I've finally gotten some of the photos uploaded!
I've created a collection in Shutterfly and plan to just link the collections here as I upload more photos.
Click on this link and it will take you to photos of our Hospital Stay at CDH, Christmas 2007, Rylee and Madden, family photos, and pictures from Maddyn's first week home!
Also- here is the link to the hospital Web Nursery. They took 4 photos of Maddyn. The password is our last name!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Maddyn Vera Is Here!!!
After a long labor, Maddyn Vera arrived at 6:46pm on Tuesday, December 18th! She was 20.5 inches and 8lb 13 oz.
(ETA: Photos added 12/25!)
The details:
Dave and I went in at noon on Monday and the doctor told us they were inducing. All of the different factors were just not worth the risk anymore, and they felt that they could manage my platelets now if c-section was needed. So they started with Cervidil (which softens the cervix). It didn't dilate me any more, but did soften the cervix. After that was in 12 hours, they moved me to a high dose of Pitocin to bring on stronger contractions. Ouch! I went from a fingertip dilated to 2-3cm pretty quickly. I also effaced up to 75% quickly. My contractions were hard at 2-3 minutes each for about 2.5 hours. By 3 hours, I had to ask for the Epidural- it was just too much. Once the epidural was administered we hoped that the relaxation would cause me to further dilate. The biggest problem they were seeing at first was that my station was only -3--this means the baby wasn't dropping. My pelvis was appearing to be too small. The range is -3 to +3 (at +3 the baby is out).
So after the epidural was in a few hours, and further checks occurred, at 6:00pm Tues the doctor came in and said that the baby was not progressing as well as they had hoped. They baby looked great but my own blood levels weren't so good and they wanted to get me in for a c-section immediately.
So within minutes, we were in the operating room. I was very terrified. When Maddyn's water was broken they found meconium so the NICU doctors had to be there for the delivery (this is standard procedure any time this occurs). Then b/c of my blood levels they had to have the high risk doctors in there, along with my own doctors and specialist for a transfusion for me if I didn't clot. It was a zoo, which pretty much made my anxiety sky-high. I remember a blood pressure reading during the operation of 168/134. Dave was allowed to sit by my head the whole time and try to keep me calm. But it was pretty scary hearing all of the doctors talking about the issues the whole time.
The best feeling in the world was finally hearing Maddyn cry. I remember looking at Dave, and he and I just held a look with each other filled with love for that little cry. It makes me smile just thinking about it. We didn't get to see her right away b/c the NICU docs had to take her. But since they had to do extra work on me, we got to see her while the surgery was still going on.
At the end of the surgery, Dave and a nurse left with Maddyn while I was being closed up.
Dave helped the nurse measure Maddyn and said that when he did, he "eyeballed" it and gave her the 20.5" reading. That he just used his fingers to figure it out, lol. Well, when the pediatrician saw her the next day- he told us that she's such a long baby. When he saw the 20.5" by her info, he said there is no way that's right- lol. Dave told him his story and he told us to get her remeasured at her first pediatrician appt next week and to tell the pedi... otherwise, she might grow 3 inches in one week- lol!!!
So- after the delivery we went up to the mother baby unit. I have only fantastic things to say about all of the CDH (Central DuPage Hospital) nurses. They were fantastic. It sounds cliche- but for as much times as I spent in L&D before the baby came, and during and in Mother/Baby after- they became like family. So supportive, informative and friendly.
The first week was a tough one. My body wasn't dealing with the surgery well, and it was a tough recovery. I was failing the blood/bp/breathing tests needed to get out of the hospital, so they put me on meds that made me very ill. They wiped me out and made everything so much tougher. We also ended up having breast feeding problems, b/c my milk was not coming in right away- and Maddyn was suffering b/c of it. And with all of the above, it was so stressful it meant absolutely no sleep.
As I mentioned above Maddyn lost too much birth weight in the first 2 days b/c my milk didn't come in yet, so they forced us to supplement with formula (though I continued to breastfeed to get the milk to come quicker) to bring up her birth weight and blood sugar. My milk finally came in on Day 4, and I immediately engorged. This brought us to the other extreme b/c Maddyn couldn't feed then either. Luckily the lactation staff at CDH rocks, and they worked with me (medicated and all) to get things headed in the right direction. However, it's been 4 days and I'm still 100% engorged. They thought this engorgement was pretty severe and would last about a week- OUCH! So currently we are now in a "every single 2 hour" feeding schedule, in order to help the engorgement and keep Maddyn's weight/blood sugar on target.
Today we had our first pediatrician appt, and her birth weight is doing 100% better and things are looking so much more positive. It was a great visit! Oh, and she was remeasured. Turns out Dave did a good job. She was only 20.75" today! LOL. It's just funny since all along they told us we'd have a tall baby from the u/s measurements. I was 21.5" and Dave was 22" when we were born- so 20.5" didn't seem too long. But, she does have very long legs- so I can see where that would have screwed up the measurements!
I have to go back to CDH on Wed for a lactation consultation - where we hope we can get rid of the 2-hour-must-feed schedule and allow it to be more flexible (2-4 hours). Wish us luck- b/c I think once we get the engorgement taken care of and a good schedule in place (with a little more sleep) we'll be on the right track!
So late Saturday night we finally got to come home. It feels great to be home. Though, with everything going on- and feeding every single 2 hours, both Dave and I are on about a total of 15 hours of sleep for this whole last week. So we are trying to catch up here, and plan to get in touch with everyone very soon!!!!
Many of you have asked about her name. Well, for those that know Dave and I at all, they know we are the biggest football freaks ever ;) And we wanted a fun name that is very "us". Maddyn seemed to fit the bill since it relates so well to football. We chose to "girl" it up with a "y" instead of an "e". And this way we can nickname her Maddy too :) Vera as many of you know was my Grandmother's name and means "truth/virtue". My Grandma Vera was one of the greatest ladies ever- strong willed, passionate, and just an amazing woman. We felt this was a perfect fit for our little snowflake.
Maddyn and Rylee are doing great together. Maddy is having a blast just taking in her new surroundings. We have taken some fun photos- that if I don't get to upload now, I will by this weekend. I'm so impressed with how well Ry is doing!!! We were concerned it would not go this well.
I'll post a few photos now, but have SO many to upload and sort through. I promise I'll get more up here soon. Hopefully after the chaos of Christmas passes, we'll have a little more time on our hands and I can get them up by this weekend!
Thank you again for all of the messages, flowers, gifts, phone calls, cards, etc. It's been so wonderful and I hope to personally talk to you all soon.... Hopefully in about a week we'll be more caught up on sleep and have time to catch up!!
Merry Christmas!!
Love, Heather, Dave and Maddyn!
(ETA: Photos added 12/25!)
The details:
Dave and I went in at noon on Monday and the doctor told us they were inducing. All of the different factors were just not worth the risk anymore, and they felt that they could manage my platelets now if c-section was needed. So they started with Cervidil (which softens the cervix). It didn't dilate me any more, but did soften the cervix. After that was in 12 hours, they moved me to a high dose of Pitocin to bring on stronger contractions. Ouch! I went from a fingertip dilated to 2-3cm pretty quickly. I also effaced up to 75% quickly. My contractions were hard at 2-3 minutes each for about 2.5 hours. By 3 hours, I had to ask for the Epidural- it was just too much. Once the epidural was administered we hoped that the relaxation would cause me to further dilate. The biggest problem they were seeing at first was that my station was only -3--this means the baby wasn't dropping. My pelvis was appearing to be too small. The range is -3 to +3 (at +3 the baby is out).
So after the epidural was in a few hours, and further checks occurred, at 6:00pm Tues the doctor came in and said that the baby was not progressing as well as they had hoped. They baby looked great but my own blood levels weren't so good and they wanted to get me in for a c-section immediately.
So within minutes, we were in the operating room. I was very terrified. When Maddyn's water was broken they found meconium so the NICU doctors had to be there for the delivery (this is standard procedure any time this occurs). Then b/c of my blood levels they had to have the high risk doctors in there, along with my own doctors and specialist for a transfusion for me if I didn't clot. It was a zoo, which pretty much made my anxiety sky-high. I remember a blood pressure reading during the operation of 168/134. Dave was allowed to sit by my head the whole time and try to keep me calm. But it was pretty scary hearing all of the doctors talking about the issues the whole time.
The best feeling in the world was finally hearing Maddyn cry. I remember looking at Dave, and he and I just held a look with each other filled with love for that little cry. It makes me smile just thinking about it. We didn't get to see her right away b/c the NICU docs had to take her. But since they had to do extra work on me, we got to see her while the surgery was still going on.
At the end of the surgery, Dave and a nurse left with Maddyn while I was being closed up.
Dave helped the nurse measure Maddyn and said that when he did, he "eyeballed" it and gave her the 20.5" reading. That he just used his fingers to figure it out, lol. Well, when the pediatrician saw her the next day- he told us that she's such a long baby. When he saw the 20.5" by her info, he said there is no way that's right- lol. Dave told him his story and he told us to get her remeasured at her first pediatrician appt next week and to tell the pedi... otherwise, she might grow 3 inches in one week- lol!!!
So- after the delivery we went up to the mother baby unit. I have only fantastic things to say about all of the CDH (Central DuPage Hospital) nurses. They were fantastic. It sounds cliche- but for as much times as I spent in L&D before the baby came, and during and in Mother/Baby after- they became like family. So supportive, informative and friendly.
The first week was a tough one. My body wasn't dealing with the surgery well, and it was a tough recovery. I was failing the blood/bp/breathing tests needed to get out of the hospital, so they put me on meds that made me very ill. They wiped me out and made everything so much tougher. We also ended up having breast feeding problems, b/c my milk was not coming in right away- and Maddyn was suffering b/c of it. And with all of the above, it was so stressful it meant absolutely no sleep.
As I mentioned above Maddyn lost too much birth weight in the first 2 days b/c my milk didn't come in yet, so they forced us to supplement with formula (though I continued to breastfeed to get the milk to come quicker) to bring up her birth weight and blood sugar. My milk finally came in on Day 4, and I immediately engorged. This brought us to the other extreme b/c Maddyn couldn't feed then either. Luckily the lactation staff at CDH rocks, and they worked with me (medicated and all) to get things headed in the right direction. However, it's been 4 days and I'm still 100% engorged. They thought this engorgement was pretty severe and would last about a week- OUCH! So currently we are now in a "every single 2 hour" feeding schedule, in order to help the engorgement and keep Maddyn's weight/blood sugar on target.
Today we had our first pediatrician appt, and her birth weight is doing 100% better and things are looking so much more positive. It was a great visit! Oh, and she was remeasured. Turns out Dave did a good job. She was only 20.75" today! LOL. It's just funny since all along they told us we'd have a tall baby from the u/s measurements. I was 21.5" and Dave was 22" when we were born- so 20.5" didn't seem too long. But, she does have very long legs- so I can see where that would have screwed up the measurements!
I have to go back to CDH on Wed for a lactation consultation - where we hope we can get rid of the 2-hour-must-feed schedule and allow it to be more flexible (2-4 hours). Wish us luck- b/c I think once we get the engorgement taken care of and a good schedule in place (with a little more sleep) we'll be on the right track!
So late Saturday night we finally got to come home. It feels great to be home. Though, with everything going on- and feeding every single 2 hours, both Dave and I are on about a total of 15 hours of sleep for this whole last week. So we are trying to catch up here, and plan to get in touch with everyone very soon!!!!
Many of you have asked about her name. Well, for those that know Dave and I at all, they know we are the biggest football freaks ever ;) And we wanted a fun name that is very "us". Maddyn seemed to fit the bill since it relates so well to football. We chose to "girl" it up with a "y" instead of an "e". And this way we can nickname her Maddy too :) Vera as many of you know was my Grandmother's name and means "truth/virtue". My Grandma Vera was one of the greatest ladies ever- strong willed, passionate, and just an amazing woman. We felt this was a perfect fit for our little snowflake.
Maddyn and Rylee are doing great together. Maddy is having a blast just taking in her new surroundings. We have taken some fun photos- that if I don't get to upload now, I will by this weekend. I'm so impressed with how well Ry is doing!!! We were concerned it would not go this well.
I'll post a few photos now, but have SO many to upload and sort through. I promise I'll get more up here soon. Hopefully after the chaos of Christmas passes, we'll have a little more time on our hands and I can get them up by this weekend!
Thank you again for all of the messages, flowers, gifts, phone calls, cards, etc. It's been so wonderful and I hope to personally talk to you all soon.... Hopefully in about a week we'll be more caught up on sleep and have time to catch up!!
Merry Christmas!!
Love, Heather, Dave and Maddyn!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
40 week update
Had our appointment on Saturday and passed all my tests again. The baby looks great too! We had another great discussion with a different doc- it's amazing how different they all are.
He said he was 50/50 on induction. He said he'd be fine inducing and not inducing. While I was there, I was contracting about every 9-11 minutes and they were registering about 45 seconds on the monitors (I was only feeling about 15 seconds of it though. He said that and the fact that they are irregular means it's not true labor yet). He said he could induce and speed it up- or we can labor it out on our own. Yes, it would be riskier to induce still b/c of my cervix, but I am in a better spot now than I was on Tuesday.
After a few hours of monitoring, he felt strongly that this was early labor for me, b/c my contractions were intensifying while I was there. But they remained irregular and no plug or water breaking yet. I still haven't dropped. My cervix still isn't 'favorable' and he said that contracting on my own will push dilation. That would reduce my risk when we do induce.
So we chose to go home. I'm walking to bring on contractions and he is giving us till Monday. He doesn't want me going any later than that and felt 2 days was enough time to try to labor it out. If we don't labor on our own b/t now and Monday, they will likely start induction on Monday.
So fingers crossed these contractions get longer, stronger and closer. It's already Sunday and unfortunately I'm not feeling anything-except lots of pain everywhere else! So hopefully something will happen before tomorrow!
We'll keep you all posted!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Still Pregnant!
Sorry it has taken me so long to update here.
We went in on Tuesday for our appointment, and for the first time in 4 weeks I passed all my blood tests and u/s tests. That was such a relief! My BPs are still on the higher end- but they really think it's anxiety since I'm passing the other tests. But of course, they still continue to monitor. As we have heard before- the baby looks perfect--its just me again they are concerned about!
So we met with the high risk OB and the OB on call from my group again. After all the test results were in, we told them we wanted to be induced- as Dr H had mentioned. They did a cervix check and said I'm just not favorable. I'm still too thick and high and haven't dilated. They could apply cervidil, but it would be increasing my risk of Emergency C-section, because of my platelets, etc. and could cause complications for future children if we wanted. The doc really took the time to explain to us the risks in detail, and we knew those were not chances we were willing to take.
Turns out that the platelet problem I have is actually a 'condition' called Thrombocytopenia (There is a specific type, but Dave and I couldn't figure out its name- it sounded like another language). This condition puts me at risk with surgery. Which looking back on past surgeries makes a bunch of sense. But that's another story.
The summary was that both docs felt it better to let me try to labor on my own, and TRY to dilate more or get my cervix better prepared on my own before going to induction. So right now, we wait.
Since I passed my blood tests so well Tuesday, they let me cancel my Thurs b/w and u/s test and we just come in Saturday now. So nothing more until Saturday it looks like at this point. I'm going to pray the baby does something on her own. They told us to pack a bag for Saturday again. If my cervix is more favorable then, they can try to induce. If not, we'll discuss next steps then.
I think the baby just wants to stick around till Christmas :) LOL
Some of you have asked how we are letting people know when she's here. I know mom and Dave are planning on calling/texting family & friends right away. So we'll do our best to get the word out quickly! We'll also try to put a quick update here too- with her name and stats!!
And as promised, here are some belly photos at 39 weeks I took last weekend. And just for fun, I did a comparison of the 39 week belly shots to the 5 weeks ones- WOW!
We went in on Tuesday for our appointment, and for the first time in 4 weeks I passed all my blood tests and u/s tests. That was such a relief! My BPs are still on the higher end- but they really think it's anxiety since I'm passing the other tests. But of course, they still continue to monitor. As we have heard before- the baby looks perfect--its just me again they are concerned about!
So we met with the high risk OB and the OB on call from my group again. After all the test results were in, we told them we wanted to be induced- as Dr H had mentioned. They did a cervix check and said I'm just not favorable. I'm still too thick and high and haven't dilated. They could apply cervidil, but it would be increasing my risk of Emergency C-section, because of my platelets, etc. and could cause complications for future children if we wanted. The doc really took the time to explain to us the risks in detail, and we knew those were not chances we were willing to take.
Turns out that the platelet problem I have is actually a 'condition' called Thrombocytopenia (There is a specific type, but Dave and I couldn't figure out its name- it sounded like another language). This condition puts me at risk with surgery. Which looking back on past surgeries makes a bunch of sense. But that's another story.
The summary was that both docs felt it better to let me try to labor on my own, and TRY to dilate more or get my cervix better prepared on my own before going to induction. So right now, we wait.
Since I passed my blood tests so well Tuesday, they let me cancel my Thurs b/w and u/s test and we just come in Saturday now. So nothing more until Saturday it looks like at this point. I'm going to pray the baby does something on her own. They told us to pack a bag for Saturday again. If my cervix is more favorable then, they can try to induce. If not, we'll discuss next steps then.
I think the baby just wants to stick around till Christmas :) LOL
Some of you have asked how we are letting people know when she's here. I know mom and Dave are planning on calling/texting family & friends right away. So we'll do our best to get the word out quickly! We'll also try to put a quick update here too- with her name and stats!!
And as promised, here are some belly photos at 39 weeks I took last weekend. And just for fun, I did a comparison of the 39 week belly shots to the 5 weeks ones- WOW!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
One Day at a Time!
First off- Still Pregnant! After everything we've been through- who would have thought we could make it to 39 weeks! YAY! After today's appointment, it looks like Tues will be the day they start inducing- which would mean Wed (12/12) or Thurs (12/13) we'd meet baby Wags! But then again- who knows!! We'll keep everyone posted!
I've sent some of you updates, so to keep this in summary form, I'm just copying from those updates and putting down below! I apologize if this is a repeat for some.
Thursday's appt: (12/6)
It was a busy day in L&D and things went rather slow. Dave and I had come to the decision to induce if we were asked. We decided it was best for the baby and for me.
There are many different docs in the group and when you go to L&D for the appointments, you never know who you'll get. I started with the high risk doc and then went back to L&D. The doc I had Thursday, happened to be one of the 2 in the group who are not big on inductions. Go figure!
So there are the same variables that keep coming up on my tests:
1. BP - too high 2. Uric Acid -too high 3. AF -too low 4. Platelets -too low 5. Low fetal movement. On Tues the prob was my platelets and my BP. The platelets went up Thursday (that's good) and my BP was pretty good. Yet, the problem was now my uric acid (too high) and my AF (Went down again). I'm still in the "borderline" zone- meaning no forced induction.
According to the nurse, if I had most of the other docs, they'd have induced based upon those results being so borderline. However, this doc really wants me to hit 39 weeks (actually most of the docs really try to hit 39 weeks if they can). And since I didn't "fail" any of the tests, he felt it was 100% safe to wait till Saturday.
We even asked him if we should induce. He told us that based upon all of the tests he did not feel we should. So we go back Sat am for our next set of tests. He leaves, the nurse comes in. She was very helpful. I think I know most of the nurses in L&D there now- Heck, I've been there about 20+ times in the past few months- and they are all so wonderful. She said if it had been some of the other docs, they probably would have induced based on the test results I had today. It seems very subjective when you are borderline though. Versus if I had failed it would have been a done deal.
So next up: Sat morning bright and early! The nurse told me that I'll be 39 weeks, and I'll have Dr H- who is one of the docs who has mentioned induction on 2 prior visits where I've had her. The nurse said she's very to induce in a case like this. So she told us that unless I pass all my tests with 100% flying colors, plan/prepare for being admitted & induced.
Today/Saturday's appt: (12/8)
My levels are good today. And I'll even admit I'm a little bummed b/c I really this doc - and would have loved to have her deliver me. But looks like Tuesday is the day! Here's the scoop:
Levels came back the same as Thursday. They ran me by the High Risk OB again as well. The High Risk OB said he'd rather not risk it and chance an induction raising my levels- one in particular. Without getting into the gritty personal details, what he said made sense. So he said to wait another day or two for the level to go down more. Dr H (doc I love) said ok. Dave & I think she was also a little disappointed.
I know everyone says "You're past 36 weeks, you're full term, why don't they induce"- and this doc has been encouraging induction in the past. So I asked her for details. She said that in some cases with as many variables as mine- induction can make things worse/trigger things- leading ultimately to the emergency c-section. As of now, the baby is looking Perfect- and that's good. It's more "me" and my levels they have to watch and today I'm feeling great. If that changes of course, I go in and they induce.
She noted that I dropped- good sign! I'm no longer closed, but a little dilated. She said that's better than closed and we're getting somewhere!!
So--She talked to us a ton and told us she wouldn't induce today, but told us to bring our bag Tuesday. She was going to talk to Dr L (the doc on call Tues) and her recommendation is that we induce after our appt Tues. If they need to use the Cervidil, it'd be a long road...meaning baby wouldn't get here till Wed or even Thurs.
My anxiety has really lessened (well, until Monday night I'm sure) but looks like Baby Wags will be here in just a few more days! The best part is that when she left, she told us that she'd love to see the baby make an appearance on her own b/t now and Monday am (She's on call all weekend) so she could deliver us! So I told Dave that I want him to take me for Mexican food tonight to see if Spicy might help things along :) We'll keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all of the messages, emails, voicemails, texts, you name it! We appreciate it!
I got my new professional camera, so will be sure to take one last set of belly shots this week before Tuesday's appt too! I'll try to post tomorrow or Monday.
I've sent some of you updates, so to keep this in summary form, I'm just copying from those updates and putting down below! I apologize if this is a repeat for some.
Thursday's appt: (12/6)
It was a busy day in L&D and things went rather slow. Dave and I had come to the decision to induce if we were asked. We decided it was best for the baby and for me.
There are many different docs in the group and when you go to L&D for the appointments, you never know who you'll get. I started with the high risk doc and then went back to L&D. The doc I had Thursday, happened to be one of the 2 in the group who are not big on inductions. Go figure!
So there are the same variables that keep coming up on my tests:
1. BP - too high 2. Uric Acid -too high 3. AF -too low 4. Platelets -too low 5. Low fetal movement. On Tues the prob was my platelets and my BP. The platelets went up Thursday (that's good) and my BP was pretty good. Yet, the problem was now my uric acid (too high) and my AF (Went down again). I'm still in the "borderline" zone- meaning no forced induction.
According to the nurse, if I had most of the other docs, they'd have induced based upon those results being so borderline. However, this doc really wants me to hit 39 weeks (actually most of the docs really try to hit 39 weeks if they can). And since I didn't "fail" any of the tests, he felt it was 100% safe to wait till Saturday.
We even asked him if we should induce. He told us that based upon all of the tests he did not feel we should. So we go back Sat am for our next set of tests. He leaves, the nurse comes in. She was very helpful. I think I know most of the nurses in L&D there now- Heck, I've been there about 20+ times in the past few months- and they are all so wonderful. She said if it had been some of the other docs, they probably would have induced based on the test results I had today. It seems very subjective when you are borderline though. Versus if I had failed it would have been a done deal.
So next up: Sat morning bright and early! The nurse told me that I'll be 39 weeks, and I'll have Dr H- who is one of the docs who has mentioned induction on 2 prior visits where I've had her. The nurse said she's very to induce in a case like this. So she told us that unless I pass all my tests with 100% flying colors, plan/prepare for being admitted & induced.
Today/Saturday's appt: (12/8)
My levels are good today. And I'll even admit I'm a little bummed b/c I really this doc - and would have loved to have her deliver me. But looks like Tuesday is the day! Here's the scoop:
Levels came back the same as Thursday. They ran me by the High Risk OB again as well. The High Risk OB said he'd rather not risk it and chance an induction raising my levels- one in particular. Without getting into the gritty personal details, what he said made sense. So he said to wait another day or two for the level to go down more. Dr H (doc I love) said ok. Dave & I think she was also a little disappointed.
I know everyone says "You're past 36 weeks, you're full term, why don't they induce"- and this doc has been encouraging induction in the past. So I asked her for details. She said that in some cases with as many variables as mine- induction can make things worse/trigger things- leading ultimately to the emergency c-section. As of now, the baby is looking Perfect- and that's good. It's more "me" and my levels they have to watch and today I'm feeling great. If that changes of course, I go in and they induce.
She noted that I dropped- good sign! I'm no longer closed, but a little dilated. She said that's better than closed and we're getting somewhere!!
So--She talked to us a ton and told us she wouldn't induce today, but told us to bring our bag Tuesday. She was going to talk to Dr L (the doc on call Tues) and her recommendation is that we induce after our appt Tues. If they need to use the Cervidil, it'd be a long road...meaning baby wouldn't get here till Wed or even Thurs.
My anxiety has really lessened (well, until Monday night I'm sure) but looks like Baby Wags will be here in just a few more days! The best part is that when she left, she told us that she'd love to see the baby make an appearance on her own b/t now and Monday am (She's on call all weekend) so she could deliver us! So I told Dave that I want him to take me for Mexican food tonight to see if Spicy might help things along :) We'll keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all of the messages, emails, voicemails, texts, you name it! We appreciate it!
I got my new professional camera, so will be sure to take one last set of belly shots this week before Tuesday's appt too! I'll try to post tomorrow or Monday.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Looks like induction...
Looks like we'll be meeting our baby soon! Dave and I have some discussing to do tonight, but we are being faced with the decision to induce tomorrow/this weekend.
Tues we had our first of the every-other-day visits. Everything tested great!! I passed my NST, the AFI, the BioPhysical u/s. But then they did the blood draw. My platelets reduced- again. Plus, my BP started sky-high cuz I was so darn nervous. But it did eventually go down to normal once I relaxed.
Tues we had our first of the every-other-day visits. Everything tested great!! I passed my NST, the AFI, the BioPhysical u/s. But then they did the blood draw. My platelets reduced- again. Plus, my BP started sky-high cuz I was so darn nervous. But it did eventually go down to normal once I relaxed.
With the platelet thing, I guess it's pretty serious. It means no epidural if it drops below 100,000. It means emergency c-section if it gets even lower. It means my body could be caught not clotting blood properly which can cause internal bleeding, etc.
The doc shared that a normal person is around 180,000. I was at 130,000 when they made me stay the night last week. Low, but not "low enough to force an induction". It went up to 145,000 when I was there Sat/Sun. That was great. Yesterday I was down to 126,000. So- the doc came in and told me I'm back every other day still, until the baby comes. So Thurs, Sat, Tues, Thurs, and then Sat (my orig due date). Then he said it makes most sense to induce me. We discussed my fears- he was quite nice about it listening to me. He said they can keep waiting until I labor myself, or until I hit the "must induce" trigger on any of my tests, or I can chose to induce. I'm 0% dilated and 0% effaced. So as long as I continue to remain "closed" Cervidil would be needed to kick start the induction.
In essence, I'm delaying the inevitable by not going forth with the induction. And its stressing me out to all ends every single time we go in. So the nurse comes in and we talk. She said that I should really consider induction. That if we do- then to see how Thurs goes. If I don't pass my tests Thurs, they'll induce me anyways on Thurs evening. If I barely pass again- then I have a choice. If I chose to induce, most likely they will have me schedule to come in this weekend- since they are always slower on weekends. But it will really depend on what the doctor says tomorrow.
Anyhoo- so its possible Thurs I'd be induced if I fail the tests. Or it sounds like if we chose to, it would be Saturday or Sunday. If not, she'll be here next week regardless! So Dave and I need to talk and figure it all out, but thought I'd just provide an update quick on here.
Thank you for the emails, calls and messages. Sorry I haven't gotten back to everyone- I'm so swamped at work, and with all of this my head is pretty busy. But I hope to catch up soon!
Monday, December 3, 2007
L&D has become my 2nd home
Since my last post so much has happened, that I"ll try my best to outline it and keep it straight. Another few visits to L&D.
I went for my AFI last Monday, and it went well. She didn't share the details with me but told me that my AF wasn't decreased- which is what we wanted to hear.
So I had my weekly appt on Wednesday. At the weekly appt, I failed the NST. That means that the baby's fetal movement was low. It's called a non-reactive NST. My BP was also slightly elevated, so they sent us to L&D after the appt.
At the hospital I got hooked up to monitors, then shipped off to Radiology where they did another u/s and the baby's heart-rate became more responsive. They did a 30 min breathing test on her- and she passed. So they let us go back to L&D to get more tests done. There they did blood draws. My blood tests failed. One of my acids ( I can't pronounce it, but started with an S or F I think) was too high, and then my platelet count is too low. They made me stay overnight.
On Thursday morning they did a redraw of the blood, and saw no change. My BP went back to normal during the night as well. They felt I was ok to go home. They suggested I take my BP 3 times a day - if it goes up, I'm to call in.
I felt better after that. I rested up and my BPs were normal at home. Then on Saturday night, we got KFC for dinner. It didn't sit well, and a few hours later I started to vomit violently. Dave called L&D b/c the vomiting was bringing on very strong contractions. They told us to come in immediately.
So we ended up spending yet another night in L&D. Their main concern was dehydration. I was put on IV all night and that seemed to help some. But I had to finish getting it all out of my system - it was a long night. My contractions spaced out- meaning it was not true labor. After a very long night they sent us home Sunday early afternoon.
Now- we learned quite a bit on Sunday when I was being discharged, and I'm still perplexed.
Turns out I'm NOT dilated - at all. At an appt a few weeks back I was measured and told I was 2cm. The doc checked us this time and told us I most definitely was "closed" and not dilated or effaced. So the measurement a few weeks back was wrong. Very odd.
That is why they kept mentioning Cervidil to me. If they have to induce labor and you are not dilated, they will need to use Cervidil to soften the cervix. I've heard horror stories about this- and so I am hoping that I will be dilated on my own enough that they will not have to use that.
When I was discharged on Sunday, the doc told me that she had reviewed my charts with the High Risk OB dept- and I've now been labeled as high-risk. This means I no longer get my weekly appts at the office, but have to go to L&D each week. So this Tues I start. I go for a NST, U/S (AFI and Biophysical), and BP monitoring. If all is ok, they let me go and I have to go back EVERY OTHER DAY until I deliver. So I'd go back Thurs, Sat, etc. If I don't pass all of the tests - they induce. My concern is that if I'm not dilated and they have to use Cervidil that leads to a greater chance of a c-section. So my fingers are crossed I can make it another week or so. Since I'm only 38 weeks now, there's a better chance that by next week I'll be dilated. Fingers crossed.
Unfortunately, my anxiety and fears have gotten the best of me. As much as I want to meet little baby wags- the thought of c-sections and induction pretty much scares the crap out of me right now. So I'm doing my best to stay calm and just go with the flow. Dave has been a godsend. If it wasn't for him and my mom taking time every.single.day to help me relax, I'd be even worse. They've both been doing such a great job and calming me down- even when I'm puking and in the middle of contractions.
I'll continue to update the blog- but it's safe to say that we'll know more Tues, then Thurs, then Sat, etc. In the meantime, I'm still hoping for one more week - or at least some dilation!
Here are my 38 week belly photos- she still hasn't dropped enough yet as you can see.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
37 Weeks- L&D again
Our 37 week appt was last Wednesday. We had the NST and the baby's heart rate was lower than past appts. It was coming and going in spikes. And my contractions were measuring rather close together. I mentioned the nausea and the doc said that it is normal to come and go at the end of the pregnancy. Regardless, I got sent to L&D again. They wanted to get me in for a quick U/S to check the AF again. So we head off, thinking it would be in and out, just like some of the other ones.
No such luck this time. We got to L&D and they hook me up to the monitors again since the wait for the U/S was going to be about 2 hours. While on the monitors, I start having very long contractions every 3 minutes. Nurse and doc came in, and immediately hook me up to an IV, saying they want to see if hydrating is going to solve the prob.
I mentioned I had been sick and that I was likely dehydrated. They don't really care and kept me on the monitors. They pushed out my ultrasound further, b/c they wanted to see my contractions lessen. I've had TERRIBLE back pain and the doc said it's definitely back labor- so that made the contractions much worse.
Anyhoo- the contractions spaced out to 4.5 minutes so they ended up taking me to the ultrasound. It appears if your contractions can be affected by hydration, it means it's not "true labor"- even though they are so close together. My amniotic fluid dropped to 8.17. The baby looks healthy but is measuring a due date now of 12/5 (last week it was measuring a due date of 12/10). It is also measuring quite large (I'm terrified of this b/c Dave was such a huge baby). Oh, and the baby is sunny side up (not breech- she's head down- but flipped face up). They said that this "sunny side up position" was causing my back pain b/c the biggest part of the head is on my spine.
They took me back to L&D where the doc says he's just not happy with my AF levels. They keep dropping. They hooked me back up to the montiors, and my contractions eventually spaced to 8 minutes apart. After a little more monitoring, he said that at this point, I'm not dilated/effaced enough and he doesn't want to induce. My AF is at the bare minimum- and if it stays there, it's ok. He wants to wait a few more days and see what happens. If it goes any lower, they will induce.
Next Steps: I have to watch for any fluid leaks, and promise to monitor my contractions and fetal movement like a hawk. I also promised to hydrate like crazy. I had to go back in to L&D on Saturday morning at 6:30am for more monitoring for a few hours. If they let me go Saturday, I have to do another ultrasound (u/s) on Tues with the Maternal Fetal Medicine folks before every weekly appt (called an AFI- to measure the Amniotic Fluid). But, if my contractions are still close, and my fluid is low, he told us they will induce the labor. So he mentioned to come with our car seat installed and a packed bag.
The good news is that they kept saying the baby looks great. So that was good to hear.
Sooooo- Saturday came and went well!! My contractions are now farther apart (9.5 minutes) but weren't being delayed by dehydration. I'm not any more dilated, but I have some spotting. So now we just wait.
They want our AFI on Monday now, instead of Tuesday. So I'll have that Mon, the NST and appt Wed, then back again next Friday. I get monitored every other day till she comes now. So I'm glad to have this extra time to finish getting ready and to rest up. What a week!
Below are some belly photos from 36 weeks (I forgot to post some last week) and 37 weeks!
36 weeks: Family photos with Rylee :)
37 weels:
No such luck this time. We got to L&D and they hook me up to the monitors again since the wait for the U/S was going to be about 2 hours. While on the monitors, I start having very long contractions every 3 minutes. Nurse and doc came in, and immediately hook me up to an IV, saying they want to see if hydrating is going to solve the prob.
I mentioned I had been sick and that I was likely dehydrated. They don't really care and kept me on the monitors. They pushed out my ultrasound further, b/c they wanted to see my contractions lessen. I've had TERRIBLE back pain and the doc said it's definitely back labor- so that made the contractions much worse.
Anyhoo- the contractions spaced out to 4.5 minutes so they ended up taking me to the ultrasound. It appears if your contractions can be affected by hydration, it means it's not "true labor"- even though they are so close together. My amniotic fluid dropped to 8.17. The baby looks healthy but is measuring a due date now of 12/5 (last week it was measuring a due date of 12/10). It is also measuring quite large (I'm terrified of this b/c Dave was such a huge baby). Oh, and the baby is sunny side up (not breech- she's head down- but flipped face up). They said that this "sunny side up position" was causing my back pain b/c the biggest part of the head is on my spine.
They took me back to L&D where the doc says he's just not happy with my AF levels. They keep dropping. They hooked me back up to the montiors, and my contractions eventually spaced to 8 minutes apart. After a little more monitoring, he said that at this point, I'm not dilated/effaced enough and he doesn't want to induce. My AF is at the bare minimum- and if it stays there, it's ok. He wants to wait a few more days and see what happens. If it goes any lower, they will induce.
Next Steps: I have to watch for any fluid leaks, and promise to monitor my contractions and fetal movement like a hawk. I also promised to hydrate like crazy. I had to go back in to L&D on Saturday morning at 6:30am for more monitoring for a few hours. If they let me go Saturday, I have to do another ultrasound (u/s) on Tues with the Maternal Fetal Medicine folks before every weekly appt (called an AFI- to measure the Amniotic Fluid). But, if my contractions are still close, and my fluid is low, he told us they will induce the labor. So he mentioned to come with our car seat installed and a packed bag.
The good news is that they kept saying the baby looks great. So that was good to hear.
Sooooo- Saturday came and went well!! My contractions are now farther apart (9.5 minutes) but weren't being delayed by dehydration. I'm not any more dilated, but I have some spotting. So now we just wait.
They want our AFI on Monday now, instead of Tuesday. So I'll have that Mon, the NST and appt Wed, then back again next Friday. I get monitored every other day till she comes now. So I'm glad to have this extra time to finish getting ready and to rest up. What a week!
Below are some belly photos from 36 weeks (I forgot to post some last week) and 37 weeks!
36 weeks: Family photos with Rylee :)
37 weels:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Maternity Photos to share
A few weeks back Dave and I had our friend Rachael take some Maternity Photos. We just wanted something to "journal" our pregnancy, and thought photos were a great way we would both enjoy.
Thought I'd post a few of our favorites, along with a few cute photos she caught of Rylee too :)
I'd highly recommend Rachael (Click here for her website) for wedding, baby or maternity photos! She's the best!
Thought I'd post a few of our favorites, along with a few cute photos she caught of Rylee too :)
I'd highly recommend Rachael (Click here for her website) for wedding, baby or maternity photos! She's the best!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
36 Weeks- Milestone!
YAY! We've finally hit 36 weeks. It's such a great milestone. The baby is now considered "full term" by the docs. So if anything should happen now it would be much safer to take the baby.
We had a few appts this week- and as of Friday- things are looking good. My fluid levels are steady (not higher, but more importantly- not lower) so they are continuing to monitor and check. I'm still dilated, and my contractions are MUCH more frequent, regular and strong- but not close enough together yet. But OUCH! They hurt. I hope I don't have to have these for the next 4 weeks- it wears me out. They are about every 50 minutes...b/t 25-40 seconds in length. The doc said this is still normal- but once they get closer to call in.
She joked with Dave and I a lot about how they think the little one is going to be here early. I just laugh- cuz you know when you expect it early- that's when they arrive about 1 week late. And the thought of going 4 weeks AND THEN another week is just too crazy. So I'm not thinking about it at all right now :) The dilation and contractions are just teasers in my mind! She told me that women can walk around at 3 cm dilated for weeks and still not have the baby right away!
Anyhoo- we are finally done with all of our "classes" for breastfeeding, birthing, CPR and baby care. It was a busy 2 weeks- but feels good to have those all done. We've gotten most of the baby's stuff ready in case she does come early. We still have a few things left and we're going to try to get those done this week since we'll have some time. Then it's just resting up. I'm so exhausted. I feel bad that we keep making our friends "come to us" instead of going out- but we both appreciate it! My energy level is so low, mixed with the contractions- it's not fun!!
Thanks to everyone for the fun and wonderful emails, messages and notes. You've all been terrific. I've been printing and saving what I can- so I can add it to the lil football's baby book one day- so she can see everyone's loving notes!!!
We had a few appts this week- and as of Friday- things are looking good. My fluid levels are steady (not higher, but more importantly- not lower) so they are continuing to monitor and check. I'm still dilated, and my contractions are MUCH more frequent, regular and strong- but not close enough together yet. But OUCH! They hurt. I hope I don't have to have these for the next 4 weeks- it wears me out. They are about every 50 minutes...b/t 25-40 seconds in length. The doc said this is still normal- but once they get closer to call in.
She joked with Dave and I a lot about how they think the little one is going to be here early. I just laugh- cuz you know when you expect it early- that's when they arrive about 1 week late. And the thought of going 4 weeks AND THEN another week is just too crazy. So I'm not thinking about it at all right now :) The dilation and contractions are just teasers in my mind! She told me that women can walk around at 3 cm dilated for weeks and still not have the baby right away!
Anyhoo- we are finally done with all of our "classes" for breastfeeding, birthing, CPR and baby care. It was a busy 2 weeks- but feels good to have those all done. We've gotten most of the baby's stuff ready in case she does come early. We still have a few things left and we're going to try to get those done this week since we'll have some time. Then it's just resting up. I'm so exhausted. I feel bad that we keep making our friends "come to us" instead of going out- but we both appreciate it! My energy level is so low, mixed with the contractions- it's not fun!!
Thanks to everyone for the fun and wonderful emails, messages and notes. You've all been terrific. I've been printing and saving what I can- so I can add it to the lil football's baby book one day- so she can see everyone's loving notes!!!
Catching up-- 35 week appt
I know I've been truant with the updates, so I'll post a few I've had in que. First- last week's 35 week appointment:
Thursday they did an ultrasound and the Amniotic Fluid levels were up. We were so grateful- and relieved!
So I went in on Friday for the doctor appointment, but they couldn't find my file with the u/s results. So they took another u/s and -go figure- my Amniotic fluid was back down again :( I give up!! They have me getting monitored every few days now. I'm still above the "induction" level- so that's good news! I'm having more frequent contractions and they caught two of them on the monitors this morning. About 38 seconds long - ouch! Doc said that could mean going into labor soon- or- it could mean nothing. We'll not know until it happens. Regardless- I'm close enough to the 36 week mark and that's a huge milestone. Just a few more days.
We had more u/s pictures printed for us- not as clear as last time so they didn't scan well enough to post. But, I am posting both my 34 and 35 week belly photos are below, since I never even got around to posting 34 week photos!
You can see that I have "expanded" from week 34-35.
And when I post the 36 weeks, you'll be able to see my belly has dropped more.
Thursday they did an ultrasound and the Amniotic Fluid levels were up. We were so grateful- and relieved!
So I went in on Friday for the doctor appointment, but they couldn't find my file with the u/s results. So they took another u/s and -go figure- my Amniotic fluid was back down again :( I give up!! They have me getting monitored every few days now. I'm still above the "induction" level- so that's good news! I'm having more frequent contractions and they caught two of them on the monitors this morning. About 38 seconds long - ouch! Doc said that could mean going into labor soon- or- it could mean nothing. We'll not know until it happens. Regardless- I'm close enough to the 36 week mark and that's a huge milestone. Just a few more days.
We had more u/s pictures printed for us- not as clear as last time so they didn't scan well enough to post. But, I am posting both my 34 and 35 week belly photos are below, since I never even got around to posting 34 week photos!
You can see that I have "expanded" from week 34-35.
And when I post the 36 weeks, you'll be able to see my belly has dropped more.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
In loving memory....
Dave's grandfather, "Pa", passed away Thursday. If you can all keep Bink and the rest of Dave's family in your prayers and thoughts, we'd appreciate it.
We have such wonderful happy memories of Pa. Though BabyWags will not get to meet him, we know that he's her special angel looking down on her right now.
With much love to our dear Pa....we'll miss you.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
And it continues....34 weeks
So, it seems the little football is just eager to make her appearance. Last week was no different.
I've been noticing less and less fetal movement, and at Friday's 34 week appt they started out with a NST (non-stress test). Her heart-rate was beautiful, but has dropped quite a bit. She was routinely at 150-155 at past appts, but on Friday dropped to about 120-125. So they made me eat and drink, and monitored her until she moved more. It was taking awhile for her to move, but she WAS moving. I just wasn't feeling it. So they wanted to monitor me for a few hours to make sure her activity kicked up- they wanted her moving more. So I had further monitoring.
Eventually they were pleased with her movement enough to stop the monitoring. But they wanted follow up tests. They wanted to check the amniotic sac fluid, to ensure all is still ok- especially with my risen BP/L&D trip last week (which, is back to normal btw). So they made us an appt for Friday night, to go check into the hospital, sit on monitors again and then get an ultrasound done to see if the Amniotic Fluid is measuring ok. The doc felt that it should be, but is doing this as precautionary measure.
So Friday night, we headed to CDH. We checked into the hospital and spent a long evening there.
Her movement: She was moving a ton on the ultrasounds. They had to take these "video clips" of her moving, to show the Radiologist and Docs that she was moving. I felt none of it. So it was a little consoling to know she IS moving, and I'm just not feeling it for some reason. They were pleased with her movements.
The amniotic fluid: This one I'm still trying to understand. They had to do a few ultrasounds b/c they have concerns. Anything below "8" (I forget the measurement) is bad for amniotic fluid levels. On the last ultrasound I was barely a 10. For where I'm at in my pregnancy, they said I should be much higher. One of the ultrasounds showed me at a 9. Since I'm still in the "ok" range, they let me go, but they want me back in a few days to have another ultrasound to check the level again. They said if it drops any lower, they will have to take action: ie induce labor. My next appt is Friday morning, so I'm to get an ultrasound on Thurs or before my appt Friday. I'm just hoping that there is no need to induce yet. It's still earlier than we'd like to have our little football. So any well wishes and thoughts are appreciated!
We did get to see/learn some "fun" things about our football:
-Her rate went up again, and they were pleased to see that. She was at 147 all night.
-The ultrasound can't be 100% accurate on overall weight/measurement b/c you can only see parts of the baby at a time (Cuz she's so big).
-But, her 'estimated' weight right now based on the measurements is 5lb 8oz.
-Her projected due date based on all of the measurements they took (head, arms, body, legs, heart, stomach, liver, etc- you get the idea) is 12/10.
-Her legs measured so long, they said her "gestation age" on just her legs was 38w2d Everything else measured less, so it all evens out. But looks like she'll have long legs!
-Position: Her head was down!
-We saw her playing peak-a-boo with us, and what looked like her 'sucking her thumb'. She also moved her lips a TON. So she might be a talker like I am, lol.
-I think the most unusual thing we saw was her eyes. You can see her eyes open. Fascinating.
Here are two photos from the ultrasound.
1. Baby's head (kinda smushed) with hand below her chin.
2. Baby's head, with hand by her mouth.
I want to say thank you for all of the texts, calls, emails, and messages the past two weeks. From the L&D visit the week before, Kayla's passing, to last Friday's huge scare- it has been scary and very hard. We've really found some true friends who have been there for us, and it's wonderful to have such a support network. It's always hard to go through times like these, but when you have good friends and family to support you- it makes it easier. Thank you.
And, on a lighter note...I figured I'd end this week's update with some photos of Ry from Halloween. She was just the laughter we needed this week- and she was hilarious!
I've been noticing less and less fetal movement, and at Friday's 34 week appt they started out with a NST (non-stress test). Her heart-rate was beautiful, but has dropped quite a bit. She was routinely at 150-155 at past appts, but on Friday dropped to about 120-125. So they made me eat and drink, and monitored her until she moved more. It was taking awhile for her to move, but she WAS moving. I just wasn't feeling it. So they wanted to monitor me for a few hours to make sure her activity kicked up- they wanted her moving more. So I had further monitoring.
Eventually they were pleased with her movement enough to stop the monitoring. But they wanted follow up tests. They wanted to check the amniotic sac fluid, to ensure all is still ok- especially with my risen BP/L&D trip last week (which, is back to normal btw). So they made us an appt for Friday night, to go check into the hospital, sit on monitors again and then get an ultrasound done to see if the Amniotic Fluid is measuring ok. The doc felt that it should be, but is doing this as precautionary measure.
So Friday night, we headed to CDH. We checked into the hospital and spent a long evening there.
Her movement: She was moving a ton on the ultrasounds. They had to take these "video clips" of her moving, to show the Radiologist and Docs that she was moving. I felt none of it. So it was a little consoling to know she IS moving, and I'm just not feeling it for some reason. They were pleased with her movements.
The amniotic fluid: This one I'm still trying to understand. They had to do a few ultrasounds b/c they have concerns. Anything below "8" (I forget the measurement) is bad for amniotic fluid levels. On the last ultrasound I was barely a 10. For where I'm at in my pregnancy, they said I should be much higher. One of the ultrasounds showed me at a 9. Since I'm still in the "ok" range, they let me go, but they want me back in a few days to have another ultrasound to check the level again. They said if it drops any lower, they will have to take action: ie induce labor. My next appt is Friday morning, so I'm to get an ultrasound on Thurs or before my appt Friday. I'm just hoping that there is no need to induce yet. It's still earlier than we'd like to have our little football. So any well wishes and thoughts are appreciated!
We did get to see/learn some "fun" things about our football:
-Her rate went up again, and they were pleased to see that. She was at 147 all night.
-The ultrasound can't be 100% accurate on overall weight/measurement b/c you can only see parts of the baby at a time (Cuz she's so big).
-But, her 'estimated' weight right now based on the measurements is 5lb 8oz.
-Her projected due date based on all of the measurements they took (head, arms, body, legs, heart, stomach, liver, etc- you get the idea) is 12/10.
-Her legs measured so long, they said her "gestation age" on just her legs was 38w2d Everything else measured less, so it all evens out. But looks like she'll have long legs!
-Position: Her head was down!
-We saw her playing peak-a-boo with us, and what looked like her 'sucking her thumb'. She also moved her lips a TON. So she might be a talker like I am, lol.
-I think the most unusual thing we saw was her eyes. You can see her eyes open. Fascinating.
Here are two photos from the ultrasound.
1. Baby's head (kinda smushed) with hand below her chin.
2. Baby's head, with hand by her mouth.
I want to say thank you for all of the texts, calls, emails, and messages the past two weeks. From the L&D visit the week before, Kayla's passing, to last Friday's huge scare- it has been scary and very hard. We've really found some true friends who have been there for us, and it's wonderful to have such a support network. It's always hard to go through times like these, but when you have good friends and family to support you- it makes it easier. Thank you.
And, on a lighter note...I figured I'd end this week's update with some photos of Ry from Halloween. She was just the laughter we needed this week- and she was hilarious!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saying goodbye to an old friend....
Yesterday, Dave's dog Kayla was put to sleep. Kayla's health was getting worse, but it still isn't something you can prep for. She was such a good dog- this is hitting him so very hard. Most all of you know how much Kayla meant to him.
Even though he hasn't lived with his parents for many years, Kayla has always been "Dave's girl". She got excited at the sound of his name, and seeing him made her ever so happy. They had a special bond.
Most of you know of my fear of dogs. The first dog that helped me tackle this fear was Kayla. The first time I met her I ran away in tears -I wish I could say I was kidding!! She was so big and scary and hyper. But over the years I grew to be less scared. She was the first dog I ever really touched, first dog I ever let lick me (Ew!), and first "animal/pet" I ever ever even bonded with. It's my first experience with loss of a pet, since I'd never had one. And even though she wasn't "mine", I had a special bond with her. If it wasn't for her, we would have never gotten Rylee. And I'm so grateful for that.
I'm really sad. I have never imagined losing a pet to hurt like this. Dave was sick last night and just so sad. Please keep him in your thoughts, I know this is so tough on him. Here are just a few photos I have of Kayla to share. My favorite is the one of her and Ry all curled up.
A friend shared this poem about losing a pet, and I wanted to post it here.
"Rainbow Bridge"
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Friday, October 26, 2007
Labor & Delivery... Again
I went in for my 33 week appt this morning, and my blood pressure was very high. I've always had very low blood pressure - in fact, too low- so this one was completely unexpected. I've been extremely swollen, and this week have been sick a few nights. The doc I saw wanted to be safe, so he sent me to L&D for monitoring.
After a few hours, my BP dropped enough that I could go home. It still isn't back down to what it usually is for me, but it was out of the 'high risk' range. I have to take my BP every day now, and monitor it to make sure I am not developing Pre-eclampsia.
They said that the baby is measuring a more "normal" length now, so that my due date is likely 12/12-12/15 again :) That's nice! However, if I do develop pre-eclampsia, they would have to take me early for both the baby's and my well being.
The baby's heartrate was 154. Nice and healthy. B/c of the BP concern, I now begin my weekly appointments with the doctors, until I deliver.
It was a long week. The travel wore me down, and I was sick quite a bit. Then Dave traveled, so we've been going non-stop. Rylee and I got some bonding in though :) But, my travel is done and I'm now officially "grounded". After this week, I'm kinda glad- since I'm not sure my body could take it! Another milestone achieved.
Last night I went downtown for a friend's bday party and it was so much fun! It was great seeing everyone. But I realized those long car rides (especially in rush hour traffic) are not as much fun anymore, LOL! My poor bladder!!!
Ry has a playdate with some puppy friends tomorrow, so I'll have the camera out and get some photos of my belly then!
After a few hours, my BP dropped enough that I could go home. It still isn't back down to what it usually is for me, but it was out of the 'high risk' range. I have to take my BP every day now, and monitor it to make sure I am not developing Pre-eclampsia.
They said that the baby is measuring a more "normal" length now, so that my due date is likely 12/12-12/15 again :) That's nice! However, if I do develop pre-eclampsia, they would have to take me early for both the baby's and my well being.
The baby's heartrate was 154. Nice and healthy. B/c of the BP concern, I now begin my weekly appointments with the doctors, until I deliver.
It was a long week. The travel wore me down, and I was sick quite a bit. Then Dave traveled, so we've been going non-stop. Rylee and I got some bonding in though :) But, my travel is done and I'm now officially "grounded". After this week, I'm kinda glad- since I'm not sure my body could take it! Another milestone achieved.
Last night I went downtown for a friend's bday party and it was so much fun! It was great seeing everyone. But I realized those long car rides (especially in rush hour traffic) are not as much fun anymore, LOL! My poor bladder!!!
Ry has a playdate with some puppy friends tomorrow, so I'll have the camera out and get some photos of my belly then!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Babymoon & 32 weeks
Dave and I had a blast on our little Babymoon. We had 2 goals: Sleep and Relax. And we accomplished both :) It was chilly up in Lake Geneva, but the trees were changing and everything was beautiful! We both got lots of reading in, and were just able to relax and enjoy.
Here are photos of us one night:
Aside from that- things are going well. Tomorrow I'm leaving for my last trip! Philly and NJ this week. I get to take customers to the Bears/Eagles game in Philly tomorrow and then head out to NJ to see customers one last time before I can't travel any more. I'm excited b/c it is a milestone that means we're almost there! I'm also kinda sad, b/c this will be the first time in a very very long time I haven't traveled for about 5 months. It will be an adjustment! After that we dive into all of our classes and that occupies much of November.
I have "dropped" quite a bit in the last week and I can feel the baby in a totally different position. I've also been having some intense swelling and the doc seems to think all is ok, so that's good. Just getting tired much easier and gaining lots of weight. The baby is kicking non-stop, so I do believe we're going to have quite the little feisty one on our hands :)
Below are some belly photos at 32 weeks:
Here are photos of us one night:
Aside from that- things are going well. Tomorrow I'm leaving for my last trip! Philly and NJ this week. I get to take customers to the Bears/Eagles game in Philly tomorrow and then head out to NJ to see customers one last time before I can't travel any more. I'm excited b/c it is a milestone that means we're almost there! I'm also kinda sad, b/c this will be the first time in a very very long time I haven't traveled for about 5 months. It will be an adjustment! After that we dive into all of our classes and that occupies much of November.
I have "dropped" quite a bit in the last week and I can feel the baby in a totally different position. I've also been having some intense swelling and the doc seems to think all is ok, so that's good. Just getting tired much easier and gaining lots of weight. The baby is kicking non-stop, so I do believe we're going to have quite the little feisty one on our hands :)
Below are some belly photos at 32 weeks:
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Our Shower....We are so blessed
Our shower was held yesterday. I'm so touched by the generosity of all of our family and friends. It was amazing and our little girl is going to be very lucky! We are so blessed to have gotten so many wonderful, adorable, necessary things! Thank you to all who came and were part of our special day with us! I can say it was very overwhelming...in a good way. I wanted to be sure to talk to everyone, and spend time with all of our guests, and really catch up- but it was very hard. So hopefully I'll get to see many of you again soon.
A big warm Thank you to Mom, Peg, Aunt Kris and Aunt Sal. They did a fantastic job- and everything was perfect. Mom, I know you were running errands to late hours of the nights last week and getting up at the crack of dawn even the day of the shower- a big thanks!! All of the hard work you all did showed, b/c it all was terrific!
If anyone had a camera and can share their photos with me that would be great! I'll update this post with any links as I get them. Saving them in Snapfish or Shutterfly makes them easy to share! Here are a few I've received so far:
Ariel's photos: Click here
Mom's photos: Click here
Photos taken with my camera: Click here
Here are a few of my favs (remember, clicking on the photo will make it larger):
A big warm Thank you to Mom, Peg, Aunt Kris and Aunt Sal. They did a fantastic job- and everything was perfect. Mom, I know you were running errands to late hours of the nights last week and getting up at the crack of dawn even the day of the shower- a big thanks!! All of the hard work you all did showed, b/c it all was terrific!
If anyone had a camera and can share their photos with me that would be great! I'll update this post with any links as I get them. Saving them in Snapfish or Shutterfly makes them easy to share! Here are a few I've received so far:
Ariel's photos: Click here
Mom's photos: Click here
Photos taken with my camera: Click here
Here are a few of my favs (remember, clicking on the photo will make it larger):
Thank you all again- Dave and I are ever so grateful.
Love,
Love,
Heather, Dave and BabyWags
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
30 weeks! Furniture is here!
Just 10 more weeks! Awesome! I can't believe how time is flying by!
The shower is Saturday, and I'm looking forward to it. Megan and Em get here Friday!! I'm bouncing off the walls excited! It is going to be very warm out- in Oct- who'd have thought. Next week Dave and I are going on a little Babymoon to get a way for a few days. With all the travel I've been doing - it was hard to want to leave. So we are staying close by and just doing a relaxing type of vacation. Can't wait!
The furniture came last week- it looks fantastic!! I haven't been home during the day to get any photos during good daylight, but I'll post the ones I took tonight. We ended up returning all of the bedding- and just going simple. The bumper and bed skirt really didn't work since they were so busy- and with this crib, we realized we just needed simple. So we did a lavender bed skirt and pale green sheet. Perfect!
Here are some photos. Will post any shower photos I get after this weekend as well!!!
Again- please ignore the colors- the chair and sheets are coming out a "odd colored" green in these photos- b/c taken at night. They all pretty much match the walls in good light!
Here is our crib and dresser. Baby's Dream, Serenity Style:
And some random nursery shots:
The shower is Saturday, and I'm looking forward to it. Megan and Em get here Friday!! I'm bouncing off the walls excited! It is going to be very warm out- in Oct- who'd have thought. Next week Dave and I are going on a little Babymoon to get a way for a few days. With all the travel I've been doing - it was hard to want to leave. So we are staying close by and just doing a relaxing type of vacation. Can't wait!
The furniture came last week- it looks fantastic!! I haven't been home during the day to get any photos during good daylight, but I'll post the ones I took tonight. We ended up returning all of the bedding- and just going simple. The bumper and bed skirt really didn't work since they were so busy- and with this crib, we realized we just needed simple. So we did a lavender bed skirt and pale green sheet. Perfect!
Here are some photos. Will post any shower photos I get after this weekend as well!!!
Again- please ignore the colors- the chair and sheets are coming out a "odd colored" green in these photos- b/c taken at night. They all pretty much match the walls in good light!
Here is our crib and dresser. Baby's Dream, Serenity Style:
And some random nursery shots:
Sunday, September 23, 2007
28 weeks
What a crazy week! Was in Nashville last week for work, and got a chance to see Brenda. It was fun to FINALLY make it down there and she showed me the sights. Lots of fun- even for this non-country music lover. This week it's off to Phoenix and then I'm almost done with work travel. It's hard to believe I've been able to travel so much being so sick and exhausted, but my body's in a routine, and it's been hanging in there!!
This weekend was Erica's shower- and wow! It's tiring- and it wasn't even my own shower, lol! It just made for a long day, and I have a feeling that mine is going to tire me out too. Hers was lovely- and the gals did an awesome job of putting it all together- so creative! Sounds like they are finalizing the details for mine now that they have the final RSVP. It's hard to believe it's just 2 weeks away!
We got great news today that our crib and dresser have come in. So hopefully they will get delivered this week! So exciting! We hung the curtains in the nursery today (still waiting on the blind to come in- had to custom order), and here's photos where you can see the lavender and sage butterflies:
Need to meet this week about baptism classes for BabyWags/us/godparents, so that can get set up. We are also finalizing all of our childbirth/breastfeeding/infant care classes as well. Looks like Nov will be quite busy! Other than that, we've just been trying to get lots done around the house.
I'm continuing to get huger and huger... Here's the latest photos at 28 weeks:
This weekend was Erica's shower- and wow! It's tiring- and it wasn't even my own shower, lol! It just made for a long day, and I have a feeling that mine is going to tire me out too. Hers was lovely- and the gals did an awesome job of putting it all together- so creative! Sounds like they are finalizing the details for mine now that they have the final RSVP. It's hard to believe it's just 2 weeks away!
We got great news today that our crib and dresser have come in. So hopefully they will get delivered this week! So exciting! We hung the curtains in the nursery today (still waiting on the blind to come in- had to custom order), and here's photos where you can see the lavender and sage butterflies:
Need to meet this week about baptism classes for BabyWags/us/godparents, so that can get set up. We are also finalizing all of our childbirth/breastfeeding/infant care classes as well. Looks like Nov will be quite busy! Other than that, we've just been trying to get lots done around the house.
I'm continuing to get huger and huger... Here's the latest photos at 28 weeks:
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Third Trimester- Here I come!!!
We are 27 weeks today and finally in the 3rd trimester!!! WOOHOO!!
I think to celebrate my body decided to gain another 10lbs ;) Ah well, what can ya do. In all seriousness though, I think my belly did all of a sudden get bigger this week. I'm huge!! Hard to believe that I'll only be getting bigger the next 13 weeks. It's crazy!! So I'll take more belly photos this weekend.
I think to celebrate my body decided to gain another 10lbs ;) Ah well, what can ya do. In all seriousness though, I think my belly did all of a sudden get bigger this week. I'm huge!! Hard to believe that I'll only be getting bigger the next 13 weeks. It's crazy!! So I'll take more belly photos this weekend.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Labor Day, Dave's Bday, 26 wk Update
Hard to believe Labor Day has come and gone!! Dave had his birthday last weekend and we had a blast spending it with close family and friends. His birthday was the same day we hit our "100 day left" mark to the football's due date!! It was a busy weekend - a few get-togethers with friends, a bbq, a birthday party and not much relax time! So that was this weekend ;)
Had a follow-up appt with the doctor on 8/31 (from my L&D visit) and the baby was still looking good. I've stopped taking the pain meds, and things seem fine! Next appt will be at 28 weeks and I'll have my glucose test then too.
Aunt Sal sent out the Shower invites! They look super cute!! I'll put a copy of one below.
We shampooed all the carpets in the house, so when the furniture does come, it's ready. Dave did a great job!!I got our curtains for the nursery- a white sheer with lavender and sage butterflies- so cute!! It's really starting to come together!
Other than that, not much news!! The baby is already learning the sounds of football so we hope she comes out of the womb already a fan, lol! And- she's kicking a TON!!! I think this little one is running miles in there, b/c I constantly feel her moving. Not much down time.
Lastly, here are some belly photos from 26 weeks! Hard to believe just three more days till the 3rd trimester!! Only 13 more weeks to go :)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
24 Week Update... Sent to L&D
I was traveling this week for work, and at the end of the week, I was in a lot of pain. After talking to the doc, they sent me to L&D (Labor and Delivery). Definitely the worst thing in the world to hear at 24 weeks. I was terrified.
They wanted to hook me up to monitors to make sure I wasn't in labor/having contractions. I was not, and didn't really feel like I was- but they had to do it to play it safe. The baby football is doing great. I am still in a lot of pain, and they gave me an Rx. But right now, there really is not anything we can do. We were there all day Friday, and by the time they discharged me, it was a huge relief.
CDH was a terrific hospital. We were sent to the NeoNatal Unit since I was only 24 weeks. The nurses & doc were fantastic. The rooms are like hotel rooms, and the accomodations were very nice. Even though we were already 80% sure on CDH over Delnor, this sealed the deal. So we will be registering at CDH.
We also got our glider/ottomon in last week. The paint matches the fabric perfectly, so we're not going to repaint. Though I had to give up my bedding I loved, we found one at Pottery Barn Kids on sale that is just as cute- so we're going with that. The price was too hard to walk away from- esp with money being so tight and going to furniture and everything else!
Here's a little hodge podge of photos:
Room with the glider, the crib bedding bumper, the crib bedding bedskirt, and Rylee loving the nursery :)
PS- you can click on any of the photos in the blog to make them bigger.
They wanted to hook me up to monitors to make sure I wasn't in labor/having contractions. I was not, and didn't really feel like I was- but they had to do it to play it safe. The baby football is doing great. I am still in a lot of pain, and they gave me an Rx. But right now, there really is not anything we can do. We were there all day Friday, and by the time they discharged me, it was a huge relief.
CDH was a terrific hospital. We were sent to the NeoNatal Unit since I was only 24 weeks. The nurses & doc were fantastic. The rooms are like hotel rooms, and the accomodations were very nice. Even though we were already 80% sure on CDH over Delnor, this sealed the deal. So we will be registering at CDH.
We also got our glider/ottomon in last week. The paint matches the fabric perfectly, so we're not going to repaint. Though I had to give up my bedding I loved, we found one at Pottery Barn Kids on sale that is just as cute- so we're going with that. The price was too hard to walk away from- esp with money being so tight and going to furniture and everything else!
Here's a little hodge podge of photos:
Room with the glider, the crib bedding bumper, the crib bedding bedskirt, and Rylee loving the nursery :)
PS- you can click on any of the photos in the blog to make them bigger.
And more random, look at some of these cakes. (Dave and I somehow got on the topic of cake tonight, and started looking some up) I had to share. YUM (and I don't even like cake that much, lol). Are these not the cutest?! (and the one in the bottom right is from my friend Meghan's shower, her mom MADE that!!)
Sunday, August 19, 2007
23 Week Update
Had a lot of back pain last week, went to the doc. They wanted to check and make sure my back pain was truly back spasms and not contractions. It was spasms, and so the doc gave me a Rx for Flexiril - a muscle relaxer- for the pain. It's helping a little. Dave also got me a pregnancy massage for my birthday, and with the doctor's permission I just went in for that- it was a tremendous help!!! I have lots of travel coming up for work again- so hopefully it will feel better quickly!
Last week Dad came up and gave us a tree for the front yard! It looks great- it's a dark red plum tree, and really adds to the look of the yard. Thanks Dad! Rylee has officially moved into the office- and after about 2 weeks, she's starting to finally adjust to it being her new home. She has a nice "window view" so I think that helps :)
My belly is getting bigger, so I've included photos below! Belly photos from 21 weeks I forgot to post, and 23 weeks!!!
And you can see how clothes can hide a belly well :)
Last week Dad came up and gave us a tree for the front yard! It looks great- it's a dark red plum tree, and really adds to the look of the yard. Thanks Dad! Rylee has officially moved into the office- and after about 2 weeks, she's starting to finally adjust to it being her new home. She has a nice "window view" so I think that helps :)
My belly is getting bigger, so I've included photos below! Belly photos from 21 weeks I forgot to post, and 23 weeks!!!
And you can see how clothes can hide a belly well :)
Nursery is Painted!!!
Well, a big thank you to my mom for taking time to help paint. WOW. It looks fantastic! You're the best, Mom!
We painted the top of the room in a light lavender, and then taped and striped out the bottom in light green and lavender. The green is a little more "mint" colored than "sage" colored. We might end up repainting it, I'm not sure. The bedding and chair might not match. We'll just see!! Without the furniture in there, it looks great with those colors! So I'm hoping it works!
We also ordered our Crib and Dresser last week. After seeing the nursery painted, we ended up opting for white furniture. Our ceiling fan in the room is espresso, and after looking at how that fit in, we just felt white would be a better fit. So it's ordered!!! Next up: Ordering the window treatment, and shampooing the carpet in the room.
Dave also put up a chair rail in the room. He painted it and installed it himself- it looks FANTASTIC!!! He did such an awesome job! And to further help his running in the Husband of the Year category, he also installed a closet organizer system in the nursery walk-in! Rather than just having 1 shelf, there are now 4 hanging shelfs, 3 slider drawers, and then a stack of shelves for storage. It's perfect!
Here are some photos!!
Nursery Before:
Nursery After:
And photos of the Closet Organizer:
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