I figure it wouldn't hurt to give everyone info on Jaundice, since we are currently dealing with that with Wren. When we left the hospital on Saturday, she had levels of 11 (Saturday evening). We had daily bilirubin checks for the next few days in which her levels peaked at 13 on Sunday, then started to creep down: 12.9 on Monday and 12.7 on Tuesday. They are giving us a few days off of the checks though we still have to keep her treatments up (bili-blanket and bili-lights) in the meantime. We go back Friday morning for our next bili check and will hopefully see more progress. Our pediatrician couldn't give us a "safe" number as she said the bili chart is on a curve based on the age of the child and their numbers, but she said that the older Wren gets and the more her levels continue to creep down, the better she will be.
The following info on Jaundice was taken from babycenter.com - I actually just got it on my "your baby is a week old!" email and figured it could answer questions a lot better than I could.
What is jaundice?Jaundice is a condition that causes a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes. If you press your finger against the nose or chest of a fair-skinned baby with jaundice, you can see this yellow tinge. If your baby has dark skin, you can see the yellowness in the whites of the eyes or in the gums. The most common type of jaundice develops on the second or third day of life — about when the baby is being discharged from the hospital — which is why it's important to know about it and keep an eye out for it. Most of these cases, called physiologic jaundice, disappear on their own in two weeks.
What causes jaundice?
A newborn has more red blood cells than her body needs, and often, when a baby's immature liver can't process them quickly enough, a yellow pigment called bilirubin (a byproduct of the red blood cells) builds up in the blood. Much of this bilirubin leaves the body in the baby's stool, but about half of babies develop some degree of jaundice during the first two weeks of life. Preemies and babies with genetic diseases or infections are especially vulnerable. Some breastfeeding babies develop jaundice if they don't get enough breast milk, because the bilirubin isn't able to exit the body through body waste. Breastfeeding jaundice usually shows up in the first two weeks of life. When jaundice is detected within the first 24 hours, it may be due to a blood-group incompatibility with the mother (the mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive), infection, or an underlying liver problem.
Should I worry?
Most newborn cases of jaundice are harmless and require no treatment. The doctor may order blood tests to measure your baby's bilirubin levels, which usually involve taking a small amount of blood from your baby's heel. In moderate cases of jaundice, the doctor may prescribe phototherapy (light therapy), which involves placing the baby naked under special blue lights that help her body break down the bilirubin so that it can be excreted. This can be done in the hospital or at home with a portable unit. A special kind of fiber-optic blanket, called a bili blanket, has a similar effect. In addition to phototherapy, it's important to keep your baby well hydrated and to identify and treat any underlying medical issues. Your doctor may recommend breastfeeding more often or supplementing with formula to give your baby more fluids and help her pass more bilirubin in her stools. The goal of treatment is to lower the bilirubin level to prevent the buildup of toxic levels in the baby's brain (a disease called kernicterus). With monitoring and treatment, the risk of kernicterus or other complications drops to almost none.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
She's HERE!
Turns out I never needed to go buy those teas, etc. that I was going to have to get to try to convince Wren to show up :) Instead, I went into labor very quickly on my own!
Thursday morning we woke up, dressed for work, and started our day as usual. I had a "holiday lunch" at my school in which parents are invited and it's a pretty big deal for the parents and kids so I dressed up and was ready for my turkey and banana pudding! I definitely had a feeling that morning though and told Evan that I thought we shouldn't make the trip to Charleston for Christmas at this point (Wren would be at most 10 days old on Christmas day if she was born that morning) and also that I felt that we would meet her by the weekend.
At school, I was nesting all morning - I got grades put into the electronic gradebook, papers straightened up to send home, etc. I was definitely nesting. My doula, Rachel, texted me to tell me she had a very vivid dream of my labor to which I responded that I hoped it was vividly quick and painless! As lunch approached, many of the parents were very sweet and were coming up to me expressing their congratulations. I told a few of them that I had a feeling it wouldn't be long and that I may not be at school tomorrow, eventhough at that point I hadn't had anything more than the mild braxton-hicks contractions I'd felt all morning.
We ended lunch, went out for a quick recess, then came in for SSR (30 minutes of silent reading). Rather than conference with the students as required, I spent that 30 minutes nesting some more. After SSR, we had writing and I was so excited to teach one of my favorite writing lessons. It was 1 o'clock at this point and as I began the lesson, I realized I was having a few stronger contractions. I did a quick teaching of the lesson and then allowed the kids to work independently while I hopped out of the room to make copies of morning work for the next day. Before the kids left for their specials (they last an hour and the kids go straight home afterward), I told them that I thought I may not be there tomorrow and we went over their routine for the next day. I dropped them off at specials and stopped in at my principal's office to tell her I was having contractions, was going home, and I needed them to find someone to cover my car duty.
I left school around 1:40, called Evan, called my Mom, and called my doula on the way out. By the time I got home at 2, my contractions were considerably stronger. Evan arrived home about 5 minutes after me and at 2:40 we decided it would be a good idea to call my doctor's office. Our nurse advised us to call back in an hour with another update, so we bided our time by straightening up Wren's room a bit, and packing the car. Oakes was going to be picked up from daycare by my cousin so we also got his overnight bag packed and put on the front porch for them. By 3:30, we were ready to call the doctor's office again - my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and were getting more intense. They had us come in for a quick exam (rather than send us to the hospital for triage).
We arrived at the doctor's office at about 4pm and were hooked up to a non-stress test to measure the fetal heart rate and the contractions for about 15 minutes. Once they established that we were having regular strong contractions, the doctor (Dr. R, the pregant one who is on-call on Thursdays and was not too excited about my Hand-Foot-Mouth due to her pregnancy) did my cervical check and I was 5cm dilated. We were on our way to the hospital!
At the hospital, we headed straight for L&D (I need to applaud Evan's speedy driving and superb non-valeted but up front parking!) and were ushered into our requested water room for birthing. I think it was my very first contraction in that room in which I leaned over a chair for support, and my water broke. With meconium. Again. The meconium was certainly different (less green than with Oakes' and more brown) and the nurses informed us that it meant a NICU team would be present. Boy, we knew those familiar words. This all happened at 4:45pm.
Our doula, Rachel, arrived moments later and the nurses hooked me up to another non-stress test to make sure Wren wasn't experiencing anything out of the ordinary. She was healthy and once they put in my hep-block for a possible IV if needed, I was allowed to labor freely thoughout the room. I began by laboring leaned over the birthbed but realized that tensed up my shoulders quite a bit so we then changed to me sitting on the birthing ball leaned over the bed. They ran water in the tub for me (which again, I never got to even use - sigh - but the sound of the water running was pretty good white noise for me at that time) and I began feeling the urge to bear down with many of the contractions. Dr. R arrived soon after and informed me I was already 7cm. This was so hopeful to me as I knew that I it was moving quickly.
At 6pm, Dr. R checked me again and said I was 10cm, 100% effaced, and while Wren was STILL at station -2, I would be ready to push. I'm pretty sure my off-color cheer let everyone know that I was definitely ready to push! I was allowed to push while kneeling over the head of the bed, with my back to the room (very similar pose to how I was laboring) and we only had to push for about 25 minutes before Wren made her debut at 6:29pm.
The birth was so different than Oakes. I felt a bit removed with my back facing everyone as I didn't actually see Wren arrive, though I felt it much more than with Oakes. They whisked her away to let the NICU team inspect her in the room and all was well - praise the Lord! I birthed the placenta and Wren was cuddled on my chest, finding her way to my breast.
The mother-baby unit was also a completely different experience than with Oakes as we weren't tethered to machines and when Wren cried, monitors weren't beeping. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep that first night and on the second day we actually were tied to monitors as Wren's bili-levels came back high.
So we are home now with some still high bilirubin levels. We've been to the pediatrician's office daily for checks and it's slowly coming down with the help of bili-lights and a bili-blanket. Since we are continuing to go down, we get a slight break from appointments and get to go back on Friday morning for our next bili check and hopefully we'll receive some great news.
On a side note, Oakes became potty trained over the weekend as he spent it with Oma and Opa and they were on a mission. :) Today was the first day he stayed in his training pants all day with no accidents!
Finally, I have to give a huge shout out to my most favorite person in the world, my husband. Anyone who knows him well knows he doesn't like to be in situations in which he doesn't have control. And labor/delivery is definitely one of those places. So from his speedy driving skills (and running yellow lights, to boot!) to his calming music he put on for me in L&D, he definitely deserves a "husband-of-the-year" award. Now he just has his next out-of-his-control challenge: infanthood.
Thursday morning we woke up, dressed for work, and started our day as usual. I had a "holiday lunch" at my school in which parents are invited and it's a pretty big deal for the parents and kids so I dressed up and was ready for my turkey and banana pudding! I definitely had a feeling that morning though and told Evan that I thought we shouldn't make the trip to Charleston for Christmas at this point (Wren would be at most 10 days old on Christmas day if she was born that morning) and also that I felt that we would meet her by the weekend.
At school, I was nesting all morning - I got grades put into the electronic gradebook, papers straightened up to send home, etc. I was definitely nesting. My doula, Rachel, texted me to tell me she had a very vivid dream of my labor to which I responded that I hoped it was vividly quick and painless! As lunch approached, many of the parents were very sweet and were coming up to me expressing their congratulations. I told a few of them that I had a feeling it wouldn't be long and that I may not be at school tomorrow, eventhough at that point I hadn't had anything more than the mild braxton-hicks contractions I'd felt all morning.
We ended lunch, went out for a quick recess, then came in for SSR (30 minutes of silent reading). Rather than conference with the students as required, I spent that 30 minutes nesting some more. After SSR, we had writing and I was so excited to teach one of my favorite writing lessons. It was 1 o'clock at this point and as I began the lesson, I realized I was having a few stronger contractions. I did a quick teaching of the lesson and then allowed the kids to work independently while I hopped out of the room to make copies of morning work for the next day. Before the kids left for their specials (they last an hour and the kids go straight home afterward), I told them that I thought I may not be there tomorrow and we went over their routine for the next day. I dropped them off at specials and stopped in at my principal's office to tell her I was having contractions, was going home, and I needed them to find someone to cover my car duty.
I left school around 1:40, called Evan, called my Mom, and called my doula on the way out. By the time I got home at 2, my contractions were considerably stronger. Evan arrived home about 5 minutes after me and at 2:40 we decided it would be a good idea to call my doctor's office. Our nurse advised us to call back in an hour with another update, so we bided our time by straightening up Wren's room a bit, and packing the car. Oakes was going to be picked up from daycare by my cousin so we also got his overnight bag packed and put on the front porch for them. By 3:30, we were ready to call the doctor's office again - my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and were getting more intense. They had us come in for a quick exam (rather than send us to the hospital for triage).
My last "belly shot" before leaving for the doctor/hospital.
We arrived at the doctor's office at about 4pm and were hooked up to a non-stress test to measure the fetal heart rate and the contractions for about 15 minutes. Once they established that we were having regular strong contractions, the doctor (Dr. R, the pregant one who is on-call on Thursdays and was not too excited about my Hand-Foot-Mouth due to her pregnancy) did my cervical check and I was 5cm dilated. We were on our way to the hospital!
At the hospital, we headed straight for L&D (I need to applaud Evan's speedy driving and superb non-valeted but up front parking!) and were ushered into our requested water room for birthing. I think it was my very first contraction in that room in which I leaned over a chair for support, and my water broke. With meconium. Again. The meconium was certainly different (less green than with Oakes' and more brown) and the nurses informed us that it meant a NICU team would be present. Boy, we knew those familiar words. This all happened at 4:45pm.
Our doula, Rachel, arrived moments later and the nurses hooked me up to another non-stress test to make sure Wren wasn't experiencing anything out of the ordinary. She was healthy and once they put in my hep-block for a possible IV if needed, I was allowed to labor freely thoughout the room. I began by laboring leaned over the birthbed but realized that tensed up my shoulders quite a bit so we then changed to me sitting on the birthing ball leaned over the bed. They ran water in the tub for me (which again, I never got to even use - sigh - but the sound of the water running was pretty good white noise for me at that time) and I began feeling the urge to bear down with many of the contractions. Dr. R arrived soon after and informed me I was already 7cm. This was so hopeful to me as I knew that I it was moving quickly.
At 6pm, Dr. R checked me again and said I was 10cm, 100% effaced, and while Wren was STILL at station -2, I would be ready to push. I'm pretty sure my off-color cheer let everyone know that I was definitely ready to push! I was allowed to push while kneeling over the head of the bed, with my back to the room (very similar pose to how I was laboring) and we only had to push for about 25 minutes before Wren made her debut at 6:29pm.
The birth was so different than Oakes. I felt a bit removed with my back facing everyone as I didn't actually see Wren arrive, though I felt it much more than with Oakes. They whisked her away to let the NICU team inspect her in the room and all was well - praise the Lord! I birthed the placenta and Wren was cuddled on my chest, finding her way to my breast.
The mother-baby unit was also a completely different experience than with Oakes as we weren't tethered to machines and when Wren cried, monitors weren't beeping. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep that first night and on the second day we actually were tied to monitors as Wren's bili-levels came back high.
So we are home now with some still high bilirubin levels. We've been to the pediatrician's office daily for checks and it's slowly coming down with the help of bili-lights and a bili-blanket. Since we are continuing to go down, we get a slight break from appointments and get to go back on Friday morning for our next bili check and hopefully we'll receive some great news.
On a side note, Oakes became potty trained over the weekend as he spent it with Oma and Opa and they were on a mission. :) Today was the first day he stayed in his training pants all day with no accidents!
Finally, I have to give a huge shout out to my most favorite person in the world, my husband. Anyone who knows him well knows he doesn't like to be in situations in which he doesn't have control. And labor/delivery is definitely one of those places. So from his speedy driving skills (and running yellow lights, to boot!) to his calming music he put on for me in L&D, he definitely deserves a "husband-of-the-year" award. Now he just has his next out-of-his-control challenge: infanthood.
One of Wren's very first photos.
(And a very informative sheet of notes in the background - so glad Evan got this shot!)
Our sweet girl, just a few days old.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Still here
We're still here -- just a few days over the due date -- but if it means anything, I had some crazy dreams last night that I was having contractions and was going into labor. Really... I woke up multiple times and had to stop and think "Was that part of a dream or am I having a contraction?" Of course, we all know the answer to that: Wren is perfectly happy where she is so it was all just a dream. :) One thing I could do without? Every person I see saying "No baby yet?" or something along those lines. I smile and answer with humor, but Evan and I are both feeling like we should just wear a sign to school everyday that says: "I'm here, so obviously the baby isn't." haha...
It's funny how much more relaxed I am now that her due date has passed. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a bit Type A about things and for some reason, having an estimated due date (eventhough I have always been well aware that it was estimated) seemed like a looming deadline hanging over my head. Now that it's passed, I feel relaxed and am very much at peace with the fact that Wren will come whenever she is ready. I'm also feeling less "bothered" by pregnancy symptoms. Yes, I'm still a bit uncomfortable at times but I'm not feeling like I was a few weeks ago -- maybe because I'm trying to savor these last few days of being pregnant.
As far as induction, I'm still not a fan of the idea of being induced, so I'm hoping that she makes her appearance sooner than later; and to be honest, I feel like she just might! Dr. C and I did talk about the possibility of me canceling the induction if I wasn't feeling comfortable doing that, so that's always an option if the 22nd is creeping up on us and I still feel uneasy. I'm positive we'll talk about that at next week's appointment, if needed.
I've been doing lots of research on natural induction methods and have received advice from some others on this as well, so I think that tomorrow afternoon I may run out to the store and buy the teas, etc. that are supposed to help things move along. If they work, great; if not, it can't be the end of the world, right? All of them are healthy and simple options (nothing like castor oil - Lord no!) so it's not like I'm trying anything out of this world.
We'll keep you all posted once the big day arrives. In the meantime, I've been exhausted the past two nights so here it is at 8:15 and I believe I'll be going to bed for the night in just a few minutes. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to patiently wait this out!
It's funny how much more relaxed I am now that her due date has passed. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a bit Type A about things and for some reason, having an estimated due date (eventhough I have always been well aware that it was estimated) seemed like a looming deadline hanging over my head. Now that it's passed, I feel relaxed and am very much at peace with the fact that Wren will come whenever she is ready. I'm also feeling less "bothered" by pregnancy symptoms. Yes, I'm still a bit uncomfortable at times but I'm not feeling like I was a few weeks ago -- maybe because I'm trying to savor these last few days of being pregnant.
As far as induction, I'm still not a fan of the idea of being induced, so I'm hoping that she makes her appearance sooner than later; and to be honest, I feel like she just might! Dr. C and I did talk about the possibility of me canceling the induction if I wasn't feeling comfortable doing that, so that's always an option if the 22nd is creeping up on us and I still feel uneasy. I'm positive we'll talk about that at next week's appointment, if needed.
I've been doing lots of research on natural induction methods and have received advice from some others on this as well, so I think that tomorrow afternoon I may run out to the store and buy the teas, etc. that are supposed to help things move along. If they work, great; if not, it can't be the end of the world, right? All of them are healthy and simple options (nothing like castor oil - Lord no!) so it's not like I'm trying anything out of this world.
We'll keep you all posted once the big day arrives. In the meantime, I've been exhausted the past two nights so here it is at 8:15 and I believe I'll be going to bed for the night in just a few minutes. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to patiently wait this out!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
40 weeks!
I've said it since the beginning of this pregnancy, I want to make it to my due date, maybe even past it, and here we are! It's both exciting and frustrating as I know my girl is fully developed and ready to be here, but I'm also impatiently waiting to meet her! (On a side note, I want to point out that Evan has said for quite a while that he couldn't see me making it to my due date...)
We had a great weekend this weekend, even though the full moon and lunar eclipse didn't bring out Wren. I ended up spending about 5 hours in my classroom on Saturday getting loose ends wrapped up and Evan spent that time at home finalizing and turning in his project and paper for his grad school class this semester (it is due Wednesday so we are glad it's out of the way!). We got to go out for Mexican with some friends Saturday night while Oakes was out of town so that was a nice treat and I also did a lot of bouncing on my yoga ball this weekend in hopes that Wren would bounce out. Oh well... Beyond that, I spent the weekend doing a million and a half loads of laundry, wrapping Christmas gifts, and cleaning the house. I'm not sure if we can really call it nesting as I never felt any "urge" to do these things; I think it's more that I was forcing myself to nest as I know that labor could follow that! :) So the house is really quite clean now, all of our laundry is washed and folded, the floors are vacuumed, and the grocery shopping is done. If Wren doesn't make her appearance soon, then this only means the house will have time to get dirty again - ugh!
Alright, now for the anticipated doctor's appointment update and belly shot:
Blood Pressure: 122/80 (seems a bit lower!)
Weight: -3 (total weight gain = +16 pounds)
Heartrate: 144bpm
The belly is measuring at 39 weeks [yay, I feared she was getting too big]
Dilation = 2+cm
Effacement (thinning of cervix) = 50% (slow progress!)
Station = -1
So I've definitely felt some pre-labor progression happening with my body but nothing that huge (some braxton-hicks, etc.). Of course, my body isn't showing this, but that seems to be how I roll with pregnancies -- I imagine that if Oakes wasn't under stress during his labor, he'd probably have been late as well since I was progressing so slowly with his pregnancy as well.
Dr. C was much more rigorous with the exam today which I asked for. I figured I'd delay having my membranes stripped until next week so this was a pretty good compromise. We also went ahead and talked about induction, as Dr. C mentioned that the induction spots at the hospital can fill up quickly and he'd rather have me on the calendar and postpone or not need it, than have to try to fit me in later. Usually he schedules things on Wednesdays but he said he had 2 major surgeries next Wednesday so we looked ahead to Thursday, December 22nd as the date. Thursdays are also the day that his new Dr. on staff is on-call and I mentioned this to him, with regards to the Cocksackie (Hand, Foot, Mouth) virus and the fact that she's newly pregnant. He did say that he'd be there to deliver if need be (yay!) but I do feel a bit guilty about it.
So... we still have our weekly appointment next Monday at 3:30 (unless Wren comes early) and our induction is scheduled for Thursday, December 22nd (unless Wren comes early). Believe me when I say that I'm on mission now.
We had a great weekend this weekend, even though the full moon and lunar eclipse didn't bring out Wren. I ended up spending about 5 hours in my classroom on Saturday getting loose ends wrapped up and Evan spent that time at home finalizing and turning in his project and paper for his grad school class this semester (it is due Wednesday so we are glad it's out of the way!). We got to go out for Mexican with some friends Saturday night while Oakes was out of town so that was a nice treat and I also did a lot of bouncing on my yoga ball this weekend in hopes that Wren would bounce out. Oh well... Beyond that, I spent the weekend doing a million and a half loads of laundry, wrapping Christmas gifts, and cleaning the house. I'm not sure if we can really call it nesting as I never felt any "urge" to do these things; I think it's more that I was forcing myself to nest as I know that labor could follow that! :) So the house is really quite clean now, all of our laundry is washed and folded, the floors are vacuumed, and the grocery shopping is done. If Wren doesn't make her appearance soon, then this only means the house will have time to get dirty again - ugh!
Oakes, helping me bounce Wren down :) He's a cutie!
Some delicious cookies Aunt Tina had made for us! Thank you, Tina!
Oakes, with a happy mouth full of cookie! :)
Alright, now for the anticipated doctor's appointment update and belly shot:
Blood Pressure: 122/80 (seems a bit lower!)
Weight: -3 (total weight gain = +16 pounds)
Heartrate: 144bpm
The belly is measuring at 39 weeks [yay, I feared she was getting too big]
Dilation = 2+cm
Effacement (thinning of cervix) = 50% (slow progress!)
Station = -1
So I've definitely felt some pre-labor progression happening with my body but nothing that huge (some braxton-hicks, etc.). Of course, my body isn't showing this, but that seems to be how I roll with pregnancies -- I imagine that if Oakes wasn't under stress during his labor, he'd probably have been late as well since I was progressing so slowly with his pregnancy as well.
Dr. C was much more rigorous with the exam today which I asked for. I figured I'd delay having my membranes stripped until next week so this was a pretty good compromise. We also went ahead and talked about induction, as Dr. C mentioned that the induction spots at the hospital can fill up quickly and he'd rather have me on the calendar and postpone or not need it, than have to try to fit me in later. Usually he schedules things on Wednesdays but he said he had 2 major surgeries next Wednesday so we looked ahead to Thursday, December 22nd as the date. Thursdays are also the day that his new Dr. on staff is on-call and I mentioned this to him, with regards to the Cocksackie (Hand, Foot, Mouth) virus and the fact that she's newly pregnant. He did say that he'd be there to deliver if need be (yay!) but I do feel a bit guilty about it.
So... we still have our weekly appointment next Monday at 3:30 (unless Wren comes early) and our induction is scheduled for Thursday, December 22nd (unless Wren comes early). Believe me when I say that I'm on mission now.
The 40-week shot.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Showered with Love
We can't even begin to describe how blessed we feel this week - and Wren hasn't even arrived yet!
On Tuesday we had a baby shower at Evan's school, it was a "Books'n'Bucks" shower where his colleagues could bring a copy of their favorite children's book and/or money/gift cards towards diapers for Wren. We already have an amazing library of sorts for Oakes, so we were fully expecting to have duplicate books at this shower. Fortunately, that didn't happen! We only had two books that were duplicates and they are such great books that we aren't even thinking about returning them - they'll be great to stuff in a diaper bag or leave in one of our cars! My favorite book we received? Hands down, it's an ABC book created by a few of the women on Evan's Title I team who I also have scrapbooked with. It was the first one we opened and I just started crying when I started looking through it (B is for Brother - with pics of Oakes all over the page; C is for Cousins - and photos of Graham, Owen, and Eva).
My school shower was today - it was a joint shower with another teacher who is pregnant (4 weeks behind me) with her second baby who is also a girl. My shower was a "diaper shower/fill in the gaps shower" and we really got a lot of great stuff! From girlie hats and socks and sleepers to boxes of diapers and gift cards, I was in awe at how much useful, cute stuff I received. It's funny that when you are on baby #2, you don't think you need that much stuff. But with having a second baby that is a different gender, you actually do need some of the items to be more gender specific and while I'll still probably use those blue socks and hats from Oakes, I am so happy to have some pinks and greens to add to the mix!
At both showers, we received quite a few gift cards and even some cash from Evan's. I think the plan is to wait until after Wren arrives before we spend those as I'm sure we'll have things that we'll need to run out and get (diapers, anyone!??!?!) at the last minute.
Again, we are feeling so blessed by all of the warm wishes and gifts that we received. You never really think of how many people love you and care for you and it's times like these that you realize how surrounded by love you are.
Enough of all that mushy stuff, now for a baby/baby mama update. ;) I'm doing well and am becoming very much at peace with the fact that Wren will probably be hanging out a while longer. She knows what she needs and as long as she's healthy, then I'll be happy. My ankles are continuing to swell more as the days go on, but again that's a small price to pay. Wren seems to be most active in the evenings these days (she's currently having some sort of workout in me and is punching me in all sorts of places that I'm not used to!) and quietest in the mid morning. I know this only means that when she arrives she'll have her days and nights confused, but I'm trying not to think about that at this point.
We do have a full moon and a lunar eclipse on the 10th, so along with a lot of walking, I'm hoping that helps Wren find her way out! :) And Oakes will be going to Columbia this weekend with my cousin and her two kids. It's our family Christmas party and they are staying overnight Saturday night, so that will give Evan a chance to finish his presentation due next week and me a chance to nest. And it will also ease any stress we have over "what if we have the baby while they are out of town?" fears. So basically, Saturday would be a great day for us to have a baby!
On Tuesday we had a baby shower at Evan's school, it was a "Books'n'Bucks" shower where his colleagues could bring a copy of their favorite children's book and/or money/gift cards towards diapers for Wren. We already have an amazing library of sorts for Oakes, so we were fully expecting to have duplicate books at this shower. Fortunately, that didn't happen! We only had two books that were duplicates and they are such great books that we aren't even thinking about returning them - they'll be great to stuff in a diaper bag or leave in one of our cars! My favorite book we received? Hands down, it's an ABC book created by a few of the women on Evan's Title I team who I also have scrapbooked with. It was the first one we opened and I just started crying when I started looking through it (B is for Brother - with pics of Oakes all over the page; C is for Cousins - and photos of Graham, Owen, and Eva).
My school shower was today - it was a joint shower with another teacher who is pregnant (4 weeks behind me) with her second baby who is also a girl. My shower was a "diaper shower/fill in the gaps shower" and we really got a lot of great stuff! From girlie hats and socks and sleepers to boxes of diapers and gift cards, I was in awe at how much useful, cute stuff I received. It's funny that when you are on baby #2, you don't think you need that much stuff. But with having a second baby that is a different gender, you actually do need some of the items to be more gender specific and while I'll still probably use those blue socks and hats from Oakes, I am so happy to have some pinks and greens to add to the mix!
At both showers, we received quite a few gift cards and even some cash from Evan's. I think the plan is to wait until after Wren arrives before we spend those as I'm sure we'll have things that we'll need to run out and get (diapers, anyone!??!?!) at the last minute.
Again, we are feeling so blessed by all of the warm wishes and gifts that we received. You never really think of how many people love you and care for you and it's times like these that you realize how surrounded by love you are.
Enough of all that mushy stuff, now for a baby/baby mama update. ;) I'm doing well and am becoming very much at peace with the fact that Wren will probably be hanging out a while longer. She knows what she needs and as long as she's healthy, then I'll be happy. My ankles are continuing to swell more as the days go on, but again that's a small price to pay. Wren seems to be most active in the evenings these days (she's currently having some sort of workout in me and is punching me in all sorts of places that I'm not used to!) and quietest in the mid morning. I know this only means that when she arrives she'll have her days and nights confused, but I'm trying not to think about that at this point.
We do have a full moon and a lunar eclipse on the 10th, so along with a lot of walking, I'm hoping that helps Wren find her way out! :) And Oakes will be going to Columbia this weekend with my cousin and her two kids. It's our family Christmas party and they are staying overnight Saturday night, so that will give Evan a chance to finish his presentation due next week and me a chance to nest. And it will also ease any stress we have over "what if we have the baby while they are out of town?" fears. So basically, Saturday would be a great day for us to have a baby!
Monday, December 5, 2011
39 weeks
And we're back from the doctor's office. I was so hopeful that we'd have some progress, but alas, Wren is apparently very comfortable where she is and it looks like she's following her big brother's footsteps. Evan wisely decided to decline playing our fun guessing game of "how much have we progressed" so while I was hoping for 3cm and 80%, I was quite let down. At least someone is comfortable. ;)
Blood Pressure: 130/60
Weight: +3 (total weight gain = +19 pounds)
Heartrate: 168bpm
The belly is measuring at ?? weeks ***
Dilation = 2cm [still]
Effacement (thinning of cervix) = 40% [still]
Station = -1 [but he said he was being generous with that - boo!]
***So we never found out how big my belly was measuring. This is how the conversation went when Dr. C was measuring me:
Dr. C: "So remind me, you are due on Saturday?" (he puts away the tape)
Me: "No, on Monday."
Dr. C: "And how much did Oakes weigh?"
Me: "8 pounds, 2 ounces, but you are scaring me... how big am I measuring, anyway?"
Dr. C, chuckling: "Remember that boys typically weigh more than girls."
Me, as he steps out to get the nurse for my cervical exam: "But you're avoiding my question..."
So we never found out, but I am hopeful that he's not telling me for my own peace of mind :)
Also, I'd like to think my 8lb weight gain in the past two weeks can be attributed to my swelling that has popped up. Speaking of swelling, we got to go to the hospital on Sunday morning as I was incredibly swollen on Friday and Saturday night and also had two instances of vision issues last week, so my doctor had us go in for a stress test (or something like that) where they just monitored me and the baby: heartrate for baby, contractions, and also my blood pressure every fifteen minutes. My blood pressure readings were 128/80; 124/71; 123/69; 115/72. All was good, but it truly wore me out as I was emotionally drained afterwards.
Dr. C also told me that he was a little more vigorous on the cervical exam to sort of strip my membranes, but not really. He said I'd be coming off the table if he did it fully and that if I make it to 41 weeks, we may just be experiencing that!
So we have a busy week this week - tomorrow is Evan's staff baby shower at school and mine is on Thursday. We also have my school staff party tomorrow night which we're planning on going to if all goes well.
Blood Pressure: 130/60
Weight: +3 (total weight gain = +19 pounds)
Heartrate: 168bpm
The belly is measuring at ?? weeks ***
Dilation = 2cm [still]
Effacement (thinning of cervix) = 40% [still]
Station = -1 [but he said he was being generous with that - boo!]
***So we never found out how big my belly was measuring. This is how the conversation went when Dr. C was measuring me:
Dr. C: "So remind me, you are due on Saturday?" (he puts away the tape)
Me: "No, on Monday."
Dr. C: "And how much did Oakes weigh?"
Me: "8 pounds, 2 ounces, but you are scaring me... how big am I measuring, anyway?"
Dr. C, chuckling: "Remember that boys typically weigh more than girls."
Me, as he steps out to get the nurse for my cervical exam: "But you're avoiding my question..."
So we never found out, but I am hopeful that he's not telling me for my own peace of mind :)
Also, I'd like to think my 8lb weight gain in the past two weeks can be attributed to my swelling that has popped up. Speaking of swelling, we got to go to the hospital on Sunday morning as I was incredibly swollen on Friday and Saturday night and also had two instances of vision issues last week, so my doctor had us go in for a stress test (or something like that) where they just monitored me and the baby: heartrate for baby, contractions, and also my blood pressure every fifteen minutes. My blood pressure readings were 128/80; 124/71; 123/69; 115/72. All was good, but it truly wore me out as I was emotionally drained afterwards.
Dr. C also told me that he was a little more vigorous on the cervical exam to sort of strip my membranes, but not really. He said I'd be coming off the table if he did it fully and that if I make it to 41 weeks, we may just be experiencing that!
So we have a busy week this week - tomorrow is Evan's staff baby shower at school and mine is on Thursday. We also have my school staff party tomorrow night which we're planning on going to if all goes well.
39 Week Belly Shot:
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Sleepless Nights and Inconsiderate Subs
Well, Friday turned out to be a much better day, contraction-wise! I drank water like a fish on Thursday afternoon/evening and into Friday and I think that helped tremendously. Unfortunately, my feet are the most swollen they've been during this pregnancy and I think that my water intake from here on out will have to just about double in order to keep me comfortable with both the swelling and to ward off braxton-hicks contractions. But like I said, Friday was a breeze in the contraction department and I hardly felt any all day long. I like to think that Thursday was just nature's way of helping my body prepare for an upcoming labor.
On a more stressful note, I got a phone call yesterday morning around 10am at school from the substitute they had hired for my maternity leave saying that she could not do it anymore as she just accepted an interim at another school to start in January. I literally wanted to cry when I hung up the phone. Here I am, 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant and with all of my maternity plans written with this lady in mind, and she cancels on me!?!?!!?!?!?
By lunch, I was in the principal's office (still in shock, mind you) and was pleased to know that in the two hours since my principal had found out, she and the secretary had already hired a new substitute for me and the one they hired is absolutely WONDERFUL! I'm still really pissy about the whole cancelling thing by the first sub but there is nothing I can do about that and being pissy won't help either. My new sub came by after school on Friday and I gave her my maternity leave notebook and showed her around the room briefly -- afterall, she could have to come in as early as Monday, depending on Wren's schedule. Again, she's fabulous and I really think that things like this happen for a reason and this just means she's a much better fit for me, my students, and my grade level.
Well, it's only 4:15am on Saturday morning right now (I can't sleep, again). I'm trying to creep around the house quietly in order not to wake my sleeping beauties, but Evan has already woken up and come to check on me to make sure everything is okay. I think I'm going to try to head back to bed in a bit and see if I can't force myself to get some more sleep, and if not, I'll go downstairs and try wrapping Christmas gifts until it's a reasonable time for the rest of the world to wake up. I'd really prefer the sleep!
Edited: I went back to bed and slept until the glorious hour of 7:30 this a.m. (thanks, Oakes!) so yay for sleep :)
On a more stressful note, I got a phone call yesterday morning around 10am at school from the substitute they had hired for my maternity leave saying that she could not do it anymore as she just accepted an interim at another school to start in January. I literally wanted to cry when I hung up the phone. Here I am, 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant and with all of my maternity plans written with this lady in mind, and she cancels on me!?!?!!?!?!?
By lunch, I was in the principal's office (still in shock, mind you) and was pleased to know that in the two hours since my principal had found out, she and the secretary had already hired a new substitute for me and the one they hired is absolutely WONDERFUL! I'm still really pissy about the whole cancelling thing by the first sub but there is nothing I can do about that and being pissy won't help either. My new sub came by after school on Friday and I gave her my maternity leave notebook and showed her around the room briefly -- afterall, she could have to come in as early as Monday, depending on Wren's schedule. Again, she's fabulous and I really think that things like this happen for a reason and this just means she's a much better fit for me, my students, and my grade level.
Well, it's only 4:15am on Saturday morning right now (I can't sleep, again). I'm trying to creep around the house quietly in order not to wake my sleeping beauties, but Evan has already woken up and come to check on me to make sure everything is okay. I think I'm going to try to head back to bed in a bit and see if I can't force myself to get some more sleep, and if not, I'll go downstairs and try wrapping Christmas gifts until it's a reasonable time for the rest of the world to wake up. I'd really prefer the sleep!
Edited: I went back to bed and slept until the glorious hour of 7:30 this a.m. (thanks, Oakes!) so yay for sleep :)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Braxton-Hicks, anyone?
So last night was a terrible night of sleep for me. From 1am until around 4:30am, I was up 3 times to pee and was probably up another 15 times just trying to roll over and get comfy. Yet my 3 trips to the bathroom didn't really result in a lot of pee so that was super frustrating for me. Obviously, I felt pretty crummy this morning after a night of tossing and turning, then when I was driving into work I realized that my "not feeling so great" feeling this morning was due to some contractions, and I can only assume that this is what was keeping me up all night last night. I started timing them and they were about 30 seconds long and around 2 minutes apart. So after letting all of the appropriate people know, I went on with my day like normal and didn't let the kids know what was going on. They weren't that bad, especially compared to the serious contractions I know will come later on, but they certainly weren't comfortable, either.
Other changes I've noticed: I didn't get heartburn once today, which is really abnormal and makes me wonder if Wren has dropped. Apparently with a second baby, this generally happens just prior to labor, so we'll see if it's all something I'm imagining or if it really means something.
And here we are at 8:30pm, still with some Braxton-Hicks and exhausted from no sleep last night. Evan and I took Oakes on our "last date" to TCBY just like we did the night before Oakes was born, I packed my hospital bag, and Evan installed the carseat. So I guess we're ready for anything, but we'd really prefer for Wren to wait just a little longer to make her debut, even though we are ALL excited to meet her!
Other changes I've noticed: I didn't get heartburn once today, which is really abnormal and makes me wonder if Wren has dropped. Apparently with a second baby, this generally happens just prior to labor, so we'll see if it's all something I'm imagining or if it really means something.
And here we are at 8:30pm, still with some Braxton-Hicks and exhausted from no sleep last night. Evan and I took Oakes on our "last date" to TCBY just like we did the night before Oakes was born, I packed my hospital bag, and Evan installed the carseat. So I guess we're ready for anything, but we'd really prefer for Wren to wait just a little longer to make her debut, even though we are ALL excited to meet her!
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