1 Week Old!

Sophie is 1 week old!

This week has brought lots of adjustments for life with a newborn. Y and I are learning to live on little sleep. My life is measured in two-hour increments with breastfeeding. Speaking of breastfeeding, things are going much better now. I purchased a nipple shield which has been a huge help in getting Sophie to latch on. My milk finally came in by the end of the week so she's been eating well. I'm pumping when I can to help increase my supply and have some milk on hand for Y to do a few feedings.

We have hit a bit of a bump in the road. Sophie had a pediatrician appointment on Wednesday where we learned she had lost 6 ounces since birth, down to 5lbs 4oz. Since she was so small at birth, we now have to go in for weekly weight checks to be sure she's gaining as she should be. If she's not, we'll need to start looking at supplementing the breast milk. Other than the weight issue, she's healthy and doing quite well.

Things we've learned and milestones Sophie's made in the past week:
-Sophie has mastered projectile poop
-She does not like having clothing pulled over her head
-It can be 2am, you're awake, feeding, and exhausted but when you see that smile it's all worth it (even if the smile is due to gas)
-She grew a half inch in length to 19 inches and a half centimeter in head circumference to 33cm
-She loves anything that vibrates
-Belly aches result in lots of leg pumping and very loud crying
-Just like her Momma, she loves having her head and feet rubbed

I don't think it's possible to be more in love with someone as I am with her.

Introducing: Sophie Grace

The Little Miss decided to make her appearance 11 days early.

Saturday morning at 1:40am my water broke. At home. In my sleep. I had been having a few contractions that day but nothing real regular. After gathering the needed supplies and packed bags, we headed to the hospital. We arrived around 2:50am. I hadn't really had too many contractions (or so I thought) between home and the hospital. Triage confirmed my membranes did indeed rupture, checked my cervix and monitored contractions until labor & delivery was ready for me. At 3am, I was a tight 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. Around 4am, I was wheeled to L&D where they hooked me up to the monitors and got all the paperwork and questions out of the way. By 5am I was started on Pitocin. Due to my membranes rupturing, we had to move labor along so as not to risk infection. At 7am I asked for an epidural. About 30 minutes prior, I began having severe back labor. If it hadn't been for the back labor, I would have been able to hold off a bit longer. I was checked at 7 and was still 3cm and 80% effaced. The epidural kicked in around 7:30 or so. Pure bliss. About 15 minutes later, my left arm felt extremely cold, was freezing to the touch and felt weak and heavy. The nurse called my anesthesiologist and he told them to turn down my dosage. This seemed to help but the weakness in my arm continued. By 9am, I was checked again. I was at 5cm. I began getting some feeling back in my legs at this point. Around 10am, I was checked again. 10cm!!!!! Sometime between 9 and 10am, Sophie began having some problems with the contractions. She was still okay but I was asked to lie on my left side and given oxygen.

Shortly after 10am, I was asked to do a few practice pushes. The L&D nurse helped me hold one foot while Y held the other. By 10:20 or so, I was ready to start pushing for real. The epidural had mostly worn off at this point and I could feel most everything. (OUCH!!!) Each push went well and at 10:59am on Saturday, 11/22, Sophie Grace was born. Y cut the cord and not long after, the placenta was delivered. The post-delivery was VERY painful. I tore in two or three places - one 1st degree tear and two second degree tears. Because the epidural had worn off, I could feel the stitching. They eventually gave me a local but it still hurt like heck.

Sophie was 5lbs 10oz and 18.5 inches long. Her head measured 32.5cm and chest was 29cm. She has a head full of black hair and, currently, has dark blue eyes. Sophie quickly breastfed and did well the first two days. Now that we're home, however, things aren't going quite so well.

38 Week (and 2 days) update

And a trip to Labor & Delivery. 12 Days to go!

Here's what's happening with development this week:
The Little Miss has really plumped up. Babies vary in weight at this point and could weigh anywhere between 6.25 and 7.5 pounds. The Little Miss is now over 19.5 inches long, about the length of a leek. She has a firm grasp which we'll soon be able to test when we hold her hand for the first time. Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

We may not be able to tell what color eyes she'll have right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. The reasoning for this change is because a child's irises may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue.

Appointment Update, including the Labor & Delivery visit

First, let me start off by saying everything's fine, BUT....

This week's appointment brought a bit of adventure. First some key measurements: I was down a pound and a half from last week's visit. My belly was measuring at 34 cm - about where it's been for a couple of visits now. The Little Miss' heart rate was great and I was still 3cm dilated. We don't, however, know how effaced I was because....I was having a bit of a blood pressure issue.

One of the first things the nurse does when I come into the office is take my blood pressure. Normally, there are no issues so I was a surprised when the nurse said my pressure was a bit elevated and she wanted me to lie on my side for a while before she returned for a recheck. The first reading came in at 126/86 - not terrible but not real great either. The second check came in at 133/88. While I was told to stay on my side, another nurse came in a few minutes later to check me a third time just in case my nurse was having an issue. Nope. Third reading was even higher at 138/100. Oh boy.

My OB came in a few minutes later where she was quite concerned with the high blood pressure readings. My urine sample showed I was dumping protein into my urine - those results came in at +1 protein. While my Dr. was doing the internal exam she was unsure whether or not The Little Miss was actually head down. So, she decided to send me to Labor & Delivery for monitoring and some labs. While I was there, she also wanted them to do a sonogram to make sure that The Little Miss was head down and there was still plenty of amniotic fluid surrounding her. If my blood pressure didn't go down or any of the labs came back with adverse results, I would be admitted and induced.

We got to the hospital around 1pm. They took two vials of blood, another urine sample, attached me to the heart rate and contraction monitors, and took my blood pressure every 15-20 minutes. My first BP reading was a little high at 126/84 but each consecutive reading went down. My last reading was around 111/69. I was having contractions while attached to the monitors but nothing that warranted the start of labor. All lab work came back completely normal, in fact, I had no protein in my urine. The sonogram went great. The Little Miss IS head down and my amniotic level was at 12. Anything between 6 and 22 is normal.

So that's that. We're back in the waiting game and stumped as to why my BP had been high. I return next Tuesday for another check-up if I haven't delivered by then.

Wordless Wednesday: Wishes

Still here.

Still pregnant. Still uncomfortable.

16 days to go as of today. I'm completely done with work. I managed to finish my last contract last Thursday. I ran some errands last week and got the few last minute supplies we needed for the hospital. The thank you notes I needed to write (up to this point) are done and all of the baby laundry and supplies are clean. We've also stocked up on groceries for a few weeks.

Currently, the things remaining on my to-do list mainly revolve around Christmas and December birthdays. The family shopping is complete, all I need to do is wrap and mail out the gifts. I still need to do the shopping for Y but seeing as neither of us has started any shopping for the other, I think we'll both understand if things are a bit late. I did, however, make a deal with Y. If I haven't given birth by the weekend, we're getting out all the Christmas stuff and putting up the tree and decorations. We normally wait until after Thanksgiving but I don't think we can wait that long this year...especially since Christmas will be at our house.

Contractions are continuing but they aren't coming at regular intervals yet. They are becoming longer - about a minute or so in length. It seemed things were moving quickly last week but from Thursday on there hasn't been much activity. I have my 38-week appointment on Thursday so I'm sure I'll update more then.

37 Weeks! Just 21 days to go!

The Little Miss is full-term this week! If she were to arrive now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, despite my due date being 3 weeks away.

The Little Miss now weighs 6 1/3 pounds and is a bit over 19 inches long head to heel, similar in length to a stalk of Swiss Chard. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. We shouldn't be surprised if The Little Miss' hair isn't the same color as ours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Appointment update:
I had my 37-week appointment on Tuesday (36 weeks, 6 days technically). All the stats were normal but the Little Miss could arrive any day now! I was 3cm dilated and 75% effaced. I've also started losing my mucus plug. My OB commented that it seemed the Little Miss had dropped a bit more since my last appointment. I'm a wee bit nervous about her arrival being SO close. Granted, she could decide to stay put for a few more weeks, too.

I have the hospital bag and diaper bag packed - as much as they can be anyway. I have the "It's hospital time! Do we have...." list in hopes that when it's time we won't forget important things. Our contact list is all ready and the dogs are set to spend time with their boarder since the hospital is a ways from our house.

Now, to just finish the one last contract for work and we'll be golden.

36 Week Belly Pics

36 Week Update

36 Weeks and 1 day: 27 days to go!!

Here's what's happening with the Little Miss this week:

She is still packing on the pounds - at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds, comparable to a crenshaw melon. She is more than 18 1/2 inches long. The Little Miss is shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. She will swallow both of these substances along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture called meconium. The meconium will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Remember, these measurements are an "average" of most pregnancies. Since I'm in the small to normal range, the Little Miss may weigh a little less than the predicted current weight of 6 pounds.

At the end of this week, the Little Miss will be considered full-term. Full-term is 37-42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term. Since she's head down and won't be moving, my OB will not have to perform an maneuver called an external cephalic version which is where she would try to coax the Little Miss into a head down position by manipulating her from the outside of my belly.

Appointment update:

Today brought my now-weekly OB appointment for 36 weeks. Really nothing too new to report. Since my Braxton Hicks contractions had tapered off this past week, she didn't do an internal exam. My Group B Strep test results came back as a negative so I don't have to worry about receiving antibiotics during labor. Blood pressure was good and I was up 1 pound for a total of 19 gained overall. The Little Miss' head is completely occupying my pelvis which, some days, results in a very uncomfortable Mom. My belly is measuring at 34cm but with her head firmly in my pelvic area that's about where I should be measuring from previous meaurements.

I return Tuesday for my 37-week appointment where I will be given an internal so we'll know if I've progressed any more since my 35-week check!

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

35 Week Belly Pics!

I have no idea where time disappeared to this week! We took belly pics on Thursday and I haven't had time to upload them until today. Crazy! Please ignore the completely unfocused first photo. Y was taking the pictures and I have no idea what happened. I didn't catch that it was out of focus until I downloaded the pictures today. Either way, you get the idea.

In other news, I'm excited to say we've completed 90% of our family December birthday (5 of them!) and Christmas shopping! I have a few clothing items to get for my niece and find out what Y's grandmothers need. Of course, Y and I have no idea what we're doing for each other but currently we're not too worried about that. We also found a Baby's 1st Christmas ornament and I've started packing the hospital bag.

The in-laws were over this weekend to help with a few things. FIL and Y installed the ceiling fan in the nursery and did a few other repairs that required two people and ladders. MIL was a huge help and cleaned our clear shower doors, ridding them of the calcium build-up. The house is really in pretty good shape if we can just continue to keep things picked up and stay on top of the basics of laundry, vacuuming, and dusting.

I have been incredibly physically exhausted these past few days. We rented a movie Saturday night and I couldn't stay awake during the movie! I'm just glad we weren't in a theater, paying the big bucks for me to have a nap. I have my 36 week appointment on Thursday so I'll update more then!