusting earlier each time. Then there is another obvious - I am chasing after two children. I kind of forgot about this third reason - I've never been more than a few weeks pregnant in the summer. 7+ months preggers while doing our busy summer things has quite frankly started wearing me out! I have started noticing and taking more breaks. My kids don't seem too affected by me sitting more and running after them less. C is not happy that I won't carry him around anymore, but c'mon dude. You're three. It was bound to happen sooner or later!
I am getting really excited to meet this new little one. I thought it would KILL me not to know the gender, but it doesn't really seem to have changed much for me... besides maybe curbed some of my spending! hehee I *think* we have a boy and girl name picked out and have just finalized plans to get a hand-me-down crib. Things are falling into place! Now we wait and grow and get kicked and punched! :)
In talking with my doc, I made some realizations about why this 3rd pregnancy feels different. First of all is the obvious - my body knows what's going on and has started adjusting earlier each time. Then there is another obvious - I am chasing after two children. I kind of forgot about this third reason - I've never been more than a few weeks pregnant in the summer. 7+ months preggers while doing our busy summer things has quite frankly started wearing me out! I have started noticing and taking more breaks. My kids don't seem too affected by me sitting more and running after them less. C is not happy that I won't carry him around anymore, but c'mon dude. You're three. It was bound to happen sooner or later!
I am getting really excited to meet this new little one. I thought it would KILL me not to know the gender, but it doesn't really seem to have changed much for me... besides maybe curbed some of my spending! hehee I *think* we have a boy and girl name picked out and have just finalized plans to get a hand-me-down crib. Things are falling into place! Now we wait and grow and get kicked and punched! :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
16 Week Appointment
It finally came! My first appointment! First of all, I could not have a better OB. Love her. Only downside I see is that she works three days a week - but she has kiddos that go to my school and she's often at my school days she's off (Wednesdays and Fridays -- so baby -- this is your Momma talking -- no funny business except possibly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays). Which, I guess doesn't do anything for ME except show that she's a committed Mom who loves her kids.
My adventure began running (of course) a little late out the door of school. I knew *about* where I was going but had never been there before, so I plugged it into my "trusty?" Gar-Gar. Sure enough, I was at the right spot, but Gar wanted me to go through a whole medical campus to get to my destination. With one ways and random inlets, I decided the Garster was possibly being my ally this time and I followed the directions. Right to a surgical center. Not wanting surgery today, thank you, I did a u-ey in the parking lot and headed out. I thought I saw a sign for the Women's Clinic, so headed back around the whole medical campus. Fun times. I was supposed to be 15-20 minutes early and was bordering on 10 at the moment... Saw the sign, which pointed me to... the surgery center. I got out my very quickly jotted notes from when I set up the appointment and sure enough, the clinic WAS located in the surgery center. I found a close parking spot and ran in.
Being the obedient preggo that I am, I was prepared. Make that OVERLY prepared to pee in a cup. So when I got in I asked the lady as demurely as one can in that situation if I could do that FIRST. Seeing my desperation she sent me back there immediately. When I returned after that fun experience she asked if I had all of my paperwork that they had sent me. I told her no one had sent me any paperwork and she looked a little displeased. She simply stated, "Well, you're going to have a lot of it then."
I sat down to begin my task. First of all: four bubble sheets of history, including (which made me chuckle being the immature person that I am) if I have ever been sexually active. Well, I AM pregnant with my second child... soooo... Then insurance and OB history (liver problem - check, blood transfusion - check, blood pressure - check)... hey my past pregnancy gave me a more interesting history if nothing else. While I was waiting in the waiting room I noticed that it was a half hour past my appointment time and then I was called back to the office.
The nurse was awesome - funny, kind, informative. I even got a bag of goodies! Woohoo - I'm a sucker for free stuff! Then the doctor came in. Like I said - she's awesome. She told me there's hope after HELLP. She said that many women have a very "normal" delivery after HELLP syndrome however there is a trend starting of it happening in subsequent pregnancies. She assured me that all that meant is I would be watched VERY closely. With that she gave me an official due date of March 20th and listened to the baby's heartrate. I *think* it was 132 - something like that. It sounded so strong and healthy! Then she sent me for labs and... AND... an ultrasound! Woohoo! She said that since I was considered high risk with my last pregnancy she wanted to double check my due date and check to make sure everything looked good.
While I was waiting for my labs the nurse came back and gave me a flu shot. Then I had four vials of blood drawn (where I heard all about the phleb's recent trip out of town with her dog...) and was ushered off to an ultrasound lady. She got me prepped with the goo and away we went. Oh. My baby! My precious baby! She asked about finding out the sex and I said that we DEFINITELY want to find out - but that I wanted to share the experience with my husband, who was coming along to the next appointment. She told me to look away a few times so I'm pretty sure she found out. She did say that the baby had his or her little feet tucked up and the arms were crossed too - the baby was just all cuddled up. I was tearing up because it is just SO amazing. Even at 16 weeks you can see SO much - it's amazing! She said, "Ooh! Is this your first pregnancy?" : ) No... but STILL precious! : )
My adventure began running (of course) a little late out the door of school. I knew *about* where I was going but had never been there before, so I plugged it into my "trusty?" Gar-Gar. Sure enough, I was at the right spot, but Gar wanted me to go through a whole medical campus to get to my destination. With one ways and random inlets, I decided the Garster was possibly being my ally this time and I followed the directions. Right to a surgical center. Not wanting surgery today, thank you, I did a u-ey in the parking lot and headed out. I thought I saw a sign for the Women's Clinic, so headed back around the whole medical campus. Fun times. I was supposed to be 15-20 minutes early and was bordering on 10 at the moment... Saw the sign, which pointed me to... the surgery center. I got out my very quickly jotted notes from when I set up the appointment and sure enough, the clinic WAS located in the surgery center. I found a close parking spot and ran in.
Being the obedient preggo that I am, I was prepared. Make that OVERLY prepared to pee in a cup. So when I got in I asked the lady as demurely as one can in that situation if I could do that FIRST. Seeing my desperation she sent me back there immediately. When I returned after that fun experience she asked if I had all of my paperwork that they had sent me. I told her no one had sent me any paperwork and she looked a little displeased. She simply stated, "Well, you're going to have a lot of it then."
I sat down to begin my task. First of all: four bubble sheets of history, including (which made me chuckle being the immature person that I am) if I have ever been sexually active. Well, I AM pregnant with my second child... soooo... Then insurance and OB history (liver problem - check, blood transfusion - check, blood pressure - check)... hey my past pregnancy gave me a more interesting history if nothing else. While I was waiting in the waiting room I noticed that it was a half hour past my appointment time and then I was called back to the office.
The nurse was awesome - funny, kind, informative. I even got a bag of goodies! Woohoo - I'm a sucker for free stuff! Then the doctor came in. Like I said - she's awesome. She told me there's hope after HELLP. She said that many women have a very "normal" delivery after HELLP syndrome however there is a trend starting of it happening in subsequent pregnancies. She assured me that all that meant is I would be watched VERY closely. With that she gave me an official due date of March 20th and listened to the baby's heartrate. I *think* it was 132 - something like that. It sounded so strong and healthy! Then she sent me for labs and... AND... an ultrasound! Woohoo! She said that since I was considered high risk with my last pregnancy she wanted to double check my due date and check to make sure everything looked good.
While I was waiting for my labs the nurse came back and gave me a flu shot. Then I had four vials of blood drawn (where I heard all about the phleb's recent trip out of town with her dog...) and was ushered off to an ultrasound lady. She got me prepped with the goo and away we went. Oh. My baby! My precious baby! She asked about finding out the sex and I said that we DEFINITELY want to find out - but that I wanted to share the experience with my husband, who was coming along to the next appointment. She told me to look away a few times so I'm pretty sure she found out. She did say that the baby had his or her little feet tucked up and the arms were crossed too - the baby was just all cuddled up. I was tearing up because it is just SO amazing. Even at 16 weeks you can see SO much - it's amazing! She said, "Ooh! Is this your first pregnancy?" : ) No... but STILL precious! : )
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Spacing Kiddos
We have this perfect little addition to our family, but we definitely don't want her to be an only child, God-willing of course. So, obviously the next question is when. If we look to our families, there are about three year gaps between ourselves and next closest siblings. (I know, I would think in a family of nine they'd be closer together too, but only the first four were close.) We enjoyed our childhoods and our bonds with our siblings. Of course our childhoods were quite different with different family dynamics -- JJ the youngest, me the oldest, JJ with a stay-at-home mom, me with a workin' woman, JJ being an uncle at age three months, me with being even the oldest grandchild on my Dad's side, not to mention any of the other stuff like location, finances, religious denominations, etc!!
Anyways, I read an article... now I wish I could find it... it was in one of the many, many free magazines I got when I signed up for EVERY offer when I was pregnant... anyways, it's on spacing of children and the pros and cons of having children two years or less apart, three years apart or four years and more apart.
Basically, what I took away from the article is having kids two years apart or less means you'll go absolutely nuts for a couple of years and then you have kids that are old enough to do stuff earlier (like take a fam. vacation or all be in school, etc.), generally they'll be close and involved in eachother's lives, but then they'll all most likely be in college at the same time (if you're planning on supporting your children in college).
Then, having kiddos four year or more apart means you'll have kids in diapers for-ev-er, kids who aren't as interested in hanging out with their siblings, major changes with a kiddo who's used to being the only child, but you might have a kiddo who can be a good helper for a new baby, and you have lots of time to enjoy your first child before having a second.
And, having a kiddos spaced right around three years gives you a little bit of both worlds.
Of course what works best, spacing-wise, for one child's personality won't be best for the next one. So how do you know?
I guess we're leaning towards three year spacing, but of course, we don't even know where we'll be in the 2-ish years we have to decide we're ready for numba two.
Anyways, I read an article... now I wish I could find it... it was in one of the many, many free magazines I got when I signed up for EVERY offer when I was pregnant... anyways, it's on spacing of children and the pros and cons of having children two years or less apart, three years apart or four years and more apart.
Basically, what I took away from the article is having kids two years apart or less means you'll go absolutely nuts for a couple of years and then you have kids that are old enough to do stuff earlier (like take a fam. vacation or all be in school, etc.), generally they'll be close and involved in eachother's lives, but then they'll all most likely be in college at the same time (if you're planning on supporting your children in college).
Then, having kiddos four year or more apart means you'll have kids in diapers for-ev-er, kids who aren't as interested in hanging out with their siblings, major changes with a kiddo who's used to being the only child, but you might have a kiddo who can be a good helper for a new baby, and you have lots of time to enjoy your first child before having a second.
And, having a kiddos spaced right around three years gives you a little bit of both worlds.
Of course what works best, spacing-wise, for one child's personality won't be best for the next one. So how do you know?
I guess we're leaning towards three year spacing, but of course, we don't even know where we'll be in the 2-ish years we have to decide we're ready for numba two.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Baby Watch is OVER!!
CLJ and JPJ welcomed son ACJ into the world at about 2:15 this afternoon! Congratulations to the J family! God bless all THREE of you! I haven't seen him yet, but I heard he has tons of dark hair just like miss MVJ had when she was born! CLJ and JPJ went in to the hospital at 3am, so I'm TRYING my best to wait and let them rest/get acquainted/celebrate their new family. Darn it's hard! I just want to snuggle that new baby... even for five minutes! : )
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Baby Watch!
My good friend CLJ is due TODAY! Yesterday was her brother's wedding. Boo for the timing, but congratulations to A and JA! : ) C's hubby JPJ went to the wedding, along with her mom of course (her top two birthing coaches), so I was priveledged to be able to hang out with her for the day just in case little Mr. J decided to make his appearance. What do women do the day before their due date? I can't answer that personally, but for CLJ, it was BAKE! Yay! The house is cleaned from when her Mom was here the week before... baby boy J's room is totally set up and just waiting for its owner... she did a bunch of cooking with her Mom (chili, chicken and rice, etc)... her thank you notes are in the mail... yup -- it sounded like baking was definitely the thing to do!
We baked and decorated over 100 cookies so she can be all ready to celebrate this new little guy! (Ooh, and check out her new mixer! So fun!) Little miss MVJ was pretty good... but did need some attention of course and we also took a supper break (mmmm.... Blue Moose!), but this is basically what we did all evening! Towards the end, I started running out of ideas and made a few that I wasn't exactly happy with. So... I ended up taking one for the team and being a super duper taste tester. . . and the result? Delish! You can see the two hearts at the bottom right -- those were our taster cookies -- I didn't like the way my heart (the bottom one) turned out and CLJ knew she was ready to try one so she made hers say "EAT ME!"
So now even the cookies are baked! C'mon little J! Mommy and Daddy (and a ton of other family and friends) are ready to meet you!!
We baked and decorated over 100 cookies so she can be all ready to celebrate this new little guy! (Ooh, and check out her new mixer! So fun!) Little miss MVJ was pretty good... but did need some attention of course and we also took a supper break (mmmm.... Blue Moose!), but this is basically what we did all evening! Towards the end, I started running out of ideas and made a few that I wasn't exactly happy with. So... I ended up taking one for the team and being a super duper taste tester. . . and the result? Delish! You can see the two hearts at the bottom right -- those were our taster cookies -- I didn't like the way my heart (the bottom one) turned out and CLJ knew she was ready to try one so she made hers say "EAT ME!"
So now even the cookies are baked! C'mon little J! Mommy and Daddy (and a ton of other family and friends) are ready to meet you!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
New Standard of Clean
As a Mommy of a relatively new baby, I've found that I have a new standard of clean. Basically, if I don't smell, I'm good. I guess I'd rather not have poo smeared on me either. It's so true that MVJ is sure to be dressed to the 9's and it's extraspecial if I've showered!
The other day I was holding MVJ and suddenly, sniff, sniff, I realized she stunk! Oh man, I don't want her to be the smelly kid in class, so I checked her out more closely. She didn't appear dirty and hadn't recently spit up. I went to wash her face, when I realized it wasn't her. It was me! I had old spit-up on my shoulder and smelled like sour milkies. Oh man, any bets on how soon into starting back at work I'll show up with a burp rag or spit running down my shoulder??
The other day I was holding MVJ and suddenly, sniff, sniff, I realized she stunk! Oh man, I don't want her to be the smelly kid in class, so I checked her out more closely. She didn't appear dirty and hadn't recently spit up. I went to wash her face, when I realized it wasn't her. It was me! I had old spit-up on my shoulder and smelled like sour milkies. Oh man, any bets on how soon into starting back at work I'll show up with a burp rag or spit running down my shoulder??
Monday, May 11, 2009
Happy Mommies' Day
My first Mother's Day! Wow! It is neat to have joined the ranks of motherhood. I feel unworthy and so blessed. MVJ woke up for good around 8 am and I gave her a speech about being nice to Mommy. She just smiled and smiled. It was the perfect present from her! JJ gave me the necklace I've wanted since I saw it. While JJ is an awesome hubby, don't get the wrong impression ladies... I did send him the link to the exact necklace I wanted! Then at Church I just cried when Pastor P described the transformation his wife had becoming a mother. It just brought back happy memories. Then, they honored the oldest Mom (a sassy little thing!) and the newest Mom (who would've been me, but I suddenly got the shysies) and a special Mom who is a foster Mom and single parent.
Then we got ready to head to the park for our first big grill out of the summer! YAY! We surprised AO (what cool initials!) with a bday party bash -- hubby BO (oh dear... not the coolest initials) and I schemed for a while. AO was mad --- [we're going to the park? To meet JJ and EJ? No. EJ didn't call me. She would've called me. Well, she called me at work. No she didn't.] : ) Oh yes, yes I did. YAY for surprises! We got to meet BO's sister AO (who had just graduated from UND Law School!) and hang out with lots of good friends! Even the C's randomly stopped by!! IC is getting so big! What a little cutie! She had to check out all the babies and then they were off to scope out the dog park to see if it's ready for their li'l guy. Yeah... their little GREAT DANE. Yipes! : )
I didn't even need to hit up the free stuff at TCBY or Dairy Queen!! Can you believe it? It was that great of a day.
Then we got ready to head to the park for our first big grill out of the summer! YAY! We surprised AO (what cool initials!) with a bday party bash -- hubby BO (oh dear... not the coolest initials) and I schemed for a while. AO was mad --- [we're going to the park? To meet JJ and EJ? No. EJ didn't call me. She would've called me. Well, she called me at work. No she didn't.] : ) Oh yes, yes I did. YAY for surprises! We got to meet BO's sister AO (who had just graduated from UND Law School!) and hang out with lots of good friends! Even the C's randomly stopped by!! IC is getting so big! What a little cutie! She had to check out all the babies and then they were off to scope out the dog park to see if it's ready for their li'l guy. Yeah... their little GREAT DANE. Yipes! : )
I didn't even need to hit up the free stuff at TCBY or Dairy Queen!! Can you believe it? It was that great of a day.
Monday, March 16, 2009
One-handed Wonder
One thing I didn't realize would change after having a child is my ambidexterity. I have done so many things one handed, and not always with my dominant (right) hand... Who knew that I actually can brush my teeth with my left hand if I have to?? What about that one-handed ponytail? Or the banana bread made mostly only using one hand? Miss M is really a good baby... she just really enjoys being held... and her parents really enjoy holding her!! We've realized that the "training" we're doing is on ourselves right now. We don't necessarily have to teach her to sleep on her own, for example, we just have to put her in her bed as opposed to carrying her sleeping lump around.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Identity Crisis?
When I was growing up, I was often referred to as "W's sister", especially at hockey rinks and such. At family reunions it would be "MW's granddaughter" or "EK/WK's daughter" or "FK's granddaughter", etc. Later, in the J family, I became "JJ's wife". Or when we moved to WC, I was "B and C's daughter-in-law". Now, I have quickly jumped into the role of "MVJ's Mom".
I do have another identity these days: Suzie Homemaker! I have been cooking up a storm and loving it. I'm not the best chef by any means, but I've enjoyed trying some old favorites and some new ones. I grocery shop every Tuesday, so I plan out my meals for the week and make sure we have the ingredients we need. If I were an accomplished cook like JJ, I would know how to substitute or plan meals around what we already have. Consequently, so far I have ensured the jobs of many workers at our local grocery store! Every week I'm trying to do better and can gauge better how many leftover meals we will have. I've also been quite the baker. I baked banana bread, corn bread (with blueberries), toffee oatmeal cookies, peanut butter with kisses cookies, etc! And people ate them!
I do have another identity these days: Suzie Homemaker! I have been cooking up a storm and loving it. I'm not the best chef by any means, but I've enjoyed trying some old favorites and some new ones. I grocery shop every Tuesday, so I plan out my meals for the week and make sure we have the ingredients we need. If I were an accomplished cook like JJ, I would know how to substitute or plan meals around what we already have. Consequently, so far I have ensured the jobs of many workers at our local grocery store! Every week I'm trying to do better and can gauge better how many leftover meals we will have. I've also been quite the baker. I baked banana bread, corn bread (with blueberries), toffee oatmeal cookies, peanut butter with kisses cookies, etc! And people ate them!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
It's her world... I'm just living in it!
When I think about myself or my life right now, I absolutely can't separate myself from my daughter. It seems like I don't have a life outside of her. This is not a negative in my opinion! I am so blessed to have this little thing that is absolutely dependent on her father and me. Her new thing the last couple of nights is to be WIDE awake at about 10 pm at night. Ready for action. Not in any way ready for sleep! Her bassinet is right next to our bed, so we know when she's ready for sleep and when she's not! Living in an apartment, we are probably much quicker to respond than we would be if we lived in our own space. (SIL LJ had a good idea -- we could bring treats and earplugs to our neighbors!) Last night MVJ just wailed and wailed for quite a while (it seemed like FOREVER, but really all out wailing probably only lasted about 20 minutes). She's just such a good natured baby generally that it caught us off guard. At times I even find myself scolding her and then have to remind myself that she's four weeks old... maybe I should cut her some slack! When do babies get into a routine? When do Mommies lose the blur from not getting a full eight hours of sleep in one whole shot? I'm just so glad that I have quite a bit of time off from work because I don't NEED to accomplish anything right night besides caring for my lovebugs.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Schedule Changes...
I'm learning that things don't happen on my timeline anymore. Like, for example, we had company this weekend (woohoo!!). JJ's bros CPJ and BJ came up yesterday and sis LC and nieces MH and KC came up this afternoon. I swear I will be up all night because MVJ has been so content just sleeping away while auntie, cousins and uncles played pass the baby. So anyways, my to-do list for the week, among other things, included general cleaning and organizing, meal planning, meal cooking, dishes, etc. You know, the norm for guests. This would normally take an afternoon, right? Especially in our little apartment. But now, oh no! NOW we go by miss MVJ's schedule. Which means I have only small chunks of TWO handed time. Just to finish everything up I was glad the uncles were here so I could do the dishses and put the finishing touches on lunch.
Monday, February 16, 2009
THE BIG BIRTH STORY! - Part 3: Post-delivery Details!
When MVJ was barely 2 hours old, she was already breastfeeding! She was amazing! She had been cleaned up but not given a bath yet. Her dark, dark hair was all matted. Their only concern with her was she was having trouble keeping her temperature. She got under the warmer a few times and loved the fuzzy swaddle wrap they gave her. I just keep going back to the saying that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I was having some trouble, but Miss MVJ came out ready to go! The lactation consultant asked if MVJ would go teach the 8-pounder next door who was having trouble.
JJ stayed with us at the hospital on a cot and I got good rest in between breastfeeding sessions. The nurses brought MVJ to us about every three hours that night and then brought her back to the nursery so we could sleep. I was in I would say pretty normal pain - cramping and sore. I had a catheter because there was no way I was getting up quite yet. That may be an embarrassing detail for some people, but seriously, after being so sick and having to drag myself out of bed it was a welcome relief!
Tuesday
They drew my blood right away again the next morning and my hemoglobin was around 8.5 and platelets were 41,000, so while still a concern they had at least started moving in the positive direction.
I called my work because they expected me to be in as usual. It was a weird sort of conversation and I still didn't really know how sick I had been/still was. I think I said something like, "You know how I went home yesterday? Well, it turns out I was in labor!"
I called my work because they expected me to be in as usual. It was a weird sort of conversation and I still didn't really know how sick I had been/still was. I think I said something like, "You know how I went home yesterday? Well, it turns out I was in labor!"
My Mom and Dad brought us coffee (for JJ) and scones. I gobbled one up. It was amazing to feel hungry and be able to eat again! It had seriously been about two weeks since that had happened. Poor JJ had the worst week school-wise. He had four big tests, so was unable to just sit and enjoy his new baby as much as he would've liked to I think. He was also worried about his wife. Oh, yeah, and had just started his new job. So, he was in and out quite a bit.
Throughout Tuesday I was still on magnesium. Apparently once a person is put on magnesium, it has to go for 24-hours. The "mag." made me so nauseous and dizzy at times and there was nothing really that could be done about it. I had a few phone calls and honestly don't remember a whole lot about the conversations. BB, our upstairs neighbor, had an appointment (she's due in April) so bopped in for a bit and got to hold our new little bundle! Also, CLJ stopped in just to hand off a present and give some well-wishes. I loved knowing that people were thinking about us, but were kind enough to let me rest.
I was hungry again for lunch but so dizzy the hospital menu just wasn't working for me. My parents were out and about and brought me my favorite Subway sandwhich, or so we thought. After a few bites I got concerned that the turkey or bread or something was mushy. Yeah, turns out it was tuna! I HATE fish - really have never been able to stomach it - but this sub was the best sub I'd had in a long time! heehee... I guess I really was hungry! After lunch my friend MM, a labor and delivery nurse, stopped in to visit. She even got MVJ's hand- and footprints on paper for me to scrapbook! So sweet! Around that time I had a complete dizzy-spell. I couldn't even open my eyes and of course Miss MVJ was hungry. MM was my angel and basically took over the breastfeeding for me because I couldn't even hold MVJ in the right position. This whole pregnancy and delivery thing has made me a lot less self-conscious! Especially since, hey, my girl needed to eat!
The doctors agreed to lower my dose of mag. and it seemed to help. They said just to be on the safe side I would be on it until Wednesday morning because they didn't want me coming off of it at night. A friend from work, JA, stopped in that evening and brought MVJ a super-soft puppy and balloon. After that the nurse said that everyone had to leave. I needed rest. About five minutes after my parents were out the door, I had a major throw-up spell. I completely filled the puke bag and overflowed it. It was disgusting. Also, it hurt my bottom so bad to be heaving so much. It was hard to even clean me up since I still wasn't into moving and my nurse (A) was so kind. After I got cleaned up, the order came back that I was to go off the mag. that night at 11:00 pm, roughly 27 hours after I had been put on it. The relief was absolutely immediate. It was amazing! JJ wasn't able to stay that night because of major tests the next day, but I just remember looking forward to feedings when MVJ would come in and I would just enjoy her and take in all her little features. I felt I wasn't able to do that before that night.
Wednesday
Through the night I was drawn a few times and Wednesday morning the doctor came in to tell me that my hemoglobin was 6.6 and my platelets were 50,000. He said they needed to give me a blood transfusion. I called JJ at home crying and told him the latest news. He said it would be ok and that he'd be there as soon as he could after his test. My Mom worked at a blood center and I felt completely overwhelmed to make a decision about that before talking to her. My parents and brother got to the hospital and I shared that my platelet count was up. My Mom said, "Well, that's good news!" And then I said, "But they want to do a blood transfusion and I said I couldn't do it until I talked to you guys." Then I cried and cried! It just seemed like there was no end to this whole ordeal! My Mom calmed me down and said, "That's not such a bad thing." We called the nurse (L) in to tell her I was ready and literally about 15 minutes later they were pumping me full of a generous donor's O- blood. It was a weird feeling - I always thought I couldn't donate plasma because of how it would feel for stuff to go back in, but it didn't bother me like I thought it would. Of course, I'll always be a whole-blood donor because of the benefits to so many people. (And because now I have been someone who has needed it!) My parents had planned on leaving earlier that day, but postponed their trip until they knew everything was looking better. JJ was able to do a lab later in the week after talking to his professor, so joined us at the hospital around 11:00. The roads weren't looking so good, so knowing that JJ would be with me, my family left then. It took them quite a bit longer to get home, but they made it safely!
After the transfusion, I finally can say I was on the road to recovery. I got a sponge bath and a new bed and felt like a new woman!
Thursday
Thursday brought my first time out of bed! Woohoo! It was a bit scary at first, but it felt great to be up and moving. This also meant my catheter came out, which was a good thing.
Thursday Miss MVJ had to pass the first test of her life. She had to pass the carseat tolerance test. We brought in our carseat and it was deemed too old. Boohoo! Mommy just tried to get a good deal on teacher e-bay. So, out JJ went to buy a new one. They said it'd have to be a certain length for our little peanut. He brought it back and they hooked MVJ up to monitors to see if she would sit in it without getting too traumatized. She did not pass the test! The seat was too big. JJ had to go back out and get one that was for even smaller babies. Phew, she finally passed the test and was officially discharged from the hospital on Thursday! Yay! My girl beat me!
Friday
Friday my blood counts were up, up, up. My platelets were 120,000 and my hemoglobin was 8.5. My hemoglobin is always a bit low, but this is still lower than my norm. I was told all about high iron foods and told to get at least 18 grams of iron a day. I've been taking a supplement to aid in this. Friday at 10 am I was officially discharged from the hospital and bawled on my way out. First of all, I had spent a whole week here and got to know a lot of great nurses. Second, I was emotially drained. My body had been through a lot in the last few weeks! Third, this was a huge moment! We were walking out of the hospital as parents!! Everything became a first. MVJ's first walk in her carseat, her first elevator ride, her first car ride, her first look at our apartment. You get the picture. It was so nice to be home and great to be feeling better.
I had quite an ordeal and am so glad that I didn't know more about what was happening to me at the time! I am so thankful to everyone who was praying for me and MVJ. God is good!
Thursday
Thursday brought my first time out of bed! Woohoo! It was a bit scary at first, but it felt great to be up and moving. This also meant my catheter came out, which was a good thing.
Thursday Miss MVJ had to pass the first test of her life. She had to pass the carseat tolerance test. We brought in our carseat and it was deemed too old. Boohoo! Mommy just tried to get a good deal on teacher e-bay. So, out JJ went to buy a new one. They said it'd have to be a certain length for our little peanut. He brought it back and they hooked MVJ up to monitors to see if she would sit in it without getting too traumatized. She did not pass the test! The seat was too big. JJ had to go back out and get one that was for even smaller babies. Phew, she finally passed the test and was officially discharged from the hospital on Thursday! Yay! My girl beat me!
Friday
Friday my blood counts were up, up, up. My platelets were 120,000 and my hemoglobin was 8.5. My hemoglobin is always a bit low, but this is still lower than my norm. I was told all about high iron foods and told to get at least 18 grams of iron a day. I've been taking a supplement to aid in this. Friday at 10 am I was officially discharged from the hospital and bawled on my way out. First of all, I had spent a whole week here and got to know a lot of great nurses. Second, I was emotially drained. My body had been through a lot in the last few weeks! Third, this was a huge moment! We were walking out of the hospital as parents!! Everything became a first. MVJ's first walk in her carseat, her first elevator ride, her first car ride, her first look at our apartment. You get the picture. It was so nice to be home and great to be feeling better.
I had quite an ordeal and am so glad that I didn't know more about what was happening to me at the time! I am so thankful to everyone who was praying for me and MVJ. God is good!
THE BIG BIRTH STORY! - Part 2: Labor and Delivery!
Alternate Title: D-Day (Delivery Day), it really was a surprise attack!
We got in the car and realized we had no idea what we were doing! We were signed up for all of our classes in the next couple of weeks -- the carseat class, the childbirth class, the breastfeeding class, the tour, the paperwork, etc! We had no idea where we were going and I had the brilliant idea to think about where we had our ultrasound. Nope, not the right place. Then I remembered visiting a friend when she had her baby, and we headed for the right door. JJ dropped me off and I went to this area that said to check in. The lady was a little confused and then I realized I was trying to check into the heart and lung part of the hospital. At that time JJ had come in from parking the car and we found our way to the right area. BUT, then because of security stuff with the nursery, we didn't know how to get into the OB area. A lady was visiting her daughter and helped us get in. We started wandering around and a nurse said, "EJ? You're in here. Is that your chart?" They were expecting us.
We got in the car and realized we had no idea what we were doing! We were signed up for all of our classes in the next couple of weeks -- the carseat class, the childbirth class, the breastfeeding class, the tour, the paperwork, etc! We had no idea where we were going and I had the brilliant idea to think about where we had our ultrasound. Nope, not the right place. Then I remembered visiting a friend when she had her baby, and we headed for the right door. JJ dropped me off and I went to this area that said to check in. The lady was a little confused and then I realized I was trying to check into the heart and lung part of the hospital. At that time JJ had come in from parking the car and we found our way to the right area. BUT, then because of security stuff with the nursery, we didn't know how to get into the OB area. A lady was visiting her daughter and helped us get in. We started wandering around and a nurse said, "EJ? You're in here. Is that your chart?" They were expecting us.
I got into my gown... backwards first... oops... so much for privacy for the rest of my stay! heehee The nurse (K) got my vitals -- blood pressure looked good, good pulse, good temp. Then she tried to start the IV line. My left arm had just been poked at the clinic, and the rest of my veins were just shot. She tried my left hand. Then she called in another nurse (J). She tried to warm up my arm with a heated blanket. Then she tried kind of wrist area on my left hand. Nope. They called in another nurse. This gal brought in wet heat and tried my right arm and hand. Nothing. The next gal didn't like wet heat, so they dried me off and brought in a heat pack. This lady got me in the right wrist. Phew!! Now I was already starting to get black and blue on my left side. They started a saline drip right away and started talking about tests that needed to be done and the prep for a c-section. One asked me if I had been checked at the clinic for dilation. I said no. They couldn't believe it and said that should happen before anything. Then the doctors started coming.
First, the doctor I had been seeing all along, Dr. L came in. She was quite concerned and introduced me to the family practice doc for the night, Dr. G. Dr. L checked me and surprise of surprise! I was dilated and effaced! Woah! I had started labor on my own! The c-section idea went out the window quickly. I was 80% dilated and effaced 3 cm. They couldn't believe I hadn't felt contractions. I just really maintained that I may have I just didn't know what they were to know if I was having them or not! I had definitely had Braxton-Hicks, but maybe they were the real deal after all. A ultrasound tech. came in and checked out the baby. Baby Girl J was head down and ready to go. Every part of her looked great and then they moved to mommy. My liver was enlarged, but within normal limits (although the ultrasound guy said in every other place he had worked, it would've been considered big especially considering my size). He also noted some "stuff" in my gall bladder.
I asked the nurse for some pain meds because I just did NOT feel good. She said she would go check on that. I said I had some tylenol in my purse if I could just take them. She said she'd get me some water. Foreshadowing: This was the first of my many requests that seemed like I'd be able to have, but that were shot down. She came back and said I couldn't have water right now. She said she'd check on pain meds via my IV. She came back saying they would be giving me morphine. And then came back again saying, no I guess that won't be happening either. One thing JJ remembers is that after every request I kept saying, "Thank you." I can't have water? Ok, thanks anyways. No, no morphine? Thanks for checking. People kept saying I was the most polite patient.
They hooked me and baby's heartbeat up to the monitor. They could see contractions and I was like, oh, so those pains? They are contractions? Got it... I loved being able to see them come and go. The nurses had to give me a crash course in labor because of the whole no classes thing again. Nurse R's shift came on, poor thing, because she had to deal with me the rest of the labor. She taught me how to breathe through them and I found that counting through them was fabulous. When I got to usually around 7, I knew they were coming back down and the pain would end soon. When they started coming with fervor, I would raise my hand and grunt. JJ would be at my side, holding my hand, and breathing with me. He was just amazing. I can't begin to describe how awesome he did and how he worked right there with me.
At 7:00 pm they broke my water. That was a weird deal. My doctor tried and said she couldn't get it. But I felt trickles, so I thought she had gotten it. Dr. G came in next and broke it. Yup, definitely could feel the difference! A GUSH came forth and with that, we were off! They kept checking me and gradually it was going up, but I felt disappointment with every number. I just felt like I was progressing quicker than they kept saying. 3 cm - 3 1/2 cm - 3 1/2 cm - 4 cm
So then they started me on magnesium because of the HELLP syndrome. OMW. Magnesium is like the worst ever. The nurses were like yeah, this stuff sucks. Sorry. I tried to talk them out of giving it to me (without success). heehee So, immediately when it went in I felt hot all over and dizzy and yucky. Oh, and I was in active labor. Yay! They gave me pitocin next (at about 8pm) to keep things going. I continued to progress steadily and the contractions became pretty intense. I asked for drugs I don't know how often. Can I have an epidural? Did you know I did in fact want an epidural? I just wanted to make sure you knew that I am on board for an epidural. Nope. Nothing. They decided to give me stadol. It did NOTHING. I just continued to feel the effects of the magnesium and my intense contractions.
They checked me and were amazed to find out I was progressing quite quickly. I think my next check was like 7cm. It starts getting fuzzy here because I was in such pain. I basically had my eyes closed from 8:30pm until it was over. I didn't know about the rush around me or who was where. Dr. A, the OB, seemed to get cranky that the stadol wasn't given to me again. Dr. L said something like, Oh, it can be given more than once? Dr. A said this should be an every hour thing! (or something like that...)
The second shot of stadol was apparently all I needed. Phew! If you went to the link above, (this one), you saw that stadol is an opioid. Yes, yes it is. Just believe me on that one. I was scared at the affects. Basically, I was at a carnival-type place. Sometimes I was on rides, zipping around at dizzying speeds with weird patterns of black checks as the walls of the rides that made me so lightheaded. Sometimes I was walking around to different booths. I clearly remember a few of the booths were "contractions". I decided to bypass them. JJ says that there were definitely times that contractions were on the monitor, but I didn't even breathe heavily through them. Then it came to the point that I HAD to stop at the contractions ride. I got on and got lightheaded and started not being able to breathe through the contractions (in real life). I was slightly hyperventalating at the end. Then I became aware that there was lots of commotion. Someone said something like, it's ok, you keep going, we'll catch up to you! One nurse said there wasn't time to get a tech. to set things up. All of a sudden, the stirrups were out and my bed was dropping below my legs. At one point my parents and brother got there. I heard my mom introduce herself at the door and someone asked if they could come in. I was so confused and couldn't focus, so they went next door to wait.
Again. No idea what to do. Nurse R told me about feeling the need to "bear down". I totally felt it and Dr. A said, "She's going!" R told me about holding my breath like I was going underwater. It took a contraction or two to figure out what the heck she was talking about. It seems so clear and easy now, but it was all confusing then!! They said to push through the contractions and someone said, doesn't that feel good? I said, "Yes!" Being able to DO something with the contractions actually did feel very good. JJ said that with my first or second big push he could see the head. It was incredible! I pushed through maybe 5 contractions and, tada!! Baby Girl J was there!! I got her head out and forgot what else to do. I felt pain and couldn't figure out what was going on until someone said, we have the shoulder! Oh yeah! Rest of baby! Oops! I think I basically pushed out her head and her big toe and the rest she was just dragged out.
MVJ was born at 10:55 pm. She was 5 lbs. 15 1/2 oz and 19 inches long. She was PERFECT. They put her on my tummy and I just didn't even know what to do! I saw a big head of hair and perfect body and then they took her away.
Then a doctor said to push out the placenta. I was waiting for a contraction, and asked, "Oh. Now? I should just push?" It came out (JJ said it just looked like a big red jellyfish) and they took it away for lab testing. I couldn't understand why the doctors weren't backing away. Turns out I tore, so they were stitching me up. It took a while. I asked what was going on and Dr. A. said something like, "Sweetie, we're not happy with the amount of blood we have." I just layed there staring at my beautiful baby across the room. JJ was at my side, then at M's side, then across the hall telling my parents. They came in at about midnight, after I was all cleaned up and were just way too excited! My Mom said I looked as white as a sheet. She told me that the only thing she could see was my lips. Everything else blended into the sheets.
They hooked me and baby's heartbeat up to the monitor. They could see contractions and I was like, oh, so those pains? They are contractions? Got it... I loved being able to see them come and go. The nurses had to give me a crash course in labor because of the whole no classes thing again. Nurse R's shift came on, poor thing, because she had to deal with me the rest of the labor. She taught me how to breathe through them and I found that counting through them was fabulous. When I got to usually around 7, I knew they were coming back down and the pain would end soon. When they started coming with fervor, I would raise my hand and grunt. JJ would be at my side, holding my hand, and breathing with me. He was just amazing. I can't begin to describe how awesome he did and how he worked right there with me.
At 7:00 pm they broke my water. That was a weird deal. My doctor tried and said she couldn't get it. But I felt trickles, so I thought she had gotten it. Dr. G came in next and broke it. Yup, definitely could feel the difference! A GUSH came forth and with that, we were off! They kept checking me and gradually it was going up, but I felt disappointment with every number. I just felt like I was progressing quicker than they kept saying. 3 cm - 3 1/2 cm - 3 1/2 cm - 4 cm
So then they started me on magnesium because of the HELLP syndrome. OMW. Magnesium is like the worst ever. The nurses were like yeah, this stuff sucks. Sorry. I tried to talk them out of giving it to me (without success). heehee So, immediately when it went in I felt hot all over and dizzy and yucky. Oh, and I was in active labor. Yay! They gave me pitocin next (at about 8pm) to keep things going. I continued to progress steadily and the contractions became pretty intense. I asked for drugs I don't know how often. Can I have an epidural? Did you know I did in fact want an epidural? I just wanted to make sure you knew that I am on board for an epidural. Nope. Nothing. They decided to give me stadol. It did NOTHING. I just continued to feel the effects of the magnesium and my intense contractions.
They checked me and were amazed to find out I was progressing quite quickly. I think my next check was like 7cm. It starts getting fuzzy here because I was in such pain. I basically had my eyes closed from 8:30pm until it was over. I didn't know about the rush around me or who was where. Dr. A, the OB, seemed to get cranky that the stadol wasn't given to me again. Dr. L said something like, Oh, it can be given more than once? Dr. A said this should be an every hour thing! (or something like that...)
The second shot of stadol was apparently all I needed. Phew! If you went to the link above, (this one), you saw that stadol is an opioid. Yes, yes it is. Just believe me on that one. I was scared at the affects. Basically, I was at a carnival-type place. Sometimes I was on rides, zipping around at dizzying speeds with weird patterns of black checks as the walls of the rides that made me so lightheaded. Sometimes I was walking around to different booths. I clearly remember a few of the booths were "contractions". I decided to bypass them. JJ says that there were definitely times that contractions were on the monitor, but I didn't even breathe heavily through them. Then it came to the point that I HAD to stop at the contractions ride. I got on and got lightheaded and started not being able to breathe through the contractions (in real life). I was slightly hyperventalating at the end. Then I became aware that there was lots of commotion. Someone said something like, it's ok, you keep going, we'll catch up to you! One nurse said there wasn't time to get a tech. to set things up. All of a sudden, the stirrups were out and my bed was dropping below my legs. At one point my parents and brother got there. I heard my mom introduce herself at the door and someone asked if they could come in. I was so confused and couldn't focus, so they went next door to wait.
Again. No idea what to do. Nurse R told me about feeling the need to "bear down". I totally felt it and Dr. A said, "She's going!" R told me about holding my breath like I was going underwater. It took a contraction or two to figure out what the heck she was talking about. It seems so clear and easy now, but it was all confusing then!! They said to push through the contractions and someone said, doesn't that feel good? I said, "Yes!" Being able to DO something with the contractions actually did feel very good. JJ said that with my first or second big push he could see the head. It was incredible! I pushed through maybe 5 contractions and, tada!! Baby Girl J was there!! I got her head out and forgot what else to do. I felt pain and couldn't figure out what was going on until someone said, we have the shoulder! Oh yeah! Rest of baby! Oops! I think I basically pushed out her head and her big toe and the rest she was just dragged out.
MVJ was born at 10:55 pm. She was 5 lbs. 15 1/2 oz and 19 inches long. She was PERFECT. They put her on my tummy and I just didn't even know what to do! I saw a big head of hair and perfect body and then they took her away.
Then a doctor said to push out the placenta. I was waiting for a contraction, and asked, "Oh. Now? I should just push?" It came out (JJ said it just looked like a big red jellyfish) and they took it away for lab testing. I couldn't understand why the doctors weren't backing away. Turns out I tore, so they were stitching me up. It took a while. I asked what was going on and Dr. A. said something like, "Sweetie, we're not happy with the amount of blood we have." I just layed there staring at my beautiful baby across the room. JJ was at my side, then at M's side, then across the hall telling my parents. They came in at about midnight, after I was all cleaned up and were just way too excited! My Mom said I looked as white as a sheet. She told me that the only thing she could see was my lips. Everything else blended into the sheets.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
THE BIG BIRTH STORY! - Part 1: Leading up to the Hospital
I have been meaning to sit down and write my "story" for some time now. Warning: this will be a lengthy post! This is a huge catharsis for me. I need to write it down and start processing! Feel free to skim! : )
Monday
So I had been sick for over a week now and just wasn't feeling 100% when I woke up, but not as bad as previous days. The weather was also very yucky -- lots of ice and dangerous road conditions. JJ and I decided it would be good if I stayed home for a bit to settle my stomach and give the roads time to get a bit cleared off. While at home, I started addressing thank-you notes and also called to see if I could get in to see my doctor earlier than my Wednesday appointment (my regular 36 week appointment). No dice on the appointment, so I went in to work around 9:30ish.
At work, I got settled in from being gone for the better part of the last week. We had team time (period 2 all teachers on our team meet to collaborate, schedule, organize, discuss student progress and concerns, etc.), and I just felt very uncomfortable. There happen to be two other pregnant ladies on my team and they said it was normal in the 9th month. They said walking around helped. So I started walking. It just didn't seem to help the burning. The teachers I would be in class with the next few periods said to just take it easy and get caught up in my room. They said they could handle things without me since I was feeling rough still. I should note here that the teachers I teach with are amazing. Our resident teacher, LH, especially has been a life-saver with just jumping right in to help in any way she can. I *hope* she can stick around our building as a sp.ed. teacher next year!
I went back to my room and called and confirmed an IEP I had scheduled for the next day and helped modify a math test our kiddos were getting the next day. I started writing an email to my principal about the things we had coming up that week since I had felt so unorganized from being gone the past week. In the middle of the email I felt sick. LH looked at me concerned as I headed out the door rather quickly. I got sick and called JJ to see if he could pick me up. I was worried about making it home with my tummy and the roads. As I waited in the office, I told my principal about just taking my anti-naseau medicine and everything. She sent me off with well-wishes to get better soon.
TB dropped JJ off (so kind of him!) so we would have our van with us at home. On the way home I got sick again and JJ said enough is enough. He was ready to take me right to the hospital. I said the hospital wouldn't have my records or anything, so we decided to try to get in at the clinic with ANYONE ASAP. The earliest appointment they had was 3:00, so JJ got me settled in at home. He started his job at Pracs (Cetero Research) as a phleb. at 3:00 so he got some homework done and cleaned up while I slept. I woke up at about 2:45 surprised I had clonked out so hard, ate a few noodles from the chicken noodle soup JJ made me, and drove to the clinic (about four blocks from our apt.).
Once there, they saw I was having a tough time and got me into a room right away (with a puke bag). I told them I had to go to the bathroom (I figured I'd have to pee in a cup anyways and wanted to get that over with). They said they didn't need any urine. A nurse took my vitals and then the doctor (a resident) came in. He was AWESOME. Definitely better than the guy I had the week before. He also said that with pregnant women who are having trouble, he always checks with a faculty member. The faculty person told him to get labs done right away, so they first took a CBC (complete blood count) and then hooked me up with a bag of saline to counteract the dehydration they thought it all stemmed from. The nurse commented that I was bleeding a lot when she stuck me.
The doctor came in. I will never forget this conversation. He leaned a bit uncomfortably against a wall while I layed (a bit in the fetal position) with the saline in my arm. He said, "Um... it looks like you're going to be delivering this baby early." In my head: A week or two early?? "Yeah, it looks like they may want to do a c-section tomorrow." TOMORROW?! "You should call your husband. The hospital is ready for you and will take over from here." What?! Hospital?! Today? He went on to tell me he suspected I had HELLP syndrome and that it affects the liver. He said my platelets were at 41,000 (that number didn't mean a whole lot to me, but "normal" is about 150,000) and I think my hemoglobin was around 8.5. My hemoglobin is always a bit low, so I wasn't too concerned.
Monday
So I had been sick for over a week now and just wasn't feeling 100% when I woke up, but not as bad as previous days. The weather was also very yucky -- lots of ice and dangerous road conditions. JJ and I decided it would be good if I stayed home for a bit to settle my stomach and give the roads time to get a bit cleared off. While at home, I started addressing thank-you notes and also called to see if I could get in to see my doctor earlier than my Wednesday appointment (my regular 36 week appointment). No dice on the appointment, so I went in to work around 9:30ish.
At work, I got settled in from being gone for the better part of the last week. We had team time (period 2 all teachers on our team meet to collaborate, schedule, organize, discuss student progress and concerns, etc.), and I just felt very uncomfortable. There happen to be two other pregnant ladies on my team and they said it was normal in the 9th month. They said walking around helped. So I started walking. It just didn't seem to help the burning. The teachers I would be in class with the next few periods said to just take it easy and get caught up in my room. They said they could handle things without me since I was feeling rough still. I should note here that the teachers I teach with are amazing. Our resident teacher, LH, especially has been a life-saver with just jumping right in to help in any way she can. I *hope* she can stick around our building as a sp.ed. teacher next year!
I went back to my room and called and confirmed an IEP I had scheduled for the next day and helped modify a math test our kiddos were getting the next day. I started writing an email to my principal about the things we had coming up that week since I had felt so unorganized from being gone the past week. In the middle of the email I felt sick. LH looked at me concerned as I headed out the door rather quickly. I got sick and called JJ to see if he could pick me up. I was worried about making it home with my tummy and the roads. As I waited in the office, I told my principal about just taking my anti-naseau medicine and everything. She sent me off with well-wishes to get better soon.
TB dropped JJ off (so kind of him!) so we would have our van with us at home. On the way home I got sick again and JJ said enough is enough. He was ready to take me right to the hospital. I said the hospital wouldn't have my records or anything, so we decided to try to get in at the clinic with ANYONE ASAP. The earliest appointment they had was 3:00, so JJ got me settled in at home. He started his job at Pracs (Cetero Research) as a phleb. at 3:00 so he got some homework done and cleaned up while I slept. I woke up at about 2:45 surprised I had clonked out so hard, ate a few noodles from the chicken noodle soup JJ made me, and drove to the clinic (about four blocks from our apt.).
Once there, they saw I was having a tough time and got me into a room right away (with a puke bag). I told them I had to go to the bathroom (I figured I'd have to pee in a cup anyways and wanted to get that over with). They said they didn't need any urine. A nurse took my vitals and then the doctor (a resident) came in. He was AWESOME. Definitely better than the guy I had the week before. He also said that with pregnant women who are having trouble, he always checks with a faculty member. The faculty person told him to get labs done right away, so they first took a CBC (complete blood count) and then hooked me up with a bag of saline to counteract the dehydration they thought it all stemmed from. The nurse commented that I was bleeding a lot when she stuck me.
The doctor came in. I will never forget this conversation. He leaned a bit uncomfortably against a wall while I layed (a bit in the fetal position) with the saline in my arm. He said, "Um... it looks like you're going to be delivering this baby early." In my head: A week or two early?? "Yeah, it looks like they may want to do a c-section tomorrow." TOMORROW?! "You should call your husband. The hospital is ready for you and will take over from here." What?! Hospital?! Today? He went on to tell me he suspected I had HELLP syndrome and that it affects the liver. He said my platelets were at 41,000 (that number didn't mean a whole lot to me, but "normal" is about 150,000) and I think my hemoglobin was around 8.5. My hemoglobin is always a bit low, so I wasn't too concerned.
JJ had just completed his very first hour of work when I called his cellphone. I knew he wouldn't answer, but thought I'd try. Next I called our upstairs neighbor, TB, because he also works at Cetero and thought he might know how to get ahold of JJ. He didn't answer so I called BB and quickly explained things to her. It was so crazy that she had diagnosed me a week ago!! When I was so sick, she did some research online and came up with this liver thing that can happen in the last month of pregnancy. She couldn't believe it and asked if I was ok. I was crying at this point and just said that I was emotionally drained and needed to get ahold of JJ. TB was next to her and called the boss at Cetero right away. BB called me back to tell me that JJ would be calling shortly. JJ called and I think I said something like this, "I'm.sorry.for.calling.you.at.work.but.they.are.going.to.take.the.baby.tonight.or.tomorrow." He was shocked to say the least and said he'd call me back. He explained what happened to his boss and came straight to the clinic. They let the rest of the saline run through me, took the needle out, and asked if my husband was there. I said I had no idea, and I heard a nurse yell into the waiting room, "JJ!?" He was right there and she handed him my chart and even the receptionists were saying, "Good luck!" I guess word travels fast!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
What kind of baby will we have??
Before I was pregnant, I would eat a lot of something and tease that I had a [insert particular food I'd just eaten] baby in my belly. I.e. I have a sweet and sour chicken baby in my belly! Now I obviously have a real, human baby in my belly -- and she likes to remind us she's in there with a kick, kick, punch, twirl, twirl routine -- but my eating habits haven't altogether changed. For example, JJ is concerned we will have a mac and cheese baby. I could eat mac and cheese every meal for a week I think. I've tried to do the whole wheat mac and cheese now at least, but I know this is not the most healthy option for me. Thank goodness for that prenatal vitamin, I tell you what! Oh! And we finally got around to watching "Baby Mama" -- I really enjoyed it! I'm so thankful my prenatal vitamins are about half the size of the ones used in the film!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Ultrasound... the second...
So I went in today for our second ultrasound. The baby wasn't turning/cooperating the first time to get a good picture of the heart, thus a second one was scheduled. I've heard the heart docs where we live are superpicky and it is very common for them to request second ultrasounds. I was like, whatever, I g-u-e-s-s I'll come in and look at my beautiful baby again! : ) I get there (JJ has a crizazy week and couldn't attend this one) and she just does a few swoops to see where my girl's at. She verifies we are in fact expecting a girl. She takes a few profile shots; BGJ (Baby Girl J) is just hamming it up. She grabs her toes, waves, flutters about. Then on to the heart. BGJ is not having any of it. At one point she even put her hand to her face in a woe is me sort of way. Little stinker! I could see the heart fine. It looked just great to me... beating... four chambers... heart rate 150... the lady is not quite satisfied. She goes to look for backup. BGJ actually kicks the backup several tmes! I was like... uh... sorry about that. heehee Second ultrasoundist (??) or ultrasound tech takes a few shots but not without some struggle. I am on my left, then back to my back, then on my right side, then back. BGJ starts to turn and tech tries to encourage her, but to no avail. I guess I need to start reading the books on raising a stubborn child! The first lady comes back and says to not be surprised if they want me to come back. again.
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