Sunday, October 24, 2010
I've Moved!!!
So, I have moved my blog - if you are looking for it please go to http://tiffanywynn.wordpress.com/
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Win Free Cloth Diapers!!
I am entering to win cloth diapers - if you cloth diaper or think you might in the future, you should enter, too!!
Go HERE and enter to win!
Go HERE and enter to win!
Friday, October 8, 2010
How quickly one forgets...
OK, so this post will not be long as time is on short supply these days. :) I did get to actually go to the bathroom this morning and did not have to wait until Joel got home tonight.... so it is a good day! LOL
I was just thinking this morning about how quickly one forgets all the energy and time a newborn requires. But even more important... how quickly women forget how long it takes to recover from getting that sweet newborn in to the world. I have decided that my body will never recover and that I will forever be in the process of healing....
So, now that I got that off my chest... I am going to *gasp* actually fold the clothes instead of putting them in the floor in front of the dryer because I don't have the time. (Now I can almost guarantee that the moment I start, Izabella will wake up.... that is how it goes these days and I wouldn't have it any other way... OK... I might like more sleep... but you get what I mean.) :-P
I was just thinking this morning about how quickly one forgets all the energy and time a newborn requires. But even more important... how quickly women forget how long it takes to recover from getting that sweet newborn in to the world. I have decided that my body will never recover and that I will forever be in the process of healing....
So, now that I got that off my chest... I am going to *gasp* actually fold the clothes instead of putting them in the floor in front of the dryer because I don't have the time. (Now I can almost guarantee that the moment I start, Izabella will wake up.... that is how it goes these days and I wouldn't have it any other way... OK... I might like more sleep... but you get what I mean.) :-P
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Birth of Izabella Danielle (very very very long)
As many of you know my easy pregnancy took a turn towards the end. At first my body started trying to kick itself in to labor around week 34 or 35 and my blood pressure started creeping up. My blood pressure was not high yet, just a tad higher than my normal at this point. As I blogged about earlier, I ended up at labor and delivery with two shots to get labor to stop. Thankfully at this point my cervix was not changing but with the regularity of my contractions we were concerned that it would start, so I was sent home and told to take it super easy. They didn't officially put me on bed rest at this point, but told me housework was out of the question at least until I was 36 weeks. Finally, I was 36 weeks and resumed housework and caring for the children as normal. I was sure that I would go in to labor at any time. It was around this time that my blood pressure started spiking. The doctor started monitoring me for signs of preeclampsia (you can find out more about what that is HERE). Thankfully, I did not show additional symptoms at this time so we were just monitoring my blood pressure carefully. However, my blood pressure continued to spike and I ended up at the hospital for them to monitor my blood pressure several times towards the end of the pregnancy. I believe that the highest it got was 179/100... but this caused great concern. It was this trip to the hospital that I did start showing trace amounts of protein in my urine, which is another symptom of preeclampsia, but not enough to actually diagnose me with full blown pre-e. So, I was sent home and told to see my doctor first thing the following morning.
The next morning I went to the doctor's office and after 4 hours at the doctor's office(and after blood work, ultrasound, and blood pressure monitoring) I was placed on strict bedrest and sent home. When I say strict, I mean strict. I could not even keep the kids alone, I was told that I was allowed to get up to go pee and that was it. That was torture to me and my entire family. I cried and cried.. I hate to inconvenience anyone and I felt like one big inconvenience to everyone around me. I was also told to take my blood pressure frequently and if it was ever over 140/90 I was to call the doctor immediately. My blood pressure was doing alright all day Thursday and Friday. Saturday it was up a little on Saturday morning, but not enough to warrant a call. However by Saturday evening I was super sick to my stomach, blurry vision, massive sudden headache and I took my blood pressure and it was 156/94 and I made the call. I was told to head to the hospital immediately. So...we did. This would be the only time we would go to the hospital without any bags as we expected to be monitored and sent home. I should point out that I was 38 weeks at this point and had carried this child longer than my other two. Needless to say, I was miserable and tired of going to the hospital or doctor's office every couple of days. The doctor had offered a c-section but I did not want that either. We got to the hospital and they monitored me for a while. The nurse pointed out that I was having regular contractions, to which I responded "Oh, I know... I have been having them all day...heck, all the last two weeks." She pointed out that these were regular and I responded, "Oh, I know...they always are...but they never change my cervix and so is my life..." We were both laughing and she said she would really like to check me. I told her that at my last check I was dilated a fingertip to 1 and 80% effaced and I thought it really unnecessary but if she really wanted to she could. So she checked me and to both our surprise I was dilated to 3 and 80% effaced. Go figure. So, I was admitted because the doctor wanted my blood pressure monitored and they thought that I might be in the stages of early labor which would be why my blood pressure was spiking and why I felt so yucky. However, after all night of regular contractions anywhere from 3 minutes to 5 minutes apart...there was absolutely no change (and little rest for me). My blood pressure remained elevated and my doctor came to see me. My orders were to remain in the hospital for another night so they could do a 12 hour urine catch, more blood work, and continue to monitor my blood pressure. Yay. Fun. The good news was that I could eat! I had not eaten in over 24 hours and was starving!!
After a night of up and down and peeing in a container...(oh yeah, that was fun)...they took it to run test and took what seemed like all my blood. LOL At this point, I am tired...and sore from the stupid hospital bed...and am literally pleading with my unborn child to please just go ahead and come on out. If my body would kick in to active labor all of these issues would be resolved. When the test results came back we were not overly happy. The results showed that I was spilling a small amount of protein as well as my creatin levels being high. The creatine levels were unrelated to the preeclampsia but meant that my kidneys were not working properly. So, the doctor had decided to have an amnioPitocin is the devil. I still stand behind that statement. I had watched my sister go through a horrible induction that ended in c-section and I was afraid that the same would happen to me. However, I wanted what was best for the both of us...so induction it was.
The next morning a very nice and very funny doctor came in to do the amnio. I must admit the amnio was very interesting to watch, but a bit scary as well. I was terrified that he was going to inadvertently stick Izabella. However, she managed to stay still for the few seconds it took and he was done. We had to wait for results. We waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. My doctor came to see us and said she had scheduled induction for 5a.m. the following morning with the expectation that the test would show Izabella's lungs mature. I was super nervous. Finally, later that evening we got the results that Izabella's lungs were fully mature and that the induction would proceed as normal. I tried my best to sleep that night but I didn't sleep very well. I prayed off and on all night long that God would grant me a quick and easy delivery and that he would grant me the strength to endure no matter what the outcome.
So, the next morning (9/14), the nurse woke me up at 4:30a.m. and told me to go use the potty and get ready to be hooked up to all the monitors and the IV. At 5:00a.m. they started the pitocin drip and I woke up Joel to keep my company because I was frightened.
At this point I feel I need to address my intentions with pain medication. I really did not want an epidural. I had a terrible experience with it put in incorrectly when I had Emmelyn (and very very painfully I might add..). With William they put the epidural in perfectly and it did just as it was supposed to. However, it bruised my back something awful and I dealt with that bruising for almost 8 months after William was born. I really wanted to avoid those complications this time around. However, I knew that being induced with pitocin meant that my contractions were going to be that much more extreme. So, I had decided that if I got to a point where I felt that the complications of the epidural were worth it to not have to experience the pain of the labor, I would get an epidural. After all, I had epidurals with my other deliveries and my kiddos were just fine.
So, back to the big day...my contractions did not really start until around 6a.m. They were fairly mild and very much like what I had been experiencing, so I was good to go. My dad arrived around 6:30 and found my decision to not get an epidural comical and was certain I would end up with one before it was over with. However, at this point, I really felt the contractions were very minor. The nurse fixed that...she upped the pitocin and within minutes I started feeling them a bit more. Now, they were still very manageable at this point, I was breathing and relaxing through them...but they did require my concentration. Around 8:00a.m. I decided to unplug and go use the potty as I knew that a full bladder would only make the contractions worse. So, after my bathroom break I asked the nurse if I could stay standing as I found it easier to deal with the contractions if I could sway through them. She plugged me back in to the monitors to be sure that we could monitor Izabella's heartbeat and then said I could stay standing. It was around this time that I started to experience back labor. So, not only am I getting to experience pitocin induced contractions...but in my back... it was fun, let me tell you. So, I am swaying through the contractions and breathing through them. My dad... well...he is beginning to grin and say something to the effect of I am just getting started and might want to rethink the epidural thing. A few minutes later I started to doubt myself. The back pain was excruciating and the contractions were one right after another without a break. I was starting to panic a little bit as I assumed I was just getting started as well. I moved to the birthing ball through a few of the contractions and then mentioned to the nurse that these contractions were crazy intense and right on top of each other. I asked her if it was possible the pitocin was turned up too much. She checked and assured me that this was exactly what we wanted... and in that moment I decided that it was too much. The back pain was crazy bad and if I was just getting started there was no way I was going to be able to do this. The nurse told me I would have to get back in the bed. They needed to check my dilation to decide if I could get an epidural yet. So, when I could, I got back in the bed. The nurse checked me and with great surprise said "Well... I have good news...you are dilated to an 8." That is when I realized how stupid I had been, I should have recognized transition... I was saying all the textbook examples of a woman in transition (deciding I couldn't do it, feeling like the contractions were right on top of each other, etc) At this point I decided that an epidural would be silly as I was certain that I wouldn't take long to dilate to 10. The doctor came in at this point and broke my water... and boy was that fun when she decided to stick her hand up in me to make sure that Izabella's head descended first. I know it was necessary, but oh my word...it was extremely painful...and she wasn't exactly gentle either.
I was still experiencing extreme back labor and asked if I could get off my back as it was crazy painful. So, I got on my knees and leaned over the back of the bed. This is when I believe that watching me became quite comical. As a contraction would hit I would start breathing and relaxing through it while chanting, "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this" and when the contraction would peak, I would start chanting "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this" and start to lose it a little. It would be during this time that I would waiver and say maybe I do need an epidural... I know that the nurse had to be laughing at me on the inside. She and the greenville tech nursing student were phenomenal though. They began massaging my lower back during contractions which helped SOOOO much. It wasn't but a couple contractions later that I started feeling the crazy need to push. If you have never experienced labor, I cannot explain this feeling. It is almost involuntary and it is quite painful to keep from pushing, but it is necessary to not push when you are not completely dilated or you can cause complications. Unfortunately, I was only dilated to a 9 at this point and could not push. The good news is that Izabella had turned at this point and therefore I was not experiencing back labor at this point...just this insane need to push. After 4 of the most excruciatingly painful contractions I have ever experienced, I begged her to check again because my body was starting to involuntarily push despite my efforts. When she checked and said I was complete... that was the best feeling in the world. I flipped over so fast... she called the nurses station and told them to get my doctor in there now as I was about to have this baby without her.... I pushed the first 2 times without much progress as I was focusing on the pain and holding back as I was afraid of causing myself to tear and wanted to avoid that if possible. Then I decided to focus and get control and 2 pushes later at 9:21 (3 hours and 21 minutes from when I felt the first contraction) and after a major unwanted cut from the doctor (episiotomy).. Izabella Danielle was here!! It was the greatest feeling in the world to have her placed on my chest. I got to love on her right away! She was so alert and I felt incredible.
Now, don't get me wrong... I was exhausted and very much so acted that way... but I felt such a sense of accomplishment and was so glad to have made the decision to decline the epidural. I could definitely tell a difference. At this point, my wonderful doctor, no joke tossed a towel over me and left. Apparently the woman next door was delivering at the same time and while I understand that she was needed... I HATED laying there with my legs still in the stirrups with a towel thrown over me. After was seemed like forever...she came back and stitched me up. I asked her if she had cut me.. as she knew I did not want to be cut... and she rudely responded that she was concerned about the size of the baby and it was necessary. When I asked how many stitches the only response I got was that she was working on it and it was unnecessary for me to know. She never did tell me how many. Needless to say, I will not be using that doctor again.
Finally, after getting stitched up I was given my beautiful 8lb 4oz, 21 1/2" long baby. She had a head full of hair and wanted to be sure that the world knew she was present. She was screaming her head off and refused to latch to eat. We decided to try unswaddling her and when we did, she quieted right down and latched on. She ate...and ate...and ate... and 30 minutes later was calmed enough that the rest of the family could meet her.
She is beautiful and we could not imagine her not a part of our family. She has been renamed Cutie McGrunts Alot and we are thinking that should be on her birth certificate instead of Izabella Danielle. She lost weight at first, as is normal for breastfed babies, but has since regained all that she lost plus an ounce. So she currently weighs 8lbs 5oz. Her favorite place to be...by far... is mom's chest. Let's see...how can I word this nicely... her lungs are in perfect working condition and she frequently tests them out to make sure they are still working...and they are...loudly. She prefers to be held...all the time... and for the first 2 weeks had her nights and days mixed up. She now sleeps at night in 2 hours stretches... meaning that she is going 3 hours in between eating and I feel human again. She is suffering from acid reflux but we are attempting to find ways to help her with this without medicating her. However, this is very difficult as her crying is very stressful. However, this is a short period in her life and I know that with each day it will get easier to take care of her and my other two kiddos. Despite how difficult it has been, she is extremely cute and sweet and snuggly and I am extremely blessed to have all three of my children in my life. Emmelyn and William have adjusted well. William calls her "my baby" (meaning William's baby) and corrects us if we call her anything else. Emmelyn has some minor jealousy issues she is working through but is a huge help. Our family is complete..............for now. :)
The next morning I went to the doctor's office and after 4 hours at the doctor's office(and after blood work, ultrasound, and blood pressure monitoring) I was placed on strict bedrest and sent home. When I say strict, I mean strict. I could not even keep the kids alone, I was told that I was allowed to get up to go pee and that was it. That was torture to me and my entire family. I cried and cried.. I hate to inconvenience anyone and I felt like one big inconvenience to everyone around me. I was also told to take my blood pressure frequently and if it was ever over 140/90 I was to call the doctor immediately. My blood pressure was doing alright all day Thursday and Friday. Saturday it was up a little on Saturday morning, but not enough to warrant a call. However by Saturday evening I was super sick to my stomach, blurry vision, massive sudden headache and I took my blood pressure and it was 156/94 and I made the call. I was told to head to the hospital immediately. So...we did. This would be the only time we would go to the hospital without any bags as we expected to be monitored and sent home. I should point out that I was 38 weeks at this point and had carried this child longer than my other two. Needless to say, I was miserable and tired of going to the hospital or doctor's office every couple of days. The doctor had offered a c-section but I did not want that either. We got to the hospital and they monitored me for a while. The nurse pointed out that I was having regular contractions, to which I responded "Oh, I know... I have been having them all day...heck, all the last two weeks." She pointed out that these were regular and I responded, "Oh, I know...they always are...but they never change my cervix and so is my life..." We were both laughing and she said she would really like to check me. I told her that at my last check I was dilated a fingertip to 1 and 80% effaced and I thought it really unnecessary but if she really wanted to she could. So she checked me and to both our surprise I was dilated to 3 and 80% effaced. Go figure. So, I was admitted because the doctor wanted my blood pressure monitored and they thought that I might be in the stages of early labor which would be why my blood pressure was spiking and why I felt so yucky. However, after all night of regular contractions anywhere from 3 minutes to 5 minutes apart...there was absolutely no change (and little rest for me). My blood pressure remained elevated and my doctor came to see me. My orders were to remain in the hospital for another night so they could do a 12 hour urine catch, more blood work, and continue to monitor my blood pressure. Yay. Fun. The good news was that I could eat! I had not eaten in over 24 hours and was starving!!
After a night of up and down and peeing in a container...(oh yeah, that was fun)...they took it to run test and took what seemed like all my blood. LOL At this point, I am tired...and sore from the stupid hospital bed...and am literally pleading with my unborn child to please just go ahead and come on out. If my body would kick in to active labor all of these issues would be resolved. When the test results came back we were not overly happy. The results showed that I was spilling a small amount of protein as well as my creatin levels being high. The creatine levels were unrelated to the preeclampsia but meant that my kidneys were not working properly. So, the doctor had decided to have an amnioPitocin is the devil. I still stand behind that statement. I had watched my sister go through a horrible induction that ended in c-section and I was afraid that the same would happen to me. However, I wanted what was best for the both of us...so induction it was.
The next morning a very nice and very funny doctor came in to do the amnio. I must admit the amnio was very interesting to watch, but a bit scary as well. I was terrified that he was going to inadvertently stick Izabella. However, she managed to stay still for the few seconds it took and he was done. We had to wait for results. We waited...and waited...and waited...and waited. My doctor came to see us and said she had scheduled induction for 5a.m. the following morning with the expectation that the test would show Izabella's lungs mature. I was super nervous. Finally, later that evening we got the results that Izabella's lungs were fully mature and that the induction would proceed as normal. I tried my best to sleep that night but I didn't sleep very well. I prayed off and on all night long that God would grant me a quick and easy delivery and that he would grant me the strength to endure no matter what the outcome.
So, the next morning (9/14), the nurse woke me up at 4:30a.m. and told me to go use the potty and get ready to be hooked up to all the monitors and the IV. At 5:00a.m. they started the pitocin drip and I woke up Joel to keep my company because I was frightened.
At this point I feel I need to address my intentions with pain medication. I really did not want an epidural. I had a terrible experience with it put in incorrectly when I had Emmelyn (and very very painfully I might add..). With William they put the epidural in perfectly and it did just as it was supposed to. However, it bruised my back something awful and I dealt with that bruising for almost 8 months after William was born. I really wanted to avoid those complications this time around. However, I knew that being induced with pitocin meant that my contractions were going to be that much more extreme. So, I had decided that if I got to a point where I felt that the complications of the epidural were worth it to not have to experience the pain of the labor, I would get an epidural. After all, I had epidurals with my other deliveries and my kiddos were just fine.
So, back to the big day...my contractions did not really start until around 6a.m. They were fairly mild and very much like what I had been experiencing, so I was good to go. My dad arrived around 6:30 and found my decision to not get an epidural comical and was certain I would end up with one before it was over with. However, at this point, I really felt the contractions were very minor. The nurse fixed that...she upped the pitocin and within minutes I started feeling them a bit more. Now, they were still very manageable at this point, I was breathing and relaxing through them...but they did require my concentration. Around 8:00a.m. I decided to unplug and go use the potty as I knew that a full bladder would only make the contractions worse. So, after my bathroom break I asked the nurse if I could stay standing as I found it easier to deal with the contractions if I could sway through them. She plugged me back in to the monitors to be sure that we could monitor Izabella's heartbeat and then said I could stay standing. It was around this time that I started to experience back labor. So, not only am I getting to experience pitocin induced contractions...but in my back... it was fun, let me tell you. So, I am swaying through the contractions and breathing through them. My dad... well...he is beginning to grin and say something to the effect of I am just getting started and might want to rethink the epidural thing. A few minutes later I started to doubt myself. The back pain was excruciating and the contractions were one right after another without a break. I was starting to panic a little bit as I assumed I was just getting started as well. I moved to the birthing ball through a few of the contractions and then mentioned to the nurse that these contractions were crazy intense and right on top of each other. I asked her if it was possible the pitocin was turned up too much. She checked and assured me that this was exactly what we wanted... and in that moment I decided that it was too much. The back pain was crazy bad and if I was just getting started there was no way I was going to be able to do this. The nurse told me I would have to get back in the bed. They needed to check my dilation to decide if I could get an epidural yet. So, when I could, I got back in the bed. The nurse checked me and with great surprise said "Well... I have good news...you are dilated to an 8." That is when I realized how stupid I had been, I should have recognized transition... I was saying all the textbook examples of a woman in transition (deciding I couldn't do it, feeling like the contractions were right on top of each other, etc) At this point I decided that an epidural would be silly as I was certain that I wouldn't take long to dilate to 10. The doctor came in at this point and broke my water... and boy was that fun when she decided to stick her hand up in me to make sure that Izabella's head descended first. I know it was necessary, but oh my word...it was extremely painful...and she wasn't exactly gentle either.
I was still experiencing extreme back labor and asked if I could get off my back as it was crazy painful. So, I got on my knees and leaned over the back of the bed. This is when I believe that watching me became quite comical. As a contraction would hit I would start breathing and relaxing through it while chanting, "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this" and when the contraction would peak, I would start chanting "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this" and start to lose it a little. It would be during this time that I would waiver and say maybe I do need an epidural... I know that the nurse had to be laughing at me on the inside. She and the greenville tech nursing student were phenomenal though. They began massaging my lower back during contractions which helped SOOOO much. It wasn't but a couple contractions later that I started feeling the crazy need to push. If you have never experienced labor, I cannot explain this feeling. It is almost involuntary and it is quite painful to keep from pushing, but it is necessary to not push when you are not completely dilated or you can cause complications. Unfortunately, I was only dilated to a 9 at this point and could not push. The good news is that Izabella had turned at this point and therefore I was not experiencing back labor at this point...just this insane need to push. After 4 of the most excruciatingly painful contractions I have ever experienced, I begged her to check again because my body was starting to involuntarily push despite my efforts. When she checked and said I was complete... that was the best feeling in the world. I flipped over so fast... she called the nurses station and told them to get my doctor in there now as I was about to have this baby without her.... I pushed the first 2 times without much progress as I was focusing on the pain and holding back as I was afraid of causing myself to tear and wanted to avoid that if possible. Then I decided to focus and get control and 2 pushes later at 9:21 (3 hours and 21 minutes from when I felt the first contraction) and after a major unwanted cut from the doctor (episiotomy).. Izabella Danielle was here!! It was the greatest feeling in the world to have her placed on my chest. I got to love on her right away! She was so alert and I felt incredible.
Now, don't get me wrong... I was exhausted and very much so acted that way... but I felt such a sense of accomplishment and was so glad to have made the decision to decline the epidural. I could definitely tell a difference. At this point, my wonderful doctor, no joke tossed a towel over me and left. Apparently the woman next door was delivering at the same time and while I understand that she was needed... I HATED laying there with my legs still in the stirrups with a towel thrown over me. After was seemed like forever...she came back and stitched me up. I asked her if she had cut me.. as she knew I did not want to be cut... and she rudely responded that she was concerned about the size of the baby and it was necessary. When I asked how many stitches the only response I got was that she was working on it and it was unnecessary for me to know. She never did tell me how many. Needless to say, I will not be using that doctor again.
Finally, after getting stitched up I was given my beautiful 8lb 4oz, 21 1/2" long baby. She had a head full of hair and wanted to be sure that the world knew she was present. She was screaming her head off and refused to latch to eat. We decided to try unswaddling her and when we did, she quieted right down and latched on. She ate...and ate...and ate... and 30 minutes later was calmed enough that the rest of the family could meet her.
She is beautiful and we could not imagine her not a part of our family. She has been renamed Cutie McGrunts Alot and we are thinking that should be on her birth certificate instead of Izabella Danielle. She lost weight at first, as is normal for breastfed babies, but has since regained all that she lost plus an ounce. So she currently weighs 8lbs 5oz. Her favorite place to be...by far... is mom's chest. Let's see...how can I word this nicely... her lungs are in perfect working condition and she frequently tests them out to make sure they are still working...and they are...loudly. She prefers to be held...all the time... and for the first 2 weeks had her nights and days mixed up. She now sleeps at night in 2 hours stretches... meaning that she is going 3 hours in between eating and I feel human again. She is suffering from acid reflux but we are attempting to find ways to help her with this without medicating her. However, this is very difficult as her crying is very stressful. However, this is a short period in her life and I know that with each day it will get easier to take care of her and my other two kiddos. Despite how difficult it has been, she is extremely cute and sweet and snuggly and I am extremely blessed to have all three of my children in my life. Emmelyn and William have adjusted well. William calls her "my baby" (meaning William's baby) and corrects us if we call her anything else. Emmelyn has some minor jealousy issues she is working through but is a huge help. Our family is complete..............for now. :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
As I suspected...
As I suspected my body was trying to jump start labor the other night. We ended up at labor and delivery yesterday because I couldn't get my contractions and back ache to go away. After two shots of Brethine and four hours in labor and delivery the contractions finally slowed and I got to come home with strict instructions of taking it easy. The nurse really wanted to give me a third shot of Brethine but my heart rate was too high and she didn't want to risk it. I had a couple more contractions last night and two this morning...but nothing consistent. The good news is that the contractions that I were having were only making minimal changes but they did not like that they were every 2-4 minutes and lasting a minute. She was certain that they were going to start making changes and with my history...once the changes start happening, it happens fast. So I am trying to convince my sweet baby to stay in just a little longer. They want her to stay in until at least 36 weeks, which is only a week from Friday. I cannot believe that there is a possibility of meeting my new daughter in a week and half... but at the most I only have to wait 5 weeks from Friday. It seems to have gone so fast!!
I did realize yesterday that I have the sweetest and most adorable kids in the whole wide world. We took them to the hospital with us yesterday, not sure how long I would be there and did not want to inconvenience anyone with having to watch them. William was very concerned for me and kept walking over and patting my leg saying "it ok, mommy, you ok". Then he would proceed over to check out the monitors. He would rub his chin and say "hmmm...three..five, you ok". Emmelyn colored me pictures and let me know what my blood pressure and the baby's heart rate was often. Emmelyn was also very interested in watching the paper that tracked my contractions, making sure to let me know when I had another one. LOL This reminded me of my father who is always sure to make sure I know when I am having a contraction when he is there while I am in labor. I always laugh...like I don't know, right? Over all the kids behaved very well for the four hours we were there, but they were more than ready to get out of there by the time I was released. As was I! I was exhausted and hated the way the Brethine made me feel. We went back to work with Joel for an hour and then we came home, I climbed in the bath, and then in to bed.
I am not good at the taking it easy thing... when Joel left for work this morning I got a run down of the things I was not supposed to do and the things I can do... the list for the things I am not supposed to do is much longer than the other list. I look around the house and hate that I cannot vacuum, sweep, mop, unload the dishwasher (bending down over and over again is a no no), and the list goes on.... I am allowed to get Emmelyn to load the laundry in the dryer and I can sit and fold the clothes. I am also allowed to wipe down counters... and that pretty much sums up the list of things that my husband has informed me I am allowed to do. I feel so bad for him. This means that he will go work a 9 hour day and then come home and clean the house for me... I hate that but I know that it is necessary for now to keep Izabella in the oven for just a little longer.
I know in a few weeks I will have my hands so completely full and be wondering how I am going to make this work. I will be trying to figure out how to get all the housework done while caring for myself, my newborn, and my older children. I know I should be grateful for the rest right now and enjoy putting my feet up. I know that I am grateful for a husband and family that cares!
I did realize yesterday that I have the sweetest and most adorable kids in the whole wide world. We took them to the hospital with us yesterday, not sure how long I would be there and did not want to inconvenience anyone with having to watch them. William was very concerned for me and kept walking over and patting my leg saying "it ok, mommy, you ok". Then he would proceed over to check out the monitors. He would rub his chin and say "hmmm...three..five, you ok". Emmelyn colored me pictures and let me know what my blood pressure and the baby's heart rate was often. Emmelyn was also very interested in watching the paper that tracked my contractions, making sure to let me know when I had another one. LOL This reminded me of my father who is always sure to make sure I know when I am having a contraction when he is there while I am in labor. I always laugh...like I don't know, right? Over all the kids behaved very well for the four hours we were there, but they were more than ready to get out of there by the time I was released. As was I! I was exhausted and hated the way the Brethine made me feel. We went back to work with Joel for an hour and then we came home, I climbed in the bath, and then in to bed.
I am not good at the taking it easy thing... when Joel left for work this morning I got a run down of the things I was not supposed to do and the things I can do... the list for the things I am not supposed to do is much longer than the other list. I look around the house and hate that I cannot vacuum, sweep, mop, unload the dishwasher (bending down over and over again is a no no), and the list goes on.... I am allowed to get Emmelyn to load the laundry in the dryer and I can sit and fold the clothes. I am also allowed to wipe down counters... and that pretty much sums up the list of things that my husband has informed me I am allowed to do. I feel so bad for him. This means that he will go work a 9 hour day and then come home and clean the house for me... I hate that but I know that it is necessary for now to keep Izabella in the oven for just a little longer.
I know in a few weeks I will have my hands so completely full and be wondering how I am going to make this work. I will be trying to figure out how to get all the housework done while caring for myself, my newborn, and my older children. I know I should be grateful for the rest right now and enjoy putting my feet up. I know that I am grateful for a husband and family that cares!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A bit of a scare
So last night was a bit of a scare for me! We had just finished dinner when I had a couple mild contractions, I brushed them off as braxton-hicks and went about my way. Then I realized they were still coming...so I got home and laid down hoping to make them go away. It is still a tad early for Izabella (even though I know she would be just fine at this point... I would like to avoid a NICU stay). I will be 34 weeks tomorrow and I need to be 37 weeks to be considered full term. Well, the contractions did not stop with me laying down. So, I climbed in a warm bath and tried to relax. They actually increased in duration, frequency, and intensity... I started to panic. I continued to have contractions about every 2-3 minutes and lasting only 45 seconds or so... but the fact that they would not quit was a tad scary. I have done this preterm labor before with both of my other children and wanted to be sure that the contractions were not going to stop on their own before I ran to labor and delivery. In my previous pregnancies, I would arrive at labor and delivery to have the contractions stop on their own or be given fluids and then the contractions stop. There was one time with Emmelyn that I did require meds to get them to stop. So last night as a last ditch effort I drank a huge glass of water, put on the most comfortable PJs I could find (and that would still fit me!), and climbed in to bed. I turned on some TV to try to distract myself and try to calm down. They slowly started to go away. After about 45 minutes they were only coming every 15 to 20 minutes and not lasting very long. So, I drifted off to sleep and woke up to no contractions at all this morning. However, now I am achy and tired! I am also apprehensive about doing anything much today! I am ready for these next few weeks to zoom on by and ready to have a precious and healthy little one snuggled in my arms!
I am still trying to decide if I should give the doctor a call as I do not have an appointment until next Friday... I guess I will see how the day goes and decide from there.
I am still trying to decide if I should give the doctor a call as I do not have an appointment until next Friday... I guess I will see how the day goes and decide from there.
Monday, August 9, 2010
New Giveaway at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer!
Here I go again! I am entering to win some free cloth diapers from The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. If you are interested in cloth diapers, check out the blog and enter the contest!! You can check them out by clicking HERE!
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