WE’RE PARENTS!
These last few weeks have seemed so tremendous and unbelievable all at once. We are honest-to-goodness parents! You always talk about someday starting a family, but it seems so strange when “someday” is “today.” Our lives have quickly become all about naps, feedings, diaper changes and baths—we looked at each other yesterday and realized gone are the days when the weekends were our own.
OH, THE PEOPLE YOU NEED
I think we’ve slipped into the parenting role rather well though. The other roles? Well, we’ve had a smidge of help. It’s amazing the team of friends and family we’ve leaned on since Grace’s been born—they’ve filled the roles of nurse, chef, housekeeper, babysitter and party planner (ok, usually party planning isn’t something you need—but I was also psycho enough to try and throw Ira a surprise 30th birthday this last month).
TRYING TO GO OUT
And then there’s trying to prep Grace for a simple outing. I will, inevitably, forget something important in the diaper bag (like a warm blanket)—and will have to makeshift something else (like sub a burpcloth for the blanket) so I don’t feel like a completely worthless mother. Grace needs 5 times as much stuff as Ira and I do when we venture out—diapers and wipes and baby powder and trashbags, a nursing cover and nursing pads and burpcloths and a change of clothes, and last but not least—a binky, a receiving blanket, and a warm blanket too.
If you didn’t know, Murphy’s Law on going out with baby states that: even if you are running perfectly on time, once you have gotten baby completely ready in the appropriate cute outfit (the one you want to show her off to all your friends in), loaded said diaper bag, gotten baby buckled into the carseat, snapped it into the car, wrangled your spouse, locked the house, started the engine, and are inching out of the driveway—the baby must emit massive volumes of spit-up or poop all over herself, her cute outfit, her carseat, carseat base, and the car. By the time this catastrophic event is over, you will be late anyways, so why even try?
I won’t begin to even try to explain the joys of trying to breastfeed modestly in public. Isn’t that an oxymoron?
MY BODY, THE AFTERMATH
Hmmm, the stretchmarks, well, stretched. The boobs swelled to inhuman sizes (and sprayed like firehouses—I swear it was impossible to control ‘em). And I fear my body will never be the same again. One girlfriend of mine confided it took EIGHT MONTHS till sex didn’t hurt anymore, so I don’t want to even talk about it right now with you. I’ve also read that though you lose an enormous amount of weight breastfeeding, you can forget even trying to get back to your pre-prego size till after your 3rd post-delivery period. Ugh. Let’s just say I’ve had to invest in a few new pairs of jeans since I loathe the sight of my slip-when-you-stand maternity jeans.
STAYING AT HOME
I really do enjoy being a full-time stay-at-home mom! I don’t know how women are able to go back to work—it would be really tricky to figure out how to make it work out even if I did want to return. I never dreamed how quickly the day would fly by (and it really does) between naps and feedings. Before I know it, Ira’s usually home from work, and I’ve barely been able to get anything done around the house, let alone for myself. But it’s all sooo worth it when I am able to look at our little Grace.
THE MIRACLE OF GRACE
I’m definitely treasuring this time of snuggles and naps; watching her make such leaps and bounds as she grows and begins to discover the world around her. Like that she can put her hands into her mouth (even when mommy hasn’t had a chance to wash them off since that last stranger held them—yikes!), that mommy and daddy love her (so much!), that her little mobile is fun to look at, and dances when she shakes her bassinet. Our new favorite game is copycatting sounds—she’ll coo, I’ll coo back at her, then she’ll coo back at me and smile.
I love looking at her little feet and toes and nails, watching her when she’s sound asleep, and I even enjoy our special mommy and baby times during midnight feedings (even though I can barely keep my eyes open). Every inch of her is fascinating to me, and I love her little personality, her little voice, and spending time with her each day. I am so blessed beyond words.
I am so excited to watch her little life unfold—and being there for all her milestones. My mom said she couldn’t believe that her baby was having a baby—that it was one of her life’s high points watching Grace be born. And I look at Gracie now, and know that someday I will again trade places with my mom, and Grace will trade places with me—but it seems oh so impossible. My little girl will always be little to me. And I am so so thankful that day is yet a ways off—because I want to savor each step she takes from this day forward. God’s grace: that we should experience such joy.
May you be equally blessed by God’s goodness,
Christy
Monday, March 26, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Labor & Delivery of Baby Grace
Last Friday, January 19th at 12:53pm, little Grace Corinne was born. Weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and 18.5 inches long. Ira, Grace and I are all home now and doing fantastic. Can't believe we have a little person here with us!
INDUCTION
I ended up getting induced on 1/19 at about 1am. They administered pitocin (the labor-inducing hormone) to get things started, and gradually increased the drip every 1/2 hour--everything was totally manageable. At 6:30am my OB arrived and broke my water, which REALLY got things moving. I was 80% effaced and 2 cm dilated at this point in time. The contractions started getting so intense then, and the doctor said I could still be as much as 10-20 hours away from delivering.
PAIN-FREE
Um, no thank you--I asked for some pain meds, and they recommended I get my epidural. I had really been on the fence about the epidural, but this was the clincher. So they sent in the anesthesiologist who put to rest all my fears, and in less than a half-hour I was virtually pain-free (and felt like a slug from the waist down—seriously, I struggled just to roll over to my other side!). At around 9am or so they checked my progress again, I was around 4 ½ cm dilated, and 90% effaced.
LABOR & DELIVERY
At 11am I began to feel my first contraction in a while, the nurse happened to be in the room, and I mentioned it to her. She said that as the baby’s head descended, that I would start to feel the contractions once again—she said she’d check my progress at noon, unless I was feeling remarkably different. They conjectured that I’d have the baby by mid to late afternoon. The 11am contraction was just the beginning—I was feeling EVERY contraction now, so I pressed the call button at 11:30 to have the nurse check on my progress. She was surprised to find that I was now 100% effaced and 9 ½ cm dilated. Only ½ cm to go!
I started to push at around noon, and my OB came at 12:30, and Grace was here by 12:53pm! Truly a miracle. They placed her little white wiggling body on mine, and I was in shock—I couldn’t believe that this little person just came from inside of me. Ira was there, holding my hand and tearing up over the grand entrance of our little tiny baby girl.
THE BEST GIFT EVER
We spent the following 48 hours in the hospital getting acquainted with our new little one. It truly felt like a honeymoon period. We watched her get all cleaned up, get all her little documentation and health tests taken care of, and took our 101 crash course on caring for a newborn (who knew that breastfeeding could be so difficult! Thank you Lord for lactation consultants!)—and of course got to spend hours just gazing into her new little eyes, touching her soft skin, hearing her tiny sounds, and cradling all her new little parts.
We both find it so unfathomable that this new small person is in the world because of us, and because God, in His infinite grace, mercy and goodness, gave us our little Gracie as a gift. We are so so blessed. And I am so happy to have been able to share this experience with all of you. I pray that your experience is just as excellent.
Take care,
Christy
INDUCTION
I ended up getting induced on 1/19 at about 1am. They administered pitocin (the labor-inducing hormone) to get things started, and gradually increased the drip every 1/2 hour--everything was totally manageable. At 6:30am my OB arrived and broke my water, which REALLY got things moving. I was 80% effaced and 2 cm dilated at this point in time. The contractions started getting so intense then, and the doctor said I could still be as much as 10-20 hours away from delivering.
PAIN-FREE
Um, no thank you--I asked for some pain meds, and they recommended I get my epidural. I had really been on the fence about the epidural, but this was the clincher. So they sent in the anesthesiologist who put to rest all my fears, and in less than a half-hour I was virtually pain-free (and felt like a slug from the waist down—seriously, I struggled just to roll over to my other side!). At around 9am or so they checked my progress again, I was around 4 ½ cm dilated, and 90% effaced.
LABOR & DELIVERY
At 11am I began to feel my first contraction in a while, the nurse happened to be in the room, and I mentioned it to her. She said that as the baby’s head descended, that I would start to feel the contractions once again—she said she’d check my progress at noon, unless I was feeling remarkably different. They conjectured that I’d have the baby by mid to late afternoon. The 11am contraction was just the beginning—I was feeling EVERY contraction now, so I pressed the call button at 11:30 to have the nurse check on my progress. She was surprised to find that I was now 100% effaced and 9 ½ cm dilated. Only ½ cm to go!
I started to push at around noon, and my OB came at 12:30, and Grace was here by 12:53pm! Truly a miracle. They placed her little white wiggling body on mine, and I was in shock—I couldn’t believe that this little person just came from inside of me. Ira was there, holding my hand and tearing up over the grand entrance of our little tiny baby girl.
THE BEST GIFT EVER
We spent the following 48 hours in the hospital getting acquainted with our new little one. It truly felt like a honeymoon period. We watched her get all cleaned up, get all her little documentation and health tests taken care of, and took our 101 crash course on caring for a newborn (who knew that breastfeeding could be so difficult! Thank you Lord for lactation consultants!)—and of course got to spend hours just gazing into her new little eyes, touching her soft skin, hearing her tiny sounds, and cradling all her new little parts.
We both find it so unfathomable that this new small person is in the world because of us, and because God, in His infinite grace, mercy and goodness, gave us our little Gracie as a gift. We are so so blessed. And I am so happy to have been able to share this experience with all of you. I pray that your experience is just as excellent.
Take care,
Christy
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Countdown is ON
Well, I’m officially in the homestretch. Only 9 days to go until D-Day (delivery day!). And my OB says he’ll induce me on the 19th if she hasn’t come on her own by then—so I will definitely be a mommy here very shortly!!!
INDUCTION
Why induce? Well, the doc says that “taller mommies pop bigger babies,” and that the longer I wait after my due date, the greater likelihood I will have for a cesarean. And I dunno about you—but as much as I shy away from the thought of my vagina opening up to 10 centimeters, I’m even more hesitant about having my belly ripped open. So induction, though not ideal, doesn’t sound all that bad compared to major surgery.
MOMMA BIRDS NEST
So what have I been doing these last couple of weeks? Well, work officially ended for me on December 22. So, now that the holidays are over, I’ve been preparing house. This includes… setting up our baby area, removing tags from tiny clothing, prepping the diaper changing station, cleaning every nook and cranny, assembling various gadgets and gizmos (i.e. car seat, stroller, pack ‘n’ play, etc.), and yes—even getting a 4-door vehicle. I am so thankful for my mom—who will be coming over next week to do all that cleaning that I really can’t (ever tried to bend over a tub and scrub when you’re 9 months along—yikes!).
FINAL THOUGHTS…
So in these final days, what am I thinking??? I’m thinking... I’m about to experience labor, probably the craziest physical exertion I will ever endure. And that this is really my last weekend alone with my husband in a very long time—our lives are about to take on an entirely different reality. We’re about to be parents (and really are already). This title will never leave us for the rest of our lives. So crazy to think that in 2 short weeks from now our life together will look totally different. A new little person will be here—with little fingers, little toes, her own little voice, her own smell, and her own warmth. A little person who looks to me and Ira for everything she needs. A little person that we both already love so so much. So incredible to think you can carry so much love for someone that you haven’t exactly met yet. What a blessing, and a joy. I look forward to every moment, every minute of our new life.
Blessings until Grace arrives,
Christy
INDUCTION
Why induce? Well, the doc says that “taller mommies pop bigger babies,” and that the longer I wait after my due date, the greater likelihood I will have for a cesarean. And I dunno about you—but as much as I shy away from the thought of my vagina opening up to 10 centimeters, I’m even more hesitant about having my belly ripped open. So induction, though not ideal, doesn’t sound all that bad compared to major surgery.
MOMMA BIRDS NEST
So what have I been doing these last couple of weeks? Well, work officially ended for me on December 22. So, now that the holidays are over, I’ve been preparing house. This includes… setting up our baby area, removing tags from tiny clothing, prepping the diaper changing station, cleaning every nook and cranny, assembling various gadgets and gizmos (i.e. car seat, stroller, pack ‘n’ play, etc.), and yes—even getting a 4-door vehicle. I am so thankful for my mom—who will be coming over next week to do all that cleaning that I really can’t (ever tried to bend over a tub and scrub when you’re 9 months along—yikes!).
FINAL THOUGHTS…
So in these final days, what am I thinking??? I’m thinking... I’m about to experience labor, probably the craziest physical exertion I will ever endure. And that this is really my last weekend alone with my husband in a very long time—our lives are about to take on an entirely different reality. We’re about to be parents (and really are already). This title will never leave us for the rest of our lives. So crazy to think that in 2 short weeks from now our life together will look totally different. A new little person will be here—with little fingers, little toes, her own little voice, her own smell, and her own warmth. A little person who looks to me and Ira for everything she needs. A little person that we both already love so so much. So incredible to think you can carry so much love for someone that you haven’t exactly met yet. What a blessing, and a joy. I look forward to every moment, every minute of our new life.
Blessings until Grace arrives,
Christy
Monday, January 01, 2007
My Ambulance Ride - 12/23/06
I would never wish upon you any emergency involving your unborn child. It is my understanding that these things are rare, but they do happen. That was why we were so surprised when we thought we’d discovered that one of these childbirth emergencies was happening to us.
We’ve happily registered and attended several childbirth classes up till now through our hospital. These include Preparation for Childbirth (think labor and delivery prep, including breathing and relaxation techniques), Prenatal Breastfeeding, and Baby Care Basics. All very worthwhile classes. In our Prep for Childbirth class, we learned of some of the dangers that may occur during labor. There was one that they labeled a 911-call, and that’s if the umbilical cord is protruding through the birth canal before the baby. This is a very dangerous, though rare circumstance, that can cut off both air and blood supply to the baby—endangering her little life. This is the danger we faced on the day before Christmas Eve this year.
I was in the shower when I noticed there was a “bulge” protruding from er—“down there.” It felt smooth and soft, and definitely had no nerve endings that seemed to belong to me. Since this part of my body has become increasingly difficult to inspect, I called in the only other expert I knew on the subject—my husband. He said that whatever it was appeared to be a purplish color, and definitely wasn’t normally there. So this threw our otherwise normal morning into complete chaos.
Ira called our OB’s line, but since it was Saturday and the office was closed, he had to wait for the on-call doctor to return our call. So while waiting for the one, he called 911—who immediately dispatched an emergency team.
I was calmly trying to towel off as much as possible, and then immediately tried to elevate my pelvis (something they’d mentioned in classes you were supposed to do to alleviate pressure on the cord). Whatever-it-was felt like it popped back in when I did this. Ira had me move to the bedroom and cover up with a sheet, so that when the medics arrived several moments later I wasn’t naked on the bathroom floor with my hair all wet—I was naked under the sheets with my hair all wet. A much better situation.
I heard the sirens scream up our street and dreaded the thought that they were coming for me, and that all the neighbors would see. I was completely mortified. But I still hoped that all this drama was for nothing, even if it would just make us seem like panicked first-time parents.
There were suddenly 8 male emergency peeps in my untidy, unprepared house. Asking personal questions, and one was inspecting me. Whatever-it-was was no longer visible, and after ruling some items out (since I’d so recently had an ultrasound) the medic made speculations that it might be several different things… the cord, the amniotic sac, or possibly a blood clot. They wrapped me up in blankets, walked me to the gurney, and wheeled me to the ambulance. Ira followed us to the hospital a few minutes behind.
All I could do was pray that everything would be ok for our little baby Grace. We were so worried about her well-being. But I felt reassured that she was ok, because I was feeling little kicks here and there. A sign of fetal distress is lack of movement—and she was still moving, so that was a good sign.
In the ambulance, they slipped an IV in my arm, strapped on heart rate monitors, and fed me oxygen. I tried joking with them as much as possible over the next 30 minutes spent in agonizingly slow holiday traffic. They didn’t feel it necessary to put on the sirens on the way to the hospital as there weren’t any visible signs that I or Grace were in any danger. But the medic speculated that he thought there was a 90% chance I would deliver that day—and that my water had likely broken in the shower without my realizing it.
A 90% chance?!? Woah. I was thinking how unprepared we were for Grace’s arrival still. We had just assembled the crib at least, but nothing else was really ready yet—we didn’t even have a 4-door vehicle to put the car seat in. I had no dresser for her clothes, and as I mentioned before, our house was a wreck from prepping for the holidays. But I realized we might not get a chance to prepare—she could come that day whether we were ready or not.
We arrived at the hospital, and I thought how ironic it was that I’d wanted a tour of the maternity ward—and now I was getting one from the comfort of a gurney, being wheeled by my very own ambulance team of 3. I felt so helpless and completely out of control. And as they wheeled me into my room I saw the little baby bed, and it all came flying at me that I could have a new little person in my life in a matter of moments.
Ira was by my side within 5 minutes as the maternity ward nurses took over. They were monitoring Grace’s heartrate and my contractions in no-time. All of which looked good and normal—thank God! My OB was there very shortly—he was very concerned, and started his examination…
It took just a few moments to confirm that yes, there WAS something there. However, the doctor inspected further, and showed the nurse how it was actually a vaginal cyst. She exclaimed that it looked just like the amniotic sac would if it had descended. Upon further discussion, my OB assured me I had nothing to be concerned about—that while cysts like this aren’t entirely common, they aren’t harmful, and I could still deliver vaginally when it was time. He said that we’d done the right thing by coming in. Whew. We received confirmation both that Grace was ok, and that we weren’t totally crazy all at once. This was quite reassuring.
Because this cyst wasn’t going away anytime soon, I asked the nurse how I would be able to tell the difference should something actually be quite wrong. She said that was a very good question… if it was the cord, she said that it would appear to be slightly more twisted and have somewhat of a pulse to it; if it was the sac, I would likely be in a lot of discomfort.
As I dressed in the clothes that Ira had snagged from the house before leaving (thank you!), I thought about how truly blessed we were. It was a scary experience, but I thank God that it was all for nothing. Some people are not so fortunate.
One week later, we’ve done some serious baby shopping to wrap up loose ends, and purchased our “baby-wagon.” Still have a bit of a ways to go, but we’re ever so much more prepared than we were at Christmas.
Ira and I pray that your Christmas and New Years were truly blessed, much less eventful than ours, and that you found yourself surrounded by those you love.
Looking forward to a fabulous and life-changing 2007,
Christy
We’ve happily registered and attended several childbirth classes up till now through our hospital. These include Preparation for Childbirth (think labor and delivery prep, including breathing and relaxation techniques), Prenatal Breastfeeding, and Baby Care Basics. All very worthwhile classes. In our Prep for Childbirth class, we learned of some of the dangers that may occur during labor. There was one that they labeled a 911-call, and that’s if the umbilical cord is protruding through the birth canal before the baby. This is a very dangerous, though rare circumstance, that can cut off both air and blood supply to the baby—endangering her little life. This is the danger we faced on the day before Christmas Eve this year.
I was in the shower when I noticed there was a “bulge” protruding from er—“down there.” It felt smooth and soft, and definitely had no nerve endings that seemed to belong to me. Since this part of my body has become increasingly difficult to inspect, I called in the only other expert I knew on the subject—my husband. He said that whatever it was appeared to be a purplish color, and definitely wasn’t normally there. So this threw our otherwise normal morning into complete chaos.
Ira called our OB’s line, but since it was Saturday and the office was closed, he had to wait for the on-call doctor to return our call. So while waiting for the one, he called 911—who immediately dispatched an emergency team.
I was calmly trying to towel off as much as possible, and then immediately tried to elevate my pelvis (something they’d mentioned in classes you were supposed to do to alleviate pressure on the cord). Whatever-it-was felt like it popped back in when I did this. Ira had me move to the bedroom and cover up with a sheet, so that when the medics arrived several moments later I wasn’t naked on the bathroom floor with my hair all wet—I was naked under the sheets with my hair all wet. A much better situation.
I heard the sirens scream up our street and dreaded the thought that they were coming for me, and that all the neighbors would see. I was completely mortified. But I still hoped that all this drama was for nothing, even if it would just make us seem like panicked first-time parents.
There were suddenly 8 male emergency peeps in my untidy, unprepared house. Asking personal questions, and one was inspecting me. Whatever-it-was was no longer visible, and after ruling some items out (since I’d so recently had an ultrasound) the medic made speculations that it might be several different things… the cord, the amniotic sac, or possibly a blood clot. They wrapped me up in blankets, walked me to the gurney, and wheeled me to the ambulance. Ira followed us to the hospital a few minutes behind.
All I could do was pray that everything would be ok for our little baby Grace. We were so worried about her well-being. But I felt reassured that she was ok, because I was feeling little kicks here and there. A sign of fetal distress is lack of movement—and she was still moving, so that was a good sign.
In the ambulance, they slipped an IV in my arm, strapped on heart rate monitors, and fed me oxygen. I tried joking with them as much as possible over the next 30 minutes spent in agonizingly slow holiday traffic. They didn’t feel it necessary to put on the sirens on the way to the hospital as there weren’t any visible signs that I or Grace were in any danger. But the medic speculated that he thought there was a 90% chance I would deliver that day—and that my water had likely broken in the shower without my realizing it.
A 90% chance?!? Woah. I was thinking how unprepared we were for Grace’s arrival still. We had just assembled the crib at least, but nothing else was really ready yet—we didn’t even have a 4-door vehicle to put the car seat in. I had no dresser for her clothes, and as I mentioned before, our house was a wreck from prepping for the holidays. But I realized we might not get a chance to prepare—she could come that day whether we were ready or not.
We arrived at the hospital, and I thought how ironic it was that I’d wanted a tour of the maternity ward—and now I was getting one from the comfort of a gurney, being wheeled by my very own ambulance team of 3. I felt so helpless and completely out of control. And as they wheeled me into my room I saw the little baby bed, and it all came flying at me that I could have a new little person in my life in a matter of moments.
Ira was by my side within 5 minutes as the maternity ward nurses took over. They were monitoring Grace’s heartrate and my contractions in no-time. All of which looked good and normal—thank God! My OB was there very shortly—he was very concerned, and started his examination…
It took just a few moments to confirm that yes, there WAS something there. However, the doctor inspected further, and showed the nurse how it was actually a vaginal cyst. She exclaimed that it looked just like the amniotic sac would if it had descended. Upon further discussion, my OB assured me I had nothing to be concerned about—that while cysts like this aren’t entirely common, they aren’t harmful, and I could still deliver vaginally when it was time. He said that we’d done the right thing by coming in. Whew. We received confirmation both that Grace was ok, and that we weren’t totally crazy all at once. This was quite reassuring.
Because this cyst wasn’t going away anytime soon, I asked the nurse how I would be able to tell the difference should something actually be quite wrong. She said that was a very good question… if it was the cord, she said that it would appear to be slightly more twisted and have somewhat of a pulse to it; if it was the sac, I would likely be in a lot of discomfort.
As I dressed in the clothes that Ira had snagged from the house before leaving (thank you!), I thought about how truly blessed we were. It was a scary experience, but I thank God that it was all for nothing. Some people are not so fortunate.
One week later, we’ve done some serious baby shopping to wrap up loose ends, and purchased our “baby-wagon.” Still have a bit of a ways to go, but we’re ever so much more prepared than we were at Christmas.
Ira and I pray that your Christmas and New Years were truly blessed, much less eventful than ours, and that you found yourself surrounded by those you love.
Looking forward to a fabulous and life-changing 2007,
Christy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
