Wow! I was just reading some of my previous blogs and it was so neat to relive how I felt throughout this whole time. I will definitely have to do a better job of keeping up with things.
As an update, believe it or not, but I have been much more successful at breastfeeding, nipple phobia and all! I still pump a lot, but she does latch on pretty easily now. It started at about 3 weeks. Also, we did have her tongue clipped, and looking back I am so glad that we did. She is able to stick her tongue out all the time now! It would have been a much more difficult procedure had we waited. It would have involved anesthesia, etc.
SO tomorrow my precious angel will be 2 months. She has grown so much and is very alert now. She still loves the night time...but we are working on that.
This Sunday is her christening. We met with the pastor today to go over some details. Then we are having a small reception at the Dupont Country Club afterwards. Hopefully we will have some more pics to post! Plus we have a sony handi cam now too!
We chose my sister as the Godmother and Darren's friend Mark as the Godfather. Mark is a bachelor who has sworn off women (although we constantly have people ask us to fix them up with him). So it is incredibly cute and heartwarming to see him with Aubreigh. Darren shows him how to hold her, and it is super cute to watch. He even says how he loves her and how proud of her he is. After seeing him with her, Darren and I both agreed that he would make an excellent God Parent.
Well, I will make an effort to update more this weekend. Hopefully we will have some nice pics to add.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Long time no see....
Well, I have been MIA for about a month now! I have been having a great time being a mommy. I have also been very busy. We have been inundated with visitors....which I didn't mind as much as I thought.
However, I think the sleep deprivation has finally hit at 5 weeks. I used to be able to function really well on 3-6 hours a day, now if I am fortunate to get 8 or 9 I feel like I could use about 12.
Aubreigh is such a cutie! I must admit that even though I am sooooo tired at 3 am, every time I see her big blue eyes look at me, I can't help but smile.
I have some photos and slideshows to finally post. So this blog entry will be more visual than verbal! The photos are of Aubreigh 6 days old! I spent way too much on her photos and announcements ($1,100), but oh well, how do you narrow them down! Darren said that I am never allowed to have professional photos taken again! Oh well....we shall see!
However, I think the sleep deprivation has finally hit at 5 weeks. I used to be able to function really well on 3-6 hours a day, now if I am fortunate to get 8 or 9 I feel like I could use about 12.
Aubreigh is such a cutie! I must admit that even though I am sooooo tired at 3 am, every time I see her big blue eyes look at me, I can't help but smile.
I have some photos and slideshows to finally post. So this blog entry will be more visual than verbal! The photos are of Aubreigh 6 days old! I spent way too much on her photos and announcements ($1,100), but oh well, how do you narrow them down! Darren said that I am never allowed to have professional photos taken again! Oh well....we shall see!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
She's here!!!!
Our sweet baby girl is here! Aubreigh Grace arrived this past Saturday at 11:12 pm, weighing 5lbs 12 oz and 19.5 inches long. I woke up with a backache, then I got a headache and felt really crampy throughout the day. Darren insisted that I call the OB. I argued with him.....and then he threatened not to order me lunch if I didn't call. I figured this was just par for the course.
So I did. They wanted me to come in. When I got there I was contracting irregularly. I didn't feel a thing. I was dilated to 5 cm and fully effaced. They decided it was too dangerous to let me go home and decided to break my water.
Then we started the pitocin. I finally started to feel the contractions. I got the epidural...but it only worked on one side. I got through it, and then it was time to push. I pushed for an hour. It seemed like forever...but the whole episode was rather surreal. After a bit of pushing, I believe they used the vacuum to suck out the baby, and then she was born rather quickly. I must confess that I saw her being picked up by the OB and knew she was a girl!!! I was right....I definitely had a maternal instinct on that one!
It has been great being a mommy. The first night I just stared and held her all night long. I pretty much did the second night too! I couldn't bear to put her in the nursery. I have also been having a hard time just sleeping.....checking on her ever 5 minutes!
Breastfeeding has been miserable. She doesn't like to latch on. I have started pumping. I am going to try my best, but who knows what will happen. She has what is called an attached frenulum of the tongue. Basically, she can't move her tongue alot. This can be part of the problem. Some oral surgeons will just clip it. I am not going to do anything unless it will interfere with speech (which studies show is debatable). I am pumping some now...unfortunately I don't get alot....but I am trying.
The other weird thing that happened is that they sent my placenta to pathology. The OB said that he did it just because she was a little small and the placenta looked a little aged. Everything is fine with Aubreigh, but he said he just wanted to check it out. I guess I will find out those results at the exam.
I also had a grade 2 tear. That wasn't exactly pleasant, but it is starting to feel much better.
The photographer is coming tomorrow. I will also post some pics when I download them. Oh well, I better go pump a little now......
So I did. They wanted me to come in. When I got there I was contracting irregularly. I didn't feel a thing. I was dilated to 5 cm and fully effaced. They decided it was too dangerous to let me go home and decided to break my water.
Then we started the pitocin. I finally started to feel the contractions. I got the epidural...but it only worked on one side. I got through it, and then it was time to push. I pushed for an hour. It seemed like forever...but the whole episode was rather surreal. After a bit of pushing, I believe they used the vacuum to suck out the baby, and then she was born rather quickly. I must confess that I saw her being picked up by the OB and knew she was a girl!!! I was right....I definitely had a maternal instinct on that one!
It has been great being a mommy. The first night I just stared and held her all night long. I pretty much did the second night too! I couldn't bear to put her in the nursery. I have also been having a hard time just sleeping.....checking on her ever 5 minutes!
Breastfeeding has been miserable. She doesn't like to latch on. I have started pumping. I am going to try my best, but who knows what will happen. She has what is called an attached frenulum of the tongue. Basically, she can't move her tongue alot. This can be part of the problem. Some oral surgeons will just clip it. I am not going to do anything unless it will interfere with speech (which studies show is debatable). I am pumping some now...unfortunately I don't get alot....but I am trying.
The other weird thing that happened is that they sent my placenta to pathology. The OB said that he did it just because she was a little small and the placenta looked a little aged. Everything is fine with Aubreigh, but he said he just wanted to check it out. I guess I will find out those results at the exam.
I also had a grade 2 tear. That wasn't exactly pleasant, but it is starting to feel much better.
The photographer is coming tomorrow. I will also post some pics when I download them. Oh well, I better go pump a little now......
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Waiting on Baby.....
We are still waiting. I am still about the same 90% effaced and 3 cm dilated per my last OB visit on Tuesday. So now I am just waiting around, obsessing and looking into every little twinge, pain, etc.
However, this morning I woke up extremely crampy. I have had cramps a few times before and they were just attributed to an irritable uterus. This feels a little worse, but we shall see. I definitely don't want to get my hopes up!
I also got back the proofs to my maternity pics. The photographer put it to music in this nice little slide show and they were so cute. I am so glad that I had them done now. At first I was skeptical...I was not really in the mood to have them done because I had just gotten back from the hospital and figured I looked a mess. Now I am soooo glad I did it because I know they will be something I will treasure forever.
So today I will be doing a baby dance hoping the little peanut will make his/her appearance soon!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
I am a ticking time bomb!
That is what I refer to myself as now....
I can go at any time. I am waiting for my water to break at any minute. Each little pang makes me nervous.
I would really like to hold off for at least another week. I have been getting some stuff ready for the nursery...on my bed rest and all...and it looks really good. I know that I will truly never be able to be totally ready now...but at least somewhat ready.
I have to laugh. After my appointment on Monday I made a trip to the drug store. I had to buy maxi pads. I could not rest until I got them. I could only imagine the disaster it would have been to send Darren there and explain to him that I needed wings, etc. Yes, I am a maxi pad snob. If it isn't always with wings, it won't do!
I think I am going to start another list for other items that I may need for the baby. And maybe next week I will have my day out at the drugstore again! How exciting!
I can't believe that I may actually have a baby soon!
I can go at any time. I am waiting for my water to break at any minute. Each little pang makes me nervous.
I would really like to hold off for at least another week. I have been getting some stuff ready for the nursery...on my bed rest and all...and it looks really good. I know that I will truly never be able to be totally ready now...but at least somewhat ready.
I have to laugh. After my appointment on Monday I made a trip to the drug store. I had to buy maxi pads. I could not rest until I got them. I could only imagine the disaster it would have been to send Darren there and explain to him that I needed wings, etc. Yes, I am a maxi pad snob. If it isn't always with wings, it won't do!
I think I am going to start another list for other items that I may need for the baby. And maybe next week I will have my day out at the drugstore again! How exciting!
I can't believe that I may actually have a baby soon!
Friday, July 25, 2008
My 3 day vacation in labor and delivery...
Well, I thought i was just going to a normal check up on Tuesday. I mentioned to the doc that I thought I lost part of my mucous plug a week ago, and was concerned that I felt a little pressure.
He decided to check me out. I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. He asked if I was having contractions, but I didn't think I was.
He decided to send me to labor and delivery for monitoring just in case, and said that I should stop working for now. He also joked that I wouldn't be cooking anymore and that Darren should buy me some taco bell on the way home.
Well, we never made it home on Tuesday night, and I never got dinner. The contractions were 2-5 minutes apart and weren't subsiding. I ended up needing magnesium sulfate (which was horrible and made me vomit 6 times). They had to up the dose 3 times. The OB came in at 3:30 am to see if things were progressing (she had thought I went from 75% effaced to 90%). At this point I had a "bloody show". Fortunately, however, I wasn't progressing. The magnesium started working and my contractions subsided.
The next afternoon I was just a drugged up gal. I was still on the magnesium, but they were tapering it. My speech was slurred and my vision was blurred. The neonatologist came by, and explained that the biggest obstacle would be feeding. Breathing could also be an issue, but we were able to get the steroid shots, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I also saw the 2 OBs, and they joked with me in my drugged up state. Finally at 6:30 pm, the magnesium was stopped. It was heaven.
Darren got me a blue (as he joked he hoped for a boy) ice pop and it tasted like heaven. Then at about 8 pm they gave me a meatloaf dinner. For hospital food, it tasted fabulous! The nurse was going to help me try to shower as well, but I was too unstable for it. Then I was switched to a regular room on the floor. The nurses were all so nice and brought me graham crackers and peanut butter as a snack.
The next morning I met with another OB and he said that I would not be released until Friday morning. He also told me that if the contractions started again....more Mag! I was having some cramping and had this terrible feeling that the contractions would be back shortly. The nurse put me back on a monitor, and fortunately no contractions. I was just having an irritable uterus. The baby also looked great.
Later that evening, a different OB came by and said that things looked fine and that I could go home. That was great. I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed.
So now I feel like a ticking time bomb. I am just taking things easy and hoping to last another week or so (though, I feel like this baby is impatient and will be making his/her appearance shortly). I am concerned that I may not feel the labor or contractions in the beginning and have no clue what is going on. I am sure that I will feel them at the end, however!
I am just so excited to be a mommy! I can't believe it can be right around the corner! And as horrible as the whole experience was....I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant that my little peanut would benefit!
He decided to check me out. I was 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. He asked if I was having contractions, but I didn't think I was.
He decided to send me to labor and delivery for monitoring just in case, and said that I should stop working for now. He also joked that I wouldn't be cooking anymore and that Darren should buy me some taco bell on the way home.
Well, we never made it home on Tuesday night, and I never got dinner. The contractions were 2-5 minutes apart and weren't subsiding. I ended up needing magnesium sulfate (which was horrible and made me vomit 6 times). They had to up the dose 3 times. The OB came in at 3:30 am to see if things were progressing (she had thought I went from 75% effaced to 90%). At this point I had a "bloody show". Fortunately, however, I wasn't progressing. The magnesium started working and my contractions subsided.
The next afternoon I was just a drugged up gal. I was still on the magnesium, but they were tapering it. My speech was slurred and my vision was blurred. The neonatologist came by, and explained that the biggest obstacle would be feeding. Breathing could also be an issue, but we were able to get the steroid shots, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I also saw the 2 OBs, and they joked with me in my drugged up state. Finally at 6:30 pm, the magnesium was stopped. It was heaven.
Darren got me a blue (as he joked he hoped for a boy) ice pop and it tasted like heaven. Then at about 8 pm they gave me a meatloaf dinner. For hospital food, it tasted fabulous! The nurse was going to help me try to shower as well, but I was too unstable for it. Then I was switched to a regular room on the floor. The nurses were all so nice and brought me graham crackers and peanut butter as a snack.
The next morning I met with another OB and he said that I would not be released until Friday morning. He also told me that if the contractions started again....more Mag! I was having some cramping and had this terrible feeling that the contractions would be back shortly. The nurse put me back on a monitor, and fortunately no contractions. I was just having an irritable uterus. The baby also looked great.
Later that evening, a different OB came by and said that things looked fine and that I could go home. That was great. I couldn't wait to sleep in my own bed.
So now I feel like a ticking time bomb. I am just taking things easy and hoping to last another week or so (though, I feel like this baby is impatient and will be making his/her appearance shortly). I am concerned that I may not feel the labor or contractions in the beginning and have no clue what is going on. I am sure that I will feel them at the end, however!
I am just so excited to be a mommy! I can't believe it can be right around the corner! And as horrible as the whole experience was....I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant that my little peanut would benefit!
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