She's here! Our precious package arrived at exactly 11:30 pm on March 21st. She weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 inches long. Now, a month later, I'm still loving being a mommy to my beautiful little girl! The following is the story of her birth so I can record it before I forget all the details.
In my last post, I said that I had a doctor's appointment the following Monday at 9 am with Dr. Gamette. Since it was a routine appointment, we assumed we could get ready for school after seeing the doctor so Todd and I just rolled out of bed and went to our appointment without showering or eating breakfast, although Todd did make sure I drank the leftover strawberry shake I'd made for dinner the night before. When we went in for the NST, everything was fine and my blood pressure was normal both times the nurse checked it. Then we had to wait forty minutes for the doctor to see us, and when they checked my blood pressure again, (surprise, surprise) it was once again elevated. Todd and I are really not fond of that doctor, but I made a great effort to be civil. He checked my cervix to see how I was progressing and I was still at 2+ centimeters. He asked if he could strip my membranes again, but it was way worse this time than before, and made me actually scream from pain. When he was done, he calmly said, "And now you're 3+ centimeters." Then he made a snarky comment about how it was a good thing I was getting an epidural because if what he'd just done hurt, there was no way I could survive natural childbirth. I smiled, but had to restrain myself from kicking him in the teeth. He told us that, since my blood pressure was still high, he wanted us to go directly to the hospital "without passing Go" and get some blood tests done to make sure everything was okay. We got to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center about 11 am, and I was taken to room 510 in the Labor/Delivery unit.
The nurse, Amy, had to check my progress again, which again made me scream, but at least she apologized the whole time. Her fingers were covered in blood from where the doctor had hurt me, but I was still at 3+ centimeters. It took a long while for my blood tests to get done, so she brought me a root beer. Then our on-call doctor, Dr. Jacob, talked with us after looking at my test results and said that although I was probably fine, he thought he could make a case for inducing labor, especially since I was only nine days before my due date and Evie was mostly developed. He said that inducing labor would eliminate the risks of seizure that my pregnancy was posing for me, and was our best option. I asked if I was allowed to go home first so I could shower and grab my suitcase and the car seat, but he said no: it would look weird on the hospital records to tell them that I needed to be induced for my health, but to discharge me first. Already knowing the answer, I halfheartedly asked if I could hurry and eat something because I hadn't eaten since the night before, but he laughed and said no, but I could have all the ice chips I wanted. Yay. Todd had a student he had to teach that afternoon, so he said he would grab everything while he was home and bring it back to the hospital. They hooked me up to the monitors and an IV of pitocin at about 1 pm and I immediately started having consistent, but still bearable, contractions. I worked on my stitchery (which I'd happened to have in the car), watched Law & Order: SVU, and ate flavored ice chips.
Todd left at 3 to teach his student, and by the time he got back at 5 (after showering, the twerp), the contractions were strong enough that I wanted my epidural. Amy had been replaced by Alyson, and Todd had her write the baby's name on the whiteboard so that I couldn't change it to name her after the anesthesiologist. :D The anesthesiologist, Dr. Mark Steffensen, came in, and I'm deadly serious when I say he had a glow about him. He was so kind and friendly! He told me exactly what he was doing and what to expect. I swear he was an angel. Then, Dr. Gamette came in to break my water. I was NOT happy to see him, especially because he wasn't on-call and I'd hoped that I'd never have to see him again. But he broke my water (I could faintly feel the gush of fluid, but no pain) and my contractions intensified. However, after upping my epidural dose, I pretty much dozed through them all. During that first hour, I dilated from 4 to 7 centimeters, which is a really good rate especially for a first birth. Alyson wrote the date on all of the paperwork, and jokingly told me that I had to have the baby before midnight so they wouldn't have to re-do all of it. I was fine with that because I think that 3/21 is a cute birthday. Besides, it is the first day of the year that is guaranteed to be in the springtime. :D In the following hours, I went from 7 to 9 centimeters, then from 9 to 9.5, and finally from 9.5 to 10. Somewhere, there was another woman in labor too, and Alyson told us that she would stay with whoever hit 10 centimters first. The other lady won, so I had another nurse taking care of me. At about 10:30 pm, Dr. Jacob came in and told me that it was time to start pushing. I couldn't feel anything below my belly button, so pushing was an adventure. Everyone assured me that my pushes were perfect, but I had to take their word for it, because all I could feel was the pressure in my head increase when I held my breath. In between contractions, I clutched my oxygen mask and sucked air like I was dying. I probably didn't need the oxygen, but it offered me psychological support by letting me think that I was helping my baby have an easier birth. At one point I felt sick, so Todd got me a bag and held my hand while I threw up. Although Evie was head-down, she was facing the wrong way, which was going to make labor longer and harder. So on every push, Dr. Jacob worked her around a little more until she was facing down.
I was afraid I was going to lose in my race against the clock, but after only an hour of pushing (also really good for a first birth), Evie was born at exactly 11:30 pm! Since I still couldn't feel anything, I didn't believe them when they said they could see the head, not even when Todd said he could see her. Alyson made it back to me just in time for the last push and said, "Hurry and look down. There's your baby!" I was surprised and looked down just in time to see Evie slide into the world. I immediately started crying. They hurried her away to clear her airways of meconium and Dr. Jacob delivered the afterbirth. I was shocked that, although I didn't feel any pain when Evie came out, I felt excruciating pain when Dr. Jacob pressed on my stomach to help the placenta detach and my uterus contract. For the last time, I screamed in agony, and then it was over. He stitched up my small tear and the nurses bustled around cleaning and measuring my little daughter while Todd watched and took pictures of her.
Knowing I was starving, Dr. Jacob had asked the nurse to bring me in a root beer and some cookies (mini packages of Oreos and Lorna Doones) as incentive to push (like I needed more incentive than I already had!!). I was hungry, but I was more anxious for all the medical staff to leave so I could be alone with my little family. Finally, we were left alone, and Todd and I were able to hold our little girl. Despite being swollen from the birth, she was beautiful with a full head of dark brown hair and dark blue eyes that she kept trying to open in spite of the eye drops gluing them shut. We tried nursing together for the first time. Then, when a nurse came to get her so she could get her newborn shots, Todd followed her to the nursery while Alyson checked me to make sure my uterus was contracting in size so I wouldn't hemorrhage. I drank half of my root beer and ate half of one package of Lorna Doones (I was saving the Oreos for later), and then I had to get all of my stuff together so I could move down to the Mother/Baby floor. I grabbed everything and held it in my lap while Alyson wheeled me, but I didn't have room for my cookies so I had to leave them behind. I asked if she would bring them to me, but she said that I would be able to get some more once we got into my new room: 420. When we arrived at my room, she gave me a card and pair of pink baby socks from her and Amy, and she told me that it was an honor to have been my nurse and that my daughter was beautiful. Then she gave me a hug and left. Todd and Evie came back, and so did my new nurse. I asked if I could have some food, but despite Alyson's promise that I could have more cookies and Dr. Jacob's statement that once I had the baby I "could order a large pizza," the new nurse would only let me have clear foods. So I was stuck with Sprite and lemon jello. Again, yay. We called my parents to let them know that they were, in fact, grandparents and to describe their new granddaughter and my first childbirth experience.
Finally, 36 hours after my last meal, I was allowed to eat again. I would just like to rave about the delicious food at this hospital! Everything was delicious, but two things stand out in my mind as absolutely amazing: the breakfast parfait and the raspberry chocolate cake. The parfait had layers of vanilla yogurt, granola, fresh strawberries, and blueberries. The cake was chocolate with chocolate frosting, raspberry syrup drizzled over it, and a fresh raspberry on the plate. The best part: I was allowed to have as many as I wanted. :D The food might have been the best part of my hospital stay, although the shower is up there too. It had been 3 days since my last shower when I was finally able to get up long enough to get clean. It felt amazing to be clean again, and when I came out, I got dressed in real clothes (not the hospital gown), held my baby girl, ate a piece of cake, and talked to my sweetie husband. Later that day, Wednesday, we were able to bring Evie home with us. She was healthy, although she was a little bit jaundiced, and we were excited to welcome her into our home. The next day, my family came down to see her, and my mom stayed the next week with us. Eventually, after being on the bilirubin lights here at home for a little while, Evie turned pink again, and we were all healthy and happy. And we still are!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Tests Continue
Lately, I've been having very mixed feelings about everything. On the one hand, I want Evie to be as healthy as possible. On the other hand, I'm very tired of being pregnant and want to just get it over with so I can finally see my precious little girl. I keep hoping my water will break this week and I'll go into labor; however, Todd is in the Orchestra on Temple Square and is rehearsing all week for the concerts this weekend. For him, it would be a very bad week to have the baby. Next week is relatively free and clear for both of us, but the recent health concerns raise another issue: induction. If we had to induce, when would be the best time? With all of these thoughts swirling round my mind, I've been feeling a little bit stir-crazy. A few nights ago, I just needed to get out of the house. I walked around our complex three times, enjoying the fresh air and trying to clear my head. I figured that would be as good a time as any to pray. I told Heavenly Father that I didn't know whether to pray for good health or not. Ultimately, I decided I just needed to pray for peace and to have faith that whatever happened was for the best and according to His will. Whether Evie came early or late, on her own or after being induced, I wanted to be okay with it. The answer didn't come immediately, but it did come.
A couple of months ago, I asked Todd to give me a priesthood blessing at the beginning of this month so I could have a little extra strength when the time came to have the baby. Yesterday morning, he gave me that blessing. We were rushing around all morning, trying to get ready for the busy day we had planned. Finally, just before we left, Todd sat me down and gave me a blessing. During that blessing, I felt the peace I had asked for. I felt an outpouring of love for both me and my baby and suddenly knew that everything was going to be fine.
We left the house at 8:40 so we could get to the Health Center by 9. I had to drop off my second 24 hour urine collection and get my blood drawn again (my levels were slightly elevated last time and they wanted me to do it again). My doctor's appointment was at 9:20, so I planned to just run in, drop off the container, get my blood drawn, and run out. Unfortunately, the lab people were confused by my doctor's order and didn't know which vials to fill with blood, so they had to call and figure it out. It was 9:35 before we finally got out, and we hustled over to our doctors' office. Once again, my blood pressure was higher than normal (145/90), but wasn't any higher than the time before. My doctor checked my cervix again, and I'm another half centimeter dilated! Then he stripped the membranes, which is about as much fun as it sounds. He said that, since the lab results obviously weren't back yet, they weren't going to induce me. Yet. True, my blood pressure is higher than it should be, but it's consistent. Yes, my urine protein is higher than normal, but if the second results come back similar to the first ones, they'll just keep an eye on me and hope I go into labor naturally. Stripping the membranes will help with that, apparently. If, however, my results come back significantly higher than last time, we may have to induce. When I explained the craziness of this week, and that I'd really prefer to not go into labor without my husband there, he said that would probably be fine. We won't find out the results until today anyway, and maybe even tomorrow. Then, they could just put me on bed rest or something until early next week or even Sunday. I've already started my maternity leave from work. Really, that only leaves 3 days that I might have to wait. Even then, he's only concerned if my protein levels are over 300. He told me we were going to do an NST and see how the baby's doing, and he would call me with the lab results by today. If I don't hear from the office by tomorrow, I'm supposed to call and check up.
We did our NST, which Evie passed with flying colors. First, the lady ultrasounded my uterus to see how much amniotic fluid the baby has. Evie has 14.5 centimeters of fluid bubbles; the doctors hope for at least 5. Then, I was hooked up to monitors so they could see her heartrate and any contractions I may be having. I was supposed to push a button every time I felt the baby move. She's a naturally curious little girl, and kicked the monitor every 5 seconds or so to see what it was and to get it to go away. Then, apparently bored, she fell asleep between one kick and the next. We watched (actually, I just listened to) her sleeping heartrate for a little while, until the lady buzzed my belly. Poor Evie was startled awake and seemed kind of confused as she flailed around for a few seconds before calming back down. Meanwhile, her heartrate did just what it was supposed to.
She is super healthy, and my slight unhealthiness doesn't seem to be affecting her at all. My doctor didn't even schedule me for an appointment later this week, although he did say I might have to come in for another NST on Friday if my levels aren't where they should be. I guess we'll find out today sometime, or early tomorrow. If not, we're just scheduled for our next appointment on Monday, when I'll do another NST and meet with our least favorite doctor in the practice (Todd hopes I have the baby before then. :D). From what I could gather, unless I go into labor naturally in the next couple of days, I'll be having my little girl next week sometime. That'll put her at 39 weeks, though, so she'll be fine even if we induce. Really, that's what I learned yesterday: everything will be fine. Things will work out the way they're supposed to, and at the end, I'll have an adorable warm little bundle to snuggle. Maybe a week isn't really all that long to wait--it'll give me time to finish getting the apartment ready and my school assignments done.
A couple of months ago, I asked Todd to give me a priesthood blessing at the beginning of this month so I could have a little extra strength when the time came to have the baby. Yesterday morning, he gave me that blessing. We were rushing around all morning, trying to get ready for the busy day we had planned. Finally, just before we left, Todd sat me down and gave me a blessing. During that blessing, I felt the peace I had asked for. I felt an outpouring of love for both me and my baby and suddenly knew that everything was going to be fine.
We left the house at 8:40 so we could get to the Health Center by 9. I had to drop off my second 24 hour urine collection and get my blood drawn again (my levels were slightly elevated last time and they wanted me to do it again). My doctor's appointment was at 9:20, so I planned to just run in, drop off the container, get my blood drawn, and run out. Unfortunately, the lab people were confused by my doctor's order and didn't know which vials to fill with blood, so they had to call and figure it out. It was 9:35 before we finally got out, and we hustled over to our doctors' office. Once again, my blood pressure was higher than normal (145/90), but wasn't any higher than the time before. My doctor checked my cervix again, and I'm another half centimeter dilated! Then he stripped the membranes, which is about as much fun as it sounds. He said that, since the lab results obviously weren't back yet, they weren't going to induce me. Yet. True, my blood pressure is higher than it should be, but it's consistent. Yes, my urine protein is higher than normal, but if the second results come back similar to the first ones, they'll just keep an eye on me and hope I go into labor naturally. Stripping the membranes will help with that, apparently. If, however, my results come back significantly higher than last time, we may have to induce. When I explained the craziness of this week, and that I'd really prefer to not go into labor without my husband there, he said that would probably be fine. We won't find out the results until today anyway, and maybe even tomorrow. Then, they could just put me on bed rest or something until early next week or even Sunday. I've already started my maternity leave from work. Really, that only leaves 3 days that I might have to wait. Even then, he's only concerned if my protein levels are over 300. He told me we were going to do an NST and see how the baby's doing, and he would call me with the lab results by today. If I don't hear from the office by tomorrow, I'm supposed to call and check up.
We did our NST, which Evie passed with flying colors. First, the lady ultrasounded my uterus to see how much amniotic fluid the baby has. Evie has 14.5 centimeters of fluid bubbles; the doctors hope for at least 5. Then, I was hooked up to monitors so they could see her heartrate and any contractions I may be having. I was supposed to push a button every time I felt the baby move. She's a naturally curious little girl, and kicked the monitor every 5 seconds or so to see what it was and to get it to go away. Then, apparently bored, she fell asleep between one kick and the next. We watched (actually, I just listened to) her sleeping heartrate for a little while, until the lady buzzed my belly. Poor Evie was startled awake and seemed kind of confused as she flailed around for a few seconds before calming back down. Meanwhile, her heartrate did just what it was supposed to.
She is super healthy, and my slight unhealthiness doesn't seem to be affecting her at all. My doctor didn't even schedule me for an appointment later this week, although he did say I might have to come in for another NST on Friday if my levels aren't where they should be. I guess we'll find out today sometime, or early tomorrow. If not, we're just scheduled for our next appointment on Monday, when I'll do another NST and meet with our least favorite doctor in the practice (Todd hopes I have the baby before then. :D). From what I could gather, unless I go into labor naturally in the next couple of days, I'll be having my little girl next week sometime. That'll put her at 39 weeks, though, so she'll be fine even if we induce. Really, that's what I learned yesterday: everything will be fine. Things will work out the way they're supposed to, and at the end, I'll have an adorable warm little bundle to snuggle. Maybe a week isn't really all that long to wait--it'll give me time to finish getting the apartment ready and my school assignments done.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
My Zombie Puppet-master
My body is being run by a miniature tyrant. Who decides when I go to the bathroom? Evie. Who decides when I eat or drink? Evie. Who decides when I get up? Evie. In fact, she accomplishes the last two pretty much simultaneously. When I first started feeling her little flutters of movement, I thought it was so cute. Then one day, I was awakened by a strong kick followed immediately by my stomach growling. Todd and I thought it was hilarious. Now, though, after another 5 months of practice, Evie has elevated this little maneuver into a high art. She has also perfected the art of punching my bladder and sending me running for the bathroom. I think she has a slightly warped sense of humor, which I can only blame on myself. Of course now she thinks it's funny to also punch my bladder at the same time as my stomach, sending my poor sleepy body into a fog of confusion: what does she want first?! Just this morning at 8:00, we were at the doctor's office (again) and she was still asleep. Then, halfway through the appointment, she woke up and stretched, effectively kicking my ribs in the process, and then elbowed my stomach to make it growl. From what I gathered from Todd, my whole belly gave a huge jerk to one side, which was funny to watch. I think she tried to punch my bladder too, but the joke was on her because I'd already emptied my bladder, so that particular move had no effect. Haha, Baby! We got home at 9:30 and I was tired, because I usually don't get up until 10:30, so I went back to bed. My little puppet-master was not amused. She kept kicking up under my ribs, saying very clearly, "Mommy, I'm awake now, so you can't go back to sleep! Mommy, I'm hungry and you still haven't fed me! Mommy, why aren't you listening to me?!" After it was clear that I was determined to sleep, though, she subsided and just sulked instead. I was able to get another 45 minutes of rest, which did me a world of good (the slight headache went away) and then I woke up to the delicious smell of waffles.
Speaking of food, though, it has become increasingly apparent lately that my daughter is not only a tyrant, but she is also a zombie. After all, zombies are the only creatures I know of that eat the brains of other creatures. I'm pretty sure that a scan of my brain would show it looking like Swiss cheese. She eats whole chunks of information at a time! For example, she ate part of my optic nerve once. We were in the grocery store and I was looking for half-gallons of 2% milk. I could not find them anywhere! I looked closely at each shelf as I walked down the aisle. Then, I turned around, and there they suddenly were! Right where I had been looking! I keep telling Todd that it is clearly not doing me any good whatsoever to still be attending college; it's not like I'm retaining anything I learn! Everything gets passed directly to the munchkin. The man has no sympathy, though. He just shrugs and says, "Well then, just think how smart our baby is getting." No amount of grumbling about how she can go to college for herself works either. I'm starting to think my little tyrant-baby comes by it honestly. ;) In all seriousness, though, Todd has been great. He rubs my back and gets me water. He makes me waffles and only laughs a little bit when I have a blonde (read: brain-being-eaten) moment. He's such a fantastic husband, and is going to be a fabulous daddy. He's getting so excited. Although, he wants it known that he's been excited the whole time; it's just registering on the "Jess Scale" now. So I guess it's more accurate to say that he's getting so much more excited now that the time is getting closer. He and Evie are even getting private father-daughter time now. One morning, I woke up to little flutters on both sides of my skin as Todd and Evie played together. It was so cute that I just lay there with my eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep so that I wouldn't interrupt. Finally, Todd kissed me "awake" so we could have breakfast, and there was a joy shining in his eyes. I packed my bags last night and made sure to grab both cameras so I can get a picture of Todd holding his daughter for the first time. It is going to be beautiful.
Speaking of food, though, it has become increasingly apparent lately that my daughter is not only a tyrant, but she is also a zombie. After all, zombies are the only creatures I know of that eat the brains of other creatures. I'm pretty sure that a scan of my brain would show it looking like Swiss cheese. She eats whole chunks of information at a time! For example, she ate part of my optic nerve once. We were in the grocery store and I was looking for half-gallons of 2% milk. I could not find them anywhere! I looked closely at each shelf as I walked down the aisle. Then, I turned around, and there they suddenly were! Right where I had been looking! I keep telling Todd that it is clearly not doing me any good whatsoever to still be attending college; it's not like I'm retaining anything I learn! Everything gets passed directly to the munchkin. The man has no sympathy, though. He just shrugs and says, "Well then, just think how smart our baby is getting." No amount of grumbling about how she can go to college for herself works either. I'm starting to think my little tyrant-baby comes by it honestly. ;) In all seriousness, though, Todd has been great. He rubs my back and gets me water. He makes me waffles and only laughs a little bit when I have a blonde (read: brain-being-eaten) moment. He's such a fantastic husband, and is going to be a fabulous daddy. He's getting so excited. Although, he wants it known that he's been excited the whole time; it's just registering on the "Jess Scale" now. So I guess it's more accurate to say that he's getting so much more excited now that the time is getting closer. He and Evie are even getting private father-daughter time now. One morning, I woke up to little flutters on both sides of my skin as Todd and Evie played together. It was so cute that I just lay there with my eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep so that I wouldn't interrupt. Finally, Todd kissed me "awake" so we could have breakfast, and there was a joy shining in his eyes. I packed my bags last night and made sure to grab both cameras so I can get a picture of Todd holding his daughter for the first time. It is going to be beautiful.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Health Concerns
We went to our doctor for a routine checkup yesterday. Our appointment was for 11:oo am, but it took 45 minutes before we were taken back to the doctor's office. When we finally got back there, they immediately took my blood pressure. For the first time in my entire life, my blood pressure was high, so the doctor is afraid I may be developing preeclampsia. Hello!? Of course my blood pressure was high; I was irritated at waiting 45 minutes to see my doctor for a scheduled appointment! However, they took a urine sample anyway and found traces of protein. So I had to take home a huge orange plastic container and collect all of my urine for 24 hours. Plus, I had to keep it refrigerated. Eww. Today, I turned it into the Health Center and had my blood drawn. Apparently 9 months of pregnancy will turn your veins soft, because I have a big bruise on my arm where he stuck me. I have to go back to the doctor's office on Thursday to see if everything is fine. If not, he said they might put me on bed rest, and he said we might also have to get the baby here sooner than expected. Oh darn. ;)
I don't think she's going to come late anyway, though. While we were there, the doctor checked my cervix (Ouch, by the way) to see if I've been progressing at all. I am dilated 2 centimeters and am 80% effaced with the baby at -1 station! I guess those contractions have been doing something after all. And even if I don't go into labor for a while yet, that's 2 less centimeters that I have to worry about dilating before the baby can get here. :D Another good bit of news: Evie is still head down and the doctor says that the pregnancy is at a point where Todd should be able to hear her heartbeat if he puts his ear to my belly. We gave it a try last night, and Todd says he thinks he heard it! That was fun, and I'm really not worried about having preeclampsia either. I've been super healthy this entire pregnancy, and I kind of doubt that everything is suddenly going to go to crap just 3 weeks before my due date. But, I'll keep this blog posted! :D
I don't think she's going to come late anyway, though. While we were there, the doctor checked my cervix (Ouch, by the way) to see if I've been progressing at all. I am dilated 2 centimeters and am 80% effaced with the baby at -1 station! I guess those contractions have been doing something after all. And even if I don't go into labor for a while yet, that's 2 less centimeters that I have to worry about dilating before the baby can get here. :D Another good bit of news: Evie is still head down and the doctor says that the pregnancy is at a point where Todd should be able to hear her heartbeat if he puts his ear to my belly. We gave it a try last night, and Todd says he thinks he heard it! That was fun, and I'm really not worried about having preeclampsia either. I've been super healthy this entire pregnancy, and I kind of doubt that everything is suddenly going to go to crap just 3 weeks before my due date. But, I'll keep this blog posted! :D
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Some Final Preparations
Today is March 1st, which means (cue the drumroll and fanfare) I have reached the 9th and final month of my pregnancy. Woo-hoo!! In honor of this special occasion, I'm posting a picture of me taken just a few minutes ago. Does it look like I'm about to pop? Yeah, it feels like that too. My skin feels like it cannot stretch anymore (although I still have no stretch marks!) and it itches all the time. I rub nice-smelling lotion on my belly, though, and it makes me feel happy. :D
So yay! Our baby is due at the end of this month. In fact, I was still awake at 1:00 this morning and I told Todd, "Honey, our baby's going to be born this month!" Do you know what he said to me? Without missing a beat, he answered, "Or next." NOT the right thing to say to an 8-month-pregnant woman who is struggling to remain patient for the last month as it is. The first 6 months flew by, but the last couple feel like they have dragged on for an eternity.
Todd has been forgiven, though, because he spent yesterday evening putting together our new travel system for me! I've been lusting after this specific one for months now, and I finally dragged Todd to Baby Depot clutching my precious 15% off coupons. As it turns out, the travel system we wanted was on blowout sale and we snagged the last box. We were really excited, thinking that we were going to save even more money, but we were only allowed a single discount. Actually, using the coupon saved us more money than the blowout did, so we used that instead. We were a little irritated that we weren't allowed to use the coupon on the sale price, but at least we ended up paying what we were planning all along, so no harm, no foul. And we were able to get the cutest travel system of all time! I was super proud of myself for not ripping the box apart as soon as we got home. In fact, (Todd was proud of me too) I waited two whole days!
Todd spent all of 15 minutes putting the stroller together, so I had to hustle to get pictures of the process. Since the instructions were so simple, we had a fun time laughing and making fun of them. The first picture is Todd being "proud" of his handiwork: clicking the wheels on. In the second picture, he's attaching the rear wheel axle, but when he saw the picture, he laughed and said that it looks like he's birthing the baby. :D It kind of does.
This is me, the very proud expectant mommy with the finished product. And look at the super cuteness of that finished product!
Todd spent all of 15 minutes putting the stroller together, so I had to hustle to get pictures of the process. Since the instructions were so simple, we had a fun time laughing and making fun of them. The first picture is Todd being "proud" of his handiwork: clicking the wheels on. In the second picture, he's attaching the rear wheel axle, but when he saw the picture, he laughed and said that it looks like he's birthing the baby. :D It kind of does.
I am so excited to have our baby! So far, the third trimester has been the most difficult. Evie is getting so heavy that it sometimes hurts to walk. In fact, it hurts to move my legs at all. In order to get up every morning, I literally have to roll out of bed and wait for gravity to kick in. I don't have room in my stomach for very much food anymore, but I'm still hungry all the time, mostly for munchies. That reminds me: my sweetheart got me several boxes of brownie mix, so I have been able to sate my craving for hot fudgy brownies! Hooray for me! I'm so excited to bring our baby into a world that has such a wonderful thing as chocolate. I'm looking forward to having her and pushing her around in her cute new stroller. I'm going to have such fun being a mommy!
Baby Tragedy
We found out some really sad news at church yesterday: a couple in our ward lost their little boy on Friday. Every time I think about it, I start crying. In fact, I'm crying as I type this post. When we moved into our apartment, this couple was the first one we met. We chatted for a while and found out that we had quite a bit in common. They got married very close to when we did, and their first baby was due only a couple of weeks before ours is. In fact, the last time I saw them was on the 13th. The bishop had just asked again when we were due, and then walked to her and asked her how much longer she had. She laughed and said she had a week more, and was looking forward to being done. Then last week, we got to church a little bit late and had apparently missed an announcement because everyone mentioned praying for their family, but we didn't know why. I told Todd when we got home that I hoped their baby hadn't been stillborn because that would be just heartbreaking. Yesterday, we found out that their little boy had been born the week before with a very serious genetic disease and had finally returned to God's presence Friday morning. I started crying because, even though we aren't super close, I still feel like these people are our friends and their tragedy hurts me. Besides, now that I'm a mother myself, I can't stand the thought of having my precious little one taken away from me after excitedly anticipating her arrival for the past nine months. That thought absolutely breaks my heart.
When the bishop mentioned their baby's death, I shook my belly to get Evie to kick, just so I could feel her move. I woke her up, so she wasn't super responsive, but she did kick a little to make her mommy feel better. But I also felt a little guilty about that relief and about having my healthy little girl when another mother had just lost her little boy. If the situation was reversed, I would have a hard time looking at other people's babies without crying. I do know that this mother will get to have her little boy again, but I also know that this time will be hard for her and her husband. I want to help this couple, but I know that everything that everyone says just makes the pain that much worse. So I don't know what to say or what to do. Maybe all I can do is pray for them and be that much more careful to never take my own sweet baby for granted. She is already such a blessing in my life and I am so glad that she is healthy and safe. I pray that she stays that way.
When the bishop mentioned their baby's death, I shook my belly to get Evie to kick, just so I could feel her move. I woke her up, so she wasn't super responsive, but she did kick a little to make her mommy feel better. But I also felt a little guilty about that relief and about having my healthy little girl when another mother had just lost her little boy. If the situation was reversed, I would have a hard time looking at other people's babies without crying. I do know that this mother will get to have her little boy again, but I also know that this time will be hard for her and her husband. I want to help this couple, but I know that everything that everyone says just makes the pain that much worse. So I don't know what to say or what to do. Maybe all I can do is pray for them and be that much more careful to never take my own sweet baby for granted. She is already such a blessing in my life and I am so glad that she is healthy and safe. I pray that she stays that way.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Promised Land
Wednesday was a breast day for us. We had a breastfeeding class at 3:10 for WIC, and then another one at 7:00 for my prenatal class. Needless to say, we got a lot of information twice. On top of that, I've been studying up on the topic for a while anyway so most of the classes' information was review for me. It did help cement it all in my mind, though, and help me prepare for the big day so I'm not completely overwhelmed when I try nursing the first time. Of course, all we've learned is theoretical so far because we can't actually practice until Evie makes her big debut.
In all of the breastfeeding classes, we got hammered over and over with information about colostrum, the pre-milk substance that the breast produces that is filled with nutrients and is referred to as "liquid gold" because of all of its benefits. It's been described to us as a thick and sticky yellowish-clear liquid and it's like "sucking honey through a straw" for babies to get it out. After 3 to 4 days postpartum, the actual milk comes in and mixes with the colostrum to fill out the baby's diet. Yesterday morning, while I was still dozing in bed, it occured to me that after a week postpartum, a mother's breasts are literally "flowing with milk and honey." This reference to the scriptural Promised Land made me smile to myself, and I've been feeling smugly witty ever since. :D
Actually, it also reminded me of a dream I had a couple of months ago. Todd and I had been looking at breastpumps online and there was one available for upwards of $1500! We were discussing why on earth anyone would spend that much for a breastpump. That night, I had a dream in which I was using that breastpump and getting fantastic results, even though I was only 6.5 months along at the time. Just out of curiosity, I tasted it and it tasted familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. When I woke up, I was telling Todd about it, and my brain suddenly clicked. I shouted, "Sweetened condensed milk! That's what I was pumping!!" So, apparently, if you use the Medela Symphony Plus breastpump, you will be able to pump sweetened condensed milk for your baby! That's why it costs so much! :D
In all of the breastfeeding classes, we got hammered over and over with information about colostrum, the pre-milk substance that the breast produces that is filled with nutrients and is referred to as "liquid gold" because of all of its benefits. It's been described to us as a thick and sticky yellowish-clear liquid and it's like "sucking honey through a straw" for babies to get it out. After 3 to 4 days postpartum, the actual milk comes in and mixes with the colostrum to fill out the baby's diet. Yesterday morning, while I was still dozing in bed, it occured to me that after a week postpartum, a mother's breasts are literally "flowing with milk and honey." This reference to the scriptural Promised Land made me smile to myself, and I've been feeling smugly witty ever since. :D
Actually, it also reminded me of a dream I had a couple of months ago. Todd and I had been looking at breastpumps online and there was one available for upwards of $1500! We were discussing why on earth anyone would spend that much for a breastpump. That night, I had a dream in which I was using that breastpump and getting fantastic results, even though I was only 6.5 months along at the time. Just out of curiosity, I tasted it and it tasted familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. When I woke up, I was telling Todd about it, and my brain suddenly clicked. I shouted, "Sweetened condensed milk! That's what I was pumping!!" So, apparently, if you use the Medela Symphony Plus breastpump, you will be able to pump sweetened condensed milk for your baby! That's why it costs so much! :D
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