September 2008 babies

[esperanza]

LOSTGIRL honey, I'm thinking about you. Let us know how you're doing. You must have your bundle of joy in your arms by now. Let us know all about it!

Love all around to all the mommies in this thread. I'm so happy for you all. I'll be 13 weeks this Wednesday I have an appointment with our midwife next week (can't wait!). I'm posting on the March 09 thread, in case you ever want to find me

I hope to keep reading your stories, they give me hope. I know you're busy with the little ones, but write whenever you have a chance.

[washingtonda]

Lostgirl -- I agree with Esperanza. Let us know how things are going. It's been a while so I'm thinking you may have had to have a c-section. I know you didn't want that but as long as everything went okay, I'm happy for you. I had no pain from mine so I'm wishing you the same.

Esperanza - I will definately be following you. I would hate to get on the March 09 thread and just talk to you so I'll either stay on this thread and hope that you kep checking in or I'll send PMs. I will go to that thread to read how you are coming along but I may not post there as I don't want to offend anyone since I probably don't know those ladies.

I'm doing good. Baby is back to the doctors on Friday. I hope she picks up the weight that she is suppose to. We are feeding her like crazy because she needs to be at 7 pounds when we go back to the docs on Friday. The sleeping is getting better. It's almost like clockwork. She seem to get up every night at about 2:30am and she does stay up about and hour duriing this time and than again around 5:30. Every three hours. That's okay with me because the Doc wants us to feed her at least every three hours and notto let her go with long periods of sleep and not eating like she had been in the beginning. When I go back to work we are usually up by 5:30 anyway so if she sticks to this schedule, the one time a night will be good. DH and I take turns with her so it's working out. I do think I was a little sleep deprived because I took a long much needed nap today because I just felt exhausted.

Well good luck to all this week. We have all made the journey and have a whole lot to be thankful for.

[MLB]

Lostgirl - I'm thinking about you. Actually, I check the site 2 or 3 times a day for news...hope all is well.

Doreen - sounds like everything is really good on your end. How is this experience different than previous ones? Did all your 'mom' skills come back? (I ask this because I was amazed watching my mom give the little one a bath...it had been 21 years and she was still a pro!) Hope your incision is healing nicely.

Michelle - does is feel strange not to be teaching? It is such a luxary that DH can be home with you for an extended period of time. My DH could only take off 1 week (and he had to use sick time) and there are days where I would love another pair of hands. Did you get your tattoo yet?

Esperenza - good to see your name on the board. I pop over to your other posting site to see what the little details are. It must seem like it will be forever until you are in this position - but it will be here before you know it!

This is my second week all by myself during the day. Monday was terrible because he wouldn't sleep at all. We had guests over the weekend and they just want to hold him 24 hours a day and he gets used to it. I would love to disallow that - but all my relatives have at least a 5 hour car ride (and some a 5 hour plane ride) to get here and it seems selfish to say, 'can you put him down so that you don't screw my life up for the next week?'. Anyway, at 1am Tues morning we went for a ride in the car and it worked like a charm. Yesterday he slept more...I think they can get overtired and then just can't fall asleep. Speaking of sleep, perhaps I'll see if I can catch a few more zzz's while he sleeps.

Melissa

[CT_Michele]

Hey ladies!

lostgirl- i am sure you are a mommy by now and we are all anxiously awaiting your story. You are the final september buddy and then we are all finally mothers. I, like mlb, check frequently for updates, but i know you will post when you can.

esperanza- i will continue to follow your story and may occasionally crash your thread just to check on you. i am so happy for you.

Doreen- glad everything is going so well. Ella was like a 3 hr clock in the beginning too, almost to the minute. Now, she is starting to go for 5 hr stretches at night. Last night she made it for 2 5hr streches. She ate at 12, then 5 and then 10 am, so I got so good sleep, woohoo! Although i am grateful, i cannot wait for a full night of uninterrupted sleep. its been a long time, b/c even when pregnant, i woke up to pee, so i look forward to 8 full hrs with no waking...

mlb- so good to hear from you. it is very strange not to be teaching. dh and i took ella to visit my school the other day. it was so good to see everyone and i miss being there. all of the kids asked if and when i was coming back, and i had to tell them i probably wasn't. they asked me why and i said i had to stay home and take care of ella, and they all said i could bring her to school with me. they are so cute! I wish it were just as easy as "going back." After I got my degree last year, elementary positions were scarce, so I took a position as a long term substitute, so now, i don't have a job. This is not maternity leave, I just left for good. I can't go back there unless they have a position for me, which they don't right now, which means I would have to go through that horrible process of trying to find a position again(which was one of the worst experiences I have ever had, finding a teaching job is very political) and mid year jobs are even harder to get. i am just so torn b/c i have wanted to be a teacher since i was 5, and it took me until i was 25 to finally earn my degree after alot of money and many years of full time school and work to pay the bills. Now, i don't know what to do. Sorry to vent, your question obviously hit a big worry of mine.

I did go get my tattoo finally. It is a butterfly and ella's name and date are in the wings. It looks good. I already had a vine with flowers and hearts that wraps around my right ankle and goes up my leg about 6 inches, so I put it at the top of the vine. When it heals, it will look like it all goes together. I also got my mothers jewelry. I had to kinda create it myself b/c I am very particular about jewelry. I found a butterfly pendant which had diamonds as the body(my stone for april) and peridot for the 2 bottoms wings(ella's stone for august) and then the 2 top wings are blue topaz, which I am replacing with emeralds for dh's stone.

Now for updates on ella- she is doing great, I can't believe over 5 wks already, and as I said, sleeping better at night. The dr's say that smiles don't mean anything until 2 or 3 months, but I don't believe it. I truly think shes smiles at me, like now while she is laying next to me as I type. Her last appt was at 4 wks and she was up to 8 lbs 5 oz, from 6 lbs 3 oz at birth, so she is gaining plenty of weight. As for me, I have recovered well. My swelling is gone and I have lost all of my pregnancy weight (which was almost all fluid) and counting. Dh and I are back on a low carb diet and last time we did this I lost over 80 lbs, so I hope to be as successful again.

Sorry for the length of this post, I just haven't had the time to post much and I guess I had a lot to say. Also sorry about missing capital letters and punctuation. In the beginning of this post I was typing with one hand b/c I was feeding Ella, and now I am too lazy to go back and fix it all. Girls, keep the updates coming on your babies...I will talk to you all soon.

[LostGirl]

Hi everyone,
I am so sorry it's taken me this long to get to a computer to update you all. I am fine, but it's been a harrowing couple of days. To make a long story short I went in for an induction on Sat. night (was supposed to start the Cervadil to soften and dilate my cervix) and by Sun to get pitocin. But I ended up starting labor on my own. When I went in on Sat. I was having contractions 8 minute apart and the drive there with my mother and dh was fun (we got lost) and memorable (we told jokes and were happy.) The hope was I would go in labor on my own and only be aided by the Cervadil so we went to the hospital.

Thank God we did. At first I was pissed that within hours of arriving I had an IV in, blood pressure cuff on, and had given blood. But then the results came back. I had low platelets (which means I couldn't stop bleeding well), high blood pressure and kidney function was impaired. I had preclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

Labor continued but it meant that they started me on a drug immediately to prevent a seizure for me and the baby. I had to stay in the bed, and get thr contractions that way. Not the way we'd planned! Dh and I started thinking that hey, maybe an epidural is going to be the way to go after all. But it turns out on the drug I was on I cannot get an epidural. So in the end I labored for 12 hours with narcotics. Took the edge off but not hard to say how much they were coming fast and strong. Dh and my mom were super heroes during this time.

At 6pm though, I was only 5 to 6 cm dilated and hadn't progressed in hours despite strong contractions. My uterus was getting tired, and they were terrified I'd go into seizure. My blood pressure at one point was at stroke levels. My dad (a doctor) was duly afraid too. DH and I even though I had no clue just how sick I was took less than 10 min to mourn having a natural birth. Dh and I made it through the last contraction together and then said goodbye to that dream. I was so sick.

It was only in the days after in the ICU of the hospital that I realized how bad off I had been. Anyway, I missed a bunch. I had to general anesthesia so I wasn't awake behind the curtain during the CT section. My husband was there when they got the news that our firstborn was a son.

I get that makes me a bit sad, but I've been too sick to worry about any of that. And now that our days are our son, I can safely say I had no regrets. He's the best baby ever. Born 9 pounds 13 ounces with a full head of spiky hair and a calm demeanor. He suckles like a champ and honestly doesn't look like a newborn. Not wrinkly skin, none of it. He's amazing.
We leave the hospital at last tomorrow but I will need to be careful for a month after we leave that my blood pressure doesn't get too high and that I don't do too much.

My tale is really a story of how quickly things can change. I went from a v. happy healthy mama who was walking 5 miles a day in the week before his birth to a one sick lady in need of an ICU.

We are trying to get pictures in order! Stay tuned.

Lostgirl

[CT_Michele]

Lostgirl- Congrats on a healthy baby boy. What is his name? He was quite a big boy, huh? Ella is a month old and about 8 and a half pounds now. The benefit of size though is that they will sleep through the night earlier, my doc said around 12 lbs. i am sorry to hear about your labor experience. I know how badly you wanted to do everything natural. But everything happens for a reason and the most important thing is that you and your son are healthy and happy. Enjoy your first few days and homecoming, and we will be awaiting pics.

[LostGirl]

Michele,
His name is Odinn. He's named after the Norse god who helped created the world. He's the papa of Thor, which is better known from those myths. Anyway, my dh is Icelandic so we wanted a name from his country. As it turns out, Odinn looks a lot like my dh and his paternal grandpa so it's bringing everything full circle.

We are all doing well. And yes I certainly hope you're right about big babies, because he was born big. All the best, Lostgirl

[esperanza]

LOSTGIRL-- you had me really worried! Oh God, I'm so glad you're ok. It sounds like you went through a lot...wow, you're a trooper; I'm glad you and Odinn are doing just fine. Do take care of yourself, please.

CONGRATULATIONS, you're a mama!!!!!! hugs and kisses to you, Odinn, and dh.


Melissa, Dorreen, and Michelle--thank you! crashing the March thread, PMs, or just simply reading are all welcome! I think of all of you as good friends. DH was just calling me to see something, and I answered "wait! I've got to finish reading LostGirl's story, I've been worried about her!" I have an appointment next week with my midwife. We'll see how that goes

[MLB]

Lostgirl - So glad that you and Odinn made it through ok. Every time I hear a story like that I am really glad that we are living in the age of C-sections and that the story had a happy ending. We complain that 30% of births are c-sections, but in Roman times 50% of women died in childbirth! I know it will be hard for you to take it easy for the next month but it will be over before you know it. Since you are BFing, it will feel like you are a milk machine for 1/2 the day and there is not much time for rest if you don't have lots of help for cleaning, cooking etc.

We have had a few rough nights with Andrew not going back to sleep after feeding. I think the issue last night was that he napped too much during the day. I made DH help me calm him last night and now I feel bad because he has to work during the day. Of course....I don't have time to nap either because we have Dr's appts and Andrew only really naps if I take him in the car or for a walk in the stroller and in those cases I am not in a position to sleep. Everyone tells me it gets better after 6 weeks. 2 more to go...

[LostGirl]

Hi ladies
Odinn is officially a week old. He's been doing well. I'm still struggling to increase my milk supply so that he exclusively breastfeeds, but it's going as well as it could considering C-section ladies often have to wait a bit longer to have their milk flow. Add to that the fact the edema or swelling slows milk production I've got a double whammy.

But things are looking up, I check my blood pressure daily with an at-home monitor and it's inching back towards normal everyday. Also I can see my ankles! calves! and legs and I have to say it's such a relief. Of course, I still have the belly of a 5-month pregnant lady but at least the other body parts are starting to look/feel less waterlogged. As a gauge of just how swollen I got towards the end there, I have lost 35 pounds in the week since birth. Yes you read that right. So now I have 10 pounds of pregnancy weight to lose + the 10 my ob-gyn asked me to gain to help an embryo stick. How are you guys coping with the extra jiggle around the middle?

Odinn meanwhile is an angel. He's a big dude (now 10 pounds) so I guess that could be why he's sleeping pretty well. But I am really grateful he's given us a relatively easy go of things this first week because my body just needed to recover so badly. I'm sure things will get more hectic from here on out.

Send news ladies... MLB - have you figure out what keeps Andrew up after a feeding? Sometimes for Odinn it's that we just didn't swaddle him well enough or that he needs one more burp before being comfy enough laying on his back... ANd yes, I'm told that 6 weeks is a magical cutoff where often things get better. Hang in there.
Lostgirl

[washingtonda]

Lostgirl -- So glad to hear that things are going good with you and Baby Odinn. We have all made it through this journey with wonderful outcomes.

MLB -- I think your nights are like mine. No matter what we do it's very hard to wake Michaela up during the day and keep her awake but boy is she up at night. It's like clockwork. She is up at 10:30pm and doesn't go back to sleep until 1 or 2am and than back up around 4:30 and will be awake until around 6am and than she sleeps for most the day unless she needs a diaper change or a feeding. I am running on fumes. Everything else is going excellent but it's just the sleepless nights. DH is going back to work next Tuesday due to office demands and I don't know how I am going to do it without him. I would feel so bad asking him to be up at night with Michaela when he has to get up at 4:45 for work. I know he would do it but he would be dead on his feet at work. If I had to go back to work right now I don't know how I would do it. Everyone keeps saying after that 4 week mark that things get better. I'm waiting patiently.

Michaela is struugling with a little constipation which we are treating with dark Kero syrup and distilled water. She also has a stopped up tear duct which I hate. Here eye runs water and is a little bit infected so she has drops for that. Some mornings she wake up and can't even open the eye and that makes me want to cry. I feel sorry for her even though the doc says it's not painful. I have to put a warm rag over it for a few minutes in order for her to get it open. She is starting to put weight on and you can really see it in her cheeks. She is so cute that every awaking night is well worth it. My sisters are begging to keep her already and although I would never allow her to be away from me this early after birth, I assure them that they don't want her at night (hehe). Only a mother or fathers love could give the patients of being up all night with a baby who just wants to be held and loved. She is not fussy or anything, she just is awake and wants to be held. She does get fussy if you lay her down though. And the docs told us you can't spoil them. I think she's totally spoiled and it's all my fault but it's hard not to hold and love her (smile).

CT -- I hope things are still going good with you and baby Ella. Am I the only one besides MLB who is not getting any sleep at night?

Esperanza -- Another week gone, another week closer. What is your actual due date and when is your sono. Please keep us posted on how things go. Good luck my dear bud.

Elca -- Please post and let us know how baby Lucy is doing. We miss you.

Has anyone heard anything from Caligirl? She should have had her baby but have not posted since right before the delivery. Cali if you are out there, please just log in long enough to let us know that you are doing well and everything went well with the delivery.

Happy week and much sleep to all the new mommies!!!!

[LostGirl]

Hi ladies,
I'm starting to get a taste of the sleepless nights, because Odinn sleeps a lot during the day. During a growth spurt, it seems it doesn't effect his nighttime sleeping. But the past couple nights, he has been up for two hours every time he wakes, which is a change for him. Still the nights are in a way adorable because I feel like my dh and i are bonding a lot. We are just both seamlessly sharing responsibilities. I breastfeed for an hour while the dh dozes. Then he'll hold him and comfort him till he sleeps while I doze a bit. Then it's lights out and the 3 of us sleeps till Odinn decides it's up up up.

Odinn is so freakin' cute. I have a hard time containing joy when I'm around him.

Today was an omen though. My dh had to go into the office to pack up his office because his dept is moving floors. And just being alone with Odinn from 8am to 2ish was so different. I guess I didn't realize how much this time I've enjoyed spending time with both my men. It'll be hard once my dh is back at work. We still have this weekend, and a whole another week till that happens.

The other thing is that I cannot go out by myself yet, because we live in a walk-up and I cannot carry the stroller down to the street. I guess I have to wait a few more days to get the hang of the sling, because my C-section incision still feels funky some days. Good news is I'm no longer taking Tylenol with codeine, I'm just taking regular Tylenol. Still somedays I'm quite crampy and achy.

How long did it take the other C-section mommies to start feeling comfortable and pain-free? How long were you cautious about walking around outside, and/or walking around with a baby strapped to you? I'd love to know!

Send news of how everyone's doing. It's been radio silence for a few days now. Washington Da: has the constipation passed?
CT Michele: How are you doing? How's Ella?
Esperanza: When is your next appt? I'd totally lost track of where you are in your journey... and want to check up!
MLB: Are your nights any less sleepless. How is your body recovering? Do you ever dream of exercising? Are you walking for exercise at this stage?
Or chilling? I am amazed at how the breastfeeding is taking off the weight. Are you finding the same thing?

Hope to hear from you soon, Lostgirl

[esperanza]

LostGirl, dear, I'm glad you are feeling better and are loving your beautiful Odinn so much

I'm doing well, I went for an appointment two days ago with my midwife and everything is marching as it should. I'm really happy! we got to listen to the heartbeat through the doppler and it was a really sweet experience. DH is super happy and so am I (although I must admit that I still get a bit nervous every now and then). I'm in the March 09 thread if you want follow my story, or you can always PM me. I'm very thankful for your support and friendship.

I'm sending healing thoughts for a speedy recovery.

[CT_Michele]

Lostgirl- I think my c-section recovery was rather quick and easy, if the dr's are being truthful. I was up and walking around the day after c-section. I found sleeping a bit challenging at the hospital b/c of the uncomfy bed, but by the time I got home, I felt fine. I was on almost no pain medication and was able to walk around my house, up and down stairs no problem. I just went for my 6 wk checkup and everything is fine. So I guess my story won't help you much, but just take it easy. I was prepared to take it easy and had a ton of help ready, but just didn't feel I needed the help. From what I hear, full recovery is 6-8 wks. Just to tell you how great I think I did, I wanted to make love to dh within a week of coming home from the hospital, but dr said no. She said to wait until 6 wks, but I couldn't make it. We waited until 3 and were fine, just listen to your body.

Well, we made it to richester! Yeah! It took us about 8 hrs, which included 2 stops for ella to be chaged and eat, and one stop for us to pee, so I think we made good time. She was quiet almost the whole way, and is having a blast visiting her aunt and uncle. She will have a lot of visitors today, and it is nice to know we can take a road trip if we like. Hopefully the trip home on Monday will go as smooth.

Have you guys picked out halloween costumes? We bought Ella's before she was even born. She is going to be a butterfly. The costume is soooo cute.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[MLB]

Hi Ladies. Sorry it is so long between posts sometimes, but I am alone during the week and I just don't seem to have time to feed Andrew, do laundry, cook and clean the house and catch up on computer stuff. I don't know how mom's do it with more than 1 kid...and now I am super happy we DIDN't have twins.

Lostgirl - I got the all clear to exercise on Friday. I have actually been walking since week 3 and carrying him in a front carrier since he weighed 8 lb (guess you don't have to wait for that!!) and a sling since week 1. I told the midwife I was waiting for her blessing to exercise and she laughed and said I didn't need to wait and could do whatever my body told me was ok - just like while pregnant (this midwife is a big triathlon girl...). The only thing she needed to check was my stomach muscle to see that it went back together ok before doing ab work and it did. I have 15 lb of baby weight to lose and 5 lb beyond that....how did I manage to GAIN 5 lb while marathon training?? I started weight watchers a week ago and it is coming off slowly. They have special rules for nursing moms. Too bad the weight doesn't just 'fall off' when breastfeeding like the general public seems to think.

Michelle - I'm getting ready to travel to NJ to visit my parents. HOLY COW does it take a lot of stuff to travel with an infant. My trip should be about 5 hours and I hope it goes as smoothly as yours!

Doreen - Andrew is sleeping a little better - perhaps it is an age thing. He eats every 3 hours...you can just about set your watch to it. DH got up with him last night so I could catch up on sleep for my trip. He was up for a bunch of hours after one of the feedings...Andrew makes all kinds of noises in his sleep now or perhaps while he is falling asleep and it is tough to sleep through. I hope your situation is getting better. We have good nights and bad nights.

Andrew is finally not looking like a newborn and NOT acting like a newborn. He reacted to the lights and sounds on his bouncy chair on Friday and it was the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. He was smiling and waving his arms and making noise. Finally he is not just a crying, sleeping little guy.

OK going to wake him up soon to eat so we can get on the road. Kind of nervous about breastfeeding en route by myself....but I'll feed him in the car with the doors locked.