Baby is here!

Baby Grace Kathleen Farley is here! 

Born July 6, 2011 7:55 p.m.,19.5 inches long and 7 lbs 14 oz.

The last week my back and hip were hurting so bad...I was already sleeping in my big comfy chair (thank you Mr. Fantastic!) and I really didn't know if I was going to make a week past my due date like I did with Fletch. So at my last appointment, I discussed with Dr. Owens and we scheduled me for induction on the 6th, 1 day past my due date. 

I was really nervous about inducing because I'd heard so many awful things about it - ranging from the Pitocin causing massive painful contractions to labor stalling out and requiring a C-section if you don't progress fast enough. And I've heard stories that most unscheduled C-sections happen on days before holidays or after 4 p.m. because the doctor wants to get home. Thankfully Dr. O assured me that she was on call that night, so had nowhere to go and would be happy to wait however long it took.

We went in at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. Heidi was a godsend, because she came over at like 4:30 a.m. to wait for Fletch to get up, then took him to her house to hang out with Brody and wait for the baby to come. I am so glad I have her in my life. She does so much for me and my family.

We got me all checked in at Rose, and my friend Erin came to meet us a while later. She was awesome too - brought bagels & cream cheese for the nurses. After her long stay in the pre-natal ward when she was on bedrest before she had Flora, she wisely concluded that nurses are your best friend and it doesn't hurt to bring them a little bribe to be extra nice to you.

They got me settled and got the Pitocin going. I was worried about the Pit, but hardly even felt the contractions once I got it. In fact, a lot of the time the nurse would say, "ok, you're having a big one right now! Can you feel that?" and I'd feel like a mild menstrual cramp. I was really surprised by that after all the horror stories I'd heard about Pit making the contractions so much worse.

I was progressing very slowly so I agreed to have my water broken. I did the epidural beforehand because with Fletch, (who was not induced) the contractions were horrible after my water broke and I had to wait for the epidural. I SO didn't want to go through that again. 

The epidural was great. You can't get up and walk around, but for me both times I still had a lot of control over my legs and so was able to move around quite a bit in bed. You don't see the needle or anything they're doing, which for me makes it much less scary. They do a numbing cream on your back first so it doesn't hurt as much. It did hurt but it wasn't unbearable. Like a bad bee sting and sort of a really hard muscle cramp, and very brief.

So pretty much, I hung out in the bed all day with Jack and Erin. The nurses allowed me to have popsicles and water (thankfully I ate a nice breakfast!) so I kept hydrated. They give you a catheter with the epidural so I could drink as much as I wanted and not have to get up to pee every five minutes, which was awesome. Except I think I overdid on the water - later in the day a nurse told me I really wasn't supposed to have water, just ice chips and I think possibly having so much water made things go slower than they would have.

Progress was pretty slow all day and poor Jack was just sure it was going to be the middle of the night when the baby came, like Fletch did. But Dr. O wasn't worried, and every time I saw her, she was like, "no pressure, just relax, I don't have any place else to be," which really did put me at ease. Since nothing much was happening, I told Erin and Jack to go out and get something to eat so they left for a bit.

While they were gone, I had an awesome nurse who was determined to get me to dilate. She worked with me doing some hip rotations, stretches, and turning me on my side. During the hour Jack and Erin were out getting dinner, I went fully dilated  - like from 5 cm to 10 cm in no time at all. When Jack and Erin walked in to the room, the doctor was there and they were setting up for the delivery - good timing! 

They set up the big mirror so I could see, which I'm glad I did, since I didn't with Fletch. It was absolutely amazing to see the baby being born. The delivery was pretty painless and quick, and it took maybe three pushes to get her out. Much less drama than we had with Fletch! And also not the middle of the night - Jack was thankful for the respectable hour.

Heidi brought Fletch to the hospital at like 9:30 or 10 and he got to meet his brand new baby sister Grace. Grace was thoughtful enough to bring Fletch a gift of a big semi & trailer stocked full of Hot Wheels. He loved it and I think it will help pave the way.

They all stuck around to get me settled into my room and then headed home. Erin - what a trooper! She stayed with us all day, and took pictures and did my hair and entertained us and in general was just a totally awesome support for me and Jack both. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and I am truly thankful to have her in my life too, and to have been able to share this experience with her.

We stayed two nights in the hospital - I think if you deliver after a certain time of day, you get an extra night. Jack and Fletch came to visit, along with most of the rest of the family - except Nana and Auntie Sheila, who were on a little holiday and didn't get to see her until we got home.

Thankfully, this was a much easier time than I had with Fletch. No baby heart rate dropping and getting "stuck" face up, no kidney stone, no dehydration, no extra nights in the hospital. Breastfeeding got off to an easy start and has been trouble-free so far. And we of course are so very, very happy to bring home our darling baby girl!

 

Week 38 of the JellyBean Progression

6/26

TMI Alert: Lost the mucous plug yesterday afternoon. So things are moving! I predict a baby before the 5^th. Maybe the 2^nd?

Pretty quiet week. Saw the midwife Tuesday since Dr. O is on vacation. Dr. O said I was not allowed to have the baby this week because she didn’t want to miss it. She wasn’t on call for Fletch, so she didn’t get to see him until the next day. I see Dr. O again this coming Tuesday.

Midwife said there was a little dilation, maybe 1 cm but hopefully we’re further along now. Been having a lot of prodomal contractions. Not Braxton Hicks – real contractions but they stop after a little while before things actually get going. Right lower back and hip are still killing me so I am still hobbling around a lot. But Heidi took me for lunch and mani/pedi on Thursday and it was SO relaxing. My back didn’t hurt the whole day. I keep thinking maybe I should go and get a prenatal massage but wonder if it’s too late in the game – if anyone would still do it. The good news is that Mr. Fantastic brought up my comfy chair from the basement and it really helps my back. I may actually start sleeping in it since I am waking up every morning pretty stiff even though I’ve got a thousand pillows and things propping me up.

No, really. He did.

Dear asshat in the big truck in the King Soopers parking lot yesterday: 

What kind of jerk yells at a pregnant woman for crossing the street too slowly? SO sorry you had to wait that extra minute for me to waddle myself into the grocery store. Sheesh.

Things a pregnant woman thinks about

Things a pregnant woman thinks about:

1. How comfortable are these shoes vs. how silly do they look?

2. Are these the underwear I want to be wearing when I rush to the hospital in labor?

3. How important is it that I pick up the item I/my child has just dropped?

Corollary to #3, I generally use the following decision tree to determine if I really need to pick the thing up. If at any time the answer is No, the appropriate course of action is “Ask Mr. Fantastic to get it/see if I can convince Fletch to pick it up for me.” Also, this is also usually the first course of action any time the answer is Yes but sometimes needs further consideration if Mr. F or my toddler is not readily available to pick things up for me.

Will dropped item hurt somebody/trip me if left? If yes and husband/child not available for retrieval, kick item until near something I can brace myself on to bend over and pick up. Grunt/sigh loudly.

Is dropped item food? If yes, will it become poisonous/dangerous by the time Fletch decides he wants to eat it off the floor? If yes, call Mr. F. If no, leave it. Fletch loves stale froot loops and hardened chunks of hot dog at snack time.

I have routinely considered buying one of those grabber things they make for old/short people. I should probably have one anyway since I can never reach anything with my alligator arms even when I’m not pregnant.

Cute pics

Fletch and Brody at Cherry Hills for Mother's Day brunch. Ain't they cute?

Week 36 of the JellyBean Progression

Week 36

We are coming down the home stretch! I can’t believe b-day is less than a month away. It all went by so fast. Although, right about now I am feeling huge and hot and ready to pop any time, so I wouldn’t be too sad if this baby came before her due date.

Had another growth ultrasound today because two weeks ago I was measuring small…but at yesterday’s appointment, I was actually measuring a week big. I asked Dr. O if I still had to go and she wanted me to anyway. So as always, it was nice to see JellyBean on the big screen – and we got some cute 3D pics this time. The tech thinks she has my lips. We’ll see!

So JellyBean looks to be fine, everything was great and they estimate she’s 6 lbs 7 oz right now, which is 59^th percentile. Right on target, but hopefully she won’t get too much bigger! She is all crammed over into the right side of my belly, which is why I think I keep measuring small. It’s hard to see looking at me straight on but when you look down at my belly from my perspective, you can see how lopsided it is. So when Dr. O measures my fundal height straight up and over my belly button, she’s missing ¾ of the baby, so obviously it won’t be as big. Anyway, all went well at the scan today and that should probably be the last one.

Yesterday’s visit with Dr. O was fine also. Did the group b strep test, which I’ll get the results for next time. I was GBS positive with Fletch, which just meant I had to have IV antibiotics in the hospital before delivery so it wouldn’t transfer to him.

Dr. O also did an internal check and was sorry to tell me that despite the fact that I swear this baby is coming early, there was no cervical activity going on right now and that baby’s head has not dropped and engaged in the pelvis. Not surprising – I am carrying really high still right now.

So far at least JB is cooperating and still in a good position for delivery. She is laying on her right side with her back facing to my right. So the big hard lump we can feel in the top right is her bottom. And I had asked Dr. O yesterday what the horrible pain I keep getting up under my right ribs was and she felt my belly and said most likely JB has one knee bent and that’s her heel sticking me in the ribs. And on the ultrasound today, you could totally see her little foot up there! She was dead right and I can’t believe she could tell that just from poking me in the tummy. Guess that’s what years of experience will do for you.

When I told Dr. O how hard it’s been for me to walk – seriously, I can’t even do the grocery shopping anymore or the whole belly and ladyparts gets very unhappy – she said I should be walking even more! Ugh, it’s seriously painful to walk and I can’t imagine just walking with no purpose. Well, I suppose the purpose would be to get JellyBean moving, but still, the last thing I feel like doing is going for a walk.

In general, I’m feeling ok. Having a hard time sleeping still. Not so much falling asleep but staying asleep. Seems like I’m up every hour to pee. Plus my right side hurts pretty much constantly – it’s being stretched (kicked, poked and otherwise maltreated) way more than the left. I was hoping that sleeping pretty much only on my left side would help move the baby back into the middle some but Dr. O said she is floating in her own little bubble and how I sleep won’t make her move.

Also, my feet are swelling. I think a lot of that has to do with the recent heat. But it’s crummy because even my flip flops get uncomfortable after a while! And I can’t wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row because I need to let the parts that got all rubbed wrong rest before I put the same pair back on. I never realized, but my shoe wardrobe has very few pairs of middle-of-the-road shoes. It’s either cheap flip flops and tennis shoes or 4 inch heels. I do have a few pairs of wedges that are comfy enough to wear to work (yet still high enough to make poor Mr. Fantastic cringe when I’m wearing them) so I’ve been wearing those to the office and switching to flip flops when I get home. It will be nice not to have to dress for the office for a while, that’s for sure!

Speaking of the office, my awesome boss has said that after my maternity leave is over, it’s ok for me to work full time from home for at least a couple of months before I start going back to the office. That rocks! I am still dreading when I’m going to have to drag the breast pump to the office and deal with all that, but at least I’ll have quite a bit of time at home before I have to worry about it. Being able to work full time from home with Fletch played a huge part in how smoothly breastfeeding went for us. Since he would never drink even a drop of formula AND my milk had excess lipase so we couldn’t build up a freezer stash, it would have been incredibly difficult to keep him fed and happy if I had to be at the office all the time.

Of course it goes without saying that hopefully JellyBean will not be quite so picky as big brother and maybe take some formula now and then if we need to, and hopefully I won’t have the lipase problem again. But if we can get to 6 months before I have to go back to the office, even if we have the same problems, she’ll hopefully be starting solids by then and can be appeased with some smushed peas if the boobie juice (or the boobie) is not available.

So excited for this baby to come! (And also pretty much ready to not be pregnant anymore…) Lots of things we still need to do…wash some clothes for JellyBean, pick out a going home outfit, pick a NAME for heaven’s sake, get her room organized and finish decorating. Wrap Fletch’s present from JellyBean, pack hospital bag, go to the grocery store and stock up on some frozen essentials so we don’t starve after she’s born, dig out the breast pump & wash all the bits and pieces, find the baby bath tub, swing and bouncy seat, set up the pack n play downstairs. I’m sure there’s plenty more I haven’t thought of yet!

Week 34 of the JellyBean Progression

Week 34

Routine Dr visit today. Nothing exciting except that I’m measuring 32 cm this week, which means I’m 2 cm small…and so Dr O wants me to have ANOTHER growth ultrasound in two weeks. Seriously, this must just be her thing. Whatevs. The funny part is that I feel HUGE – or more like, the baby feels huge. My belly just feels like it’s already at capacity and I can’t imagine JellyBean NOT being big enough at this point. Guess we’ll see, but my gut feeling is that the scan will tell us the same thing as last time.

For some reason – maybe wishful thinking, maybe just because I feel huge or whatever – but for some reason I just keep feeling like JellyBean is going to come early. At the very least, I don’t think she’s going to go a week overdue like Fletch did.

I do feel like everything in my belly is totally crowded. Am out of breath all the time, still can’t eat much at once and boy oh boy, is she walloping me some good ones. Her small parts (feet, hands, arms, legs etc) are all over on the right side and boy is she shoving things around in there. We are now at the Alien stage, where at any given time, you can look at my belly and see it lurching around independently. The bad part of this is that this is one strong kid. She is kicking my ass with some of these movements. It’s less kicking now and more slow, fluid movement and so there is a lot of pressure. VERY FIRM PRESSURE. What is it over on your right side, your liver? Appendix? Diaphragm? Whatever it is, JellyBean is stomping the crap out of it.

The worst part is of course, that she acts up the most when I lie down to go to sleep. Then all of a sudden, it’s rodeo practice time. The other night it was hurting so much I was crying. It was never like this with Fletch since he was faced differently. JellyBean also doesn’t like when I sit too slouched so a lot of times I’m sitting in whatever chair all leaned back and as stretched out as I can, otherwise she starts pushing at me to make some room for her. Ugh!

Um, good news is that the ANGRY LADYPARTS have calmed down somewhat. I ended up getting a maternity support belt that I wear sometimes which helps TREMENDOUSLY. But I can’t wear it all day long or it just makes other stuff hurt. It sure does take the pressure off the ladyparts and hoists up the heavy belly, which is nice. Also still no heartburn or back pain, yay. Sleeping is still hit or miss, though.

So this week, JB should be about 4 ¾ lbs and 18 inches and gaining fat. Central nervous system is maturing but generally babies with no other health problems born starting now do well. So if my gut feeling that JellyBean is coming early turns out right, she should be a-ok. However, we should probably get the crib put up and get some clothes washed and such so I don’t have the naked-baby-sleeping-in-a-drawer syndrome I did with Fletch. I did at least buy curtains for both kids rooms this weekend, so that’s a start.

How to say no without being confrontational:

Acronym BRAND

Benefits - what are the benefits of this course of action
Risks - what are the risks of this course of action
Alternatives - what are the alternatives to this course of actions
Nothing - what happens if we do nothing
Decision - I would like to discuss this with my partner/support and will let you know what our decision is.