Isaac you are 9 weeks old today. You turned two months old on Friday and I can't believe how much you have grown and changed since you were born. Last night while you were nursing I took some time to jot down all the things that I could about you at this moment. These are things I don't want to forget and hope that I can collect all these blog posts into a journal for you one day.
-Your hair has grown so much in just a few days. It's no longer the little fuzz it used to be. It's starting to get some real length to it now and you don't have an old man hairline anymore!
-You are a very muscular little boy. You have your dad's build for sure.
-People always stop me (especially in the halls at church) and tell me how adorable you are. Someone even told me you are the cutest baby they have ever seen...and they had kids of their own.
-You have a great pouty lip that makes everyone laugh...even if you aren't laughing and wondering why we're not trying to help you.
-You have discovered your hands and love to chew on them. You've been able to find your thumb a few times and once you get the hang of sucking it, I'm pretty sure it's never going to leave your mouth.
-You're more and more talkative every day, especially when someone is talking to you.
-It takes you a day or two to warm up to new people enough to smile at them.
-You like the sound of rattles and bells.
-You like to play itsy bitsy spider and pat-a-cake with mum
-You're starting to tolerate tummy time more
-You sleep really well in the car and slept the whole way to Cranbrook
-You only like being cuddled when you're tired or eating, and don't tolerate being passed around very well. Normally if you're awake and energized you want to be on the floor kicking your arms and waving your legs.
-Your aunties and grampy have taught you to do the "lizard" face. They stick their tongues out at you and you try and copy them by sticking your tongue out too.
-You only wake up once through the night to eat
-You were blessed today by your daddy, surrounded by your loving family. You started fussing so everyone in the circle bounced you on their hands. You were so squirmy the bishop thought they were going to drop you. Haha that's m'boy. Your wiggly-ness is one of the first comments people make about you.
-You lay on the playmat for your first Christmas while mum and dad opened your many many gifts. You were so spoiled by your grandparents, aunties and uncles.
-You have trouble taking naps sometimes because there are so many people around you and you get so excited by them. You don't want to miss the excitement.
-You are so so loved by everyone around you and we are so excited to see you grow.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
8 week recap
Little I will be two months old on Friday. I'll have to start calling him Big I soon because he is gaining weight like a champ. He weighed 9lbs9oz at his Dr's appointment Wednesday and is 21.5 inches long, which puts him in the 10-25th percentile for all his measurements. Considering he wasn't even on the growth chart at his 2 week check up I'm pretty happy. He has started to wear a couple of 3-6 month undershirts and his newborn sleepers are getting ever smaller...mostly length wise. We also moved him from newborn to size 1 diapers this week. I can't believe how quickly babies grow and how noticeable their growth is from one week to the next. Next Christmas he'll be 14 months and probably running around terrorizing Christmas presents and Christmas trees.
He loves his playmat and is so good about lying on the floor and just hanging out there. He has plenty of smiles and coos for his aunties, granny and granpy now, as well as mum and dad. He will only take "long" naps in the morning if he's being held, otherwise it's cat naps until the afternoon when he usually take a 3 hour sleep. He goes to bed at about 930 and wakes up once during the night to eat, anywhere from 130-330, and then sleeps until about 7.
He's on losec now for his reflux but we'll need to wait for another week or so to see if it makes a difference. He's going to go for a swallow assessment too to make sure the problem isn't compounded by him swallowing the wrong way. When the pediatrician suggested one it made me feel like I was at work again. Swallow assessments are a routine part of neuro patients care, stroke patients in particular.
We drove down to Calgary Wednesday and will be here with my family until Thursday. He is the center of the universe here and will certainly be the most spoiled boy come Christmas morning. I'm sure half the presents under the tree are his.
We look forward to going to BC to see Gordon's family, especially since Isaac will get to meet his aunts, uncles and his great grandpa and grandma Jolie for the first time. He will also be getting blessed next Sunday. This is a very special occasion for us as Latter Day Saints. When a new baby is born, the father is able to give the baby a name and a blessing under the authority of the priesthood. Gordon will get the opportunity to pronounce blessings for our son that he will be able to receive in this life. I know that Heavenly Father and our Saviour love little children dearly and that they have a very special plan for each of them. I'm looking forward to hearing what the Lord has in store for our little boy if he lives up to his blessings, and it will be a great privilege for me as a mother to raise my son to be worthy of those blessings.
Isaac is one of the greatest blessings in my life and although he brings challenges, they could never measure up to the joy that he brings me.
He loves his playmat and is so good about lying on the floor and just hanging out there. He has plenty of smiles and coos for his aunties, granny and granpy now, as well as mum and dad. He will only take "long" naps in the morning if he's being held, otherwise it's cat naps until the afternoon when he usually take a 3 hour sleep. He goes to bed at about 930 and wakes up once during the night to eat, anywhere from 130-330, and then sleeps until about 7.
He's on losec now for his reflux but we'll need to wait for another week or so to see if it makes a difference. He's going to go for a swallow assessment too to make sure the problem isn't compounded by him swallowing the wrong way. When the pediatrician suggested one it made me feel like I was at work again. Swallow assessments are a routine part of neuro patients care, stroke patients in particular.
We drove down to Calgary Wednesday and will be here with my family until Thursday. He is the center of the universe here and will certainly be the most spoiled boy come Christmas morning. I'm sure half the presents under the tree are his.
We look forward to going to BC to see Gordon's family, especially since Isaac will get to meet his aunts, uncles and his great grandpa and grandma Jolie for the first time. He will also be getting blessed next Sunday. This is a very special occasion for us as Latter Day Saints. When a new baby is born, the father is able to give the baby a name and a blessing under the authority of the priesthood. Gordon will get the opportunity to pronounce blessings for our son that he will be able to receive in this life. I know that Heavenly Father and our Saviour love little children dearly and that they have a very special plan for each of them. I'm looking forward to hearing what the Lord has in store for our little boy if he lives up to his blessings, and it will be a great privilege for me as a mother to raise my son to be worthy of those blessings.
Isaac is one of the greatest blessings in my life and although he brings challenges, they could never measure up to the joy that he brings me.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Back to normal
At 7 weeks after Isaac's birth things finally seem to be back to normal around here...or rather as normal as they could be. I'm feeling like my old self again...still have a few pounds to lose, but I'm able to run again and took the opportunity to yesterday. Although it was colder outside than I would normally run in (-17), I couldn't pass up the chance and it was so GREAT! It was hard at first. I mean I hadn't been able to run since I was 5 months pregnant so I expected that, but I was able to do a total of 30 minutes running with 15 minutes of walking so I was proud of myself in the end. It was nice to feel my body working so hard again, and almost nice to have sore muscles to show for it.
Besides me being back to normal, it seems my busyness has come back up to normal. Some days it amazes me what I am able to accomplish (aka the days when Isaac actually naps for more than 30 minutes at a time), and some days it amazes me how little I accomplished (aka the days when Isaac refuses to nap until he's been awake for 6+ hours). I am always busy though and I enjoy that...for the most part.
Isaac is always changing. He's had a couple bad days with gas and reflux this week, which led to near-inconsolable crying, and Gordon and I trying every "trick" we know to calm him and then going through them all again until one worked. One of our magic tricks is bath time. Isaac's discovered how much fun water can be when you splash around and the look of surprise on his face when the water hits him in the face is priceless. He never cries, just makes an "o" with his mouth and opens his eyes really wide. Unfortunately baths can't last forever, and neither can walks (especially in Edmonton weather!), which is another one of our calm-inducing activities. We've switched to a formula with less lactose in it and hope to get a prescription for zantac or prevacid from his pediatrician this week to help with the reflux. Hopefully our combined efforts will be worth it because the reflux is brutal. He'll be drifting to sleep and then start almost gagging, so I sit him up higher and pat his back and he swallows it or spits it out and then be upset so I'll have to settle him to get him to sleep again. I'm sure it tastes awful, poor little boy. It makes feeding longer too because I keep him upright for 20 minutes after, so I can't put him to bed right away in the night because he starts to gag. I wish I didn't have to bottle feed because it might help with some of the problem but unfortunately I have no choice in that matter.
On the positive side, Isaac loves to smile at mom and dad, especially dad. He loves his daddy so much. He's also becoming a lot more playful and loves the new playmat I bought him off kijiji as an early Christmas present. It has a sun that lights up and plays music. He is so transfixed by it and smiles and kicks away. I also bought him a jumperoo but he will have to wait a month or two until he grows into it. He weighed 9lbs on Thursday and has just outgrown a couple of his newborn sleepers. He almost needs to move up a size in diapers too. My mommy muscles are definitely growing from carrying the carseat around all the time.
He also had another poop and pee in the toilet today! We're super inconsistent right now with it, but when we know he's pooping we do try and take him. Hopefully consistency will come once he's in a more predictable routine.
His nighttime sleep habits are greatly improving. He's going to bed much earlier (830-10 vs 1030-midnight) and will usually sleep for 5-7 hours, eat and then sleep for another 3-4. So some nights he'll go to sleep at 9, wake up at 3 or 4 and then sleep until 8. It's lovely. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't believe it's that late already, so I go check on him just to make sure he's ok. I've started trying to put him down at night while he's awake, but tired, and letting him fall asleep on his own. We've had way more success than I thought we would have and I'm hoping that in a month or two I'll just be able to put him down at bedtime and he'll put himself to sleep...at least most nights.
We also went to see the lights at the legislature and took Isaac for a walk in the stroller. Of course he slept most of the time, but we enjoyed the Christmas spirit that was there.
Wednesday we head down to Calgary for Christmas and then we'll be in Cranbrook for New Years. I'm excited for our first Christmas as a new little family and can't wait for next year when Isaac can actually be excited about his presents haha.
Besides me being back to normal, it seems my busyness has come back up to normal. Some days it amazes me what I am able to accomplish (aka the days when Isaac actually naps for more than 30 minutes at a time), and some days it amazes me how little I accomplished (aka the days when Isaac refuses to nap until he's been awake for 6+ hours). I am always busy though and I enjoy that...for the most part.
Isaac is always changing. He's had a couple bad days with gas and reflux this week, which led to near-inconsolable crying, and Gordon and I trying every "trick" we know to calm him and then going through them all again until one worked. One of our magic tricks is bath time. Isaac's discovered how much fun water can be when you splash around and the look of surprise on his face when the water hits him in the face is priceless. He never cries, just makes an "o" with his mouth and opens his eyes really wide. Unfortunately baths can't last forever, and neither can walks (especially in Edmonton weather!), which is another one of our calm-inducing activities. We've switched to a formula with less lactose in it and hope to get a prescription for zantac or prevacid from his pediatrician this week to help with the reflux. Hopefully our combined efforts will be worth it because the reflux is brutal. He'll be drifting to sleep and then start almost gagging, so I sit him up higher and pat his back and he swallows it or spits it out and then be upset so I'll have to settle him to get him to sleep again. I'm sure it tastes awful, poor little boy. It makes feeding longer too because I keep him upright for 20 minutes after, so I can't put him to bed right away in the night because he starts to gag. I wish I didn't have to bottle feed because it might help with some of the problem but unfortunately I have no choice in that matter.
On the positive side, Isaac loves to smile at mom and dad, especially dad. He loves his daddy so much. He's also becoming a lot more playful and loves the new playmat I bought him off kijiji as an early Christmas present. It has a sun that lights up and plays music. He is so transfixed by it and smiles and kicks away. I also bought him a jumperoo but he will have to wait a month or two until he grows into it. He weighed 9lbs on Thursday and has just outgrown a couple of his newborn sleepers. He almost needs to move up a size in diapers too. My mommy muscles are definitely growing from carrying the carseat around all the time.
He also had another poop and pee in the toilet today! We're super inconsistent right now with it, but when we know he's pooping we do try and take him. Hopefully consistency will come once he's in a more predictable routine.
His nighttime sleep habits are greatly improving. He's going to bed much earlier (830-10 vs 1030-midnight) and will usually sleep for 5-7 hours, eat and then sleep for another 3-4. So some nights he'll go to sleep at 9, wake up at 3 or 4 and then sleep until 8. It's lovely. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't believe it's that late already, so I go check on him just to make sure he's ok. I've started trying to put him down at night while he's awake, but tired, and letting him fall asleep on his own. We've had way more success than I thought we would have and I'm hoping that in a month or two I'll just be able to put him down at bedtime and he'll put himself to sleep...at least most nights.
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| Lights at the Leg |
Wednesday we head down to Calgary for Christmas and then we'll be in Cranbrook for New Years. I'm excited for our first Christmas as a new little family and can't wait for next year when Isaac can actually be excited about his presents haha.
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| Workin' the pout |
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| Mad that mama made him do a photoshoot |
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The great look-alike question
Isaac is 6 weeks today and just finished another growth spurt this weekend. He is changing so much physically and intellectually right in front of our eyes. Besides a recap of our week together and a look at the coming week I thought it would be good for me to record what he inherited from each of his parents (or what we can tell up to this point hah!). People always ask me who he looks like and the truth is he is a mix of both of us. Up until my teenage years before I slimmed down, I was told I was a
daddy's girl, now in my early adult years I'm the "image of [my]
mother". Of course this opinion can vary from person to person but time
can also exert a heavy hand in the great look-alike question. When he was first born most people said he looked just like me, now he's a little more like daddy, so I know how quickly it can change. What do you think?
Mummy
-eyes (shape and colour)
-eyebrows...or lack thereof (yes this is important!)
- dry skin (sorry my boy)
-temperament-->active, busy, picky
Daddy
- hairline
-face shape
-dark eyelashes
-nose
-mouth
-feet, including the unfortunately large big toe
-appetite and attitude about food
Both
-hair colour
This week in review
- giving out lots of smiles! Especially for mummy and daddy.
-clearly started recognizing Gordon and I
-much more interested in playing
-weighed 8lbs6oz at the breastfeeding clinic Wednesday (5th-10th percentile) but still gaining more than average per day (although the rate has slowed compared to last appointment)
-pooped in the toilet for the first time
-took family pictures, throughout which he decided to poop and burp hah!
-Granny and Auntie Devon came for a visit
-Growth spurt Thurs-Sat. We are now eating 3-4 more ounces a day on average.
-doing consistent 4 -5 hour stretches at night. Even if he won't sleep in his crib during the day, he always sleeps in it well at night thank goodness.
-loves to be awake during the day...sometimes too much. On Friday after his 2 hours nap from 730-930 in the morning, he had two or three 20-30 minute cat naps until bed at 830. Then slept "through the night". At least he has his nights and days straight, but it can make for an exhausting day with an exhausted and stubborn child!
Coming Attractions
-Nurses Christmas party
-First batch of homemade turtles
-Ward Christmas party
-Visit from Great Grandma and Uncle Stephen
-Christmas shopping for Isaac
-General Christmas todo
Come back next week to see how my little boy has grown yet again.
-eyes (shape and colour)
-eyebrows...or lack thereof (yes this is important!)
- dry skin (sorry my boy)
-temperament-->active, busy, picky
Daddy
- hairline
-face shape
-dark eyelashes
-nose
-mouth
-feet, including the unfortunately large big toe
-appetite and attitude about food
Both
-hair colour
This week in review
- giving out lots of smiles! Especially for mummy and daddy.
-clearly started recognizing Gordon and I
-much more interested in playing
-weighed 8lbs6oz at the breastfeeding clinic Wednesday (5th-10th percentile) but still gaining more than average per day (although the rate has slowed compared to last appointment)
-pooped in the toilet for the first time
-took family pictures, throughout which he decided to poop and burp hah!
-Granny and Auntie Devon came for a visit
-Growth spurt Thurs-Sat. We are now eating 3-4 more ounces a day on average.
-doing consistent 4 -5 hour stretches at night. Even if he won't sleep in his crib during the day, he always sleeps in it well at night thank goodness.
-loves to be awake during the day...sometimes too much. On Friday after his 2 hours nap from 730-930 in the morning, he had two or three 20-30 minute cat naps until bed at 830. Then slept "through the night". At least he has his nights and days straight, but it can make for an exhausting day with an exhausted and stubborn child!
Coming Attractions
-Nurses Christmas party
-First batch of homemade turtles
-Ward Christmas party
-Visit from Great Grandma and Uncle Stephen
-Christmas shopping for Isaac
-General Christmas todo
Come back next week to see how my little boy has grown yet again.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Learning and growing
Isaac turned one month this past Wednesday and is learning and growing more every day. He makes me laugh on a daily basis and I'm looking forward to these next few weeks with him.
This past week
-gave dad his first smile today
-we broke out his first toys, some brightly coloured rings, he likes to stare and swat at them
-danced with mum in the living room while she sang Christmas songs to him (with Michael Buble's help)
-we bought our Christmas tree and decorated
-already has his own taste in music...he'll smile consistently at some songs that I sing to him and not like other songs. Jingle bells is Isaac approved, Frosty the Snowman is not.
-Is more and more content to be on the floor and squirm around
-did some 4-5 hour stretches during at night this week but he's such a noisy sleeper that I usually don't benefit that much. When you have a baby monitor in one ear and a snoring husband in the other, sleep can be hard to come by.
-pushes himself to standing when he's up on my shoulder...I think we'll be investing in some type of jolly jumper eventually
-can hold his head up for longer than normal stretches.
-visited and cuddled with grandpa J who was here on business
-gets lots of awake time during the day
-has the best poop face, always makes me laugh hard
-likes to "stroke" (aka scratch) when he's trying to fall asleep, usually my neck and arms
-3 words to describe Isaac: active, particular (just a nice way of saying fussy...), curious
-I worked out three days this week and am only half an inch away from fitting into my "goal pants". Can't wait to start running again!
This week
-appointment at the breastfeeding clinic. I'm curious to see how much he's grown, because he definitely has grown and chubbed up. No more chicken legs!
-visits from Fiona, Auntie Devon and Granny
-family photos...I'm a little bit nervous about how little boy will be
-Gordon's last day of classes
-going to see the lights at the Legislature...hopefully it's not too cold!
-try to get more smiles out of my little superman
This past week
-gave dad his first smile today
-we broke out his first toys, some brightly coloured rings, he likes to stare and swat at them
-danced with mum in the living room while she sang Christmas songs to him (with Michael Buble's help)
-we bought our Christmas tree and decorated
-already has his own taste in music...he'll smile consistently at some songs that I sing to him and not like other songs. Jingle bells is Isaac approved, Frosty the Snowman is not.
-Is more and more content to be on the floor and squirm around
-did some 4-5 hour stretches during at night this week but he's such a noisy sleeper that I usually don't benefit that much. When you have a baby monitor in one ear and a snoring husband in the other, sleep can be hard to come by.
-pushes himself to standing when he's up on my shoulder...I think we'll be investing in some type of jolly jumper eventually
-can hold his head up for longer than normal stretches.
-visited and cuddled with grandpa J who was here on business
-gets lots of awake time during the day
-has the best poop face, always makes me laugh hard
-likes to "stroke" (aka scratch) when he's trying to fall asleep, usually my neck and arms
-3 words to describe Isaac: active, particular (just a nice way of saying fussy...), curious
-I worked out three days this week and am only half an inch away from fitting into my "goal pants". Can't wait to start running again!
This week
-appointment at the breastfeeding clinic. I'm curious to see how much he's grown, because he definitely has grown and chubbed up. No more chicken legs!
-visits from Fiona, Auntie Devon and Granny
-family photos...I'm a little bit nervous about how little boy will be
-Gordon's last day of classes
-going to see the lights at the Legislature...hopefully it's not too cold!
-try to get more smiles out of my little superman
Saturday, November 24, 2012
The little man: 4 weeks.
While he's asleep (of course now he's starting to stir and wake up as I start this post), I want to quickly record things that have happened this week with our little boy. Again, more for my sake than yours. Tomorrow Isaac will be 4 weeks old, and never do I remember 4 weeks going by so fast in my life, yet when I think about the day he was born it feels like it happened so long ago. Before he was born I would think about time like molasses. Now I think about it more like quicksand...I'm constantly fighting to stay on top of it.
This week we've had plenty of adorable, picture-worthy moments, fussy minutes that turn into hours, leaky diapers, pukey sleepers and best of all lots of nap time cuddles. We had an appointment at the breastfeeding clinic Wednesday as well as an appointment with the pediatrician. Isaac has finally got the hang of latching (I made him practice LOTS) and I'm still able to nurse him which makes me happy. Any amount of breast milk he can get is good for him, and I figure I'm good til the last drop right? I'm not sure if my supply will come up, I haven't noticed any significant changes, but I'm determined to continue nursing until there is nothing left. I'll admit it's a bit of a hassle nursing, then bottle feeding, then pumping (if I even get to that...), but I feel it's a sacrifice that I need to make for my little boy. Speaking of the BF clinic and pediatrician's office, Isaac is a healthy 7lbs2oz (as of Wed), which means he has gained 22 oz in 9 days! That's over double the rate of what an average newborn gains. He's still only in the 3rd percentile for weight, and 10th for length, but I hope his weight gain settles just a little, otherwise he won't be able to grow taller fast enough to keep up with his chub!
We took our first walk on Sunday and Isaac enjoyed it...meaning he fell asleep. It was a bit bumpy with the ice and snow on the sidewalk but we have a stroller with monster wheels that can handle it. It sucks that it's getting colder now because I'd really like to take more walks with him. He also had his first manicure this week. After weeks of being a scratch post (he likes to grab my skin when he's falling asleep or hungry and would always manage to get his mitts off), I decided it was time.
He had a growth spurt this week as well. So for three days it felt like all I did was feed him and cuddle with him because he was so fussy. Like I'm-going-to-stay-awake-for-8-hours fussy, or every-time-you-think-I'm-asleep-and-put-me-down-I'm-going-to-wake-up-and-cry fussy. Thankfully I think it's over, as of yesterday.
Isaac has given us his first few real smiles this week. He's started staring at Gordon and I a lot more, and has smiled a few times when I've talked to him or counted his toes. I can't wait until he's smiling more and more because it melts my heart.
He can see farther away now and so is more and more curious about the world around him. He was fixated by a black and white mobile at the dr's office and likes to lie close to the TV when it's on. I put him close to me when I workout (my goal is to get my pre-baby body back before Christmas), and he stares at my feet pretty much the whole time. I'm not sure if it's because my runners are lime green or if it's because they're moving all the time, but it keeps him content, and lets me have my exercise which always makes me feel much better throughout the day.
This week I'm looking forward to...
...no appointments
...decorating for Christmas
...Christmas music
...Christmas lists
...Christmas shopping?
...more cuddles with this little boy.
This week we've had plenty of adorable, picture-worthy moments, fussy minutes that turn into hours, leaky diapers, pukey sleepers and best of all lots of nap time cuddles. We had an appointment at the breastfeeding clinic Wednesday as well as an appointment with the pediatrician. Isaac has finally got the hang of latching (I made him practice LOTS) and I'm still able to nurse him which makes me happy. Any amount of breast milk he can get is good for him, and I figure I'm good til the last drop right? I'm not sure if my supply will come up, I haven't noticed any significant changes, but I'm determined to continue nursing until there is nothing left. I'll admit it's a bit of a hassle nursing, then bottle feeding, then pumping (if I even get to that...), but I feel it's a sacrifice that I need to make for my little boy. Speaking of the BF clinic and pediatrician's office, Isaac is a healthy 7lbs2oz (as of Wed), which means he has gained 22 oz in 9 days! That's over double the rate of what an average newborn gains. He's still only in the 3rd percentile for weight, and 10th for length, but I hope his weight gain settles just a little, otherwise he won't be able to grow taller fast enough to keep up with his chub!
We took our first walk on Sunday and Isaac enjoyed it...meaning he fell asleep. It was a bit bumpy with the ice and snow on the sidewalk but we have a stroller with monster wheels that can handle it. It sucks that it's getting colder now because I'd really like to take more walks with him. He also had his first manicure this week. After weeks of being a scratch post (he likes to grab my skin when he's falling asleep or hungry and would always manage to get his mitts off), I decided it was time.
He had a growth spurt this week as well. So for three days it felt like all I did was feed him and cuddle with him because he was so fussy. Like I'm-going-to-stay-awake-for-8-hours fussy, or every-time-you-think-I'm-asleep-and-put-me-down-I'm-going-to-wake-up-and-cry fussy. Thankfully I think it's over, as of yesterday.
Isaac has given us his first few real smiles this week. He's started staring at Gordon and I a lot more, and has smiled a few times when I've talked to him or counted his toes. I can't wait until he's smiling more and more because it melts my heart.
He can see farther away now and so is more and more curious about the world around him. He was fixated by a black and white mobile at the dr's office and likes to lie close to the TV when it's on. I put him close to me when I workout (my goal is to get my pre-baby body back before Christmas), and he stares at my feet pretty much the whole time. I'm not sure if it's because my runners are lime green or if it's because they're moving all the time, but it keeps him content, and lets me have my exercise which always makes me feel much better throughout the day.
This week I'm looking forward to...
...no appointments
...decorating for Christmas
...Christmas music
...Christmas lists
...Christmas shopping?
...more cuddles with this little boy.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
3 week learning curve
Isaac is 3 weeks old today. I can't believe how fast time is going already, but I'm not going to lie...I'm so glad the first 10 days are behind me. As much as I love my little boy, he was anything but easy. The first 24 hours weren't bad, despite feeling like I got hit by a semi. Days 2-5 were hell. My poor little boy would want to "nurse" for HOURS. The first night home from the hospital (aka 24 hrs after he was born), I was up with him until 5am "nursing", although really he was not actually eating most of the time. As soon as I would take him off he would scream. Not fuss. Scream. Thank goodness for my blessed mother who would let me sleep for a few hours and take over the screaming child. We tried everything we could think of to get him to relax: music, rocking, shooshing, skin to skin, holding him in every position imaginable... He screamed so much the first few days he started going hoarse. The only time he wouldn't scream was when he was latched on to me like I was a human soother. Obviously this meant I was severely sleep deprived, as was he. Before he was born, I would tell Gordon it wouldn't be that bad because newborns sleep 16-18 hours a day. He was getting 8-12 max in 24 hours. I would get so nervous when he was awake because I would anticipate the screaming. I even called the community health nurse in tears because I didn't understand what was going on, even though I felt like I should be able to handle it because I'm a nurse. Babies shouldn't be nursing for hours! They told me it was probably a comfort thing and to take him off when he wasn't actively feeding. Too bad that meant more screaming time.
After day 5 or so, he started calming down. He wasn't a "good" baby but he was a little bit easier to console. After losing his voice from his hysterics the first few days he couldn't scream as loud either. The problem was that he still wanted to nurse from 1.5-2hrs at a time. I kept thinking to myself that this wasn't normal, but he had never had a "normal" nursing time of 20-40 minutes so maybe he was just a weird baby. It was definitely taking its toll on my body though. If the words cracked and bleeding mean anything to you, you can imagine how fun nursing was for me. I had to bite down on his receiving blanket when he latched because the pain was enough to make me cry, even if it only lasted a minute until he was "on" good and proper. I kept thinking that I didn't know how I would be able to do this for 6 months exclusively.
Day 11 the nurse called to see how I was doing. I told him about his nursing for hours and another concern I had about his poop. Baby poop is VERY telling, in case you didn't know. She confirmed to me that this was not normal and wondered if I wanted to go in for a "breastfeeding assessment" and they would also check his weight. Isaac had a routine appointment with his pediatrician the next day, so I didn't think it was necessary and declined. After hanging up, I kept getting this nagging feeling to call back and go in, so I did.
Isaac was 6lbs 5oz when he was born and he should have been back to birth weight by this time, since babies usually lose up to 10% of their body weight in the first few days. 5lbs 8 and 3/4 oz was what the scale said. It took every bit of strength not to burst into tears as I stared in shock at the numbers. I thought he looked different from when he was a newborn but now I could see that the difference was weight loss. Immediately I thought "I am starving my child". Thankfully, the nurse quickly took me back into a room to do the assessment and then I did burst into tears. I was so overwhelmed with shock and guilt and sadness for my little boy, who was clearly not eating like he should be even though he would nurse for hours at a time. She had me breastfeed him and pointed out that he was not sucking effectively and as a result was working twice as hard for my milk and also that my milk production had probably decreased. At this point, I was waiting for the "f" word to come up. Formula. I had always wanted to breastfeed my babies and never considered that I would need to use formula. At this point, however I knew it was what I needed to do for the health of my baby. The nurse, also a lactation consultant (aka breastfeeding guru and advocate) helped me come up with a plan where I would continue nursing, then supplement with formula until he was full. Along with some other steps and a referral to the breastfeeding clinic, I'm hoping to wean him off the formula eventually. I don't know if that will be possible, but I sure hope so.
Since we've been on this new plan, Isaac has been a completely different baby. He's content most of the time, sleeps really well, and loves to be cuddled. I know formula gets a bad rap, but in a way, formula has allowed Gordon and I to enjoy being parents, because now we have a baby with a full tummy. He's putting on weight like a champ (1lb in 6 days!).
There are two major lessons I learned from this "experience".
1. Trust your instincts as a mother. I probably could have figured out there was a problem a lot sooner if I would have listened to them.
2. Even though you have all this textbook knowledge, it's different when it's your baby.
And now... a little bit about my little man
-has a really strong neck and has been able to lift his head and turn it from side to side (even on his tummy) since he was born
-loves his hands and always has to be flapping them, touching his face, grabbing, or sucking on them
-likes his baths on the cooler side (comes from his daddy)
-sneezes 5 or 6 times in a row (also comes from his daddy)
-loves tummy time
-still hiccups all the time, just like when I was pregnant with him
-likes to be cuddled before falling asleep but doesn't have to be completely asleep before putting him down in his crib
-sleeps in the nursery all by himself
-usually falls asleep in his car seat
-had his first road trip to Calgary last weekend and slept pretty much the whole way there and back
-is a drama king when it comes to his food
-smiles when he's falling asleep
-hates having his diaper or clothes changed
-likes to push off things with his feet (aka me)
We love our little boy and can't wait to watch him continue to learn and grow :)
After day 5 or so, he started calming down. He wasn't a "good" baby but he was a little bit easier to console. After losing his voice from his hysterics the first few days he couldn't scream as loud either. The problem was that he still wanted to nurse from 1.5-2hrs at a time. I kept thinking to myself that this wasn't normal, but he had never had a "normal" nursing time of 20-40 minutes so maybe he was just a weird baby. It was definitely taking its toll on my body though. If the words cracked and bleeding mean anything to you, you can imagine how fun nursing was for me. I had to bite down on his receiving blanket when he latched because the pain was enough to make me cry, even if it only lasted a minute until he was "on" good and proper. I kept thinking that I didn't know how I would be able to do this for 6 months exclusively.
Day 11 the nurse called to see how I was doing. I told him about his nursing for hours and another concern I had about his poop. Baby poop is VERY telling, in case you didn't know. She confirmed to me that this was not normal and wondered if I wanted to go in for a "breastfeeding assessment" and they would also check his weight. Isaac had a routine appointment with his pediatrician the next day, so I didn't think it was necessary and declined. After hanging up, I kept getting this nagging feeling to call back and go in, so I did.
Isaac was 6lbs 5oz when he was born and he should have been back to birth weight by this time, since babies usually lose up to 10% of their body weight in the first few days. 5lbs 8 and 3/4 oz was what the scale said. It took every bit of strength not to burst into tears as I stared in shock at the numbers. I thought he looked different from when he was a newborn but now I could see that the difference was weight loss. Immediately I thought "I am starving my child". Thankfully, the nurse quickly took me back into a room to do the assessment and then I did burst into tears. I was so overwhelmed with shock and guilt and sadness for my little boy, who was clearly not eating like he should be even though he would nurse for hours at a time. She had me breastfeed him and pointed out that he was not sucking effectively and as a result was working twice as hard for my milk and also that my milk production had probably decreased. At this point, I was waiting for the "f" word to come up. Formula. I had always wanted to breastfeed my babies and never considered that I would need to use formula. At this point, however I knew it was what I needed to do for the health of my baby. The nurse, also a lactation consultant (aka breastfeeding guru and advocate) helped me come up with a plan where I would continue nursing, then supplement with formula until he was full. Along with some other steps and a referral to the breastfeeding clinic, I'm hoping to wean him off the formula eventually. I don't know if that will be possible, but I sure hope so.
Since we've been on this new plan, Isaac has been a completely different baby. He's content most of the time, sleeps really well, and loves to be cuddled. I know formula gets a bad rap, but in a way, formula has allowed Gordon and I to enjoy being parents, because now we have a baby with a full tummy. He's putting on weight like a champ (1lb in 6 days!).
There are two major lessons I learned from this "experience".
1. Trust your instincts as a mother. I probably could have figured out there was a problem a lot sooner if I would have listened to them.
2. Even though you have all this textbook knowledge, it's different when it's your baby.
And now... a little bit about my little man
-has a really strong neck and has been able to lift his head and turn it from side to side (even on his tummy) since he was born
-loves his hands and always has to be flapping them, touching his face, grabbing, or sucking on them
-likes his baths on the cooler side (comes from his daddy)
-sneezes 5 or 6 times in a row (also comes from his daddy)
-loves tummy time
-still hiccups all the time, just like when I was pregnant with him
-likes to be cuddled before falling asleep but doesn't have to be completely asleep before putting him down in his crib
-sleeps in the nursery all by himself
-usually falls asleep in his car seat
-had his first road trip to Calgary last weekend and slept pretty much the whole way there and back
-is a drama king when it comes to his food
-smiles when he's falling asleep
-hates having his diaper or clothes changed
-likes to push off things with his feet (aka me)
We love our little boy and can't wait to watch him continue to learn and grow :)
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Birth story: Warning, looooong post.
Get ready for the long, laborious, tale of Isaac Lee's birth. I've recorded
it in lots of detail, mostly for my recollection, so I apologize for the
length. If you want to stick around, grab a snack and a blanket and hang on for
the ride.
As you know from my previous posts I had more than one sleepless night, just days before Isaac arrived. On Friday, I had my membranes stripped in the office and was still 2 cm. At about 3pm that day I started having regular contractions every 6-8 minutes, but nothing I couldn't easily deal with. They started coming closer together, about every 5-6 minutes around dinner, but I was still hesitant to believe this was it. I so did not want to be disappointed again. I called my mum to let her know and she decided to make the drive up just in case. At 730 Gordon and I decided to go for a walk to see if we could speed things up a bit and when we got home contractions were every 3-4 minutes and stronger. We went back and forth about if and when we should go to the hospital, since I was still coping fairly well with the pain, but finally curiosity got the better of us and we left at 9pm. 5 minutes into driving, I realized I forgot my purse with my prenatal papers in it and we needed to turn around. Of course my contractions started slowing down in the car, so we just decided to stay home and not go until I was in too much pain or my water broke. Mum got in at about 1030 and we decided to get some sleep just in case. At 230 I woke up with really bad heartburn and indigestion again, on top of the still 5-6 minute contractions. By 330 I decided it was hospital time, because a) I needed something bad for this heartburn and b) we may as well see what's going on. 4am we headed back to the hospital for round two, where it was basically deja vu of Wed night (see blog post). I was still two freaking cm. How did I do NOTHING to get to 2cm and my body had been working for 13 hours and I couldn't even get to 3? I got my pink lady and T#3 and then decided to get some zantac from the drug store after we got discharged...again. I felt so bad that hubby and mummy weren't sleeping, but at least I wouldn't have to deal the with heartburn anymore.
The contractions continued all of Saturday, but mum and I tried to keep busy, getting groceries, making chocolate chip cookies and dinner. We watched my sisters sing in the cultural celebration for the LDS Calgary temple dedication online, and I noticed the contractions pick up a bit in intensity. I didn't even start timing them until an hour later, and they were every 6 minutes almost to the second. We started the new Spider Man and by 930 I couldn't sit down during the contractions, which were now every 4-5 minutes. I could barely pay attention to the movie. All of a sudden they got much more uncomfortable and I decided to jump in the shower to see if they'd ease up a bit. They started coming every 1 1/2 to 3 minutes and after 30 minutes in the shower, I told Gordon to get everything ready and as soon as it was, I was getting out and we were going. We got to the hospital (remember 3rd time in 5 days, ready to be labelled a frequent flyer by the L&D nurses), at about midnight and they hooked me up to the monitor. The contractions were so much more uncomfortable lying down but were clearly showing up on the strip. I thought for sure I was going to see some change. The nurse checked me and then put her head on my belly and looked at me really empathetically and I knew that I was still 2 cm. WHAT?!?!?!? Why did my cervix pick now to get a stubborn streak? Determined not to be turned away, I took the morphine she offered and decided to walk the stairs for an hour, rather than go home again. We had a first timer go from 3-10cm in an hour after doing stairs so I figured that was my best bet. Well it worked...sort of. The nurse who checked me at 130 said she could stretch me to 3cm and I was bit thinned out. I thought she was probably being generous because she felt bad for me, but none the less I had changed.. So now the big choice: get admitted or go home and wait again. As far as we were all concerned, we were there and if we were just going to go back later we might as well settle in for the long haul. I didn't want to labour the whole time in the hospital but making the trek back was just more than I could handle. So admission it was.
3 hours later at 4am I was still 3cm. Crap crap crap crap crap. I knew what this meant...the drip. Some good ol' oxytocin. The nurse gave me the option to refuse and go home because we're both thinking the same thing...I'm basically inducing myself and will have a long hard labour...possibly ending in a c-section if I don't progress and the dr is impatient. But I was admitted, I was there, my mum was there, I would be leaving with a baby, go big or go home right? The kicker is technically I'm supposed to be hooked up to the fetal monitor continually, meaning labouring in bed, and that's a recipe for disaster at this point. 8 am is my next check, and guess what? 3cm is the new 2cm. Although the dr told me not to get discouraged, all I can think about is if I do not get out of this bed I am going to go home with staples in my stomach. Luckily the nurse who comes on for day shift is fabulous and gets an order from the Dr that I can be off the monitor for a few hours. So up I get, roaming the halls with my mum thinking that this isn't so bad so far despite the fairly high dose of oxy I'm on, going back to the room every 15 mins so they can listen to baby. Around 9am the contractions start getting painful enough that I can't talk anymore and I need to get in the shower. Then they're were really ripping and roaring. With every wave, every muscle in my body would tense up and all I could do was breathe. I never imagined how much pain I would be in. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach and slowly twisting the knife around (sorry for the imagery). I knew that I wouldn't be able to last much longer. After half an hour, I called out that I needed the epidural. Again, I had hoped on waiting until at least 5 cm to get it, but it was all I could do not to scream with every contraction. So at 10am I go back to the bed, without the shower the contractions are almost unbearable. I'm literally digging my fists into the bed and every muscle in my body is rigid, but I know that position is everything with the epidural so I try and keep myself as still as possible and finally something goes according to my plans. At this point I'm 4cm, thank goodness for progress, and starting to get more comfortable. Half an hour later, my water is broken and I'm 6cm. I'm also thrilled with the Dr who is on for the day, having done many deliveries with him and he's a little bit of a magic worker. At lunch I'm starting to feel lots of pressure with contractions and am getting uncomfortable, and blessed news I'm 7-8cm. My fears of c-section are slipping away, and I'm so grateful that the epidural has helped me relax and do what it needs to do. At 2pm the pressure is there without the contractions, but I'm still 7-8 cm and my nurse is thinking that my little one is OP (meaning facing up instead of down). This can put a stall on things since a bigger part of his head is trying to fit through my pelvis, and I'm almost sure the nurse is right since I can feel a lot of discomfort on one side of my pelvis, almost like something is stuck or pressing. In order to verify baby's position, the miracle worker comes in 30 minutes later and pronounces me fully and baby's the the right way. I swear as soon as he walks into the room that babies smarten up. Mine sure did. I'm elated now. I did it. My body did it. My continuous praying and pleading paid off.
I wanted to wait for my body to bring baby down more before I started pushing, so Gordon and I watched an episode of Downton Abbey while my mum slept before the hard work began. I was sad that my nurse was only there for an 8 hour day because she was so brilliant, and I would have loved for her to be there for my delivery. At 350, I started pushing with my new nurse, who was also lovely. By this point I had been on the drip almost 12 hours and my poor uterus was exhausted. I was maxed out on oxy (you need another dr's order to go above a certain dose), and was physically spent. My mum kept my forehead cool, and was in charge of ice chips and water. I could tell I wasn't making too much progress with pushing though. It was getting hard for me to stay awake in between contractions, and I was starting to see stars from the pushing. At one point I projectile vomited over Gordon and my nurse who didn't have time to grab gloves. After 2 hours, Dr Miracles came in, had me curl up in a different position and within a few pushes I knew baby had come WAY down. Unfortunately the drs changed at 6pm, but I knew the dr coming on and had also done many deliveries with her and was happy she would be delivering. I had now been pushing for 2 hours and 10 minutes, but did not want forceps or vacuum to help, and I was allowed to keep pushing as long as baby was happy. This gave me motivation to push harder than I ever pushed before. At 615, the dr was called for delivery, and within 2 or 3 more contractions I was almost there. I could hear Gordon and my mum telling me how close I was and encouraging me to keep going. Unfortunately I started to tear quite extensively so out came the dreaded scissors to help baby come without worsening the tearing. As soon as the cut was made, Isaac slipped out at 6:22pm. I was so relieved it was a boy and that I had been right all along. Poor little guy was pretty stunned after 2.5 hours of being pushed out so he was quite gurgly and wouldn’t cry right away. They took him to suction him out while my mum and Gordon went over to see him. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew he was in good hands. He was a bit grunty so they had the NICU nurse come in to check his breathing and decided to let me do skin to skin with him to calm his breathing. So I cuddled my little man for 30 minutes while his breathing settled. I could hardly believe that he had been inside me and I had just pushed him out. I was so overwhelmed with love for this little guy. I noticed right away that he had a very strong neck and was already lifting his head off my chest. My dad and sisters came in and I started balling right away. I was so excited to share this little one with my family. I couldn’t have done it without Gordon or my mum. They were there with me every step of the way, and they gave me the strength to keep going. I love you both so much. In the back of my mind, I knew I was going to be mighty sore once the epidural wore off, but I didn’t care at all. I was just so proud of our new little family and knew that I would go through it all again just to bring him into the world.
As you know from my previous posts I had more than one sleepless night, just days before Isaac arrived. On Friday, I had my membranes stripped in the office and was still 2 cm. At about 3pm that day I started having regular contractions every 6-8 minutes, but nothing I couldn't easily deal with. They started coming closer together, about every 5-6 minutes around dinner, but I was still hesitant to believe this was it. I so did not want to be disappointed again. I called my mum to let her know and she decided to make the drive up just in case. At 730 Gordon and I decided to go for a walk to see if we could speed things up a bit and when we got home contractions were every 3-4 minutes and stronger. We went back and forth about if and when we should go to the hospital, since I was still coping fairly well with the pain, but finally curiosity got the better of us and we left at 9pm. 5 minutes into driving, I realized I forgot my purse with my prenatal papers in it and we needed to turn around. Of course my contractions started slowing down in the car, so we just decided to stay home and not go until I was in too much pain or my water broke. Mum got in at about 1030 and we decided to get some sleep just in case. At 230 I woke up with really bad heartburn and indigestion again, on top of the still 5-6 minute contractions. By 330 I decided it was hospital time, because a) I needed something bad for this heartburn and b) we may as well see what's going on. 4am we headed back to the hospital for round two, where it was basically deja vu of Wed night (see blog post). I was still two freaking cm. How did I do NOTHING to get to 2cm and my body had been working for 13 hours and I couldn't even get to 3? I got my pink lady and T#3 and then decided to get some zantac from the drug store after we got discharged...again. I felt so bad that hubby and mummy weren't sleeping, but at least I wouldn't have to deal the with heartburn anymore.
The contractions continued all of Saturday, but mum and I tried to keep busy, getting groceries, making chocolate chip cookies and dinner. We watched my sisters sing in the cultural celebration for the LDS Calgary temple dedication online, and I noticed the contractions pick up a bit in intensity. I didn't even start timing them until an hour later, and they were every 6 minutes almost to the second. We started the new Spider Man and by 930 I couldn't sit down during the contractions, which were now every 4-5 minutes. I could barely pay attention to the movie. All of a sudden they got much more uncomfortable and I decided to jump in the shower to see if they'd ease up a bit. They started coming every 1 1/2 to 3 minutes and after 30 minutes in the shower, I told Gordon to get everything ready and as soon as it was, I was getting out and we were going. We got to the hospital (remember 3rd time in 5 days, ready to be labelled a frequent flyer by the L&D nurses), at about midnight and they hooked me up to the monitor. The contractions were so much more uncomfortable lying down but were clearly showing up on the strip. I thought for sure I was going to see some change. The nurse checked me and then put her head on my belly and looked at me really empathetically and I knew that I was still 2 cm. WHAT?!?!?!? Why did my cervix pick now to get a stubborn streak? Determined not to be turned away, I took the morphine she offered and decided to walk the stairs for an hour, rather than go home again. We had a first timer go from 3-10cm in an hour after doing stairs so I figured that was my best bet. Well it worked...sort of. The nurse who checked me at 130 said she could stretch me to 3cm and I was bit thinned out. I thought she was probably being generous because she felt bad for me, but none the less I had changed.. So now the big choice: get admitted or go home and wait again. As far as we were all concerned, we were there and if we were just going to go back later we might as well settle in for the long haul. I didn't want to labour the whole time in the hospital but making the trek back was just more than I could handle. So admission it was.
3 hours later at 4am I was still 3cm. Crap crap crap crap crap. I knew what this meant...the drip. Some good ol' oxytocin. The nurse gave me the option to refuse and go home because we're both thinking the same thing...I'm basically inducing myself and will have a long hard labour...possibly ending in a c-section if I don't progress and the dr is impatient. But I was admitted, I was there, my mum was there, I would be leaving with a baby, go big or go home right? The kicker is technically I'm supposed to be hooked up to the fetal monitor continually, meaning labouring in bed, and that's a recipe for disaster at this point. 8 am is my next check, and guess what? 3cm is the new 2cm. Although the dr told me not to get discouraged, all I can think about is if I do not get out of this bed I am going to go home with staples in my stomach. Luckily the nurse who comes on for day shift is fabulous and gets an order from the Dr that I can be off the monitor for a few hours. So up I get, roaming the halls with my mum thinking that this isn't so bad so far despite the fairly high dose of oxy I'm on, going back to the room every 15 mins so they can listen to baby. Around 9am the contractions start getting painful enough that I can't talk anymore and I need to get in the shower. Then they're were really ripping and roaring. With every wave, every muscle in my body would tense up and all I could do was breathe. I never imagined how much pain I would be in. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach and slowly twisting the knife around (sorry for the imagery). I knew that I wouldn't be able to last much longer. After half an hour, I called out that I needed the epidural. Again, I had hoped on waiting until at least 5 cm to get it, but it was all I could do not to scream with every contraction. So at 10am I go back to the bed, without the shower the contractions are almost unbearable. I'm literally digging my fists into the bed and every muscle in my body is rigid, but I know that position is everything with the epidural so I try and keep myself as still as possible and finally something goes according to my plans. At this point I'm 4cm, thank goodness for progress, and starting to get more comfortable. Half an hour later, my water is broken and I'm 6cm. I'm also thrilled with the Dr who is on for the day, having done many deliveries with him and he's a little bit of a magic worker. At lunch I'm starting to feel lots of pressure with contractions and am getting uncomfortable, and blessed news I'm 7-8cm. My fears of c-section are slipping away, and I'm so grateful that the epidural has helped me relax and do what it needs to do. At 2pm the pressure is there without the contractions, but I'm still 7-8 cm and my nurse is thinking that my little one is OP (meaning facing up instead of down). This can put a stall on things since a bigger part of his head is trying to fit through my pelvis, and I'm almost sure the nurse is right since I can feel a lot of discomfort on one side of my pelvis, almost like something is stuck or pressing. In order to verify baby's position, the miracle worker comes in 30 minutes later and pronounces me fully and baby's the the right way. I swear as soon as he walks into the room that babies smarten up. Mine sure did. I'm elated now. I did it. My body did it. My continuous praying and pleading paid off.
I wanted to wait for my body to bring baby down more before I started pushing, so Gordon and I watched an episode of Downton Abbey while my mum slept before the hard work began. I was sad that my nurse was only there for an 8 hour day because she was so brilliant, and I would have loved for her to be there for my delivery. At 350, I started pushing with my new nurse, who was also lovely. By this point I had been on the drip almost 12 hours and my poor uterus was exhausted. I was maxed out on oxy (you need another dr's order to go above a certain dose), and was physically spent. My mum kept my forehead cool, and was in charge of ice chips and water. I could tell I wasn't making too much progress with pushing though. It was getting hard for me to stay awake in between contractions, and I was starting to see stars from the pushing. At one point I projectile vomited over Gordon and my nurse who didn't have time to grab gloves. After 2 hours, Dr Miracles came in, had me curl up in a different position and within a few pushes I knew baby had come WAY down. Unfortunately the drs changed at 6pm, but I knew the dr coming on and had also done many deliveries with her and was happy she would be delivering. I had now been pushing for 2 hours and 10 minutes, but did not want forceps or vacuum to help, and I was allowed to keep pushing as long as baby was happy. This gave me motivation to push harder than I ever pushed before. At 615, the dr was called for delivery, and within 2 or 3 more contractions I was almost there. I could hear Gordon and my mum telling me how close I was and encouraging me to keep going. Unfortunately I started to tear quite extensively so out came the dreaded scissors to help baby come without worsening the tearing. As soon as the cut was made, Isaac slipped out at 6:22pm. I was so relieved it was a boy and that I had been right all along. Poor little guy was pretty stunned after 2.5 hours of being pushed out so he was quite gurgly and wouldn’t cry right away. They took him to suction him out while my mum and Gordon went over to see him. I wasn’t worried at all. I knew he was in good hands. He was a bit grunty so they had the NICU nurse come in to check his breathing and decided to let me do skin to skin with him to calm his breathing. So I cuddled my little man for 30 minutes while his breathing settled. I could hardly believe that he had been inside me and I had just pushed him out. I was so overwhelmed with love for this little guy. I noticed right away that he had a very strong neck and was already lifting his head off my chest. My dad and sisters came in and I started balling right away. I was so excited to share this little one with my family. I couldn’t have done it without Gordon or my mum. They were there with me every step of the way, and they gave me the strength to keep going. I love you both so much. In the back of my mind, I knew I was going to be mighty sore once the epidural wore off, but I didn’t care at all. I was just so proud of our new little family and knew that I would go through it all again just to bring him into the world.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
He's here!!!
Isaac Lee Nish entered our lives Sunday October 28th at 6:22pm, after 17.5 hours of labour, weighing 6lbs5oz and measuring 20 inches long. We love him so much already and are so excited to be parents.
p.s. I promise to share the birth story as soon as I get all the details on paper and don't have to type one handed while nursing a baby :)
p.s. I promise to share the birth story as soon as I get all the details on paper and don't have to type one handed while nursing a baby :)
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sleepless night #2: hospital saga
I am SO done with being pregnant right now. Well not done as in I'm not pregnant because that would just be too convenient. Last night I was expecting to have a nice, long sleep just since I was so sleep deprived the night before. Famous last thoughts... I started having some indigestion at around 9 pm coupled with upper back pain. By 11 I was ready for bed, but wary that I wouldn't be able to sleep because the discomfort would be just enough to keep me awake. It started to feel like someone was pulling my rib cage apart and I was getting short of breath. I tried every position to try and stretch my torso out because I felt like my uterus (sorry for those offended by the "u" word) was going to push my ribs into my throat. After an hour, I took some tums, and moved to the couch to try and sleep with my warming blanket behind my back, but the sensation that someone is stabbing me under the ribs gets worse..and worse...and worse. By this point I'm so exhausted from only having 3 hours of sleep in 36 hours that I start to cry and that's my signal that this might need some serious intervention. Lots of things make me cry, but pain is almost never one of them. Oh and just to make things more comfortable I'm having random contractions that make my stomach feel like it is going to split open. The last thing I can think of before I consider the hospital is taking a shower, my usual saving grace in times of pain. So at 1 am I hop in the shower, and feel like curling up in the fetal position with my not-so-little fetus in the bathtub and just letting the water run over me. After half an hour, I recognize defeat, hop out of the shower, and call labour and delivery to ask them what I should do. They tell me to come in, which is all the permission I need, and I wake up poor sleepy husband to take me to the hospital. He thinks we're having a baby and I tell him not to be optimistic about that, but he is wide awake now and getting the last few things ready, while I very slowly try and pull myself together.
I'm in so much pain on the way to the hospital I can barely speak and then I have to answer all the questions in admitting and wait for a porter to wheel me up to the unit. I think that at least with contractions they go and come, but this pain is constant and by this point I will take whatever drugs they give me. I get up to the assessment room, and the nurse, who is lovely, is asking me all kinds of assessment questions to try and find out what my deal is, while I'm concentrating solely on sitting on the edge of the bed so I don't fall on the floor in a sobbing mess. They hook me up to listen to baby and monitor my non-existent contractions, and take my blood pressure which is pretty high and I know they'll start asking me questions to rule out preeclampsia based on my blood pressures. I'm thinking if only they give me something to make the pain go away my blood pressure will be just fine. It's funny when you're a nurse turned into a patient, especially when you're familiar with the area, because you know what they're getting at with their questions and assessments, what they're looking for and what they're ruling out. I really just wanted to say I know it's not this this or that but that seemed a little rude so I just answered their questions like a polite little patient and tried to be as pleasant as possible. Poor Gordon is sitting in a chair covered in all my discarded winter clothes and not knowing what to do with his poor sickly wife. I tried to distract myself by watching baby's heart rate and my few mild contractions until the resident came in and asked me the same questions, felt my belly which is all kinds of uncomfortable and checked me just because I was having contractions here and there. No change on that front, but holy hannah in heaven was that uncomfortable. Then he says the magic words that I can have drugs, specifically "a pink lady" which I know means some good ol' milk of magnesia (MoM) and a T#3. And I get to have bloodwork to check my liver enzymes...again looking for preeclampsia but I didn't care about that. I've never had MoM before because I NEVER get heartburn, but I was glad the nurse told me to drink it quick because it was absolutely disgusting. Like drinking thick milk after you brush your teeth with really minty toothpaste. It actually made my lips and tongue numb, and for a split second I wondered if I was having some type of allergic reaction, but figured it was probably just a normal side effect and it eventually went away. Gordon and I tried closing our eyes to rest but it wasn't super successful, especially with the other women in actual labour coming in to be assessed. At one point I could hear one of the patients having a really strong contraction and baby's heart rate slow quite a bit, for longer than I (haha) would have liked. I half sat up and kept thinking "roll over on your side, roll over, roll over", as this is usually something that will bring baby's heart rate back up. Then another lady came in and would almost hyperventilate during contractions and I kept thinking "slow your breathing down". Good thing we're in a private room for labour otherwise I'd be concerned about nursing all the other patients hehe.
Fortunately, I could feel my pain easing away slowly and then it was a matter of waiting for the lab to draw my blood and get the results back. The nurses were great about checking on me and making sure I was ok, and when they checked my blood pressure again after I was infinitely more comfortable it was well within normal. My bloodwork came back normal and the Dr came in and said I could go home. So at 430 we drove home exhausted, my second night without any sleep, but I was pain free and it was oh so worth it just to have some relief. Poor Gordon went to bed, only to wake up for school in a few hours. He really is the best husband I could have asked for and probably the only reason I didn't completely lose it at the hospital. Even though I was in worse pain by the time we got there, it was so much more bearable because I had him with me and I knew that he would do anything he could to take care of me. He doesn't like when I make him out to be all soft and loving on here, but I couldn't have made it through last night as composed as I did without him. I know that when labour comes I'll be in good hands.
I'm in so much pain on the way to the hospital I can barely speak and then I have to answer all the questions in admitting and wait for a porter to wheel me up to the unit. I think that at least with contractions they go and come, but this pain is constant and by this point I will take whatever drugs they give me. I get up to the assessment room, and the nurse, who is lovely, is asking me all kinds of assessment questions to try and find out what my deal is, while I'm concentrating solely on sitting on the edge of the bed so I don't fall on the floor in a sobbing mess. They hook me up to listen to baby and monitor my non-existent contractions, and take my blood pressure which is pretty high and I know they'll start asking me questions to rule out preeclampsia based on my blood pressures. I'm thinking if only they give me something to make the pain go away my blood pressure will be just fine. It's funny when you're a nurse turned into a patient, especially when you're familiar with the area, because you know what they're getting at with their questions and assessments, what they're looking for and what they're ruling out. I really just wanted to say I know it's not this this or that but that seemed a little rude so I just answered their questions like a polite little patient and tried to be as pleasant as possible. Poor Gordon is sitting in a chair covered in all my discarded winter clothes and not knowing what to do with his poor sickly wife. I tried to distract myself by watching baby's heart rate and my few mild contractions until the resident came in and asked me the same questions, felt my belly which is all kinds of uncomfortable and checked me just because I was having contractions here and there. No change on that front, but holy hannah in heaven was that uncomfortable. Then he says the magic words that I can have drugs, specifically "a pink lady" which I know means some good ol' milk of magnesia (MoM) and a T#3. And I get to have bloodwork to check my liver enzymes...again looking for preeclampsia but I didn't care about that. I've never had MoM before because I NEVER get heartburn, but I was glad the nurse told me to drink it quick because it was absolutely disgusting. Like drinking thick milk after you brush your teeth with really minty toothpaste. It actually made my lips and tongue numb, and for a split second I wondered if I was having some type of allergic reaction, but figured it was probably just a normal side effect and it eventually went away. Gordon and I tried closing our eyes to rest but it wasn't super successful, especially with the other women in actual labour coming in to be assessed. At one point I could hear one of the patients having a really strong contraction and baby's heart rate slow quite a bit, for longer than I (haha) would have liked. I half sat up and kept thinking "roll over on your side, roll over, roll over", as this is usually something that will bring baby's heart rate back up. Then another lady came in and would almost hyperventilate during contractions and I kept thinking "slow your breathing down". Good thing we're in a private room for labour otherwise I'd be concerned about nursing all the other patients hehe.
Fortunately, I could feel my pain easing away slowly and then it was a matter of waiting for the lab to draw my blood and get the results back. The nurses were great about checking on me and making sure I was ok, and when they checked my blood pressure again after I was infinitely more comfortable it was well within normal. My bloodwork came back normal and the Dr came in and said I could go home. So at 430 we drove home exhausted, my second night without any sleep, but I was pain free and it was oh so worth it just to have some relief. Poor Gordon went to bed, only to wake up for school in a few hours. He really is the best husband I could have asked for and probably the only reason I didn't completely lose it at the hospital. Even though I was in worse pain by the time we got there, it was so much more bearable because I had him with me and I knew that he would do anything he could to take care of me. He doesn't like when I make him out to be all soft and loving on here, but I couldn't have made it through last night as composed as I did without him. I know that when labour comes I'll be in good hands.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
39 weeks and clueless
Well last weekend came and went without a baby (obviously) but it was so emotionally draining. I had regular contractions on and off all weekend and I would get so disappointed whenever they would stop. Finally this week I told myself that I was going to just act like this baby wasn't ever coming and then it would show up haha. I hope to goodness that something happens after my Dr stirs things up a bit (if you know what I mean) on Friday, and that we don't have another repeat of last weekend where baby thinks it's fun to tease me but then never show up. He obviously takes his sense of humour after his Grandpa Jolie.
Some days I just wish my body would make up its mind about what it's doing. Last night I went to bed at 11 and could not sleep at all, just tossed and turned. Then at 1250am I started having mild contractions, and then another and another and another. Every 3 stinking minutes actually. I kept convincing myself they were going to go away, but they just kept on coming. I wasn't in a lot of pain, more uncomfortable, so I kept rolling around and looking at the clock every time I had another one. Obviously sleeping wasn't really a possibility anymore especially with my brain wondering how long I was going to let this go on before I work up Gordon or called my mum. After an hour of these regular "contractions" I got up and blogstalked for a bit before taking a few laps around the kitchen, briefly contemplating doing the dishes (since I did not want to come home to dirty dishes with a baby...if it came to that), and then decided to try and go to sleep at 230. It wasn't until 330 that I feel asleep...for a whopping 70 minutes. Then whaddyaknow contractions every 4-5 minutes with baby doing a dance party in between each one for another hour. Another half hour of sleep, then Gordon's alarm went off at 615, so I told him about my adventurous night, of which he was so blissfully unaware (I am glad he slept through it, since he does have school) and then tried to sleep somewhat unsuccessfully until 8. I guess that's good practice for what's ahead but I doubt sleep loss is one of those things that needs to be practiced.
Of course now that I've been awake the contractions haven't been anywhere close to as regular as they were last night, more painful, but much more sporadic. How wonderfully ironic. I kind of just wish my water would break and give me some sort of decisive "yes this is the time to go to the hospital". Alas, the little stinker is showing me who is boss already. Faaabulous.
Other than that.... only one more week until due date! I feel like a ticking time bomb. I'm hesitant to go anywhere for an extended period of time in case my water breaks, I don't like scheduling too many commitments in advance in case I have to cancel them, and I'm terrified that I'll be stuck pregnant for another two weeks. Heaven help me.
Some days I just wish my body would make up its mind about what it's doing. Last night I went to bed at 11 and could not sleep at all, just tossed and turned. Then at 1250am I started having mild contractions, and then another and another and another. Every 3 stinking minutes actually. I kept convincing myself they were going to go away, but they just kept on coming. I wasn't in a lot of pain, more uncomfortable, so I kept rolling around and looking at the clock every time I had another one. Obviously sleeping wasn't really a possibility anymore especially with my brain wondering how long I was going to let this go on before I work up Gordon or called my mum. After an hour of these regular "contractions" I got up and blogstalked for a bit before taking a few laps around the kitchen, briefly contemplating doing the dishes (since I did not want to come home to dirty dishes with a baby...if it came to that), and then decided to try and go to sleep at 230. It wasn't until 330 that I feel asleep...for a whopping 70 minutes. Then whaddyaknow contractions every 4-5 minutes with baby doing a dance party in between each one for another hour. Another half hour of sleep, then Gordon's alarm went off at 615, so I told him about my adventurous night, of which he was so blissfully unaware (I am glad he slept through it, since he does have school) and then tried to sleep somewhat unsuccessfully until 8. I guess that's good practice for what's ahead but I doubt sleep loss is one of those things that needs to be practiced.
Of course now that I've been awake the contractions haven't been anywhere close to as regular as they were last night, more painful, but much more sporadic. How wonderfully ironic. I kind of just wish my water would break and give me some sort of decisive "yes this is the time to go to the hospital". Alas, the little stinker is showing me who is boss already. Faaabulous.
Other than that.... only one more week until due date! I feel like a ticking time bomb. I'm hesitant to go anywhere for an extended period of time in case my water breaks, I don't like scheduling too many commitments in advance in case I have to cancel them, and I'm terrified that I'll be stuck pregnant for another two weeks. Heaven help me.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
38 weeks and hopes are high!
I'm technically writing this post a day before 38 weeks but my 38 week appointment was today, and I'm planning on having a cleaning day tomorrow so there will be less time for distracting activities. Although cleaning is technically an activity I'm using to distract myself from waiting for this baby. I should also warn you that in order to tell you what's going on, there does have to be some sharing of anatomical and physiologic information. I'll spare you the gory details, but as a nurse talking about body parts doesn't make me an awkward Annie or embarrass me so if it will do any of those things to you, know that hopes for a baby by next week are high and now you can stop reading.
...but now you don't want to stop reading do you? Muahaha.
These past few days have been so much more uncomfortable for me than I'm used to. Saturday I had really bad nausea in the morning, that thankfully went away but returned in full force Sunday morning along with wicked indigestion and back pain making me short of breath. I was awake at 530 and tossed and turned until 630 before I finally gave up and sat on the couch, hoping that an upright position would make it easier for me to breathe. I ended up falling asleep like that and when Gordon woke me up to get ready for church it was already 8 and we needed to leave in 20 minutes. I was still feeling so crappy so I decided to stay home and catch up on the conference talks we had missed from last weekend. Baby was sticking his little bum so far up into my ribs that I could barely breathe let alone sit so I laid down for a while but the indigestion and back pain were there to stay...for the entire day. No position helped. Luckily I have such a wonderful husband who gave me lots of back rubs and cuddles to make me feel better. I finally got so desperate for relief that I took a bath at 11 before bed. I don't even remember the last bath I had...probably over 10 years ago. I was able to go to bed and fall asleep after an hour. Yesterday I was still uncomfortable but able to go out and run errands. I finally got the brilliant and very late idea to sit with my heating blanket behind my back and oh man did that ever work like a charm. Why didn't I think of that sooner?
Now that I got rid of the indigestion and back pain it was time for those Braxton Hicks to start being painful. Normally I would just feel my tummy get really right, but now I was starting to feel crampy and pressure. Nothing regular so I know it's not labour but I also know this is my body's way of preparing so I'm more patient with this pain than with the indigestion. And the good news is they are doing something! I was 2 cm today and stretchy as they say (bet you wish you would have stopped reading earlier hehehe). Then the Dr says "One thing I can offer you is to stretch you, but then you'll have a baby by tomorrow. Do you want a baby tomorrow?" First thought: I need to vacuum and clean the bathroom before this baby gets here. Second thought: I saw plenty of patients get that done in labour and delivery and so I know what that pain looks like. I'm happy not knowing what it feels like.
In the end, I decided against it because I think my body know what's it's doing and I don't feel like it's quite baby's time to arrive yet. I think he needs a few more days...or maybe I need a few more days. If I make it to my next appointment, I'll make myself be uncomfortable then.
She said chances were still very good that this baby would come this weekend and almost definitely next week. This is what I wanted and didn't want to hear haha! I don't want to have my hopes up and then be stuck waiting, but this also makes me feel like I won't have to spend many more days counting down the hours.
I really think this baby is coming on the weekend. As silly as it seems, I've been preoccupied with this thought since Thanksgiving weekend. In the past few days it almost feels like my body has been rallying itself and preparing itself for what's to come. I can't really explain it. I feel like baby is preparing too. Now you all think I'm crazy :) Guess we'll find out how good my motherly instincts are soon enough.
...but now you don't want to stop reading do you? Muahaha.
These past few days have been so much more uncomfortable for me than I'm used to. Saturday I had really bad nausea in the morning, that thankfully went away but returned in full force Sunday morning along with wicked indigestion and back pain making me short of breath. I was awake at 530 and tossed and turned until 630 before I finally gave up and sat on the couch, hoping that an upright position would make it easier for me to breathe. I ended up falling asleep like that and when Gordon woke me up to get ready for church it was already 8 and we needed to leave in 20 minutes. I was still feeling so crappy so I decided to stay home and catch up on the conference talks we had missed from last weekend. Baby was sticking his little bum so far up into my ribs that I could barely breathe let alone sit so I laid down for a while but the indigestion and back pain were there to stay...for the entire day. No position helped. Luckily I have such a wonderful husband who gave me lots of back rubs and cuddles to make me feel better. I finally got so desperate for relief that I took a bath at 11 before bed. I don't even remember the last bath I had...probably over 10 years ago. I was able to go to bed and fall asleep after an hour. Yesterday I was still uncomfortable but able to go out and run errands. I finally got the brilliant and very late idea to sit with my heating blanket behind my back and oh man did that ever work like a charm. Why didn't I think of that sooner?
Now that I got rid of the indigestion and back pain it was time for those Braxton Hicks to start being painful. Normally I would just feel my tummy get really right, but now I was starting to feel crampy and pressure. Nothing regular so I know it's not labour but I also know this is my body's way of preparing so I'm more patient with this pain than with the indigestion. And the good news is they are doing something! I was 2 cm today and stretchy as they say (bet you wish you would have stopped reading earlier hehehe). Then the Dr says "One thing I can offer you is to stretch you, but then you'll have a baby by tomorrow. Do you want a baby tomorrow?" First thought: I need to vacuum and clean the bathroom before this baby gets here. Second thought: I saw plenty of patients get that done in labour and delivery and so I know what that pain looks like. I'm happy not knowing what it feels like.
In the end, I decided against it because I think my body know what's it's doing and I don't feel like it's quite baby's time to arrive yet. I think he needs a few more days...or maybe I need a few more days. If I make it to my next appointment, I'll make myself be uncomfortable then.
She said chances were still very good that this baby would come this weekend and almost definitely next week. This is what I wanted and didn't want to hear haha! I don't want to have my hopes up and then be stuck waiting, but this also makes me feel like I won't have to spend many more days counting down the hours.
I really think this baby is coming on the weekend. As silly as it seems, I've been preoccupied with this thought since Thanksgiving weekend. In the past few days it almost feels like my body has been rallying itself and preparing itself for what's to come. I can't really explain it. I feel like baby is preparing too. Now you all think I'm crazy :) Guess we'll find out how good my motherly instincts are soon enough.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
We are officially full term!
I am 37weeks+1day which means baby is officially full term! I would like baby to wait until at least 38 weeks to arrive but Gordon has been talking to "him" every night, trying to convince him to come out ASAP. Guess we'll see how obedient baby decides to be. Midterm season is coming quick for Gordon and neither of us need the extra stress of wondering if baby will be interrupting him during a test. My mum has predicted Oct 15th and my younger sister Devon has predicted Oct 16th for baby's arrival, but I think they're going to be slightly disappointed. I guess what I'm trying to say is we have no clue when this baby is coming but we are all anxiously waiting now.
Accomplishments
-not going into labour while we were in Calgary for Thanksgiving
-cooking the missionaries dinner, solo (this is an accomplishment because it was so exhausting and Gordon was at school so I had to go it alone). I think one big dinner...maybe two... a week is all I can handle now
-doing half of our flyer drop offs for the foodbank
-keeping up with the housework (laundry, vacuuming, bathroom...)
To do
-finish dropping off the rest of our flyers today and pick up donations Sat
-make a delicious spinach and artichoke dip in the crockpot for Saturday's party
-keep up with housework
-not give myself too much to do!
All about me
- weight gain: just under 22 lbs
-blood pressure still good!
-my body caught up and I am measuring right on track
-no further progress since last week's check (which I expected but was slightly disappointed none the less). Oh well, 1 cm is better then closed at any rate.
-sleeping: I've been getting really tired early afternoon and feel like I can sleep for DAYS. Then when I try to go to bed at a decent time I can't fall asleep at all (even without a nap during the day!). Last night it took me 1.5 hrs and it was absolutely brutal.
-eating: I'm not quite as hungry anymore, so I think baby must be settling down with his growth.
-Walking is really good for giving me Braxton Hicks and I can only do about 20-30 min before I waddle back to the house very uncomfortably
-very anxious to meet this little one soon! (maybe that's why I can't sleep??)
All about baby
-spends most of his time in a downward dog position I think. His bum is right against my ribs but I get kicked and kneed in the sides by my hips. When he moves his limbs you can actually feel his knees and feet on the outside. It feels like a golf ball is under my skin rolling around and it HURTS!
-is very very responsive to touch and sound and will almost always move when Gordon talks to my belly or when he gets poked
-is still gender unknown! I know I always refer to baby as a "he" but only because we feel very strongly that it is a boy.
-finally has a name! We've had a couple girls names for a while, but boys names were ridiculously challenging for us to agree on. We have finally settled on one and are pretty decided on a middle name although there is more than one contender.
Keep your eyes open for next week's 38 week post!
Accomplishments
-not going into labour while we were in Calgary for Thanksgiving
-cooking the missionaries dinner, solo (this is an accomplishment because it was so exhausting and Gordon was at school so I had to go it alone). I think one big dinner...maybe two... a week is all I can handle now
-doing half of our flyer drop offs for the foodbank
-keeping up with the housework (laundry, vacuuming, bathroom...)
To do
-finish dropping off the rest of our flyers today and pick up donations Sat
-make a delicious spinach and artichoke dip in the crockpot for Saturday's party
-keep up with housework
-not give myself too much to do!
All about me
- weight gain: just under 22 lbs
-blood pressure still good!
-my body caught up and I am measuring right on track
-no further progress since last week's check (which I expected but was slightly disappointed none the less). Oh well, 1 cm is better then closed at any rate.
-sleeping: I've been getting really tired early afternoon and feel like I can sleep for DAYS. Then when I try to go to bed at a decent time I can't fall asleep at all (even without a nap during the day!). Last night it took me 1.5 hrs and it was absolutely brutal.
-eating: I'm not quite as hungry anymore, so I think baby must be settling down with his growth.
-Walking is really good for giving me Braxton Hicks and I can only do about 20-30 min before I waddle back to the house very uncomfortably
-very anxious to meet this little one soon! (maybe that's why I can't sleep??)
All about baby
-spends most of his time in a downward dog position I think. His bum is right against my ribs but I get kicked and kneed in the sides by my hips. When he moves his limbs you can actually feel his knees and feet on the outside. It feels like a golf ball is under my skin rolling around and it HURTS!
-is very very responsive to touch and sound and will almost always move when Gordon talks to my belly or when he gets poked
-is still gender unknown! I know I always refer to baby as a "he" but only because we feel very strongly that it is a boy.
-finally has a name! We've had a couple girls names for a while, but boys names were ridiculously challenging for us to agree on. We have finally settled on one and are pretty decided on a middle name although there is more than one contender.
Keep your eyes open for next week's 38 week post!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Opportunity for a good deed coming to a mailbox near you !
This week the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka mormons) of which I am a part, is completing it's annual food bank drive for the Edmonton Food Bank here in ye olde capital! We're not the only city to undertake this project and you can read about
the one in Calgary last month (of which my family took part) here http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Food+Bank+raises+over+pounds+food+falls+short+world+record/7213395/story.html A lovely volunteer, such as my pregnant self, will be delivering a little yellow flyer to your mailbox this week with instructions on how to donate (food, not money!). Whenever I see something that looks like junk mail, I just junk it, so if you're like me you might not even look at this little notice when it is delivered. Pay attention to your mailboxes this week Edmontonians and don't throw out the flyer! Put it on your fridge as a reminder of the Oct 13 collection day.
This is a great way to give back to your community and you don't even have to leave your house. Simply, leave a few non-perishable food items on your doorstep with the little yellow handout attached (which also has the instructions on it) on October 13th before 10am. We will be driving by all the houses we delivered flyers to, collecting the bags that have been left for us, and taking them to the chapel to be transported to the Edmonton food bank.
Don't miss this chance to pay it forward in the spirit of Thanksgiving this week!
This is a great way to give back to your community and you don't even have to leave your house. Simply, leave a few non-perishable food items on your doorstep with the little yellow handout attached (which also has the instructions on it) on October 13th before 10am. We will be driving by all the houses we delivered flyers to, collecting the bags that have been left for us, and taking them to the chapel to be transported to the Edmonton food bank.
Don't miss this chance to pay it forward in the spirit of Thanksgiving this week!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
36 weeks
I'm 36 weeks as of yesterday and trying to wait patiently for the arrival of baby. Not much has changed since last week except I'm a little rounder and a little heavier haha. Oh well baby is growing and happy. My family came down to visit and help me with baby prep last weekend and it was really nice to spend time with them. My mum, sisters and I went to the Relief Society Broadcast for the first time all together and I was able to pick up something important from each talk. Probably the biggest lesson learned was that the Lord often answers prayers through other people's service, so if I want some of my prayers answered I better quit being so stubborn and let people help me! I think that lesson is only going to get harder after baby is born. Fortunately my most wonderful mother did the dusting and washed my floor, and accompanied me into many stores for baby things. Mum you are the greatest and I'm so lucky to have had you as an example of how to raise children selflessly and lovingly. Thank you xoxo.
Let's recap shall we?
Accomplishments
-organizing the nursery
-finishing practically all my pre-baby shopping
-installing the car seat
-making and freezing 2 big containers of spaghetti sauce
-forcing myself to buy shirts that fit my ever growing belly
-last prenatal class this week!
Upcoming projects
-condense all my personal/collected recipes into some type of cookbook
- hem Gordon's temple pants (although I'm sure I'll procastinate on this profusely)
-drop off flyers/pick up food for our church's food bank drive
-feed the missionaries
-finish reading my library books
-eating as much Thanksgiving dinner as I can
All about me!
-weight gain: 21 lbs
-blood pressure was back to normal this week (it was kinda high last week in case you didn't remember...)
-sleeping: between 2 and 4 am I always have to use the bathroom, then baby is awake and moving so sleep is on and off after that
-eating: I have to make sure I always have a granola bar or snack with me when I go out in case my blood sugar drops
-biggest changes: no huge changes since last week, although I have noticed my fingers are starting to get fatter
-made progress since my last check! 1/10 of the way there already. Now this doesn't mean that baby is coming in the next week but it does mean almost certainly that we won't be going over the due date!
-my group B strep swab was negative so I don't have to worry about antibiotics in labour or baby getting an infection during the birth process (unless something unforeseen occurs)
All about baby Nish!
-weighed about 5lbs 1ounce after last week's ultrasound which means he's smaller than average like his mama but still a healthy weight
-almost never stops moving, except when I'm in the shower, which makes it virtually impossible to get comfortable
-likes to kick or punch one particular spot in my side
-head is pretty low and ready to go!
Let's recap shall we?
Accomplishments
-organizing the nursery
-finishing practically all my pre-baby shopping
-installing the car seat
-making and freezing 2 big containers of spaghetti sauce
-forcing myself to buy shirts that fit my ever growing belly
-last prenatal class this week!
Upcoming projects
-condense all my personal/collected recipes into some type of cookbook
- hem Gordon's temple pants (although I'm sure I'll procastinate on this profusely)
-drop off flyers/pick up food for our church's food bank drive
-feed the missionaries
-finish reading my library books
-eating as much Thanksgiving dinner as I can
All about me!
-weight gain: 21 lbs
-blood pressure was back to normal this week (it was kinda high last week in case you didn't remember...)
-sleeping: between 2 and 4 am I always have to use the bathroom, then baby is awake and moving so sleep is on and off after that
-eating: I have to make sure I always have a granola bar or snack with me when I go out in case my blood sugar drops
-biggest changes: no huge changes since last week, although I have noticed my fingers are starting to get fatter
-made progress since my last check! 1/10 of the way there already. Now this doesn't mean that baby is coming in the next week but it does mean almost certainly that we won't be going over the due date!
-my group B strep swab was negative so I don't have to worry about antibiotics in labour or baby getting an infection during the birth process (unless something unforeseen occurs)
All about baby Nish!
-weighed about 5lbs 1ounce after last week's ultrasound which means he's smaller than average like his mama but still a healthy weight
-almost never stops moving, except when I'm in the shower, which makes it virtually impossible to get comfortable
-likes to kick or punch one particular spot in my side
-head is pretty low and ready to go!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Tips from the pregnant for the pregnant
There have been several times this past week that I've said something to Gordon that started with "Next time I'm pregnant I'm going to...". I know it's a little late for me to change things now with my due date 4 weeks away but maybe I can spare some of my pregnant friends inconveniences that I could have spared myself. That being said, I have made lots of good choices throughout this pregnancy and so this post will be a combination of things I'd recommend because I did them and they worked, and things I'd recommend because I didn't do them and wish I did.
What I would do again
-stay physically active: DO IT! Trust me on this.
-make a list of newborn essentials and carry it in your purse with you so when you're out shopping you can write down questions you have, prices, where the sales are etc...
-look online for your bigger purchases. Amazon and walmart usually have free shipping.
-choose a diaper bag your husband won't be embarrassed to carry around (unless he's not planning on carrying it around in the first place...)
-take full advantage of kijiji for furniture like change tables or other baby items that you could easily clean
-talk to friends/family who have recently had babies about things they want to get rid of or things you might just want to borrow
-work for as long as you can depending on your job. These last few weeks get mighty boring.
-don't buy everything beforehand. Make a list of things you can wait to buy or that you could wait until after your baby shower to get. Save your money.
What I should have done this time
-don't wait to buy "maternity" clothes until you absolutely need them. I figured this was a good way to save money because I could fit comfortably into my prepregnant clothes for a while. Then POP went belly at the very end and now there doesn't seem to be any point buying new clothes with a few weeks left. Just have a few items that should fit you down the road and avoid always having to tug your shirts or dresses down all the time.
-DO accept help from other people. This is really really hard for me (and lots of people!) but you will be a lot less grouchy if you do. Plus people really want to help you. One thing that made it easier for me is being specific about what help I need.
-If people want to buy you gifts (and they will!), instead of telling them not to (because they will do it anyway) be specific about what you need so you actually get things that are useful.
Hopefully this will help someone's pregnancy be less stressful in some way! We can all use a little less stress.
Stay tuned for my 36 week post after my dr's appointment Thurs!
What I would do again
-stay physically active: DO IT! Trust me on this.
-make a list of newborn essentials and carry it in your purse with you so when you're out shopping you can write down questions you have, prices, where the sales are etc...
-look online for your bigger purchases. Amazon and walmart usually have free shipping.
-choose a diaper bag your husband won't be embarrassed to carry around (unless he's not planning on carrying it around in the first place...)
-take full advantage of kijiji for furniture like change tables or other baby items that you could easily clean
-talk to friends/family who have recently had babies about things they want to get rid of or things you might just want to borrow
-work for as long as you can depending on your job. These last few weeks get mighty boring.
-don't buy everything beforehand. Make a list of things you can wait to buy or that you could wait until after your baby shower to get. Save your money.
What I should have done this time
-don't wait to buy "maternity" clothes until you absolutely need them. I figured this was a good way to save money because I could fit comfortably into my prepregnant clothes for a while. Then POP went belly at the very end and now there doesn't seem to be any point buying new clothes with a few weeks left. Just have a few items that should fit you down the road and avoid always having to tug your shirts or dresses down all the time.
-DO accept help from other people. This is really really hard for me (and lots of people!) but you will be a lot less grouchy if you do. Plus people really want to help you. One thing that made it easier for me is being specific about what help I need.
-If people want to buy you gifts (and they will!), instead of telling them not to (because they will do it anyway) be specific about what you need so you actually get things that are useful.
Hopefully this will help someone's pregnancy be less stressful in some way! We can all use a little less stress.
Stay tuned for my 36 week post after my dr's appointment Thurs!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Let the countdown begin.
I'm hoping to post a lot more frequently now that I'm done work (say what?!) and need to fill my time so I don't go crazy wondering when this baby is going to come and how much more stuff I can cram in to my last days of independence. I'm 35(+?) weeks depending on which date you use. I like to think I'm the later one (Halloween) because then I won't go stir crazy if baby doesn't come by the first one.
Here are the new...and not so new...things that are happening as the Nish household prepares for the arrival of their first little munchkin.
Accomplishments
-finishing work, although I would have liked to work for a week or two more had my job not been so darn heavy
-submitting my application for mat leave benefits
-going to the temple
-getting caught up on all baby's laundry...and all of ours. That's 4 loads of laundry in one day. And if that's not enough to make you cringe, we did it all without using the dryer. Bless the sunshine and our clothesline.
-working out for 30 minutes a day
-buying a waterproof mattress pad for the crib after 3 weeks of searching
-getting the diaper bag and hospital bag packed and ready
On the to do list (ultra Reader's Digest version)
-buy baskets and organize baby's room
-dust and mop
-make and freeze Spaghetti sauce
-install the car seat
-more baby shopping (clothes, diapers and nursing paraphernalia)
-finish reading my library books
-not drive Gordon or myself crazy
All about me at 35 weeks
- total weight gain: 18 lbs
-sleeping: two blankets between my knees are required so I don't have a crazy sore back in the morning
-eating: like crazy! Every hour or two I need a snack. I'm not much of one for big meals, I just like to snack on cheese and fruit and yogurt.
-biggest changes: how sore my back gets after doing dishes or cooking for a long time, how much longer cleaning takes and how much more exhausting it is!
-I miss being able to see my feet when I look down...at least they're still not swollen
All about baby
-has the hiccups at least once a day
-still moves like crazy and likes making himself protude from my belly every which way making it look lopsided most of the time
-is most active around 7-8 pm and always goes crazy when daddy pokes/ "tickles" him.
Today's Dr's appointment
-first appointment where I had an average weight gain
-my blood pressure was higher than I'm used to, but didn't realize it until I read my prenatal record. I'll be keeping on eye on that since my mum developed high BP when she was preggers with me. No thank you.
- I have to carry my prenatal record around with me in my purse in case I go into labour.
-I'm officially on routine weekly appointments
-I'm still measuring on the smaller side by 1-2 weeks, so I have another ultrasound tomorrow making sure baby is still following his growth curve (which I have no doubt he is, judging by how much I've been eating lately and how much more uncomfortable it is when he moves)
-baby's head is very low
-had my group B strep swab done. Praying for negative.
-first "check" (I'm not going to elaborate if you don't know what I'm referring to) and baby is not coming this week thank goodness.
-Fetal heart is a strong 140 bpm.
Stay tuned for future updates!
Here are the new...and not so new...things that are happening as the Nish household prepares for the arrival of their first little munchkin.
Accomplishments
-finishing work, although I would have liked to work for a week or two more had my job not been so darn heavy
-submitting my application for mat leave benefits
-going to the temple
-getting caught up on all baby's laundry...and all of ours. That's 4 loads of laundry in one day. And if that's not enough to make you cringe, we did it all without using the dryer. Bless the sunshine and our clothesline.
-working out for 30 minutes a day
-buying a waterproof mattress pad for the crib after 3 weeks of searching
-getting the diaper bag and hospital bag packed and ready
On the to do list (ultra Reader's Digest version)
-buy baskets and organize baby's room
-dust and mop
-make and freeze Spaghetti sauce
-install the car seat
-more baby shopping (clothes, diapers and nursing paraphernalia)
-finish reading my library books
-not drive Gordon or myself crazy
All about me at 35 weeks
- total weight gain: 18 lbs
-sleeping: two blankets between my knees are required so I don't have a crazy sore back in the morning
-eating: like crazy! Every hour or two I need a snack. I'm not much of one for big meals, I just like to snack on cheese and fruit and yogurt.
-biggest changes: how sore my back gets after doing dishes or cooking for a long time, how much longer cleaning takes and how much more exhausting it is!
-I miss being able to see my feet when I look down...at least they're still not swollen
All about baby
-has the hiccups at least once a day
-still moves like crazy and likes making himself protude from my belly every which way making it look lopsided most of the time
-is most active around 7-8 pm and always goes crazy when daddy pokes/ "tickles" him.
Today's Dr's appointment
-first appointment where I had an average weight gain
-my blood pressure was higher than I'm used to, but didn't realize it until I read my prenatal record. I'll be keeping on eye on that since my mum developed high BP when she was preggers with me. No thank you.
- I have to carry my prenatal record around with me in my purse in case I go into labour.
-I'm officially on routine weekly appointments
-I'm still measuring on the smaller side by 1-2 weeks, so I have another ultrasound tomorrow making sure baby is still following his growth curve (which I have no doubt he is, judging by how much I've been eating lately and how much more uncomfortable it is when he moves)
-baby's head is very low
-had my group B strep swab done. Praying for negative.
-first "check" (I'm not going to elaborate if you don't know what I'm referring to) and baby is not coming this week thank goodness.
-Fetal heart is a strong 140 bpm.
Stay tuned for future updates!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
6 weeks to go?
I hate when people ask how much longer I have left because really I have NO idea. Yes there's 6 weeks left until my due date but only about 10% or less of babies are actually born on their due date. It could be tomorrow (hope not!) or it could be 7 weeks if baby is lazy. So really, I'm just rolling along with the punches and trying not to get too hung up on how much time is left. I keep thinking about having an October birthday in the family, but if this baby is even one day late, it will be a November birthday. See? There are just too many unknowns for me to give you an accurate answer. How many weeks until my due date? 6. When is my due date? Halloween (yes actually October 31st). How much longer do I have left? You have about as much of an idea as I do.
So with that in mind, I'm trying hard to do a little each week to prepare for baby's coming. I pick a few things off the shopping list to buy or stock up on a freezer meal or too. But instead of a shortening to do list, I feel like it gets longer every week. My baby shopping consists of me going to two or three different stores (Superstore, Walmart, Babies R Us), doing a complete tour of the baby section about 5 times while staring non productively at the ridiculous amount of baby stuff there is. Then I read a few labels, write a few prices on my list to compare in the other stores (because I'm most obsessed with getting the most bang for my buck), then spending 10 more minutes having an inner monologue called "Am I a bad mom if I don't buy this for my baby?" I have plucked up enough courage to buy a few baby things...bath products, a few clothes, tylenol, change pad, wash cloths... Right now my current dilemma is a mattress cover for the crib and hooded towels. I can't seem to decide how many to get and whether hooded vs. not hooded is the end of towel the world. I know this seems stupid to every non-pregnant person out there, but it really is my personal crisis at the moment. Don't judge me.
To make myself feel better, I have accomplished quite a bit in the way of meal prep this week. I doubt some of it will even make it till baby gets here, since I'll be 39-40 weeks when Gordon is in full mid term mode. So I figure those freezer meals might get put to good use even before baby makes its appearance. In addition to the meals my mother-in-law generously brought up for us this past weekend, my freezer inventory includes...
-chili
-homemade mac and cheese
-asian sesame pork (for stir fry)
-maple garlic pork chops
-hoisin and honey pork medallions (we got a huge tenderloin from Costco and those three pork dishes only used half of it!)
-chicken for my enchiladas
I'm still planning on doing some homemade pasta sauces and a shepherds pie. I'll let you know how well they turn out! Apart from the chili, the rest is an experiment with how well it freezes so keep your fingers crossed for us.
So what is new?I magically gained six lbs in 3 weeks, bringing my weight gain total to 15lbs. I think that made the Dr happy since she slapped my fingers last time for not gaining any weight. I knew my body would catch up though. Since I'm carrying so low my pants always roll down under my belly (even the ones that fit over my belly). It's starting to get really annoying.
I have one more shift of work on Friday and then I am DONE. Thank goodness. Our patient acuity is so high right now, I don't know how much more I could take in all honesty.
I'm starting to get nerve pain in my legs from baby pressing and being so low already.
Sleeping on my back is actually the most comfortable for me, even though I know I'm supposed to sleep on my side. Lots of times I wake up already on my back.
Baby hasn't showed any signs of slowing down. There will be one day or two a week it seems where they are going through a growth spurt, then my belly gets a little bigger, then we're back to partying it up all day in there.
I'm super emotional these days. I feel like I have no barrier to hide my feelings behind. I feel a lot more vulnerable than I'm used to.
I'm still able to do most activities fairly comfortably.
Baby we are getting ready for you. Just hang out for a bit longer until mommy is finished her to do lists please.
Oh and can I say that I love my families and am so grateful for them and all their help?! I would be so much more stressed without their love and support and want them to know how much I appreciate them. Baby is sure lucky to be coming into this family.
So with that in mind, I'm trying hard to do a little each week to prepare for baby's coming. I pick a few things off the shopping list to buy or stock up on a freezer meal or too. But instead of a shortening to do list, I feel like it gets longer every week. My baby shopping consists of me going to two or three different stores (Superstore, Walmart, Babies R Us), doing a complete tour of the baby section about 5 times while staring non productively at the ridiculous amount of baby stuff there is. Then I read a few labels, write a few prices on my list to compare in the other stores (because I'm most obsessed with getting the most bang for my buck), then spending 10 more minutes having an inner monologue called "Am I a bad mom if I don't buy this for my baby?" I have plucked up enough courage to buy a few baby things...bath products, a few clothes, tylenol, change pad, wash cloths... Right now my current dilemma is a mattress cover for the crib and hooded towels. I can't seem to decide how many to get and whether hooded vs. not hooded is the end of towel the world. I know this seems stupid to every non-pregnant person out there, but it really is my personal crisis at the moment. Don't judge me.
To make myself feel better, I have accomplished quite a bit in the way of meal prep this week. I doubt some of it will even make it till baby gets here, since I'll be 39-40 weeks when Gordon is in full mid term mode. So I figure those freezer meals might get put to good use even before baby makes its appearance. In addition to the meals my mother-in-law generously brought up for us this past weekend, my freezer inventory includes...
-chili
-homemade mac and cheese
-asian sesame pork (for stir fry)
-maple garlic pork chops
-hoisin and honey pork medallions (we got a huge tenderloin from Costco and those three pork dishes only used half of it!)
-chicken for my enchiladas
I'm still planning on doing some homemade pasta sauces and a shepherds pie. I'll let you know how well they turn out! Apart from the chili, the rest is an experiment with how well it freezes so keep your fingers crossed for us.
So what is new?I magically gained six lbs in 3 weeks, bringing my weight gain total to 15lbs. I think that made the Dr happy since she slapped my fingers last time for not gaining any weight. I knew my body would catch up though. Since I'm carrying so low my pants always roll down under my belly (even the ones that fit over my belly). It's starting to get really annoying.
I have one more shift of work on Friday and then I am DONE. Thank goodness. Our patient acuity is so high right now, I don't know how much more I could take in all honesty.
I'm starting to get nerve pain in my legs from baby pressing and being so low already.
Sleeping on my back is actually the most comfortable for me, even though I know I'm supposed to sleep on my side. Lots of times I wake up already on my back.
Baby hasn't showed any signs of slowing down. There will be one day or two a week it seems where they are going through a growth spurt, then my belly gets a little bigger, then we're back to partying it up all day in there.
I'm super emotional these days. I feel like I have no barrier to hide my feelings behind. I feel a lot more vulnerable than I'm used to.
I'm still able to do most activities fairly comfortably.
Baby we are getting ready for you. Just hang out for a bit longer until mommy is finished her to do lists please.
Oh and can I say that I love my families and am so grateful for them and all their help?! I would be so much more stressed without their love and support and want them to know how much I appreciate them. Baby is sure lucky to be coming into this family.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Ch..Ch...Ch...Ch...Chaaaanges.
In my maternity textbook, I remember reading about how mothers will start to get anxious and worry as they approach their due date. I naively thought to myself "That won't happen to me! I've seen so many deliveries so that won't make me nervous, and I love kids and have always wanted to be a mum so I should be nothing but excited the closer I get". Baha. Guess they don't put things in textbooks unless they're almost always true. The past week or so I've found myself growing more and more anxious as the big day approaches. The odd thing is, I'm not concerned in the least about the actual labour and delivery. I know that has an end. Motherhood, however, is eternal. I'm not sure if it's the growing weight of the responsibility that is hitting me like a sledgehammer, or if it's the fact that there are so many changes that Gordon and I have gone through this year and so many upcoming that all the uncertainty is like being shoved into a cold bath when you expect a hot shower.
This is the first year that I haven't had a first day of school since I was 5 years old. Even though university was a big change, it still had that comforting feel of normalcy. Teachers, tests and books. As if breaking that tradition after 17 years isn't bizarre enough, in less than 3 short weeks I'm also leaving the one familiar place that was supposed to fill the absence of seminars, lectures and labs, my job at the hospital. And to add ice to that cold bath, I'm doing something that I avoid for longer than a day or two at a time...staying at home. I don't mean to sound regretful or resentful. Gordon and I are so blessed to be welcoming this little one into our family, and we had no doubts that this was the right time for us to start. I am beyond ecstatic that I'll be a mother in a matter of weeks (9 or less!). I guess I just feel like I'm leaving a nice warm bed that has been slept for so long it recognizes every curve of your body, for a bed that is new and unfamiliar, that may give you some uncomfortable nights at the beginning, but will ultimately provide you with the best rest you have ever had. You just have to be willing to give up the old bed. That part isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
In a surprising role reversal, Gordon is very comfortable with this all. At the beginning he was the one who was nervous and uncertain and I was the cool confident one. Maybe it's now switched because he had to get used to the idea and I just never thought I had to "get used" to anything, until it's now staring me in the face. Whatever it is, I'm so lucky to have him reassure and comfort me whenever the doubt niggles in. He's going to be a great dad, no doubt about it.
Despite all this, today has been a really good day for me. I went for an ultrasound to see how baby was growing, because I'm small compared to other pregnant women at this stage. I told the tech right off the bat that I didn't want to know the sex of the baby, and I'm glad I did because she seemed surprised and said she would show me just the face after she was done looking at everything, instead of having it on the TV above the bed for me to watch the whole time. The first thing she told me was that the baby was head down. I think she might have said "he" but the 6% of my brain that's apparently on hiatus during pregnancy can't remember. As soon as she started pressing my belly baby got all excited and started squirming like mad. The ultrasound tech kept laughing because he wouldn't sit still long enough for her to get a good look at some things. Then about halfway through he got the hiccups, so when she listened to the heart, you could hear "boom boom boom boom hup boom boom boom boom hup". It was so cute, although it made her job harder haha. She was super friendly and informative which was also nice, since the one who did our first ultrasound didn't talk to us much. He was also teaching a student, so I'll cut him some slack. She told me baby weighed approximately 3 lbs 13 oz, right on track, and that all the measurements were within normal limits. My favourite part was the end, when she turned the screen so I could see baby who was face up and still hiccuping. She only showed me chest up so I wouldn't be able to see the gender (although I'm still 99% sure it's a boy) and I got to see my sweet little baby's face. To me he looked like Gordon, although I'm not sure whose nose he has. Both Gordon and I have straighter noses, like baby, so it's a toss up. I'm fairly certain baby has Gordon's lips though. I know this sounds weird, but even the ultrasound tech commented on how cute and big his lips were, and those don't run in my family. After seeing that little face again, I was reminded about why I am doing this. It gave me a renewed sense of peace and assurance that this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life at this point in time, even though it is new and unfamiliar and going to change our lives forever. I just need to trust in the Lord and know that new and unfamiliar to Him means growth, and the joy that comes with that growth.
This is the first year that I haven't had a first day of school since I was 5 years old. Even though university was a big change, it still had that comforting feel of normalcy. Teachers, tests and books. As if breaking that tradition after 17 years isn't bizarre enough, in less than 3 short weeks I'm also leaving the one familiar place that was supposed to fill the absence of seminars, lectures and labs, my job at the hospital. And to add ice to that cold bath, I'm doing something that I avoid for longer than a day or two at a time...staying at home. I don't mean to sound regretful or resentful. Gordon and I are so blessed to be welcoming this little one into our family, and we had no doubts that this was the right time for us to start. I am beyond ecstatic that I'll be a mother in a matter of weeks (9 or less!). I guess I just feel like I'm leaving a nice warm bed that has been slept for so long it recognizes every curve of your body, for a bed that is new and unfamiliar, that may give you some uncomfortable nights at the beginning, but will ultimately provide you with the best rest you have ever had. You just have to be willing to give up the old bed. That part isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
In a surprising role reversal, Gordon is very comfortable with this all. At the beginning he was the one who was nervous and uncertain and I was the cool confident one. Maybe it's now switched because he had to get used to the idea and I just never thought I had to "get used" to anything, until it's now staring me in the face. Whatever it is, I'm so lucky to have him reassure and comfort me whenever the doubt niggles in. He's going to be a great dad, no doubt about it.
Despite all this, today has been a really good day for me. I went for an ultrasound to see how baby was growing, because I'm small compared to other pregnant women at this stage. I told the tech right off the bat that I didn't want to know the sex of the baby, and I'm glad I did because she seemed surprised and said she would show me just the face after she was done looking at everything, instead of having it on the TV above the bed for me to watch the whole time. The first thing she told me was that the baby was head down. I think she might have said "he" but the 6% of my brain that's apparently on hiatus during pregnancy can't remember. As soon as she started pressing my belly baby got all excited and started squirming like mad. The ultrasound tech kept laughing because he wouldn't sit still long enough for her to get a good look at some things. Then about halfway through he got the hiccups, so when she listened to the heart, you could hear "boom boom boom boom hup boom boom boom boom hup". It was so cute, although it made her job harder haha. She was super friendly and informative which was also nice, since the one who did our first ultrasound didn't talk to us much. He was also teaching a student, so I'll cut him some slack. She told me baby weighed approximately 3 lbs 13 oz, right on track, and that all the measurements were within normal limits. My favourite part was the end, when she turned the screen so I could see baby who was face up and still hiccuping. She only showed me chest up so I wouldn't be able to see the gender (although I'm still 99% sure it's a boy) and I got to see my sweet little baby's face. To me he looked like Gordon, although I'm not sure whose nose he has. Both Gordon and I have straighter noses, like baby, so it's a toss up. I'm fairly certain baby has Gordon's lips though. I know this sounds weird, but even the ultrasound tech commented on how cute and big his lips were, and those don't run in my family. After seeing that little face again, I was reminded about why I am doing this. It gave me a renewed sense of peace and assurance that this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life at this point in time, even though it is new and unfamiliar and going to change our lives forever. I just need to trust in the Lord and know that new and unfamiliar to Him means growth, and the joy that comes with that growth.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Parenthood in 11 weeks or less...
30 weeks on Wednesday. 7 weeks until baby is term. 10 weeks until the due date. 11 weeks until baby gets an eviction notice no matter how comfy he/she is. Hoooollllly COW!!! Can I just tell you that I love this baby in unbelievable amounts? I feel like I'll have to grow an extra heart just to hold all the extra love when they're born. They were having a bout of hiccups tonight, so I decided to grab my stethoscope and see if I could pick up anything interesting. The first thing I heard was this tiny "thump thump thump thump" and I immediately thought there's no way that can be the heartbeat. I had already read that hearing the heartbeat with a stethoscope is usually very difficult even at term (we usually use a doppler). Then my second thought was that there was no way my heart was beating that fast. So I quickly check my pulse and nope it is definitely WAY slower than this little drum beat. To top it off whenever baby would kick or move, it would tick faster, which is consistent with fetal heart patterns (movement=fetal heart acceleration). 150 bpm is what I counted. Definitely baby's little heart. Good and strong. What a great little ray of sunshine moment.
I keep picturing how I want this little one to come into the world, but if there's anything I know from working in labour and delivery, it's that baby is in charge and that your plans can go out the window in a matter of seconds. However there are still things I want and things that worry me, so consider this post my informal "birth plan"
Wishlist
-healthy baby and healthy momma (as long as this happens the rest can hit the fan)
-epidural!
-having both my mum and Gordon there. I want someone to be there for Gordon, since I'll be too wrapped up in birthing our baby to pay attention to him. I can't imagine doing this without my mama.
-to be GBS (group b strep) negative
-having baby on my chest for a bit after they're born
-private room in post partum
-a lovely nurse
Stay away...
-the opposite of all of the above
-the dr on call is one of the infamous c-section magnets...having been on the unit where I plan on delivering I've worked with almost all the docs, and have the unfortunate (or fortunate?) insight of knowing who I should be scared of
-forceps, vacuum or epis *shudder*
-induction
-crappy fetal heart tracing. I'm more worried that because I know what tracings are supposed to look like and got a lot of practice interpreting them, I know when things aren't good. I'm worried I won't be able to relax and that I'll be watching the monitor the entire time. I'm gonna drive my nurse crazy haha.
I feel very fortunate to have already worked with so many doctors and nurses on the unit, to be familiar with how things are run and to have experienced many deliveries in my 10 week practicum. I know that baby and I will get great care, and that even if I can't check everything off my wishlist, that Gordon and I will be so blessed by the arrival of our baby and that everything else will seem so inconsequential.
I keep picturing how I want this little one to come into the world, but if there's anything I know from working in labour and delivery, it's that baby is in charge and that your plans can go out the window in a matter of seconds. However there are still things I want and things that worry me, so consider this post my informal "birth plan"
Wishlist
-healthy baby and healthy momma (as long as this happens the rest can hit the fan)
-epidural!
-having both my mum and Gordon there. I want someone to be there for Gordon, since I'll be too wrapped up in birthing our baby to pay attention to him. I can't imagine doing this without my mama.
-to be GBS (group b strep) negative
-having baby on my chest for a bit after they're born
-private room in post partum
-a lovely nurse
Stay away...
-the opposite of all of the above
-the dr on call is one of the infamous c-section magnets...having been on the unit where I plan on delivering I've worked with almost all the docs, and have the unfortunate (or fortunate?) insight of knowing who I should be scared of
-forceps, vacuum or epis *shudder*
-induction
-crappy fetal heart tracing. I'm more worried that because I know what tracings are supposed to look like and got a lot of practice interpreting them, I know when things aren't good. I'm worried I won't be able to relax and that I'll be watching the monitor the entire time. I'm gonna drive my nurse crazy haha.
I feel very fortunate to have already worked with so many doctors and nurses on the unit, to be familiar with how things are run and to have experienced many deliveries in my 10 week practicum. I know that baby and I will get great care, and that even if I can't check everything off my wishlist, that Gordon and I will be so blessed by the arrival of our baby and that everything else will seem so inconsequential.
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