Daniel's Arrival

Daniel Giles O. arrived on August 15 at 7:53 p.m., and has been a joy in our lives ever since. He weighed 7 lb. and 3 oz., was 20 in. long and is perfectly beautiful. I will have more about the birthing experience when I have more time, but I had to be induced that morning because of a growing concern about preeclampsia. I used only Stadol (a narcotic) until the doctors decided they had to prep me for an emergency C-section due to fetal distress. I had a spinal block and still tried to deliver naturally after that, because even though Daniel's head finally crowned, his heart rate kept dropping and it wasn't worth the risk to continue.
We stayed in the hospital for three nights total so I could recover more from the surgury. It was so special when we finally came back home because even though I was sore and we were both scared of what parenthood has is store for us, we were returning as a family. Matt was able to take off two weeks total to be with Daniel and me, making it much easier for me to deal with having just become a mother and gone through major surgery.
Sleeping is definitely a new commodity at our home- especially for me since I'm breastfeeding. It does bond us as mother and son, but it is sometimes difficult for me to see it that way at 2 in the morning! Last night, he was particularly fussy and needy because he was circumsized yesterday afternoon. Changing his diaper was heartbreaking for me, because he's so sensitive and many times he just wanted "comfort feeding".
I'm getting used to being at home alone with Daniel. Our friends and family have continued being supportive and helpful, so I'm sure to be able to get some time for myself and more importantly, Matt and I will be able to buy some alone time together. We're both estatic about having a family together, but recognize that we began as a couple and it's important that we don't lose sight of that.
I will be writing much more as I have time. I should mention that in addition to having a handsome and intelligent face, Daniel also has a very strong body. Not only could he lift his head and roll to his side at birth, but he is also very good at climbing up our bodies using his legs when he wants to.
Go to the link below if you would like to see the official "Web Nursery" site - though you must email me for the password if you would like to access it. It has the same picture of Daniel that was take when he was about 3 days old. Please make comments there (or here) if you'd like.
Take care!!!

https://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=0T5P1W8V4F

Daniel, one day old, and me, bonding in the hospital. 

Daniel Giles O., three days old and ever cute! 

Granddaddy and Grandmama B. holding Daniel the day after we returned home.

Pregnancy Log- Week 38

Thursday, August 11:

Matt and I got great presents from our friend Anne today. She bought us two kinds of diapers (now we have four types of diapers to compare!), Burt's Bee's powder (talc-free) and Apricot Oil, diaper rash cream, unscented baby wipes, cotton balls and squares and Aveeno baby wash. She also gave us a variety of coupons including one for 3 baby free hours and a hot meal. It's really nice to have more of the everyday essentials on hand and know that we have a great support person, both of which will be especially handy during the first month in which we'll feel super overwhelmed.
I've still been having a lot of contractions/cramps. Last night, I felt the baby move low down and I had a few very painful contractions. I can now feel the vibrating sensation in my pelvis that happens when the baby engages. He was already low, but now I really feel like he's getting into position. In fact, my whole body seems like it's getting ready. I've been having a lot of sleepy hours and then I get the urge to take a walk, organize the nursery or take care of a task.
Tomorrow I have another doc's appointment. I'm hoping that if he does another cervical exam, we'll find that I've been dilating and/or effacing even more over the week. The less work I have to do during labor the better! I also hope that my blood pressure will still be at least managable.
Everyone in my family called me tonight (apparently without coordinating the effort) and I felt so much love from everyone - it really made my day. Sometimes I feel a little lonely in the effort, like it's just Matt and I. But then, I have good friends and my family show how much they care with such abundance that I realize even though we have the ultimate responsibilty as parents, we won't be alone during the experience.


Friday, August 12:

We had a dry run of what it will be like to go to the hospital today! At the end of my doctor's appointment this afternoon, I was told that because of my still elevated blood pressure and problems with headaches, I should go to Labor and Delivery to be monitored. If any of the testing was to be abnormal, they would go ahead and induce labor, since Daniel is all ready to come out. I called Matt at work to let him know to meet me at LandD and have our bags with him just in case - which really freaked him out. Then I drove over to Memorial myself and checked in via the Emergency Room. I was taken to a very peaceful room for my monitoring - which meant they hooked a fetal monitor and a blood pressure cuff to me and took my blood. I hung out for several hours there, watching TV, talking to Matt and speaking with various doctors and nurses about what was going on. Eventually, my blood pressure went down a little, all of the labs came back positive and the cervical exam showed that I was only partially dilated and effaced. So I was sent home!
It was a bit stressful and time consuming (and we were both starving after the whole thing) but it's good to know that when the time comes, we pretty much have everything together, we know where to go and we feel comfortable with where we'll be for a while. We're going to spend this weekend "living it up" in preparation for the possibility of my going into labor next week. I have another appointment on Monday and I hope I won't have to go through any more monitoring. If they send me back to LandD, I'll be tempted to tell them to go ahead and induce me!

Pregnancy Log: Week 37

Sunday, August 7:

My last doctor's appointment on Thursday showed that I'm still having problems with hypertension. After checking my blood pressure a couple of times, they hooked me up to equipment to monitor Daniel's heart rate. Fortunately, after twenty minutes of recording his "reactionary" phases, the doctor assured me that he was doing great and not in distress. I'm taking another 24 hour test and will see the doctor's again tomorrow to see if I'm spilling protein or platelettes. Depending on this result and my blood pressure, we're going to discuss inducing labor. I'll be at term next week, and since giving birth is the way to cure pregnancy onset hypertension, this will be the best bet. The good news from the appointment (besides confirming that Daniel is healthy) is that I'm 2 cm. dilated and Daniel is head down.
I've been trying to take it easy, though this weekend we've been quite busy. Faced with the reality that I could be giving birth in a week, we decided that it was a must to get all of the loose ends tied up. We have our bags packed, the mattress and sheet for the cradle, our birth plan and phone plan finalized and have cleaned our house. We still must get the car seat installed at the fire station and stock up on frozen/easy-to-cook meals. Also, we bought a camcorder/digital camera, which we've been wanting not only for the the birth but for baby pictures and home movies and I can of course use it for school. Tonight we're going to test it out at Addie's birthday party. I made her a scarf with Gryffindor colors (she's a big Harry Potter fan) and I think I'll use the left over yarn to make Daniel a hat and booties :-)

Monday, August 8:

Once again, the 24 hour test came back normal!!! It was a little annoying having to go into the doctor's twice today just to hear that the test didn't show anything, but I'm very relieved to know that we're both well. Induction wasn't even mentioned this visit, but it's good to know that we're ready. I finally got the perfect baby book today. It's called "My baby's first journal" and I like that it's not only beautiful but practical - it has tabbed dividers with pockets, the pages are matte (so you can actually write on them with a regular pen) and it's spiral bound with a canvas covered spine.
I also bought, despite many controversial feelings, a crib bumper and put it in. When I asked her during our last class about them, our childbirthing instructor didn't seem to think that there was any great danger to having bumpers as long as you removed them before the baby could stand. Also, I talked to Eva about it and she said that it doesn't completely prevent limbs from getting caught between the bars, but it helps when the little one starts rolling around. Plus, she said it gave her pyschological comfort. Looking at the crib now with the pads installed, it does look much safer/friendler than it did with the bare bars. Daniel's other sleeping quarters - the cradle by our bed- is also set up. I found the right sized mattress today and put a very plush, waterproof sheet on it. I put the safe sleeper (with foam pillows to keep the baby from rolling onto his stomach) that Eva gave us inside, so it looks all ready. She also gave us a Boppy pillow last night, so I have that covered for nursing.
I'll be taking pictures of us, the nursery and our apartment this week and uploading them, so there will finally be some visual content. Hurray!

Childbirthing Classes: 5 and 6

These were the last two Prepared Childbirth classes that we took. They really rounded out the course. During the fifth one, we talked firstly about postpartum and what we should need and do. The physical aspects were covered - mainly discomfort, fatigue and pain for the new mother- and also the emotional ones - including depression and ocd (which I didn't know could be a postpartum problem). I'm worried about both postpartum factors equally, but am relying on preparation, prayer and people. During the second half of this class, we took a tour of the hospital (or at least the pertinent portions). Level four of the Memorial Campus is Labor and Delivery and we got to see where family and friends can wait, the normal birthing rooms, the garden tub birthing rooms and the Cesarean birth rooms. I really liked how comfortable everything was made - soft colors and adjustable lighting, gliders in every room, nice bathrooms and most of the supplies and medical equipment was hidden behind cabinets. Level five is for after labor recovery. The recovery rooms were just as pleasant and lots of measures for privacy are in place. The mothers, fathers and babies usually aren't separated during or after the birth and all go together from the fourth floor to the fifth. Also, during recovery, lactation specialists meet with the mother to make sure breastfeeding can start while they're in the hospital. I really like Mission's approach to birthing - they try to make it less like a medical procedure and more like a life experience.
The last class summarized what we had learned about going into labor, practicing positions during labor and what will go on afterwards. We also talked about childcare basics and touched on issues like discipline and nurturing. Our teacher really emphasized that we should focus on our new baby and a happy family during the difficult portions of labor. Also, she reminded us that parenting is a joy, even though there will be a lot of tired and frustrating moments.

Pregnancy Log - Week 36

Tuesday, July 26:
Last week, though busy, was fairly uneventful. I was able to get another "haul" of baby things from Eva and Justin's, which included a bath, playpen, (more) clothes, a jumper, another car seat and another swing. We're thinking we might pass a few of the things along to our friends Greg and Sandra, who are due a month later than we are. One of the things that I received was Sam's old crib bumpers, which I was initially very enthusiastic about. But I've actually started reading some articles that advise against using crib bumpers. Until the baby can move, the main thing they do is decrease airflow, which is one of the causes of SIDS. When the baby starts moving, it becomes dangerous because they can smother themselves on the fabric or use them to pull themselves up/step on. It may be a cute addition to the crib, but I'm either not going to use them, or investigate the thinner, mesh crib bumpers (though, if the purpose is the protect baby's heads from bumps, I don't really see the point).
I finally made some key purchases. A stuffed animal net (for my stuffed animals actually) that hangs from the ceiling and the much sought after glider and ottoman.The nursery is feeling much less like a storeroom (which it's felt like for a few days not because it's been filled with a cradle and two unused chairs in addition to the nomal furniture) and more like a place to take care of baby. I still have a couple of decorating projects (making the dust ruffle, hanging the animal net and framing/hanging things) but most of the practical things are taken care of. Hurray!
Physically, it's been hard to deal with the hot weather and the crampy, B-H contractions, but I've been getting around. I'm still running errands, thanks to the air-conditioning in my car, and am keeping the house clean. Daniel still kicks around as fiercely as ever, but seems to be settled in a head-down position. I'm not sure if he's engaged yet, or if it just feels like he's settled down lower. Tomorrow, I have another doctor's appointment. I'm pretty persistant about finding out what's going on with us, but sometimes it's hard to get an answer. I hope I'll at least be able to find out where Daniel is and if anything interesting is happening in preparation for labor.

Friday, July 29:
The doctor's appointment was short and sweet. The only new thing that I found out was that I tested positive for the Group B Strep and will have to have antibiotics during labor for it. Other than that, my doctor reminded me that I need to call when I have contractions that are around a minute long occuring less than five minutes apart, if I have a gush of fluid or other such things.

Monday, August 1:
Today I realized that I can count the days until my due date! Last night I was experiencing a lot of painful B-H contractions, but tried to relax through the discomfort and practice the breathing/relaxation skills that I've been learning. Over the past couple of days, we've hung up (and filled) the animal net, cleared out the crib and put a sheet on the mattress, organize the diaper changing station and work out the birth plan. I still need to make an appointment with the fire station to help check the car seat installation and work out a phone-call plan (mainly meaning that we need to get a phone card and make a phone tree). In just a week, we're going to really be on the look out for labor signs!