Again. I had solid intentions of blogging on a regular basis to track her growth and share it with all of you - more so, Lucy, one day when she was interested.
Turns out, motherhood/parenthood is still insane.
Awhile ago she turned over a couple of times but it didn't seem to stick so at 5 months and 1 week, we are still waiting for it to become a regular thing. We try very hard to entice her to roll over by setting out all of her favorite toys and books just out of her reach. She's nearly there but needs to figure out that she just needs to shift her shoulder a bit OR get a little more momentum. In fact, as I type this - she just rolled over to get her stacking blocks (September 1st).
We gave her a little rice cereal last week (August 24th) to see how she would like it. Rice has no nutritional value, really, so it's basically just a filler. But she definitely enjoyed the texture, grabbing the spoon and licking it off in her mouth until there was no more left.
We started daycare this past week and on the first day she drank 20 ounces. I about peed my pants. On the market, breastmilk goes for about $4/ounce. Therefore, by using simple mathematics, she drank $80 in milk on day one in less than 8 hours. I was beyond stressed....how was I going to be able to pump 20 ounces of breastmilk to support her while at daycare? Infants her age eat 24-30 ounces total in a 24 hour period. I have one prep period (45 minutes) and a 25 minute lunch. There was no way 20 ounces of milk was going to make it in 70 minutes. I quickly blew through my freezer stash I felt I worked hard for. Towards the end of the week, I had given the daycare provider a slower nipple for her bottle and with it only 3 - 5 ounce bottles. I told her to try to limit the feedings to those three bottles and to use the slower nipple. Well, when I came to pick her up - I had a bottle left! Only 10 ounces in an 8.5 hour day - WAY more normal!
We've suspected, for the last two months that she was working on teething. She was crankier than usual and drooling a lot. And then finally, just yesterday (August 31, 2014) a tooth finally poked through her gumline!
Daycare: Week one went okay. Apparently she's not a napper even there. She did sleep for 2 hours on Tuesday but the other days she maybe slept for 10 to 25 minutes (once in the morning and the other in the afternoon). Aside from her overeating, it was reported that she is quite happy when being held and is much better in the afternoon at keeping herself busy than in the morning.
She has super strong legs to which I'm not even sure if it's normal or not. But she can fully stand up and support her weight as long as we hold her up. She's our mini-derby queen!
As for me returning to work it's been a double edge sword. I LOVE the multi-tasking I am able to accomplish with two hands and one fully focused mind. Because I have a horrible schedule, I spend what is really the only time I have during the day to pump, wearing a graduation robe and pumping at a computer in an office full of windows. My office mates don't care. I don't care. I need to make food for my baby and that's more important than anything else.
This parenting gig is truly an amazing blessing full of unexpected surprises and nights of interrupted sleep. I wouldn't change it for the world!
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Life After Birth: parenthood punches me in the face.
I had these wonderful intentions of blogging about Lucy every week - not only to document her growth but to communicate with so many family and friends that don't get an opportunity to see her often.
As you can see, it's been more than 14 weeks since Lucy was born. Fourteen weeks and three days to be exact. I have a feeling this is what parenthood is going to be like for a long time, if not forever.
A daze.
A punch in the face.
A fight that couldn't be won.
For as great as labor was, the first few weeks were very difficult. Lucy was 8 pounds when she was born and lost a normal amount of weight in the hospital but at her 5 day check up, she lost more despite a 6 hour cluster feed the night before. She did end up sleeping for 5 straight hours that night. I'm sure the pediatrician thought I looked like I got hit by a truck but he didn't make a peep. I could barely bring myself to get out of bed because I was still in a sleep daze. He did, however, say that newborns should not be cluster feeding for 6 hours straight and then sleep for 5 hours sleep. He recommended we feed every 3 hours, even if it meant waking her up. She should be limited to only 15 minutes of feeding on each side and after that, if she was still hungry, to be supplemented with breastmilk or formula. He suggested we use a syringe to feed her. A syringe and a newborn do not go well together. In fact, it's like oil and water. Newborns can suck from a nipple but not from a plastic syringe very well. The doctor and nurse said it would be a good "daddy activity" but the way we saw it, we needed two people for the escapade. Our doctor didn't seem concern about her weight loss because she was strong and didn't know any signs of jaundice. He was already impressed with her neck strength. We went back two days later and she lost more weight. Now she was down to 7 pounds 5 ounces. They say your hormones are raging after the birth of a child and until that moment when we weighed her, I thought I had been doing well. I was teary-eyed and so bummed that my hard work wasn't paying off. He said to think of her weight gain like a game...sometimes it's just one point or two seconds that can make or break it. He, again, wasn't concerned about her but just thought she needed one more feed a day (4 oz). We were to feed her every two hours. If you aren't familiar with what that actually is, it means you start feeding every two hours regardless of how long it takes her to eat. So if you start at 9 am, you feed again at 11 am. We got rid of the syringe and gave her a bottle if she was still hungry.
After a handful of check-in appointments, she was back to birth weight at 4 weeks. It was a very long 4 weeks.
So many people have told us that when they bring their kid home they say "what do we do now?". Since we carted her off to the nursery while at the hospital, our first night together was not a pleasant one. She was NOT at all happy to be in the world - using her lungs to scream for what seemed to be an eternity! We tried having her sleep in the Moses basket, the bouncy seat, and even the changing pad we put in between us in bed. We didn't want to squish her. She did pretty well in her bouncy seat and if it got really bad we put her in the swing to let her calm down and fall to sleep. New babies and sleep are like golf rules - play it where it lies. Let them sleep where they are. I wish I would have known about the "rock and play sleeper" earlier because it was the contour of the swing but was taller and easier for a rehabilitating lady to pick up her child from in the middle of the night.
It was the wee hours of the morning and I was looking up books on how to console unhappy babies.
There were a few books listed and luckily one was carried at our local library. The next day Grant went to the library, read the book, and quietly became the SWADDLE KING and forever our lives were changed. CHANGED. We were able to swaddle her and she would instantly be calm.
So many people offer parenting advice and I don't have any to give other than saying swaddling worked AMAZING for us and it still does if she's being wicked.
What seemed to be an endless fog finally lifted after about 10 weeks. It was then we had a good ebb and flow to our day. We learned that baby girls can pee on you just as much as baby boys. We learned the newborns (or perhaps just ours) tooted a lot when pooping. And we learned, like clock work, when we changed a wet diaper it was no more than 5 minutes before she would dirty another diaper. We learned that we had such a wonderful support network who brought up delicious meals and visited with us in those early weeks. If you were one of those people, thank you for giving us the gift of nutrition and time (30-60 minutes of not prepping a meal means SLEEPING). In all honesty, I really thought I'd be making homemade pizza for us on a weekly basis after Lucy was born. To give you an idea of just how foggy or punched in the face by parenthood I felt, I did not make homemade pizza until last week....yes - 13 weeks later.
She hit her 4 week growth spurt as expected and fed for nearly two days straight. I didn't seem to notice a growth spurt at 8 or 12 weeks. A handful of weeks ago she started smiling. Last week (13) she rolled from her tummy to her back. She giggle one time this past week (13). Yesterday (June 29th) she really giggled. Like a lot.
One of our favorite things so far is the morning wake up time. Since Lucy is swaddled, we slowly open her blanket and she stretches her arms and legs so far it nearly doubles her length. She gives us the Jabba the Hutt face (multiple chins, squishy eyes) followed by the biggest smile. She loves bath time and has since I learned (after the very first bath) that the water could be warmer. I didn't want to burn her delicate skin! Turns out, babes like really warm water. She constantly folds her hands, as though she was born with good manners or a devilishly good scheming ability. By 13 weeks she was grasping at toys and rattles, now she firmly holds them in her hand. She isn't a fan of pacifier but will take one every once in awhile.
Every week that passed, I told G that I wasn't sure how people went back to work. And I'm still not sure and it's been 14 weeks. I never thought I'd be one to say this but if I could get paid to stay home (or just not have any school loans to repay), I'd stay home in a heart beat. I'm just so thankful of how perfect our timing was to have Lucy arrive where I could take extended maternity leave and not go back until fall.
I'm juggling a part-time at-home job I started in March. Yes, I started a new job the month our first child was born. Not the most ideal timing but that's how it shook out. I wanted something to keep me "busy" (HA!) and something to fill in the gap financially since I had to take my extended maternity time without pay despite the fact that I had enough sick time. Now that she has more of a schedule, it's MUCH easier to work part time. The first month or two - not so much. It felt nearly impossible to respond to emails because as soon as I opened my computer, she'd start crying.
She's a baby. I hear that's what they do - be fussy. and be cute.
As you can see, it's been more than 14 weeks since Lucy was born. Fourteen weeks and three days to be exact. I have a feeling this is what parenthood is going to be like for a long time, if not forever.
A daze.
A punch in the face.
A fight that couldn't be won.
For as great as labor was, the first few weeks were very difficult. Lucy was 8 pounds when she was born and lost a normal amount of weight in the hospital but at her 5 day check up, she lost more despite a 6 hour cluster feed the night before. She did end up sleeping for 5 straight hours that night. I'm sure the pediatrician thought I looked like I got hit by a truck but he didn't make a peep. I could barely bring myself to get out of bed because I was still in a sleep daze. He did, however, say that newborns should not be cluster feeding for 6 hours straight and then sleep for 5 hours sleep. He recommended we feed every 3 hours, even if it meant waking her up. She should be limited to only 15 minutes of feeding on each side and after that, if she was still hungry, to be supplemented with breastmilk or formula. He suggested we use a syringe to feed her. A syringe and a newborn do not go well together. In fact, it's like oil and water. Newborns can suck from a nipple but not from a plastic syringe very well. The doctor and nurse said it would be a good "daddy activity" but the way we saw it, we needed two people for the escapade. Our doctor didn't seem concern about her weight loss because she was strong and didn't know any signs of jaundice. He was already impressed with her neck strength. We went back two days later and she lost more weight. Now she was down to 7 pounds 5 ounces. They say your hormones are raging after the birth of a child and until that moment when we weighed her, I thought I had been doing well. I was teary-eyed and so bummed that my hard work wasn't paying off. He said to think of her weight gain like a game...sometimes it's just one point or two seconds that can make or break it. He, again, wasn't concerned about her but just thought she needed one more feed a day (4 oz). We were to feed her every two hours. If you aren't familiar with what that actually is, it means you start feeding every two hours regardless of how long it takes her to eat. So if you start at 9 am, you feed again at 11 am. We got rid of the syringe and gave her a bottle if she was still hungry.
After a handful of check-in appointments, she was back to birth weight at 4 weeks. It was a very long 4 weeks.
So many people have told us that when they bring their kid home they say "what do we do now?". Since we carted her off to the nursery while at the hospital, our first night together was not a pleasant one. She was NOT at all happy to be in the world - using her lungs to scream for what seemed to be an eternity! We tried having her sleep in the Moses basket, the bouncy seat, and even the changing pad we put in between us in bed. We didn't want to squish her. She did pretty well in her bouncy seat and if it got really bad we put her in the swing to let her calm down and fall to sleep. New babies and sleep are like golf rules - play it where it lies. Let them sleep where they are. I wish I would have known about the "rock and play sleeper" earlier because it was the contour of the swing but was taller and easier for a rehabilitating lady to pick up her child from in the middle of the night.
 |
| Daddy - the swaddle king |
There were a few books listed and luckily one was carried at our local library. The next day Grant went to the library, read the book, and quietly became the SWADDLE KING and forever our lives were changed. CHANGED. We were able to swaddle her and she would instantly be calm.
So many people offer parenting advice and I don't have any to give other than saying swaddling worked AMAZING for us and it still does if she's being wicked.
What seemed to be an endless fog finally lifted after about 10 weeks. It was then we had a good ebb and flow to our day. We learned that baby girls can pee on you just as much as baby boys. We learned the newborns (or perhaps just ours) tooted a lot when pooping. And we learned, like clock work, when we changed a wet diaper it was no more than 5 minutes before she would dirty another diaper. We learned that we had such a wonderful support network who brought up delicious meals and visited with us in those early weeks. If you were one of those people, thank you for giving us the gift of nutrition and time (30-60 minutes of not prepping a meal means SLEEPING). In all honesty, I really thought I'd be making homemade pizza for us on a weekly basis after Lucy was born. To give you an idea of just how foggy or punched in the face by parenthood I felt, I did not make homemade pizza until last week....yes - 13 weeks later.
She hit her 4 week growth spurt as expected and fed for nearly two days straight. I didn't seem to notice a growth spurt at 8 or 12 weeks. A handful of weeks ago she started smiling. Last week (13) she rolled from her tummy to her back. She giggle one time this past week (13). Yesterday (June 29th) she really giggled. Like a lot.
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| Lucy: 6 weeks old |
Every week that passed, I told G that I wasn't sure how people went back to work. And I'm still not sure and it's been 14 weeks. I never thought I'd be one to say this but if I could get paid to stay home (or just not have any school loans to repay), I'd stay home in a heart beat. I'm just so thankful of how perfect our timing was to have Lucy arrive where I could take extended maternity leave and not go back until fall.
I'm juggling a part-time at-home job I started in March. Yes, I started a new job the month our first child was born. Not the most ideal timing but that's how it shook out. I wanted something to keep me "busy" (HA!) and something to fill in the gap financially since I had to take my extended maternity time without pay despite the fact that I had enough sick time. Now that she has more of a schedule, it's MUCH easier to work part time. The first month or two - not so much. It felt nearly impossible to respond to emails because as soon as I opened my computer, she'd start crying.
She's a baby. I hear that's what they do - be fussy. and be cute.
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| Lucy: 1 week old |
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| Lucy & Daddy - 2 weeks old |
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| Lucy & Grandma Linda - 2 weeks old |
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| Lucy & Grandpa Jeff: 2 weeks old |
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| Lucy & Grandma and Grandpa Wilson: 2 weeks old |
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| Lucy 2 1/2 weeks old |
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| Uncle Eric: 3 weeks old |
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| Lucy: 1 month old |
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| Lucy: 1 month old |
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| Lucy: 5 weeks old |
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| First night out - Holly & Tommy's Fish Fry 5 weeks old |
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| Cocktail time with Grandma and Grandpa Wilson: 6 weeks old |
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| Lucy: 8 weeks old |
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| Lucy: 9 weeks |
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| Lucy: 9 weeks |
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| Lucy & Grandma Kris: 10 weeks old |
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| Lucy: 10 weeks |
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| 12 weeks |
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| Gopher Pride! |
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Life after Pregnancy
At the 40 week check-in appointment, I was already overdue 2 days. Eager to see if I had dilated more or if she dropped even lower, I looked forward to this appointment. Popeye could come at any time at that point. The doctor I saw that morning indicated that she thought my amniotic fluid was low because as she was feeling my abdomen, she thought it had gone down.
She brought up the topic of induction on the weekend to which I was caught off guard because one of the things I loved about the clinic was that they were slow to induce, slow to cut and slow to provide unnecessary medial interventions. One of my big goals for this pregnancy was to attempt to deliver Popeye without any medication. Pitocin, to me, was medication. Not pain medication, but medication none-the-less. In any case, when I told her I'd prefer to not be induced or to see if we could maybe wait until after the weekend, she said she'd be open to that option but wanted to schedule an ultrasound to check in on Popeye to see how she was doing. So we scheduled an ultrasound at the Edina office for the only time available - 8:15 am on Friday morning (3/21).
In the meantime, I went to the chiropractor to get an adjustment, acupuncture and an hour long massage. It was glorious and I should been smarter and did it earlier in pregnancy. My body felt like a million bucks after that trip so I scheduled another set of adjustments on Friday after the scheduled ultrasound.
Friday came way faster than I anticipated. Grant and I drove separately to the Edina office because my chiro appointment was immediately following the ultrasound. We went into the ultrasound and the technician told us what she would be looking for and describing what was on the screen. She told us that there was a total score of 8 points and for each of the 4 things she was looking at, she could earn up to 2 points. Who knew it was so much like a game?!?! In any case, she told us that she scored an 8/8. What a great little student we had in the womb already! Elated, we waited to see the LPN since our doctor had called in sick, certain she would tell us we could wait until next week to schedule an induction. Turns out - we were very wrong. When she walked in, she told us that Popeye was measuring in the 50th percentile for size and in the 5th percentile for torso diameter/circumference measurement. She then said, "so you are going to have a baby today!"
My response, "but she scored an 8/8!".
"Yes, that is true but the fluid level is so low we don't want to put her in distress. So, you need to go get your bags and go to the hospital. We will call them to let them know that you are on your way".
I was a flurry of emotions - excited, scared, and a bit disappointed that it wouldn't be a natural process. Plus, I had scheduled an adjustment and a massage right after Popeye's appointment so I was bummed I couldn't get one more massage before her arrival. We headed home, grabbed our bags, grabbed a sammich and headed to the hospital.
When we got to the Labor and Delivery floor we checked-in at the front desk, however, they didn't get a call indicating we were coming and were caught off guard. We sat in the waiting area until they realized that my clinic had called the Edina location and not Burnsville. They found us a nurse and a room. Apparently it had been a very busy morning on the floor with 4 babies born between 7 and 9 am. I had commented how surprisingly quiet it was on the floor. The nurse indicated that with so many people opting for epidurals nowadays, that it's often quiet on the floor.
Knowing that I had been horrible at taking side pics of my growing belly during pregnancy, I asked Grant to take one more pregnancy picture to capture me and Popeye at 40 weeks and 5 days.
The room was spacious and the bathroom a decent size. I mention the bathroom now because it will be pertinent later on in the birth story. We had a wall of windows in the room so it was nice to see the still-winter sky peeking in. We watched some NCAA basketball and some Law & Order - waiting for the doctor to arrive to break my water and start the Pitocin. I had asked if we could wait on the Pitocin to see if labor would happen naturally and the doctor said we could definitely do that but for most people, it doesn't start labor that quickly. Thinking that I didn't want to sit around for 2 hours in a hospital with no progress, I opted for the Pitocin.
The doctor broke my water around 11 am and soon after they started the Pitocin. The nurse and doctor said that many people think that being induced "hurts more" but in reality, it doesn't - it just happens much quicker than a natural labor where contractions may come way slower. I didn't notice anything immediately. Slight discomfort but nothing to write home about. In fact, it was around 2 pm when I think I said to Grant, "Oh, this must be how people with menstrual cramps feel - ick". The nurse checked me internally at that point and I was dilated to 3.5 cm. Not a huge gain for hanging out for a few hours but gain nonetheless. From that point, it seemed like the contractions were getting stronger. I tried sitting on the birthing ball, laying on my side, leaning on Grant. Nothing seemed super comfortable and I felt like I just had to go to the bathroom all the time. So, I did and I realized that sitting on the toilet was by far the most comfortable place my body felt.
The nurse would come in and check me every 20-30 minutes. She'd look at the paper print out of my contractions and say "keep up the good work - looking great!". We had no indication of how far apart the contractions were or how far I had dilated.
Poor Grant was set up on a chair in the shower of the bathroom. He was an awesome birthing coach and after every contraction, had ice cold water available for me to drink. He says it looked like it really hurt but I guess I was laboring through my face. I tried really hard to relax, think of water rushing up onto the shore and breathing deeply. Obviously as the contractions got stronger, the breathing was heavier and stronger. I thought I looked like this:
I'm pretty sure Grant thought I looked like this:
In either case, I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in between those two pictures but clearly without a bloody face. I got to the point around 5:30 or 5:45 pm when I felt like my body wanted to push with each contraction. The nurse came in and I told her that I felt like it was almost ready to push. She checked me at that point and Voila! - I was at 9.5 cm. She said she'd go call the doctor who had went home to feed her baby. It was probably in the next 10 minutes or so that she asked if I wanted to try to move to the bed. I hadn't thought about delivering a child on the toilet before and wasn't quite sure how the angle would work out in trying to catch her once she made her appearance. She said that they have delivered on the toilet, in the middle of the room or the bed....whatever the momma wants. I opted to try for the bed.
Once there, the doctor had arrived in time to put down the puppy training pads and away we went with pushing. Grant and the nurse held each of my legs....must have been odd for them because I'm guessing I had pushed back with force. I remember looking at the clock around 6 pm and thinking to myself, she is going to be born by 6:33 pm. 33 is my favorite number and it's the year of Scottie Pippen this year so it would only be fitting to have her arrive then!
For every contraction I pushed at least 4 times. I'm sure it looked like it hurt but in all honesty, it felt like I was trying to pass the biggest stool of my life....which, in fact, I was. The nurses and doctors were so pleased with the progress and were awesome assistant coaches during the experience as well. Mentally, I was ready for this moment.
At 6:33 pm - Lucile Grace - was born. She was spot on 8 pounds and measured 20.5".
She was a doll. Covered with goop and all adorable they placed her on my chest immediately so we could cuddle and warm each other up. She had a strong cry and calmed once she was on my chest. They placed super warm blanket over my head and upper body to keep us warm as my lower extremities were quivering.
Grant cut the umbilical cord. He says I swore a lot during this time period, though I can not recall. I do recall saying that I said at some point during labor that "it feels like the biggest Sh#t I've ever had to take in my life". I don't remember being foul-mouthed once she arrived....but I was excitedly delirious.
The doctor worked to stitch me up a little (I think this was more painful than the actual labor despite the local they give you)...I guess adrenaline is a magical thing that allows you to push your body farther than you might expect. As evidence, here is my post-labor attitude:
We spent a good 2 hours in the labor room. They cleaned both of us up a little (Lucy more than me), ran a couple of tests and let us cuddle her more. We watched her get her first bath. I was beyond excited for the two sandwiches, fruit and cookies I got....I think I even shared it with Grant.
We were then transferred to the postpartum room where we met even more nurses, Grant changed his first diaper and we were explained the all-holy Poop/Pee/Feed chart to which we now needed to live our life by. I breastfed Lucy for the first time and she seemed to catch on pretty quickly. We did several other things and it wasn't until nearly 1 or 1:30 am when we sent Lucy to the nursery so we could get a good night's rest.
The next two days were a blur with feedings, cat naps, trying to order everything on the room service menu, nurses and other random tests (like hearing and heart). A couple of friends visited us in the hospital and it was great to see familiar faces. We were discharged on Sunday afternoon after watching a couple of videos...I'm sure, that after watching these two videos, we were guaranteed to be great parents (ha!). And now we begin our new life at home, growing our little family with no rule book on how things are done. We learn something new everyday. I'll work hard to keep up on the blog to let you know how Lucy is doing and all the new things we learn about being parents.
We were fortunate. It was a great labor even though Grant will attest that it looked painful.
Don't even think of asking when the next one will come along because Venus will come out.
She brought up the topic of induction on the weekend to which I was caught off guard because one of the things I loved about the clinic was that they were slow to induce, slow to cut and slow to provide unnecessary medial interventions. One of my big goals for this pregnancy was to attempt to deliver Popeye without any medication. Pitocin, to me, was medication. Not pain medication, but medication none-the-less. In any case, when I told her I'd prefer to not be induced or to see if we could maybe wait until after the weekend, she said she'd be open to that option but wanted to schedule an ultrasound to check in on Popeye to see how she was doing. So we scheduled an ultrasound at the Edina office for the only time available - 8:15 am on Friday morning (3/21).
In the meantime, I went to the chiropractor to get an adjustment, acupuncture and an hour long massage. It was glorious and I should been smarter and did it earlier in pregnancy. My body felt like a million bucks after that trip so I scheduled another set of adjustments on Friday after the scheduled ultrasound.
Friday came way faster than I anticipated. Grant and I drove separately to the Edina office because my chiro appointment was immediately following the ultrasound. We went into the ultrasound and the technician told us what she would be looking for and describing what was on the screen. She told us that there was a total score of 8 points and for each of the 4 things she was looking at, she could earn up to 2 points. Who knew it was so much like a game?!?! In any case, she told us that she scored an 8/8. What a great little student we had in the womb already! Elated, we waited to see the LPN since our doctor had called in sick, certain she would tell us we could wait until next week to schedule an induction. Turns out - we were very wrong. When she walked in, she told us that Popeye was measuring in the 50th percentile for size and in the 5th percentile for torso diameter/circumference measurement. She then said, "so you are going to have a baby today!"
My response, "but she scored an 8/8!".
"Yes, that is true but the fluid level is so low we don't want to put her in distress. So, you need to go get your bags and go to the hospital. We will call them to let them know that you are on your way".
I was a flurry of emotions - excited, scared, and a bit disappointed that it wouldn't be a natural process. Plus, I had scheduled an adjustment and a massage right after Popeye's appointment so I was bummed I couldn't get one more massage before her arrival. We headed home, grabbed our bags, grabbed a sammich and headed to the hospital.
When we got to the Labor and Delivery floor we checked-in at the front desk, however, they didn't get a call indicating we were coming and were caught off guard. We sat in the waiting area until they realized that my clinic had called the Edina location and not Burnsville. They found us a nurse and a room. Apparently it had been a very busy morning on the floor with 4 babies born between 7 and 9 am. I had commented how surprisingly quiet it was on the floor. The nurse indicated that with so many people opting for epidurals nowadays, that it's often quiet on the floor.
Knowing that I had been horrible at taking side pics of my growing belly during pregnancy, I asked Grant to take one more pregnancy picture to capture me and Popeye at 40 weeks and 5 days.
 |
| Here's what 40+weeks and 35-40 pounds gets you. |
The doctor broke my water around 11 am and soon after they started the Pitocin. The nurse and doctor said that many people think that being induced "hurts more" but in reality, it doesn't - it just happens much quicker than a natural labor where contractions may come way slower. I didn't notice anything immediately. Slight discomfort but nothing to write home about. In fact, it was around 2 pm when I think I said to Grant, "Oh, this must be how people with menstrual cramps feel - ick". The nurse checked me internally at that point and I was dilated to 3.5 cm. Not a huge gain for hanging out for a few hours but gain nonetheless. From that point, it seemed like the contractions were getting stronger. I tried sitting on the birthing ball, laying on my side, leaning on Grant. Nothing seemed super comfortable and I felt like I just had to go to the bathroom all the time. So, I did and I realized that sitting on the toilet was by far the most comfortable place my body felt.
The nurse would come in and check me every 20-30 minutes. She'd look at the paper print out of my contractions and say "keep up the good work - looking great!". We had no indication of how far apart the contractions were or how far I had dilated.
Poor Grant was set up on a chair in the shower of the bathroom. He was an awesome birthing coach and after every contraction, had ice cold water available for me to drink. He says it looked like it really hurt but I guess I was laboring through my face. I tried really hard to relax, think of water rushing up onto the shore and breathing deeply. Obviously as the contractions got stronger, the breathing was heavier and stronger. I thought I looked like this:
I'm pretty sure Grant thought I looked like this:
In either case, I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in between those two pictures but clearly without a bloody face. I got to the point around 5:30 or 5:45 pm when I felt like my body wanted to push with each contraction. The nurse came in and I told her that I felt like it was almost ready to push. She checked me at that point and Voila! - I was at 9.5 cm. She said she'd go call the doctor who had went home to feed her baby. It was probably in the next 10 minutes or so that she asked if I wanted to try to move to the bed. I hadn't thought about delivering a child on the toilet before and wasn't quite sure how the angle would work out in trying to catch her once she made her appearance. She said that they have delivered on the toilet, in the middle of the room or the bed....whatever the momma wants. I opted to try for the bed.
Once there, the doctor had arrived in time to put down the puppy training pads and away we went with pushing. Grant and the nurse held each of my legs....must have been odd for them because I'm guessing I had pushed back with force. I remember looking at the clock around 6 pm and thinking to myself, she is going to be born by 6:33 pm. 33 is my favorite number and it's the year of Scottie Pippen this year so it would only be fitting to have her arrive then!
For every contraction I pushed at least 4 times. I'm sure it looked like it hurt but in all honesty, it felt like I was trying to pass the biggest stool of my life....which, in fact, I was. The nurses and doctors were so pleased with the progress and were awesome assistant coaches during the experience as well. Mentally, I was ready for this moment.
At 6:33 pm - Lucile Grace - was born. She was spot on 8 pounds and measured 20.5".
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| Lucy getting herself all checked out! |
She was a doll. Covered with goop and all adorable they placed her on my chest immediately so we could cuddle and warm each other up. She had a strong cry and calmed once she was on my chest. They placed super warm blanket over my head and upper body to keep us warm as my lower extremities were quivering.
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| Momma + Lucy all nuzzled in warm blankets |
Grant cut the umbilical cord. He says I swore a lot during this time period, though I can not recall. I do recall saying that I said at some point during labor that "it feels like the biggest Sh#t I've ever had to take in my life". I don't remember being foul-mouthed once she arrived....but I was excitedly delirious.
The doctor worked to stitch me up a little (I think this was more painful than the actual labor despite the local they give you)...I guess adrenaline is a magical thing that allows you to push your body farther than you might expect. As evidence, here is my post-labor attitude:
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| How I actually looked - Nailed it. |
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| How I felt - Rocky Balboa style. |
We spent a good 2 hours in the labor room. They cleaned both of us up a little (Lucy more than me), ran a couple of tests and let us cuddle her more. We watched her get her first bath. I was beyond excited for the two sandwiches, fruit and cookies I got....I think I even shared it with Grant.
We were then transferred to the postpartum room where we met even more nurses, Grant changed his first diaper and we were explained the all-holy Poop/Pee/Feed chart to which we now needed to live our life by. I breastfed Lucy for the first time and she seemed to catch on pretty quickly. We did several other things and it wasn't until nearly 1 or 1:30 am when we sent Lucy to the nursery so we could get a good night's rest.
The next two days were a blur with feedings, cat naps, trying to order everything on the room service menu, nurses and other random tests (like hearing and heart). A couple of friends visited us in the hospital and it was great to see familiar faces. We were discharged on Sunday afternoon after watching a couple of videos...I'm sure, that after watching these two videos, we were guaranteed to be great parents (ha!). And now we begin our new life at home, growing our little family with no rule book on how things are done. We learn something new everyday. I'll work hard to keep up on the blog to let you know how Lucy is doing and all the new things we learn about being parents.
We were fortunate. It was a great labor even though Grant will attest that it looked painful.
Don't even think of asking when the next one will come along because Venus will come out.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
You're the size of a {Watermelon} - Week 39
A mini-watermelon, huh? Popeye is looking all cramped up in there!
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| image from babycenter.com |
Only seven more days until the estimated due date. If I'm like 80% of women, we'll have a baby within the next two weeks!
According to The Bump "Predicting a due date isn't an exact science (and can make for some pretty lucrative wagering), but there are definite signs that the time is near. Look for the bloody show, the passing of the mucous plug, diarrhea, nausea, energy spurts, contractions, and breaking of the water." Don't all of those signs sound lovely? I'm sure you are oozing with jealousy right now.
My goal is to make it to at least Friday at 2:09 pm. That's when I'm done teaching for the day and that's when it'll officially be 12 weeks remaining of the school year. I really am not interested in going into labor in front of a classroom of students while explaining the fine details of croissant creation or how to write and think critically like a food scientist. I have no interest in having my water break or really any of those other symptoms/signs in front of students. If I had my choice, I'd be staying at home next week, preparing for Popeye's arrival. But, I'm going to need a doctor's note for that.
What I didn't write about last week was that I actually started to have some pain in my lower abdominal region - I'm guessing it is similar to cramps but since I've never had those either - I'm not quite certain how to describe them. Anyway, it tightened and loosened for a handful of hours, sometimes more like a quick stabbing feel. They went away. I definitely didn't think they were contractions but simply an indicator of the impending arrival of Popeye. So when I went to the doctor last week and told her about the changes I had noticed, she had indicated Popeye's head was much lower than the previous week - which was attributing to the added pressure. Still doesn't feel like a bowling bowl between my legs so I'm guessing she hasn't made her final decent yet.
I will know more tomorrow when we go for the 39 week check-in!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
37 weeks + 2 days
It's odd what you read or hear about what you should or should not be doing while pregnant. Don't shovel, don't lift heavy things, don't strain yourself too much...yadda, yadda, yadda. Sure, all of these are fine recommendations as long as you know your limits and are smart about it but isn't that the same advice for everyone? And really, as the pregnant one, you are the best gauge of your own abilities while pregnant and should be your own judge of what you can and can not do.
Honestly, I could have been way more active during the last 37 weeks and I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't. So, when it snows (which has been an EPIC year here in what we now call Minnesnowta), I want to get out there and shovel. And, I have - for the most part - because it's good exercise. I don't want to be the lazy partner and watch my manfriend work for twice as long to shovel our driveway. That's just not fair especially since we have 45+ days/night of below zero weather. Side note: the only other time the weather was this horrific was the year Grant was born in 1979 (Popeye just wanted to be like her daddy). With the recent 10.5" snowfall last Thursday that cancelled Parent-Teacher Conferences and school the following day, I came home to shovel the first 1-2" of heavy, wet snow. Grant wasn't home yet so I knew I could sneak in a quick shovel. I took my time and was careful about lifting the shovel. I didn't have any contractions, Popeye didn't seem to mind. I was just tired after I was done...not surprising because that snow was heavy.
Needless to say, with winter being as long as it has been, I'm excited to put Popeye's new ride to use after I'm cleared to do so with the doctor post-delivery. Dad & Linda were kind enough to buy us a great stroller for running!!! Meet Popeye's new ride - the BOB revolution SE stroller. Of course, it's Bombshell orange!
You are probably less interested in my exercise plan and would prefer to hear about Popeye's progress in the womb. I had the 37 week check-in appointment today and not surprisingly, things looked good! The Strep B test came back negative last week and this week Popeye's eager anticipation is beginning to show. She's still facing downward, her back facing the left side of my abdomen and her legs and arms pointing to my right abdomen. This would explain how much more bulky and active the right side of my stomach is on a regular basis. She must be practicing her kicks and punches. The doctor estimated (let's be honest, this is not an exact science) that she weighs about 6 pounds. I was happy to hear she wasn't 2 feet tall and 12 pounds considering Grant's height!
According to thebump.com -
Your baby's the size of a winter melon!
Yay! Baby has reached full term. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.
Again, not the most exact science but he also estimated that I'm 40% or so effaced, dilated about 1 cm (a finger tip), and the cervix has softened. If you are reading this and have no clue what that means, here is a picture for you:
So, she's progressing. He didn't seem to think she was going to pop out early or anything but she's preparing for her big day. Again, none of this is an exact science. I could have a baby tomorrow if she decided she was ready.
Until then, we wait patiently....and install our car seat bases so that in the off chance she arrives a little early, we can actually bring her home in our cars!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
You're the size of a {head of romaine lettuce] - 36 weeks+!
Being 36+ week pregnant...
Where has the time gone? I'm going to assume that it only gets worse from here; time lapsing before my very eyes and months pass by when has felt like only a week. Popeye will be born in just a few weeks and before we know it, she'll be walking and talking like a little adult! These past 36 1/2 (nearly 37 as I've writing this) weeks have been filled with many activities.
I'm not at the stage where I want to be "unpregnant" nor am I really uncomfortable yet. I do look forward to bending over again to more easily put on my socks or pick up something off the floor. The only soreness I have are my adductor muscles. Not sure what those are? Take a look at the most amusing pic I could find on the web! Adductor muscles and the ligaments in the area are essential for birthing (as you may assume when looking at the picture). Not sure if the lady pictured above is weight lifting or preparing to push out her child in her 6-pack belly. Either way, you get my point of where my body is sore. I've been very fortunate to have the experience I have had.We had Popeye's 36 week check-in appointment on Tuesday. Like the other appointment, everything checked out great. I lost a pound (we'll get to this in the next section), the baby's heart rate was in the 120's, I got the Group B Strep test (negative!) and the first internal exam. We learned that Popeye is in the right position, facing down - but still is hiding far away from the cervix. She isn't done baking yet - which is a good thing! We really need to make it until March 16th (her due date) mostly because that will make exactly 12 weeks until the end of the school year and we are starting the cake decorating unit which wraps up the Friday before she is due. Yes, I realize that I have no say in the matter but I'll be crossing my legs as long as I can to hold her in!
According to babycenter.com "Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. Most likely your baby is already head-down." I didn't write a post last week because, well....many of us came down with flu-like symptoms after our baby shower. Nearly 1/3 of the guest list came down with Influenza A or a very serious viral infection. And, it didn't seem to matter whether or not you got the flu shot. This super bug was awful and there are still a couple of people who are dealing with the aftermath. G and I lucked out. I had gotten the flu-shot but Grant didn't. I started feeling bad on Monday after I worked a 13 hour day. In fact, I felt icky all day on Monday but we had a mandatory work night until 8 pm so I had to stay. By Tuesday morning, the illness was in full effect. I was coughing up phlegm, had a slight fever, sore throat, night sweats.....it wasn't pretty. Since the students were in the kitchens baking everyday this week, I went to work only to teach the 2 hours in the afternoon. It was rough. I spent the rest of my time sleeping from 5 pm until 10 am the next day....waking to eat a little but mostly just slept because I couldn't do much else. G started seeing symptoms the day after me but had more stiffness in his neck and night chills. We went on a hot date to Urgent Care together and then picked up some pre-made soup from the grocery store because the thought of even spending 15 minutes on my feet prepping an easy meal, was not something I could do mentally or physically at that time. The next day on my way home from work, I picked up more soup....again, because working just 2 hours wiped me out. And, as I describe this, please know that G and I got off this illness easy. There are others who had WAY worse symptoms :/
So, G and I decided no more life event parties because we have a tendency to get people sick when we are in a large group together. Take, for instance, our wedding. We say that we made everyone love sick...but another flu bug went around and got numerous people ill. :/
Aside from passing around the Super Bug and people getting sick, the baby shower was phenomenal! The theme was winter-inspired "Baby It's Cold Outside". So many of our close friends and family came to celebrate with us and it was great to spend a little bit of time with everyone. Holly made a winter-inspired Diaper Cake of a Snowman....too adorable and something you'd find in a craft magazine!
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| Holly's Diaper Cake |
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| Maggie's Hot Cocoa Bar |
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| The beautiful, creative cupcakes |
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| The Adorable Cookies |
Since the planning crew knew I wasn't into playing shower games, there was a wish tree, decorate-a-onesie station, and a baby daddy quiz. I'd like to say that I tied with my mom and Deb on the highest score! :)
Here are some of the creative onesies people made:
Ok, time to go finish up baking that banana bread!
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