AUGUST 2008 ~ BUMP BUDDIES

[seltzer]

Hi everyone,

Hopefully Shari is now holding her little boy in her arms! Go, Shari, go!

Michele - what a scare, I am sorry to hear about that but obviously glad things are OK. I agree w/you on not trying the external version thing. That sounds excruciating, and it doesn't necessarily work. Given the amount of pain childbirth entails, why add more? I must say, I never imagined it would be as painful and exhausting as it was. It was a tough ride, but SO worth it in the end.

Tina - Noah is biding his time, huh?! When you said that your body has been doing "weird" things, though, I definitely got the impression that the big day is drawing near. I started feeling a lot of bodily weirdness about 2 days prior to going into labor...and then of course there was the oh-so-attractive bloody show. Gross! I really cracked up at your stories about being unshowered and dancing in front of your husband, and then having him compliment you profusely when you finally were showered and made up. LMAO, I can relate. You get to the point where you just laugh at how gross you feel and how much you've decompensated! What else can we do?! Speaking of decompensation, I would NEVER want to see a video of myself during the 2.5 hours it took to push Keira out. I was like a wild animal, LOL.

As far as me and Keira go, things are good. I am SOOOO tired, though, and the hormonal stuff is rough. I cry here and there for no reason, and I am scared to death to let anyone hold her, for ex. I am a freakin' nervous wreck. I am hoping this "baby blues" stuff passes soon. She is up all night wanting to nurse and be held, and the exhaustion just makes my anxiety and tearfulness and craziness worse. But I am hanging in there. One night my mother convinced me to lie down with her while I nursed her, and she would stay awake and watch me so I didn't roll over on the baby. What a saint...I got 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep that night, and it saved me. Keira's cord fell off today, and of course I worried about that b/c I thought it looked a little weird (all I do is worry). I am nuts, I swear. Other than that, I am just hanging around the house trying to stay showered and somewhat put together) and take good care of the baby. DP is going back to work tomorrow, kinda scary. But my mother will be coming out for a day or so. I just love my little girl so much...it's such an emotional time and a wonderful, surreal time.

OK, enough from me. By the way Tina, I FULLY support our next board to be about weight loss & fitness!! COUNT ME IN!

[MBG]

Karen and Seltzer

Congratulations!!! Isn't motherhood amazing! I am so excited for you both!!

Seltzer-yahoo a little girl! Now you have a balanced family!!



I am sorry i haven't posted in forever, but it has been a little crazy!!
We came home from the hospital last sunday. Just trying to adjust to life in the real world with our two precious little boys! DH stayed home with us last week and went back to work today...it was sad for both of us! It was so nice having us all home together as a family!

We have our good days and our not so good days...just trying to figure out this motherhood thing. Even though it is really hard at times and the sleep is almost obsolete, it is the most amazing thing i have ever done or will ever do!

tina, shari, hang in there!! Your boys will be here before you know it! I know the heartburn and other issues seem to be unbearable right now, but you will forget everything as soon as you here those little cries!!

I hope I did not miss anyone! My brain is a little fuzzy!

I will post some pics on photobucket here shortly (hopefully)!

Gotta run...I hear a fusser now!

Much love

Marybeth

[tinaO]

Hello! Still hanging in here. So good to hear from Marybeth!!!!

I only have a sec to post, but will post more later. You will be happy to know that I made the decision to quit work as of this Friday whether Noah has made his arrival or not. It is just too much right now and my blood pressure was up at my doc appt yesterday. I had been rushing around and it was so flippin hot here, that it doesn't surprise me. I was just in pain yesterday and so busy with work. Noah is starting to drop! Oh - and now they are estimating his weight at 7 1/2 to 8 pounds - CRAP! I have a feeling a c-sec is headed my way....

I did not allow him to do a pelvic exam so I have no idea how much further along I am - I just could not stand the thought of another one of those! Still not many contractions. My husband is done with school tomorrow - yeah!!!

Ok, more later....

Hope all is well with Shari!!

[MBG]

Tina
Hang in there girl!! Not much longer now! GOOD LUCK!!Just to let you know...I had a c-section and it was not bad at all!!! I recovered very quickly! My epidural fell out the day of the boys birth, so I did not reap the benefits of the extra pain med...but I think that worked in my favor, I was up and walking (with the help of a wheel chair) the next day. It has been almost 4 weeks since the boys were born (WOW!!) and i feel great!! I am still holding myself back, because doc told me to, but I feel almost back to normal!

Seltzer: Keira is beautiful!!! Congratulations once again!

I uploaded some pics on photobucket.
Sorry this is so brief, gotta run...the boys are a calling!

[sharishu]

Hi Everyone,
As you may have guessed, I have my little boy at home with us. We came home yesterday, the 5th day post my emergency c-section. I was on standby for sunday, but the little guy made his entrance one day early on Saturday afternoon. We had just finished having a Saturday lunch at our new neighbor's house. On the short walk home, my foot caught in a depression in the street, and I fell to my knees. About 30 seconds after I got up, I felt a leaking sensation. As I climbed the stairs to the first floor, the leaking continued, and before I knew it, I realized my water was breaking in massive spurts. I was like 'whooooa, this is it!' I called my husband to the bathroom door, and he promptly called the ambulance which came within a few minutes. They rushed us to our hospital, and within the next two hours, I was prepped, stuck with an epidural, and welcoming my new crying baby boy into the world. It was so surreal! All the nurses and doctors present said 'he's so beautiful!' and all I kept asking through tears of joy and concern is 'is he normal?' They said 'Normal? He's wonderful! Listen to him scream!' Then the surgeon looked me square in the eyes and said "Shari, you're a mom!" That's when I burst out crying completely.

Anyway, he really is so great. He's a gooood baby (TG). He came out with dark blond hair, round face (like me), and a dark mediterranean complexion, floppy ears (like dh). My dh is loving him like crazy, and he is on cloud 9. He's like a little kid the way he gets excited to see him and hold him, it's cute.

I am dealing with the pain of the incision. I actually began to run a fever last night after discharge from the hospital, and I'm calling my ob to tell him first thing this a.m. The doctor did say the incision looked just fine. Also, my feet and hands are sooo swollen. But I see the little boy (who we are officially naming on sunday) and my spirits lift right up.

Hope all is well with everyone. Will post individually soon.
Shari

[seltzer]

CONGRATULATIONS, SHARI!! "Surreal" is the right word for it, isn't it?! I am so thrilled for you, and so thrilled that your little boy is healthy and crying up a storm. I know you were worried all along during your pregnancy b/c of the scary things some docs said, so hallelujah, he's healthy! I really am thrilled for you and am so glad to hear you and DH are enjoying every moment w/him. When Keira was born but before I saw her, one of the nurses said, "She beautiful!" and I immediately said, "Does she look healthy" b/c of course that was the biggest concern on my mind, and the nurse said, "Yes!" And that was it, I just sobbed. It's a wonderful, amazing blessing to have a healthy child. I hope you heal quickly from the C-sec...make sure you rest a lot and drink a lot of fluids. I look forward to officially hearing your son's name and to seeing pics!

[MBG]

SHARI: CONGRATULATIONS!! Sounds like you have quite the l&d story to share with your son for years to come. I hope your incision feels better soon. Take it easy,as much as you can anyway! Most of all enjoy this precious time you have with your new arrival! Send pics as soon as you can!

marybeth

[tinaO]

Shari!!! Wonderful news!!! I am so happy for you!!! Your son sounds beautiful!! I cried at your story!! I am so glad everything worked out so well for you. You must be so relieved to now be where you are - holding your beautiful baby boy!!! Can't wait to see pics!! How much did he end up weighing?

Marybeth - Oh goodness, the twins are so cute and their nursery is darling!! I am so unbelievably happy for you. It just amazes me how all has worked out for us, you know?

Seltzer - how's it going with your beautiful little girl??? More pics, more, pics!!! She is our lone little girl being represented on photobucket!! Need more pics!!! Hope all is going well!!! How is the feeding going?

Well, Noah continues to stay put as I expected and hoped. Tomorrow is my last day of work and my husband finished school last night. All is great! If I could have a couple of days of rest before Noah makes his debut, all the better! If not, we are ready! I go back to the doc on Monday and hopefully will know more then....unless Noah makes his debut sooner! Still does not seem REAL!!!!

Ok, more later. Gotta work....can't believe tomorrow is it for me with work - yeah!!!!

[CT_Michele]

Shari- Congratulations! I am so happy for you and glad you have your baby with you now. I hope you have a quick recovery.

Marybeth- The babies are adorable and I absolutely love the nursery. You did an awesome job decorating.

Tina- glad you are still hanging in there and that work is almost over. It is now time to relax and wait for the arrival of your baby!

Seltzer- What adorable pics! She is beautiful...and don't worry, there will be another girl in this group of boys very soon when my little Ella arrives!

Well ladies, I had more news for today...

We had our ob appt and confirmed through u/s that Ella is 100% breech. Therefore we decided to schedule our c-section for August 26, 12 days away! The dr said that she is estimating the baby is around 7lbs right now, and that there still is plenty of room in there for her, but at this point in a pregnancy it is pretty rare for a baby to flip on it's own. We will go for our 38 wk ob appt next thursday, then on Monday, aug 25 we will have a pre-op appt at the hosppital and then go in for the c-section on tuesday the 26th. Of course they said they check right before the c-section to make sure she didn't flip on her own. If she does, I will be sent home, but if she is still breech, then we have a birthday party!

We are excited and nervous all at once. !2 days to get everything done, and 12 days until we are parents. It is so weird to think we will be mommy and daddy, but we are also happy we get to plan everything out.

We met the pediatrician yesterday and we were really happy with him. He was nice and answered all our questions and eased our concerns. So everything is falling right into place.

So unless the rare occurance of flipping late in pregnancy occurs, it looks like I will be an official August bump buddie. I will try and post again soon, and look forward to seeing more pics!

[sharishu]

Hi ladies,
Quick update, since I'm not really feeling so well. My low grade fever spiked up to 103.8 last night. Needless to say we were quite concerned. We went to the urgi-care center this morning, and they believe it is mild pneumonia. I am being treated with strong antibiotics. Will write more when feeling better.

Tina- he ended up weighing 8 lbs.

Love,
Shari

[tinaO]

Shari - I am so sorry. That stinks!! It just seems that your little battles don't end, huh? Please take care of yourself. I am sure that is soooo tough with a newborn. I am hope everyone is supporting you as much as they can!!! I hope you get better very, very soon. Surprised your baby was only 8 pounds after the docs made such a big deal about his size. Makes me think they are probably wrong on Noah, too. Thanks for sharing.

Still hanging in there down here. Feeling good overall and SO thankful work is almost over!!! It is an incredible relief. Noah still seems in no hurry. I bet I make it through the weekend. We shall see....

[tryw8]

Hi Shari,

CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so happy for you ... except for the low grade fever part. I hope you get well soon. If it's any consolation, I came down with the nastiest cold a little over a week before going into labor. My OB/GYN tried to get rid of it with antibiotics. He told me that being pregnant didn't help because my resistance was already low. I got rid of my cold FINALLY, two weeks after Cody was born.

As for me, we're doing okay as a family. My DH has two more weeks to go of his personal leave off from work. Personally, I wish he only took two weeks off. The lack of sleep is taking a toll on us. He's showing it more, though. He's been pretty snappy at me lately. I can only take in his cranky remarks and not say anything especially in front of Cody. I just take Cody in the other room to cry. Well, my DH realizes what he'd done ... it's over something so minute and trivial that he comes to us in tears with an apology.

Cody had a hearing test yesterday. So since we were in the area, we stopped by at the IVF clinic and my OB/GYN office to show off our greatest miracle ... bundle of joy. No one can get over the amount of hair my son has! He has a full head of hair! (In L/D, my DH had commented, "I can see the head. So much hair!". I only could reply back to my DH, "Give me the drugs!!!"

Last night, Cody kept waking up on the hour to feed. Hopefully, he'll have us better trained by the time I go back to work. (I'm scheduled to return to work in November.)

Don't laugh ... I had such a good pregnancy, I miss being pregnant. I even miss how my DH had treated me with such care and he did everything for me.

Karen

P.S. - Any hints on trying to get Cody to sleep during the night will be greatly appreciated. Two people told me to put a picture of a rooster upside down next to where he sleeps. ( laughing ...) I'm not joking on this. My mom told me this and a gal at the IVF clinic said the same thing had worked on her daughter.

[MBG]

Karen:

Congrats on little Cody....not sure If I already congratulated you...things are a littel crazy in our household!

I know how you feel about the sleepless nights!! My boys were on such a great schedule at the hospital and I tried to keep it up when we got home, but for some reason they started getting their days and nights confused.
They would sleep and eat during the day just fine and then around 5pm start crying and would cry ALL night long, until 5 or so in the morning....a few nights of this (solo mind you, dh wasn't around to help as I made him sleep in another room...he has a dangerous job and needs to be alert) and I knew I couldn't go on much longer. I started reading one of the many books I purchased pre-babies. Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding? My boys are on formula. I make sure they stay up longer during the day...we are on a schedule. They eat about every 2-2 1/2 hours. We eat, have some sort of activity and then they sleep. As evening aproaches I feed them every 2 hours until 10pm...even if I have to wake them to do so....i even try to get a little extra formula in them, so they it will tide them over. It has definately helped! THe past 2 nights they woke up at 2:40 and 5:40 to eat....it makes such a big difference just getting that little bit of extra sleep!!! Anyway, this tips come from the book' The baby whisperer" byTracy Hogg.

Shari: I am so sorry to hear about your complications! I hope you feel better soon!

Tina: How are you feeling? I can't wait till noah gets here!!! Hang in there!!!

Gotta run...it is about feeding time!!!

Marybeth

[tinaO]

AH!! Noah and I have timed this right! We let all of you have your babies and then we learn all the tips so hopefully I don't screw everything up!! I really dread the no-sleep part. That is going to take some getting used to, I know! This is esp true with breastfeeding. I think we are all going to have to exchange ideas on helping the kiddos sleep better. You never know what might work! However, the rooster upside down is certainly not one I have heard of before!!! I bet all of the sleepless nights make you appreciate your moms more than ever now, huh??? It makes me so aware now just being pregnant what my mom went through for me.

Marybeth - I don't know HOW you are doing it with twins. I truly don't. It must be amazingly tough...but perhaps it is wonderful x 2 also!!

Karen - I expect every couple is going through something similar as you and your husband. The lack of sleep can be tough for everyone. I remember these friends of ours telling stories of it. One night the woman was crying and all mad and her husband was upset and she laughed and said that he finally just screamed at her, "Would you just SHUT UP"????? Anyway, we all laughed because her husband is so sweet and he just snapped. She was laughing telling the story about how crazy things were and that they were ready to kill each other. I expect this happens a lot because the stress of a new baby with the lack of sleep makes a person a bit nuts sometimes. No matter how much you love each other and the baby!!

Ok, I better run. I am DONE with work - yeah!!! Won't go back until middle to late October!!! I am going to relax this weekend and do some things for my mom. I have a doc appt on Monday. I still think Noah is in no hurry, but I am starting to drop quickly. Could be any day.....

Thinking about all of you and just loving reading your stories. I feel slightly left behind, but I am sure not for long. Take care mommies!!!

Tina

[CT_Michele]

Tina- Don't worry, I am still here, hanging in there with you. Just 10 more days until my c-section, but I think you will go first if noah is already dropping. Good thing you are done with work, it must be a big relief.

I have my last scheduled obligation today, a wedding shower. After today, my calendar is completely open for Ella's arrival. I will have 9 days left to finish everything I would like to around the house and relax before those inevitable sleepless nights. I want to visit a lot of family this week, and spend some special quality time with dh since it is our last week just the two of us...

I hope everyone has a nice weekend, which I am sure you all will since you have your little bundles of joy at home with you! Keep the pics coming!