D-day: She's Finally Here!!

Our little bundle of joy is finally here. Zoe Adele was born June 29th at 6:29 p.m. She weighed 7lb 1oz and was 19 inches long.

We went in to the hospital on Monday the 28th. My doctor decided that since the baby was a little sideways that we would do a version and then I would be induced. I was 39 weeks at the time. I went in for my appointment, and it appeared that the baby had straightened herself out so the doctor determined that a version was not needed. We headed over to labor and delivery, checked in and started the induction process. I wasn't crazy about the idea of induction, but my doctor did not want the baby to get too large since I wanted to do a vaginal delivery. The induction, however, did not go as planned. By Monday evening at 5 p.m. I had only dilated about an inch so they continued to up my pitocin through the night. My water broke around 11 p.m. and after that point we started to make some progress. I had the epidural done early the next morning. Later that day once the contractions started to get really rowdy, we discovered that the epidural did not take properly and the medicine was not working. I was attached to so many machines and IV's at that point that I was not able to get up an move around. The baby had shifted and I stopped dilating around 7cm. At this point I had been in labor for over 30 hours and I knew something was not right. It was at this point that we decided a c-section needed to be done because the baby was not going to be able to fit through my pelvis.

Fortunately, baby Zoe was okay. Her face was a little puffy on one side from being forced down at an odd angle during labor, but she was otherwise healthy and strong. They had me strapped down during the procedure so I was not able to hold her right away, but they did bring her over for me to meet her while they were stitching me up. I was so elated because she was absolutely perfect and seeing her face made it all worth it.

We made quite a few videos of the whole process with the exception of the delivery. Surprisingly, I was in good spirits in the videos despite how badly the labor was going in the final hours. The first week of recovery ended up being harder for me than the labor and delivery, probably because I labored for so long before have the c-section.

Zoe is now 1 month old. The time has really flown by. We're still trying to adjust to the lack of sleep, and I have been having issues with milk production which I'm a little disappointed about, but I am so thankful that my precious little girl is healthy and happy. I'm just trying to enjoy and capture as many little moments as I can because I know that she won't be an infant for long.

38 Weeks...Almost There

As I near the end of my pregnancy, I've been busy trying to put the finishing touches on things: making sure bags are packed, that the house is clean, that I know what to do and where to go, that the baby stuff is all ready, and generally trying to make sure we didn't miss anything.

I had another ultrasound this week. This was one of the better scans and we got some amazing shots of Zoe's face. What a beautiful baby! Seeing her face makes it all worth it. I can't wait to meet her!

My doctor wanted to do another scan to check the weight of the baby since she was measuring large at 31 weeks. Turns out she's about 8lb 5oz, and she's traverse! Since she is getting so large, the doctor wants to induce next week to minimize any potential harm to the baby. She called this morning to discuss the option of performing an external cephalic version prior to induction in order to get the baby turned into the correct position, assuming that the baby is still traverse and has not corrected herself. I'm not really sure what happened. Zoe had assumed the head down position at 31 weeks, but she is very long and moves around quite a bit, even at 38 weeks. The ultrasound tech once again commented that she was the hardest baby of the day because she moved around so much. We were both surprised that she is still moving so much being that Zoe is so big and I am so small.

The fact that she is traverse makes me nervous. I would like to avoid having a c-section if necessary, and like all moms, I was really hoping for a smooth delivery. Other than that, everything else looks good. I haven't had any problems with fluid levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. Strep test came back negative, as well. The only thing I've had trouble with is swelling of my feet and ankles, and more recently some swelling in my fingers. My knees have been bothering me lately from all the weight, mostly just when I try to squat or bend when I put the most weight on them.

Tomorrow we have our last appointment before the big day. We should find out tomorrow what day next week we will be scheduled for delivery. I am both excited and nervous, and praying for a safe and speedy delivery.

The Home Stretch

Wow, time flies and I guess it has been a while since I posted last. John and I had a busy semester, but once the semester ended, we were finally able to focus on getting ready for Zoe. As I write this, I am about a month away from her arrival, give or take!

We haven’t been able to make it back home to visit relatives. I just feel like I am too pregnant now. As the baby gets bigger it gets increasingly difficult to get around, and I run out of steam a lot faster. I had an ultrasound appointment on May 5th (supposedly I was about 31 weeks) and Zoe was already weighing in at 4lb 11oz. If I was really 31 weeks at the time, then that puts her in the 90th percentile weight wise. I read that at this stage of pregnancy the baby gains about 8oz a week. If that’s the case then as of tomorrow she’ll probably weigh somewhere around 6lb 3oz. It seems as if I can feel every ounce! I feel like she will probably get here a couple weeks before the due date. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part because I can’t wait until she gets here! Maybe it’s also a bit of trepidation at the thought of giving birth to a 10lb baby. Either way, we’re ready when she is. In the meantime, as she continues to grow, move around and rearrange my organs, John and I have been amusing ourselves with talking to her and playing name that body part as she contorts herself in my belly. :)

At the beginning of May, once finals were over, we finally made it to the birthing courses. They were somewhat informative, but most of the information I already knew from reading up on pregnancy. Some of the material covered only made me more nervous about labor. The doula teaching the course did a lovely demonstration with a baby doll and a pelvis from a display skeleton showing how the baby passes through the pelvic area during birth. As she explained possible complications and clumsily rammed the baby doll into the pelvis, all I could think about was “look how the baby doesn’t fit through there, ouch”. At the end of the course, she made sure to mention the doula services offered. I couldn’t help but wonder if the class was sort of a sales pitch to sign up for a doula, because by the end of the class the idea of having a doula was a lot more appealing. Can you say job security? Even though it’s a free service for me, I’m still on the fence about it.

In addition to the birthing classes, we found a new place to live, but we won’t be moving until about August, so we’ve had to do some work on the apartment to get it baby ready. We finally broke down and got a storage unit, and we moved a bunch of stuff out to make way for a nursery. At my last ultrasound appointment my doctor assured me that “she’s still a girl” so we have been confident about buying girl stuff. We decided to keep the strollers and such gender neutral, and decorate the nursery in pinks and greens (though I can’t really do much “decorating” until we get moved).

Only having a few baby clothes and a few baby basics, we finally went out and bought the big baby stuff. We ended up getting a crib that comes with the changing table, hamper and storage drawer. It’s a fixed crib so the railings are not adjustable, it’s solid wood, and seems very sturdy. I was afraid of getting a crib with the slide railings because of all the recalls, and I really liked this model because it converts into a toddler bed, and a regular full size bed. John is a total rock star for assembling the whole thing. Assembling baby stuff is complicated business, as I discovered when setting up some of the other baby items we got.

The professor that I have been doing research for the past couple of years had an end of the year party, which ended up being a surprise baby shower. They chipped in and got me a Pack N’ Play which is awesome because from the reviews I’ve read on baby products, moms rave about how much they love and use their Pack N’ Plays. We also got one of those stroller, baby carrier and car seat combos, and managed to get everything assembled and installed correctly. We even went to a car seat clinic to make sure the base was correctly installed because 3 out of 4 parents install them incorrectly. If you’ve ever seen the instructions that come with these you’d know why. The instructions for installing the car seat base are shamefully vague. Aside from that, we’ve also been buying smaller baby basics, a few toys, and of course, cloths. Baby clothes are just the cutest! I’ve also become quite the contest queen, trying to win baby items for the baby. The nicest items I’ve won so a far are some organic baby bath products from Little Twig. They smell fabulous and I can’t wait till Zoe’s here and I’m giving her baby baths with them.

John and I have had so much fun buying baby stuff and getting ready for her arrival. At least now I feel like I’m totally ready for her. Now we wait…

It's a Girl!

We had our anatomy ultrasound today and it's definitely a girl! Everything looks great; brain development is good, heart is good, fluids are good, and she weighs about 13oz. The ultrasound techs were great. We ended up getting 14 pictures out of it, though mostly in part because she was moving around so much. Apparently she's a lot more active than most babies. The ultrasound tech said she'd never had to work so hard to get images. We got some amazing pictures including a shot of her foot and some amazing 3D images. Even though the face isn't fully developed yet we can make out her facial features in the 3D shots. It's truly amazing what they can do with technology these days. There's one picture where she has her hands behind her head and her legs propped up like she's just chillin' in the womb. Twenty weeks and she's already a character!

One of the great things about her being a girl is that I already have a first name picked out (we were having trouble with the boy names). We have decided to name her Zoe, meaning "life". John and I decided we liked the original spelling of Zoe better than the more recent alternate spelling, Zoey. I like the name because it's not super common, but it's not totally off the wall. I think it's a really cute name, and it starts with the letter z which I like because not too many names start with the letter z.

Now that we know we're having a girl we can start shopping! The time is flying and she'll be here before we know it. I can hardly wait!

20 Weeks, Half Way There!

Okay, so I haven't been keeping up with the blog like I had wanted, but my schedule has been crazy busy with school, and research and all.

Between 16 and 17 weeks I finally began to feel fetal movement. The movements are starting to become significantly more noticeable with each week that passes. Sometimes when John puts his hand on my belly the baby will respond. At first, I was only feeling movements in the evening and during the night, but with each week that passes I notice more periods of activity during the day. I notice that if I'm excited or anxious about something that there will be increased movement from the baby as well. One of the more amusing things that I've noticed is that every time I drink hot chocolate the baby goes crazy! I assume the baby really likes it when I drink hot chocolate? Either way, the baby definitely has an opinion.

We had our first ultrasound this past Wednesday. I didn't realize that there were different types of ultrasounds. There is the old school ultrasound, and then there is something called and anatomy scan which is a more detailed scan where they can tell if the brain and heart are developing like they should. We just had the regular scan this week, and we are scheduled for the anatomy scan next week. It was so exciting seeing our baby for the first time. Everything looks good; two hands, two feet, ten fingers, ten toes. John and I were surprised at how much the baby was moving around in there! Apparently, I can't always feel when the baby is moving around, but he/she is quite a wiggle worm! Unfortunately, the jury is still out on the gender of the baby. At first the doctor thought it might be a boy, but then she noticed that the cord was between the baby's legs. After taking a closer look she thought that maybe it was a girl because she saw what she thought were labia and a vagina developing, but she wouldn't say for sure. They must go through so much training to be able to tell, because I definitely can't tell all that by looking at the ultrasound image! Hopefully when we get the anatomy ultrasound next week we will know for sure. John and I keep thinking it might be a boy, but I think Lilly is hoping for a new little sister. No matter the sex of the baby, we're just psyched if the baby is healthy and developing as he/she should be!

As excited as we are it's now starting to sink in that we have a ton of planning to do. We need to find a house and get moved before the baby gets here. I've just barely started thinking about baby things, but we haven't started buying yet. There are so many options from diapers to nursing. What baby items do I really need? What products are good? Do I want to use regular diapers or cloth diapers? There's a million different types of cloth diapers! Anything having to do with "baby" is insanely expensive so not only do I have to find out which products are good, but then I need to try and find a cheaper way to get them because if I pay full price for everything I'll go broke. It requires a lot of time and effort which is something I don't have a lot of since I have school, taxes, and scholarship applications going on at the moment. The most daunting thing I've realized is what to do as far as child care goes in the fall. They have an excellent program at my university, but the waiting list is so insane that by the time I got my baby in there we'll have graduated and moved away. There are not a lot of infant care options in my area and I don't have any family living in town. Not to mention I'm not wild about the idea of putting my new born in day care. John and I might just have to work out some sort of alternating schedule. Maybe there are some web courses I can take, though I'm done with most of my basics. It's a lot to think about. I realize that I have an insane amount of planning to do, but I want to be with my baby as much as possible and I don't like the idea of leaving my new born with strangers.

Other than all that being pregnant is great! I usually feel good with the exception of getting tired easier. I can't stop imagining what my baby might look like, or how he or she will act. It's such an exciting experience and I can't believe I'm already half way there. Only 20 more weeks until we meet our newest edition!

Our First Prenatal Appointment

We had our first prenatal appointment this morning and all went well. It was my first time meeting my new doctor. She seems really nice, and competent, too. I know that seems like a harsh thing to say about a medical professional, but my past experiences with doctors has taught me that years of schooling and a license is not enough to guarantee one's competence (hence, the three doctors who misdiagnosed me for various ailments in the past)!

I didn't have too many questions for her since I've had over nine weeks to read up on pregnancy, so for the most part the appointment was rather routine. I decided that I wouldn't be doing the test for down syndrome. No matter the circumstances, I couldn't bring myself to abort my own child. As far as I'm concerned the fate of my baby is in God's hands.

Overall, she said everything looked good, and since we have an idea of how far along I am she felt we should wait until twenty weeks to do a sonogram because you really can't tell too much at ten weeks. I was a little bummed about it until she pulled out the Doppler and searched for the baby's heart beat. When I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time I was so consumed with joy! If there was ever any doubt, hearing the heart beat made it all real to me now. Definitely one of life's best moments thus far!

The First Eight Weeks

I know that most expecting moms like to post week to week, but my first eight weeks really haven't been all too eventful. I guess I can't complain. Pregnancy has been really good to me, but just when I start to doubt if I really am pregnant, those tell-tale pregnancy signs kick in and remind me otherwise.

Around weeks four and five I found myself tiring easily and would have to fight the urge to doze off in the middle of the day. I found myself running to the bathroom constantly, and the hunger has been unbelievable. I would have these insane moments where I'm full, having indigestion, nauseated and starving all at the same time. My body doesn't react well to hamburgers anymore (goodbye Five Guys, it's been nice), but other than that I've been doing well with food. I've only had one bout of morning sickness (mine actually happened in the evening) which is a blessing because over fifty percent of pregnant women suffer from morning sickness. Between weeks four and six I started getting frequent headaches and worried that they were going to become a problem, but they finally let up after about the sixth week or so. I have also begun to feel my uterus stretching. The feeling is a bit unpleasant at times, but also very reassuring.

I've begun to realize that being pregnant means that some serious life changes are in order. First of all, I can't be doing these 12+ hour days anymore. It's important I rest and keep the stress at a minimum. With the semester coming to an end and finals soon approaching this is going to be a bit of a challenge. I have a lot to think about when planning for next year. July will be here before I know it!

As far as my diet goes, for the most part I have successfully eliminated caffeine consumption in an attempt to reduce stress. I never realized that there is so much stuff that pregnant women shouldn't eat. Did you know that pregnant women can't eat lunch meat unless it's been heated up? Apparently pregnant women run a higher risk of contracting listeria from lunch meat. I guess that's not really much of a loss since I'm not much of a sandwich person, anyway. Other items that are no longer on the menu include smoked salmon, shell fish, and yes, sushi *pout*, but little baby no name is totally worth it, and I want to make sure I am feeding him/her well.

Speaking of eating well we had our big Thanksgiving feast yesterday, and after I woke up from my nap by belly was popping out a little! To most people I still only look like I've had a big lunch, but to us it's finally starting to become evident that there's definitely someone in there!