Farewell

This is officially my last blog post for this particular blog.  I want to have as much time to spend with Blakely as possible.  I also know that once I return to work, life will be even crazier.  I appreciate everyone who has followed this blog on my pregnancy journey.  I promise to share updates via Facebook, email and phone calls with my close family and friends.  Thanks again!!

First Month Recap

It is hard to believe that 1 month has already passed since our little Blakely came into this world.  So, I wanted to give you guys a little update of how this past month has gone.  As a reminder, she was born at 6 lbs. 3 oz. but had dropped to 5 lbs. 13 oz when we left the hospital on Thursday, May 30th.  The pediatrician who saw her in the hospital and wanted her to see one of her partners Friday because she was concerned about her tongue.  She stated that when she was checking Blakely out that she did not really stick her tongue out for the doctor.  She was concerned that the Frenulum underneath the tongue was a little short.  So, we went to the physician on that Friday and the senior partner of the practice checked her out.  He stated that he was not concerned about her tongue.  They weighed her again and she had dropped to 5 lbs. 11.5 oz.  We then met with Dr. Miller the following Tuesday for her 1 week check up.  For those who do not know, babies tend to lose about 8-10% of their body weight right after they are born.   So, we were encouraged to meet with the lactation specialist at the practice just to make sure that she was getting enough breast milk and feeding correctly.  We met with Ann, the lactation specialist on Thursday, June 7th and she was re-weighed and was up to 5 lbs. 15 oz.  The goal was for Blakely to get back to her birth weight two weeks after she was born.  Saturday, June 9th rolled around and Blakely did not seem to be feeling well so we got an appointment with our pediarician group.  They re-weighed her while she there to make she was doing ok and she had increased to 6 lbs. 1 oz.  Nichole and I met with the lactation specialist again the following Thursday, which was her two week check-up.  Blakely was re-weighed and was able to get back to her birth weight of 6 lbs. 3 oz.  Two weeks later (technically her 1 month follow up) we followed back up with the physician and she was now up to 7 lbs. 3.5 oz.  During that time, she had also grown from 18" to 20" in length.  Also, her head size increased from 11.1" when she was born, to 13.5".

At this point Blakely is sleeping for 4-4 1/2 hour stretches at night and takes 2-3 naps a day.  She is breastfed, but does have to be supplemented with formula.  Our dog Kole has done really well with her and she is not even phased by ANY of his barking.  Blakely loves tummy time and already has pretty good head control for only being a month old.  She also LOVES being on her Daddy's shoulder and just chillin' out!  Her Aunts adore her and they are over at our house whenever they have free time.  I absolutely love being home with her, but I do say that I miss the adult conversation that work provides.

Well, that is all for now.  Keep a check on my Facebook page for all the latest pictures!

The Final Push

On my last visit to the physician, he scheduled me for an induction on May 28th if I had not delivered by then.  So, Monday, May 28th arrived and we still did not have a baby.  Shawn's parents had come in to town because they had the day off because of Memorial Day.  We were sitting out the house when we got a call from the hospital asking it we wanted to come in early.  We were scheduled for 4:00 pm but told them we could be there by 3:00 pm.  For those of you that know me, you know that I already had things packed and most things were already in the car.  So, we got in the car and head off to the hospital. 

When we pulled up to the hospital, we went and let them know that I was there to be induced.  They immediately took Shawn and I to my room.  The nurse came in and started going over some information with  us and of course there was some paperwork that had to filled out.  Of course, I put on one of those lovely hospital gowns that everyone loves.  Once, I got settled and changed they came in and put the baby monitor on.  It keeps track of the babies heart rate and contractions throughout the labor process.  My doctor came in  shortly thereafter to check on me and to let me know that he was getting ready to get done with his on-call shift but that his wife was coming on.  He told me that he thought that the baby was likely to come Tuesday afternoon.  He also told me to go ahead and try to eat something no because I would not really be able to eat anything later.  Shawn's parents had come with us to the hospital and went to pick up some Olive Garden for us to eat. 

At about 4:30 pm, they came in a gave the first pill to help get my labor started.  I would later get two more doses of the medication.  Around 12:00 am, I started feeling some contractions and woke Shawn up about 15 minutes later because they were starting to get stronger.  Shawn went and got the nurse and they checked my contractions to see how I was doing.  The nurse helped me to the bathroom around 1:00 am, and when I got back at 1:05 am my water broke.  The intensity of the contractions were increasing and she gave me Nubain at 1:15 am.  This is pain medication designed for labor pain.  By 2:00 am, I was not feeling well and so the nurse gave me some Phenergren to help with the nausea.    As the contractions progressed, I was having three contractions in a row followed by a 1 minute break and then it started again.  The nurse continually checked on me to see how I was doing and the pain was becoming too much for me to handle.  She contiuned to try to have me wait for the epidural to allow for the induction medicines to get the process further along but eventually I could not take anymore.  At 4:00 am, the Anasthesiologist came in and administered the epidural.  The relief was practically instant.  He told me that he was giving me enough so that I would be able to know I was having a contraction but would not have the pain I had been feeling.  So, Shawn and I were able to get about an hour sleep when the nurse came in at 5:00 am to check my progress.  I had progressed from 2 cm to 3.5 cm dialated but I still needed to get to 10 cm.  So, we laid back down and were able to get another 2 hours of sleep when the nurse came back in to check my progress.  At 7:00 am,  I had progressed to 10 cm dialated with an anterior lip.  So, they said that we were going to be getting ready soon to start the pushing process.

The nurse told me that she wanted me to tell her when I started feeling constant pressure in the lower abdominal area.  Once that had occurred, it meant that we could starte the pushing process.  Somewhere betweem 8:15-8:30 am I started actively pushing.  The nurse and Shawn were encouraging me and coaching me through the process.  The nurse placed my legs up in the stirrups to help the process.  I had to be laying down since I had the epidural in place.  The doctor came in a couple of times to check my progress and to encourage me as well.  Around 10:30 am, the physician came in and stayed with me through the remainder of the pushing process.  She told us that the she could see the head but that the baby was turned face up instead of face down.  However, the baby would eventually turn herself during the delivery process.  She also told me that she might have to use the suction to help get her out because her heart rate had jumped up to 184 bpm but it quickly returned back to normal levels.  At 10:57 am, Blakely Marie Anderson was delivered.  It took a few minutes for them to bring her to me or even tell me what was going on.  The doctor had to get the nurses to tell me what was going on.  They said that her oxygen saturation level was low and that her heart rate was a little elevated.  The doctor informed me that Blakely had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck during the delivery process.  They weighted her and she was 6 lbs. 3 oz. and ws 18" long.  Finally, they brought her to me for me to due skin to skin contact but she had to be monitored for several hours.  We stayed in the hospital for a couple of days and were released on Thursday, May 29th around 11:30 am to started our new life as a family.

40 Weeks, 2 Days and Counting....

Well, no baby yet.  She is being stubborn and apparently just wants to be fashionably late!  When I went to the doctor on Tuesday (my actual due date) everything checked out fine.  However, I had not dilated any further.  We discussed some of the options that I had and ultimately decided to schedule an induction date.  I will check into the hospital on Monday, May 28th at 4pm to start the induction process.  I honestly am not too thrilled about this and I really hope that the labor process starts naturally before then.  Like the doctor said, it could still happen on its own at any time.

In the meantime, my sister Cassie and I have been hanging out around the house and if I go somewhere, she comes with me.  Even though Shawn works less than 20 minutes from our house he was uncomfortable leaving me here by myself.  I have been taking walks, reading, napping, riding my stationary bike, going to lunch,  playing games, watching TV, etc.  It has been nice to be able to relax, but I hate wasting my leave just "hanging around."  I will probably be eating these words once she is here because I know it isn't going to be easy, but for the time being I can say this!  Shawn has a short day today and when he gets home we plan on going to Southpark Mall to walk around and get some dinner.  It will be nice to get out of the house again for a little bit.

That is all for now! 

Week 39 Doctor's Appointment

I had my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday and the doctor said that she can come at any time!  He said that I was about 1 1/2 to 2 centimeters dilated and more effaced than the week before.  Other than that, all was well.  My blood pressure, weight and her heart rate were all good.

In other news, tomorrow will be my last day at work and I will officially start my leave on Monday.  I debated back and forth with Shawn about what I should do and ultimately, it is really a comfort level thing.  I will feel good knowing that I have tied up all loose ends at work and not just leave in a lurch.  I was also really nervous about anything happening at work, so I will feel more comfortable if I am at home and my water breaks, etc.

I have another appointment scheduled for next week, on my actual due date, so I guess we shall see if I make it till then!

Let the countdown begin!

It will officially be one week away from my due date tomorrow!  Wow...absolutely crazy and I am sure that a lot of my family and friends would say the same thing.  It is truly hard to believe that she could come at any time!  When I went to the doctor last Monday I was already dilated 1cm and I had some effacement.  I go back to the doctor this Wednesday to see how much further I have progressed.  At this point it truly is a waiting game and this is not a game that I like playing!  My personality does not jive with this, "let's just wait around until it happens."  I always like being in control and knowing when things are going to happen.  This waiting game is playing with my head and making me anxious and nervous.  However, our bags are packed, the car seat is in the car, we are stocked up on groceries, the house is all clean and everything at work is buttoned up.  Surprisingly, I feel relatively well.  Yes, I am tired and their are days when my back hurts and I have a lot of braxton hicks contractions, but overall I am still doing OK.  Another update after my appointment on Wednesday......

End of 38 Weeks

Home Stretch!

Well, it is hard to believe that I will be considered "full term" (37 weeks) on Tuesday of this week!  I went to the doctor this past Wednesday and everything is still on track and he does not see any sign of an early delivery....well, yet anyway!  She is still measuring exactly where she should be and her heart rate was in the 170's.  I will go back to the doctor on May 7th (one day prior to 38 weeks).  He said that he will check me at this point for any effacement or dilation....fingers crossed!  Overall, I am feeling OK.  Sleeping gets a bit more difficult every few days and I am getting very tired doing just the simplest of tasks, but I could be much worse.  Yesterday, I had my hair cut and colored and a pedicure, so I feel like a new woman!

The last time I posted, I forgot to mention that we are packed for the hospital and are ready whenever she is!  Yesterday, Shawn and my sisters did a HUGE clean of the house.  It was basically like a true Spring Cleaning from the blinds to the baseboards and everything in between.  I am truly thankful for all that they did and knowing that we will be bringing our little girl in to a super clean environment.  The other thing that got marked off the list yesterday was the drawer dividers that my Dad made for her.  When we started getting clothes and putting them away I kept thinking how complicated it was going to be to remember where we had what sizes, etc.  That is when the "organization" in me kicked in and I had this great idea of dividers.  I originally did some research online for them and they were super expensive.  I decided to call my Dad to see if he could make something like that under the condition that I actually had them BEFORE she was born (for everyone who knows my Dad he is not exactly Mr. On-Time with projects).  Anyway, I explained what I needed and below is a picture of how they turned out!  The front and back pieces have multiple slots so I can move the dividers around however I like.  He also made us lots of extra divider pieces.  I also plan on taking a label maker and labeling each section so we know exactly where to put things back!