Well, our daughter is here. It was a long road at the end, but of course she is worth it!
On Monday night, I said goodbye to Oma, Opa and Katarina and Nick & I went to the hospital. I got there and they made me change into my gown, hooked me up to the fetal monitor and took my vitals. I was having contractions again, but just mild to medium ones every few minutes. They put in my heplock. Dr. G came in around 7.30 and put in the Cervadil. He told me that since things were starting on their own, I didn't have to keep it in the whole 12 hours. The first two hours I had to lay there - no getting up. Nick stayed for a bit, then he went home to put Katarina to bed. The Cervadil caused my contractions to be one on top of the other and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. When the nurse came in around 9.30, she took the Cervadil out and gave me some Nubain in my IV to help me sleep.
Nick arrived Tuesday morning. I was still having contractions. They started the Pitocin in the IV. Contractions started to get more intense. I think I spent the morning just watching them on the monitor. My nurse, Alice, wasn't happy b/c I "wasn't in enough pain" so I wasn't in real labor. I was also only about 2 cm dilated when they started things. Around 11, I was 5 cm dilated and the pain was getting much more intense. A little later, they gave me a little more nubain because I still wasn't dilated enough and the pain was getting unbearable.
All of a sudden, I was still out of it, but I had the need to push. Everything seemed to happen very quickly but I was still so loopy I don't really know what was going on. I do know that Kathy, the midwife, showed up and everyone was giving me directions. Unfortunately, I wasn't mentally ready to start pushing and a little freaked out that it was going to be happening. I started pushing. In my mind, it felt like I pushed forever and it felt like this baby was stuck and I was never going to get her out. I just kept on pushing, contractions or not, because I wanted the pain to stop. Now, the nurses and Nick tell me that I did great and I had 2 contractions and pushed a total of 5 minutes. Much different than my perspective!
Finally, the big moment came and they said, "it's a girl" and they put a baby on me that looked exactly like Katarina as a newborn. Nick cut the cord and gave me a kiss. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open and had to go through the gross post-delivery stuff. They took our little surprise girl and cleaned her up and Nick took pictures and I drifted off.
Madeline was born on June 24th at 12.50 p.m. She was a whopping 8 lbs and 11 oz and just like her sister, was 8 days overdue. So far she has been a great baby - good eater, good sleeper, a beautiful baby. And now, this blog is done and since Madeline has joined our family all updates will be in the regular family blog.
Thanks for reading this for the past 40 weeks!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Stick a Fork In Me...
I'm done. Today my hips have been killing me, I'm cranky, I'm tired, my hands are swollen. I'm ready. They can get this baby out of me. I'm very, very pregnant. I'm ready to move on from dealing with pregnancy to dealing with a newborn and recovering from the hardest thing my body will ever do.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Another NST
I just got back from another NST. Alice, the nurse from Monday, was disappointed to see that I was back, but not for delivery. This time, I only had a few contractions, so my body didn't even do as good as it did on Monday.
She told me to have the baby Monday/Tuesday because she's on duty then. Since she was great last time I delivered, I would love if she could be a coach this time again too.
So, now nothing until Monday night. Unless of course Baby S 2.0 decides it wants to do something on it's own.
She told me to have the baby Monday/Tuesday because she's on duty then. Since she was great last time I delivered, I would love if she could be a coach this time again too.
So, now nothing until Monday night. Unless of course Baby S 2.0 decides it wants to do something on it's own.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Appointment #16
Change of plans! I am not going in for the induction tonight. Poor Oma & Opa drove down here and unpacked their car for the stay and we came back from seeing Dr. G and told them things had changed. But both Nick & I are much more comfortable with things this way.
Nick & I went for our appointment. I got checked by Dr. G and there wasn't really any more progress made from my last internal. We discussed the induction and Nick asked some questions about it, and from those questions you could tell he was questioning the whole thing. Not because of the induction, but because now they had moved my due date to 6/18 so technically, I'm not really overdue by very much. Just a day. Dr. G (Katarina's delivery doctor and the one I like the best out of the group) agreed. He said that he would even say he was comfortable with letting me go until NEXT Thursday/Friday. We did discuss concerns about the baby getting too big. So, we compromised and decided that we would push the induction back to Monday/Tuesday. That way it gives my body a little more time to go into labor on it's own, or at the very least progress a little more without the drugs.
So, sorry everyone, no baby yet!
Nick & I went for our appointment. I got checked by Dr. G and there wasn't really any more progress made from my last internal. We discussed the induction and Nick asked some questions about it, and from those questions you could tell he was questioning the whole thing. Not because of the induction, but because now they had moved my due date to 6/18 so technically, I'm not really overdue by very much. Just a day. Dr. G (Katarina's delivery doctor and the one I like the best out of the group) agreed. He said that he would even say he was comfortable with letting me go until NEXT Thursday/Friday. We did discuss concerns about the baby getting too big. So, we compromised and decided that we would push the induction back to Monday/Tuesday. That way it gives my body a little more time to go into labor on it's own, or at the very least progress a little more without the drugs.
So, sorry everyone, no baby yet!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Well, It's Almost That Time
Hard to believe. I have to say that the first 8 months went super fast, but this last month has gone very slowly. The time is finally here. By this weekend, I will have a new baby in my arms. It's crazy to think about!
My contractions have pretty much stopped, so I realized last night that I was definitely going to be induced. I'm ok with it. I wish I just went into labor on my own, but I'm ready. I've done a lot of reading about inductions and gotten some good stories from the girls on my message board. I'm feeling much more confident about the whole thing. Still scared to go through the whole delivery part of it, but I made it once, I can do it again!
Tomorrow Katarina is staying home from Miss Barbara's and we are spending our morning together. Oma & Opa are arriving in the afternoon so I can give them a rundown of what is to happen while I'm gone. I'm a control freak, you know, and I need to know that things will run smoothly! ;-) I have my final OB appointment in the afternoon to just do one more check if anything is happening. As of the last appointment, the game plan was for me to check into the hospital after dinner, around 6:30. Nick will go with me and stay for a little while. They will be giving me Cervadil to get me to efface more. And an IV, which I'm dreading. That was the worst part LAST time.
In the morning, they will start Pitocin. And hopefully by later morning/early afternoon, we will be spreading the word on our new family member!
So, that is the rundown for those that read this blog and wonder what is going on. You probably won't hear from either of us until Friday afternoon. Just cross your fingers that all goes well and we have a beautiful, healthy baby!
My contractions have pretty much stopped, so I realized last night that I was definitely going to be induced. I'm ok with it. I wish I just went into labor on my own, but I'm ready. I've done a lot of reading about inductions and gotten some good stories from the girls on my message board. I'm feeling much more confident about the whole thing. Still scared to go through the whole delivery part of it, but I made it once, I can do it again!
Tomorrow Katarina is staying home from Miss Barbara's and we are spending our morning together. Oma & Opa are arriving in the afternoon so I can give them a rundown of what is to happen while I'm gone. I'm a control freak, you know, and I need to know that things will run smoothly! ;-) I have my final OB appointment in the afternoon to just do one more check if anything is happening. As of the last appointment, the game plan was for me to check into the hospital after dinner, around 6:30. Nick will go with me and stay for a little while. They will be giving me Cervadil to get me to efface more. And an IV, which I'm dreading. That was the worst part LAST time.
In the morning, they will start Pitocin. And hopefully by later morning/early afternoon, we will be spreading the word on our new family member!
So, that is the rundown for those that read this blog and wonder what is going on. You probably won't hear from either of us until Friday afternoon. Just cross your fingers that all goes well and we have a beautiful, healthy baby!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Still Here
It sure doesn't look like anyone is winning the baby pool. I'm still here. My contractions this morning were more intense and I thought this might be it, but this afternoon, they've pretty much stopped again. So, here I sit, in limbo, waiting.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Non-Stress Test
This morning, i had another NST. I was hopeful some good news would come from it since I was feeling crampy this morning. It was the same nurse that helped deliver Katarina, so it was nice to talk to her. She remembered me completely and made me feel special since she remembered details of my childbirth from 2+ years ago!
She hooked me up to the monitor. Baby S 2.0 barely moved at all the entire time. BUT, the good news is that I am having contractions that are 2-3 minutes apart! The nurse thinks that things are looking good for me to be coming in prior to the induction time. That was nice to hear. There are steady contractions going, she did a very rough internal, and a full moon is around the corner. All those combos and she said maybe even tomorrow. I'm not going to get my hopes too up, but Nick is also doing acupuncture so here's hoping that it all works!
Speaking of acupuncture, I really wish I could describe what happens. When I say that the baby is barely moving these days, I'm not exaggerating. More than once I have worried that something is wrong. But, when I sit down for acupuncture and Nick sticks the needles in me, I can't be comfortable anymore because the baby gets all worked up. I am so uncomfortable with the large movements. I feel like the baby is trying to punch it's way out of my stomach or something! And then the needles come out and he/she is back to being nice and calm. It's really strange.
Well, think good things and hope this baby plans on coming out soon!
She hooked me up to the monitor. Baby S 2.0 barely moved at all the entire time. BUT, the good news is that I am having contractions that are 2-3 minutes apart! The nurse thinks that things are looking good for me to be coming in prior to the induction time. That was nice to hear. There are steady contractions going, she did a very rough internal, and a full moon is around the corner. All those combos and she said maybe even tomorrow. I'm not going to get my hopes too up, but Nick is also doing acupuncture so here's hoping that it all works!
Speaking of acupuncture, I really wish I could describe what happens. When I say that the baby is barely moving these days, I'm not exaggerating. More than once I have worried that something is wrong. But, when I sit down for acupuncture and Nick sticks the needles in me, I can't be comfortable anymore because the baby gets all worked up. I am so uncomfortable with the large movements. I feel like the baby is trying to punch it's way out of my stomach or something! And then the needles come out and he/she is back to being nice and calm. It's really strange.
Well, think good things and hope this baby plans on coming out soon!
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