She walked into my hospital room six hours post c-section. I was uncomfortable, exhausted and tired of being poked and proded. She looked like she was 16 years old. She stumbled over my name, called Camdyn a "he" and told me she would be back soon to give me a check. We were not off to a good start. That was at the beginning of the night shift nurse change.
She came back to my room for the check. The dreaded part was fast approaching- the pushing on the stomach. The stomach that was just cut open! The two previous "pushes" had been terrible and I was almost angry that she was really going to do it again. I asked (as nicely as I could muster up), "please do it as softly as you can." She complied. Turns out Lindsay is the most gentle, kind, caring nurse imaginable. We were good.
Lindsay soon became my most favorite nurse ever. I was so glad that it was she who removed my catheder, helped me to use the restroom for the first time and helped me to take my first shower. As she left the next morning, she said that I could request her for the next night too. Of course, I wanted her again but the thought slipped my mind as I went through the day. Night shift came and no Lindsay. I called for my nurse, it was time for pain meds.
Lindsay finally answered my page. "Mrs. Wallis, can you believe they did not assign me to you tonight?" "I had to make them change the rotation so that I could be with you again." How sweet! The 2nd night was great. Camdyn slept well and I rested good too. At the 4am check, Lindsay and I had a good laugh when she was listening to my breathing and could not determine my breaths from my Mr.'s snoring. How he got comfortable enough on the roll out cot to snore is beyond me but he did and we had a great laugh at his expense.
Morning came and so did the nurse shift. I did not tell Lindsay a final good-bye as I thought I would for sure be there another night. I did not get a chance to let her know how much I appreciated all her care and gentleness. I want her to know how glad I was to have her as my night nurse and what a difference she made during my stay.
I think next week I am going to put together a "thank you" goodie bag and drop it off at the hospital. She needs to know how much she is appreciated.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
~LoVe~
Dear Camdyn Elizabeth,
You are here! You were so long anticipated and you are finally here, my sweet baby girl. Words cannot even begin to describe how you have instantly completed our hearts. You are pure love! You are a total delight and you seem to have a way of stealing the heart of everyone who holds you.
You immediatley recognized my voice and you and I have been inseperable ever since. You fit perfectly on my chest and your little breath against my check is my heaven. I am spoiling you no doubt, and the truth is I could care less about that. Of course, you have not left my sight since you entered this world. You had to go with the nurses a couple of times for checks, etc...in which every second felt like an hour. I struggle to lay you down at night any where except right there with me. You are the sweetest little snuggle bunny.
I stare at you for hours on end and marvel at the miracle that is you. You never fuss or cry. My heart melts at your sweetness. You are alert after a feeding and you look right into my eyes and we both pause. Yes, my love, I will always be your biggest fan.
You tolerate my excessive need to dress you up several times a day. And oh my do you ever look cute! You truly are a beautiful baby. I think daddy is still in awe with you and really has not come down from cloud 9 yet. He will walk by and then stop, and say over and over how gorgeous and sweet you are. He will forever protect you.
Welcome to the world, my darling baby girl. May you always know how much you are loved. I cannot wait to show you this world!
Love & kisses,
mommy
Big Brother Love
I hope she soon realizes how lucky she is to have him as her brother. He long anticipated her arrival and now that she is here, he has 100% accepted her. He wants to hold her all.the.time! He has been so sweet and helpful with her. He and daddy just left to run an errand, "mama don't feed her until I get home. She needs her brother here when she eats." And my heart is exploding!!!
the C-Section
**Warning** This will be a graphic post. I am writing this all out for our memories, mostly, so if you are sensitive to details- kindly exit now and rejoin the story on the next post :)
I was never sure about the whole C-section thing and I am still not sure if I have drawn my conclusion about it. However, it was the best plan that we had at the time. I was taken back right at 10:00 am. My L&D nurse requested to assist the surgery, so she was in the room with me the whole time. I also had the best anesthesiologist. He was so warm and friendly and did an amazing job of keeping us posted on what was going on the entire time. Not to mention the awesome job he did with keeping the pain away! It is such a strange sensation. You have feeling- you can feel pressure, touch, etc...You cannot feel sharp pain, though. The worst part was not the part I thought it would be. The first part was fine, I felt some pressure but it was bearable. We were told that as long as Dr. Finney was engaged in small talk, everything was going well. She and the other Dr. continued to talk about mother-in-laws and Thanksgiving plans, this calmed me. The anesthesiologist told us when they were about to pull her out. I asked MSW to get a picture of this. The anesth. told him to start shooting away now. He got alot of graphic pictures that we are now looking at thinking, "hmm...maybe he should not have taken some of those!" There was a short pause in the small talk because the cord was loosely around her neck. It was taken care of immediately and things went back to talks of Thanksgiving plans.
She almost here!
Head is out!
This is where the pause occurred, cord being removed from around her neck.
Hello world!
I got a quick glimpse of her and she was whisked away to be checked and cleaned up. She came out crying and it was the most beautiful sound ever! Her first APGAR was a 9, 2nd was a 10. Perfect! MSW was running back and forth between me and her. Finally they remembered to tell me that yes, she was a girl. She was perfect in every way and really looked alot like doodle to us both. She has a birthmark in a place that only her parents and husband will know about :) She was wrapped up and MSW was able to get her close to my face. This whole time was truly the worst part of the C-section. I am not going to lie, it was painful. I am not sure what they were doing but it hurt and I was tensing up my back so badly from the pain that today I can hardly move because of the soreness in my back. It took about 30 minutes and then the 3 of us were taken to recovery.
My mom also got to meet us in recovery and she got to hold Camdyn in between her checks, etc... As the epidural and morphine began to wear off, the pain increased. It took a while to find the right combo of drugs that would take the edge off. I was very careful to take it easy in increasing the drugs. I did not want to get sick! I was very lucky to avoid that, gas and headaches. By noon, we were in my room and settled. I had a few visitors that afternoon but we mostly rested.
That night was difficult. Camdyn immediately took to breastfeeding, initially. She did great from the recovery room until about 1:00 that morning. I was a sight to be seen. With an IV, catheter, leg compresion things to prevent blood clots and an incision, moving around was not an option. At 1:00 am she got a little gas and was fussy and just plain uncomfortable. It was at this point that she also decided breastfeeding was too much work and refused to eat. Mommy, daddy and Camdyn were up most the night. She had a fussy morning and finally after many nurses and even the lacatation consultant recommended a formula feeding, I gave in. What a difference! My sweet baby was back! I seriously do not think she has fussed even a little since Saturday morning. We are still working on breastfeeding and today she is back to nursing.
I will conclude more on the c-section experience later on....
I was never sure about the whole C-section thing and I am still not sure if I have drawn my conclusion about it. However, it was the best plan that we had at the time. I was taken back right at 10:00 am. My L&D nurse requested to assist the surgery, so she was in the room with me the whole time. I also had the best anesthesiologist. He was so warm and friendly and did an amazing job of keeping us posted on what was going on the entire time. Not to mention the awesome job he did with keeping the pain away! It is such a strange sensation. You have feeling- you can feel pressure, touch, etc...You cannot feel sharp pain, though. The worst part was not the part I thought it would be. The first part was fine, I felt some pressure but it was bearable. We were told that as long as Dr. Finney was engaged in small talk, everything was going well. She and the other Dr. continued to talk about mother-in-laws and Thanksgiving plans, this calmed me. The anesthesiologist told us when they were about to pull her out. I asked MSW to get a picture of this. The anesth. told him to start shooting away now. He got alot of graphic pictures that we are now looking at thinking, "hmm...maybe he should not have taken some of those!" There was a short pause in the small talk because the cord was loosely around her neck. It was taken care of immediately and things went back to talks of Thanksgiving plans.
She almost here!
Head is out!
This is where the pause occurred, cord being removed from around her neck.
Hello world!
I got a quick glimpse of her and she was whisked away to be checked and cleaned up. She came out crying and it was the most beautiful sound ever! Her first APGAR was a 9, 2nd was a 10. Perfect! MSW was running back and forth between me and her. Finally they remembered to tell me that yes, she was a girl. She was perfect in every way and really looked alot like doodle to us both. She has a birthmark in a place that only her parents and husband will know about :) She was wrapped up and MSW was able to get her close to my face. This whole time was truly the worst part of the C-section. I am not going to lie, it was painful. I am not sure what they were doing but it hurt and I was tensing up my back so badly from the pain that today I can hardly move because of the soreness in my back. It took about 30 minutes and then the 3 of us were taken to recovery.
My mom also got to meet us in recovery and she got to hold Camdyn in between her checks, etc... As the epidural and morphine began to wear off, the pain increased. It took a while to find the right combo of drugs that would take the edge off. I was very careful to take it easy in increasing the drugs. I did not want to get sick! I was very lucky to avoid that, gas and headaches. By noon, we were in my room and settled. I had a few visitors that afternoon but we mostly rested.
That night was difficult. Camdyn immediately took to breastfeeding, initially. She did great from the recovery room until about 1:00 that morning. I was a sight to be seen. With an IV, catheter, leg compresion things to prevent blood clots and an incision, moving around was not an option. At 1:00 am she got a little gas and was fussy and just plain uncomfortable. It was at this point that she also decided breastfeeding was too much work and refused to eat. Mommy, daddy and Camdyn were up most the night. She had a fussy morning and finally after many nurses and even the lacatation consultant recommended a formula feeding, I gave in. What a difference! My sweet baby was back! I seriously do not think she has fussed even a little since Saturday morning. We are still working on breastfeeding and today she is back to nursing.
I will conclude more on the c-section experience later on....
Her Birth Story
I enjoyed Thursday very much. I slept in, went shopping and took an afternoon nap. After picking up doodle, I cooked dinner and then he and I started sewing "welcome home" signs for Miss C. All day long I was feeling a little different- mostly like a bad menstrual cycle but I had given up thinking that anything was going to happen prior to the 27th. I went to sleep about 11 pm. I woke up at 2:30 am to a pop sensation followed by trickle....trickle. I knew exactly what it was, then gush. I calmly woke up MSW and we both went into action. It took about 15 calls to wake-up Crystal but she did finally answer and was on her way to stay with doodle. My mom answered on the second ring and was on her way within 15 minutes. I had everything packed except for those last few minute things that MSW and I were throwing into a bag. By 2:45 contractions had begun. They were 2-3 minutes apart and about a 5 on my pain scale.
This is the last picture we took right before leaving for the hospital. I am in the middle of a contraction, hence the painful look on my face. Notice the time on the clock....
We were admitted right away and things moved fairly quickly. I was not really sure how things were going to go since this was not the plan. I had an awesome L&D nurse, Linda, who made the experience great. I was immediately given and IV and antibiotic (for the Group B strep). I was at a 2 so there was time to wait for Dr. F to do the C-section in the morning. I was also given an epidural fairly quickly which eased the pain of the contractions which by this point were above a 100 on the monitor- ouch!
I was able to rest and wait for the morning to come. We were originally told it would occur at 7:30 am- then 9:00 am and ultimately scheduled for 10:00 am.
Dr. Finney came in right before I was prepped for surgery. So very glad to have her as my doctor. My mom and Michael were with me the whole time until I was taken into the OR for prep. I was scared beyond belief! The operating room was much brighter than I had imagined! Everything was in place and MSW was let into the room. We were about to meet our daughter!
This is the last picture we took right before leaving for the hospital. I am in the middle of a contraction, hence the painful look on my face. Notice the time on the clock....
We were admitted right away and things moved fairly quickly. I was not really sure how things were going to go since this was not the plan. I had an awesome L&D nurse, Linda, who made the experience great. I was immediately given and IV and antibiotic (for the Group B strep). I was at a 2 so there was time to wait for Dr. F to do the C-section in the morning. I was also given an epidural fairly quickly which eased the pain of the contractions which by this point were above a 100 on the monitor- ouch!
I was able to rest and wait for the morning to come. We were originally told it would occur at 7:30 am- then 9:00 am and ultimately scheduled for 10:00 am.
Dr. Finney came in right before I was prepped for surgery. So very glad to have her as my doctor. My mom and Michael were with me the whole time until I was taken into the OR for prep. I was scared beyond belief! The operating room was much brighter than I had imagined! Everything was in place and MSW was let into the room. We were about to meet our daughter!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Random Rambles
•I have my last OB appointment in 1 hour. I expect it to be very uneventful with the exception of receiving our C-section packet for Tuesday. I’ll miss seeing the office staff each week- they are really nice.
•Today is my last day at work I decided. Weigh in on what I should do tomorrow- go see a movie (by myself which I secretly love to do) or go to La Cantera???
•We got our first accident report from the school. Doodle hit his head on the slide yesterday. He didn’t shed a tear and there was no mark or bump when I picked him up from school which was good. He was embarrassed that the nurse called. She gave him the choice of who to call. He chose dad, but would not talk to him. “Mama, I didn’t want you to worry so that is why I called dad.”
•I can fall asleep at random times of the day and this is so unusual for me. Yesterday I feel asleep in the pedicure chair. I think I might have even drooled! Totally embarrassing but a sign of just how tired my body must be. I woke up to realize the pedicurist was painting the wrong color. I reluctantly had them fix this mistake. They must be pink for Camy’s arrival, not burnt orange!
•I cannot wait to eat pasta and marinara sauce and not have heartburn all night long!
•I hope I remembered to tell my mom that doodle’s morning bell rings at 7:40 am.
There are so many details I think about for the time I am in the hospital. I want doodle’s life to be interrupted as little as possible.
•I saw on the news this morning that as of Nov. 1st Methodist is not allowing visitors under the age of 12 bc of the flu season. We just made it! Although, he has already expressed to me that he is scared to see me in the hospital bed and kinda doesn’t want to visit.
•Doodle is getting a flu shot this afternoon. We’ve had the prescription for weeks but bc he was sick have waited until now. Today is the flu clinic at his school so I signed him up- they are supposed to have the H1N1 today too. I think I might get my H1N1 today too if my OBGYN has received her shipment. I am tired of thinking, hearing, reading, etc…about the flu.
•MSW just sent me this text “Love you the mostest . You are my favorite…you make me happy.” I love him!
•I hope it rains today so that soccer practice is cancelled. Bad mom, bad mom….shame on me for hoping that!
•I will not miss being asked 1000 times a day when I am going to have her. I am so over the pregnant attention!
•Today is my last day at work I decided. Weigh in on what I should do tomorrow- go see a movie (by myself which I secretly love to do) or go to La Cantera???
•We got our first accident report from the school. Doodle hit his head on the slide yesterday. He didn’t shed a tear and there was no mark or bump when I picked him up from school which was good. He was embarrassed that the nurse called. She gave him the choice of who to call. He chose dad, but would not talk to him. “Mama, I didn’t want you to worry so that is why I called dad.”
•I can fall asleep at random times of the day and this is so unusual for me. Yesterday I feel asleep in the pedicure chair. I think I might have even drooled! Totally embarrassing but a sign of just how tired my body must be. I woke up to realize the pedicurist was painting the wrong color. I reluctantly had them fix this mistake. They must be pink for Camy’s arrival, not burnt orange!
•I cannot wait to eat pasta and marinara sauce and not have heartburn all night long!
•I hope I remembered to tell my mom that doodle’s morning bell rings at 7:40 am.
There are so many details I think about for the time I am in the hospital. I want doodle’s life to be interrupted as little as possible.
•I saw on the news this morning that as of Nov. 1st Methodist is not allowing visitors under the age of 12 bc of the flu season. We just made it! Although, he has already expressed to me that he is scared to see me in the hospital bed and kinda doesn’t want to visit.
•Doodle is getting a flu shot this afternoon. We’ve had the prescription for weeks but bc he was sick have waited until now. Today is the flu clinic at his school so I signed him up- they are supposed to have the H1N1 today too. I think I might get my H1N1 today too if my OBGYN has received her shipment. I am tired of thinking, hearing, reading, etc…about the flu.
•MSW just sent me this text “Love you the mostest . You are my favorite…you make me happy.” I love him!
•I hope it rains today so that soccer practice is cancelled. Bad mom, bad mom….shame on me for hoping that!
•I will not miss being asked 1000 times a day when I am going to have her. I am so over the pregnant attention!
Monday, October 19, 2009
{It is driving me crazy that the last few posts have had pics from my P&S camera and I'm on a computer without any photo editing..oh well- all the "real" stuff is packed for the hospital.}
So, this is me at exactly 38 weeks. Could I get any bigger? And the answer to that is, "yes." Somehow every single day I grow! It is a good thing, though. I am impressed by the female body- we are amazingly designed, don't you think!?
I wish that I had some amazing, insightful post about the finality of this pregnancy, etc.. but the truth is that I have no focus right now and am truly just going through the motions. I stay busy with mundane tasks in an attempt to avoid watching the clock. The days are ticking by and soon, yes soon, she will be here.
This is the final week. I will sign off my work computer in the next day or so and spend the time I have relaxing and resting. I want to cook fancy dinners every night and enjoy the last tee-ball and soccer games of the season. I want to sit in her room and decide which hair bow should be paired with each outfit. I want to obsess over washing everything in Dreft so that it has that baby smell. I will spend ridiculous amounts of time reading all my mommy blogs and tips on speedy c-section recovery.
Until next post...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
37.6 weeks and T-12 days to scheduled C-section. Never thought I would make it this far. MSW never thought I would make it this far. Doctor never thought I would make it this far. We saw Dr. F yesterday for our 37 week appointment. I officially weigh more than I have ever before- even with doodle bug (but we never made it this far in pregnancy.) The weight is wearing on me. Like a lot. Tuesday I came home after doing more walking than usual and my legs were twice the normal size with huge purple markings all over them. Luckily, after lying down and a warm bath it went away but yea, the weight it is getting to me. My blood pressure was up to 140/80- still not high for my “norm” but 20 points higher than it has been this entire pregnancy. Probably caused by the weight that is pressing on my abdomen and the extra work my heart has to do. I am to monitor my bp and call if it gets any higher.
I am having contractions all the time. There have been several times that I am sure “it’s time” and it is about that time that they begin to fizzle out. Like last night. After hours of not feeling well the contractions came on hard last night at bedtime. Surely, I thought! MSW and I went through our plan of calls to be made, things to be loaded in the car, etc…. 30 minutes later I was sound asleep and everything ceased. I carry on….
So, I am done guessing when this is going to happen. In all honesty, I just as soon it happens as it is scheduled. At least we will not be in a frantic rush to get to the hospital. Additionally, we found out yesterday after MSW asked, “what happens if her water does break before the 27th?” Dr.s response was that they will keep me through the night and she will come in and do the C-section the next morning but if it happens on the weekend, she will not be available so, “that may be a problem.” What is that supposed to mean?????
And that folks is the 37 week update…until next Wednesday’s appointment.
I am having contractions all the time. There have been several times that I am sure “it’s time” and it is about that time that they begin to fizzle out. Like last night. After hours of not feeling well the contractions came on hard last night at bedtime. Surely, I thought! MSW and I went through our plan of calls to be made, things to be loaded in the car, etc…. 30 minutes later I was sound asleep and everything ceased. I carry on….
So, I am done guessing when this is going to happen. In all honesty, I just as soon it happens as it is scheduled. At least we will not be in a frantic rush to get to the hospital. Additionally, we found out yesterday after MSW asked, “what happens if her water does break before the 27th?” Dr.s response was that they will keep me through the night and she will come in and do the C-section the next morning but if it happens on the weekend, she will not be available so, “that may be a problem.” What is that supposed to mean?????
And that folks is the 37 week update…until next Wednesday’s appointment.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tick*Tock*
Here it is a cloudy, cool Monday morning, sitting at my desk and I am 37 weeks and counting....I never thought I would make it this far but here I am. Dr. keeps saying, "any day!" I think she may just hold out until the 27th which is our scheduled C-section date. Last week she was measuring 40 weeks so it is a c-section from here on out. Am I ok with that? Nope! but as a wise friend told me over dinner last week, "you better just accept it." So, I am doing my best to do just that. So, if she does not come on her own before, we will be meeting her on Oct. 27th at 9:30 am. The days drag on...tick*tock*
On the doodle bug front- I cannot keep the boy well! He has stayed home the last 3 Fridays in a row. Upper Respiratory Infection, Stomach bug and 24- hour viral infection. We've been lucky that it is not the flu- but I keep thinking at this rate it is on its way! This is uncharted land for us. He is never sick so this strand of icky has us concerned. I guess his immune system is down and so he is just catching everything that is going around. The positive of all this is that in every case he has been back to new in 24 hours, is good for 4 days and then goes back down so he has not been sick for 3 weeks straight. We only get sick on Friday???? This is good for Camy, though. Luckily, I have not gotten sick yet so I can hope that means that my immune system is fighting it off and so she is getting the anti-bodies. I'm afraid I am going to be a little obsessed with keeping her unexposed to all the viruses and flu that is around right now.
I decorated the house for Halloween and if I was at home right now I would take pictures and post them! I have a million fall decorations. I was hesitant to put them up this year. Not because I did not want to but I was trying to imagine bringing Miss C home to the "decorated house." Pink is going to clash with the purple, orange and black that has invaded our house. You see- my photographer's mind thinks about those things. In the end, oh well! Doodle could not wait to put them up and it's what we do! I will add her banners amongst the mix before we leave for the hospital. It might look like a fun house but hey...it is who we are!
I just finished grading finals for my online class-whew! That is done and over with so technically I am just going through the motions at the office. 9 more days. tick*tock*
I am preparing for the whole week on Sundays just in case. Snacks packed for all week. Clothes laid out for all week. It was last night that I realized how crazy our weather is when I was laying out doodle's clothes. 50's and 60's in the beginning of the week- back into the 90's by mid-week and cooler 70's by week's end. So long to just laying out shorts for the entire week.
Doodle is entering the Art Fair and Science Fair. His projects are keeping us busy in the afternoons. He took an awesome picture of the sunset. I had it printed and matted so he will be entering that as well as a canvas painting. The theme is "Beauty Is..." kinda funny what a 5 year old boy finds beautiful.
tick*tock
Thursday, October 8, 2009
36 Weeks and Counting
It was exactly at this point in my first pregnancy that doodle was born. Miss C? Well, seems that she is going to do things her way. I saw Dr. F yesterday and while the appointment was pretty uneventful, we did make some decisions.
I am now measuring 40 weeks. I am huge....I am pretty sure that I am bigger today than on the day I delivered doodle. He was a big baby. We know that I have alot of amniotic fluid and so my measurement could be accounting for that too and does not necessarily mean that she is gigantic. At least a mama can hope for that :)
I will have a C-section from here on out. While given the choice previously, Dr. F now deems it necessary because of her size (how I am measuring). I quote, "I have no idea how big this baby is going to be and from this point forward I do not feel comfortable with a regular delivery." We want the doctor to feel comfortable. So, a C-section it will be. Unless she comes on her own before, we will meet our baby girl on Tuesday, October 27th. That happens to be my Grandma Doris' birthday :)
Before it was a probable scenario but now we know for sure. That helps. I am beginning to get my head around the idea. MSW and I sat at the kitchen table last night discussing it all. I came to the conclusion of why I am so hesitant about having a c-section. During labor and delivery, there is alot on the mom. Mom has to remain calm, mom has to push, everyone is reliant upon mom's work, etc... With a c-section the rules are different. It is all up to the doctors. I will be completely useless- well in a sense, you know what I mean. For someone who spends most of her life in the driver's seat, letting go of that is a hard thing to do. I can rationalize the ridiculousness of that but I think deep down that is my hang up. Besides the whole part about it being a surgery and all....
I had hoped to experience a "normal" birth and I guess that is just not in my cards and I will trade that any day for a healthy baby.
So the countdown is on. I am really ok with it not happening before the 27th. Sure, I am 100% anxious to meet her but I see the advantages to her holding off until the 27th. I have found myself explaining this several times over. Here's why:
1. I would much rather walk into a c-section that is scheduled vs. one that is in the middle of the night, etc... It could happen when my dr. in not on call and I get some other dr. or worse yet an intern- did you see Grey's last week- OMG- still having nightmares about how that C-section went!
2. I am a carrier of Strep B, which means that if my water breaks, I have to start an antibiotic IV within an hour. If it happens when I am at home and MSW is at work I do not have time for him to come get me per Dr.'s orders. I will have to drive myself to the hospital. I have done this run twice- once with major contractions during pre-term labor w/doodle and then again when doodle's water broke. I cannot imagine driving myself under either circumstance.
3. I truly believe that everyday she gets in the womb is beneficial. I will not even go into my worries about her being born at a time that there is so much illness around. My antibodies are building her immune system each and every day. I've been exposed to seasonal flu, swine flu, stomach bugs, etc...so far (Knock on very hard wood) I have not gotten sick. I pray with each exposure my body is allowing hers to build strong immunities.
4. I am almost in the clear of not having to go back to work until the Spring. Won't bore you with the HR details but I have to be on payroll until the week of finals to receive my pay all the way through when I am out. Sick leave counts as being on the payroll and I can use 8 weeks of it with a c-section. I am almost to the 8 weeks out point. Not the most important reason but one less thing to worry about having to go back after just 8 weeks.
I am now measuring 40 weeks. I am huge....I am pretty sure that I am bigger today than on the day I delivered doodle. He was a big baby. We know that I have alot of amniotic fluid and so my measurement could be accounting for that too and does not necessarily mean that she is gigantic. At least a mama can hope for that :)
I will have a C-section from here on out. While given the choice previously, Dr. F now deems it necessary because of her size (how I am measuring). I quote, "I have no idea how big this baby is going to be and from this point forward I do not feel comfortable with a regular delivery." We want the doctor to feel comfortable. So, a C-section it will be. Unless she comes on her own before, we will meet our baby girl on Tuesday, October 27th. That happens to be my Grandma Doris' birthday :)
Before it was a probable scenario but now we know for sure. That helps. I am beginning to get my head around the idea. MSW and I sat at the kitchen table last night discussing it all. I came to the conclusion of why I am so hesitant about having a c-section. During labor and delivery, there is alot on the mom. Mom has to remain calm, mom has to push, everyone is reliant upon mom's work, etc... With a c-section the rules are different. It is all up to the doctors. I will be completely useless- well in a sense, you know what I mean. For someone who spends most of her life in the driver's seat, letting go of that is a hard thing to do. I can rationalize the ridiculousness of that but I think deep down that is my hang up. Besides the whole part about it being a surgery and all....
I had hoped to experience a "normal" birth and I guess that is just not in my cards and I will trade that any day for a healthy baby.
So the countdown is on. I am really ok with it not happening before the 27th. Sure, I am 100% anxious to meet her but I see the advantages to her holding off until the 27th. I have found myself explaining this several times over. Here's why:
1. I would much rather walk into a c-section that is scheduled vs. one that is in the middle of the night, etc... It could happen when my dr. in not on call and I get some other dr. or worse yet an intern- did you see Grey's last week- OMG- still having nightmares about how that C-section went!
2. I am a carrier of Strep B, which means that if my water breaks, I have to start an antibiotic IV within an hour. If it happens when I am at home and MSW is at work I do not have time for him to come get me per Dr.'s orders. I will have to drive myself to the hospital. I have done this run twice- once with major contractions during pre-term labor w/doodle and then again when doodle's water broke. I cannot imagine driving myself under either circumstance.
3. I truly believe that everyday she gets in the womb is beneficial. I will not even go into my worries about her being born at a time that there is so much illness around. My antibodies are building her immune system each and every day. I've been exposed to seasonal flu, swine flu, stomach bugs, etc...so far (Knock on very hard wood) I have not gotten sick. I pray with each exposure my body is allowing hers to build strong immunities.
4. I am almost in the clear of not having to go back to work until the Spring. Won't bore you with the HR details but I have to be on payroll until the week of finals to receive my pay all the way through when I am out. Sick leave counts as being on the payroll and I can use 8 weeks of it with a c-section. I am almost to the 8 weeks out point. Not the most important reason but one less thing to worry about having to go back after just 8 weeks.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Celebration!
Daddy came home one Thursday night and announced that we were going to have a celebration night that Saturday. He had made reservations for 3 at the Melting Pot. One of our favorite places, but a place we had not yet taken doodle bug to yet. At 5, he is pretty good about eating out and with his expensive taste for food, we figured it was high time we expose him to the cuisine of fondue.
We had a marvelous time. As always, the food was delish! We did the "Big Night Out" which was centered around a German theme. Yummy! Doodle had so much fun and was amazed with the four course meal, the chocolate being his favorite. We had an awesome server who asked if we were celebrating anything special. Sure we were! We were celebrating our days of a family of 3 and celebrating becoming a family of 4! She was so sweet to bring special plates with candles for our little celebration.
I am so glad MSW planned this for us. We had a great night and memories were made. It may be a while before we get back and probably years before we go as a Family of 4.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My Poor Baby
It was the day of our first Parent-Teacher Conference. As nervous as first time parents are at these new experiences, we walked into our son's classroom. Mrs. S warmly greeted us and handed me a "normal" sized chair as compared to the kinder chairs the other parents sat in for this kind of meeting. Before she sat down, she said, "I just want to say one thing, I LOVE YOUR SON." He received a glowing report. Of course, it was mentioned that he has a habit of interrupting but other than that, it was all warm & fuzzy. On that day, I received the highest compliment that I have ever had. She said, "Your son is genuinely happy all the time." To have a happy child...well, as a mom is there anything greater that I can achieve or want for my 5 year old? She mentioned that he is the only child that tells her each morning, "Good morning Mrs. S!" with a smile on his face. That stuck with me....
That was at 3pm. It was 10:30 pm and we had just switched off the evening news. I heard a little cough followed by a whimper. MSW jumped out of bed and went to doodle's room. I knew it was bad when the lights flipped on and MSW was running to the bathroom with doodle in his arms. The poor baby had thrown up every where and it was still coming up. It went on and on.
He had nothing left to vomit but his body was still taking him through the motions. It got to the point that he would start to faint each time he began to vomit. His lips were completely purple. It took us all of 5 seconds to decide an ER trip was in order.
There is a brand new Methodist Stone Oak Hospital less than 5 minutes from us. Just as we pulled up to the doors, poor baby started again. MSW suggested that I go in and begin the paperwork while he waited for the vomit to stop and then he would bring him in. There was no time for me to think what the perception would be of me (in all my pregnant glory) to run in through the front doors of the ER holding a towel and vomit all over me. I waved off the wheelchair and through a winded voice, "not me, my son, outside, sick, coming in, give me papers."
He was immediately taken back and seen right away. It was determined to give him Zofran and 15 cc of fluid every 15 minutes. It took a couple hours but eventually the vomiting stopped and the dehydration was treated. His smile was back too.
A sick child is the most heart wrenching experience for the parental unit. God bless those parents whose children are fighting cancer and other terrible diseases. I can't, nor do I want to, even imagine.
We dodged another flu bullet- it was just a stomach virus that came on hard and took him down with no mercy. He's all better now. Through it all, I kept thinking back to our earlier conversation with Mrs. S. Through it all, he kept smiling.
That was at 3pm. It was 10:30 pm and we had just switched off the evening news. I heard a little cough followed by a whimper. MSW jumped out of bed and went to doodle's room. I knew it was bad when the lights flipped on and MSW was running to the bathroom with doodle in his arms. The poor baby had thrown up every where and it was still coming up. It went on and on.
He had nothing left to vomit but his body was still taking him through the motions. It got to the point that he would start to faint each time he began to vomit. His lips were completely purple. It took us all of 5 seconds to decide an ER trip was in order.
There is a brand new Methodist Stone Oak Hospital less than 5 minutes from us. Just as we pulled up to the doors, poor baby started again. MSW suggested that I go in and begin the paperwork while he waited for the vomit to stop and then he would bring him in. There was no time for me to think what the perception would be of me (in all my pregnant glory) to run in through the front doors of the ER holding a towel and vomit all over me. I waved off the wheelchair and through a winded voice, "not me, my son, outside, sick, coming in, give me papers."
He was immediately taken back and seen right away. It was determined to give him Zofran and 15 cc of fluid every 15 minutes. It took a couple hours but eventually the vomiting stopped and the dehydration was treated. His smile was back too.
A sick child is the most heart wrenching experience for the parental unit. God bless those parents whose children are fighting cancer and other terrible diseases. I can't, nor do I want to, even imagine.
We dodged another flu bullet- it was just a stomach virus that came on hard and took him down with no mercy. He's all better now. Through it all, I kept thinking back to our earlier conversation with Mrs. S. Through it all, he kept smiling.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Shower @ HEB
I walked nervously into Cypress Tower. A baby shower, given in our honor was on slate for the day and while I totally appreciated the idea, I did not know what to expect. The shower was being given by MSW's group. We walked into a room that had been totally transformed into a beautiful party. Every detail was taken care of in an array of pink. Flowers, balloons, food- oh the food, a cookie bouquet, a custom made cake to perfectly match Camy's room. And if all of that was not enough, these people went completely over-board with the gift giving. Each gift was perfectly chosen for our daughter. We joked that they gave "never-ending boxes and bags"! It seemed that each gift had at least 5 outfits or baby things in it. We were completely blown away and spoiled. It was so heart warming to see the support and care that MSW's team has for him. He is blessed to work with some amazing people.
NEYSO- Go Fireants!
Doodle was set on playing soccer this season. I was on the fence about it. He plays soccer like it is football. I sit watching the games nervous about which kid he is about to take out. He is determined to get to the ball and often times that means pushing another out of the way to get to it. It makes me nervous. We tell him over and over not to use his hands, to play the ball only. Between being sick and rainouts he has only played in one game so far. He did really well- with just a little aggressive play. Maybe we are getting better? He really belongs on a football team but I DISLIKE that idea very, very much! I watched MSW snap both bones in his arm and almost ruin his baseball career on the football field. He never played another day of football. So, I may just have to settle for watching him nervously push around on the soccer field as a compromise.
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