Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The packing has begun

We will be moving somewhere sometime in August, hoping to be a bit settled in before school starts. We have officially packed 3 boxes of bedding (which we won't need until winter) and 4 boxes of fabric. I have a few totes of fabric that I need to go through, but things are started.

That may not seem like much progress, but remember, I have a 17-day-old baby! lol

If you are local to me and know of a rental in the south end of the valley, that will fit our family and be $800/month or less and available in about 6 weeks, lemme know. I've found a few online, but they're gone before I call. c'est la vie.

Toodles.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Friday Fave Five! or Six ...

1. Baby K was almost back to her birth weight yesterday at not quite 2 weeks old, just shy of it by a couple of ounces. My other kids both took about 3 weeks, so this makes me happy. [for those not in the know: all babies lose some weight in the beginning, especially if they are breast fed because it takes a few days for mom's milk to come in. most medical professionals prefer babies to have regained all that weight by 2 weeks of age.]

2. Little Mister is adjusting okay to baby K and all the changes, though his bedtime is still messed up. BUT, I didn't freak out last night and just planned on putting him to bed later than his norm, but earlier than he has been since she got here. Neither of us got frustrated, and I didn't yell at anyone or hide.

3. The husband is getting more involved with all the kids, but especially with Little Mister. Since the boy refuses to let me or Kiddo get him dressed for the day or for bed, the husband gets to do it. He's not getting as overwhelmed as he had been and things seem to be going well, and when he needs a break he tells me and leaves for a bit instead of just freaking out. He worked last night for the third night in a row, and seems to be doing okay though is a tad beat up because his crew is all new (again) and they haven't been finishing, so he's trying to help pick up the slack. Still waiting on immigration to get back to us about his green card renewal so he can get registered for school, but overall he seems to be doing better than he was during my pregnancy.

4. Kaje brought us lunch yesterday, had a good visit with us, and got to hold the baby between nursings. Little Mister even gave her a hug before she left, and when she walked to her car, he yelled, "WAIT!" lol. It was cute. Kiddo was great, tidied up a bit before she got here, and even offered Kaje a drink without prompting.

5. Kiddo is the mini mom and has been doing a lot of cleaning, cooking, cuddling the baby, and caring for Little Mister. She's really a wonderful kid.

6. I love my baby and all my kids and husband, but the changes are hard and I've been overwhelmed a lot lately with everything. I had a meltdown the other night and emailed my mommy about it, and she called me right away. I got to talk to her for a while and it helped a lot. I'm glad she just let me talk and didn't try and fix things or make me feel better. Just her listening until I ran out of steam made me feel a million times better. I'm glad she's my mom.

If anyone local wants to come meet baby K, we are up for visitors. Just give us a call or email!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

1000 posts! What the...

1000 posts is crazy. I must like the sound of my own voice or something. If I hadn't just had a baby, I'd do a giveaway!

So, this morning, I was napping with the baby and had Kiddo take Little Mister to the park (across the street) for a little bit. About 20 minutes later, I woke up and had a feeling I should get dressed and go get them. Then I heard the garage door close and the kids come in the house. Turns out there were two strange men at the park, they creeped Kiddo out, so she came straight home. Good girl! I told her about my feeling and that I was on my way down, but heard them come in first. She was relieved it wasn't just her.

Re: the weight loss. I retain a lot of water when I'm pregnant and don't seem to gain much weight aside from that and baby. I realize that's not normal and I've been blessed that way. This hasn't even been the most drastic loss after a baby: I was at my prepregnancy weight from Little Mister a week after his birth, even though I'd gained about 40 pounds (of water). Don't be too jealous. I stayed there until I got pregnant again. This time, I think the diabetic diet had a lot to do with how much I didn't gain and why I'm below that prepregnancy weight. I am eating way too much "bad" stuff right now, but my blood sugar numbers are okay. I am going to start doing better though; I have no desire to get fatter or have type 2 diabetes in the future.

The baby has changed so much since her birth. It's amazing how fast they grow and change in the beginning. She doesn't look like a Little Mister clone anymore, which is probably a very good thing since she's a girl and he's, well, a boy. Little Mister has changed a lot too. He's a big kid now, refuses to go to bed at his former bedtime, and yet still wants to be a baby. *sigh* It's all just bittersweet.

The husband is at work, the kids are all sleeping, and I've caught up on my current favorite show, Drop Dead Diva. Off to bed!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Happy Monday

Kiddo fed Little Mister some cheerios and then took him to the park while I slept this morning. When I got up, I made eggs for everyone (except the baby) and then Little Mister wanted his nap. Baby K was sleeping, so the house was quiet for about an hour! I couldn't sleep then because I'd slept in, but I did manage to finish my book and give the baby's bili lights back to the driver who came to get them. (She started lights on Monday for an elevated bilirubin/jaundice. We've been to the hospickle almost every day since for checks, but she's good now.)

Little Mister woke up IN.A.MOOD. But he's better now. Kiddo is making mac and cheese for lunch (the husband is sleeping so we don't have to worry about him, and LM might just get a peanut butter sandwich) and I have the baby in a sling and am nursing at the computer while I catch up on a few things. Like a blog. haha.

It's been rough for the Little Man to have to share me. We've been working on his sleep schedule and getting him back to normal, but at night he has the hardest time going down again. Turns out he wants and needs some alone time with me, so we've been reading more stories and cuddling and then he goes down pretty easily, though bedtime is taking longer overall. The husband and Kiddo are both helping out a lot with the baby during his bedtime, and I *think* it's helping Little Mister adjust to not being "the baby" anymore.

My mom just reminded me this morning that when DisGrace (my eldest sister) was Kiddo's age (10), they had 6 kids, and *I* was the 2-year-old. While I am glad I don't have 6 kids right now (because that would mean I would have seriously gone against my beliefs), it did make me think again about how HE is feeling and that he will be okay eventually, but I'd dang well better have some sympathy for him. lol

Ack. He just found the candy stash -- nerds are about to be everywhere. Have a great Monday!

p.s. Nerds rescued. Just had to come and say as of this morning, I'm 32 pounds lighter than I was 10 days ago. And that makes me 10 pounds lighter than I was when I got knocked up. I'm really looking forward to when I can get back to the gym and get my muscles more toned so I can actually wear my prepregnancy clothing. lol

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The (extremely long) Birth Story

So, yeah, I've been working on typing up the birth story (and a bit about the day or two beforehand) in between tantrums from Little Mister, who sometimes loves his sister to bits and sometimes wants her as far from him as possible, and baby feedings, and bouts of preteen melodrama ... The husband has been quite helpful this week, fortunately, or I think we'd all be in the nuthouse.

On Wednesday, 6/9, I saw the OB who would be delivering her on Friday. She was transverse again. When she was transverse, my contractions weren't accomplishing anything as my cervix hadn't changed in a week or more, though was favorable for induction at 3 cm and 80% effaced, and her sideways-ness would pull my cervix so high no one could reach it. So I'd been in pain and/or discomfort all this time for no reason and was just getting more exhausted every time they started up. We discussed the version and induction, and he let us know the real possibility of serious complications. And we talked about the plan. After getting my IV antibiotics going for MY heart condition and me prepped for a C-section just in case (including an epidural), he would then turn her to a head down position, but it is impossible to get a baby to engage from the outside. Once she was turned, he would then break my water. The risk there is that because she was so free floating and way up high, her cord could prolapse (come out with the fluid), which is extremely dangerous for the baby and would indicate an emergency C-section. Another very real problem was that she might take a long time to descend and could end up in distress, and since this little girl had been having a hard time lately anyway with two NSTs that started out rough, she could end up in distress from the contractions once they get going, even if the labor and delivery were faster. With Kiddo, when they broke my water, she went into distress and they had to pump fluid back into me to keep her heart rate up, or she would have been a C-section, too. I didn't think that was a viable option with this little one since she'd just use the fluid to swim away from the exit. Or she could flip again in labor and/or get the cord wrapped around something. Any of those things were very real possibilities, but I felt comfortable with going ahead with the version and induction route -- as long as we were at the hospital when my water broke, I felt like anything else that happened would be okay.

I felt very at peace about this decision, though it was still a difficult thing for me to handle. I had a very natural childbirth with Little Mister with no drugs of any kind, and I recovered SO quickly and had such a birth high. It was amazing, and extremely different from my induction and epidural birth with Kiddo. Ever since I found out about this surprise pregnancy, I'd planned in my head that we would have another natural birth without interventions. But little K has a mind of her own, and this pregnancy was riddled with various complications that hadn't even entered my mind and weren't in the picture with Little Mister -- insulin dependent diabetes for starters. But I felt very strongly that we'd both be okay at the end, no matter how she was born, and for whatever reason, baby K needed to be born with medical help. Whether we ever knew that reason was another question entirely.

After some processing and crying, I busied myself with housework and sleeping over the next couple of days. Laundry, floors, cooking, baking, and a little last minute shopping. Plus some big cuddles with Little Mister and lots of Kiddo hugs. I knew I'd miss them both terribly. And I cried every time I held Little Mister because I wasn't ready for him to not be my baby anymore.

We got to the hospital at 6:30 on Friday, 6/11, and went straight to the L&D floor. They had the room ready for everything, including a teeny tiny little hat and diaper next to the isolette. After lots of medical history and questions, and a couple of ultrasounds showing that she was head down right then, they got the IV going and started my IV fluids. They wanted 1 liter in before they got the epidural going, and I needed the antibiotics. That took an hour.

Then the anesthesiologist came in to do the epidural. Lots more history, but he apparently missed the spot in my chart where the perinatologist said to avoid a rapid epidural because it would probably cause my blood pressure to drop, and I forgot to mention it. The first time he placed it, he nicked a vein: I got a fast headache and nearly passed out. He placed it again and the test dose was fine, but when he started the actual meds, my blood pressure dropped like crazy. I think the lowest it went was 60-something over 40. It took another hour to get stabilized, and by that point it was 10:00 and the OB's partner wasn't available. They both needed to be there just in case it became an emergency when they broke my water so that there were two sets of hands instead of one. They started the Pitocin at OB's instructions, hoping my cervix would dilate more and baby would descend some. Two hours later, he came in to break my water. She hadn't descended, but I was 5 cm. It was still so high, though, it took him a while to be able to reach it well enough to break my water.

He broke it and a little trickle came out. I asked if I could please sit up again, and immediately upon doing so, a FLOOD came out. They had to change the towels at least 4 times, and after she was born, even more fluid came out! There was no cord prolapse at the time of rupture though, and baby K was fine, so I just stayed sitting up as much as I could. I knew gravity would help me progress and baby to descend, and since I couldn't walk around because of the epidural and monitors, that was the only way to do it. My belly deflated a lot with the water and it wasn't as tired anymore.

She took a long time to descend and eventually her heart rate started dropping with every contraction, but it came right back up as soon as the contraction was over. They ended up placing internal monitors once she was low enough because she was still squirming away from the external monitor, though not turning at all (fortunately). Around 5:30, I was complete and they called the OB. He was at a different hospital but on his way back. Before he got back to the hospital, however, another one of his patients was complete and her baby was nearly born before he got there! So he delivered her baby and stitched her up, then came in our room. All in all, we waited nearly 3 hours for the doctor during the course of the day or she probably would have been born way sooner!

By the time the doctor got to the hospital, baby K's heart rate wasn't recovering as well, and we knew we needed to have her soon. It was hard waiting for him, but he came into the room really quickly, and I started pushing. Because of the epidural, I couldn't tell where to push and was having a hard time, and the doctor said that was fairly normal because you can't feel down there. With Kiddo, the epidural had mostly worn off before she was born and I watched in a mirror, so I knew exactly what I had to do to get her out and did so in just a few pushes. With Little Mister, no drugs and an incredible urge to push meant he got pushed out as soon as I quit saying I couldn't do it and made up my mind to do it. So it was a bit frustrating to push for 10 minutes and not make any progress, and then hear the OB say we'd be there a while. My nurse was scheduled to leave 10 minutes later and she told me she'd only be able to stay for two more contractions. That's not what did it, but realizing the baby needed to be born right NOW because of her distress, getting the head of the bed lowered a bit at the nurse's suggestion, and actually having an urge to push, with the next contraction, she was being born. The doctor was very encouraging and told me I was doing exactly what I needed to do and to keep pushing, so I did. Then he said, "Whoa, slow down!" So I did. Apparently, the cord was around her neck and her arm, and her shoulder was stuck, so he had to get ready to quickly untangle her as soon as I pushed her all the way out. Moe was watching all of this and said the doctor has fast hands and was glad for it -- seeing the cord wrapped around her like that really freaked him out. The cord was also the reason her heart rate kept dropping toward the end. I didn't have any tears or anything, so I'm feeling pretty good today (she's 6 days old as I'm typing this), just sore belly muscles from the birth.

She was born at 6:25 p.m. after 8 hours on Pitocin and 6 or so hours after fluid rupture. She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19 inches long, my biggest baby by half a pound. She did just fine in the hospital with only slightly borderline low blood sugars, so we ended up staying two nights instead of the one I wanted so they could monitor her a little longer, but they never got into the dangerous range. My sugars started coming back to normal the next day, and I started feeling better almost immediately after her birth.

She started nursing about an hour after she was born and has nursed better than either of my other two babies. She's had fewer problems than they did, too, though jaundice seems to be par for the course with my kids. If I ever have another baby and have a say in things (which I didn't with Little Mister because he was in a hurry to be born!), I'd wait to at least 38 weeks to deliver. She is just doing better overall than the other kids.

We are thankful that things went as well as they did and, though there were a few scary things that happened, we are extremely grateful that we were able to deliver without a C-section or any major complications. I honestly feel like this was the best thing for our baby and myself, and my husband said he liked the drugs because I didn't try to break his hand. Ha.

So there you have it. If you read the whole thing, thanks. If not, I understand!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

So in case you haven't seen her ...

Here are a couple of pics of the baby. Her bilirubin is elevated, but not nearly as high as Little Mister's, and I have a LOT more milk this time, so she's doing just fine. We have her on bili lights at home to help it go down and we're thrilled she doesn't have to be in the hospital.





Oh, and here's the pic of the totes I made last month. Um, yeah, I'm a slacker.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

She's here!

Baby K arrived safe and sound at 6:25 p.m. on Friday. We managed to avoid the C-section. She weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces and is 19 inches long -- my biggest baby! I'll post the birth story and pictures later this week, when I'm not so crampy.

Thanks for all the love and prayers!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

You guys are great!

Thanks for all the loves and feedback!! I'm doing a LOT better today. I can say it's not necessarily fear of the C-section that had me so depressed yesterday, but disappointment in a lost opportunity to have another amazing natural birth.

My birth with Little Mister was fairly perfect, as far as things I wanted and my recovery. No Pitocin, no epidural. I was up and about a few hours later, had a huge birth high, and was walking all over the place the next day. No stitches or anything, and I felt really good. My postpartum bleeding stopped within 2 weeks.

My birth with Kiddo was nowhere near that. She was induced, I had an epidural, I tore, had stitches, and things fairly well sucked. While using the bathroom, I tore my stitches out a few days later and had a hard time walking for a couple of weeks. I bled for 6 weeks.

So if we end up with a section, I will honestly be able to say I've had 3 very different types of deliveries! lol.

I feel really good about the plan as discussed with the OB yesterday. I know there is a very good chance I will end up with the C-section, and I'm okay with that. She keeps turning transverse and may do so even after my water breaks. The only way to get her out at that point is a C-section. And that's okay -- we'll both be safe and alive.

I go in at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow and won't have internet access in the hospital. I don't know when I'll be back to update the blog, but will as soon as I'm able.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I'm having a baby in 2 days.

My house is a wreck. My family is making me crazy. I'm in pain all the time. I'm grouchy and mean to everyone and I don't like it. Baby girl is causing lots of drama, because she will NOT stay head down when the contractions start, no matter what, so her head is not doing its job of getting my body ready for birth. And she's shown some signs of distress during my last two nonstress tests, but she's recovered just fine so they let me go home both times. My sweet husband isn't being such a sweetie right now, and isn't being the support he thinks he is. I need someone to help fight for MY body and my rights, too, but he just wants me to have a C-section and be done with it. Easy to say when it's not your body being hacked open.

I think it's safe to say I'm feeling depressed right now.

I have an appointment in a little while with the OB who will be delivering on Friday, so I'm going to discuss the whole thing with him then -- the depression included. I'm trying really hard not to resent this little surprise miracle, but it's still happening and I'm afraid it will only get worse after she's born. Especially if I have to have a C-section.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

A little Sunday stuff

Baby girl really doesn't want to come out -- I keep contracting, but nothing is happening. Woo. That's obnoxious.

Little Mister's favorite word these days is "shut," while he shuts doors, drawers, dishwashers ... but the "u" comes out "i" so it sounds like he's swearing. It makes me giggle.

Kiddo made some yummy brownies tonight, though didn't wait for them to cool completely OR use the appropriate cutting utensil (she used a spatula), so they aren't presentable for the husband to take to his game night. Guess I'll have to eat them all.

Little Mister had a freak out after I started dinner and would only calm down sitting in my lap, so the husband finished making it and even heated up a vegetable! Without me asking him to! Yay husband!

The kids and I did make it to sacrament meeting today, though I didn't hear much. Lots and lots of loves from the ward stopped and asked me when I was due or why the baby wasn't here yet or when she was coming. Little Mister and I left after that and had a nap, though mine was punctuated by 2-minute apart contractions. And yet, here it is, 9 hours later, and nothing has happened.

I'm trying not to be bitter.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Friday Fave Five!

1. I made it to term with this baby.

2. I have an induction date scheduled, so even if she chooses not to come before then, it will be all over soon. I just hope I'm not having these painful contractions 3-7 minutes apart, a lot in my back, for the next 7 days. Really hoping they turn into something more, but baby girl has a swimming pool in there still, so they may not.

3. DisGrace took Kiddo swimming today, and she's spending the night. I think Kiddo needed the break from being "mini mom" and I needed the break from the attitude.

4. Little Mister and I took a 2-hour walk -- 1 hour around the neighborhood in the heat, and 1 hour around Walmart. Hoping the walk helps baby girl engage and come out, but thrilled it made me feel better as far as moving my body goes. I've been a lazy, lazy woman lately.

5. The husband is learning to handle things a bit better and upped his medication on his own when he noticed he wasn't doing very well. Good for him.

Off to try and put the tired toddler to bed. Two hour walks, even though he wasn't walking, wear him out apparently.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Full Term!

We made it! I'm still hoping she comes this weekend on her own so we don't have to deal with the induction on the 11th.

*sigh*

What 37 weeks means versus 36 weeks: Baby making better use of oxygen, meaning we probably won't have to deal with oxygen tanks like with did for a month with Little Mister. Actually able to eat better, which means we probably won't have any failure to thrive problems, though jaundice may still be in the picture given that Kiddo had problems with it, too.

I'll post after we're home from the hospickle, whenever that happens, but if I'm not around much between now and her arrival ... well. I feel like crap. Par for the course, I suppose.