Reese: One Month

How Old: One month

Weight/Height: The last doctor’s visit we had was her two week appointment, so these numbers are a little dated. At that time she was 19.5 inches putting her in the 20th percentile and 6 lbs 9 oz which is the 8th percentile. I wonder, since she was technically full term, if she is being compared to kiddos that didn't make their appearance until 39-40 weeks. If so, I feel like the percentages are kind of skewed. I will say I had a LC come help me and when she weighed Reese she was right around 7 lbs and when I stand on a scale holding her and then not, she’s around 8 lbs…so it looks like she’s growing!

Baby Clothes: Reese is still wearing newborn clothes. We have a limited number of these, so we are already recycling. I can definitely tell she’s growing though, cause she’s filing out these more and more. Maybe we’ll test out some 0-3 months soon. She is also still wearing newborn diapers, which is good cause we have a lot of those.

Milestones: Reese is definitely more awake now than when we first brought her home. (see mommy journal below) There are days where I actually see her eyes for long periods of time, so long I can talk to her and play. 

We've done tummy time on our chest and she’s pretty good at lifting her head. She of course gets tired before too long and I always feel bad as her head plummets back down. We just bought a play mat so I’m sure I’ll start tummy time on there soon.

When she hears someone talking she always looks around to see where it’s coming from and I’m pretty sure she can follow a toy once she locks her eyes on it. I've tried it several times and she definitely turns her head with the toy, but sometimes I can’t tell if it was just a coincidence.

Special Outings: Reese went to her first Mass on June 30th. We sat right by the choir which we later decided was a bad idea as it can get pretty loud, but thankfully she slept the whole time.

She went to her first restaurant, El Fenix for cousin Chad’s rehearsal dinner. Despite it being kind of loud, she slept right through the whole thing. 

Highlights of the Month: Bringing Reese home! After such a rough hospital stay, it was nice being at home as a family of three. There were of course struggles, but at least I wasn't being interrupted by a nurse every two seconds. Also, Mimi (my mom) stayed with us for the first week. Husbandy and I were both very thankful for her expertise and helpfulness around the house!

Seeing Husbandy with Reese is just so fun. I remember coming home from getting my haircut and they were enjoying some skin to skin time. I couldn't help but smile. Reese definitely loves her daddy.

Reese had her first photo shoot! A lady at the daycare Aidan goes to (the same one Reese will go to) was holding a workshop for photographers and needed newborns. So, I took Reese out to her house in Murphy and she was their model! 

Baby’s Routine: I don’t know that we really have a routine. For the first couple weeks I would wake up every 2 ½ to 3 hours to feed Reese. Now, I’m more or less letting her tell me when she’s ready. During the night she’s pretty good at waking up ever three hours; during the day she seems to sleep longer (of course). Sometimes I feel like it’s been too long, so I try to wake her, that never goes well.

Baby’s Favorite Food: Mommy’s milk

Baby’s Favorite Activity: Definitely sleeping. When Reese does happen to get worked up Husbandy and I will sing to her and a lot of the time it calms her down. It’s so cute. While she was in the womb, Husbandy would always sing her the Spirit of Aggieland. She seems to recognize the tune cause it typically calms her. We also like to sing Jesus Loves Me, I Love You Lord, Seek Ye First, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Amazing Grace.

Baby’s Favorite Toy: Well, she’s only really seen one toy, so I guess that’s her favorite!

Big Changes: Everything is a big change this month! I think the hardest change for Husbandy is sleep. I try to let him sleep as much as I can, but sometimes I need someone in the wee hours of the morning. The biggest change for me is learning how to get things done during the day while there is a newborn in the house. I don’t think I've mastered this yet. I’m very hesitant to hop in the shower without someone else at the house. You just never know when the little one is going to wake up and need you. :) The biggest change for Reese is her sleep/feeding schedule. Thankfully, she is now more awake; maybe not quite as awake as I would like, but there is improvement.

Mommy Journal:

Wow! I cannot believe I have been a mom for a month! I still think that is just so weird. Am I really old enough to be a mom?! Guess so. Over the past month I've experienced every emotion possible, and to a heightened degree thanks to hormones. Who knew you could experience the greatest level of love and frustration for the same person. :) There have definitely been times where I felt like I just need a break. You know when you've had a hard work week and you just want to make it to the weekend cause you know you’ll get to relax or sleep in. Well, sometimes having a newborn is like that work week, you just want it to be over, but when the weekend comes there isn't a break. It’s just like any other day. Your baby still has to be fed every 2-3 hours and they don’t magically sleep better because it’s Saturday. The one saving grace you might have is that your spouse will be at home and can relieve you if need be.

Reese’s first couple of weeks were hard. I am convinced she was not ready to exit the womb at 37 weeks. She was a very sleepy baby. I know that sounds great, but really it wasn't because she wouldn't eat. We tried everything in the book from taking her clothes off, to wiping her down with a wipe, to putting ice on her feet. Some things would make her stir but after a few seconds she would decide eeh that’s not so bad. In addition, my milk had not come in yet. Because Reese wouldn't eat, there was a vicious cycle going on. Reese wouldn't eat, therefore I didn't have the stimulation I needed, therefore I couldn't produce what I needed to keep her fed, therefore when she did try to eat there wasn't enough to satisfy her. By her 48 hour doctor appointment, she was down to 5 lbs 6 oz, which is more than 10% of her birth weight and she was developing jaundice. Because of these two things the doctor recommended I start supplementing with formula. I so badly wanted to exclusively breastfeed Reese, but I didn't want to starve her, so we had to do something different.

I also started to pump around the clock to try to get my milk supply to come in. When it was time to feed Reese, it went like this….try to wake her up enough to get her to latch, in the rare instance she would watch her suck three times then watch her fall asleep, maybe repeat the last couple steps, hand her off to Husbandy or my mom who would first feed her the milk I pumped from the last session and/or formula while I pumped for 15-20 minutes, clean bottles and pumping supplies. This made feeding times awfully long…like 1.5-2 hours! Not to mention the constant battle with newborn hands. There were times I thought Reese was determined to block every attempt I made to get her to latch! Being able to feed her my pumped milk was nice, but I was only able to express 5 mL sometimes! That was definitely discouraging.

Thankfully, I had a lot of friends and family encouraging me. I also contacted a lactation consultant (same person that taught our Bradley classes). At that point she didn't think it would be beneficial to come out and see me since Reese wasn't really feeding, but she did give me tips on how to increase my supply and lots of encouragement. We spoke on the phone pretty much every other day for two weeks. At that point I made a deal with myself to at least keep trying until Reese would have been 40 weeks.

By the time the 40 week mark came around I had seen some improvement. Reese wasn't awake as I thought she would be, but every time I thought about giving up I reminded myself this is for Reese, not me. A friend of mine also said something that helped….Reese is just going to get better at this, she will learn and her mouth will just get bigger.

Despite all the troubles, there were sometimes breastfeeding was amazing. When she would latch just right and I could tell she was being nourished was perfect. There are also those times her little hands will be swinging every which way and then then would find my fingers and grip on to them tightly. I love when that happens. :)

By the end of the month Reese did start waking up more. I cherish the moments I get to sing to her and play. She really is such an angel.

Reese had lots of visitors this month. We of course didn't get pictures of everyone, but here is a list (if I forget someone, let me know!): the Poulsen's, the Darling's, Jenn, Meredith, and Papa Joe.

Husbandy had his first Father's Day! It was the Sunday after Reese was born, so we didn't do anything big. I did plan ahead a little and had a card ready to go. Reese was nice enough to give it to him. :) The picture is blurry because I was trying to take it before he made it back into the room.

One thing Husbandy and I are both very thankful for is the care calendar my sister set up. Friends and family have signed up for days to bring us meals. This has been such a blessing! I haven’t had to cook dinner once since having Reese. We have already talked about what we are going to do when this stops. I’m not real sure how we will handle that yet!

Learning how to be a family of three has definitely been a whirlwind. Husbandy and I are thankful for any second we get alone to just talk. We have been able to go on a couple short dates which have been so nice. Though, most of the time we are talking about Reese or looking at the latest picture we got of her. What can we say, she’s constantly on our minds! I am very thankful for the maternity leave I get. I don’t know what I would do if I didn't have this time with Reese, learning how to be a mom. It’s going too fast, though. I tear up every time I think about how fast it’s going. If I had it my way, I would stay at home! 

Reese, you have turned our world upside down, but we couldn't love you more.

Our Greatest Adventure: Labor and Delivery

6/10/2013

I tried to write down everything as I remember it, sorry if some is TMI. Read at your own risk.

To truly start at the beginning we will have to begin with my doctor appointment on June 10 (yes, my birthday). At that point Husbandy and I knew we could be inducing that night so we packed everything in the car and went to the hospital not knowing our fate. Previously, I was told we would start the induction process by using a method that would allow Husbandy and I to spend the night at our home, so either way I figured we would have one last night on our own. I had done a second 24 hour protein test the week before and we were getting the results back that day. Dr B had told us if my protein counts were the same or higher, we would induce; but if they fell then we would have to discuss and decide what we wanted to do. At the appointment we learned my counts had actually gone down! I was so happy to hear that cause I figured I would get to let Reese cook a little longer. Dr B, however, wasn't convinced and wanted some blood work to be done as well as my blood pressure to be monitored for a little bit. So, down to triage we went. At this point, we were very familiar with triage and how it worked, so I wasn't too nervous. 

Once there, my blood was taken, I was hooked up to a blood pressure cuff, and the waiting game began. After maybe an hour we heard our nurse talking on the phone and could tell she was talking to Dr B about me, so we listened to the conversation. I can’t remember all the medical terms that were used, but basically some of my blood counts looked ok, but some were a little higher than they should be. To us, it sounded like she was persuading Dr B that I needed to be induced that night, grasping at anything to prove her point. Well, it must have worked cause she was soon in our room telling us Dr B wanted to induce. What? To me it seemed like things were looking better and that I should’ve been able to last at least a few more days. Before I knew it I was being carted up to the fifth floor to start inducing. That’s right, I thought I was going to be going home that night, but the induction method had also changed. We were now going to be using Cytotec, which doesn't affect the uterus, but instead begins to soften the cervix. It’s given in 3-4 doses every 4 hours depending on how your body reacts to it. Because this method can affect the baby, a fetal monitor was necessary. On the way up to our room for the night, I broke down. I did not want my labor to happen this way, I so badly wanted it to happen naturally. The nurse taking me up to our room got on my nerves. I think she was trying to be nice, but I just remember her saying something like “It’s ok, inducing labor is done all the time, just take the epidural and relax.” Uhh, no. By the time we got to the room, I was crying. Mostly out of anticipation, I think.

Our nurse for the night was nice enough, but both Husbandy and I felt like she said things that you wanted to hear, kind of buttered things up. I have mixed feelings for her. She also told me to just take the epidural. She had done things naturally and had also had an epidural, and never again would she do it naturally. Well, thanks for your opinion. Oh, I almost forgot. While in triage they kept telling me I could eat a good dinner that night, but after midnight I couldn't have anything except water. I was already dreaming what my last meal would be, something high in protein and carbs to get me through labor, but once we got up to our fifth floor room I was told I could only have liquids, like a soup. What?! I kind of fought the nurse on this saying downstairs they said I could have a full dinner, but she didn't believe me. So, I had soup for dinner. At least it was a good soup from Picasso’s. 

I got the first round of Cytotec at 8:45 pm. Based on what the nurse had told us, I wouldn't begin to feel much until the second, maybe third round. My mom came up to the hospital after she got off work and ended up staying until I got the second round at 12:15am. In between rounds, we tried to get some sleep. Husbandy was much more successful at this than I was. I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but I couldn't fall asleep. Before getting my second round I was checked to see if I had dilated any. I’m pretty sure at that point I was 2-3 cm. After getting the second round, my mom left, and I flipped off the tv; I was then finally able to fall asleep. This was the first night of “sleep” interrupted by nurses every 30 minutes. Definitely not the ideal situation. 

I slept for maybe two hours, but around 3:00am contractions really started to pick up. I woke up Husbandy whose job it was to make sure my rice sock stayed warm and to press on my lower back when a contraction hit. Around 3:30am I was checked again and I had dilated to about 5cm and was then given my last dose of Cytotec. Contractions continued to get more frequent and harder. Around 4am my mom couldn't stand being at home any longer and made her way up to the hospital. It was comforting having her and Husbandy there. They helped coach me through the contractions, and kept me positive. One thing that really got on my nerves was the fact that we had taken a Bradley class and learned all these great positions that can help lessen the pain of contractions. But, because I was hooked up to a fetal monitor I was limited to things I could do. Actually, the nurse told me I had to stay laying on my side in the bed, which really made me mad cause I wanted to try to kneel and lean over it. I understood that when I was sitting upright the pressure caused Reese’s heart rate to slow, which I obviously didn't want, but I thought kneeling would take away the pressure, and help me out. Lying on my side through all the contractions was hard.

At 6:00am we were sent down to labor and delivery. At this point the contractions were really hard and frequent. I know it was hard for both Husbandy and my mom to see me in so much pain. When we got to our room, the nurse told us she had talked to Dr B. Because my blood pressure was so high he had recommended that I get an epidural as he was worried about my seizing. Hearing this really made my mom and Husbandy nervous. They both knew I did not want an epidural, but obviously seizing was also not in the best interest of Reese and I. After talking it over through a few more contractions I made the decision to get an epidural. At that point I had to listen to those around me and to my body. No sooner had I said ok and my mom was out the door getting the nurse. I remember during my Bradley class seeing how an epidural worked really freaked me out. I tried not to think about it as mom and Husbandy were told to leave the room. I’m not sure why they couldn't be in there, but I was sad to see them go. I tried to remain calm as the anesthesiologist did his thing, but was really ready for it all to be over. 

Soon enough Husbandy and mom were let back in the room. I suspect it was just around 7:30am at this point. The pain from the contractions had definitely subsided but I was still feeling a lot of pressure down low. And I mean it was a lot of pressure! So much that I would moan through a contraction. I thought it was weird that I was in this much pain with an epidural. I use the term pain cause I don’t know a better word. It was certainly a different sort of pain than before. At first the nurse thought I was having pain that I shouldn't have, so she increased the epidural, but then my mom asked exactly where is the pressure? I told her it was low, like in the vaginal region, and she was like it sounds like you may need to start pushing. Finally, my nurse, Katey, checked me and was like oh wow the baby is right there, let me get Dr B! Knowing that I shouldn't push until I was told to to prevent tearing, I waited for Dr B to get there. As soon as he did, he checked my status and said, “That baby is ready to come out!” Knowing I wanted only Husbandy in the room for pushing, my mom said her goodbyes and assured me prayers were being said in the waiting room. Looking back, I really wish I would have been checked before getting the epidural. I was obviously very close, and knowing that may have given me that last boost of confidence I needed. I know getting the epidural could have relaxed me enough to move the process along, but still, it would have been nice to know.

I expected Dr B to stay in the room cause it was time to push, but I was wrong. Katey is the one who prepped everything and at 8:20am we started to push. Katey was a really great coach. She knew exactly what I needed to hear and encouraged me the whole time. Husbandy was also there and helped out during my contractions. Thankfully, I was able to feel enough pressure to know when I needed to push, so I was able to lead this effort. I can’t remember exactly how many contractions I pushed through, but I could tell things were moving pretty fast. Katey was pretty shocked at how quickly Reese was making her way. During this time Katey warned Husbandy and I that Reese could come out a little blue and dazed but she was going to do her best to get Reese to me as soon as she came out.

Soon, Dr B was called into the room cause Reese was so close! I couldn't believe it. I was actually doing it! I was having a baby! After pushing a couple more times, Dr B told me to relax and to not push; Reese was making her way out on her own. At 8:43am, our beautiful gift was born.

I would like to say Reese was immediately put my chest, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. As soon as she came out, I could tell something wasn't right because she was very floppy. Dr B quickly cut the cord and handed Reese over to some other people in the room. I don’t remember everything that happened, but as Husbandy tells me, a code blue was called and about four more people rushed into the room and started to work on Reese. I couldn't see everything that was going on because Dr B was standing right in front of me delivering the placenta and sewing me up (I had a small interior tear), but I kept looking a Husbandy with concern in my eyes. He just kept shaking his head like I don’t know; I don’t know what going on. I’m not sure exactly how long it was, maybe the longest three or four minutes of my life, but finally I heard a sweet baby crying on the other side of the room. Oh what joy and sweet relief! At that point all the tears came. She’s here, Reese is here! Soon after that Reese was brought to me and I got to hold my precious daughter for the first time. I've never had so many emotions flood over me at once. While holding Reese, Husbandy came over to me and gave me a James Avery cross necklace he bought for me; in the middle of the cross is an alexandrite gem, the June birthstone. He also bought the exact same necklace for Reese; we will give it to her when she’s older.

Timing couldn't have been better cause my sister had just gotten to the hospital. She had to be at work at 10:00, but figured she’d stop by the hospital just in case. Luckily, she and my mom were allowed back in the room before she had to leave. I was so thankful they were there. :) Before too long my dad and Cindy also arrived at the hospital and they were able to see Reese while we were still in L&D. 

After all the clean-up was done we were moved to postpartum. Throughout the day we had lots of visitors which meant so much to us! Family members took their lunch breaks just to come get a glimpse of Reese. :) Unfortunately we were not real good at taking pictures of everyone, so here's a list of people that came to visit that day: Mimi, Grandpa, Cindy, Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Jason, Aidan, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Nancy, Brooklyn, Uncle Frank, Aunt Kelly, Kyle, and Lauren.

Typically the only way to get rid of high blood pressure during pregnancy is to have the baby (hence why we induced…). Dr B wanted to make sure it went back down so he had nurses check it throughout the day. Unfortunately, it was not going back down to a level he was ok with and the next day he put me on magnesium. Magnesium helps with keeping blood pressure down so a seizure can be avoided. The side effects, however, are not fun. It makes you feel like you have the flu. I spent most of the day not getting to hold Reese cause I was so tired are groggy. Thankfully, Husbandy was there and my mom took of work so Reese was able to get some love from them. During the day Granny and Grandpa came and met Reese briefly. Because I wasn't feeling well, they didn't stay long. That night was probably the worst cause I had a nurse in my room doing/checking something every 30 minutes. It was really frustrating. I certainly did not expect my hospital stay to include all of that! I expected my second day in the hospital to include maybe a breastfeeding class, skin to skin, and anything else that helped Reese adjust to the world. :(

Thankfully, on Thursday Dr B thought I had improved enough and took me off the magnesium. Being on it, however, had set me back at least a day with breastfeeding, something I will go into more detail about in my one month post. That morning, Courtney came to meet Reese. Husbandy and I were so happy she came, even if I looked terrible. I feel bad about that, but she was very gracious. :P  Later that day, June 13th, we were ok’ed to go home! Leaving the hospital with our daughter was surreal. As I sat in the backseat looking at her, I could not believe my first labor was over. Despite it not going how I had it planned, I was thankful that we were leaving the hospital with a healthy baby girl.

Random side note:

Husbandy and I have decided we deserve a plaque somewhere in Presby Dallas as we occupied seven different rooms during our three day stay. Big shout out to Husbandy who was constantly packing our things and moving them.

1. Triage

2. High risk room to start induction

3. L&D for delivery

4. Postpartum

5. L&D for magnesium

6. High risk room to be monitored while on magnesium

7. Postpartum once off of magnesium

WHEW!