Nates' Birth Story

I have never written out Nate's birth story, although I cannot pin point exactly why that is.  My little boy turned five today... FIVE... is it unbelievable.  It make me a little sad.  The time has slipped away.  The real world of school and schedules and work and inflexibility is intruding, marching all over me and I am not very happy about it... or it could be hormones talking... who knows?

Anyway... the story

It was a thursday when I went in for my weekly check.  The OB said she thought I should have a non-stress test since my cervix hadn't changed at all at 39 weeks.  Everyone was gone for the day so it would have to wait until Monday... oh, and she thought it was about time that I stopped working.

Monday came and I headed to my non-stress test.  My mom, who was still working in the hospital at the time came down to sit with me.  I felt the baby moving through the whole test so I figured that we had aced it... I was wrong, we had failed.  The baby was moving, but not enough.  So, off to the high def ultrasound.  There was the baby on the screen.... perfect, moving, looking good.  The radiologist then started asking if I was leaking any fluid.  Huh?  I looked at him and said, "I don't think so, that is something I would notice right?"  He looked less than amused   I had very low amniotic fluid, my placenta had calcification in it...  these things weren't good.  None of this was said in an ominous way... it was just how it was... no panic, no rushing... no fluid.  I went out to the waiting room with my mom and met my OB there (the one in the practice i really wanted to have too!), she explained that they couldn't really let me leave the hospital... that they were going to need to induce me... that I was going to have a baby that day.  I was in shock, most definitely.  I asked both my OB and my mom "What do I do now?" My mom suggested called Jon at work... there was a nurse sitting at a desk who let me use her phone.  I called Jon and said "we're going to have a baby."  He was annoyed, "yes I know."  "No" I responded, "we're going to have a baby today."  "OH, should i come to the hospital?"  I stared blankly at the nurse behind the desk as if she could hear this conversation and know the appropriate answer... "Say yes" my mother whispered, "Yes, you should come to the hospital."

We went to my car and got out my hospital bag, which thankfully I had put in my car a few days before.  We went back to Labor and Delivery and they found a room for me.  It was when the very perky and right-out-of -nursing-school  nurse came in to do my paperwork and start my IV that the tears started... the shock caught up with me.  I composed myself, had the IV started (which was the worst part of the whole ordeal... good god that hurt), was hooked up to monitors and told to wait.  My OB had to go home to get her keys, when she came back she would start the induction. 

My mom settled into a chair, Jon arrived, my OB came back to start the Cervidil.  (Cervidil is placed next to the cervix and releases prostaglandins that soften the cervix making it easier to induce labor.)  She told me to walk, so for 30 minutes I walked the halls.  Cramps started... little cramps... not contractions.  Back in the hospital bed I was on a monitor, little crampy contractions doing their thing.  I was allowed to eat dinner and then rest and wait to go into labor.

The rest did not come.  The contractions were not the problem either, it was the fetal monitor.  Every 20 minutes it seemed like someone was coming in to adjust it (which really should have been a clue to me).  When the nurses changed shifts, my new nurse, older and less perky then the previous one came in and adjusted the monitor again.  Around 2:30 or so my OB came in, I knew then that something was up.  "The baby's heart rate drops every time you have a contraction" she said, "and the cervidil isn't really working."  "We can hook up the pitocin, which will make your contractions stronger, which the baby won' tolerate well, or we can do a C-Section."  Jon and I looked at each other and said "C-Section."

The room didn't really burst into action, but things sped up.  Jon put on scrubs, I took off my jewelry, I drank something to neutralize my stomach contents, we called our parents and told them the plans, and off to the OR we went.

Once we got to the OR I panicked a little about the spinal.  I jump when they put he Betadine on my back and then steeled myself for the pain that was sure to come.  "ok, do it" I said to the anesthesiologist, "It's over" he replied.  "oh."  Then I laid down and things went numb from my toes up which was incongruent with how I thought it would happen.  "You are so calm" the nurse said to me, "I can't believe how calm you are."  What I didn't say but wanted to was that the part I was worried about, the pain, the tearing, wasn't going to happen now... there was nothing to be worried about. 

Jon was by my head behind a curtain, and being completely numb, the next thing I know a nurse was telling Jon to look because they were pulling the baby out, "It's a boy!" someone said and Jon made the touchdown sign with his arms.  We both got teary and he kissed me.  They put Nate on the table and started to suction him, "he inhaled a little meconium so they are deep suctioning him" and I watched him fight them with every ounce of his newborn body.  He cried, and they swaddled him tight, "We have to take your baby to the NICU, give him a kiss" and they brought him over to me.  I kissed the little stranger and they whisked him away.  "Should I stay with you or go with him?" Jon asked.  "Go with him!" I replied and then I was alone with the OR staff, being stitched up and idly chatting about their day.

I was wheeled out, saw my parents and my in-laws and was put in a room to rest.  Turns out I am allergic to morphine and was violently sick the next day.  Finally, almost 24 hours after Nate was born was I well enough to be wheeled to the NICU to see him.  The tubes and the monitors where a horror to see, but a kindly nurse whispered to my husband "he fought us at every step... sick babies don't fight" and I knew he and we were going to be just fine. 


This was actually harder to write then I thought it would be.  How about that.
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Congratulations!

My friend Becca of The Bedrest Chronicles gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Friday 12/21.  Charlotte Eve is lucky to have such a wonderful family to welcome her into this world. 

Becca will probably kill me for posting this picture, which her husband texted me about 20 minutes after giving birth, but I think she looks phenomenal!!!  Funny story, I text Becca to see if she was still pregnant and this pic was my reply.

Welcome Charlotte!  And Congrats to Asher and Ben for becoming big brothers!

Happy Day!

Well, the day has finally come when my friend Becca of The Bedrest Chronicles is actually in labor. She made it to 36 weeks (full term for twins) and started contracting early this morning. Keep her and her boys in your thoughts. Lets bring these babies into the world safely!

UPDATE: Asher and Benjamin were born at lunchtime today. Everyone is healthy and happy. Labor lasted 9 hours from start to finish... you can hate Becca a little bit... I won't tell.

New Blog to Read!

A friend of mine has put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy (with twins) at something like 23 weeks. She decided to blog about her experience of being sofa bound at:

http://thebedrestchronicles.blogspot.com/

Check it out, its pretty funny... oh yeah, and I make several appearances ;)

What I Learned... from breastfeeding for a year

I think it is safe to say that Nate is officially weaned. We had been stepping down gradually, at his pace and following his cues; and last week I stopped offering him to boob at bedtime and he never asked for it again. It has been about a week and nothing, my milk is gone, so I think the deed is done... we have weaned. I am also exceeding proud that Nate has NEVER touched formula. [I don't really want to start a debate, and I am glad that formula exists so that babies who, for whatever reason can't breastfeed don't die... but I really do believe it is second rate nutrition and that is screws up babies' systems (digestive, immune, etc.) in ways we don't even know about yet.]

I realize that all over the world and all over the Internet and the Blogspere women breastfeed their babies, some for years and years and years... look at Milkman in Toni Morrison's the Song of Soloman... but in my world and in my circle of friends, I can think of one... ONE other person who has done this. And I went back to work while doing it. I am not looking for recognition, lots of people do this, I know, but I am saying that it definietly isn't the easiest thing to do and here are a few tips that can make it easier:

1. You can never have too many breast pumps: I started off with one, a Medela Pump in Style which I lugged back and forth to work every day. Then I started to feel like a pack mule on top of a dairy cow hooked up to the milking machine, so I bought a second, less expensive pump to keep in my office. I bought the Lansinoh double select breat pump (which is EXACTLY the same as the Ameda pump only less expensive) and kept it at work. My life was that much easier not having to schlep a pump with me... well worth the money.

2. Buy Good Nursing Bras: Please note that I did not say expenisve nursing bras. Mine were not expensive, I bought them at Motherhood Maternity and Target. Dont be sucked in by the people who say you can cut the nipples out of a tank top (Sorry, Mrs. Fussy Pants, I know it worked for you but with the size of my chest this was NOT going to happen) buy nursing bras that are the same style of bra you wore before your were nursing. If you like the sprots bra style buy that style in a nursing bra. If you like no underwire, buy a no underwire nursing bra. if you like underwire... you get the point.

3. Use Technology to Your Advantage: Nate and I did not have an easy start. His latch was poor, my nipple flat, not to mention my boobs were bigger than his whole body! Enter the Nipple shield. This saved... literally saved us. It allowed him to latch and kept me from getting too sore too soon. There are rumours that the nipple shield is bad and many lacttion consultants and La leche League people will tell you not to use them, but the data they are working off of is old. New data (Chertok, I., Schneider, J., & Blackburn, S. (2006, March). A pilot study of maternal and term infant outcomes associated with ultrathin nipple shield use. JOGNN: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 35(2), 265-272) says they are fine, not detremental, and may actually be beneficial! If it helps... use it! [Had I know about this little doohickey... I would have tried it too].

4. Do Your Research and Ask For Help: No woman is an island and as I have said long before I got pregnant... Just because you have the quipment (breasts) doesn't mean you know how to use it. if you don't want to hire a lactation consultant, ask a friend. If you don't want to go to a LLL meeting, check out their mom-to-mom messag boards. Check out Kellymom.com, the interent if Full of useful info and support.

Nursing Bras on the Cheap

I don't know if I will actually try this or not, but here are instructions on how to turn a regular bar into a nursing bra: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/braconvert.html

They're Baaaaaaack...

My wedding rings are back... on my finger... where they belong. [For the epic saga of how they got off my finger in the first place, read this]. Ever since I got home from the hospital I have been trying to get those suckers back on my chubby little finger. It didn't work until yesterday. I was very excited to be able to leave the house LOOKING like a married woman and not like some poor unwed mother to be pitied by strangers (I used to get the strangest looks from nosy people).

YEAH!

Free at Last... Free at last...

...From the shackles of maternity jeans!

For the first time since May of 2007

I am wearing my regular (pre-pregnancy) jeans!

YEEEEE-HAW!!!!!

Hot Damn and Hallelujah!

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning and discovered that I have lost ALL of my baby weight plus 1 pound! Not bad for 8 weeks.

Now I can use the rest of my "9 months to lose it" (as in "It took 9 months to gain it. It will take 9 months to lose it) to shed some more of the weight that crept on before I got pregnant.

Postpartum Joys

Although I loved just about every minute of my pregnancy there are a few things I am REALLY enjoying about the postpartum period.

1. I have ankles again. I completely forgot how tiny and pretty they are!

2. Wearing non-maternity clothes. Now, granted they are just tops but still it opens up my entire wardrobe to me.

3. Being 27 pounds lighter!!!! (I gained 32 pounds, so only 5 pounds to go)

Baby's awake... gotta go... :)

Pregnancy Updates

So I am still pregnant. People have been asking me for a while if I was ready to stop being pregnant and have the baby already. I kept saying no, I feel great... that was until Thursday. That was when I hit the pregnancy wall so to speak. I was ready.... now. It might have something to do with the fact that after being crampy for a few days and thinking I had lost my mucus plug my doctor told me "nope. no change." ARG!

Anyway, my blood pressure has been high as of lately, so I have a non-stress test this afternoon to make sure that the baby is tolerating it well. If I pass the test, I continue to be pregnant. If I fail the test I could be induced shortly. Right now we just have to wait and see.

I'll keep you posted.

I'm Still Here...

And the baby is still inside.

Since I don;t really have much to say I thought I would share some Maternity Pics that hubby took when I was 32 weeks preggo. Not much has changed looks wise since then, just more stretch marks.

Great Blog About Real Bodies

Maybe I am just sensitive about this topic right now, but I found a great blog called The Shape of a Mother. showing real women's bodies during and after pregnancy. There is some nudity, so be warned if that type of thing offends you or you don't want your children to see it.

Check it out!

http://theshapeofamother.com/

Hubby's Dream Come True

Things I Learned Yesterday

1. Chocolate is not my friend. Not because I don't like him, but I don't like the people he hangs around with... namely heartburn and indigestion.

2. My ankles and my calves have had a love child... her name is CANKLE.

3. "You're carrying like a girl" (i.e. you look FAT from behind now too) is the cruelest phrase in the English language.

4. "You're still here" (i.e. you haven't had that baby yet???) comes in a close second.

New Nursery Additions

Hubby and I went and returned a few things to Babies R Us this weekend and with all of that store credit we were able to get, among other things, a swivel glider and nursing stool for the baby's room.



The swivel glider was such a great deal. Regularly $299.00 the floor model was on clearance for $90.90. It is a little dirty on the bottom, but nothing that the upholstery attachment on my new carpet cleaner can't handle. Since it was on clearance and there was no matching ottoman (which would take up way too much room ) I opted for the Medela Nursing Stool, which several friends have used and love. For $25.00 how could you beat it.

36 weeks and counting...

I had my 36 week checkup this morning and despite looking as if the baby had dropped I am assured by my OB that the baby is still very high up and I am not dilated at all.

Hubby keeps saying that I am going to have the baby next week but it looks like that is a little early. Thank God! I am not mentally ready yet and I still haven't shampooed the carpets yet.

Stocking up

'Tis the season for stocking up thanks to after-Christmas sales. I have been trying not to go overboard, as I am so apt to do, and this year have been pretty successful since I don't really feel like leaving the house much anymore.

Any way, thanks to 50% and 75% off sales I have been able to stock up on the following items:

-- Holiday cards for next year
-- Ribbon for sprucing up plain brown wrapping paper
-- Gift tags for the same purpose
-- Candy for baking (m & m's, Reeses Peices, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups)
-- Body Wash from Bath and Body Works
-- Meat. The end of the month is the beat time to shop for meat and when I usually find veal, sausage, and steak at obscenely cheap prices.

I have also been picking up some non-sale (but essential) items in preparations for mommy-hood. Things like nursing bras, a nursing nightgown and robe, breast pads, milk storage bags, Purell, wipes, and who knows what else.

Nursery in Progress

Finally... the promised pictures of the baby's room (in progress)

Walking through the door... we have a place to store toys and the crib.



The crib, decked out in Noah's ark bedding

The book shelf stocked with books and stuffed animals (what baby doesn't need a stuffed Yoda and Darth Vadar?)


The closet, which will be getting an overhaul this weekend:

The newly cleaned changing table


We still have to hang curtains, install blinds, hang the quilt on the wall and get a rocker/glider.

Baby Updates

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday and I am pleased to report that the baby is head down. I know that there are still 6 weeks to go and that the baby could flip around a couple of times but... I had this feeling that the baby was transverse, so it was god news. Also good news was my blood pressure 110/64. I don't think it has ever been THAT low pregnant or not. :)

The baby's room is being painted as we speak so hopefully I'll have pictures to post of the completed room soon.