Maternity Leave

Maddy 3 weeks old

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 baby

Of 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 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

We 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.

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.

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

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

2nd Trimester

OK so today we'll try to catch up with the 2nd trimester.
My 2nd trimester the nausea calmed down and everything was pretty good for a few weeks.
The day after Thanksgiving we had our anatomy scan and decided that we would also have the ultrasound tech tell us what we were having if they could tell. Well we found out at that time our baby was more than likely a girl as the tech could see no boy parts. Our baby girl was being demure though and not showing the goods for sure so we told friends and family we were fairly sure that it was a girl but not to go too gung ho with pink if they felt the need to baby shop.


Our Sweet Baby Girl

I did make the mistake of continuing on with somethings like I wasn't a pregnant woman and my mother and I did our annual holiday baking marathon. Due to the baking marathon and lack of rest I ended up overdoing it and got to go to the labor and delivery unit at about 21 weeks with a blood pressure spike and spent a couple of hours there.

At the end of my 2nd trimester I got the joy of doing the glucose tolerance tests again. I failed the 1 hour and got sent for the 3 hour test. I barely failed the 3 hour but because I did (one reading was 4 points over and the other over one was 10 points over)I got to be treated for gestational diabetes. Thankfully I was able to manage through diet and never ended up on medication. With the GD diagnosis they decided I would need growth ultrasounds so at my 1st growth ultrasound they were able to determine that yes my baby was definitely a girl.

1st trimester

My 1st trimester was pretty good compared to what I have read could happen. I had all day nausea for about 7 weekss but only actually got sick a few times.

I ended up telling my mom when I was about 7 weeks because I had been so nauseated and I had a hair and nail appointment the week I told her. Well mom and I go to the same stylist and our stylist banks with my moms credit union that mom works for. I wasn't about to lie to my stylist if I had to toss my cookies so I had to call my mother 1st. I swear she about blew out my ear drum from her shreik of delight.

After I had my 1st doctors appointment we told the family and hoped that we had a viable pregnancy.

With my family history and my health history I got the loveliness of doing the oral glocuse test. Well I failed the one hour test and got to do the 3 hour test. Let me just say I wouldn't wish that on anyone other than maybe my worst enemy and even then I'd think twice. I passed the 3 hour test.

Other than the nausea and exhaustion 1st tri wasn't too bad.

long time no blog again

I have neglected my poor blog again...

One of these days I may do a better job. The last post I made I was about 26 weeks pregnant with our lovely little girl. She'll be 4 months old next week. Motherhood is very rewarding and challenging so far. Somedays I think I am the worlds worst mommy others I feel like I am fairly competent. Right now I am feeling pretty good. M is sleeping in her swing right now, I just finished cow duty and will be hopefully catching bottle washing in a few minutes.

We had a computer malfunction so I am posting from my phone. Hopefully I will have time to post from work on ocassion so I can add some pictures now and then. Please friends help me stick with this.

I think later after bottles get washed and if the divine Ms. M stays sleeping I will try to post some of my pregnancy experiences, the birth story and then some about our sweet girl and her 1st few months.

Wish me luck!