Obviously with a child you experience lots and lots of 1sts. The first time they roll over, sit up, crawl, talk, cut a tooth, etc. Sometimes you wonder if they are ever going to do something and then all of the sudden they do and all too often we miss it.
The 1st time Maddy rolled over I was watching her attempt it and eating dinner while sitting on the couch. I turned my head to look at my plate and then back to her and she was on her belly from her back in the blink of an eye and I missed it. She rolled whenever I wasn't looking or there to see it for about 2 weeks and then one day I finally caught it.
When her 1st teeth came in she had been fussy and her upper gums were swollen but the lower seemed fine. Knowing from what I have read the lower teeth typically come in first but they don't always so I was thinking that perhaps she was just going to get uppers before the lower ones. Well much to my surprise one evening she pulled one of my fingers into her mouth and bit me. She had 2 lower teeth.
When she 1st pulled herself to a sitting position I actually saw her do it, I was shocked she actually did something in front of me for once.
So far those milestones have been fun to watch for and see happen. She can roll over(and over and over), crawl, say mama and dada and is working on dog and kitty. She can sit up just fine on her own, she pulled herself up for the first time just a few weeks ago and as of last night she stood up barely using anything to help her get there.
I fear walking is going to happen in no time. I am not sure I am ready for her to grow up so fast.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Happy Birthday Mr S
34 years young today.
I know that since your last birthday life has changed quite a bit. You are daddy to a little girl who adores you and the husband I don't get to see as often as I'd like so that we don't have to leave said little girl with sitters.
We love you!
1st time you got to hold her
Just hanging out together(Tired Daddy too)
Family Photo on her 1st Christmas
I know that since your last birthday life has changed quite a bit. You are daddy to a little girl who adores you and the husband I don't get to see as often as I'd like so that we don't have to leave said little girl with sitters.
We love you!
1st time you got to hold her
Just hanging out together(Tired Daddy too)
Family Photo on her 1st ChristmasThursday, March 17, 2011
Summertime and fun with baby
We did get to do some fun things this summer such as 4th of July fireworks and getting Maddy into the pool for the 1st time.
With Aunt Lisa on July 4th
pooltime at Aunt Laurie and Uncle Matt'sWe just keep growing....
and growing and growing
Cool Baby
First time eating rice cereal
Hmmm something to this swing thing
napping at my 1st football game
Headed out with Daddy
Cool Baby
First time eating rice cereal
Hmmm something to this swing thing
napping at my 1st football game
Headed out with DaddyMonday, March 14, 2011
Ordered invites for Maddy's 1st birthday
I can't believe in 6 short weeks my baby girl will be a year old. So scary.
Baby Bloom Collage Birthday
Create funny birthday invitations at Shutterfly.com.
View the entire collection of cards.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mott's round 3
In July we had to go back to Mott's for Madelines next ultrasound and consult with Dr. V.
This time Madeline had about 6 doctors and the ultrasound tech in the room with her. Teaching hospitals are oh so much fun...
The main doctor told me things looked good to him but we'd still have to follow up with Dr. V.
The following week at our follow up with Dr. V. she said that while the socket still looked "immature" that it was growing appropriately and that she wanted to see us back in 6 months for an x-ray and follow-up so we were done there until January.
This time Madeline had about 6 doctors and the ultrasound tech in the room with her. Teaching hospitals are oh so much fun...
The main doctor told me things looked good to him but we'd still have to follow up with Dr. V.
The following week at our follow up with Dr. V. she said that while the socket still looked "immature" that it was growing appropriately and that she wanted to see us back in 6 months for an x-ray and follow-up so we were done there until January.
Some Troubled Waters
In July one night on my way into work I got a call from my aunt. Well anyone knows that a phone call 11:30 at night isn't generally good news. It turns out it wasn't great, my dad was in the hospital with a very bad infection that was threatening the loss of his foot and possibly leg.
A little bit of backstory here, my father is diabetic, he hasn't always had the best control of his sugars and the day Madeline was born he stubbed his big toe getting into the shower and ripped off a chunk of the toenail. Well due to some compromised blood flow in his leg, due to years of smoking and the diabetes the toe didn't heal well and got infected. About a month after Madeline was born the infection was bad enough that his doctors decided to amputate the toe.
Well a couple of weeks after the amputation my brother graduated from high school, dad had been doing well and decided to wear a regular shoe instead of the open toed boot he was wearing for the graduation and party. This caused dirt to get driven into the still healing wound and about a month later he landed in the hospital facing the loss of his foot and possibly leg.
I took the next day off from work and went up to the hospital (about 90 minutes from home) with Madeline to visit him. He was in pretty good spirits for having already been in the hospital a week and having had surgery the prior day to remove infection and part of the foot. He was in the hospital for a few more days to observe and make sure the infection was clearing with the help of the antibiotics they were pumping through him and lots of dressing changes by skilled nursing staff. He also had surgery to restore circulation to the leg which was thankfully successful. He walked out of the hospital with two legs and still is doing well.
While I was at the hospital I got a call from my department manager.She wanted to know if I could switch to day shift for the summer. We had several people leave our department due to staffing reductions while I was out on leave and we were also training on a new system of doing things so I was one of 3 operators that was more skilled in one area. One was in and out dealing with a family health crisis of her own and the other was on afternoons for the summer for childcare reasons. So for the rest of the summer I worked 5am-1pm and my mother in law came over to watch Madeline for an hour or so between Mr. S leaving for work and me getting home.
I really enjoyed my summer of working better hours and being able to spend more time with Madeline but as usual good things don't always last, Labor Day rolled around and I had to go back to working overnight. We decided to try a new shift though and so far it has worked out much better. I work from 3am-11am. It sometimes is a very hard shift for sleeping purposes but I get to see my daughter and husband and my mother in law comes over for a couple hours in the afternoon a few days a week and while she takes care of/plays with Madeline I nap.
A little bit of backstory here, my father is diabetic, he hasn't always had the best control of his sugars and the day Madeline was born he stubbed his big toe getting into the shower and ripped off a chunk of the toenail. Well due to some compromised blood flow in his leg, due to years of smoking and the diabetes the toe didn't heal well and got infected. About a month after Madeline was born the infection was bad enough that his doctors decided to amputate the toe.
Well a couple of weeks after the amputation my brother graduated from high school, dad had been doing well and decided to wear a regular shoe instead of the open toed boot he was wearing for the graduation and party. This caused dirt to get driven into the still healing wound and about a month later he landed in the hospital facing the loss of his foot and possibly leg.
I took the next day off from work and went up to the hospital (about 90 minutes from home) with Madeline to visit him. He was in pretty good spirits for having already been in the hospital a week and having had surgery the prior day to remove infection and part of the foot. He was in the hospital for a few more days to observe and make sure the infection was clearing with the help of the antibiotics they were pumping through him and lots of dressing changes by skilled nursing staff. He also had surgery to restore circulation to the leg which was thankfully successful. He walked out of the hospital with two legs and still is doing well.
While I was at the hospital I got a call from my department manager.She wanted to know if I could switch to day shift for the summer. We had several people leave our department due to staffing reductions while I was out on leave and we were also training on a new system of doing things so I was one of 3 operators that was more skilled in one area. One was in and out dealing with a family health crisis of her own and the other was on afternoons for the summer for childcare reasons. So for the rest of the summer I worked 5am-1pm and my mother in law came over to watch Madeline for an hour or so between Mr. S leaving for work and me getting home.
I really enjoyed my summer of working better hours and being able to spend more time with Madeline but as usual good things don't always last, Labor Day rolled around and I had to go back to working overnight. We decided to try a new shift though and so far it has worked out much better. I work from 3am-11am. It sometimes is a very hard shift for sleeping purposes but I get to see my daughter and husband and my mother in law comes over for a couple hours in the afternoon a few days a week and while she takes care of/plays with Madeline I nap.
Back to Work
So in late June I had to actually go back to work. While I was ready for more adult interaction outside the home I wasn't really ready to leave my baby girl. I knew that Mr. S was more than capable of taking care of her it was just the thought of being away 10+ hours a day (8 hours of work with just over an hour commute each way) that bothered me.
When I went back to work I was working 12am-8am. My MIL would come over about 9:30pm so I could shower and get ready for work because I had to leave about 10:30pm or so to give myself time for traffic, any needed stops and well just to get to work without feeling like I had to fly in the door. Mr. S works 2:30pm-10:30pm so we just needed a little bit of overlap.
Some nights Maddy would be asleep when I left for work others she would be wide awake and hanging out with grandma.
That 1st week back proved to be difficult for more than just leaving the baby and starting a new shift. We needed to have our roof redone and while we were really hoping it could be done while I was on leave that didn't happen. The crew started on my 1st day back. Trying to adjust to a new sleep schedule while taking care of a 2 month old and having your roof redone = not fun!
We muddled through the next couple of weeks and all I can say is seeing that happy smiling, cooing baby when I got home in the mornings made everything so worth it.
When I went back to work I was working 12am-8am. My MIL would come over about 9:30pm so I could shower and get ready for work because I had to leave about 10:30pm or so to give myself time for traffic, any needed stops and well just to get to work without feeling like I had to fly in the door. Mr. S works 2:30pm-10:30pm so we just needed a little bit of overlap.
Some nights Maddy would be asleep when I left for work others she would be wide awake and hanging out with grandma.
That 1st week back proved to be difficult for more than just leaving the baby and starting a new shift. We needed to have our roof redone and while we were really hoping it could be done while I was on leave that didn't happen. The crew started on my 1st day back. Trying to adjust to a new sleep schedule while taking care of a 2 month old and having your roof redone = not fun!
We muddled through the next couple of weeks and all I can say is seeing that happy smiling, cooing baby when I got home in the mornings made everything so worth it.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Graduations
I found this dress in February before she was bornWhile I was off on maternity leave we had 2 graduations to go to. My baby brother Ian and my best friends daughter Kristen both graduated from high school last summer.
Ian's graduation was probably the 1st really nice sunny day we really had while I was on leave. It was actually probably close to 75 or 80 degrees out some almost too warm. Madeline didn't seem fazed at all though she slept through almost the entire ceremony and was quite content to be passed around between grandma, great grandma, aunt Brittany and aunt Racheal at the open house.
A week later Madeline and I traveled to Cleveland for the weekend. We stayed with Julie and her family and helped get things ready for Kristen's open house. Now there is nothing more interesting than cutting up watermelon, strawberries and the like while wearing your sleeping 6 week old in a Moby wrap. During the trip Madeline slept her 1st 6 hour stretch through the night and surprised me. When we got home Mr. S and I decided to attempt transitioning her from the cradle in our room to the crib in hers for bedtime. We had already been using the crib for at least one nap a day and for her to sleep 3-4 hours at a time in the crib was a major triumph. It wasn't consistent but it had started happening.
Mott's take 2
So I realize that in my updates I am kind of jumping around a little bit. I am trying to group somethings together so I guess now is the best time to go back to that 1 month appointment for an ultrasound at Mott's and its follow up with Dr. V.
May 26th 2010 Maddy went in and had an ultrasound of her hip sockets. She did really well through the ultrasound tech doing her thing and actually kind of napped through it. When the radiologist came in and did his part of the ultrasound Maddy woke up and objected in her baby diva way.
The radiologist told me that her left hip looked marginal and he expected that Dr. V. might put Maddy in a brace or harness.
We followed up with Dr. V the beginning of the next week and she said that while the hip socket looked slightly immature she wanted to do more of a wait and see approach on taking any corrective actions. So we were scheduled to come back in July for a 2nd ultrasound and follow up with Dr. V.
May 26th 2010 Maddy went in and had an ultrasound of her hip sockets. She did really well through the ultrasound tech doing her thing and actually kind of napped through it. When the radiologist came in and did his part of the ultrasound Maddy woke up and objected in her baby diva way.
The radiologist told me that her left hip looked marginal and he expected that Dr. V. might put Maddy in a brace or harness.
We followed up with Dr. V the beginning of the next week and she said that while the hip socket looked slightly immature she wanted to do more of a wait and see approach on taking any corrective actions. So we were scheduled to come back in July for a 2nd ultrasound and follow up with Dr. V.
Great-Grandparents
So Miss Madeline is very fortunate in the fact that when she was born she had(still has) 4 living great-grandparents. I was fortunate that way as well. Of course I only got to know 2 of them. My great grandma Nina, on my dads side, and My great grandma, Madeliene, on my moms side. I was a teenager before either of those wonderful ladies passed.
With Great-grandma F.
With Great-grandpa F.
Some days I am very very sad knowing that Maddy won't get to know my moms mother the way that I did. With grandmas Alzheimer's there are times you have to wonder if she even knows who she is herself. I am pretty sure she doesn't know who the baby belongs to and that she doesn't even really know me anymore. I am fortunate that I was an adult when she was diagnosed and her disease progressed further.
Maddy will grow up knowing that her great grandparents love her and hopefully she will have the opportunity to be close with them.
With Great-grandpa M.
With Great-grandma M.
With Great-grandma F.
With Great-grandpa F.
Some days I am very very sad knowing that Maddy won't get to know my moms mother the way that I did. With grandmas Alzheimer's there are times you have to wonder if she even knows who she is herself. I am pretty sure she doesn't know who the baby belongs to and that she doesn't even really know me anymore. I am fortunate that I was an adult when she was diagnosed and her disease progressed further.
Maddy will grow up knowing that her great grandparents love her and hopefully she will have the opportunity to be close with them.
With Great-grandpa M.
With Great-grandma M.Hopefully....
I am not boring everyone recapping and catching up to now. I just want my blog to be current- hehe as if seeing as how I can't seem to post with regularity- and feel its best if I catch up before I start going on too much about where we currently are at. Hopefully I can stay motivated to catch this thing up before my daughter turns 1. We have 7 weeks and that might just be enough time.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Maternity Leave
So for the 1st two months I was off and got to spend plenty of time bonding with Madeline and healing from my c-section as well. The days were sometimes rough after the 1st two weeks were over and Mr. S went back to work. There would be evenings he would get home from work take one look at me, grab the baby if she wasn't down sleeping and practically push me into bed to sleep, there would be mornings he would gently wake me and tell me he had to go to sleep so he had sleep for work and I would get up with Maddy and take over. We knew once my leave was over I was going to be working a modified midnight shift so we started early with our "time" of day that Maddy was one persons responsibility to get up with although I still had to get up quite often to pump milk while he fed her but some nights I would pump, he would feed her and change her diaper and we would all go back to sleep for the next 2 or 3 hours.
Small baby Big dog
So I would love to say that Madeline started sleeping through the night (STTN) at an early age but she didn't and quite frankly I was tired all the time. They say that the exhaustion and up every 30-45 minutes to pee in the 3rd trimester is good practice for a newborn and I'd say that yes that is pretty true! Thankfully my mother in law was a huge help. She'd come over to visit a few hours a week in which I would, sleep, run laundry, do dishes or just visit depending on what needed to be done. We still have this arrangement but now when she comes over I nap and she plays with the baby a win-win-win situation for the most part.
Tired Daddy and sleeping babyOf course my 8 week leave started at the end of April and went until the end of June. During this time you would think hey its spring good weather you can get out and enjoy it. Yeah the Michigan weather had other plans for us I think only the last 2 weeks were mainly decent other than that it was chilly or rainy and not really weather you want to drag a newborn out in.
1st visit to Mott's
At 10 days old Madeline had her 1st visit to Mott's Children's hospital at the University of Michigan to see the pediatric orthopaedist. After what seemed like an hour of waiting as we filled out paperwork we saw Dr. V and she felt and listened to Madeline's hips and didn't really feel anything wrong or hear the clicking noise that Dr. E had heard but wanted to go ahead and schedule an ultrasound to make sure that there was in fact nothing truly wrong. Of course one question that I was repeatedly asked is if Madeline was breech. I had 3 ultrasounds my whole pregnancy one at 18 weeks when she was transverse and by the time I had another at about 32 weeks she was head down so I don't know if in the other weeks if she was ever breech.
They don't/won't do ultrasounds on babies under 1 month old so we scheduled an appointment for later in the month and headed off home.
They don't/won't do ultrasounds on babies under 1 month old so we scheduled an appointment for later in the month and headed off home.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Troubles and Concerns
So even though we'd been released from the hospital we had a few issues to deal with. I was trying to breastfeed and Miss M was having a hard time latching and I was having a hard time manually pumping for her so we had to use formula and of course with pregnancy hormones and sleep deprivation came so very real tears and fears over feeding my little girl.
We had her 1st Pedi appointment when she was 7 days old and she'd lost too much weight so of course I was scared by that and then the her pediatrician Dr. E. told us that she also wanted us to see a pediatric orthopaedist over the clunking she had heard in Madelines hips, before we could even discuss when would be best for us to go the pediatricians office had called Motts Childrens and scheduled us for an appointment the following Monday morning. I wasn't allowed to drive yet after my surgery so it was a very good thing that Mr. S had taken 2 weeks off from work. That afternoon I managed to get a hold of the lactation consultant at the hospital and set up an appointment for that Saturday. I just wanted to feed my baby but get away from the formula if at all humanly possible, although the frustration was mounting and I felt like giving up on breastfeeding at all quite often that 1st week or so.
Saturday we went to our appointment with the lactation consultant, Madeline had a weak suck, a bad latch and just all around wasn't an effeicient eater.
We were shown a special feeding bottle called a Haberman feeder to try and get her suck corrected. In the meantime I rented a hospital grade pump and we began to wean her off of formula and on to breastmilk. As of 3 weeks old she was fully on breastmilk and we are at almost 10 1/2 months now with no formula. I continued to try and get her latched but finally at about 2 months I realized it was a losing battle so I have exclusively pumped milk for my daughter. It can be exhausting and it is definitely a challenge but in the long run it is the choice we as a family were happiest with.
We had her 1st Pedi appointment when she was 7 days old and she'd lost too much weight so of course I was scared by that and then the her pediatrician Dr. E. told us that she also wanted us to see a pediatric orthopaedist over the clunking she had heard in Madelines hips, before we could even discuss when would be best for us to go the pediatricians office had called Motts Childrens and scheduled us for an appointment the following Monday morning. I wasn't allowed to drive yet after my surgery so it was a very good thing that Mr. S had taken 2 weeks off from work. That afternoon I managed to get a hold of the lactation consultant at the hospital and set up an appointment for that Saturday. I just wanted to feed my baby but get away from the formula if at all humanly possible, although the frustration was mounting and I felt like giving up on breastfeeding at all quite often that 1st week or so.
Saturday we went to our appointment with the lactation consultant, Madeline had a weak suck, a bad latch and just all around wasn't an effeicient eater.
We were shown a special feeding bottle called a Haberman feeder to try and get her suck corrected. In the meantime I rented a hospital grade pump and we began to wean her off of formula and on to breastmilk. As of 3 weeks old she was fully on breastmilk and we are at almost 10 1/2 months now with no formula. I continued to try and get her latched but finally at about 2 months I realized it was a losing battle so I have exclusively pumped milk for my daughter. It can be exhausting and it is definitely a challenge but in the long run it is the choice we as a family were happiest with.
1st few days of life
So our Divine Miss M was a little bit of a diva from the start. She had to go to the special care nursery because she cried so hard that she dropped her oxygen levels. She ended up having to stay because when the staff decided to clean her up she did it again.
She had a chest x-ray and her lungs were clear but the hospital pediatrician saw a slight murmur that we would have to keep an eye on. And due to the fluid in the lungs she had to have an IV. Well she had monitors attached to her feet and her hands were too pudgy to get a good vein for an IV so they ended up having to place the IV in her scalp.
We were able to go and see her in the nursery as often as we wanted with the exception of the nursing shift changes but we weren't allowed to pick her up and hold her. Finally when she was about 12 hours old I got hold my baby for the 1st time. She was connected to tubes and wires but it was still a thrill to finally hold her.
By the next morning when Daddy got to hold her for the 1st time (he had gone home to take care of the dog and get some sleep) she was able to be disconnected from the monitors and only had her IV to contend with. I think she wrapped Daddy around those little fingers from the moment he first held her.
After about 30 hours in special care she was allowed to come to my room and be with me but still had the IV access and still had to go and have IV antibiotics.
On the Monday after she was born her pediatrician came in and examined her and we were told that the murmur they detected was very slight and it already sounded as if it may have closed up, and that the pediatrician was hearing a clicking sound in Madeline's hips.
We were to come and see her later that week in the office so we would follow up then.
Madeline had her last dose of antibiotics and was returned to my room without her IV and it was so nice to see my little girl with no tubes, wires, etc attached. I dressed her in one of the outfits that I had brought from home and the service that takes pictures of the newborns while in the hospital came and took her pictures. I took one of her propped up on the boppy pillow on my hospital bed.
3 days old
She had a chest x-ray and her lungs were clear but the hospital pediatrician saw a slight murmur that we would have to keep an eye on. And due to the fluid in the lungs she had to have an IV. Well she had monitors attached to her feet and her hands were too pudgy to get a good vein for an IV so they ended up having to place the IV in her scalp.
We were able to go and see her in the nursery as often as we wanted with the exception of the nursing shift changes but we weren't allowed to pick her up and hold her. Finally when she was about 12 hours old I got hold my baby for the 1st time. She was connected to tubes and wires but it was still a thrill to finally hold her.
By the next morning when Daddy got to hold her for the 1st time (he had gone home to take care of the dog and get some sleep) she was able to be disconnected from the monitors and only had her IV to contend with. I think she wrapped Daddy around those little fingers from the moment he first held her.
After about 30 hours in special care she was allowed to come to my room and be with me but still had the IV access and still had to go and have IV antibiotics.
On the Monday after she was born her pediatrician came in and examined her and we were told that the murmur they detected was very slight and it already sounded as if it may have closed up, and that the pediatrician was hearing a clicking sound in Madeline's hips.
We were to come and see her later that week in the office so we would follow up then.
Madeline had her last dose of antibiotics and was returned to my room without her IV and it was so nice to see my little girl with no tubes, wires, etc attached. I dressed her in one of the outfits that I had brought from home and the service that takes pictures of the newborns while in the hospital came and took her pictures. I took one of her propped up on the boppy pillow on my hospital bed.
3 days oldWe were released from the hospital and went home to settle in to our new life.
Having a baby around a dog thats not used to one is interesting that is for sure. Our dog, Leelou was the baby of the household and was a bit jealous of this new little thing that had come into her home. For the 1st few weeks anytime Madeline cried the dog barked. After a few weeks this stopped.
Having a baby around a dog thats not used to one is interesting that is for sure. Our dog, Leelou was the baby of the household and was a bit jealous of this new little thing that had come into her home. For the 1st few weeks anytime Madeline cried the dog barked. After a few weeks this stopped.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Birth day!
So my c-section was scheduled for 7:30 am and we were to arrive at the hospital by 5:30 am for surgery prep. I don't think either Mr. S or I slept much the night before the c-section. We both tried but anxiety and excitement just didn't allow for a ton of rest.
We got to the hospital to register and when we walked into registration the computers were down so they had to write everything out, so unusual in this electronic everything day and age.
We got registered and were sent up to the labor and delivery unit. I was given my wonderful hospital gown and got to change and lay down and have all sorts of poking and prodding. I was put on the monitor to watch Madeline's heart rate and make sure she wasn't in any distress.
So we had to be there for quite a while before my surgery, the doctors and nurses who were going to be with me all came in and introduced themselves not that I really remember any of them other than my OB who I knew before hand.
Finally it was time to head to the operating room. My nurse gave me the option of taking a ride in a wheelchair or walking. I chose to walk. I knew that it would be the last time for at least a few hours I would be able to walk on my own and in all actuality it turned out to be the last time that day that I was allowed. I wasn't allowed to walk until the next morning when they removed my catheter.
I got into the operating room and of course noticed that I felt like I was in a meat locker so very chilly. Once they gave me my spinal meds and catherized me the nurses gave me some warm blankets up on my shoulders to at least take some of the chill off. When the spinal meds kicked in I felt like my legs were blocks of ice. My OB got called away to go and deliver another baby being born in the L&D unit so I got to lay there and wait, they hadn't allowed Mr. S in yet so it was me and the medical team for what seemed like forever, in reality it was probably 15 minutes tops.
Finally my doctor was back and they started my c-section. At 8:13 am on April 23rd 2010 Madeline Rose S. was born.
She had a bit of fluid in her lungs and when she started crying she cried so hard she dropped her oxygen saturation so they whisked her away to the special care nursery. I didn't even get to see her until about 2 hours later.
My doctor sewed me up and I went to the recovery room. Mr. S stayed with me until they told him that he could go see her in the nursery. He went to see her and took our mothers in and then came back and stayed with me until they moved me to my room on the mother and baby unit.
We got to the hospital to register and when we walked into registration the computers were down so they had to write everything out, so unusual in this electronic everything day and age.
We got registered and were sent up to the labor and delivery unit. I was given my wonderful hospital gown and got to change and lay down and have all sorts of poking and prodding. I was put on the monitor to watch Madeline's heart rate and make sure she wasn't in any distress.
So we had to be there for quite a while before my surgery, the doctors and nurses who were going to be with me all came in and introduced themselves not that I really remember any of them other than my OB who I knew before hand.
Finally it was time to head to the operating room. My nurse gave me the option of taking a ride in a wheelchair or walking. I chose to walk. I knew that it would be the last time for at least a few hours I would be able to walk on my own and in all actuality it turned out to be the last time that day that I was allowed. I wasn't allowed to walk until the next morning when they removed my catheter.
I got into the operating room and of course noticed that I felt like I was in a meat locker so very chilly. Once they gave me my spinal meds and catherized me the nurses gave me some warm blankets up on my shoulders to at least take some of the chill off. When the spinal meds kicked in I felt like my legs were blocks of ice. My OB got called away to go and deliver another baby being born in the L&D unit so I got to lay there and wait, they hadn't allowed Mr. S in yet so it was me and the medical team for what seemed like forever, in reality it was probably 15 minutes tops.
Finally my doctor was back and they started my c-section. At 8:13 am on April 23rd 2010 Madeline Rose S. was born.
She had a bit of fluid in her lungs and when she started crying she cried so hard she dropped her oxygen saturation so they whisked her away to the special care nursery. I didn't even get to see her until about 2 hours later.
My doctor sewed me up and I went to the recovery room. Mr. S stayed with me until they told him that he could go see her in the nursery. He went to see her and took our mothers in and then came back and stayed with me until they moved me to my room on the mother and baby unit.
About 2 hours after Madeline was born I was moved from a post op room to a room on the mother and baby unit. On the way to my room my nurses wheeled my bed into the special care nursery and I got to see my beautiful girl for the first time.
Madeline Rose S
9lbs 8oz
4-23-10
21 inches long
Madeline Rose S
9lbs 8oz
4-23-10
21 inches long
3rd Trimester
So we'll catch up with the 3rd trimester. I felt pretty good for someone who was getting into that stage of pregnancy when you just feel huge and uncomfortable seemingly all the time.
Due to the gestational diabetes I had to modify my diet and I ended up losing the 9lbs that I had put on in the previous 2 trimesters. Thankfully I was already quite fluffy before getting pregnant so it wasn't the end of the world and the baby was still growing appropriately.
The 3rd tri was really quite a busy time getting things ready for the arrival of Madeline. My baby shower was at the end of March. We went and got the last things that we needed a couple of weeks before Madeline arrived and Mr. S and I got her crib and other things set up. I did the cute little baby laundry and all we had to do was wait to have the baby.
About a month before my due date I had to have another growth ultrasound and the doctors determined that Madeline was going to be a BIG girl. I was told it was highly suggested that I have a c-section and after some thought Mr. S and I decided that we would go with the doctors suggestion. I had wanted a natural labor and all of the sudden I had to do a 180 on what my plans were. I would rather go into having the baby knowing that I was going to have a c-section though and not laboring for hours and having an emergent c-section. So if we decide to have another child I may get to try my natural birth yet.
We scheduled my C-section for April 23rd (2 days before my actual due date) and had to just sit back and wait and hope that I didn't go into labor on my own or else we would have been rushing to the hospital. Madeline was quite content to stay where she was and I never had any real contractions/signs of labor at all.
Bump at 13 weeks
Bump at 39 weeks
Due to the gestational diabetes I had to modify my diet and I ended up losing the 9lbs that I had put on in the previous 2 trimesters. Thankfully I was already quite fluffy before getting pregnant so it wasn't the end of the world and the baby was still growing appropriately.
The 3rd tri was really quite a busy time getting things ready for the arrival of Madeline. My baby shower was at the end of March. We went and got the last things that we needed a couple of weeks before Madeline arrived and Mr. S and I got her crib and other things set up. I did the cute little baby laundry and all we had to do was wait to have the baby.
About a month before my due date I had to have another growth ultrasound and the doctors determined that Madeline was going to be a BIG girl. I was told it was highly suggested that I have a c-section and after some thought Mr. S and I decided that we would go with the doctors suggestion. I had wanted a natural labor and all of the sudden I had to do a 180 on what my plans were. I would rather go into having the baby knowing that I was going to have a c-section though and not laboring for hours and having an emergent c-section. So if we decide to have another child I may get to try my natural birth yet.
We scheduled my C-section for April 23rd (2 days before my actual due date) and had to just sit back and wait and hope that I didn't go into labor on my own or else we would have been rushing to the hospital. Madeline was quite content to stay where she was and I never had any real contractions/signs of labor at all.
Bump at 13 weeks
Bump at 39 weeks
Neglected again
As usual I have let my blog slide again. Time to continue with baby updates. Perhaps I can catch up before Madeline turns 1??
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