Reese: Two Months

How Old: Two months

Weight/Height: At her two month check-up Reese weighed 9 lbs 14 oz, putting her in the 14% and was 22.5 inches long which is the 50%. At her two week appointment, she was in the 8% for weighed, so we are gaining ground!

Baby Clothes: Soon after her one month, we moved Reese to size one diapers. We still had a big box of newborns, but I didn't want to open them cause I figured she would soon be out of them. The size ones seemed a bit large at first, but now she’s starting to fill them out. We still have a ways to outgrow them though. We have also moved to 0-3 month clothing. Some newborn outfits still fit, but I’m slowly convincing myself she’s not my 6 lb baby anymore. :(

Milestones: We are seeing Reese’s eyes more and more these days. Some days I feel like we see them a bit too much because she doesn't want to sleep. This month has been lots of fun due to coos and smiles. I remember the first time I was pretty sure I saw a real social smile opposed to one brought about by gas. It was confirmed the next day when Mimi said she thought she saw a real smile too! They are just so sweet and I capture as many as I can.

I've been bad at putting Reese on the mat for tummy time, but when she’s on us she does pretty good at holding up her head. 

Special Outings: Reese went lots of places this month including more restaurants, the airport, and the mall. 

At the airport

She also accompanied me to my six week checkup. It was a little stressful as it turned out she was going to want to eat right in the middle of it. I was hoping she would sleep and forget about how hungry she was, but that didn't happen. Thankfully, I brought a bottle of pumped milk and the nurse fed her. She was the talk of the office though. 

Funny story: Dr B had been requesting a picture of Reese to put on his wall, so I brought a few for him to choose from. As soon as he saw the photo envelope he got super excited and then asked if he could have all of them cause he couldn't choose just one. I can’t blame him, she is pretty cute. On the way home we stopped at Husbandy’s work to show Reese off. All the girls just loved her. I’m sure the guys did too, but they didn't make it as apparent.

Hangin by the pool

Highlights of the Month: Reese met Mimi Wagner, Papa Wagner, Aunt Amanda, and cousin Evalyn! We were all very happy they came to visit for a week. It was nice having help around the house while Husbandy was at work half the day. 

Brother and sister with their babies

Cousin Love

All of Reese's cousins!

Reese went to a couple GNDs with me, but Husbandy was nice enough to watch her a few weeks too so mommy could get some grown up time. I miss holding her while away, but I think it’s good for Reese to have some alone time with daddy.

Baby’s Routine: It’s been hard for me to get Reese on a routine when I’m such a laid back person. For the most part, I have just been letting her eat when she wants to, play, and then sleep. I know when she goes to daycare the lady puts all the kids on a schedule (I think you have to when you are watching so many at once), so hopefully I assist in this and not hinder the process while Reese is at home. Typically a day goes something like this: wake up around 2:00-3:00am to feed and again around 6:00-7:00am. After that feeding we try to have 30 min – 1 hour of playtime then I put her back down for a nap. I let her sleep as long as she wants to, but typically she’s ready to eat 2.5 – 3 hours after her last feeding. We repeat this throughout the day. Husbandy and I have noticed the hours of 6:00-9:00pm are not Reese’s favorite. She is usually either fussy during this time, or fights sleep. We started to introduce the pacifier this month to help with these times. We also wanted her to get used to taking one as we are flying to FL next month and she’ll need something to combat with the changing pressure in the airplane.

For her naps, she’s usually in her swing, but recently I've been trying to lay her in her pack n play so she gets used to that since she’ll be in a crib at Donna’s. She definitely doesn't like it as much, but I can see slow progress.

Baby’s Favorite Food: Mommy’s milk

Baby’s Favorite Activity: Watching the ceiling fan. She loooves it! The easiest way to get her to smile is to lay her on our ottoman and let her look up at the fan. 

Looking at the fan

Baby’s Favorite Toy: I want to say the fan, but also the other day she was very interested in a pink giraffe that plays music. I got her to follow it all over the room. We are definitely keeping that one close by for playtime.

Big Changes: What a difference a month can make! Reese is so much better at breastfeeding now and I’m so glad I did not give up. The soreness is gone, though it did come back for a couple days which I thought was weird. Thankfully, it went away. Reese prefers my left breast and always latches really well, but sometimes has trouble with the right. She has also definitely found her lungs and shows them off when hungry or overly tired. She has a few cries that are just so cute. They usually happen when she fake crying or when she’s calming down. I call her my little kitten when I hear them cause they are just so cute and pathetic. Is that bad to say?

Since Reese is awake more these days, I get to interact with her more. Sometimes she seems more interested in the fan than in what I have to say, but I know she can hear my voice. She loves her daddy! I think he can get more smiles out of her than I can and she turns to looks at him a lot when he’s talking. It’s very cute.

We started to read to Reese so she can hear the candence of spoken language. We also take daily walks to the mailbox and I tell her about the bright sun and what we are doing as we walk.

Mommy Journal:

This month has been so different than month one. Reese and I have definitely gotten to know one another and are working better together, especially on the breastfeeding front. As I mentioned, feeding times have gotten so much easier. They are still a little longer than I wish they were, but I will take it over the 1.5-2 hours they were in the past. There are definitely still those times Reese decides she just wants to fall asleep and it still frustrates me, but they are much less frequent. Even though things have gotten better, we are still not at the point where I feel comfortable feeding in public. I would love to get there, so hopefully things keep improving.

As far as pumping goes, I have allowed myself to not do it as much anymore. I am still pumping a few times a day though cause I need to have a supply for Reese when she goes to daycare. The easiest time for me do to this is during the night. I always pump after our middle of the night feeding. I know that means I’m going to be giving Reese a lot of night milk during daytime feedings, but I think it will be ok. I also try to pump during the day when I can, but it’s much harder when Reese decides she needs to eat every 2.5 hours.

I love this picture

There are some weeks where I feel like my supply is falling. I don’t know if it really is, or if it’s just in my head, but when I feel this way I drink lots of Mother’s Milk tea, eat oats, and take fenugreek. I typically take fenugreek daily anyway, but on these days I may up the dosage. So far, it seems to have worked. :)

I love holding my baby so much and I do it as much as can throughout the day. I know that soon I’m not going to get the precious moments daily and it really breaks my heart. But, because of this I have been somewhat bad at tummy time. During her two month appointment our pediatrician kindly reminded me Reese needs to have at least 30 minutes of tummy time daily. I don’t think he was concerned, just a gently reminder. I do hold her up on my shoulder a lot, so she has strengthened some muscles, but there is still some room for improvement.

I'm going to miss this

Loving tummy time

Maternity leave is really winding down and I don’t think I could be less excited about going to work. I am excited to see all the girls but I have really gotten used to this being at home thing. I know we need the money right now to help pay off student loans and such, but I do pray the day comes where I can stay at home. Thankfully there are a lot of working mom’s a Merit, so I will have to get strength from them in knowing it can be done! Plus, my sister is working and Aidan is doing great! This is very comforting as Reese will be going to the same in home day care.

I told Husbandy the other day I miss being pregnant. He just looked at me with a yeah right look on his face, but really there are a few things I definitely miss. I miss knowing there is a growing baby in my tummy and the excitement we felt as we were waiting to meet her. On a more superficial note I miss not having acne. I’ve always struggled with acne, but while pregnant I was clear. I loved this, but just a couple weeks after having Reese it all returned and that stinks. Also, I miss my hair not falling out, showers and brushing my hair were so nice. But now, my hair is falling out like crazy and it’s annoying.

Reese, you are growing so fast! I cannot believe I already have a two month old baby. Mommy prays for you every day, you are such an angel and I love you to pieces!

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!

Our Greatest Adventure: Week 36

6/4/2013

How far along: 36 weeks

How big is baby: Again I’m seeing Reese is about the size of a honeydew melon or head of lettuce. Reese is losing the coat of hair as well as the waxy substance that was covering body in preparation for birth. Additionally, her liver and kidneys are in working order and the circulatory and immune systems are basically good to go. Reese’s bones are getting stronger, but still pliable so she can make her way through the birth canal.

Total weight gain: Well, I went to the doctor and I've actually dropped 2-3 lbs. Trust me, I think this is weird and I asked if it was ok; the nurse told me some people do drop weight at the end of their pregnancy.

Maternity clothes: Since I've been hanging around the house lately I find it hard to motivate myself to get out of comfy clothing. I don’t remember the last time I put on jeans. :)

Sleep: Oh sleep, you've been hard to come by lately. It takes me forever to get comfortable and actually fall asleep. Then, when I get up to go to the restroom, it usually takes me about 30 min to fall back asleep.

Notable moments of the week: 

1) On Tuesday I had my big appointment to see how my bp was doing and get the results of my 24 hr test. I had been watching my bp with the cuff we bought and it seemed to be doing better. But, the morning of the dr appointment it was really high. I think it’s cause I knew the importance my visit. When we got to the dr’s the first thing we did was a sono. The tech looked at my fluids and did some measuring, but all during the sono Reese was just snoozing away and did not feel like moving. Unfortunately, they have some score on movement they see, and if they don’t see any a non stress test (NST) is sometimes done. So, the tech told Husbandy and I to go walk around, eat something sweet, and try to wake her up. Eating something sweet did sound good, so we got an ice cream cookie sandwich. I always feel like she moves more when I’m sitting, so I sat like I would a work and saw her move a couple times, so we rushed back to the sono room. Well, once there, she wasn't feeling it again, so the tech told us she would just have to tell Dr B what she saw (or didn't see). Ok, well this certainly didn't help my bp and that was the next thing that was done. Of course it was high, even though I tried to calm myself down. Husbandy kept saying, just calm down, there is nothing to stress over. Ahhh! That is really easier said than done! Next we met with Dr B. My results had come in from the 24 hr test and I was border line, again (like the glucose test). So, he said I had mild pre-eclampsia.

Based on Reese not cooperating, my bp, and results from the 24 hr test, Husbandy and I were sent down to L&D to do a NST, blood work, get a better sono, and for them to check if I’m dilated. Our nurse, April, was so nice and helpful…we liked her a lot. We also had a more private room this time, which was nice. Getting the sono done again was cool, cause the sono machine was waaaay better than Dr B’s. He should seriously upgrade. I believe it was Dr Reinhart we saw, he did see some movement and said Reese looked fine. Finally, some reassuring news. Back in L&D I was checked and told I was not dilated. At this point, knowing I might be induced very soon, I was hoping I might be dilated some…but no. Hopefully my body kicks it into gear soon. Anyway, after some monitoring of my bp and contractions (I was having some, but nothing painful), April called Dr B and he said we could go home. It was actually still daylight when we got out, so that was nice. 

2) I did stay on bed rest and was told to do another 24 hr test. Some girls at work knew I might be coming back on Wednesday, and when they didn't see me they emailed. I was really thankful for their concern and that they asked me how I was doing! I really am blessed to work with such great people.

3) On Thursday, we went back in to see Dr B. There wasn't anything too new discussed at this appointment. Blood results came back from Tuesday and they confirmed that I am showing sign of pre-eclampsia. Dr B said we will wait to see what my 24 hr test results say. If my protein levels stay the same or rise, we will be inducing next week (Monday night/Tuesday)! If they fall, then there is a chance we could give it a few more days. Again, I’m praying my body starts this process on its own. 

4) There were exciting things that happened this week too! Like, I had two showers!! I made sure with Dr B that going to them was ok, and he was fine with it as long as I wasn't playing some crazy game or running on a treadmill. The shower on Saturday was for family and family friends. I was overwhelmed with all the stuff we got! Most of the people there had just been to Becca’s shower not too long ago, so it seemed like deja vu. 

Shower hosted by Aunt Carol, Aunt Stacy, Rosanne Dworaczyk, and Patty Stewart

Sunday’s shower was for all my friends. Becca, Nancy, Lauren, and Courtney did such a great job with the books/letters theme. All the food was inspired by a book. For instance, we had cookies for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and meatballs for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. All the guests brought a book (they also did this at the shower on Saturday), so Reese has lots of books to read! Also, I was inspired by this nursery, so I’m creating my very own letter wall. Luckily, I have some super creative friends cause they were all assigned letters for me to hang and they turned out so cute! I’m missing a few, so we haven’t hung them yet….but once we have everything I’ll take a picture of the finished product!

Food cravings: I have been very very blessed as Husbandy was able to work from home on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I surprised him with a delivery from Tiff’s Treats! Oh wow, they smelled so good. I did indulge in one while they were nice and warm...so.good. 

Food aversions: I think Husbandy has been sneaking some garlic on our broccoli. So far, no big reactions, but I’m still not ready to go full throttle on the garlic yet.

Symptoms: I’ve noticed some lower left back pain this week. Luckily, it was just one day. On Friday, I also had a breakdown…just started crying. I think it freaked Husbandy out a little. Knowing that this time next week we could have a baby, here, for us to take care of, wow. Not knowing how labor is going to go. So much is up in the air and it freaks me out! I know I just have to trust in the Lord’s plan. If he didn’t think we were ready to be parents, I know we wouldn’t be sitting here 36 weeks pregnant. I just pray that I’m able to live up to be the mommy He wants me to be. Thankfully I have a strong Husbandy who is very confident in my abilities to birth a child and to be a wonderful mom. :)

Movement: I still make sure I feel her throughout the day. I love seeing my tummy move all over the place, it’s so fun.

What I’m looking forward to: Hmm…Reese being here!

What I miss: Not missing too much. Knowing my pregnancy could end so soon has got me thinking about things I will miss about being pregnant! These past months have FLOWN by, oh here I go starting to cry again. We will just leave it at that.

Next appt: June 10th

Workout/Fitness: Same.

EDD: At this point I feel like her arrival date is now mid June! And I was worried about a 4th of July baby….

Our Greatest Adventure: Week 35

5/28/2013

How far along: 35 weeks

How big is baby: About the size of a honeydew melon or coconut. The kidneys are fully developed and the liver can process some waste products. Here is an interesting fact I read, my uterus has grown about 1,000 times its original size!

Total weight gain: 15 lbs

Maternity clothes: Mostly just wearing lots of pajama pants, t-shirts, and sweat pants. 

Sleep: I have trouble getting comfy when trying to sleep, once I’m there I usually sleep pretty good until I wake up needing to pee.

Notable moment of the week: 

1) I had a dr appointment on Tuesday. I went in thinking things were fine, but turns out my blood pressure was a little high. This concerned Dr B and he had me do some blood work as well as a 24 hour test to take a look at my protein levels. He also mentioned maybe having to induce at 37 weeks. This freaked me out some, being induced is not exactly in my plan.

2) On Thursday I went up to the hospital to turn in my 24 hour test and ended up talking with Dr B. At that point he had gotten results from the blood work and didn’t like some of the numbers, soooo he officially put me on bed rest. He said there is a chance that the 24 hr test results will come back ok and I can go back to work, but for now I need to stay off my feet. He also talked about inducing again. While this still freaks me out, I know high blood pressure is not good for Reese, and getting her out is best for both of us. Plus, at the time he’s saying we will induce she’ll be 37 weeks and full term. I’m just really hoping I can still make it to my showers!

3) Husbandy and I went and bought a blood pressure cuff so I can now monitor things at home. It bounces all over the place, so it's hard to see a pattern.

Food cravings: I had a Schlotzsky’s sandwich this week and it was sooo good. I miss sandwiches.

Food aversions: I haven’t tried garlic in a while, but I’m guessing it still wouldn't taste good. 

Symptoms: I’ve had some pain in my lower abdomen, I think it’s stretching. I guess I’ll go ahead and put high blood pressure and just feeling large in general.

Movement: She still really likes my right side. Sometimes I feel like she wants to push past my side and make it around to my back. I know that’s not possible…but she get waaay over there.

What I’m looking forward to: I’m still looking forward to my showers, just hoping I make it to them!

What I miss: Not being surprised at every dr appointment I go to. :)

Next appt: June 4th 

Workout/Fitness: Same.

Our Greatest Adventure: Week 34

5/21/2013

How far along: 34 weeks

How big is baby: The size of a cantaloupe or butternut squash. Reese is continuing to build fat layers which will help her regulate her body temperature. Also, her central nervous system and lungs are maturing.

Total weight gain: Still sitting around 15 lbs

Maternity clothes: I finally finally finally found a dress that I like! After too much time spent at Target, I found it. It’s nothing too fancy, but it’s something I can wear to work and to my cousin’s wedding in June.

Sleep: I had my first labor and delivery dream. Thankfully things went well. I birthed in a pool, but it wasn't a labor and delivery pool, it was a big swimming pool type thing, so that was kind of strange. But, Reese did come with just one push! How nice. :) Good news is, it was actually a baby that came out. A lot of women say they dream of birthing a puppy or something like that, but not me, mine was a sweet baby girl with brown hair (when I told Husbandy she had brown hair he was kind of surprised….I think he’s expecting a blonde). I do remember Husbandy holding her strangely, but other than that I was satisfied with the dream.

Best moment of the week: 

1) On Thursday, Merit hosted our first shower! All the decorations were super cute and we were overwhelmed by the love we were shown! Most people formed groups and bought lots of our big ticket items! We also got some cute Aggie bloomers and a Nalgene for when Reese is a little older. We obviously cannot wait to bring her down to College Station. :)

2) On Saturday, Husbandy and I went up to Papa Joe’s with my mom, Aunt, and Brooklyn. I had just been thinking the other day I hadn't seen him in a while, so I was excited to get to go up to Anna. We didn't do much, just sat around talking and being entertained by Brooklyn.

3) On Monday morning we met up with Lauren to take some maternity pictures. Our first stop was Presby Hospital (conveniently where we are also delivering) to take some pictures with the “B G”, Husbandy and I were the “I”. We then headed over to the same park we took engagement pictures. I thought that would be cute and stuff. :P I haven’t seen any of the pics we took (well, not edited), but I know they are going to turn out really well and I’m so excited to see them!

4) Husbandy and I spent the rest of Memorial Day at my Uncle and Aunt’s house. We were both really excited to go over there because they are always so much fun and we hadn't seen them in a while. The day was spent outside on their patio with good food and conversation. There was of course entertainment provided by Brooklyn too (sadly Aidan was in Houston visiting Jason’s side of the family).

Food cravings: I still want sweets, pasta, and pizza. I think it’s mostly cause these are things I shouldn't eat.

Food aversions: Same.

Symptoms: I've noticed I am no longer the coldest person in the room. The other week I was at a conference and everyone was commenting how cold the rooms were. I had noticed they were cool, but I only had to put my sweater on once. I’m also now the person who is requesting the fan to be turned on or turn down the air. Husbandy is shocked. I’m also sleeping with less covers than Husbandy, it’s strange. I've also had some aches in my lower abdomen. It feels like my body is stretching in preparation.

Movement: Ha! Look at this video I captured at work on Friday. I think she was having trouble getting comfy.

What I’m looking forward to: The rest of our showers!

What I miss: Not feeling so large. Bending over is an issue which makes laundry not fun. I remember my sister saying something about noticing how easy it was to pick things up after having Aidan, so I’m ready for that feeling!

Next appt: May 28th 

Workout/Fitness: Same.