As hard as the first week was, it flew right by. I have to admit, it's kind of hard for me to keep track of the days anymore. Except for pediatrician appointments, days and specific times mean very little.
Saturday night, on his one week birthday, his little cord stump fell off. Now he's got a little outie bell button. Diaper changing is much easier now.
Over the weekend, Liam had to stay on his blue light to knock out the jaundice. Now that he gets enough food, his fave thing to do is sleep, so that helped with him having to stay on the light so much. We also laid him by the window more to get some Vitamin D. Monday morning, we took Liam to his daily pediatrician visit. His weight was up to 7 pounds, 3 ounces. He gained 7 ounces over the weekend, and is officially above his birth weight! We had to get his heel pricked for the fourth time to check his bilirubin level. He's always been asleep when they prick his heel, but of course he wakes up and screams until they are finished. Then he goes right back to sleep. Thankfully, the level had gone down 8 points over the weekend, and we were able to stop the blue light therapy. Now he gets to wear clothes like a normal baby! He shouldn't have to get his heel pricked anymore either. Monday was the first day I drove him around town. Before that, Will had been our chauffeur. Thankfully, Liam seems to really like riding in the car. It puts him to sleep.
Speaking of sleep, he seems to be a heavy sleeper. We don't alter our noise level while he naps, and he doesn't wake up. There was a storm Sunday night, and we had our patio door open to hear the rain. Lightning struck something (hopefully just a tree) and there was a really loud boom noise that scared me to death. It made the cats go run and hide under the couch, and it made the smoke detectors beep briefly. Little man jumped a little, but did not wake up. And yes, at the hospital, they checked his hearing and it was perfect.
Liam still doesn't have a schedule, and wont for a while. We are still in reacting and survival mode. Things are calming down some, though. Some nights, he stays awake for 4 or so hours in the middle of the night. I feed him, change his diaper, rock him to sleep, then he'd get a gassy pain and start crying. So I'd hold him while he works out his toots. Then he'd get the hiccups, which eventually upset him. And then the cycle would be repeated until mama (me) was delirious from lack of sleep. I think he's been going through a bit of a growth spurt lately because he's been eating a little bit more than before. Overnight Sunday, I was up with him for a long time, and he finally fell asleep about 6 in the morning. So we both slept until noon, waking up for another (this time low-key) feeding in the middle.
However, there are some nights when he does really well. Last night, for instance: I fed him a little after 11:00 p.m. and we all went to bed at midnight. He woke up once about 3:30, and I fed him and cuddled and rocked him for about an hour. Then we both went back to sleep until about 7:30 or 8:00. I know it's normally not that easy, but to get a night like that occasionally is nice.
I have not given up on breastfeeding. I was thinking it was a lost cause, but I've kept on trying. There actually has been improvement in the past couple of days. At each feeding, I try breastfeeding first. Before, he just always got frustrated and usually wouldn't even latch on. I feel like my supply is getting better, although it may not be as much as it should. I've found that he will take one side using the football hold and the other using the cradle hold. Now he will sometimes nurse for a good 20-30 minutes. It's not every time, though. And he usually still is hungry afterwards, and I have to give him formula. There was one feeding on Monday where I was able to just breastfeed, and he seemed to get full. However, he was ravenous at the next one, and I had to give him formula. So maybe he just got sleepy that first time. As of right now, I still have to supplement feedings with formula. I haven't completely decided what to do. I really want breastfeeding to work. Even if I end up just pumping and giving it to him in a bottle, I want him to get as much breastmilk as he can. He doesn't seem to like going back and forth from breast to bottle, and bottle wins out most of the time.
Today, I've discovered that Liam now has thrush. So the inside of his mouth looks like it's covered in milk, which is what I thought it was at first only it didn't go away. It doesn't seem to bother him or affect feeding, though. The pedi called in medicine for it, so I have to start giving that to him today.
Starting yesterday, Will went back to work half days. Yesterday afternoon on our own went well, mostly because he slept away most of it. We've been by ourselves this morning, and it's gone fine as well. But then again, I haven't had to deal with much more than just a sleeping Liam while Will's been gone. I still haven't been able to accomplish much around the house yet. Hopefully I will start cleaning soon. I need a to do list.
Now that Liam's jaundice is pretty much gone (I still see some of it in his face), we have a more accurate idea of what his skin tone is. The jaundice made him look tan, but he is actually a fair-skinned child. I knew he couldn't escape that with me as his mama.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Liam's First Week
So his birth is just the beginning of the story. Giving birth is a crazy experience, and while it's happening, you're not thinking about what happens AFTER the birth. You're just anticipating holding your baby and then once he's here, just happy and excited to meet him. Then things calm down in the delivery room and you get moved to your postpartum room. Holding Liam while I got wheeled up the seventh floor was exciting. Once they got us settled in the room, and the nurses all left, reality set in. Oh my gosh, we have a child now...that we have to keep alive. We realized life would never be the same again.
With Liam being born at almost 9:00 p.m., we didn't get to our room until 10:30 or so. (I honestly don't know what time it was. Knowing the time ceased to matter at that point, and one week later I still feel that way.) That night is kind of a blur. I remember our nurse coming in a lot to check me and the baby out and help with breastfeeding. At some point, Will went to the food court and got us some veggie burgers. I remember that I was starving. Liam slept a lot that night, as just-born babies do. He was taken to the nursery at some point for a quick check-up, and I walked down there and watched through the window.We held and cuddled him a lot, and around 5:00 a.m., he got his first bath. He wasn't too crazy about the bath part, but he loved getting his hair washed.
Sunday was our first full day as parents. It was a day of new experiences and learning. With the help of nurses, Liam and I ventured into breastfeeding. He did really well with it at the hospital. More on that later. Sunday afternoon, my parents came to visit and meet their first grandchild. They were Liam's first visitors. Sunday was filled with nurse check-ups and a pediatrician check-up for Liam. She said he was perfect. Sunday was a pretty laid-back day. Once again, lots of cuddles and getting to know each other.
Monday, Liam's grandparents came back to see him. He was also visited by Candy, Elisa, and Tedye from First Baptist. We filled out information for his birth certificate and social security card so he'll be legit. I was Group B Strep positive, which means I supposed to get two doses of antibiotics while in labor. They got one dose in me, but not the second since things went quickly. Therefore, they had to do a blood culture on Liam that had to be checked exactly 48 hours after he was born. Therefore, we had to wait until after 9:00 p.m. Monday night to get discharged. Once he was given the all clear, Will took our stuff down to the car and waited in the discharge pick-up area, and two dudes wheeled me and little man down there to him. It was quite uneventful, yet very significant. They let us take him home!
Liam slept all the way home. That all changed once we actually got home.
Our first night home was extremely tough. Liam was either screaming or nursing, and he wasn't nursing very well. Earlier in the day when the nurse was giving us our new parent instructions, she told us that it may seem like we took home a completely different baby. She was right. Liam was perfect in the hospital, only fussing a couple of times. He nursed well and passed all his jaundice tests. We stayed up all night that night just reacting to Liam and trying to get him to calm down. As soon as he'd get quiet, he'd start back up again. We were scared and frustrated and I think Liam was as well. We had no idea what else to do. I know that I felt helpless. Liam finally fell asleep around six in the morning, but I may have been too paranoid to sleep myself.
I don't really remember Tuesday very well, but I know it was filled with nearly constant nursing and freaking out on the inside (and some on the outside) by me. Liam didn't sleep much at all, therefore we didn't either. I felt a lot of anxiety and nervousness. I didn't know what else I could do to soothe him. He was getting frustrated nursing, and my milk had not yet come in, so he was just getting colostrum. Tuesday night was a repeat of Monday night, with zero sleep all around. It had been the roughest 36 or so hours of my life.
Wednesday morning, we took Liam to the pediatrician for his newborn visit. When we left the hospital, he weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, just slightly down from his birth weight. At the doctor's office, he was down to 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Not good. He had lost more than 10% from his birth weight. Of course he was fussy, so they gave us a little thing of formula to give to him there. He drank some of it and quieted right down. The doctor said he wasn't getting enough nourishment, and that we needed to supplement the breastfeeding with formula. He also said he was jaundiced, so he had to get his heel pricked. Sure enough, he had it and we were given orders to have him lay on a blue light at home all the time unless he was being fed or changed. He could only wear a diaper and socks so more skin was exposed. The light was delivered later that evening. After having the formula, Liam slept for hours once we got home. It was a massive change from the previous day and a half, and it was much-needed relief. That night, Liam started his light therapy and I started giving him formula after nursing. Liam had already been having some nursing issues, but they really picked up once formula came in the picture. Overnight on Wednesday, my milk finally came in, but I could tell there wasn't much of it. Liam's nursing behavior didn't change. It was becoming a frustrating thing for him. Because of the formula, Liam did sleep more that night. I was also glad he was getting the nourishment he needed. I had been starving him and didn't know it.
Thursday morning, we went back to the pediatrician's office for another check-up. He was up 2 ounces overnight! He got another heel prick to check his jaundice. It had only gone down one point, so we were ordered to keep him on the light. Going number one and number two also helps get out the bilirubins that cause jaundice, so the formula is good for that as well. Thursday evening, Liam's grandparents (Will's parents) came to meet him. He had to stay on his light as much as possible, but they got time in holding him. Overnight Thursday went well. I had to wake Liam up to feed him every 2.5-3 hours. He may have woken up on his own once that night. I would try breastfeeding first and once it got too frustrating for him, I would give him the formula. I think that was the first night I actually slept. Liam actually scared me. I had fed him slightly before 3:00 a.m., and we all went back to sleep after it. I didn't wake up again until a little after 6:00 a.m. Liam was still asleep and that freaked me out some. He was also reluctant to wake up then which further concerned me. But he did wake up and we did our diaper change and feeding routine.
Friday morning, we went back to the pediatrician's office for another check-up. Yes, we had to go three days in a row. Weight check was great. Liam was up to 6 pounds, 12 ounces, so 7 ounces in two days! I gave him a baby high five for that. I expressed my concerns that I was losing him to the bottle and the nurse was very encouraging and gave me some tips. She told me to keep trying every 2 hours or so and pump to get things going. Unfortunately, little man still gets super frustrated and sometimes won't even latch on now. It breaks my heart. I have a hand pump that I've been using some, but I barely get anything out. I am not making nearly enough milk to meet his needs, and he totally knows that. It breaks my heart, though. I had grand visions of a chubby, breastfed baby. I have not given up hope yet, though. I still try it every feeding and pump whatever I can and give it to him in a bottle. I've started drinking some lactation tea in hopes that it will help. I know this whole thing is all about supply and demand, though. At first the supply wasn't there, but the demand was. Then by the time the supply was there, demand had dropped off. Now as demand becomes less and less, supply also becomes less. I don't yet know what the outcome will be. I know I'm not a bad mother if he ends up being formula fed. A friend is letting me borrow an electric pump, so hopefully that will help. Overnight Friday was quite nice actually. I had to wake Liam to feed twice (pedi wants him to eat every 3 hours), but both feedings went smoothly (not counting bf frustration) and he went back to sleep easily. I was able to get good sleep in between feedings.
Today is Liam's one-week birthday. His routine right now is to sleep most of the time, dirty and wet lots of diapers, and eat every three hours. He's pretty good at that right now. He did have a fussy spell this afternoon, but the kid really just wants to be held. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do much of that because he has to stay on his light. He will be on it until at least Monday when he'll get his level check again.
This has been the most overwhelming, emotional, exhausting, and trying week of my life. It has also been amazing and exciting. I'm getting used to the idea that I'm a mother now, and even though I sometimes doubt myself, I know I am capable of taking care of him. We've been in survival mode, figuring it all out. Crazy hormones don't help the situation. I'm so happy I'm Liam's mom. I love him so much already. We already get some gassy grins and sweet faces. He already acts like Will. They both like to sleep with their arms above their heads. This morning, they were in the same position sleeping. It's so cute! His eyes already have a hint of brown in them, so I think he will be a brown hair, brown eyed boy, just like his daddy. I'm glad we made it through the first week, and I'm ready for the second.
With Liam being born at almost 9:00 p.m., we didn't get to our room until 10:30 or so. (I honestly don't know what time it was. Knowing the time ceased to matter at that point, and one week later I still feel that way.) That night is kind of a blur. I remember our nurse coming in a lot to check me and the baby out and help with breastfeeding. At some point, Will went to the food court and got us some veggie burgers. I remember that I was starving. Liam slept a lot that night, as just-born babies do. He was taken to the nursery at some point for a quick check-up, and I walked down there and watched through the window.We held and cuddled him a lot, and around 5:00 a.m., he got his first bath. He wasn't too crazy about the bath part, but he loved getting his hair washed.
Sunday was our first full day as parents. It was a day of new experiences and learning. With the help of nurses, Liam and I ventured into breastfeeding. He did really well with it at the hospital. More on that later. Sunday afternoon, my parents came to visit and meet their first grandchild. They were Liam's first visitors. Sunday was filled with nurse check-ups and a pediatrician check-up for Liam. She said he was perfect. Sunday was a pretty laid-back day. Once again, lots of cuddles and getting to know each other.
Monday, Liam's grandparents came back to see him. He was also visited by Candy, Elisa, and Tedye from First Baptist. We filled out information for his birth certificate and social security card so he'll be legit. I was Group B Strep positive, which means I supposed to get two doses of antibiotics while in labor. They got one dose in me, but not the second since things went quickly. Therefore, they had to do a blood culture on Liam that had to be checked exactly 48 hours after he was born. Therefore, we had to wait until after 9:00 p.m. Monday night to get discharged. Once he was given the all clear, Will took our stuff down to the car and waited in the discharge pick-up area, and two dudes wheeled me and little man down there to him. It was quite uneventful, yet very significant. They let us take him home!
Liam slept all the way home. That all changed once we actually got home.
Our first night home was extremely tough. Liam was either screaming or nursing, and he wasn't nursing very well. Earlier in the day when the nurse was giving us our new parent instructions, she told us that it may seem like we took home a completely different baby. She was right. Liam was perfect in the hospital, only fussing a couple of times. He nursed well and passed all his jaundice tests. We stayed up all night that night just reacting to Liam and trying to get him to calm down. As soon as he'd get quiet, he'd start back up again. We were scared and frustrated and I think Liam was as well. We had no idea what else to do. I know that I felt helpless. Liam finally fell asleep around six in the morning, but I may have been too paranoid to sleep myself.
I don't really remember Tuesday very well, but I know it was filled with nearly constant nursing and freaking out on the inside (and some on the outside) by me. Liam didn't sleep much at all, therefore we didn't either. I felt a lot of anxiety and nervousness. I didn't know what else I could do to soothe him. He was getting frustrated nursing, and my milk had not yet come in, so he was just getting colostrum. Tuesday night was a repeat of Monday night, with zero sleep all around. It had been the roughest 36 or so hours of my life.
Wednesday morning, we took Liam to the pediatrician for his newborn visit. When we left the hospital, he weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, just slightly down from his birth weight. At the doctor's office, he was down to 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Not good. He had lost more than 10% from his birth weight. Of course he was fussy, so they gave us a little thing of formula to give to him there. He drank some of it and quieted right down. The doctor said he wasn't getting enough nourishment, and that we needed to supplement the breastfeeding with formula. He also said he was jaundiced, so he had to get his heel pricked. Sure enough, he had it and we were given orders to have him lay on a blue light at home all the time unless he was being fed or changed. He could only wear a diaper and socks so more skin was exposed. The light was delivered later that evening. After having the formula, Liam slept for hours once we got home. It was a massive change from the previous day and a half, and it was much-needed relief. That night, Liam started his light therapy and I started giving him formula after nursing. Liam had already been having some nursing issues, but they really picked up once formula came in the picture. Overnight on Wednesday, my milk finally came in, but I could tell there wasn't much of it. Liam's nursing behavior didn't change. It was becoming a frustrating thing for him. Because of the formula, Liam did sleep more that night. I was also glad he was getting the nourishment he needed. I had been starving him and didn't know it.
 |
| Liam on his blue light. |
Thursday morning, we went back to the pediatrician's office for another check-up. He was up 2 ounces overnight! He got another heel prick to check his jaundice. It had only gone down one point, so we were ordered to keep him on the light. Going number one and number two also helps get out the bilirubins that cause jaundice, so the formula is good for that as well. Thursday evening, Liam's grandparents (Will's parents) came to meet him. He had to stay on his light as much as possible, but they got time in holding him. Overnight Thursday went well. I had to wake Liam up to feed him every 2.5-3 hours. He may have woken up on his own once that night. I would try breastfeeding first and once it got too frustrating for him, I would give him the formula. I think that was the first night I actually slept. Liam actually scared me. I had fed him slightly before 3:00 a.m., and we all went back to sleep after it. I didn't wake up again until a little after 6:00 a.m. Liam was still asleep and that freaked me out some. He was also reluctant to wake up then which further concerned me. But he did wake up and we did our diaper change and feeding routine.
Friday morning, we went back to the pediatrician's office for another check-up. Yes, we had to go three days in a row. Weight check was great. Liam was up to 6 pounds, 12 ounces, so 7 ounces in two days! I gave him a baby high five for that. I expressed my concerns that I was losing him to the bottle and the nurse was very encouraging and gave me some tips. She told me to keep trying every 2 hours or so and pump to get things going. Unfortunately, little man still gets super frustrated and sometimes won't even latch on now. It breaks my heart. I have a hand pump that I've been using some, but I barely get anything out. I am not making nearly enough milk to meet his needs, and he totally knows that. It breaks my heart, though. I had grand visions of a chubby, breastfed baby. I have not given up hope yet, though. I still try it every feeding and pump whatever I can and give it to him in a bottle. I've started drinking some lactation tea in hopes that it will help. I know this whole thing is all about supply and demand, though. At first the supply wasn't there, but the demand was. Then by the time the supply was there, demand had dropped off. Now as demand becomes less and less, supply also becomes less. I don't yet know what the outcome will be. I know I'm not a bad mother if he ends up being formula fed. A friend is letting me borrow an electric pump, so hopefully that will help. Overnight Friday was quite nice actually. I had to wake Liam to feed twice (pedi wants him to eat every 3 hours), but both feedings went smoothly (not counting bf frustration) and he went back to sleep easily. I was able to get good sleep in between feedings.
Today is Liam's one-week birthday. His routine right now is to sleep most of the time, dirty and wet lots of diapers, and eat every three hours. He's pretty good at that right now. He did have a fussy spell this afternoon, but the kid really just wants to be held. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do much of that because he has to stay on his light. He will be on it until at least Monday when he'll get his level check again.
This has been the most overwhelming, emotional, exhausting, and trying week of my life. It has also been amazing and exciting. I'm getting used to the idea that I'm a mother now, and even though I sometimes doubt myself, I know I am capable of taking care of him. We've been in survival mode, figuring it all out. Crazy hormones don't help the situation. I'm so happy I'm Liam's mom. I love him so much already. We already get some gassy grins and sweet faces. He already acts like Will. They both like to sleep with their arms above their heads. This morning, they were in the same position sleeping. It's so cute! His eyes already have a hint of brown in them, so I think he will be a brown hair, brown eyed boy, just like his daddy. I'm glad we made it through the first week, and I'm ready for the second.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Liam's Birth
So it all started last Friday (May 13th) night. I felt the first contraction around 11:30 p.m. I assumed it was a contraction even though I had never felt a real one before. We had gone out and had dinner at an Indian restaurant a few hours earlier, and they always say whatever was eaten last was what jump-started labor. So I suppose it was Indian food (although I think it was just a coincidence).
Alright, so first contraction at 11:30. I didn't think much of it, but I had another one about 25 minutes after it...and another one about 25 minutes after it. I was trying to sleep, but that wasn't working. So I got up and shaved my legs just in case this was the real deal. The contractions continued at this rate until about 5 in the morning. Then they picked up speed and started happening about every 10-11 minutes. We figured it was probably real labor around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I called my midwife to tell her I thought I was in labor. Turns out that this particular weekend was her one weekend off for the month, and her daughter was graduating from college that day. Therefore, she would not be delivering my baby if it happened soon. Around noon the contractions had picked up and were coming every 5-6 minutes. She said I should lie down and try to slow them down. We did that for a while, and the contractions did space out to about 10 minutes apart again. Around this time I was getting in touch with the back up doctor and let her know what was going on. She told me I didn't need to come in until they were around 5 minutes apart again.
Will and I walked around the neighborhood some because by then we realized this was really happening and there was no reason to slow it down. Because of the walking, the contractions picked up to every 7-8 minutes around 2:00 p.m. Then around 3:00, they picked up again to every 5-6 minutes. At this point, I had technically been in labor for more than 15 hours. We called the doctor to tell her we were headed that way, and we left for Baylor at 4:00 p.m. We knew it would take about 40 minutes to get there.
For most of the day, I hadn't been talking much. I was super focused and trying to relax through the pain. I did the same thing on the car ride. By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. We got checked in at labor and delivery, and they took us to our room.
I changed into the hospital gowns and they strapped me to the monitors. While I was strapped to them, I had to answer a lot of medical questions. Liam was doing fine through the labor. Then the nurse checked my cervix. I was dilated 4-5 cm and 90% effaced, so I had gotten somewhere with all that labor. Then they had to put a heplock in and hook me up to an IV so I could get antibiotics since I was Group B Strep positive. Finally I was able to get up and walk around the room. From 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., the contractions were 2 minutes apart. Will was so wonderful throughout the entire day. I had back labor, so he massaged my back through the contractions and let me lean on him through them. He never once freaked out or lost his cool. At some point around this time, I decided I wanted to labor in the bathtub. I didn't stay in there too long, but it did make the contractions a little more bearable.
Soon after that (around 8:00 p.m.), I lost my mucous plug and my water broke on its own. It was then time for another cervix check. This time, I was dilated 8 cm and was 100% effaced.
Then transition happened.
It is by far the worst part of labor. The contractions became constant and more intense. My legs started shaking. All day long, I had been very quiet, but at this point I started vocalizing the pain. I didn't scream, but I definitely cried out in pain. About 8:30, I got the urge to push. I ran to the bathroom because it felt like I was about to make a mess everywhere. From the bathroom, I cried out that I had to push and the nurses told me to get out of there and into the bed then. The doctor wasn't there yet, but there were several other nurses and I think a resident. They were quickly trying to ready the bed and room for the delivery.
I got in the bed and the contractions slowed down just a little bit. But with every one of them, I had to push. I couldn't not push. I had to bear down, hold my breath, and count to ten through the pushing. I definitely started grunting and making strange noises at this point. They put up a mirror so I could see what I was doing. I got to see his head crowning. At some point in there, the doctor finally showed up. I was very focused on pushing Liam out. I could feel him moving down. Pushing is not the most painful part of labor, even when his head was crowning. Transition is far worse. Anyway, I knew I was so close to the end. I was just determined to get there. After about 15 minutes of pushing, I knew that one more good push would get the job done. So I bore down and pushed as hard as I could, for as long as I could.
And then Liam was born at 8:48 p.m. on a Saturday night.
I felt him come out, and it was instant pain relief. I started crying and Will started crying (from happiness!) Then Liam started crying too! They put him on my belly, wiggling all around and wailing loudly. Will wasn't too keen on cutting the cord, so I did it.
The next little bit is a blur, but I know they took Liam to the table to get checked out, and I had to get a few stitches (That last push did it). Then they brought him back to me and I got to nurse him for the first time. He knew just what to do. He was so alert.
That's the birth story of Liam Edward. I did achieve my goal of a non-medicated birth. The thought of getting an epidural never even crossed my mind. The pain of it all was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. My good coaching and focus, it can be done. Through the pain, I just kept telling myself over and over that "There will be relief." For some reason, the word "relief" actually brought it, even through transition.
It was truly an amazing and overwhelming experience. I could not have done it without Will. It was a wonderful bonding experience that definitely brought us closer to each other.
Alright, so first contraction at 11:30. I didn't think much of it, but I had another one about 25 minutes after it...and another one about 25 minutes after it. I was trying to sleep, but that wasn't working. So I got up and shaved my legs just in case this was the real deal. The contractions continued at this rate until about 5 in the morning. Then they picked up speed and started happening about every 10-11 minutes. We figured it was probably real labor around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I called my midwife to tell her I thought I was in labor. Turns out that this particular weekend was her one weekend off for the month, and her daughter was graduating from college that day. Therefore, she would not be delivering my baby if it happened soon. Around noon the contractions had picked up and were coming every 5-6 minutes. She said I should lie down and try to slow them down. We did that for a while, and the contractions did space out to about 10 minutes apart again. Around this time I was getting in touch with the back up doctor and let her know what was going on. She told me I didn't need to come in until they were around 5 minutes apart again.
Will and I walked around the neighborhood some because by then we realized this was really happening and there was no reason to slow it down. Because of the walking, the contractions picked up to every 7-8 minutes around 2:00 p.m. Then around 3:00, they picked up again to every 5-6 minutes. At this point, I had technically been in labor for more than 15 hours. We called the doctor to tell her we were headed that way, and we left for Baylor at 4:00 p.m. We knew it would take about 40 minutes to get there.
For most of the day, I hadn't been talking much. I was super focused and trying to relax through the pain. I did the same thing on the car ride. By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. We got checked in at labor and delivery, and they took us to our room.
I changed into the hospital gowns and they strapped me to the monitors. While I was strapped to them, I had to answer a lot of medical questions. Liam was doing fine through the labor. Then the nurse checked my cervix. I was dilated 4-5 cm and 90% effaced, so I had gotten somewhere with all that labor. Then they had to put a heplock in and hook me up to an IV so I could get antibiotics since I was Group B Strep positive. Finally I was able to get up and walk around the room. From 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., the contractions were 2 minutes apart. Will was so wonderful throughout the entire day. I had back labor, so he massaged my back through the contractions and let me lean on him through them. He never once freaked out or lost his cool. At some point around this time, I decided I wanted to labor in the bathtub. I didn't stay in there too long, but it did make the contractions a little more bearable.
Soon after that (around 8:00 p.m.), I lost my mucous plug and my water broke on its own. It was then time for another cervix check. This time, I was dilated 8 cm and was 100% effaced.
Then transition happened.
It is by far the worst part of labor. The contractions became constant and more intense. My legs started shaking. All day long, I had been very quiet, but at this point I started vocalizing the pain. I didn't scream, but I definitely cried out in pain. About 8:30, I got the urge to push. I ran to the bathroom because it felt like I was about to make a mess everywhere. From the bathroom, I cried out that I had to push and the nurses told me to get out of there and into the bed then. The doctor wasn't there yet, but there were several other nurses and I think a resident. They were quickly trying to ready the bed and room for the delivery.
I got in the bed and the contractions slowed down just a little bit. But with every one of them, I had to push. I couldn't not push. I had to bear down, hold my breath, and count to ten through the pushing. I definitely started grunting and making strange noises at this point. They put up a mirror so I could see what I was doing. I got to see his head crowning. At some point in there, the doctor finally showed up. I was very focused on pushing Liam out. I could feel him moving down. Pushing is not the most painful part of labor, even when his head was crowning. Transition is far worse. Anyway, I knew I was so close to the end. I was just determined to get there. After about 15 minutes of pushing, I knew that one more good push would get the job done. So I bore down and pushed as hard as I could, for as long as I could.
And then Liam was born at 8:48 p.m. on a Saturday night.
I felt him come out, and it was instant pain relief. I started crying and Will started crying (from happiness!) Then Liam started crying too! They put him on my belly, wiggling all around and wailing loudly. Will wasn't too keen on cutting the cord, so I did it.
The next little bit is a blur, but I know they took Liam to the table to get checked out, and I had to get a few stitches (That last push did it). Then they brought him back to me and I got to nurse him for the first time. He knew just what to do. He was so alert.
That's the birth story of Liam Edward. I did achieve my goal of a non-medicated birth. The thought of getting an epidural never even crossed my mind. The pain of it all was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. My good coaching and focus, it can be done. Through the pain, I just kept telling myself over and over that "There will be relief." For some reason, the word "relief" actually brought it, even through transition.
It was truly an amazing and overwhelming experience. I could not have done it without Will. It was a wonderful bonding experience that definitely brought us closer to each other.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Baby Shower, Louisiana Edition
The day before Easter, Will and I left at 4:00 am and headed to Ruston for my Louisiana baby shower. It was hosted by my fiends Amanda, Amy, Glenda, and Jean. Jean was so nice to host it at her house. These girls put so much effort into everything from the decorations to the cake and even personalized thank you notes. They're all so creative and talented. I loved seeing people I don't get to see very often, and I was blessed with even more awesome stuff for Liam. I also received a lot of handmade, one of a kind, gifts for Liam which is so special. Now I just need to get his nursery set up with all the pretties he got!
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| Diaper cake, burp cloths, and birdies |
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| Denise, Jean, Me, and Glenda |
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| JAAG: Jennifer, Amy, Amanda, Glenda (not in that order) |
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| Liam's awesome bedding made by Kelli |
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| More handmade gifts made by Kelli, Glenda, and Amanda |
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| Wall art designed and printed by Amanda |
Monday, May 9, 2011
I'm Totally Going to Have a Baby This Month!
Yes, it's been awhile since I posted, but life has been a little crazy. We are moved to the new place, but not everything is put away. Since bending down is harder these days and it wears me out quickly, it's taking longer than I would like to get this place in order. My wonderful husband is doing most of the work, but even he gets tired. However, now that I have stopped working and I could theoretically go into labor any day, we do feel the pressure of a deadline. It's the worst kind of deadline, though, because we don't know exactly when it is. It could be tomorrow...or it could be next week. I would still like it to be beyond next week, but my feeling is that I won't make it to my due date.
At this moment, I'm finally washing mattress pads and sheets for the crib and the pack and play, which will be Liam's bed at first. The crib is up and the mattress is here, so now I just need to wash everything and put it on there. Then I'm planning on washing baby clothes and blankets. I'm hoping to get the hospital bags packed tonight, but that's been my plan every night for the last week and it's still not done. Once Liam's stuff is washed, I think the packing will be easy.
As for Liam, he's still doing well. At my 36 week appointment (which was almost 2 weeks ago), he was in position and his head was already very low in my pelvis (explaining the constantly sore pelvis and hips). I was almost 100% effaced, but no dilation at that point. She told me he may come up to a week before his due date to a couple days after it, which means he will pretty much be born "on time." I had another appointment a week later, but I won't be checked again for those things until I'm in labor. The midwife estimated that Liam is about 6-6.5 pounds (as of last Wednesday), so he will not be a huge baby. She told me I have a great pelvis for childbirth and that I should have no problem pushing that baby out. Her confidence in me gives me confidence in myself. I know it's going to be hard work, but I'm glad I'm not looking at the prospect of birthing a 9 pound baby. Liam is still active, whamming me on a regular basis. Will's nicknames for him are Little Man and Baby Wham Wham. We love to sit and feel him squirm, which is about all he can do at this point.
As for me, I am still doing well. I'm so close to the end now, and I have to say that I have been blessed with an amazingly easy pregnancy. Things have gotten a little harder here towards the end, but I still think I've had it easier than most people. I still don't waddle (unless I have to go to the bathroom). I always thought I would start waddling once he dropped, but that hasn't been the case. I have to support my belly with a wedge pillow when I sleep. Getting up after lying down is actually pretty painful. You should see me walk right after I get up. I look so pitiful. That's the one time I feel any pain. I get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, but none that have really been painful. I know they're a good thing and preparing me for real labor. For most of the pregnancy, I haven't really cared anything about eating sweets (nor did I want them much before I was pregnant), but lately I have wanted things like donuts and cupcakes and ice cream. I still don't eat sweets everyday, but I think it's so strange that I want them all of a sudden at the end here.
We are really excited to meet our son soon. I now know it's true that you're never really ready. As much as I want everything to be perfectly in order before he gets here, I realize that even if it's not, it will be ok. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I really just want to get this apartment organized. Once that's done, then he can come whenever he wants!
At this moment, I'm finally washing mattress pads and sheets for the crib and the pack and play, which will be Liam's bed at first. The crib is up and the mattress is here, so now I just need to wash everything and put it on there. Then I'm planning on washing baby clothes and blankets. I'm hoping to get the hospital bags packed tonight, but that's been my plan every night for the last week and it's still not done. Once Liam's stuff is washed, I think the packing will be easy.
As for Liam, he's still doing well. At my 36 week appointment (which was almost 2 weeks ago), he was in position and his head was already very low in my pelvis (explaining the constantly sore pelvis and hips). I was almost 100% effaced, but no dilation at that point. She told me he may come up to a week before his due date to a couple days after it, which means he will pretty much be born "on time." I had another appointment a week later, but I won't be checked again for those things until I'm in labor. The midwife estimated that Liam is about 6-6.5 pounds (as of last Wednesday), so he will not be a huge baby. She told me I have a great pelvis for childbirth and that I should have no problem pushing that baby out. Her confidence in me gives me confidence in myself. I know it's going to be hard work, but I'm glad I'm not looking at the prospect of birthing a 9 pound baby. Liam is still active, whamming me on a regular basis. Will's nicknames for him are Little Man and Baby Wham Wham. We love to sit and feel him squirm, which is about all he can do at this point.
As for me, I am still doing well. I'm so close to the end now, and I have to say that I have been blessed with an amazingly easy pregnancy. Things have gotten a little harder here towards the end, but I still think I've had it easier than most people. I still don't waddle (unless I have to go to the bathroom). I always thought I would start waddling once he dropped, but that hasn't been the case. I have to support my belly with a wedge pillow when I sleep. Getting up after lying down is actually pretty painful. You should see me walk right after I get up. I look so pitiful. That's the one time I feel any pain. I get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, but none that have really been painful. I know they're a good thing and preparing me for real labor. For most of the pregnancy, I haven't really cared anything about eating sweets (nor did I want them much before I was pregnant), but lately I have wanted things like donuts and cupcakes and ice cream. I still don't eat sweets everyday, but I think it's so strange that I want them all of a sudden at the end here.
We are really excited to meet our son soon. I now know it's true that you're never really ready. As much as I want everything to be perfectly in order before he gets here, I realize that even if it's not, it will be ok. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I really just want to get this apartment organized. Once that's done, then he can come whenever he wants!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Last Time to Post from this Address
We are moving tomorrow! I, however, will be going to work because I'm useless in that situation. I've been doing lots of packing, though, and will be doing a lot of unpacking, so I'm not getting a free pass or anything. We are just moving down the street.
Today I am 35 weeks along, with 35 days to go until my due date. Liam is still doing really well as far as I know. I think he's content where he is and has given me no indication that he's going to want to come out early. He squirms all the time, but he's quite limited on where he can go. He's been in a head down position for a while, and I really hope he stays that way. He does, however, shift from side to side. Two appointments ago, his heartbeat was on my right side. At the next appointment, it was on the left, and at the most recent appointment it was back on the right side. As long he stays head down, I don't care what he does!
Since we are moving, we are not currently prepared for Liam's arrival if it were to happen sooner than we expect. The crib is still at the store waiting to be picked up. (If you recall, we bought an IKEA crib a few months ago. However, my mom was generous enough to buy us a different one and we took the IKEA one back). We need to buy a crib mattress soon. That's not such a big deal, though, because he will be sleeping in our room for a while in a bassinet in a pack and play which has yet to be acquired. Hopefully, we'll get that soon. I feel like he has enough clothes and various things, but I feel like we still need so much more stuff to be adequately prepared. We are planning on cloth diapering him, but we'll transition into that about 3-4 weeks after he is born. That means we will need enough regular diapers to get us to that point. We have some, but not enough. I don't have any cloth diapers yet, either. I'm afraid of buying a bunch of one kind and then finding they don't work well for Liam. My plan is to get one of several different kinds from a local cloth diaper store and experiment to see what works, then buy our supply of them. We have no changing pad, but we do have a changing table! That's a start. I don't have any bottles in case I need them. I'm hoping to strictly breastfeed, though, so hopefully it will be a while before I need some. But if I do end up needing to use them shortly after his birth, I am not prepared. I don't have a diaper bag yet. We do have the stroller and car seat, but they are still in the box. We will finally take them out this week after the move. I'm not sure when we need to install the car seat in the car, though. Soon I'm guessing. I don't have any nursing clothes or bras or anything like that yet. I definitely have not packed any bags for the hospital. I need to get some nursing gear before I do that. Once we move, we will gather together the items to use during labor and have them in one spot with our hospital bags. I need to finish preregistering online for the birth. I'm sure this is not all I'm lacking. I try not to think about it too much because my lack of preparedness kind of stresses me out. I know it will all work itself out somehow, though. It always does.
Next weekend, we're traveling to Louisiana for the last time before Liam is born. It will be a pretty quick trip. My friends are hosting a baby shower for me, and I'm so excited about it! I can't wait to see all the people I don't get to see very often...or ever. I'm hoping that Liam is chill for the whole trip and all those bumps on I-20 don't make him want to come join us.
I have three more weeks of work left, which will put me working until 2 weeks before my due date. I will not be going back to work after Liam is born which makes me extremely happy! I get to be a stay at home mommy...well, technically a work from home mommy. I will still need to do some data entry work from home part time to make some money. I have one gig that I do now from home, but I'm looking for a better opportunity. Please let me know if you have any info on part-time work from home jobs.
Well, it's back to packing for me.
Today I am 35 weeks along, with 35 days to go until my due date. Liam is still doing really well as far as I know. I think he's content where he is and has given me no indication that he's going to want to come out early. He squirms all the time, but he's quite limited on where he can go. He's been in a head down position for a while, and I really hope he stays that way. He does, however, shift from side to side. Two appointments ago, his heartbeat was on my right side. At the next appointment, it was on the left, and at the most recent appointment it was back on the right side. As long he stays head down, I don't care what he does!
Since we are moving, we are not currently prepared for Liam's arrival if it were to happen sooner than we expect. The crib is still at the store waiting to be picked up. (If you recall, we bought an IKEA crib a few months ago. However, my mom was generous enough to buy us a different one and we took the IKEA one back). We need to buy a crib mattress soon. That's not such a big deal, though, because he will be sleeping in our room for a while in a bassinet in a pack and play which has yet to be acquired. Hopefully, we'll get that soon. I feel like he has enough clothes and various things, but I feel like we still need so much more stuff to be adequately prepared. We are planning on cloth diapering him, but we'll transition into that about 3-4 weeks after he is born. That means we will need enough regular diapers to get us to that point. We have some, but not enough. I don't have any cloth diapers yet, either. I'm afraid of buying a bunch of one kind and then finding they don't work well for Liam. My plan is to get one of several different kinds from a local cloth diaper store and experiment to see what works, then buy our supply of them. We have no changing pad, but we do have a changing table! That's a start. I don't have any bottles in case I need them. I'm hoping to strictly breastfeed, though, so hopefully it will be a while before I need some. But if I do end up needing to use them shortly after his birth, I am not prepared. I don't have a diaper bag yet. We do have the stroller and car seat, but they are still in the box. We will finally take them out this week after the move. I'm not sure when we need to install the car seat in the car, though. Soon I'm guessing. I don't have any nursing clothes or bras or anything like that yet. I definitely have not packed any bags for the hospital. I need to get some nursing gear before I do that. Once we move, we will gather together the items to use during labor and have them in one spot with our hospital bags. I need to finish preregistering online for the birth. I'm sure this is not all I'm lacking. I try not to think about it too much because my lack of preparedness kind of stresses me out. I know it will all work itself out somehow, though. It always does.
Next weekend, we're traveling to Louisiana for the last time before Liam is born. It will be a pretty quick trip. My friends are hosting a baby shower for me, and I'm so excited about it! I can't wait to see all the people I don't get to see very often...or ever. I'm hoping that Liam is chill for the whole trip and all those bumps on I-20 don't make him want to come join us.
I have three more weeks of work left, which will put me working until 2 weeks before my due date. I will not be going back to work after Liam is born which makes me extremely happy! I get to be a stay at home mommy...well, technically a work from home mommy. I will still need to do some data entry work from home part time to make some money. I have one gig that I do now from home, but I'm looking for a better opportunity. Please let me know if you have any info on part-time work from home jobs.
Well, it's back to packing for me.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Baby Shower, Texas Edition
This past Saturday some wonderful friends hosted a baby shower for me (and Liam). They put a lot of thought and effort into it and I think it was wonderful! I'm so thankful they did this for me. A wonderful time was had by all. Liam got lots of cute and useful things. My mom came, which was really nice. That's a long drive for her! Here are a few pictures from the shower:
As you can see, the shower was awesome. Saturday was a great day...then Sunday happened when our kitty, Squirt, had to have emergency surgery. Thankfully she's ok now, but it has been a rough couple of days.
Baby Liam is growing more and more everyday. As Will says, "Well, he's not going to get any smaller." Today he wiggled around a whole bunch. I think he's trying to expand his territory and finding there's nowhere to go. So he just pushes against me. Our first "official" appointment with our midwife was last week. Will got to go. It was the first time he'd heard Liam's heartbeat since the 20 week ultrasound, which was 3 months ago! She let us listen to the valves of his heart opening and closing, the whooshing sound of his umbilical cord, and the sound of the placenta. She said he was still head down! I really hope he stays that way. Liam and I are both doing well so far. He's really taken it easy on me.
I have less than 7 weeks until my official due date. I'm fine with going past that, though. There's just so much to do in April that it overwhelms me to think about it. Once May gets here, things should calm down some...until Liam's arrival!
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| Opening presents |
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| Me and the hostesses: Anne, Christina, and Kristin |
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| The side view is much more impressive...I am huge, although that shirt did exaggerate the bump a bit. |
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| Presents and Liam's name banner |
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| Food and the diaper cake Kristin made |
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| Cupcakes with cute toppers |
Baby Liam is growing more and more everyday. As Will says, "Well, he's not going to get any smaller." Today he wiggled around a whole bunch. I think he's trying to expand his territory and finding there's nowhere to go. So he just pushes against me. Our first "official" appointment with our midwife was last week. Will got to go. It was the first time he'd heard Liam's heartbeat since the 20 week ultrasound, which was 3 months ago! She let us listen to the valves of his heart opening and closing, the whooshing sound of his umbilical cord, and the sound of the placenta. She said he was still head down! I really hope he stays that way. Liam and I are both doing well so far. He's really taken it easy on me.
I have less than 7 weeks until my official due date. I'm fine with going past that, though. There's just so much to do in April that it overwhelms me to think about it. Once May gets here, things should calm down some...until Liam's arrival!
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