Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Birth Story
Ok, so it's been a month since Joshua was born and I've been a bit busy so no blogging for me. :)
I wanted to write his birth story out before I forgot most of it (need to update the baby book too!) and while I'm sure most of you already know how it all went down, here are the details anyway.
After being pregnant for 9 months, I was a bit antsy to have this baby come OUT and was trying to think of ways to make it happen. I was tired of waiting for Josh to make his debut on his own. On Tuesday, May 12th, Lauren and Pepper came over for a walk. We walked a pretty good distance (not sure just how far) and I was very tired and sore afterward. We had TNT that night and I had no time for a nap. David came home from work and we headed out to the Loft. Everything was normal that evening. No pains, no contractions (not even Braxton Hicks!). TNT was great (as usual) and we got back home around 9:30 or so. David had to go back to his office to finish up some work and I went to bed. He got back home at 10:30 or so and I was still awake. I couldn't get comfy and was having a hard time falling asleep. He hooked up his laptop and worked/watched tv in bed for a while. I started having a crampy feeling and David noticed that I was in pain. He asked how far apart the pains were and after timing them at about 5 minutes apart, we began to wonder if this was it! I got up to potty around 11:30 and my water broke! I couldn't believe it! We both freaked a little and then calmed down enough to call the midwife and get our things together for the hospital. We called our parents on the way to the hospital (Daddy thought I was joking). My parents got up, dressed and hit the road! David's mom had been vacationing at the OBX that week and planned to come later that morning. We thought Joshua would wait for her to get here!
By the time we arrived at the hospital the contractions were getting intense. I was so excited! We finally got checked in (that pre-registration stuff is a joke!) and they hooked me up to an iv, fetal heart monitor, contraction monitor and blood pressure monitor. They drew some blood and sent it off for testing. They told me that when it came back, I could get an epidural, which I was planning to do. They got me set up in a room (wonderful room!!) and my parents arrived shortly after. My brother, Robert & his wife, Kate also came from Raleigh. She had said from the beginning that I needed to go into labor during the night so she could call in "sick" from work to be there. ;)
By now, the contractions were coming 3 at a time and VERY close together. The first wouldn't even stop before the next one would come. Everyone kept watching the monitor to tell me when it was going back down. They were all great. We talked (which helped disctract me) and laughed (ask about the farting chair we had) and encouraged me to breathe through it and NOT make any noise (unlike the lady next door!). By about 4 am I was asking where that epidural was and told mom I felt like it would help to push. She said "no, you haven't been here long enough....." and I ordered David to find a nurse because I was going to start pushing. :) Dad and Robert had escaped to the waiting room by this time and Mom and Kate also went while the nurse finally brought in the epidural pump. She checked me and told me she thought I was ready to go! She went and got the midwife, Diette, and she checked me and said "Yep, we're ready! We'll have a baby in about 10 minutes!" Just then the anesthesiologist came in and Diette asked if I was going to be able to sit still on the bed for him to give me the epidural. I told her no, that I needed to push now!
So, I started pushing. David was great! He was encouraging and supportive. The nurse, Amy, was great and Diette was awesome. I had great "coaching" from all of them and couldn't have done it as quickly as I did without them. Meanwhile in the waiting room.......Mom and Kate were getting antsy. :) They had been out there for about 20 minutes and were expecting David to come and get them to let them know that I had gotten the epidural and they could come back to the room. They decided to give us 10 more minutes and then they would come back with or without permission. After 5 (b/c they were very impatient!) they headed back down the hall to our room. The door was shut and a nurse came out just as they got to it. They heard Joshua crying and mom asked the nurse who's baby that was. The nurse said "She had that baby!"
So, after about 5 hours of labor and 10 minutes of pushing (and NO pain meds!), Joshua was born at 4:33 am on Wed, May 13th. He weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 20 in long. :)
The staff at PCMH was awesome. After David cut the cord, they put a hat on Josh and I just held him. It was a long time before they gave him his bath and we got him dressed. I think we all held him before all that.
Matt and Megan came later that day to meet Josh. So did David's mom and Gram. We had lots of visitors and were very proud to show him off. :) We have the most wonderful friends. We're so blessed.
It's amazing that I remember some details and others are just a blur. I only remember bits and pieces of what happened while I was pushing. I know they couldn't keep track of Josh's heart beat and Diette told me that we had a little baby and his heart rate was going down so we needed a really good push to get him out. I remember David telling me he could see Josh's hair and I asked if his head was beautiful. :) It is.
It will be 4 weeks Wednesday since he was born and it feels like we've had him forever. He's already changed so much and the time really does fly! He lost a lot of weight after he was born and it took him 3 weeks to get back up to his birth weight. But, we've gotten the eating thing down now so he's packing on those pounds......er, ounces! :) I've been so lucky to have my Aunt Bonnie, who is a Lactation Consultant, just a phone call away to ask questions and get opinions and advice. I've also made a contact with the La Leche League here in Greenville, Mimi. She's WONDERFUL!!! She came by on a Saturday (when I was ready to quit breastfeeding) and spent 2 hours with me and Josh working on everything. Breastfeeding isn't easy, isn't the wonderful mom-baby-bonding time I anticipated and I've had a few setbacks, but I'm determined. She's been checking in on us, without being annoying about it, and I'm comfy calling her to ask questions. And best of all, it's all FREE!!
Doesn't he look like a little man sitting there?! So cute!
And this one's my (current) favorite.
Ok, that's all for now, and yes, I really am writing all this at 3:30 in the morning. He's been asleep since 10:30!!! I'm so glad that 3 week growth spurt is over! I'll need 3 weeks to recover before his 6 week growth spurt. :) I'm going to head back to bed, as I'm sure he'll be up to eat again soon.
I wanted to write his birth story out before I forgot most of it (need to update the baby book too!) and while I'm sure most of you already know how it all went down, here are the details anyway.
After being pregnant for 9 months, I was a bit antsy to have this baby come OUT and was trying to think of ways to make it happen. I was tired of waiting for Josh to make his debut on his own. On Tuesday, May 12th, Lauren and Pepper came over for a walk. We walked a pretty good distance (not sure just how far) and I was very tired and sore afterward. We had TNT that night and I had no time for a nap. David came home from work and we headed out to the Loft. Everything was normal that evening. No pains, no contractions (not even Braxton Hicks!). TNT was great (as usual) and we got back home around 9:30 or so. David had to go back to his office to finish up some work and I went to bed. He got back home at 10:30 or so and I was still awake. I couldn't get comfy and was having a hard time falling asleep. He hooked up his laptop and worked/watched tv in bed for a while. I started having a crampy feeling and David noticed that I was in pain. He asked how far apart the pains were and after timing them at about 5 minutes apart, we began to wonder if this was it! I got up to potty around 11:30 and my water broke! I couldn't believe it! We both freaked a little and then calmed down enough to call the midwife and get our things together for the hospital. We called our parents on the way to the hospital (Daddy thought I was joking). My parents got up, dressed and hit the road! David's mom had been vacationing at the OBX that week and planned to come later that morning. We thought Joshua would wait for her to get here!
By the time we arrived at the hospital the contractions were getting intense. I was so excited! We finally got checked in (that pre-registration stuff is a joke!) and they hooked me up to an iv, fetal heart monitor, contraction monitor and blood pressure monitor. They drew some blood and sent it off for testing. They told me that when it came back, I could get an epidural, which I was planning to do. They got me set up in a room (wonderful room!!) and my parents arrived shortly after. My brother, Robert & his wife, Kate also came from Raleigh. She had said from the beginning that I needed to go into labor during the night so she could call in "sick" from work to be there. ;)
By now, the contractions were coming 3 at a time and VERY close together. The first wouldn't even stop before the next one would come. Everyone kept watching the monitor to tell me when it was going back down. They were all great. We talked (which helped disctract me) and laughed (ask about the farting chair we had) and encouraged me to breathe through it and NOT make any noise (unlike the lady next door!). By about 4 am I was asking where that epidural was and told mom I felt like it would help to push. She said "no, you haven't been here long enough....." and I ordered David to find a nurse because I was going to start pushing. :) Dad and Robert had escaped to the waiting room by this time and Mom and Kate also went while the nurse finally brought in the epidural pump. She checked me and told me she thought I was ready to go! She went and got the midwife, Diette, and she checked me and said "Yep, we're ready! We'll have a baby in about 10 minutes!" Just then the anesthesiologist came in and Diette asked if I was going to be able to sit still on the bed for him to give me the epidural. I told her no, that I needed to push now!
So, I started pushing. David was great! He was encouraging and supportive. The nurse, Amy, was great and Diette was awesome. I had great "coaching" from all of them and couldn't have done it as quickly as I did without them. Meanwhile in the waiting room.......Mom and Kate were getting antsy. :) They had been out there for about 20 minutes and were expecting David to come and get them to let them know that I had gotten the epidural and they could come back to the room. They decided to give us 10 more minutes and then they would come back with or without permission. After 5 (b/c they were very impatient!) they headed back down the hall to our room. The door was shut and a nurse came out just as they got to it. They heard Joshua crying and mom asked the nurse who's baby that was. The nurse said "She had that baby!"
So, after about 5 hours of labor and 10 minutes of pushing (and NO pain meds!), Joshua was born at 4:33 am on Wed, May 13th. He weighed 7 lb 3 oz and was 20 in long. :)
The staff at PCMH was awesome. After David cut the cord, they put a hat on Josh and I just held him. It was a long time before they gave him his bath and we got him dressed. I think we all held him before all that.
Matt and Megan came later that day to meet Josh. So did David's mom and Gram. We had lots of visitors and were very proud to show him off. :) We have the most wonderful friends. We're so blessed.
It's amazing that I remember some details and others are just a blur. I only remember bits and pieces of what happened while I was pushing. I know they couldn't keep track of Josh's heart beat and Diette told me that we had a little baby and his heart rate was going down so we needed a really good push to get him out. I remember David telling me he could see Josh's hair and I asked if his head was beautiful. :) It is.
It will be 4 weeks Wednesday since he was born and it feels like we've had him forever. He's already changed so much and the time really does fly! He lost a lot of weight after he was born and it took him 3 weeks to get back up to his birth weight. But, we've gotten the eating thing down now so he's packing on those pounds......er, ounces! :) I've been so lucky to have my Aunt Bonnie, who is a Lactation Consultant, just a phone call away to ask questions and get opinions and advice. I've also made a contact with the La Leche League here in Greenville, Mimi. She's WONDERFUL!!! She came by on a Saturday (when I was ready to quit breastfeeding) and spent 2 hours with me and Josh working on everything. Breastfeeding isn't easy, isn't the wonderful mom-baby-bonding time I anticipated and I've had a few setbacks, but I'm determined. She's been checking in on us, without being annoying about it, and I'm comfy calling her to ask questions. And best of all, it's all FREE!!
Doesn't he look like a little man sitting there?! So cute!
And this one's my (current) favorite.
Ok, that's all for now, and yes, I really am writing all this at 3:30 in the morning. He's been asleep since 10:30!!! I'm so glad that 3 week growth spurt is over! I'll need 3 weeks to recover before his 6 week growth spurt. :) I'm going to head back to bed, as I'm sure he'll be up to eat again soon.
Monday, April 27, 2009
37 week check-up
We had a good visit at the OBGYN this morning. All my cultures from last week were negative so that means no antibiotics when it's time to have the baby. :) I know if it had been positive it wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm glad that's one less thing we'll have to worry about when the time comes. We'll also be able to leave the hospital earlier than if it had been positive.
Everything else is good. BP was good, urine was negative. The only pains I've been having is a feeling like my pelvis is coming apart (which rarely happens...but could). It hurts to even stand up. Carolyn (one of the midwives) said that she had the same pains when she was pregnant and it was normal. I wasn't worried about it....it just hurts! :) I did measure a week behind (36 weeks again this week) and Carolyn said it could be because Joshua has dropped a little. His feet (and boney little butt!!) aren't quite in my ribs like they had been.
I didn't do any crazy cleaning yesterday....but I'm loving my clean kitchen I worked on Saturday night. I also got a few things done in the nursery. Here's a picture of the letters Lauren made for us hanging over the crib. I love them!!
And just for fun, here's an updated picture of the baby birds out in the front yard.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Babies Everywhere!
Spring has sprung in our front yard!
Aren't these baby robins so cute?? :) I'm sure their mother thinks they are. They just hatched a day or two ago and are still very quiet. I'm sure as they get older we'll be able to hear them holler for food!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Still Here......
It's been a month or so since I last blogged. I just haven't felt like it. :) Soooo, I'll try to play catch-up and fill everybody in on the goings-on in the White House since the last post.
The nursery is pretty much complete. The crib and changing table are ready to go, we got a chest of drawers and have it filled with clothes already! We rearranged the room a little to make room for the chest and hopefully a rocker/glider/whatever. My sweet husband used his saturday morning to clean out the closet in the nursery. (I think it went pretty quickly once I was out of his way!) ;) I didn't take an updated picture because we haven't hung pictures or anything else and still have 2 showers to go. I'm sure we'll be doing more rearranging even after Joshua's home.
Speaking of pictures.....Lauren took some wonderful pregnancy photos of me and David a few weekends ago. (You can check them out on my facebook) We were really excited about having them done and will finally have something to hang in the baby's room. Lauren's very creative and an awesome photographer (PLEEEEAASE check out her website).
We made an impromptu trip up to Yorktown to visit with David's mom, gram and sister a few weeks back. We had a good time (as always!) and enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. On the way back home, we stopped at 7-11 and got a hot dog for dinner. David and I used to do that a lot when we lived in Elizabeth City and thought it was a treat since we don't have any 7-11s here. It wasn't such a treat this time. :( David apparently got a little case of Salmonella. It got pretty ugly pretty fast. It's been 2 weeks and he's just about back to normal again. I'm glad he's feeling better. He never gets sick!! Not even a cold!! I'm sorry he was sick, but I'm glad it wasn't me!
I went to Gasburg for the weekend and spent some time with dad, mom, Robert & Kate. I went there to attend Courtney's wedding shower. She and Zach are getting married May 16th at Nags Head and I want to go SOOOO badly!! (Yes, that is 2 days before our due date) I'm hoping we'll get to go, but since our time is now scheduled by Joshua, we have to do whatever he wants. :) Anyway.....it was a nice party and we all had a good time. Lots of laughing (which is good anytime!) Isn't she gorgeous?
In other baby news: We had our 36 week check-up today. (Not fun...but not as bad as I thought) I am 1 cm dialated and 5% effaced. I'm not getting too excited about it....he hasn't dropped and I could be 1 cm right up until my due date! She said she thought we were right on schedule. My BP was good, pulse a little low and everything else was good. They did the strep B test and other tests that we'll get the results of next Monday when we go back. I can't believe we're having weekly visits already!!! These loooong months have flown by!! She did determine that Joshua is head down (they haven't been 100% sure until today!) so we didn't get an ultrasound. :( I want to see him so badly!!! I guess I'll have to wait until he actually gets here; which would be better than an ultrasound anyway! Freida (the midwife I saw today) drew a picture on my belly of how Joshua is sitting. Isn't that funny?! David missed the drawing and so I showed him after we left the office....he laughed really hard. :)
And just for good measure, here's an updated belly pic for the grandmas (and everybody else).
Friday, February 20, 2009
Caution: Nursery in Progress
Here are some pictures of the changing table and crib all set up. We still have some re-arranging to do but we're ready in case something happens!! :) (which it won't, b/c he's a good boy and will stay put until May 18th!)
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