Hospital stay & our first week home!

Here is the story of the rest of our hospital time and our first week home!!

I made it known that I did want to try and nurse Gabrielle but I wanted our first time to be very private and comfortable.  After she and I were all cleaned up and I got some food into my tummy everyone except for Rachel and Steven left the room and we gave nursing a shot.  She latched on well to the left side but had some trouble with the right.  Gabrielle wasn’t too interested so we decided to wait a little while to give it another shot.

Around 11:00 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. we headed up to Couplet Care and took Gabrielle to the nursery for her first bath and assessments.  While dropping her off at the nursery Tracy, a nurse I had worked with on Friday when I was at the hospital for work came out to congratulate me.  I joked that Rachel, my L&D nurse, failed on her mission to get me a new room.  Tracy told me that they were having a discharge soon from a new room and she would be sure to get me in there – sweet!!  (I must explain that Women & Babies is a very nice hospital and over the past year or so they have been remodeling and adding on – the new rooms are extremely nice, much nicer than the old rooms.  I didn’t want to be a pest but I knew the nurses would hook me up if I mentioned something!)

My first Couplet Care room was #8 but we didn’t bother unpacking since I knew I’d be moving to a new room shortly.  I got into bed, ordered my lunch and turned on the WVU vs. Rutgers game.  Steven decided to leave to go home and shower then go pick up Gavin from Aunt Patty’s house so he could come and meet his baby sister!  I got about a 10 minute nap before Gabrielle was brought back to me around 1:15 p.m. They let me know that she passed her hearing test!  Dr. Snyder, a doctor from our family doctor’s office, came in to examine her.  He said that she looks just great and he would be back to check on her again tomorrow!  I attempted to nurse her again – she again did very well on the left side but struggled a little with the right.  After some position changes she finally latched on to the right side.  Nursing her was nothing like nursing Gavin, it was not painful at all – but something just did not feel right.  I hate to say it, but I felt like a milk truck – it just does not feel natural to me at all – I was not comfortable with it and I really think she knew I was not at ease with things.  I wrestled with the idea of bottle feeding her but in my head I felt like a failure for giving up so soon… but I knew I had to do what was best for me and my family, so ultimately I decided to move forward with the bottle feeding.  (Looking back, this was the best decision I could have made.. I honestly hated nursing her and I really don’t think it would have gotten any better.. please don’t judge me for this.. I did what I felt was best!)

Big brother Gavin and proud daddy Steven arrived around 2:30 p.m. and it was so amazing to see Gavin eyes light up when he saw Gabrielle for the first time.  The first thing he said was, “Mommy, you don’t have the baby in your tummy anymore!”  He came right over to the bed and touched her head then gave her a kiss – truly adorable!

 

I moved into my super nice new room (#30) around 3:30 p.m.  My nurse was Wanda and Gabrielle’s nurse was Karen.  Gabrielle had her first bottle around 4:40 p.m. and she ate a little over 1 ounce.  Uncle DD and Aunt Donna arrived around 4:40 p.m. and Aunt Patty and Nevaeh came about 10 minutes later.  Gabrielle enjoyed meeting these special members of her family :o)  Uncle Mike and his friend Ian arrived around 6:30 p.m. to meet Gabrielle.  I know there were a ton of other people who wanted to come to visit with Gabrielle on her birthday but the weather was actually pretty yucky.  It was the first snow fall of the year :o)

 

 

 

 

I finally got my IV taken out around 7:15 p.m. and I was a happy girl!!  I changed Gabrielle’s first wet diaper around 8:10 p.m. then her first poopy diaper around 9:00 p.m. – oh that newborn poop is just lovely!  We heard her first sneeze around 11:50 p.m. and she got the hiccups around 2:00 a.m.  It was so awesome to watch her have the hiccups since I had been feeling them in my tummy for the past couple of months :o)  We decided to take Gabrielle up to the nursery around 2:45 a.m. so Daddy and I could get some sleep.  It was hard to say goodbye but we knew we needed the rest.

Sunday morning started wonderfully – I got to take a shower!!  My nurse Brenda came in shortly after my shower to let me know that my hemoglobin levels are low – 9.3 – so I need to continue taking my iron supplements for a couple of months.  This was definitely no surprise to me.  Steven left again to get a shower and pick up Gavin.  Gabrielle’s Meemaw came in to visit around 11:20 a.m.  Meemaw was thrilled to sit and snuggle her first granddaughter!!  My parents, my niece Shayna and my newphew Lucas came in around 2:15 p.m.  Shayna and Lucas were both very excited to meet their new little cousin.  Gabrielle got photos taken with everyone :o)  I was beginning to feel pretty crappy so I asked for some pain medication.  My nurse Brenda brought in some medicine for me and had to scan my bracelet and scan the medicine packet to log what I was taking.  My adorable son asked, “Mommy, we pay now?”  He is just too funny :o)

 

 

 

 

Steven’s brothers Mike and Chris and Chris’ wife Christy arrived around 2:45 p.m.  Gabrielle had met Uncle Mike last night but this was her first time meeting Uncle Chris and Aunt Christy!  Around 3:15 p.m. my coworker Amy and her hubby Travis came to visit.  By this time our room was getting a little crowded, which was actually really nice!  My family decided to head out and I could tell they were sad to leave little Gabrielle.  It was really nice to spend time with our family and friends, they are all very special to us!

 

 

Gabrielle headed to the nursery around 5:45 p.m. for an assessment and her HepB shot.  While she was gone Steven and I enjoyed our nice dinner together – he had crab cakes and I had chicken alfredo.  For dessert Steven had apple pie and I had peanut butter pie – I would definitely recommend the apple pie :o)

Meemaw came back for a while then took Gavin home with her for the night. Steven and I decided again to send Gabrielle to the nursery for a few hours so we could get some rest.  We knew this would be our last opportunity to get uninterrupted sleep for a very very long time!  Tiffany was the baby’s nurse on Monday morning, which was funny because she was the nurse for the baby that was discharged in our agency’s care on Friday.  She walked into my room and just laughed when she realized it was me!  Tiffany shared that Gabrielle looks great and she went over our discharge instructions for her.  Dr. Snyder came by to check her again and said she still looks wonderful!  He suggested we call to schedule her first appointment in 5 to 7 days.

We got Gabrielle dressed in her special photo/going home outfit and she looked just adorable!!  The photos were a little bit of a hassle because the photographer didn’t really know what she was doing but oh well, we survived.  My nurse Brenda and midwife Jana both gave me discharge instructions and told me to take it easy and all that post-baby stuff.  I called Maria, the social worker while I was there.  She and I work very closely together in regards to my job and I knew she wanted to visit with me and meet Gabrielle while we were at the hospital.  She came in and chatted for a few minutes and we of course joked about me having been at the hospital earlier Friday morning and how I should have just stayed there!

 

When all the discharge stuff was complete Steven and I loaded Gabrielle into her car seat, took some photos and then I climbed into the wheelchair and Steven set Gabrielle on my lap.  Steven went ahead to pull the car up for us.  I wish I could have gotten a photo of us walking out – picture this.. me in the wheelchair with Gabrielle in her car seat on my lap and Gavin walking next to the wheelchair holding my hand the entire way out of the hospital.. he did not let go once.. it was just priceless.. he was such a proud big brother!!  I was wheeled out right to the van; Steven took Gabrielle from my lap and set her into the car.  Gavin climbed into his seat, Steven buckled him in and I slowly made my way into the passenger seat.  Oh wow, we are leaving the hospital with our daughter – Oh wow, we have 2 kids in the car now – Oh wow, we are a family of 4 – I was definitely overwhelmed but so very excited!!!

 

 

Since coming home Gabrielle has been doing great!  She is up about every 3 to 4 hours to eat and get a clean diaper.  She does have some awake periods throughout the day and has only had one really restless night.  Gabrielle is a fairly slow eater and does not like to burp.  She has adorable dimples when she smiles!

On our first night home Meemaw brought us dinner so we didn’t have to worry about cooking, thank you!!  After dinner we decorated our Christmas tree.  I broke down around 8:00 p.m. because I was in a lot of pain and was just very emotional.  I forgot how little control you have over your emotions after you have a baby.  Thank goodness I have a supportive and understanding hubby :o)

My mom, niece and nephew came over on December 11^th to hang out and have dinner.  Gavin loved seeing them, as always, and had a great time playing with Shayna and Lucas.  Gabrielle seemed to have fun too, although she slept most of the time!

 

 

She met her Uncle Gene, Aunt Judith, Aunt Manda and Cousins James and Jordan on December 12^th.  She was awake for only a few minutes while they were here but everyone still seemed to enjoy holding her!  I also bought her first pack of headbands on December 12^th – the first of many! :o)  She had her first bath at home on December 13^th.  It was a super short bath because it was cold and she was not a happy lady!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am still in shock that it’s all over and our beautiful Gummy Bear is here with us.  From our long 10 months of trying to conceive through the long 38 weeks of pregnancy my faith has grown immensely and my marriage is stronger now than it has ever been.  Words cannot come close to expressing the extreme feeling of love I have for my family – I feel so lucky and so blessed to be Gavin and Gabrielle’s mother.  Our family feels complete now and I am in awe of God’s goodness!

AWESOME Big Brother!!

This will be quick - both kids are napping, Daddy is napping and Mommy needs to be napping!  I've decided to combine Gavin and Gabrielle's blogs, it only makes sense.  Gavin has been such an amazing big brother.  He is very gentle with Gabrielle and is always willing to help when we ask.  Gav feeds her, he helps with diapers, he gets us things when we need them and he always lets us know when Gabrielle is crying.  He seems to understand that sometimes he needs to be patient while Mommy and Daddy care for the baby.  Gavin is reacting just the way we hoped he would!!  We are so blessed :o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Due Date.

Well, today was my due date!  I'm glad Gabrielle came early, not only because the 5th was such a special day but because I know I would be so uncomfortable now.  It has also been nice to be home and I'm glad we have some time to settle in and prepare for Christmas.  I'm hoping to start wrapping gifts tomorrow while Gavin's at school.

Gabrielle has been an amazing little baby so far.  She eats about every 3-4 hours and really only cries when she is super hungry or has a really messy diaper.  Tonight is my first night home alone with the kiddos (Steven works nights).  I must admit, I'm a little nervous but I know we'll figure it all out!  My main concern is Gabrielle crying and waking up her big brother.. we'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

The photo above of Gabrielle in her carseat was taken before we left for her first doctor visit.  She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches long, which is not possible since she was 19 1/2 inches long at birth.  She's likely around 20 inches or so now.  Dr. Scott said she looks great but was a little concerned she looked a little jaundice.  He sent us over to the health campus to have her bilirubin levels checked right away.  Holy cow I was NOT prepared for that.  She had to get blood taken from her heal and I was in tears before we even got her out of the car seat.  Gabrielle was not a happy girl and I was a mess myself but when the nurse was done I snuggled with her and she was fine.  Dr. Scott called later that night and reported that her level was 9.1 - he said that wasn't a concern for him but if we noticed her looking more yellow then we should call the on-call doctor and get her levels checked again.  She looks fine to me so hopefully it's not anything we will have to worry about.  You can see her bandaid in the 2 photos above.. she was such a brave girl!  I have to take her back to the doctor on Friday for a weight check.

I still need to post the rest of our hospital stay - hopefully I will get that done this week while it's still fairly fresh in my mind.  It's hard for me to believe that it's all over - the pregnancy, the labor, the delivery, the hospital stay, her first week - she will be 6 months old before we know it!

Gabrielle has received a couple nice gifts since coming home from the hospital.  Her Aunt Tracy and Uncle Artie (my best friend from college and her hubby) sent Gabrielle an outfit from the registry!  I cannot wait until she's big enough to wear it - I have seriously been eyeing this adorable outfit for months :o)  THANK YOU!!  I hope my little lady gets to meet Tracy and Artie soon!

Robin, a family friend, also sent Gabrielle an adorable outfit and she sent Gavin some matchbox cars! Gabrielle's outfit is simply too cute for words and you would have thought Gavin won the lottery when he opened his cars, he was freaking out!!  THANK YOU Robin and Michael for the thoughtful gifts :o)

Some family members brought us gifts while we were in the hospital - I need to get photos of them and get them up onto the blog.  Silly me took photos of the gifts Gabrielle received in the mail but not what she received in the hospital, way to be backwards Kiley :o)

My recovery seems to be going well so far.. my back is sore at times and I'm still bleeding (which can last from 4 to 6 weeks, oh boy) but I feel pretty good.  I know I need to take it easy because if I do too much I can really lengthen my recovery time which I definitely do not want to do.  I was 170 pounds when I delivered and right now I'm at 156 pounds, so I have about 16 pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I haven't really been too concerned about my weight because I know with the holidays coming dieting is kind of out of the question for me ;o)  I will make it my new years resolution to lose the baby weight and run the 5K in May that I ran in 2008 (and hopefully some other races next year too!)  I posted a belly photo from 1 week postpartum.. the only reason I took one is for my belly book, which is almost complete now!  My cherries are back to normal but my stretch marks have found a permanent home :o)

There is still so much I need to post about - our hosptial stay, all of Gabrielle's visitors, our nice gifts while in the hopsital, Gabrielle's first week at home, big brother's adjustments to his little sister.. I promise to get to these soon!! 

Gabrielle's birth story!

So here goes – Gabrielle’s birth story!  This is going to be long, full of details and there may be too much information in places, but I want this all documented for my daughter one day!

Around 6:10 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2009, I decided it was time to lay down on my left side and relax for a bit because I had not felt the baby much of the day.  I wanted to make sure she was alright in there so I took a few sips of a Mountain Dew and got comfy on the couch while Gavin played with his matchbox cars.  I started to feel her move only minutes later and was very relieved!!  At 6:23 p.m. I had a very bad contraction that lasted for over a minute.  This one was definitely different from any other.  The thought that tonight could be the night my labor would begin crossed my mind but then I really felt like it would just be too crazy if she actually came on December 5, 2009 – there was just too many things that had happened, that had been said, or joked about – and it would just be way too funny if it all happened that way…

6:30 p.m. – I feel a warm liquid sensation and I jump up and run (okay, quickly walk!) to the potty – I think my water is starting to break.  I’ve had a lot of discharge over the past couple of weeks but this was not mucus or thick – this was liquid!!  I decided to put a pad on and monitor it for a few minutes.  I continued to leak so I decide to call May Grant.  The midwife called me right back and told me to come in to get checked out to confirm it is amniotic fluid.  I called Steven because he had just left for work around 5:40 p.m. and I told him that I thought my water was breaking and we needed to head to the hospital.  He was very calm and super sweet, as always, making sure I was okay.  I called Aunt Patty, who was taking care of Gavin for us – she was headed to the movies so I called her oldest daughter Amanda who was shopping at Park City but should be home soon.  Amanda didn’t answer right away so I left a message.  I called Aunt Donna to see if she had Patty’s home phone number but as I was on the phone with Aunt Donna Amanda was calling back.  Amanda shared that they would be home in about 10 minutes and to bring the big brother over!  (Patty had actually sent me a text on Friday evening at 6:22 p.m. giving me the phone number for her middle daughter Aly in case Patty wouldn’t answer her phone when I went into labor.. crazy!)  I tried to stay calm while gathering my last minute items, I didn’t want to freak Gavin out, but the entire time I just kept thinking – there’s no way this can be it – there’s no way this can be it – there’s no way she could arrive on December 5^th , 2009 – is God really that amazing?!

Steven called his mom while he was on his way home from work.  She had to work until 9:30 p.m.  He told her just to keep her phone with her and we would call when we knew more.  I called my mom after talking with Amanda and told her that I thought my water was breaking.  She was very excited but I kept telling her, again, that there was no way this could be it – tomorrow is December 5^th – it would just be too much if she really would arrive on December 5^th.  I told my mom we would call when we knew for sure what was going on so she could head to the hospital if necessary.

Steven got home, changed his clothes and packed the car with our hospital bags and big brother’s over night bag.  We took him to Aunt Patty’s house where he was greeted with very excited faces!  I was super nervous about leaving him, simply because I wasn’t sure how much he understood and I didn’t want him to be confused or scared.  I knew he’d be in great hands and would have tons of fun!!

The drive to the hospital was very surreal – I wasn’t really contracting too much but was still leaking a little fluid.  This may be my last car ride as a pregnant momma!!  We got a front row parking spot, which is extremely rare at Women & Babies – we checked in at the front desk and headed to Triage.  I walked in and went right to the registration desk to check in.  The receptionist had to enter a ton of information then had to do it all over again because the system kicked her out.  Good thing I wasn’t in a lot of pain or it would not have been very fun!  After getting everything entered we headed to Triage room #1.  The receptionist told me to undress, leave on my bra and socks and put on the gown.  Now it’s feeling real – I’m about to put on a hospital gown because I’m likely in labor – this is just insane!

My first impression of the room was wow, this is super tiny but I guess it’s not a big deal if you’re only there for a couple of hours.  My Triage nurse’s name was Mary Louise – special to me because it’s my Aunt’s name – and Louise is my middle name, my Grammie’s middle name, my niece’s middle name, and of course, my daughter’s middle name!!  Mary Louise got me hooked up on the monitors and asked me a ton of medical questions.  She took a swab of the fluid I was leaking and, sure enough, it was amniotic fluid!!  There it was – a silly swab stick that turned black – confirmation that my water was breaking and I was indeed in labor!!  SO INCREDIBLE!!  Mary Louise said she would have the midwife Tiffany come in and check me out and we would move forward from there.  Steven and I laughed and joked and watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while waiting for Tiffany.  She came in and asked more questions then did her own swab.. it turned black immediately, as it had when Mary Louise did it.  Tiffany stated that it was time to get me admitted and have a baby – OH YEA!!!  We both called our moms to tell them the exciting news – their granddaughter was on her way!

My labor and delivery nurse Dana came to get us from Triage.  She unhooked me from the monitors and escorted us to our Labor and Delivery room - #64!!  When we got into the room Steven ran out to the van to get the bags since we were definitely staying.  Dana had a ton of questions for me – one was, do you have any valuables you’d like me to mark down.  I told her that I had an iPod radio and cameras with me, a video camera and a small, medium and large camera.  She just laughed but then I had to tell her that I was serious – I really did have 3 cameras and plan to use all of them :o)  Dana was very nice and we talked a lot about our jobs and families.  I still wasn’t contracting much so I was in a good mood.

Dana started my IV around 10:15 p.m.  I was very nervous about getting an IV started because when I was in labor with Gavin it took the nurse over 45 minutes to get the stupid needle in.  I shared my anxieties with Dana and she assured me that if she didn’t see a good vein she would grab the charge nurse, who apparently is the IV queen.  The charge nurse wasn’t needed, Dana did a great job and it wasn’t bad at all, just annoying.  Our moms arrived shortly after and the party began :o) They were both very excited – but we really didn’t know at that time how long our night would really be.

I got a new nurse at 11:15 p.m.  Her name was Sarah – she was very nice but I didn’t connect with her as much as I did Dana.  Oh well, I wasn’t there to find new friends, I was there to bring my daughter into this world and she was going to help me do that!  Steven and I took a couple of walks around the hospital and got him some dinner from the wonderful vending machine.  Tiffany, the midwife, came in around 12:15 p.m. and said that I may want to think about pitocin to help bring on my contractions since I wasn’t contracting strongly enough on my own.  My contractions were coming and were close together but they were not very strong.  I immediately became nervous, I did not want pitocin, I wanted everything to progress naturally.  Tiffany shared that they start to become worried about infection about 12 hours after a woman’s water breaks and since it had been about 6 hours since mine had started to break she wanted to simply be proactive.  She left the decision in my hands and said she would check back with me in a bit.  I prayed about the pitocin and felt that, despite my worries and anxieties it would be wise for me to at least give the pitocin a try.  I think my biggest fear at that point was the pain – but it really was time to get the show on the road.

I was becoming more uncomfortable so around 1:45 a.m. I got into the Jacuzzi tub.  I was very uncomfortable in the tub at first, it was just too hot.  But my wonderful hubby and mom came to the rescue and got me comfy.  I had my iPod radio next to me and just did my best to relax, breathe and listen to the music.  Around 1:50 a.m. Sarah started my pitocin.  It began working fairly quickly and my contractions became stronger and closer together.  I stayed in the tub for a little over 2 hours.  I was afraid to get out because I knew the warm water was easing some of the pain of the contractions and I wasn’t sure if I could handle them out of the water.  I sat on the birthing ball for a while after the Jacuzzi.  That was helpful but I was freezing cold so Sarah wrapped me up in some super warm blankets and Steven helped to get me dry and keep me warm. He even put dry socks on for me :o) After I warmed up Steven fed me some cherry water ice and we chatted with our moms for a bit.  I was right, the warm water was definitely minimizing my pain and the birthing ball wasn’t cutting it anymore so I decided that it was time for my epidural.

My epidural was placed around 4:10 a.m. after the doctor had to do it twice.  He was explaining the entire process to me, which I appreciate, but I was not paying any attention to him, I was too busy watching the baby’s heart rate, the mountains on the contraction monitor and praying.  The nurse kept commenting on how great her heart rate looked so that made me feel better!  Gavin did not react well to the epidural so I was understandably nervous when getting the epidural this time.  After the epidural was in I started to feel a little relief.  Steven and I decided we would try to get some rest so our moms left the room and headed to the family lounge. 

Around 6 a.m. Sarah had to empty my bladder.. oh joy!  I tried to get more rest but couldn’t because I noticed that I was feeling the baby move and feeling her hiccup but wasn’t feeling much discomfort from the contractions.  I feared that I wasn’t contracting anymore but Sarah assured me they were still coming every two minutes and were definitely strong. 

I got a new nurse at 7 a.m. – her name was Rachel.  She looked like she was my age, which surprisingly did not bother me at all.  Rachel was very nice and jumped right in to my labor!  Everyone hung out for the next two hours, watching the news, listening to music, and taking guesses on Gabrielle’s weight, height and time of arrival.  My left side began feeling the contractions but my right side was still mostly numb.  I started wondering if I should get another epidural shot from the doctor but didn’t want to get one too soon.  I was becoming increasingly itchy so around 8:30 a.m. I finally gave in and got some medication (Neuvaine) into my IV – that helped the itching immediately. 

Around 9 a.m. Rachel had to empty my bladder again and at 9:10 a.m. my midwife Barb checked my cervix.  I was 7 centimeters – WAHOO!!  She also broke the remaining sac of fluid and became slightly nervous because it was very bloody.  Barb told me just to try and rest because I’d need the energy soon for pushing – little did we know how soon I would need that energy!  I told Barb I was nervous about pushing because I pushed for over 3 hours with Gavin and I did not want to go through that again.  She assured me she would not let that happen, and I prayed she was right.  I decided that I was in a lot of pain on my left side so I asked for an extra shot of the epidural.  The doctor got that in around 9:15 a.m. but it didn’t work.  At 9:30 a.m. I began feeling the most intense pressure I have ever felt.. I will never forget that feeling.  It was nothing like any of the pain I had when delivering Gavin.  I let Rachel know about the pain and she called for Barb to come back in and check me again.  Barb checked my cervix at 9:35 a.m. and announced I was now fully dilated and baby was at +2 station – we were ready to meet our daughter!!!  I was so excited and completely in shock that it only took me about 25 minutes to go from 7 to 10 centimeters!

My husband grabbed my left leg, my mom grabbed my right leg and my mother-in-law stood next to my mother ready to take photographs.  At 9:37 a.m. I started pushing with all my might – I was not going to be stuck pushing for 3 hours – I was ready to meet my Weezie Bug, and so was everyone else!  I pushed through 3 contractions – for a total of 4 minutes – and my daughter was here!!!  It was such a beautiful moment, she came out looking lovely and her lungs worked perfectly!  She was placed right onto my chest and immediately I praised God for all of his goodness.  I sang her Happy Birthday, just as I did with Gavin then we all just snuggled, cried and cried some more.  Steven and I got to feel the umbilical cord pulsating, completely incredible, then Steven got to cut the cord – he was such a proud daddy!  I had to deliver the placenta, which was not painful, just felt a little funny.  Thankfully I did not tear at all, only had a slight brush burn, as Barb called it.  After looking at the placenta Barb shared that there was likely a small tear in the placenta and a large blood clot.  She said she was going to send it to be analyzed and would let me know the results.  At that moment I was not at all worried because I was completely mesmerized by my beautiful daughter lying on my chest screaming her little heart out!

The nurse took her to clean her up well and get her weighed – 7 pounds 10 ounces – much smaller than I expected, but then again, she was 9 days early so I wonder if we had made it to her due date how big would she be?!

The most incredible part of this entire experience, besides having a beautiful, healthy daughter of course and falling completely head over heals in love with my husband again (because he was absolutely wonderful through the entire pregnancy, labor and delivery) is that she arrived on my grandparent’s 67^th wedding anniversary.  About a month ago my mom called and asked if there was anything she could do to help us prepare for the baby.  I jokingly said that she could tell me when the baby would arrive so I wouldn’t be so anxious.  Mom said, “December 5^th would be a special day – it was Grammie and Grandpa’s wedding anniversary.”  I of course said, “Oh wouldn’t that be awesome, and 5 is my favorite number!”  I never got to meet my Grandpa, he passed away a few years before I was born, and my Grammie is my hero and is one of the most exceptional women I know.  I always had a feeling Gabrielle would arrive early, and my husband always said she was coming the first weekend in December.  Another funny story about my labor beginning on December 4^th and her arriving on December 5^th is that earlier in the day on Friday, December 4^th I was actually at Women and Babies for work – my coworker Amy and I were there for the discharge of a baby who was coming into our agency’s interim care.  We joked with the nurses in the nursery and with the social worker about when I would deliver.  They all told me to make sure I let my labor and delivery nurse know where I work so she can hook me up with a new room and all the special treatment! I guess being there in the nursery, hearing all the other adorable newborn babies cry and knowing that December 5^th would be such a meaningful day was enough motivation for Gabrielle to bless us with her arrival.

I promise to add more about our hospital time, but I think this is a good start :o)

Welcome Gummy Bear!!

Well, it's Tuesday... my normal belly/quiz post day... not this Tuesday... today I get to announce the birth of little baby Gummy Bear!!!  I don't have much time to type so I will give a super super super short version but promise to post the complete birth story soon.

My water began breaking Friday evening around 6:30 p.m.  I called Steven to let him know and worked on getting care for Gavin.  We got to the hospital about an hour or so later and were checked in to Triage.  They did a swab test and determined that it definitley was amniotic fluid I was leaking so I was admitted!!  While in Triage we watched a little of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation :o) 

My contractions were not really coming strong enough on their own so around 1:50 a.m. my nurse started Pitocin while I was in the jacuzzi.  I was extremely anxious about this but it ended up being the right choice.  I got my epidural around 4:10 a.m. and was able to finally get a little rest.  My midwife Barb checked me around 9:20 a.m. because I was getting very very uncomfortable and I was 7 centimeters.  She also broke the rest of my water while checking me.  The epidural never really worked completely on my left side so I reallly started to feel the contractions and the pressure. I got an extra epidural bolace but it was too late! About 15 minutes later I was feeling tons of pressure and the strong urge to push.  My midwife came back and checked me again.. I was now completley dilated and Gabrielle was at +2 station.  I began pushing at 9:37 a.m. and Gummy Bear arrived at 9:41 a.m.!!!  I could not believe I only pushed for 4 minutes.. I pushed for over 3 hours with Gavin.. what a difference!

My mom and mother-in-law were in the delivery room along with my hubby, who was truly amazing through the entire delivery!!  My mom and mother-in-law were great too.. it was a long night for both of them but they were troppers, and my official photographers!!!  Gabrielle got to lay on my chest for several minutes and Steven cut the cord.  It was some of the most beautiful minutes of my entire life.. I have a daughter..  she is here and she is perfect :o)  She weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.

I promise to post more about the rest of the hopsital time and more details about my labor and delivery.  We are all doing well and Gavin is totally crazy about his baby sister!!  I am so very blessed :o)

 

 

 

 

 

38 weeks = walking around on a bowling ball!

 

Yes, that's what my midwife said this morning when she was checking the baby's position - "wow dear, she's really down there, you must feel like you're walking around on a bowling ball" - well yes, yes I do!  Then she feels my ribs and says, "oh, I bed your ribs are hurting too." - yes, yes they are!

I thought I was going into labor this morning - I was woken up around 5:05 a.m. by an awful contraction, the worst yet.  I got up and walked around for a few minutes, used the potty and figured I needed to just try to get back to sleep and if it was "the real deal" then I would for sure know in a little while.  I contracted off and on until 7:15 a.m. at which point I was finally able to sleep for a total of about 15 minutes.  Obviously they were not true labor contractions or I would not be typing this right now :o) but they sure were more intense and lasted longer than the typical braxton hicks I've been having for the past couple of months.

We had our 38 week doctor visit this morning and I shared my discomforts with my midwife.  She stated that it's great I'm having these contractions and that means my body is preparing for labor.  She asked if I wanted her to check my cervix - I hesitated for a moment, then decided, sure why not know a little more about what's going on in my body.  The checking of the cervix was not painful, just uncomforatble.  Then she asked if I wanted her to strip my membranes (I did not have this done with Gavin b/c it was never offered so I wasn't real sure how to answer) - I asked if it hurt and she said yes, but it's different for everyone.  I again thought, why not - it's completely natural and if she didn't think it was okay to do she wouldn't have offered.  I told her to go ahead and strip my membranes.  STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!  So painful I almost ran off the table - not kidding.  She said that I am 1 1/2 centimeters dilated and my cervix is soft but still long.  She shared that she was able to get one finger in to strip the membranes.  (Had I known how painful it would be I would have never ever let her do it.. oh well.. too late now!)  The midwife explained that if my body is really preparing for labor and "it's right on the edge" then stripping the membranes will definitley help move things along.  She also stated that if my body is still 2 steps back and is not ready for labor anytime soon then stripping the membranes will do virtually nothing to speed things along.

So, there you have it - 1 1/2 centimeters dilated (which means basically nothing!) - a soft but long cervix (also means basically nothing!) and stripped membranes (which hurt like a mother - and could have basically been pointless!)  BUT baby is very low and is head down, which is definitely a bonus - the midwife could feel her head when she was checking my cervix - super cool!!  I've had some bleeding throughout the day today (I even had to get a pad from a co-worker, thanks Christina!!)  The nurse said the bleeding is normal and it should subside by tonight/tomorrow but noted that the bleeding means the midwife did her job and moved things around in there!  I am trying to be completely calm about labor but I am just getting so uncomfortable - how in the world will I last another 2 weeks?!!  (I know, I know - suck it up!!)

38 week quiz:

How far along: 38 weeks 1 day

Weight gain: still +30 pounds - I haven't gained any since my last DR visit on Nov. 19th!

Stretch marks: no new ones, but definitely enough!

Sleep: yea right - it's such a workout to even get into bed and get comfortable.  I am actually more comfortable sleeping on the couch but I know I will be doing that a lot when Gabrielle arrives so I am trying to enjoy my bed while I can.

Movement: she hasn't been moving as much (although today she has been a dancing machine - maybe from all that messing around with her house!)

Food cravings: ice and candy.

Gender: girl :o)  I can't believe I am going to have a daughter!!!

Belly button in or out: out and certainly funny looking!

Any new baby items: oh my goodness yes - Amanda (we'll just say she's a cousin because she's related through marriage on Steven's side of the family but I don't really know 'what' she is!) gave us 2 bags of baby clothes - she had a baby girl, Rylee, in April - a very well-dressed baby girl I must say :o)  It was fun looking through all the clothes and now we have a whole new wardrobe for Gabrielle - THANK YOU AMANDA, KYLE & RYLEE!!!!

Any new maternity items: nope, no more maternity items for me - I guess I could delete this section :o)  I will need to get nursing bras/tops if nursing goes well but we won't cross that bridge until after Gummy Bear arrives

Labor signs: see long paragraphs above ;o)

Best moment of the week: definitely Thanksgiving celebrations with family and friends!!  I really do have so much to be thankful for!

What I miss: my old clothes - running/exercising - wine/alcohol - energy - sleeping on my tummy - my cute little cherry tattoo that now looks like an apple tree ;o)

What I'm looking forward to: meeting my daughter!!!!! 

Weekly wisdom: Tums are a super, amazing, wonderful, awesome product - they rescue me every single night from the fire breathing dragon that lurks in my throat.. I will NOT miss this awful heartburn after Gummy Bear arrives!!

Milestones: As you know, you've arrived at the final leg of your pregnancy journey, and if you're still carrying your little love around, they've just about reached their birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they're a boy or girl). There really isn't a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we're at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they've got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that'll keep growing with them for years to come), and they've more or less reached official baby status-- all they need to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.