Well we've had our first few days at daycare and so far so good. The first day when I picked him up in the afternoon he was in the swing crying, but not badly, just fussing. Cody has only been in his swing at home one time so I know he's not used to it. Overall it was a good report for day #1. They worked on listening skills as the teachers sang and read stories to him. I'm sure Cody LOVED this as these are two of his favorite things to do with Mommy and Daddy. The teachers in his room seem very loving and genuinely seem to care about his well-being. I appreciate that they ask intelligent questions and seek my input.
It's a little bizarre having Cody in daycare; he seems so tiny and felt like I was ripping a part of myself off. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that's what it feels like. Emma has been a big helper in the mornings, and David too for that matter. David gets home from work about 6:30 and gets all of Cody's bottles ready for the day and in his "lunchbox" as well as making Emma's lunch and having them both on the sofa table by the door for us to grab on our way out. This makes my life easier since it is like moving mountains to get us out the door in the morning.
Cody wakes up about 6-6:30AM. When I start to hear him I jump out of bed and get myself dressed before I get him up, changed, dressed and fed. When he's done I make sure Emma is up and dressing herself- I've been laying out her clothes the night before. Emma helps me grab everything we need for the day and we're out the door.
First stop, Cody's daycare. If we get out of the house on time we can usually make it there by 7:30 and there is only one or two other babies at school by that time. I like it because the room is calm and I have an opportunity to visit with the 'lead' teacher. We have to take the bottles pre-made so I put those in his cubby in the refrigerator. Cody usually falls asleep in the car on the way to school so he usually stays in his carseat when he first gets there.
So far I'm happy overall with this Stepping Stones location. But after the first week of daycare David and I did some soul-searching. We were both stressed and worried about being able to afford both Cody and Emma in full time daycare through August! The bottom line is we just can't. For about a day we discussed me working part time and staying home with the kids on the days that David has to work. That really saves us no money, we would just come out even and still be tight. Even if I did work part time I would want Emma to finish preschool and "graduate" with her class at the end of May- so we'd still be paying her tuition until then. {Hang in there, I'm getting to the point post haste.} Since David had volunteered the idea of keeping one or both of the kids on his days off, now we just needed to find someone to keep one or both of the kids on the other days. It only works out to 10 days out of the month because David works Mon/Tues/Fri (so we'd need childcare three days that week) and then Wed/Thurs (so we'd need childcare only those two days) the next week.
I felt such relief just by discussing this option! We've spoken to a couple of our friends about helping out with one or both of the kids and now we just pray and wait.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Jug is Up!
The time has come for breastfeeding to be over.
I have loved and will cherish every moment that I spent nursing Cody. It is truly one of god's miracles and the most beautiful, natural thing.
However, my little Mr. is no longer able to get full from breastmilk. One day I nursed him for an hour and a half and it STILL wasn't enough. I think part of the problem is that I did not increase my caloric intake or eat enough. While I have been at home I've only been eating 1-2 meals a day. Also, we introduced formula fairly early and Cody was able to get fuller faster and therefore get to sleep sooner which he enjoyed.
I don't regret any decisions we've made because Cody is a healthy, happy baby. I'm thankful he was able to breastfeed and take a bottle.
----------------------
I'm finishing this post a week after I began writing it (on the 6th, today is the 13th) so we've totally switched gears now. It's definitely different having all these bottles to keep clean and packing up the diaper bag is a whole new ball game. On a positive note, Cody is doing very well with his formula. In the beginning we had trouble finding the right one. We started with Similac Advance which was fine but he was gassy- we've since determined that he is just a gassy baby, and then tried Similac Soy- I thought he would have trouble with milk-based formulas since he was very fussy with breastfeeding after I had drank milk; but the soy made be throw up. Next up was Similac Sensitive which made him constipated. Dealing with all of this and considering stopping breastfeeding was really hard on me. I hated the guilt I was dealing with. The pediatrician was ready to switch to Alimentum which is what Emma had to take and costs about $180-$200 a month. I said wait a minute, I've only tired Similac formulas, can you recommend one from another brand? Her answer was the one I wanted. Enfamil Gentlease. I knew of it because that's what my brother and SIL are feeding Drew.
It took a couple of days but we started to see an improvement and in no time Cody was pooping normally and much less gassy. He's still Mr. farts-a-lot but now we never have to give him Mylicon whereas we were giving it to him with every bottle before.
Deciding to stop breastfeeding and then actually doing so was really hard for me. It's incredibly difficult to walk away from something so intimate and also beneficial for both of us. One night, the 5th I think? I just finally made up my mind that we needed to be done. I felt so much better instantly without that huge pressure on me. Over the next few days I stopped pumping and nursing all together. I had already dramatically decreased the number of times during the day that I was nursing and pumping so I didn't feel the need to wean too gradually. The first three days were the worst. The most painful part is behind me but I know we are far from being done.
When I would start to Google for websites with insight about healing techniques etc. all I was finding were websites that have you question your decision to supplement or stop breastfeeding. They were full of sweet pictures of nursing babies and that made it so much more painful for me. But here I am a week later and Mommy and Cody are doing great.
I have loved and will cherish every moment that I spent nursing Cody. It is truly one of god's miracles and the most beautiful, natural thing.
However, my little Mr. is no longer able to get full from breastmilk. One day I nursed him for an hour and a half and it STILL wasn't enough. I think part of the problem is that I did not increase my caloric intake or eat enough. While I have been at home I've only been eating 1-2 meals a day. Also, we introduced formula fairly early and Cody was able to get fuller faster and therefore get to sleep sooner which he enjoyed.
I don't regret any decisions we've made because Cody is a healthy, happy baby. I'm thankful he was able to breastfeed and take a bottle.
----------------------
I'm finishing this post a week after I began writing it (on the 6th, today is the 13th) so we've totally switched gears now. It's definitely different having all these bottles to keep clean and packing up the diaper bag is a whole new ball game. On a positive note, Cody is doing very well with his formula. In the beginning we had trouble finding the right one. We started with Similac Advance which was fine but he was gassy- we've since determined that he is just a gassy baby, and then tried Similac Soy- I thought he would have trouble with milk-based formulas since he was very fussy with breastfeeding after I had drank milk; but the soy made be throw up. Next up was Similac Sensitive which made him constipated. Dealing with all of this and considering stopping breastfeeding was really hard on me. I hated the guilt I was dealing with. The pediatrician was ready to switch to Alimentum which is what Emma had to take and costs about $180-$200 a month. I said wait a minute, I've only tired Similac formulas, can you recommend one from another brand? Her answer was the one I wanted. Enfamil Gentlease. I knew of it because that's what my brother and SIL are feeding Drew.
It took a couple of days but we started to see an improvement and in no time Cody was pooping normally and much less gassy. He's still Mr. farts-a-lot but now we never have to give him Mylicon whereas we were giving it to him with every bottle before.
Deciding to stop breastfeeding and then actually doing so was really hard for me. It's incredibly difficult to walk away from something so intimate and also beneficial for both of us. One night, the 5th I think? I just finally made up my mind that we needed to be done. I felt so much better instantly without that huge pressure on me. Over the next few days I stopped pumping and nursing all together. I had already dramatically decreased the number of times during the day that I was nursing and pumping so I didn't feel the need to wean too gradually. The first three days were the worst. The most painful part is behind me but I know we are far from being done.
When I would start to Google for websites with insight about healing techniques etc. all I was finding were websites that have you question your decision to supplement or stop breastfeeding. They were full of sweet pictures of nursing babies and that made it so much more painful for me. But here I am a week later and Mommy and Cody are doing great.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Honeymoon is Over?
Today has been horrible. At about 4:30AM I hear Emma calling for me in the hallway. She sounded disoriented and pathetic calling "Mama?" She had thrown up. A LOT. She sat in her bean bag chair while I stripped her bed, cleaned up everywhere else and got her into clean pajamas and re-did her bed. About the time I was telling her goodnight, Cody woke up. That was fine, he had been asleep for 5 hours!
While I'm feeding Cody in the living room I hear Emma whimpering- she had thrown up again. All over her bed, etc. Again. I had just started feeding Cody so I had to wake up David to help. He hates to see Emma feeling badly and was so patient with her. He walked her to the bathroom and reminded her how to kneel in front of the potty in case she needed to get sick again. Which she did. While he re-stripped her bed, Emma came to the living room and layed on the couch. Her color looked terrible and I could tell she still felt badly. David started laundry since we wer down to her last set of clean sheets and her comforter, bedskirt, pillow shams etc. were now dirty. He put sheets on her bed and then came to the living room to keep an eye on her for a while. Eventually she wanted to go back to bed and we put a trashcan next to her just in case. She ended up getting sick again during the night and then again about mid-day. I forgot to mention that during the night when I was helping with Emma, that I stubbed my toe on a packing tape dispenser- the serrated, metal part, nice! Earlier in the week I dropped my cupcake baking pan on my big toe- I could barely walk for a whole day!
Anyway-
Cody went back to sleep pretty much right away and slept for four hours, until 9AM. I got up to feed him and Emma was starting to wake up. I got Cody back to sleep and got Emma settled with cartoons and sips of water. Today I had to work. It's the beginning of the month so I have to get all of our client invoices out. Since I was hardly able to work this week since David has been working I really had to go in to get caught up. I jumped into the shower, pumped and got the next bottle ready for David and left for work just before 11AM.
Work was insane. I stayed until 4:30 and never once left my desk to pee, eat, make a phone call etc! I'm exhausted and completely fried. We have so much going on, David is still on nights and I'm 100% overwhelmed. I'll admit it- I ran the numbers to see if we could make a change in my employment status. There's no way. Even though Cody's daycare tuition will be more than our rent and with his and Emma's tuition combined would equal a very nice mortgage payment- the sum of the two is only about 40% of my monthy salary. Obviously we have uses for the other 60% of my income. Damn!
I've never, ever wanted to be a stay at home Mom. Mainly because I don't think I could handle it. I'm not very patient, enjoy a change of scenery and am in no way a teacher by nature. However, I have learned over the last five weeks that being a SAHM can keep you busier than ever! The first couple of weeks while Cody was exclusively breastfeeding were very demanding. Even now, it's all I can do to eat more than once a day. I take turns going to the bathroom, showering, eating, resting, working and housework during the times that Cody is sleeping. It has been so challenging to focus on Emma as well. On David's days off I've been able to spend some time at her school and be involved with what she has going on. We have another two and a half months of dance classes and kickball season is underway! We have two kickball practices a week until April and dance is on Thursday nights. When David is at work I'm pretty much losing my mind and I'm SO NERVOUS about going back to work full time. I have no idea how I'm going to juggle work and home and still have time and energy to stay on top of our marriage let alone "me time".
I guess you just figure it out and get through. I miss David terribly when he's at work or sleeping during the day. I will never forget these last few weeks we've spent together. It was kind of like a honeymoon. Life couldn't be better. We have two healthy, beautiful children and David and I are closer than ever. I just have to have faith that I will be able to handle all of my responsibilities and focus on enjoying life! I feel amazing, know how blessed I am and just have to keep things in perspective.
Yesterday was a much better day! DD was off but he slept until about 12:30. Cody and I visited with him in our bed and then we headed out to Cody's future daycare. We had already registered Cody at a Stepping Stone school near our house but had let them know we would be interested in getting on the waiting list for the McNeil Rd. location since they offer after school care and pick up from Emma's future Elementary school. Sure enough, I got a call a couple of days later that they had an infant spot open up. We visited the school, and registered Cody to start next week and Emma for the summer and after school care. It will cost a pretty penny- even more than we had prepared ourselves for, but we both feel really good about it!
Later that day we discovered that David had won $200 in a Lotto scratch off! Wahoo! We bought the bedding I had been looking at along with curtains etc. I'm excited at the prospect of a new look for our bedroom. I splurged and bought a Crate and Barrel comforter right before I met David so it's been four years since we've had something new. Last weekend we had just bought two new lamps for our nightstands and so far I'm loving them.
That just about sums up the last couple of days! Cody is doing amazing. Last Saturday I started laying him in his crib for naps and letting him tummy sleep. He is so strong and holds his head and lifts it side to side. Emma was an early tummy sleeper as well. We just use the monitors and check on him often. He is sleeping a lot less during the day but averaging 3-5 hours at night.
While I'm feeding Cody in the living room I hear Emma whimpering- she had thrown up again. All over her bed, etc. Again. I had just started feeding Cody so I had to wake up David to help. He hates to see Emma feeling badly and was so patient with her. He walked her to the bathroom and reminded her how to kneel in front of the potty in case she needed to get sick again. Which she did. While he re-stripped her bed, Emma came to the living room and layed on the couch. Her color looked terrible and I could tell she still felt badly. David started laundry since we wer down to her last set of clean sheets and her comforter, bedskirt, pillow shams etc. were now dirty. He put sheets on her bed and then came to the living room to keep an eye on her for a while. Eventually she wanted to go back to bed and we put a trashcan next to her just in case. She ended up getting sick again during the night and then again about mid-day. I forgot to mention that during the night when I was helping with Emma, that I stubbed my toe on a packing tape dispenser- the serrated, metal part, nice! Earlier in the week I dropped my cupcake baking pan on my big toe- I could barely walk for a whole day!
Anyway-
Cody went back to sleep pretty much right away and slept for four hours, until 9AM. I got up to feed him and Emma was starting to wake up. I got Cody back to sleep and got Emma settled with cartoons and sips of water. Today I had to work. It's the beginning of the month so I have to get all of our client invoices out. Since I was hardly able to work this week since David has been working I really had to go in to get caught up. I jumped into the shower, pumped and got the next bottle ready for David and left for work just before 11AM.
Work was insane. I stayed until 4:30 and never once left my desk to pee, eat, make a phone call etc! I'm exhausted and completely fried. We have so much going on, David is still on nights and I'm 100% overwhelmed. I'll admit it- I ran the numbers to see if we could make a change in my employment status. There's no way. Even though Cody's daycare tuition will be more than our rent and with his and Emma's tuition combined would equal a very nice mortgage payment- the sum of the two is only about 40% of my monthy salary. Obviously we have uses for the other 60% of my income. Damn!
I've never, ever wanted to be a stay at home Mom. Mainly because I don't think I could handle it. I'm not very patient, enjoy a change of scenery and am in no way a teacher by nature. However, I have learned over the last five weeks that being a SAHM can keep you busier than ever! The first couple of weeks while Cody was exclusively breastfeeding were very demanding. Even now, it's all I can do to eat more than once a day. I take turns going to the bathroom, showering, eating, resting, working and housework during the times that Cody is sleeping. It has been so challenging to focus on Emma as well. On David's days off I've been able to spend some time at her school and be involved with what she has going on. We have another two and a half months of dance classes and kickball season is underway! We have two kickball practices a week until April and dance is on Thursday nights. When David is at work I'm pretty much losing my mind and I'm SO NERVOUS about going back to work full time. I have no idea how I'm going to juggle work and home and still have time and energy to stay on top of our marriage let alone "me time".
I guess you just figure it out and get through. I miss David terribly when he's at work or sleeping during the day. I will never forget these last few weeks we've spent together. It was kind of like a honeymoon. Life couldn't be better. We have two healthy, beautiful children and David and I are closer than ever. I just have to have faith that I will be able to handle all of my responsibilities and focus on enjoying life! I feel amazing, know how blessed I am and just have to keep things in perspective.
Yesterday was a much better day! DD was off but he slept until about 12:30. Cody and I visited with him in our bed and then we headed out to Cody's future daycare. We had already registered Cody at a Stepping Stone school near our house but had let them know we would be interested in getting on the waiting list for the McNeil Rd. location since they offer after school care and pick up from Emma's future Elementary school. Sure enough, I got a call a couple of days later that they had an infant spot open up. We visited the school, and registered Cody to start next week and Emma for the summer and after school care. It will cost a pretty penny- even more than we had prepared ourselves for, but we both feel really good about it!
Later that day we discovered that David had won $200 in a Lotto scratch off! Wahoo! We bought the bedding I had been looking at along with curtains etc. I'm excited at the prospect of a new look for our bedroom. I splurged and bought a Crate and Barrel comforter right before I met David so it's been four years since we've had something new. Last weekend we had just bought two new lamps for our nightstands and so far I'm loving them.
That just about sums up the last couple of days! Cody is doing amazing. Last Saturday I started laying him in his crib for naps and letting him tummy sleep. He is so strong and holds his head and lifts it side to side. Emma was an early tummy sleeper as well. We just use the monitors and check on him often. He is sleeping a lot less during the day but averaging 3-5 hours at night.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Don't Mess With a Mommy!
Recently a friend of mine/our wedding photographer was told that she could not use a Target (Pflugerville) fitting room to breastfeed her infant and that she would need to go to the store's restroom if she needed to do so. There was no one in any of the fitting rooms, nor was anyone waiting to go in.
I see many problems with this. First and foremost this is in violation of the state Breastfeeding Law which: "gives the mother the right to breastfeed her baby in ANY location she is authorized to be." Check out the statute in the Health and Safety Code, Chapter 165 for yourself: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/lactate/mother.shtm#item2
Secondly, it's not like she was wanting to walk around the store with her boob hanging out. She asked for permission to privately feed her child in an unused space- SO THAT SHE COULD SHOP LONGER. Hello Target? I am a very private person and had a lot of anxieties about breastfeeding, along with some incorrect preconceived notions. One being that I would never be able to do it in public. Wrong. I fed Cody in an Old Navy dressing room (which were also all empty) so that I could continue to shop and not have to leave the store. Even if my friend wanted to walk around the store with her child in a sling and covered-up she should have been able to do so, and it protected under the law to be able to do so.
Unfortunately, this was not the first for Target. http://mamaknowsbreast.com/target/ Perhaps they need to think about their sales; $300 breastpumps and all the families who choose to register and shop for their infants and children at their stores. If you cannot accommodate us, it seems as though we should shop elsewhere. This saddens me. Target was literally one of my daughter's first words! Sad, but I like to shop there! At an early age she knew to associate the bullseye logo with my favorite store, "Target!" At her 5th birthday party this weekend she got giftcards and though she cannot read, knew they were to Target! Michigan (where the story in the above link takes place) also has laws protecting breastfeeding mothers.
From what I'm reading online it looks as though (at least for Texas and most other states) in each case where management has been contacted after the fact at the various stores, movie theaters, restaurants and grocery stores where women have been asked to leave, escorted out or refused service- that management have simply issued apologies and said that they needed to better educate their staff and employees on the law pertaining to breastfeeding. I'm sorry, but that's not good enough. Not when I'm able to so easily find NUMEROUS cases of this happening. If you don't want breastfeeding in your store, open a gay bar.
There is no private property loophole. Go back to the top of this blog and read the sentence. It's black and white. If a woman is allowed in your establishment, she is allowed to breastfeed there. It's not public indeecency or lewdness, it's nature. Most women I know or have ever seen breastfeeding in public have been private about it. If I was every uncomfortable, I didn't look in that direction! I'm going to stay tuned for whatever Kim decides to do. The employees of Target need to get their act together if they don't want to lose business.
These are our children we're talking about. I'm not on this soapbox for attention or because I don't have anything else to be worrying about. Breastfeeding is protected under the law and a letter of apology doesn't do anyone any good at the time that they are being escorted out of a store or refused service. If I am ever embarrassed like that because I am trying to breastfeed our son somewhere, who ever is embarrassing me better watch out for my husband! Let us feed our kids, people. Just google 'breastfeed in public', 'not allowed to breastfeed', 'breastfeed at target' etc. and you'll be amazed. As you can see if you've read my previous blog, breastfeeding can be hard work- please don't make it any harder on us. I have a whole new respect for mothers who choose/are able to breastfeed.
I see many problems with this. First and foremost this is in violation of the state Breastfeeding Law which: "gives the mother the right to breastfeed her baby in ANY location she is authorized to be." Check out the statute in the Health and Safety Code, Chapter 165 for yourself: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/wichd/lactate/mother.shtm#item2
Secondly, it's not like she was wanting to walk around the store with her boob hanging out. She asked for permission to privately feed her child in an unused space- SO THAT SHE COULD SHOP LONGER. Hello Target? I am a very private person and had a lot of anxieties about breastfeeding, along with some incorrect preconceived notions. One being that I would never be able to do it in public. Wrong. I fed Cody in an Old Navy dressing room (which were also all empty) so that I could continue to shop and not have to leave the store. Even if my friend wanted to walk around the store with her child in a sling and covered-up she should have been able to do so, and it protected under the law to be able to do so.
Unfortunately, this was not the first for Target. http://mamaknowsbreast.com/target/ Perhaps they need to think about their sales; $300 breastpumps and all the families who choose to register and shop for their infants and children at their stores. If you cannot accommodate us, it seems as though we should shop elsewhere. This saddens me. Target was literally one of my daughter's first words! Sad, but I like to shop there! At an early age she knew to associate the bullseye logo with my favorite store, "Target!" At her 5th birthday party this weekend she got giftcards and though she cannot read, knew they were to Target! Michigan (where the story in the above link takes place) also has laws protecting breastfeeding mothers.
From what I'm reading online it looks as though (at least for Texas and most other states) in each case where management has been contacted after the fact at the various stores, movie theaters, restaurants and grocery stores where women have been asked to leave, escorted out or refused service- that management have simply issued apologies and said that they needed to better educate their staff and employees on the law pertaining to breastfeeding. I'm sorry, but that's not good enough. Not when I'm able to so easily find NUMEROUS cases of this happening. If you don't want breastfeeding in your store, open a gay bar.
There is no private property loophole. Go back to the top of this blog and read the sentence. It's black and white. If a woman is allowed in your establishment, she is allowed to breastfeed there. It's not public indeecency or lewdness, it's nature. Most women I know or have ever seen breastfeeding in public have been private about it. If I was every uncomfortable, I didn't look in that direction! I'm going to stay tuned for whatever Kim decides to do. The employees of Target need to get their act together if they don't want to lose business.
These are our children we're talking about. I'm not on this soapbox for attention or because I don't have anything else to be worrying about. Breastfeeding is protected under the law and a letter of apology doesn't do anyone any good at the time that they are being escorted out of a store or refused service. If I am ever embarrassed like that because I am trying to breastfeed our son somewhere, who ever is embarrassing me better watch out for my husband! Let us feed our kids, people. Just google 'breastfeed in public', 'not allowed to breastfeed', 'breastfeed at target' etc. and you'll be amazed. As you can see if you've read my previous blog, breastfeeding can be hard work- please don't make it any harder on us. I have a whole new respect for mothers who choose/are able to breastfeed.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Nobody Told Me I Wouldn't Be Able to Drink Milk!
**Disclaimer** This is the long-awaited breastfeeding blog so if words like breast, nipple etc. will give you the willies, this will not be a comfortable read for you.
Shortly after Cody was born, David and I found ourselves all alone with him in the Labor and Delivery room. I was holding Cody and David had been making phone calls about our glorious news. Then Cody began rubbing his fist accross his lips...I knew what that meant. I've always told David that I wanted another shot at breastfeeding. It was very upsetting to me when Emma and I weren't able to and it's something I wanted to be able to experience- not to mention the amazing health benefits for Mom and Baby!
David and I had had conversations about breastfeeding many times and not only was he totally on board with the idea, he was glad that I was willing to try again. I prepared David for the "nazi nurses" as a popular breastfeeding blog calls them. If Cody needed to gain weight quickly, or if he had jaundice etc. and we were slow to start breastfeeding well, it had been my experience (and that of many others) that the nurses would encourage us to supplement with formula right away. Emma had jaundice fairly severely and breastfeeding was not going well at all right out of the gate, so of course I approved of the supplementing. I don't blame our issues on that at all, it was simply her mouth or latch, for whatever reason. David was prepared to stand our ground with nurses if need be and be my support system. Now, getting back to Cody.
So it was just the three of us in the room and Cody was hungry! I thought, and probably verbalized aloud, "Well, here goes nothing." Cody made up for my lack of confidence- he knew just what to do! Cody nursed on one side for 25 minutes! I was amazed and thrilled- I bet I hardly took my eyes off of him; what a beautiful sight. From this point on I was committed to figuring this whole breastfeeding thing out. For instance, it did not occur to me that breastfed babies spit up- I assumed that was from the formula for bottle-fed babies.
Over the next few feedings we worked on switching sides, figuring out frequency of burping etc. While we were at the hospital Cody nursed on each side for 15-20minutes at a time. The second evening in the hospital I asked the nurse about speaking to a lactation consultant. There was one working that night so late that evening she came in and it just so happened to be feeding time. We were doing 'okay' but I knew the latch could use some adjusting to be more comfortable for me- I had heard that there should be no pain. But all I remembered from my attempts with Emma was PAIN. Anyway, the LC was WONDERFUL and we worked on a modified 'football hold' position. Cody has always liked to be upright anyway, so this works great for us! By the second day of birth my milk was totally in- the LC could tell by how it looked. I didn't know, it looked all the same to me. :) She was telling Cody how lucky he was. Comments like this really made me feel good since I pretty much felt like there was something wrong with me since it didn't work out so well the first time.
This new latch was AWESOME, no discomfort what-so-ever and I really could barely feel anything. At first I was using a nipple shield (there's one of those words, sorry) because I remembered it taking some of the 'edge' off when Emma and I were attempting to breastfeed. Now I don't use it because I really don't feel it. After a week or so I was ready to start pumping. The lactation consultants and everything I was reading and hearing was encouraging you to wait at least three weeks or until a "good" latch habit had been established. David had his first week back at work before Cody was two weeks old and I only lasted two days before I absolutely lost it. It was superbowl Sunday and I had barely slept that Friday and Saturday. Cody happened to be going through his 10-day growth spurt and was nursing every two hours or so! And so the pumping commenced. Before he went back to work David would get up with Cody and have him changed and ready-to-go when it was time for him to eat. David always made sure I had plenty of water with a straw and got me set up with pillows so I was comfortable :) It was quite the change to have David away and be on my own...
Thanks to some very kind friends/co-worker of David, we were given an awesome Medela pump to use! I had used this kind when Emma was born so I was thrilled because I knew it would work for me! David had to call in sick that Sunday and was able to stay home and help with feedings via bottle. My little champ does great with the boob and the bottle and has had no problems going back and forth between the two. I think it's thanks to that plastic nipple shield since it feels similar and is shaped like a bottle nipple. Whatever the reason- I'm thankful! It as definitely a relief to know I could have a break! This way I was also able to leave Cody at home with Daddy and take big sister to school, go into the office etc. Wahoo! As the days went by we decided to introduce some formula at night in hopes that Cody would be able to sleep longer.
In a way I was kind of dreading this. Emma was intolerant of all the 'regular' formulas and ended up taking Alimentum which cost us almost $200/month. Sure enough Cody was extremely gassy with the regular similac, had aweful diarrhea with the soy and became TERRIBLY constipated with one of the 'sensitive' versions. The pedi. was ready to switch to Alimentum but I asked what she thought about trying an Enfamil version since we'd only tried Similac thus far. She said exactly what I was hoping for- to try the Gentlease. We had just gotten and buy-one-get-one-free coupon for it from Walgreens and it was the same price as the other 'regular' formulas. While Cody was consitpated this week he was so uncomfortable and it broke our hearts and definitely interrupted our sleep, not to mention his sleep. I should add that we were giving him Mylicon with every bottle of formula and he was still gassy throughout all of these trials. I wish I could breastfeed exclusively but I've been going in to work since he was 6 days old and it just isn't always possible for me to be available (and have privacy) every three hours. It's not really my personality to just pull out my boob at a restaurant, shopping etc. so it was important to me that we have options.
I forgot to mention that in the beginning, and we still do this, that we would mix the formula and distilled water with breast milk that I had pumped. We are making him 4oz bottles and he pretty much takes the whole thing and burps after every ounce. When Cody was just a few days old we had my parents over for dinner and made pancakes, sausage and eggs. I had a big glass of milk not realizing that Cody would have trouble when it came time to nurse. Duh- that's why babies can't have cow's milk because they can't break it down. Cody had a rough time that night- lesson learned! Disappointing though because I was totally in the habit of drinking a lot of milk and having cereal while I was pregnant.
This has surely been a learning experience for me. No nuts, beans, chocolate, milk, spicy foods, caffiene etc. Luckily, like during my pregnancy, heavy, spicy, greasy foods don't sound good to me. But it's hard finding things to eat! The first few days I had a lot of salads, but all that lettuce wasn't so great either. One thing I missed during my pregnancy was having a glass of wine every once in a while. I had a half a glass on New Years' Eve but that's it. I might have to allow myself some after I pump sometime. Speaking of which, pumping is going great. It's hard for me to sit still that long though. When Cody nurses he goes for almost an hour!! Then it takes a little time to get him to rest or settled in to playing happily. By the time that is done, I'm exhausted and usually need to eat, shower or rest. But I'm trying to stay on top of pumping to keep my supply up as well as freeze milk for later.
To sum this up, I feel so honored to be able to breastfeed. It's so special and I cherish the time I share with Cody. I'm not sure how long we will breastfeed, but I didn't think I'd make it past week one, then week two, then the first month and yet here we are! My next goal is 2 months, then six months, then who knows. I'm just thankful my little man is healthy and happy!
Shortly after Cody was born, David and I found ourselves all alone with him in the Labor and Delivery room. I was holding Cody and David had been making phone calls about our glorious news. Then Cody began rubbing his fist accross his lips...I knew what that meant. I've always told David that I wanted another shot at breastfeeding. It was very upsetting to me when Emma and I weren't able to and it's something I wanted to be able to experience- not to mention the amazing health benefits for Mom and Baby!
David and I had had conversations about breastfeeding many times and not only was he totally on board with the idea, he was glad that I was willing to try again. I prepared David for the "nazi nurses" as a popular breastfeeding blog calls them. If Cody needed to gain weight quickly, or if he had jaundice etc. and we were slow to start breastfeeding well, it had been my experience (and that of many others) that the nurses would encourage us to supplement with formula right away. Emma had jaundice fairly severely and breastfeeding was not going well at all right out of the gate, so of course I approved of the supplementing. I don't blame our issues on that at all, it was simply her mouth or latch, for whatever reason. David was prepared to stand our ground with nurses if need be and be my support system. Now, getting back to Cody.
So it was just the three of us in the room and Cody was hungry! I thought, and probably verbalized aloud, "Well, here goes nothing." Cody made up for my lack of confidence- he knew just what to do! Cody nursed on one side for 25 minutes! I was amazed and thrilled- I bet I hardly took my eyes off of him; what a beautiful sight. From this point on I was committed to figuring this whole breastfeeding thing out. For instance, it did not occur to me that breastfed babies spit up- I assumed that was from the formula for bottle-fed babies.
Over the next few feedings we worked on switching sides, figuring out frequency of burping etc. While we were at the hospital Cody nursed on each side for 15-20minutes at a time. The second evening in the hospital I asked the nurse about speaking to a lactation consultant. There was one working that night so late that evening she came in and it just so happened to be feeding time. We were doing 'okay' but I knew the latch could use some adjusting to be more comfortable for me- I had heard that there should be no pain. But all I remembered from my attempts with Emma was PAIN. Anyway, the LC was WONDERFUL and we worked on a modified 'football hold' position. Cody has always liked to be upright anyway, so this works great for us! By the second day of birth my milk was totally in- the LC could tell by how it looked. I didn't know, it looked all the same to me. :) She was telling Cody how lucky he was. Comments like this really made me feel good since I pretty much felt like there was something wrong with me since it didn't work out so well the first time.
This new latch was AWESOME, no discomfort what-so-ever and I really could barely feel anything. At first I was using a nipple shield (there's one of those words, sorry) because I remembered it taking some of the 'edge' off when Emma and I were attempting to breastfeed. Now I don't use it because I really don't feel it. After a week or so I was ready to start pumping. The lactation consultants and everything I was reading and hearing was encouraging you to wait at least three weeks or until a "good" latch habit had been established. David had his first week back at work before Cody was two weeks old and I only lasted two days before I absolutely lost it. It was superbowl Sunday and I had barely slept that Friday and Saturday. Cody happened to be going through his 10-day growth spurt and was nursing every two hours or so! And so the pumping commenced. Before he went back to work David would get up with Cody and have him changed and ready-to-go when it was time for him to eat. David always made sure I had plenty of water with a straw and got me set up with pillows so I was comfortable :) It was quite the change to have David away and be on my own...
Thanks to some very kind friends/co-worker of David, we were given an awesome Medela pump to use! I had used this kind when Emma was born so I was thrilled because I knew it would work for me! David had to call in sick that Sunday and was able to stay home and help with feedings via bottle. My little champ does great with the boob and the bottle and has had no problems going back and forth between the two. I think it's thanks to that plastic nipple shield since it feels similar and is shaped like a bottle nipple. Whatever the reason- I'm thankful! It as definitely a relief to know I could have a break! This way I was also able to leave Cody at home with Daddy and take big sister to school, go into the office etc. Wahoo! As the days went by we decided to introduce some formula at night in hopes that Cody would be able to sleep longer.
In a way I was kind of dreading this. Emma was intolerant of all the 'regular' formulas and ended up taking Alimentum which cost us almost $200/month. Sure enough Cody was extremely gassy with the regular similac, had aweful diarrhea with the soy and became TERRIBLY constipated with one of the 'sensitive' versions. The pedi. was ready to switch to Alimentum but I asked what she thought about trying an Enfamil version since we'd only tried Similac thus far. She said exactly what I was hoping for- to try the Gentlease. We had just gotten and buy-one-get-one-free coupon for it from Walgreens and it was the same price as the other 'regular' formulas. While Cody was consitpated this week he was so uncomfortable and it broke our hearts and definitely interrupted our sleep, not to mention his sleep. I should add that we were giving him Mylicon with every bottle of formula and he was still gassy throughout all of these trials. I wish I could breastfeed exclusively but I've been going in to work since he was 6 days old and it just isn't always possible for me to be available (and have privacy) every three hours. It's not really my personality to just pull out my boob at a restaurant, shopping etc. so it was important to me that we have options.
I forgot to mention that in the beginning, and we still do this, that we would mix the formula and distilled water with breast milk that I had pumped. We are making him 4oz bottles and he pretty much takes the whole thing and burps after every ounce. When Cody was just a few days old we had my parents over for dinner and made pancakes, sausage and eggs. I had a big glass of milk not realizing that Cody would have trouble when it came time to nurse. Duh- that's why babies can't have cow's milk because they can't break it down. Cody had a rough time that night- lesson learned! Disappointing though because I was totally in the habit of drinking a lot of milk and having cereal while I was pregnant.
This has surely been a learning experience for me. No nuts, beans, chocolate, milk, spicy foods, caffiene etc. Luckily, like during my pregnancy, heavy, spicy, greasy foods don't sound good to me. But it's hard finding things to eat! The first few days I had a lot of salads, but all that lettuce wasn't so great either. One thing I missed during my pregnancy was having a glass of wine every once in a while. I had a half a glass on New Years' Eve but that's it. I might have to allow myself some after I pump sometime. Speaking of which, pumping is going great. It's hard for me to sit still that long though. When Cody nurses he goes for almost an hour!! Then it takes a little time to get him to rest or settled in to playing happily. By the time that is done, I'm exhausted and usually need to eat, shower or rest. But I'm trying to stay on top of pumping to keep my supply up as well as freeze milk for later.
To sum this up, I feel so honored to be able to breastfeed. It's so special and I cherish the time I share with Cody. I'm not sure how long we will breastfeed, but I didn't think I'd make it past week one, then week two, then the first month and yet here we are! My next goal is 2 months, then six months, then who knows. I'm just thankful my little man is healthy and happy!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Special Ash Wednesday
There are a million things I'm dying to put into words about how we are adjusting to life with our beautiful baby boy- BUT, I just have to share my thoughts from today.
Today is Ash Wednesday. Let me go back for a moment. Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday" or "Shrove Tuesday". Churches everywhere were having Pancake suppers because it is tradition to rid our systems of fat, eggs and dairy during the season of Lent- when we deny ourselves these and other restricted foods. Historically pancakes and similar foods were eaten on this day to use up stores of the ingredients that would not be used during the 40 days of the Lenten season. For our Fat Tuesday meal we went to Jardin's. We hadn't been there in forever since mexican food did not sound appetizing for the majority of my pregnancy. And it still doesn't since I'm breastfeeding and avoiding heavy, spicy foods. I had a salad-blah.
So today is Ash Wednesday and is so named for the tradition of placing a sign of the cross in ashes on your forehead as a sign of your repentance to God. Since Emma is learning about the meaning of Lent, I decided that I wanted to attend today's chapel service with her at her school. David is in training so Cody and I headed to Redeemer.
Chapel time is a beautiful thing at Emma's school. I have fond memories of sitting in the Narthex of my church/daycare singing songs and learning about God's love- I hope Emma will have the same! They began by singing three songs. Then the daycare director began a demonstration about household items that are used for cleaning. When asked what we could use to clean our hearts, the children responded "JESUS!" without missing a beat. It really touched me to see things through a child's eyes. Perhaps this is why some people love to teach. It was really beautiful, so simple. When our hearts get dirty, down and sad we just have to lean on Jesus. They sang a song about Jesus dying on the cross, but that he rose into heaven and is coming again. The children were so excited about the verse that he's coming again! It's just that simple.
My faith means so much more to me now. Just like I understand love, and am that much more thankful for it now, I understand my faith and realize how far it has brought me. Through my ups and downs, confusion and fear, happy times and times of uncertainty my faith has always been there. God has always been there for me. If I can give anything to my children, teach them anything, I would want to share with them the gift of faith.
I've been feeling more and more like I want us to find a "home" church again. When David and I moved in together we spent a few months looking at churches in our area. It's hard for me because the church I grew up at (attended for daycare, was baptized, confirmed and even married at) is so wonderful. I have attended a good number of different church services but have yet to hear a sermon that reaches you on so many levels as the ones I've grown accustomed to at Gethsemane Lutheran, especially from Pastor Gronberg. I just felt like I wanted to see what else was out there. We visited churches with very active couples' groups, with lots of young famlies and lots going on- but nothing has 'fit' yet. Perhaps our families' search will lead us back to my roots.
For now, Redeemer has been a wonderful blessing for Emma and our family and I am so thankful to share my gift of faith with my family. Many people may not know this but David was never baptized. He grew up attending a Southern Baptist Church but also became involved in a non-denominational church as a youth. He recently told me that he'd like to be baptized at the same time as Cody- how special! I'm so excited and thrilled that he feels led to do this!
During this season of reflection, I am overwhelmed with our many blessings. Our health, our love for one another, the roof over our heads, food to eat and clothes to wear. I'm thankful for my God and his ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of my sins!
Today is Ash Wednesday. Let me go back for a moment. Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday" or "Shrove Tuesday". Churches everywhere were having Pancake suppers because it is tradition to rid our systems of fat, eggs and dairy during the season of Lent- when we deny ourselves these and other restricted foods. Historically pancakes and similar foods were eaten on this day to use up stores of the ingredients that would not be used during the 40 days of the Lenten season. For our Fat Tuesday meal we went to Jardin's. We hadn't been there in forever since mexican food did not sound appetizing for the majority of my pregnancy. And it still doesn't since I'm breastfeeding and avoiding heavy, spicy foods. I had a salad-blah.
So today is Ash Wednesday and is so named for the tradition of placing a sign of the cross in ashes on your forehead as a sign of your repentance to God. Since Emma is learning about the meaning of Lent, I decided that I wanted to attend today's chapel service with her at her school. David is in training so Cody and I headed to Redeemer.
Chapel time is a beautiful thing at Emma's school. I have fond memories of sitting in the Narthex of my church/daycare singing songs and learning about God's love- I hope Emma will have the same! They began by singing three songs. Then the daycare director began a demonstration about household items that are used for cleaning. When asked what we could use to clean our hearts, the children responded "JESUS!" without missing a beat. It really touched me to see things through a child's eyes. Perhaps this is why some people love to teach. It was really beautiful, so simple. When our hearts get dirty, down and sad we just have to lean on Jesus. They sang a song about Jesus dying on the cross, but that he rose into heaven and is coming again. The children were so excited about the verse that he's coming again! It's just that simple.
My faith means so much more to me now. Just like I understand love, and am that much more thankful for it now, I understand my faith and realize how far it has brought me. Through my ups and downs, confusion and fear, happy times and times of uncertainty my faith has always been there. God has always been there for me. If I can give anything to my children, teach them anything, I would want to share with them the gift of faith.
I've been feeling more and more like I want us to find a "home" church again. When David and I moved in together we spent a few months looking at churches in our area. It's hard for me because the church I grew up at (attended for daycare, was baptized, confirmed and even married at) is so wonderful. I have attended a good number of different church services but have yet to hear a sermon that reaches you on so many levels as the ones I've grown accustomed to at Gethsemane Lutheran, especially from Pastor Gronberg. I just felt like I wanted to see what else was out there. We visited churches with very active couples' groups, with lots of young famlies and lots going on- but nothing has 'fit' yet. Perhaps our families' search will lead us back to my roots.
For now, Redeemer has been a wonderful blessing for Emma and our family and I am so thankful to share my gift of faith with my family. Many people may not know this but David was never baptized. He grew up attending a Southern Baptist Church but also became involved in a non-denominational church as a youth. He recently told me that he'd like to be baptized at the same time as Cody- how special! I'm so excited and thrilled that he feels led to do this!
During this season of reflection, I am overwhelmed with our many blessings. Our health, our love for one another, the roof over our heads, food to eat and clothes to wear. I'm thankful for my God and his ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of my sins!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Cody's Birth Story
My Dr's appointment was scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9AM. David and I were showered, my hair was done and I even put on makeup. (The previous three days I had gotten my finger/toes done and a new haircut) We made sure to add our last-minute toiletries to our bags for the hospital and then we were on our way. We took Emma to school and were a few minutes late to our appointment.
First we took my weight, I had lost almost two pounds just since the last week. The nurse checked my urine and blood pressure. When the Dr. came in she listened to the babies' heart rate which had been in the 130's for a few weeks- he still sounded great! The Dr. checked me for progress and she pretty much immediately said that we were going next door. She said I was 6cm and he was ready to go. I had my eyes closed while she was examining me- mostly because I was dreading being sent home again and preparing for the worst. But, I got to hear David clap and cheer "YAY" when she said it was time.
This was exactly how we wanted it to go. My Dr. was on call at the hospital and David and I were more than ready! We chatted with the Dr. for a moment- I asked her about timing the epidural since I was already so far along and about using Pitocin. To my surprise she said I would probably not need anything to get labor to progress (Pitocin)- she was sure that once they broke my water I would finish dilating in a hurry. As far as the epidural, since she was convinced labor would be going very quickly from this point, she thought that it would be soon before it was time to push and that being the case that I could just get through without it...if I wanted. The epidural is a source of much anxiety for me- it was the most, well only, painful part of my labor with Emma. It's not that it's that uncomfortable, but it's still scary.
David and I walked back down to the car, and moved it to the South parking lot of Medical Park Tower. We sat in the car and made phone calls to our parents, siblings, closest friends and co-workers. I let my office know that I was calling in sick and would not be in that day. I worked a full day the previous day! As we were sitting there making phone calls my back started to bother me. David grabbed our duffel bag and laptop bag and I waddled in with my purse. We made our way up to the 2nd floor, stopped of at admissions (thank goodness we were pre-registered and I wasn't in pain) which took just a minute to get our paperwork and my ID band.
We were officially admitted at 9:56AM and were in labor and delivery room #255. We probably sat there for 15 minutes. David was still calling and texting people and I sat next to him on the couch...staring at the bed. I was taking my time to get into the gown because that would be too much of a reality dose. Even though I had done this before, I was so fearful that this time would be different, as in painful. Our lives were about to change forever. Our first nurse's name was Elizabeth. She was very sweet. I finally got changed, went to the restroom and then began hooking up IV's, monitors etc. Elizabeth had a family emergency and when she left, our nurse was Sara who had an ACC student shadowing her- I didn't care, once you have a child all modesty is left at the door.
Cody's hear rate was awesome and consistent and my blood pressure was excellent. I never had any pitocin, only IV fluids to keep me hydrated. I was going to have to make a decision soon about the epidural. I had been in touch with my parents (they were already on call that morning as it was our hope to be admitted) throughout the morning and knew that they'd be coming about Noon. David was unable to get a hold of his mother all morning which was disappointing because we thought that they would also be heading our way and were waiting for our call after seeing the Dr. Anyway, there was so much going on in a short period of time. By Noon my Dr. was at the hospital and came in to check on me. In just two short hours I had gone from 6cm to 8cm. I let her know that I did want to have an epidural so she agreed to hold off a few more minutes before breaking my water.
Very quickly the anesthesiologist and nurses had everything prepped. I sat up on the side of the bed with David in a chair in front of me. The Dr. was very good and it felt just how I remembered. David held my hands (sqeezing pretty tightly :) ) and he never once looked at what the Dr. was doing. The epidural took 15minutes and then the nurses had to observe me for 30minutes to make sure I would be ok. During this time I had to lay on my back followed by lying on each side so that the medicine would evenly distribute. Before I turned to my side my Dr. came back in and broke my water- which was clear, good news! They inserted a catheter since I wouldn't be able to get out of bed at this point.
My parent's got to the hospital just as we were finishing the epidural so they were in the room when the real fun began. After I turned on to my side the pain began. All morning I had been feeling contractions (and watching them on the monitor) though they weren't too painful, just a noticible cramp starting at the top of my abdomen and moving downward. At one point that morning, shortly after being admitted, they were as close as 2min. apart but mainly averaged 5min. apart (this was when I went from 6-8cm). After the epidural and once I had turned on my side to let the medicine evenly distribute, I started feeling a completely new sensation. PAIN. I called the nurses in and wanted them to check me. I wasn't sure what was exactly going on, but felt like something was changing. The nurse told me that they could check me but that the more they did, the higher the risk of infection (since they'd be messing with me). They said that I was probably feeling pressure from the baby moving down (I started out at -1 station) and the longer I could wait the better.
I agreed that the Dr. didn't need to come in and check me and I would try to get through a little longer before having her check me again. At this point I asked my parents to give David and I some privacy. I had changed to lying on my other side and as my parents told me they loved me and kissed me goodbye I started to cry. Not boo-hooing but tears coming down. I remember holding on to the side rail and David leaning over me and telling me he loved me. He stood there, I tried to breathe through the pain but it was getting worse. The nurse had told me to let them know when it was consistent pain (without breaks) and increasingly uncomfortable. I couldn't stand it and David asked if I wanted to call them in again. Only moments had passed since they were in the room and my parents left, but that's all it took.
The nurse came in, saw how I was doing and called the Dr. who was out of the room. Dr. Hansen asked the nurse to check me and said that if I was all the way there to go ahead and start pushing. Sara checked me and I was 10cm and fully effaced and then called the Dr. back to let her know we would be starting. I felt better in the fact that I'd soon have some relief! I knew I felt like pushing- it had been uncomfortable to lie there on my sides with my legs together. I asked David to go tell my parents we were starting. Sara had asked if the student shadowing her could check me as well. I was fine with it, just wanted them to hurry! They could already see his head (or feel?) because they both commented on his hair. I didn't really register this comment- my eyes were closed, I was breathing and in the 'zone.'
When I felt pressure they had me lean forward, hold my legs and push. I told them I didn't want to count to ten, that I would just push as long as I could. David was on my right side holding my arm (I had to ask about this just now because I was too preoccupied to pay attention to what he was doing). I pushed twice within just a couple of minutes and they had to quickly call the Dr. to come in. I had to stop pushing long enough for her to come in and get gloves on (not fun.) I pushed once and heard her say "his head is out." His cord was loosely wrapped around his neck so it took her a moment to deal with that and then it was time to push once more. With that, Cody was born.
My eyes were still closed but I heard them clearing the fluid out of his mouth and nose. Then he cried- his lungs were definitely working and I opened my eyes to see my beautiful baby boy in front of me. David cut the cord and they continued to clean Cody off. I heard David sniffling as they put Cody on my chest. We had a few moments together before he went to the warming station to be cleaned and assessed. David gave me a kiss and walked to where Cody was with the nurses. I watched as he snapped pictures and Cody just laid there while the nurses looked him over, cleaned and wrapped him. I also laid back and just had a moment to myself while my Dr. continued to poke on me. The placenta must have still been relatively high as it took her a few moments to deliver. She was really mashing on my tummy!
In other news that is pretty exciting for me- no tears which means no stitches. I'm two for two! I guess those nurses from my first L&D were right- I am built for having babies. I felt so great! Once I was cleaned up it would be a few minutes before Cody and David went to the nursery to be bathed so I asked him to bring my parents in. To re cap and offer more of a timeline:
First we took my weight, I had lost almost two pounds just since the last week. The nurse checked my urine and blood pressure. When the Dr. came in she listened to the babies' heart rate which had been in the 130's for a few weeks- he still sounded great! The Dr. checked me for progress and she pretty much immediately said that we were going next door. She said I was 6cm and he was ready to go. I had my eyes closed while she was examining me- mostly because I was dreading being sent home again and preparing for the worst. But, I got to hear David clap and cheer "YAY" when she said it was time.
This was exactly how we wanted it to go. My Dr. was on call at the hospital and David and I were more than ready! We chatted with the Dr. for a moment- I asked her about timing the epidural since I was already so far along and about using Pitocin. To my surprise she said I would probably not need anything to get labor to progress (Pitocin)- she was sure that once they broke my water I would finish dilating in a hurry. As far as the epidural, since she was convinced labor would be going very quickly from this point, she thought that it would be soon before it was time to push and that being the case that I could just get through without it...if I wanted. The epidural is a source of much anxiety for me- it was the most, well only, painful part of my labor with Emma. It's not that it's that uncomfortable, but it's still scary.
David and I walked back down to the car, and moved it to the South parking lot of Medical Park Tower. We sat in the car and made phone calls to our parents, siblings, closest friends and co-workers. I let my office know that I was calling in sick and would not be in that day. I worked a full day the previous day! As we were sitting there making phone calls my back started to bother me. David grabbed our duffel bag and laptop bag and I waddled in with my purse. We made our way up to the 2nd floor, stopped of at admissions (thank goodness we were pre-registered and I wasn't in pain) which took just a minute to get our paperwork and my ID band.
We were officially admitted at 9:56AM and were in labor and delivery room #255. We probably sat there for 15 minutes. David was still calling and texting people and I sat next to him on the couch...staring at the bed. I was taking my time to get into the gown because that would be too much of a reality dose. Even though I had done this before, I was so fearful that this time would be different, as in painful. Our lives were about to change forever. Our first nurse's name was Elizabeth. She was very sweet. I finally got changed, went to the restroom and then began hooking up IV's, monitors etc. Elizabeth had a family emergency and when she left, our nurse was Sara who had an ACC student shadowing her- I didn't care, once you have a child all modesty is left at the door.
Cody's hear rate was awesome and consistent and my blood pressure was excellent. I never had any pitocin, only IV fluids to keep me hydrated. I was going to have to make a decision soon about the epidural. I had been in touch with my parents (they were already on call that morning as it was our hope to be admitted) throughout the morning and knew that they'd be coming about Noon. David was unable to get a hold of his mother all morning which was disappointing because we thought that they would also be heading our way and were waiting for our call after seeing the Dr. Anyway, there was so much going on in a short period of time. By Noon my Dr. was at the hospital and came in to check on me. In just two short hours I had gone from 6cm to 8cm. I let her know that I did want to have an epidural so she agreed to hold off a few more minutes before breaking my water.
Very quickly the anesthesiologist and nurses had everything prepped. I sat up on the side of the bed with David in a chair in front of me. The Dr. was very good and it felt just how I remembered. David held my hands (sqeezing pretty tightly :) ) and he never once looked at what the Dr. was doing. The epidural took 15minutes and then the nurses had to observe me for 30minutes to make sure I would be ok. During this time I had to lay on my back followed by lying on each side so that the medicine would evenly distribute. Before I turned to my side my Dr. came back in and broke my water- which was clear, good news! They inserted a catheter since I wouldn't be able to get out of bed at this point.
My parent's got to the hospital just as we were finishing the epidural so they were in the room when the real fun began. After I turned on to my side the pain began. All morning I had been feeling contractions (and watching them on the monitor) though they weren't too painful, just a noticible cramp starting at the top of my abdomen and moving downward. At one point that morning, shortly after being admitted, they were as close as 2min. apart but mainly averaged 5min. apart (this was when I went from 6-8cm). After the epidural and once I had turned on my side to let the medicine evenly distribute, I started feeling a completely new sensation. PAIN. I called the nurses in and wanted them to check me. I wasn't sure what was exactly going on, but felt like something was changing. The nurse told me that they could check me but that the more they did, the higher the risk of infection (since they'd be messing with me). They said that I was probably feeling pressure from the baby moving down (I started out at -1 station) and the longer I could wait the better.
I agreed that the Dr. didn't need to come in and check me and I would try to get through a little longer before having her check me again. At this point I asked my parents to give David and I some privacy. I had changed to lying on my other side and as my parents told me they loved me and kissed me goodbye I started to cry. Not boo-hooing but tears coming down. I remember holding on to the side rail and David leaning over me and telling me he loved me. He stood there, I tried to breathe through the pain but it was getting worse. The nurse had told me to let them know when it was consistent pain (without breaks) and increasingly uncomfortable. I couldn't stand it and David asked if I wanted to call them in again. Only moments had passed since they were in the room and my parents left, but that's all it took.
The nurse came in, saw how I was doing and called the Dr. who was out of the room. Dr. Hansen asked the nurse to check me and said that if I was all the way there to go ahead and start pushing. Sara checked me and I was 10cm and fully effaced and then called the Dr. back to let her know we would be starting. I felt better in the fact that I'd soon have some relief! I knew I felt like pushing- it had been uncomfortable to lie there on my sides with my legs together. I asked David to go tell my parents we were starting. Sara had asked if the student shadowing her could check me as well. I was fine with it, just wanted them to hurry! They could already see his head (or feel?) because they both commented on his hair. I didn't really register this comment- my eyes were closed, I was breathing and in the 'zone.'
When I felt pressure they had me lean forward, hold my legs and push. I told them I didn't want to count to ten, that I would just push as long as I could. David was on my right side holding my arm (I had to ask about this just now because I was too preoccupied to pay attention to what he was doing). I pushed twice within just a couple of minutes and they had to quickly call the Dr. to come in. I had to stop pushing long enough for her to come in and get gloves on (not fun.) I pushed once and heard her say "his head is out." His cord was loosely wrapped around his neck so it took her a moment to deal with that and then it was time to push once more. With that, Cody was born.
My eyes were still closed but I heard them clearing the fluid out of his mouth and nose. Then he cried- his lungs were definitely working and I opened my eyes to see my beautiful baby boy in front of me. David cut the cord and they continued to clean Cody off. I heard David sniffling as they put Cody on my chest. We had a few moments together before he went to the warming station to be cleaned and assessed. David gave me a kiss and walked to where Cody was with the nurses. I watched as he snapped pictures and Cody just laid there while the nurses looked him over, cleaned and wrapped him. I also laid back and just had a moment to myself while my Dr. continued to poke on me. The placenta must have still been relatively high as it took her a few moments to deliver. She was really mashing on my tummy!
In other news that is pretty exciting for me- no tears which means no stitches. I'm two for two! I guess those nurses from my first L&D were right- I am built for having babies. I felt so great! Once I was cleaned up it would be a few minutes before Cody and David went to the nursery to be bathed so I asked him to bring my parents in. To re cap and offer more of a timeline:
- Dr's office visit began about 9:15AM, dilated to 6cm
- Admitted to hospital at 9:56AM
- Dr. arrived at hospital, Noon, dilated to 8cm
- Epidural at 12:30
- Began pushing 3:30ish
- Cody was born at 3:59PM
I guess it was 4:30ish when my parents left to pick up Emma from school. They walked into her classroom with her big sister t-shirt and told her she was a big sister, that baby Cody was here! Evidently she and her teachers squealed. Shortly after 5PM my Aunt Lisa and cousin Trisha came up to the hospital. My mom, Aunt, Trisha and I were all in the L&D room when they were ready to move me to the postpartum room. My Dad, David and Emma were at the nursery watching Cody have his first bath. The girls helped haul all of our things to our new room.
I felt soooo good! Even though this was a healthy pregnancy, it was kind of hard on me and I finally felt great! I was so happy when they brought Cody back to our new room. My Uncle David and cousin Lily also came up to the hospital and it was great to have visitors and be surrounded by family. My dinner came, vegetable lasagne, salad and chocolate cake. I was so starved! Right after Cody was born they offered me a turkey sandwich and I happily took them up on it!
David went with my parents and Emma to Waterloo across the street to get some dinner. I just relaxed in the room until he got back. The nurses asked me about my pain level but I really had none and didn't see any sense in taking powerful drugs when they weren't necessary. The Dr., however prescribed Ibuprofen so I took that. Even after dinner I found myself starving so I had some graham crackers and grape juice before bed. Cody spent the night in the nusery so that Daddy and I could get as much rest as possible. Every three hours Cody came into the room to nurse. (I'll do a separate blog just on breastfeeding thus far.) Even without Cody in the room for part of the night, we were still very interrupted between blood work, assessments on me etc. With all of that though, we probably got five hours of sleep. I couldn't wait for Cody to be with us!
The next morning my Dr. came in, said I looked wonderful and that she'd see me in about 4 weeks. After Cody's 6AM feeding we kept him in the room. The pediatrician did his first assessment later that morning and everything was good news. Heart, lungs, reflexes, etc. etc. David and I asked about jaundice- when would we see signs? Cody was looking so good that he felt confident we might avoid it altogether- yay!
Emma's school was closed Thursday and Friday because the teachers would all bee at a conference. My parents were splitting each day and keeping Emma for us. My Dad stayed home in the mornings with Emma and my Mom came home at Noon for the afternoon shift. They brought lunch to David at the hospital and came up to visit about mid-day. Emma has been so excited to spend time around her little brother- I think she missed Mommy and DD too.
The rest of the day was much of the same, assessments, feedings and naps when possible. The hospital started doing something new since Emma was born; they now offer parents a "Celebration Meal." David and I both had the herb-crusted tilapia, asparagus, salad and chocolate mousse cake. Thursday night we did not get as much sleep as the previous night. Cody stayed in the nursery except for feedings every third hour, but considering each of those took an hour, that did not leave much time in between for sleeping. Feeling much more confident I let David sleep through feedings and did things on my own. I ended up keeping Cody in the room for the majority of night- he's a champion sleeper!
Friday morning Emma and my Dad came up to the hospital (Mom worked that morning.) An OB from my Dr's office came in to say he'd reviewed my chart and that I was ready to be released. But first...he'd be doing Cody's circumcision. Needless to say David and I did not need to go watch. Before all of this the pediatrician had come in to go over Cody's morning assessment which was again, great. The first night Cody went from 7lbs 9oz to 7lbs 8oz and by Friday was 7lbs 2oz. Cody also had his hearing screening done and passed.
While Cody was out of the room David and I turned in our paperwork to the nurse so we could move forward with the discharge process. I had filled out the birth certificate application prior to coming to the hospital and had everything ready in a folder. There were 3-4 women waiting to be released that morning and we knew the sooner we got started the better. We packed up our things and I got dressed and cleaned up.
We went over information with the discharge nurse and before long it was time to be going. I think it was about 2PM when we finally left. On our way home David ran into Babies R Us for an infant Astro's hat he had seen and some breastfeeding paraphanalia I needed. We got home about 3PM and got settled in.
That evening my parents came over, bringing Emma home and fixed pot roast, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner. The first night I think we averaged about 4-5hrs of sleep and still felt pretty good the next day. Saturday morning Emma went to breakfast with her other set of grandparents and was home before Noon. At about 12:30 my parents came over after picking up my brother from the airport. We had Firehouse subs for lunch, visited, played with the baby and I took a nap in the afternoon.
So far so good! Life is good and we are so BLESSED! Our family feels complete. I have never felt so close to anyone in my life (David) and cannot imagine sharing this experience with anyone else. God is good!
Monday, January 11, 2010
D-Day?
I'm wondering when Cody will decide to come. Sunday night and again this afternoon and evening I've had some debilitating pain which I'm assuming are contractions. The contractions I had over the weekend never really got into a consistent pattern. But I think I've had enough of them that I will be further dilated when we go to the Dr. tomorrow. We're also having a sonogram tomorrow so here are my predictions:.
~weight: right at or about 7lbs
~height: 19"
~dilation: 3cm
I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong, but just wanted to put down my thoughts in writing before we find out the facts tomorrow. Between 5-6PM (while driving home) I had contractions 7, 5, and 3 minutes apart. I was so uncomfortable that I wemt straight to lie down. They considerably let up and we went to dinner, Old Navy and HEB. We picked up a few groceries and things I wanted for the hospital bag- which we have mostly packed and will take with us to the Dr.
~weight: right at or about 7lbs
~height: 19"
~dilation: 3cm
I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong, but just wanted to put down my thoughts in writing before we find out the facts tomorrow. Between 5-6PM (while driving home) I had contractions 7, 5, and 3 minutes apart. I was so uncomfortable that I wemt straight to lie down. They considerably let up and we went to dinner, Old Navy and HEB. We picked up a few groceries and things I wanted for the hospital bag- which we have mostly packed and will take with us to the Dr.
Friday, January 8, 2010
We Have a Problem
You see, I'm just now really understanding that I am about to have a baby. I'm not bloated, and I'm not carrying around an alien parasite. I am literally, any day now, about to birth a child. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but the fact that it is almost "go-time" has me pretty spooked.
Yesterday I heard Rodney Atkins' "I've Been Watching You"- I'm pretty sure for the first time this pregnancy, definitely the first time since we found out we're having a boy. At first I cracked up visualizing the early lyrics about spilt "orange drink"...and then the tears came. If you're familiar with the lyrics to the song, you can understand.
I guess my eye-opener came as we started to convert the third bedroom/office/David's room into the nursery. With contractions becoming more frequent and stronger- there's no denying what my body is getting ready for. I'm starting to think in terms of what life will be like with Cody joining the family. Our new daily routine and all that comes with having a newborn- lot's of changes!
Another reaon I've been in denial about what's coming is that it conicides with David switching to the night-shift which is 6PM to 6AM. When he is on this schedule we hardly see him because our schedules are complete opposites. He gets home from work when we are leaving for the day and by the time we get home, David is already gone. Even on his days off we don't go to bed together, we don't eat at the same times and needless to say I don't handle being without him very well. And now I won't just be trying to take care of Emma and myself. Ugh, I still can't wrap my head around it. I understand that it comes with the job- but I still cannot wait for the day when an opportunity for David to be an investigator and work M-F 8-5 is more of a possibility.
Yesterday I heard Rodney Atkins' "I've Been Watching You"- I'm pretty sure for the first time this pregnancy, definitely the first time since we found out we're having a boy. At first I cracked up visualizing the early lyrics about spilt "orange drink"...and then the tears came. If you're familiar with the lyrics to the song, you can understand.
I guess my eye-opener came as we started to convert the third bedroom/office/David's room into the nursery. With contractions becoming more frequent and stronger- there's no denying what my body is getting ready for. I'm starting to think in terms of what life will be like with Cody joining the family. Our new daily routine and all that comes with having a newborn- lot's of changes!
Another reaon I've been in denial about what's coming is that it conicides with David switching to the night-shift which is 6PM to 6AM. When he is on this schedule we hardly see him because our schedules are complete opposites. He gets home from work when we are leaving for the day and by the time we get home, David is already gone. Even on his days off we don't go to bed together, we don't eat at the same times and needless to say I don't handle being without him very well. And now I won't just be trying to take care of Emma and myself. Ugh, I still can't wrap my head around it. I understand that it comes with the job- but I still cannot wait for the day when an opportunity for David to be an investigator and work M-F 8-5 is more of a possibility.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Cody's Coming!
This morning I went to the Dr. for the first of my weekly visits. David couldn't be with me this time because he will be in CSI training all week in WilCo. We're so excited about this class because it's one of the last he needs to attain his Intermediate license. In the State of Texas Peace Officer's have different levels of licensing- entry level, basic, intermediate, advanced and master. Way to go DD!
Back to the Dr's visit before I forget the details. My weight was about the same, and blood pressure was still great. The Dr. did the Group B Strep swab (fun times) and as we were talking decided to check me for dilation...and sure enough 1.5cm! A couple of weeks ago Cody's head was still pretty high but this time he is 'locked and loaded'. I can't stop smiling.
It all began on New Year's Eve.
NYE was an interesting day. Emma's school was closed and I never imagined that everyone in our family would have to work on that day- usually at least one of us is off. Nana, Grandad, Grammy, Paw Paw, DD and I all had to work so I didn't have a plan for Emma. My Dad had a pretty light morning at work planned so he was able to keep her for the first half of the day. But by 11AM she had gone through all of her books and was bored at his office. She asked him to call me and ask when I was coming to get her. Things were quiet at my office so I went to pick her up and get her a Happy Meal. She was an angel all afternoon! I have a pretty large U-Shape desk so she had one whole side of the desk to herself to do puzzles, workbooks and draw on copy paper with my massive array of colored pencils, markers and highlighters. By 4PM though, we were both DONE for the day. Our office was pretty empty by that point and I decided it was time to call it a day.
We picked up Grammy from work and Emma went over to Grammy and Paw Paw's so Mommy and DD could sneak out for a dinner date. As we were about to turn on to their street, I told my mom that maybe she should ride home with us- that I felt like I was having contractions. I decided it was all in my head and I'd be fine for the 20-30 minute car ride home.
From 4:30-5:30PM I had four contractions that were 3-4 minutes apart. I knew it was too early to be worried, but was pretty uncomfortable so I decided to lie down and read my What to Expect book on labor and pre-labor signs. I'd been having a lot of "symptoms" of labor but they're also all common during pregnancy. Instead of getting dolled up before David got home I stayed in bed until he got home around 6:30PM. From 5:30-6:30PM I had three more contractions that were 3 minutes apart. I was thoroughly freaked out by the time David got home. I didn't feel like this was "it" but if they continued I was going to have to call the Dr. During those two hours in bed I tried changing positions, I even got up and walked around a little, went to the bathroom etc. Everything I was reading said that false labor or braxton-hicks contractions would go away with position change. Obviously between 4:30 and 6:30 they weren't going away. Finally enough time had gone by that I thought they were done. David and I got dressed and went to dinner at Carrabba's. It was sooo yummy. We picked up cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory for dessert for us and my parents- who were now at our house with Emma.
What a stressful night! We were so in awe of what was beginning to happen that we actually stayed up late enough to toast sparkling cider and watch the ball drop. Now I know that those were indeed contractions (I didn't feel them with Emma's labor, so wasn't sure what to watch for).
New Year's Day, the three of us went to pick out paint for the nursery. Emma got so excited that she could hardly wait to help in Cody's nursery. On Saturday Emma was with her other set of grandparents so David and I went to see Sherlock Holmes- which was great! Painting Cody's nursery (just an accent wall actually) took two days but we're really happy with it and can't wait to get the crib put up, bedding in and decorations on the wall. I'm not going to stress myself out, or push myself, because he's not going to be in that room for weeks anyway. I got all of his clothes washed- gotta love the smell of Dreft and feel a little more prepared now.
Next on the list, start packing hospital bag, install carseat and continue to mentally prepare. I'm so thankful for progress and how healthy we continue to be. So glad I did not gain another 30lbs with this pregnancy, no swelling etc. I definitely bitched and moaned about the nausea and vomiting but I know how blessed I was!
We can't wait- Cody is coming!
Back to the Dr's visit before I forget the details. My weight was about the same, and blood pressure was still great. The Dr. did the Group B Strep swab (fun times) and as we were talking decided to check me for dilation...and sure enough 1.5cm! A couple of weeks ago Cody's head was still pretty high but this time he is 'locked and loaded'. I can't stop smiling.
It all began on New Year's Eve.
NYE was an interesting day. Emma's school was closed and I never imagined that everyone in our family would have to work on that day- usually at least one of us is off. Nana, Grandad, Grammy, Paw Paw, DD and I all had to work so I didn't have a plan for Emma. My Dad had a pretty light morning at work planned so he was able to keep her for the first half of the day. But by 11AM she had gone through all of her books and was bored at his office. She asked him to call me and ask when I was coming to get her. Things were quiet at my office so I went to pick her up and get her a Happy Meal. She was an angel all afternoon! I have a pretty large U-Shape desk so she had one whole side of the desk to herself to do puzzles, workbooks and draw on copy paper with my massive array of colored pencils, markers and highlighters. By 4PM though, we were both DONE for the day. Our office was pretty empty by that point and I decided it was time to call it a day.
We picked up Grammy from work and Emma went over to Grammy and Paw Paw's so Mommy and DD could sneak out for a dinner date. As we were about to turn on to their street, I told my mom that maybe she should ride home with us- that I felt like I was having contractions. I decided it was all in my head and I'd be fine for the 20-30 minute car ride home.
From 4:30-5:30PM I had four contractions that were 3-4 minutes apart. I knew it was too early to be worried, but was pretty uncomfortable so I decided to lie down and read my What to Expect book on labor and pre-labor signs. I'd been having a lot of "symptoms" of labor but they're also all common during pregnancy. Instead of getting dolled up before David got home I stayed in bed until he got home around 6:30PM. From 5:30-6:30PM I had three more contractions that were 3 minutes apart. I was thoroughly freaked out by the time David got home. I didn't feel like this was "it" but if they continued I was going to have to call the Dr. During those two hours in bed I tried changing positions, I even got up and walked around a little, went to the bathroom etc. Everything I was reading said that false labor or braxton-hicks contractions would go away with position change. Obviously between 4:30 and 6:30 they weren't going away. Finally enough time had gone by that I thought they were done. David and I got dressed and went to dinner at Carrabba's. It was sooo yummy. We picked up cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory for dessert for us and my parents- who were now at our house with Emma.
What a stressful night! We were so in awe of what was beginning to happen that we actually stayed up late enough to toast sparkling cider and watch the ball drop. Now I know that those were indeed contractions (I didn't feel them with Emma's labor, so wasn't sure what to watch for).
New Year's Day, the three of us went to pick out paint for the nursery. Emma got so excited that she could hardly wait to help in Cody's nursery. On Saturday Emma was with her other set of grandparents so David and I went to see Sherlock Holmes- which was great! Painting Cody's nursery (just an accent wall actually) took two days but we're really happy with it and can't wait to get the crib put up, bedding in and decorations on the wall. I'm not going to stress myself out, or push myself, because he's not going to be in that room for weeks anyway. I got all of his clothes washed- gotta love the smell of Dreft and feel a little more prepared now.
Next on the list, start packing hospital bag, install carseat and continue to mentally prepare. I'm so thankful for progress and how healthy we continue to be. So glad I did not gain another 30lbs with this pregnancy, no swelling etc. I definitely bitched and moaned about the nausea and vomiting but I know how blessed I was!
We can't wait- Cody is coming!
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