Back to the doctor

12/30/08

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with Adeline and Owen. Adeline pretty much slept through all the festivities, but Owen enjoyed everything way more this year. Last Christmas he was only 7 months old, so he didn't really know what was going on. He opened up a couple of his gifts this year, but would get distracted easily by his cousins, or other toys. We also had a great time in Terre Haute visiting with family, and showing off Adeline for the first time to many relatives. She got lots and lots of pink and ruffles! Everyone seemed to enjoy purchasing girly stuff for a change! : )

I had to take Adeline back to the doctor this afternoon. He umbilical cord has become smelly, and has been oozing yellow drainage for the past couple days. The area has not been red, inflamed, tender, or hot, so I was not extremely worried. She also has not had a fever, but I wanted to get it checked out just to make sure. At the office, she weighed 10lbs 3.8oz!!! I asked what percentile that was, and the medical assistant said it was above the 90th! What a chunk! I can't believe she is already over 10lbs! She got down to 8lbs 3oz when we left the hospital, so she has gained 2 pounds in two and a half weeks! She is going to be out of 0-3 month clothes in no time. I looked back in Owen's baby book, and he was 6 weeks old before he reached 10 pounds. When Owen reached the 10 pound mark is also when he started sleeping through the night, so maybe she will start doing that before 6 weeks old. I don't want to be greedy, since she is already such a great baby, but it would be nice to get a little more sleep. : ) The doctor looked at her umbilical cord and said that it was not infected. He said that it was still attached because she has such a thick cord. He said she should have gotten lots of nutrition through that big cord, and I said, "I guess that is how she got to be 8.5lbs!" I told him that Owen kept his cord until he was about a month old, and he said that I must just make great, thick cords. He put some silver nitrate around the cord to cauterize it so it would stop draining. He said that the cord should now fall off within the next 5 days. I can't wait to give her a real bath, and get some cute pictures. I also had the doctor look at her eyes since they have been draining, and then become crusty. He said she has clogged tear ducts, which is exactly what I suspected. My mom said I had the same problem when I was born, and it went away on its own. The doctor said it could come and go until she is 9 months, but hopefully it will resolve on its own. She does not have to go back to the doctor until her one month well baby check.

Adeline is becoming way more alert in between feedings, and I love seeing her beautiful little eyes more and more. She enjoys spending time in the swing, and loves being held on my chest with her head up on my shoulder. She crosses her legs Indian style and keeps her hands in towards her chest when I hold her on my chest. I guess she doesn't quite understand that she is no longer confined to my uterus. She looks so cute all curled up in a ball. Owen is being a good big brother most of the time, but I am starting to see some attention getting bad behavior when I am trying to breastfeed Adeline. Today it took almost one hour to finish one feeding session instead of the normal 20 minutes. I had to keep putting Adeline down to deal with Owen. He got into the baby swing, shut himself in our bedroom and was climbing up onto the bed, shut himself into the laundry room and was getting into the dog food, and turned his rocking chair upside down and was climbing up and down almost falling several times. Adeline did not appreciate him interrupting her feeding time, and I was really getting annoyed. I am going to have to find a form of discipline that works for him because I can't handle this bad behavior everyday while George is working. Owen has also started lifting up his shirt and looking down at his chest. I guess he is trying to figure out why he doesn't have the same parts mommy has. How cute is that?

A friend brought something to my attention today. I have been providing nutrition and life for another being besides myself since July 2006! I was pregnant with Owen, then breastfeeding him, became pregnant with Adeline, and am now breastfeeding again. My body has not been by own for almost 2.5 years, and I wouldn't change it for the world! I am going to breastfed Adeline until she is at least one. I love that bonding time with her, and I really missed it when I stopped with Owen. I am so glad that my body has allowed me to provide the very best for them.

Happy New Year!

9 days old -- Cute pictures

I can't believe how much different Adeline is from Owen. She is such a laid back, calm, mellow baby. She is pretty much just eating, sleeping, and pooping. Owen was so cranky and colicky almost all the time. He hardly took naps, and when he did it was a real struggle to get him to sleep, and even harder to keep him asleep. Don't get the wrong idea, I love my little man so much, but he was not an easy baby by any means. Adeline just goes right to sleep after she eats, and many times sleeps until it is time to feed her again. Thank goodness we had Owen first. I can't imagine having an 18 month old and dealing with a cranky newborn. How do two people come from the same DNA and are so different?

How sweet are by two babies?

Breastfeeding has also been a breeze with her. She latched right on from the get go, and has never looked back. My milk supply is great, and I am not even tender. She is eating about every 2-2.5 hours during the day, and every 3-3.5 hours at night. I couldn't ask for anything more! One similarity between Owen and Adeline, is the projectile pooping. George has been shot a couple times already with poop. We go through a couple diapers many times when we change her. We will think she is done, and then when we are putting the new diaper on, she decides to go again. We weighed her on our scale last night, and it said 9lbs!

We just got home from the hospital. Adeline is 33 hours old.

The only postpartum issue I have been having is some severe left neck and shoulder pain. I am not sure of the cause, and my only thought is that is may be from looking down at her while breastfeeding. Maybe I have strained something by not having good neck and back alignment. To help my neck rest, last night I nursed her laying for all feedings. Owen hated that position, but Adeline latched right on, and didn't seem to mind.

Daddy loving on his little girl.

We are so blessed to have two, beautiful, healthy children. I can't wait to see what the future hold for us as a family of four!

The three loves of my life!

I heard her poop, and then she had this little grin.

Kicking back!

All packed up and ready to go out for the first time. I love that little grin.

This is what you call MILK DRUNK!

She was finally awake and I wanted to get some pics with her eyes open. By the time I got stuff set up and got the camera, she was back out. I still got a cute shot though.

Pictures from the hospital

She weighs how much???!!!

Adeline and Mommy getting some bonding time right after delivery.

Grammy holding Adeline right after delivery.

Papaw and Adeline

Great Grandma Chaney and Adeline

I don't think she is enjoying her first bath!

She doesn't have too much hair to wash.

Owen checking out his new baby sister.

Adeline's birth story

Okay, Okay, I know! I have been really bad about posting news on here lately. I would have posted the day she was born, but the hospital did not have wi-fi, and I didn't have the wireless internet card with me.

Here is the story of how Adeline Claire entered this world....

Around 12:30am on 12/11/08 I began having contractions about 15 minutes apart. During the past month, I have had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but I knew the contractions I was having that night were going to help deliver my baby sometime soon. In between the contractions I tried to sleep, but I was so excited by the thought of meeting my baby soon, that I didn't get much rest. Around 4:00am I gave up on sleeping, and decided to jump in the shower and get ready for the day. Honestly, I was thinking if I am going to have this baby today, I want to be looking cute, and that meant, showered, shaved legs, make up on, and my hair straightened. Looking back, by the time I delivered, I was far from looking cute. My hair was a frizzy mess from getting wet and then air drying, my make up from 4:00am had long worn off, I was sweaty, and you know what, I no longer cared! After getting out of the shower, George gave me a long back massage, and then my contractions really spaced out.

We went to see our midwife, Beth, that morning for our scheduled appointment. In the office, I had another nonstress test to check on the baby. The baby's heartbeat was great, the rest of the visit was uneventful, and at this point I was only having a contraction every hour or so. This contraction pattern continued until around 4:00pm. At that time, I started having strong back pain about every 10 minutes. When this first started, I was not sure if what I was feeling was really contractions or not since all of the Braxton Hicks contractions felt completely different. It didn't take long for me to realize I was in labor, and the pain I was feeling was contractions.

George tried to get me to eat some dinner, but I didn't feel like eating. Around 6:00pm the contractions started to get more intense, and closer together. I realized that all the back pain I was feeling was indeed contractions. I was not timing them with a watch, but I would say they were now about every 5 minutes. I took a long, hot bath, and turned the jets on for awhile. The contractions continued to increase in intensity, but remained mostly in my lower back, and by 7:00pm I was really having to work to stay relaxed throughout each one. George was still taking care of Owen so I was trying to do it all by myself. The most comfortable position I could find was sitting on the toilet with my hands balled up in fists pressing on my lower back as hard as I could. George kept coming in the bathroom checking on me, and encouraging me to drink some water. The contractions started to get closer together, and around 7:30pm, I told George he needed to call his aunt to come over to watch Owen because I could no longer handle the contractions all by myself. At that point, he timed my contractions (really for the first time with a watch, all the rest of the times are guesses), and they were 2-2.5 minutes apart, and lasting one minute each. I continued laboring on the toilet, and when our childcare arrived, we decided it was time to go to the hospital.

We arrived at Clark Memorial around 8:30pm, and by the time we got up to the labor and delivery unit, got hooked up to the monitor and examined, it was 8:50pm. At that point I was 5cm, 90% effaced, and the baby was at -1 station. I was really discouraged because I thought I was going to be further along than 5cm, but I tried to think back to what I learned in my Bradley classes. We learned not to focus on the number, afterall, you can be 3 cm, and deliver just a short time later. Once they got a baseline assessment of the baby, I was taken off the monitor, and was free to move around. I went back to the toilet, and had George start filling up the labor tub. Once the tub was full, I labored in the tub with George rubbing my shoulders. He did such a great job getting me to remain relaxed through the contractions and try to rest in between. At 10:15pm, the contractions became very close together, and the back pain was almost unbearable. I started feeling a lot of pressure so Beth wanted to do an exam and see what my cervix was doing. I was then 6cm, 90% effaced, and the baby was 0 station. I got hooked back up to the monitor to check the baby's heartbeat for about 5 minutes, and then was able to move freely again. I tried walking around the room, sitting on the toilet, and lying on my side in the bed. George remained putting pressure on my lower back, giving me sips of water to drink, and reminding me to change positions frequently. At 11:15pm, I was on my hand and knees, and started begging for drugs. I kept saying to George, " I can't do this anymore!!!!" He kept encouraging me, and trying to get me to calm down. At one point I remember telling him, "that's it, I am calling the nurse so she can tell Beth I need drugs!" I was in the bathroom and the nurse pull cord was right there, and at one point I put it in my hand and said, "don't you see, I am going to pull this cord!" I was begging for drugs, but knew that I really didn't want them. George kept telling me how strong I was, and he knew I could do it. He also said he knew how disappointed I would be in myself if I got the medication. By this time, Beth and my nurse had entered the room, and they too were encouraging me that I was doing great, and that I could deliver this baby without medication. At 11:40pm I was back on the monitor so they could check on the baby. Beth checked me again because I was feeling so much pressure again. At this time I was 8cm, and 100% effaced. I continued to beg for drugs, but didn't really want them. It was a strange phenomenon that I can't really explain. I am sure if my nurse would have really come in with a syringe of medication, I would have asked her what in the heck she was doing with medication in my room. Beth said she thought if she broke my water, the baby's head would then be applying total pressure on my cervix, causing it to dilate quickly and I would be pushing in no time. She assured me that even after she broke my water I would still be able to move around. Since arriving at the hospital I had been in the bed only for a few minutes on a couple occasions to monitor the baby and being able to move around was helping me cope with the discomfort so I wanted to make sure that would still be allowed. George and I decided that we wanted her to break my water, and she did so at 11:49pm. At 11:55pm, I had the most intense pressure, and felt like I was ready to push. Beth checked me and I was completely dilated all but a small cervical lip. I started pushing a short time later. Beth told me she thought I would only push a few times and have my baby. Once I started pushing, my contractions spaced out for a little while which allowed me to get a little rest. I kept pushing and pushing and pushing. So much for only having to push a couple of times!!! Beth then told us that our little baby was trying to come out looking up (posterior) instead of looking down like they normally do. This is the explanation for all the back labor and pressure I had been feeling for hours. This is exactly the same way Owen tried come into the world. I guess my pelvis just doesn't allow babies to turn the correct way. We tried several different pushing positions to try to turn the baby around, and she just wouldn't budge. Squatting was the most comfortable pushing position for me. We had lowered the bottom of the bed, so that I was squatting on the low part, and my back was resting against part of the bed. I had a squatting bar to hold onto. Finally after, 1 hour and 20 minutes of pushing, our baby finally turned her face down. After the head was out, Beth reminded everyone in thr room that George was going to announce the gender since we didn't know. (For all of you out there that don't believe us, we REALLY didn't know!) I finally pushed the baby out at 1:15am, and she was placed on my chest. At the same time, George said, "It's a girl!" and I said, "Oh my gosh, I have my little girl!" We were both so excited. George cut the cord once it stopped pulsating. Her apgar scores were 7 and 9. Adeline was wide awake, and I immediately let her start breastfeeding which she loved, since she stayed latched on for about 25 minutes. After spending quite a bit of time with her, the nurse took her over to the scale, and we could not believe our little girl was not so little afterall.....8lbs 8oz! Later we found out she was 22 inches long. All along, Beth and I were thinking 7.5lbs, not 8.5lbs!!! I had only a small first degree tear, which tore down the same line as my episiotomy scar from Owen. I only had to get a couple of stitches. Adeline stayed with George and I for the next 90 minutes, until I was ready to be transfered to the postpartum unit. During that time my mom, dad, and grandma came in the room to meet Adeline. Once I was transferred, George went with Adeline to the nursery for her assessment.

I am so proud of myself for having a drug free labor and delivery! I am also so glad that I could provide my baby with the very best gift right from the begining. The healing and recovery time for me has been so much faster and better this time around. A big thanks goes out to my Bradley instuctors, Nicole and Angela. I don't think we could have done it without the knowledge and skills we learned during our classes.

midwife visit and contraction update

12/11/08

Last night I had strong contractions that were pretty regular and I was not able to get much sleep. I was really starting to think that I was going to have this baby today. I finally got up around four, and took a long hot shower. After getting out of the shower, George gave me a great back massage, and my contractions slowed way down. I was having lots of back pressure all night, and that has continued on throughout the day. I lost some more of my mucous during the night, and this time it was also bloody. I have continued to have contractions all day, they have just not been as regular as last night, but let me tell you, they have not been pleasant. : )

My mother in law came over this morning to watch Owen so that we didn't have to take him to my appointment. This was such a big help for us. When I arrived, I got hooked up to the monitor for another nonstress test. I am normally hooked up for about 20 minutes, but this time I was on there for more like 35 minutes since Beth was over at the hospital delivering a baby. Once Beth got back to the office, she said that the baby looked great. I told her I thought my amniotic fluid level was still up since my belly felt taught again like it had before the level dropped down a few days ago. She thought my belly looked fuller as well. We decided that if I was still pregnant on Monday that I would have another ultrasound to check the fluid level, and another nonstress test. I am starting to feel like I am in that office everyday. Tomorrow is a full moon, and many people swear that helps throw women into labor. I guess we will see!

Due Date (40 weeks)

12/10/08

I can't believe I am 40 weeks today! This pregnancy has really flown by, all except the past week or so. I am really ready to meet this little one, but am sad at the same time, that being pregnant is almost over. After all of the pregnancy misfortunes I have had in the past, I am so blessed to be where I am today, a mother to a beautiful, smart, lovable 18 month old, and soon to be the mother to yet another miracle. Will it be a girl or a boy? When will he/she be welcomed into the world by two loving parents? Will it be this week, or next? Will I have an easier labor this time around? Will this baby be healthy? How will Owen act around his new sibling? So many questions that I can't wait to find out the answers to. These are due date belly pictures. I am sure you will be happy to know, I am not going to be taking post baby belly pictures.

Mucous Plug

12/10/08

I never lost my mucous plug before being induced with Owen (I am sure because I was 0 cm dilated), and I figured I would have already lost it by now, since I am 3.5cm, so I was surprised when it came out this morning. I even showed it to George, and he said, "thanks, but you really could have just told me." I have heard of many people loosing their mucous plug weeks before they actually have the baby, and then my friend Holly said she lost hers the night before her son was born. Bring on the contractions!!!!!