Breaking the Silence

Hey! Remember me? No? I don't blame you. I used to blog here. Like, a really long time ago.

Wondering why the silence? I would be too. Well, head on over to my new blog.

New blog? What's wrong with this one, you ask?

Well, let's just say that sometimes it's just Life Unexpected.

Welcome to the World!

Guess who's here?

Rowan Steven 

Born 11/1/2012

7 pounds, 3 ounces
19 3/4 inches long

at 5:54 PM on November 1, via C-Section

Going home on 11/5/12. Bundled up...a little too much.

At his first pediatrician appointment on 11/7. After going down to 6 pounds, 10 ounces, he was back up to 7 pounds, 4 ounces! 

Having a little nap with Peanut. The dogs are just as tired as we are.

We're in love. Obviously. Who wouldn't be?

But this kid made his entrance very difficult. Here's the story.

I went in for a sonogram at 39 weeks, 6 days preggo on 10/31. Just routine, checking everything out and my fluid levels. At 3:00, the sonographer told me that my amniotic fluid was low and she needed to call the doctor to see what he wanted to do (since by now, my regular OB was on vacation.) 

So, they sent me over to labor and delivery to be checked. Next thing I knew, I'm sporting a gown and being checked in and told that I would not be leaving that hospital without a baby. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting that. My fluid was very low and it wasn't safe for him to hang around. So hubs was called in, mom, dad and my sister were called in from PA. I got hooked up to an IV for fluid around 4:30 PM. The doc told me that they were going to pump me full of fluid overnight and then start me on Pitocin at 5AM. HOLY SHIT. I was going to have a baby. 

After a night of 45 minutes of sleep, they started me on Pitocin at 5AM exactly. And at around 9AM, I was told that I had the best chance of having a vaginal delivery by getting a foley bulb catheter to try and dilate my cervix. Because, oh by the way, I was neither effaced nor dilated at all. Nice. But I really, really wanted to give birth vaginally and I was going to make every effort to make that happen.

If you don't know what a foley bulb is, it's a catheter with a balloon attached to the end of it. They insert it into your cervix and blow it up, then throw the bag of saline over the end of your bed so it pulls and forces your cervix open. It's as pleasant as you'd think. The insertion? Painful. The contractions after? Most pain I've ever felt. Most people feel contractions in waves, but with the foley bulb and the pitocin, they were coming with no breaks in between. It was pure misery. 

Since I wasn't really dilated, it wasn't an option for the epidural yet, so I got some narcotics, which took the edge off and made me VERY loopy, but didn't take away all the pain. It did, however, increase my ability to be a beyotch. Demanding ice chips, kicking off blankets, swearing up a storm. But hey, I feel like I had an excuse.

I went for 12 hours with this misery until around 5PM when the doc came in and told me that there was no way this kid was coming out on his own. I had dilated to 3CM, the max for the foley bulb, then stopped. So, c-section it was. And I was terrified. I was going to be cut open while I was AWAKE. I couldn't even imagine. Hubs calmed me down. My mom calmed me down. Both came in the OR with me. At 5:54, Rowan let out his first wail. And it was the most incredible feeling in the world that he was actually here. 

I had a nice 5 day stay in the hospital. Little man started breastfeeding right in the recovery room and things have been going well since...fingers crossed it stays that way. He's already back up over his birth weight at his pediatrician's appointment on Wednesday! 

More details about everything else to come. Right now? It's nap time. Sleep when the baby sleeps, right?

Baby Bump: 38 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: I'm up about 8-9 pounds from prepreg weight. I gained 4 pounds in one week a few weeks ago and then ended up losing 2 pounds of it the next week. My doc is attributing this to fluid retention because my feet and hands started getting a little puffy. BUT there's still distinction between my feet and ankles and my rings still fit, so that's more than a lot of pregnant women at this stage can say!
Maternity Clothes: Guh. I've even started to grow out of some of my maternity clothes. And I have no cold weather gear, so this kid needs to arrive before it gets too frigid. I'm sick of my clothes (except for elastic waisted pants because they freaking rock.)
Stretch Marks? Just in the last 2 weeks I started developing some around my belly button. I was hoping to get through this whole thing without any, but looks like there will be no such luck for me.
Sleep: Some nights? I can sleep half decent. Others? It's a circus of tossing and turning on my side of the bed. And of course, there's getting up to pee about 5 times a night. Probably more. And rolling from side to side is an absolute sight to behold. I'll be exciting when I can move with half decent ease again. Granted, I know I'll be sleeping even less...
Movement: In general, he's really active. Yesterday he was rolling and punching all day long. Today? Not as much. Just some rolls and occasional punches. I'm sure there's not nearly as much room in there anymore. 
Exercise: Does walking up and down the stairs of my house count? 
Food cravings: None really! 
Belly Button In or Out: Out...and I'm not sure it'll ever go back.
Milestone: I'm full term! And he can be born any day. One thing I did find out at the doc a few weeks ago is that I'm Group B Strep positive. It's a bacteria about 30% of women naturally carry. It's not harmful to me, but it can be to the baby, so they're going to pump me full of IV antibiotics during delivery. Mistake on my part? Googling it. Cripes, message boards can be the devil to a pregnant woman.

So here we are, ready (kind of?) and waiting. Terrified of delivery. Scared about being a good mom. But excited to meet this little guy. It all seems so surreal some days. That any day we'll be a family of three. And honestly? I'm ready to be done with work. Although sitting in a desk chair for 9 hours a day doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's really starting to take it's toll on my back and pelvic area. Getting up and down is a sight and at this point, an ejector seat would be an awesome addition to my cube. 

Next update might be his birth announcement! Stay tuned. And I promise, I'm going to try to get better with blogging. Life has gotten in the way lately and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. Fingers crossed for an uneventful labor and delivery!!

Baby Bump: 35 Weeks

35 weeks with Baby A

Total Weight Gain: I'm up about 5 pounds over prepreg weight now. The weight started to pile on all of the sudden...probably because baby is growing very quickly. And I'm not quite sure how much more my stomach can stretch. I know our bodies are designed for this, but I feel like a science experiment!
Maternity Clothes: Ha! All maternity, all the time. Minus some tshirts...most of them are hubs'. 
Stretch Marks? Still none! I have NO idea how because this stomach is stretching to capacity.
Sleep: What's that? No, seriously. Remember when I slept 8 hours a night? That's a thing of the past. For the past several weeks it's been about 3-4 hours a night. I can't get comfortable. My belly gets in the way of everythinggg. And for the love, I just want to sleep a little before this kid comes and takes that away from me!
Movement: He's active all the time! Which is a good thing because it doesn't leave me wondering whether or not he's ok. He likes to jam feet into my ribs and his head is pressing on my bladder. Because, that's right, he's head down! Locked and loaded for delivery.
Exercise: I don't do that much anymore. It's hard enough for me to get around doing ordinary things, exercise definitely hasn't made it into the routine. I've been walking here and there. Nothing structured though. 
Food cravings: None really! 
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: I had my ultrasound last week and the little guy is just shy of 5 pounds and head down, ready for delivery. I'm 2 weeks away from being full term. TWO WEEKS! Where has the time gone, seriously? It feels like I was just in my first trimester. 

I also had a FABULOUS surprise shower thrown for me this weekend from my friend Julie. It was awesome and I'm so, so lucky to have her, my friends and their families for support too. I think we're just about set with gear. Most things are put together. This weekend is car seat installation...which hubs is in charge of, since my putting together skills are lacking. After that, I just need to finish my hospital bag, get a few nursing tanks and I'll be just about ready. Lord help me. I'm beyond petrified for labor and delivery, but I know people do it all the time and it's totally worth it in the end!

Suprises about Pregnancy: What I didn't Know Would Happen

There are a lot of things about pregnancy that people don't tell you. I'm not sure if it's because they don't want to or because they're embarrassed. Luckily, I'm not above laying everything out on the table. Especially when it involves this baby baking I'm doing.

Here are a few things that have particularly surprised me.

1. First trimester hormones are no joke. They turn you from a perfectly normal person into a crazy bitch in about 60 seconds. I wasn't fully prepared for this and therefore, shed my fair share of tears from February to April.

2. Your nipples get darker. This was also not a thing that I was told could happen until AFTER it did. I was concerned. Hubs was concerned. I look like something out of the pages of National Geographic. I've been told they return to normal after you're done breastfeeding. Apparently, science says that they turn so the baby can see his target while breastfeeding. Good to know.

3. You don't poop anymore. Yes, I said poop. No matter how much fiber you think you're eating, everything gets stopped up. Add in the iron supplements I'm on for anemia, and you've got yourself an intestinal disaster.

4. The second trimester is a breeze. At least it was for me. I felt like I could do pretty much anything up until the middle of August. Take advantage of this time and energy and get important stuff done then, before you feel like collapsing on the couch every night.

5. Sleep is evasive starting at the end of the second trimester. Especially if you're a stomach sleeper. Your belly starts to get in the way. You're peeing every few hours. I think this is partially to get you ready for sleepless nights ahead.

6. Every time you don't think your belly can get any bigger, it does. I'm at the point now. I don't know how there's much more room in there, but I've got at least 6 more weeks worth of growth. And this kid has about 3 pounds more to put on. Meaning I'm going to get that much larger. Size ultra pregnant.

7. Every day tasks begin to get a little more difficult. Such as putting on your underbritches. It's a show every day in my bedroom. I've wobbled like a Weeble Wobble trying to get into these things.

8. You start to leak a little pee pee. I'll spare you the details, but it happens. Be prepared for it.

Suprising information? It was to me!

Baby Bump: 33 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Still at 2 pounds over prepreg weight. But damnnnn do I feel GIANT these days. And I think it shows. Just look at the photo above. This kid is growing. As am I. Although it could have been the 5 cupcakes I ate this weekend at my shower.  
Maternity Clothes: All maternity. I'm clearly too large to fit into anything that's not. 
Stretch Marks? Still none! Thank you baby Jesus. 
Sleep: Oh, sleep. I miss you. I can't get 8 hours anymore. I used to sleep for 8 uninterrupted hours and it was fabulous. Now I get up at least twice to pee and it takes me a long time to settle back into position. Although this weekend I did get a fabulous new sleeping partner. A HUGE stuffed dog from Toys R Us from the baby shower. And although it's for the baby? It found it's way to my bed where I've been snuggling up to it. 
Movement: He's still on the move. And his movements are decidedly more uncomfortable. Baby boy is gaining strength and his pokes, jabs and kicks catch me by surprise a lot. 
Exercise: I'm terrible. I've been counting my house cleaning and running up and down the stairs to do the laundry as my cardio. But seriously? It feels like a legit workout when I vacuum, do laundry, dust, etc. I think I'll be going outside for a stroll tomorrow. I usually start to cramp up down below after 20 minutes, so my doc told me to take it easy when I feel that. 
Food cravings: None really. Shocking, I know. 
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: I have an ultrasounds next week, so I'm really looking forward to that! And I had my first baby shower and baby boy was spoiled with gifts. From some seriously special homemade blankets to burp cloths, we're getting stocked up. I went through everything this week and I'm slowly, but surely getting everything together. I did laundry last night and will work on sanitizing bottles/binkies and getting everything in it's place in the coming weeks. 

Here's a peak into parts of the nursery that I have done. 

My sleeping partner. 

And some pics from my shower:

 Cake made by my sister

 Amanda and Pam came out the way out from Pittsburgh and Philly to attend. Amanda's 10 days behind me with her second baby! 

 My baby sister, who pulled the whole awesome thing together. And made some AWESOME cupcakes. Hence why I had about 5. 

Diaper made by Pam

Baby Bump: Week 31

Total Weight Gain: The weight is definitely coming on quicker now. I'm up about 2 pounds over my prepreg weight. At least today. I'm sure that'll change soon enough. The numbers seem to be going up every time I step on the scale. Only 2 months to go though! 
Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time. I'm sure my coworkers are getting as sick of my outfits as I am. 
Stretch Marks? Still none!
Sleep: Sleep still eludes me. I wake up about 3 times a night to pee and I have a ton of trouble finding a comfortable position that actually allows me to fall asleep. When hubs isn't here, I make a pillow fort which seems to help a little. 
Movement: He's still moving. Just not as much as he was before. Mostly because of the lack of room I'm sporting in my belly. When he does move, it's VERY noticeable. Especially if you happen to be staring at my belly when he decides to karate chop me. His positioning for the day also determines the amount of back and pelvic pain that I experience. 
Exercise: I'm totally awful on this one. I haven't really worked out a ton in a few weeks. Mostly because after about 20 minutes I start cramping up in my belly and get really uncomfortable. I guess this could be contributing to the more rapid weight gain. 
Food cravings: Froyo. Hubs and I went out for some yesterday, actually. And I decided to be semi-healthy and get fruit toppings instead of all candy like I normally get. Expect for that spoonful of cheesecake bites I put on it...
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: My baby shower in my hometown is this coming weekend and I'm really looking forward to it! I'm starting to get the nursery more and more together. I plan to go get a bookshelf tomorrow and I finally got some curtains up this week. Someone recommended getting thermal/room darkening ones, so that's what I chose. Especially since he's got 2 windows in the nursery. Here's a little peak. 

Pardon the mess. I'm still getting things together. I bought some tie-backs yesterday and installed them today. Everything will come together soon enough!