Since I went so long since my last post to my most recent, I decided maybe it was time for a run down of how it all happened:
To start, I was that small percentage that actually had their water break. For some reason, I always knew it would. Kind of how I knew Trent was a boy the day I peed on the stick. Just a gut instinct. Well, at 11:30 at night just moments after my husband crawled into bed, I jumped up out of a deep sleep and my water broke. I was so shocked that I just stood there for a moment dumbfounded while I felt like I was peeing myself. I most definitely was NOT though.
Thanks to careful preparation, by 12:00 the calls had been made and we were in the car to drop off A at my friend's house. The main gate to the Naval Hospital was closed for construction, so we had to drive to the back gate and loop back around adding an extra 20 minutes to our drive. At 12:30 a.m. my contractions were started. Fortunately no one was there so we got prime parking. My husband dutifully asked if I needed a wheelchair, but I insisted I would hold my dignity and waddle in myself... in between contractions. By the time I stripped down I was a wet mess (sorry for the visual). I had pretty much soaked right through my pad.
The nurse pleasantly asked me my pain management choices. I asked how far I was. She happily said a 2! I was writhing in pain on the bed barely able to remember to breathe (so much for those classes) so I thought no way could I possibly go hours like this. I was no champ. I was a wimp. W. I. M. P. and proud to admit. I said EPIDURAL! They slowly had me walk to my birthing suite (which was massive by the way). I had to wait for the anesthesiologist, but even worse I had to deal with a newbie Corpsman who was having a hell of a time putting an IV in my hand. And I was a model labor patient staying as still as humanly possible. I have no idea what his problem was, but I'm concerned for him. They gave me a shot in my IV and I could immediately relax. It wasn't complete pain relief, but it sure did help.
By 1:30 a.m. they checked me and I was at 6 cm. Holy cow! That explains why it hurts so much! I laugh and my husband keeps me laughing and joking. Now, at this point is where I wish I had made different choices. Before I got the epidural, I should have asked them to check me again since I was dilating so far so fast. Had I done that, I would have found out I was 9 cm before they started the epi. Instead I found out after they finished that I was 9. I went from a 2 to a 9 in 2 hours, 3 if you include the time my water broke, but I didn't feel contractions until about 30 minutes in. I stalled progression and didn't get to 10 until about 5 a.m. They gave me 30 minutes of rest (I still couldn't feel a thing) and then I started pushing.
Now comes another real big error, this one not on my part. I pushed for 4 hours. YES, 4 HOURS. They had a shift change half way through my pushing and somewhere, someone screwed up. The doctor came in (we were familiar with each other since I was gestational diabetic and could only see certain doctors) and said that since T was sunny side up, he was not going to fit through my pelvis. I was horrified. I couldn't believe this was happening. I immediately resolved to tears. She said that his head was showing signs of swelling and she had to highly recommend a c-section. Again, tears and crying. I laid back and as they told me that I would be prepped for surgery, I asked if I could push my epidural button which had laid forgotten during my 4 hours of pushing. They said yes. They should have said no.
I was given an injection in my back to make everything numb. What happens from this point on was a complete nightmare. I started shaking from the strong anesthesia. I was freezing from the inside out, but they had to keep me mostly uncovered for the surgery. As soon as they pulled my son out, I started getting sensation back. I started to panic, but tried to keep it in. My husband followed our son to the nursery and I turned to the anesthesiologist next to me and asked to be put out. The drugs to numb me we wearing off and the new ones weren't fast enough. I was practically hysterical. He told me I might not remember seeing my son for the first time (I do), and I said I would chance it. What he didn't tell me was he gave me a calming drug too. Now I have 2 different anesthesia's and another drug besides. My son was born at 10 a.m. I woke up for the first time at 2 p.m. I could barely talk and form words as my mind was so muddled. I almost threw up on the poor Corpsman (whose name I insisted upon knowing, even though it took me 2 minutes to form the sentence "What is your name?"). I am still grateful to that corpsman for his behavior and attitude. He was very pleasant even though I was a complete mess.
Unfortunately I would stay like this for a few days. I had a hard time listening to the nurses and doctors because my mind couldn't focus. Breastfeeding was almost immediately a no-go because I could barely hold my son. We chose to bottle feed as I could not get Trent to latch. To this day he will almost never drink a bottle without stopping at some point. I am proud to say that I chose to pump. I pumped for 3 weeks before my supply dropped and I was unable to feed him more than a bottle or two a day.
I have been blessed with a happy, healthy baby boy who loves to try to stand on his own, but not sit. He has slept through the night since 7 weeks. He smiles and is so happy to see us every morning. He is the most popular baby at day care. Everyone in the CDC knows his name and who he is. We had a rough time bringing him into the world, but it has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I would not change a thing that happened, because I would never want to change him.
My advice to expectant mothers is to be informed. In the heat of the moment it is so very hard to remember everything you have learned. I took the Lamaze classes alone since husband had to work. If I had made flashcards or at least a paper with some notes on it, I might have made some different decisions. Instead I let the doctors dictate everything without question.
Also, when it comes to the Postpartum, stand firm and stand your ground. They tried to talk my husband and I out of getting our son circumcised. As far as I'm concerned, it is a personal choice and not one that should be attacked. We had made our choice clear from the start (it's in your admission packet for Naval) and they were still very rude about it.
Be informed and enjoy the ride.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Inchbug.com Orbit Labels Review
As a working mother, I fully believe I have two or more jobs. I have the typical 8-5 (who actually works 9-5?) job. I also am a mother and a wife. It is my job to prepare the bottles, diapers, wipes, etc. for day care every day. It is also under my job description to get A up, dressed, lunch made, and breakfast ate before going to school. That is a job I feel I should be compensated for sometimes. I usually take my payment in the form of warm, quiet baths or sleeping in on the weekend. Bonus is I don’t have to claim it on taxes.
For the CDC on base here we are required (and it makes sense to me, no arguments here) to put your child’s name on every bottle. After a week of masking tape and marker, I immediately set out on a search to look for something easier. I had noticed that one of the girls in T’s class had this band with her name on it. I wanted to find one too!
After putting in a few choice words in the search engine (baby bottle labels), a website called Inchbug popped up. Two parents founded the company in 2004 and developed the product called Orbit Label. There is the Custom Labels and the Pre-printed labels. T doesn’t have an overly common name, so my purchase was the Custom Labels.
Orbit labels are name labels for baby bottles, sippy cups (straw sippy cups are recommended these days, FYI), water bottles, etc. The bands are similar to the “Live Strong” bands that people wear on their wrist… or their ankle like my 8 year old. They can be boiled, microwaved, put through the dishwasher, and sterilized. I have absolutely fallen in love with these.
I put them on our wide neck Dr. Brown bottles and have never had to take them off. They go on fairly easy and the rubber material grips the bottle in a way that it doesn’t move a centimeter. I can move them and take them off too for when we move to sippy cups. I chose to put T’s whole name on the label. These bands literally save me about 5 minutes a day that I would spend labeling masking tape. And for the low price of $12.95 for 4 custom labels, I was jumping for joy. I was expecting something more like $20 or $30. Oddly the pre-printed labels have only 3 labels in a package. I actually made out better ordering custom since I have to have four bottles for T every day.
I can not say enough about these labels. I am thrilled with them. While on their website, I also found their Date Stickers. I ordered the 5-pack since we also label with the date every bottle every day. In a moment of excitement, I misread the colors and ordered Watermelon rather than Green Apple thinking Watermelon was green. Note my surprise when pink labels showed up with my green bands. Duuuuh… Completely my fault, not Inchbug’s. I didn’t send them back since they weren’t all that expensive and T is secure enough to use pink labels. I will note that I donated one sheet to my daycare for anyone who needed it and admitted my blunder. They laughed and were grateful for it. How do the stickers fair? Well…
The stickers are not my favorite. They are still easier to use than masking tape, but they are not perfect. They are made to go on and come off easy. My CDC heats the bottles up using water in a warmed crockpot so the labels can get wet. If they get wet, they don’t always peel off right. They occasionally leave a residue behind. The residue can be rolled away with a little wiping with my finger, but it’s an irritation. I do like that I can write out the dates in advance on Sunday for Monday through Friday. So when I prepare the bottles at night, I can just stick them on as they are ready to go.
On a final note, these are the only two products I have purchased. Shipping was fast by USPS in a flat rate envelope. I adore my Orbit Labels and recommend them to every one, even stay at home moms. The date stickers could be improved, but I don’t know that they ever intended for them to get wet so I don’t know that I can blame Inchbug for that. I have not yet purchased any other products from them, but they do have other useful and cute items I have considered. Say a big fat Yay! for the Orbit Labels. I highly recommend them!
For the CDC on base here we are required (and it makes sense to me, no arguments here) to put your child’s name on every bottle. After a week of masking tape and marker, I immediately set out on a search to look for something easier. I had noticed that one of the girls in T’s class had this band with her name on it. I wanted to find one too!
After putting in a few choice words in the search engine (baby bottle labels), a website called Inchbug popped up. Two parents founded the company in 2004 and developed the product called Orbit Label. There is the Custom Labels and the Pre-printed labels. T doesn’t have an overly common name, so my purchase was the Custom Labels.
Orbit labels are name labels for baby bottles, sippy cups (straw sippy cups are recommended these days, FYI), water bottles, etc. The bands are similar to the “Live Strong” bands that people wear on their wrist… or their ankle like my 8 year old. They can be boiled, microwaved, put through the dishwasher, and sterilized. I have absolutely fallen in love with these.
I put them on our wide neck Dr. Brown bottles and have never had to take them off. They go on fairly easy and the rubber material grips the bottle in a way that it doesn’t move a centimeter. I can move them and take them off too for when we move to sippy cups. I chose to put T’s whole name on the label. These bands literally save me about 5 minutes a day that I would spend labeling masking tape. And for the low price of $12.95 for 4 custom labels, I was jumping for joy. I was expecting something more like $20 or $30. Oddly the pre-printed labels have only 3 labels in a package. I actually made out better ordering custom since I have to have four bottles for T every day.
I can not say enough about these labels. I am thrilled with them. While on their website, I also found their Date Stickers. I ordered the 5-pack since we also label with the date every bottle every day. In a moment of excitement, I misread the colors and ordered Watermelon rather than Green Apple thinking Watermelon was green. Note my surprise when pink labels showed up with my green bands. Duuuuh… Completely my fault, not Inchbug’s. I didn’t send them back since they weren’t all that expensive and T is secure enough to use pink labels. I will note that I donated one sheet to my daycare for anyone who needed it and admitted my blunder. They laughed and were grateful for it. How do the stickers fair? Well…
The stickers are not my favorite. They are still easier to use than masking tape, but they are not perfect. They are made to go on and come off easy. My CDC heats the bottles up using water in a warmed crockpot so the labels can get wet. If they get wet, they don’t always peel off right. They occasionally leave a residue behind. The residue can be rolled away with a little wiping with my finger, but it’s an irritation. I do like that I can write out the dates in advance on Sunday for Monday through Friday. So when I prepare the bottles at night, I can just stick them on as they are ready to go.
On a final note, these are the only two products I have purchased. Shipping was fast by USPS in a flat rate envelope. I adore my Orbit Labels and recommend them to every one, even stay at home moms. The date stickers could be improved, but I don’t know that they ever intended for them to get wet so I don’t know that I can blame Inchbug for that. I have not yet purchased any other products from them, but they do have other useful and cute items I have considered. Say a big fat Yay! for the Orbit Labels. I highly recommend them!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Baby Product Reviews
So for my next post I thought I would share some reviews on some of my favorite baby products. I LOVE anything that makes my day easier and simpler so that way I can spend time with my family. Or spend time with Grey’s Anatomy (I’m officially 4 episodes behind). Mind you as a mom and not an official product tester, I don’t have much to compare to. There are some products I did a lot of research on first, which I will share too. This will probably be a multi-series.
Sleep Sheep: This is number one because this is by far one of the biggest surprise of great things we own. I bought this myself. I read great reviews on Babies R Us and decided to take a leap. We got the travel version after the reviews said the bigger one basically just cost more. But the bigger one does have the heartbeat sound. T prefers ocean noises, which is little surprise since I spent mid to late pregnancy at the beach. The travel Sleep Sheep has a very adjustable velcro strap. Ours is attached to the infant carseat. It has 2 different time settings, 15 or 45 minutes. My only complaint is this thing seems to get dirty fast. Ours looks so dingy already. But T doesn’t play with it, just listen to it.
Graco B is for Bear Snugride 30: This was a gift that we registered for. I wish we would have been smarter shoppers. The canopy on this thing is such a pain! It is so close to the handle that you can’t have the canopy open and carry the carseat on your arm. I am a petite 5’2 so carrying with my hand is awkward at best. There are way better carseats out there. Graco is not the best, just the most well known. On a positive note, we loved using it with our Snap N Go.
Graco Snap N Go Stroller: This was a win. We registered for it and used it all the time until we stopped using our infant seat regularly (switched to convertible after I returned to work). It folds up small. It’s light enough to use even though I had a c-section. It is pricey at it’s full price, but BRU usually has sales and coupons to help reduce the price. It’s not great for parks or bumpy sidewalks, but awesome for malls, grocery stores, etc.
Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Gym: As far as playmats go, I don’t see it getting better. It folds up nicely to travel, the lights entertain T even at his age of 5 months. The toys all detach and clean easily. The mat detaches from the bars for easy washing. I put this thing through the washer and dryer several times and it looks as new as the day I bought it. It has easily gone through spit-up, vomit, poop, and puppy drool. We have now hooked teethers on to the cloth rings and they make T so happy. This was a gift, but not one I registered for. I am thrilled to have gotten it though.
Excersaucer 3 in 1 Triple Fun: I registered and received this gift. We didn’t use the Stage 1 because the mat was paper thing and the toy bar didn’t attach to the mat. Plus we already had a nice gym mat. When T turned 4 months, we put him in this with a blanket wrapped around his middle since the seat is so large. He enjoyed looking at everything, but it wasn’t until more recently that he became interested in touching everything. There were some complaints that tots weren’t able to spin the seat, but T has no problem turning himself around. MY complaint is that we had to take apart the bird on the right with the horn because T kept getting his arm caught under it. We unscrewed the base and pulled it apart and took the horn out. Easy and perfect fix for it since the horn served no purpose anyways. T loves to be in this as he loves to stand up, even though he can’t on his own yet. The light up lizard is cute and funny. He loves the pieces on the alligators back. He spends most of his time trying to flip them off, and since they are attached by ribbons I can easily put them back (when he’s not looking).
More reviews to come!
Sleep Sheep: This is number one because this is by far one of the biggest surprise of great things we own. I bought this myself. I read great reviews on Babies R Us and decided to take a leap. We got the travel version after the reviews said the bigger one basically just cost more. But the bigger one does have the heartbeat sound. T prefers ocean noises, which is little surprise since I spent mid to late pregnancy at the beach. The travel Sleep Sheep has a very adjustable velcro strap. Ours is attached to the infant carseat. It has 2 different time settings, 15 or 45 minutes. My only complaint is this thing seems to get dirty fast. Ours looks so dingy already. But T doesn’t play with it, just listen to it.
Graco B is for Bear Snugride 30: This was a gift that we registered for. I wish we would have been smarter shoppers. The canopy on this thing is such a pain! It is so close to the handle that you can’t have the canopy open and carry the carseat on your arm. I am a petite 5’2 so carrying with my hand is awkward at best. There are way better carseats out there. Graco is not the best, just the most well known. On a positive note, we loved using it with our Snap N Go.
Graco Snap N Go Stroller: This was a win. We registered for it and used it all the time until we stopped using our infant seat regularly (switched to convertible after I returned to work). It folds up small. It’s light enough to use even though I had a c-section. It is pricey at it’s full price, but BRU usually has sales and coupons to help reduce the price. It’s not great for parks or bumpy sidewalks, but awesome for malls, grocery stores, etc.
Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Gym: As far as playmats go, I don’t see it getting better. It folds up nicely to travel, the lights entertain T even at his age of 5 months. The toys all detach and clean easily. The mat detaches from the bars for easy washing. I put this thing through the washer and dryer several times and it looks as new as the day I bought it. It has easily gone through spit-up, vomit, poop, and puppy drool. We have now hooked teethers on to the cloth rings and they make T so happy. This was a gift, but not one I registered for. I am thrilled to have gotten it though.
Excersaucer 3 in 1 Triple Fun: I registered and received this gift. We didn’t use the Stage 1 because the mat was paper thing and the toy bar didn’t attach to the mat. Plus we already had a nice gym mat. When T turned 4 months, we put him in this with a blanket wrapped around his middle since the seat is so large. He enjoyed looking at everything, but it wasn’t until more recently that he became interested in touching everything. There were some complaints that tots weren’t able to spin the seat, but T has no problem turning himself around. MY complaint is that we had to take apart the bird on the right with the horn because T kept getting his arm caught under it. We unscrewed the base and pulled it apart and took the horn out. Easy and perfect fix for it since the horn served no purpose anyways. T loves to be in this as he loves to stand up, even though he can’t on his own yet. The light up lizard is cute and funny. He loves the pieces on the alligators back. He spends most of his time trying to flip them off, and since they are attached by ribbons I can easily put them back (when he’s not looking).
More reviews to come!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Step 1 - Set the Foundation
Actually this is more like Step 100 than Step 1. I just called it step 1 since it’s my first post after all. No point in making a no bones honest blog if I start by being dishonest. Which brings me to why I said set the foundation…
My son is now 5 months old and my daughter is 8. Yeah, biiiig age difference. My children love each other, and I love that about them! The way they smile at each other just lets me know how much trouble I’m in when they can actually conspire together.
So why set the foundation now? Because we pretty much tried every other approach to the chaos that is our children. So we decided it’s time to go back to basics. Today I made two lists. The first is a “Daily Duties” list. It outlines everything that is expected of A every day, from getting up to going to bed. I gave times in the morning since we have a time management problem then and gave a generic list for evenings since I can’t guarantee what time dinner makes it to the table. The second list is “House Rules” for whole family. When T is old enough, this will apply to him too. It is very general in order to encompass everyone.
At the bottom of the rules I wrote our consequences for 1st, 2nd, and then 3rd offense. It starts with losing TV and/or computer for one day. Then grounded for one day. Then grounded and loss of TV and/or computer. I also have rewards. I purchased four different items. They are a magazine, a shirt, high heel shoes (I hate them, she loves them), and a craft kit. After a week of good behavior she can choose her reward from those four. So we have a mix of positive and negative reinforcement, as well as an outline of exactly what is expected of her and everyone else. I’m hoping this will stop the tantrums and crying that seem to be escalating.
Oh, and I’m also implementing family game night where we order in a pizza and play the Wii or a board game. That way we spend some time doing something all together. I don’t have a specific day since the husband is military and we can never predict his schedule. And you can’t predict an infant’s schedule either.
So here’s the start of yet another new beginning. I have high hopes for this one. I mean, if Super Nanny suggests it, it has to be good right?
My son is now 5 months old and my daughter is 8. Yeah, biiiig age difference. My children love each other, and I love that about them! The way they smile at each other just lets me know how much trouble I’m in when they can actually conspire together.
So why set the foundation now? Because we pretty much tried every other approach to the chaos that is our children. So we decided it’s time to go back to basics. Today I made two lists. The first is a “Daily Duties” list. It outlines everything that is expected of A every day, from getting up to going to bed. I gave times in the morning since we have a time management problem then and gave a generic list for evenings since I can’t guarantee what time dinner makes it to the table. The second list is “House Rules” for whole family. When T is old enough, this will apply to him too. It is very general in order to encompass everyone.
At the bottom of the rules I wrote our consequences for 1st, 2nd, and then 3rd offense. It starts with losing TV and/or computer for one day. Then grounded for one day. Then grounded and loss of TV and/or computer. I also have rewards. I purchased four different items. They are a magazine, a shirt, high heel shoes (I hate them, she loves them), and a craft kit. After a week of good behavior she can choose her reward from those four. So we have a mix of positive and negative reinforcement, as well as an outline of exactly what is expected of her and everyone else. I’m hoping this will stop the tantrums and crying that seem to be escalating.
Oh, and I’m also implementing family game night where we order in a pizza and play the Wii or a board game. That way we spend some time doing something all together. I don’t have a specific day since the husband is military and we can never predict his schedule. And you can’t predict an infant’s schedule either.
So here’s the start of yet another new beginning. I have high hopes for this one. I mean, if Super Nanny suggests it, it has to be good right?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
30 Weeks Already?!
Wow, where did the time go? It seems just yesterday I posted about how I was expecting, and now I'm posting about how he'll be here soon! Trent's room is looking amazing, too bad his closet is not. It's far from the organized pretty closet you dream about. It's more just clothes on hangers with boxes that don't belong and board games that have no other home. Plus I have to start washing those clothes. Well, at least the newborn and some 0-3 months.
Speaking of clothes, for anyone reading this, please do not buy us any more clothes in the 0-3 month size. Go big! We have an abundance of clothes in that size, which is great, but much more and we'll never even get a chance to put them on him!
So the doctors at the Naval Hospital told me last month that I'm gestational diabetic. It has been hard to not eat what everyone thinks is normal during pregnancy. I have a huge craving for foods I can't have. I can't even eat fruit because I can't find any fruit (or juice) that doesn't make my blood sugar skyrocket. The natural sugar in it is too much. So cheese and crackers have become a staple for me. As has Smart Ones freezer meals. I can't eat peanut butter and they tell you to avoid deli meat while pregnant. So WTH am I supposed to eat??? Freezer meals.
Oh, and I have to poke myself in the fingers four times a day. I had a few days where I just about cried every time I had to because I just didn't want to anymore. It hurt, I bled a lot even though I'm on iron supplements, and nothing about learning that my previous healthy meal still made my blood sugar high appealed to me. How does chicken and broccoli raise your blood sugar?! That's a rhetorical question by the way. No scientific answers needed.
So I go in on Tuesday to find out if they think my new numbers are more acceptable. I'm pretty sure they're going to have a heart attack when they see I had a 189 one night after dinner. When they asked me what I ate, do I answer truthfully and tell them Arby's? Because I'm pretty sure that will get us nowhere as they'll try to lecture me and I'll just tell them shove it. My other numbers are fine. Even the day that I ate Wendy's for lunch, so ha! I can't constantly cook dinner, I like to enjoy eating out every once in a while. So I have to try new things to see what they do. A roast beef and cheddar may not have been my best idea, but a marketfresh sandwich carries more carbs. And it's deli meat.
So on to bigger things. I have an ultrasound next Tuesday too! And my mom actually gets to go to my appointments since she'll be here! And Mark gets to go to ONE Lamaze class with me! Next week is going to be awesome. I'm taking off Tuesday to spend time with my family after my appointments, and they'll be here all week. I wish I could see them more often. You don't realize how important family is until you only get to see them once or twice a year. I call my mom almost every day after work at 5 p.m. It's a routine and I love it. It would be much better if I could see her more, but at least I have those calls to look forward to.
Speaking of clothes, for anyone reading this, please do not buy us any more clothes in the 0-3 month size. Go big! We have an abundance of clothes in that size, which is great, but much more and we'll never even get a chance to put them on him!
So the doctors at the Naval Hospital told me last month that I'm gestational diabetic. It has been hard to not eat what everyone thinks is normal during pregnancy. I have a huge craving for foods I can't have. I can't even eat fruit because I can't find any fruit (or juice) that doesn't make my blood sugar skyrocket. The natural sugar in it is too much. So cheese and crackers have become a staple for me. As has Smart Ones freezer meals. I can't eat peanut butter and they tell you to avoid deli meat while pregnant. So WTH am I supposed to eat??? Freezer meals.
Oh, and I have to poke myself in the fingers four times a day. I had a few days where I just about cried every time I had to because I just didn't want to anymore. It hurt, I bled a lot even though I'm on iron supplements, and nothing about learning that my previous healthy meal still made my blood sugar high appealed to me. How does chicken and broccoli raise your blood sugar?! That's a rhetorical question by the way. No scientific answers needed.
So I go in on Tuesday to find out if they think my new numbers are more acceptable. I'm pretty sure they're going to have a heart attack when they see I had a 189 one night after dinner. When they asked me what I ate, do I answer truthfully and tell them Arby's? Because I'm pretty sure that will get us nowhere as they'll try to lecture me and I'll just tell them shove it. My other numbers are fine. Even the day that I ate Wendy's for lunch, so ha! I can't constantly cook dinner, I like to enjoy eating out every once in a while. So I have to try new things to see what they do. A roast beef and cheddar may not have been my best idea, but a marketfresh sandwich carries more carbs. And it's deli meat.
So on to bigger things. I have an ultrasound next Tuesday too! And my mom actually gets to go to my appointments since she'll be here! And Mark gets to go to ONE Lamaze class with me! Next week is going to be awesome. I'm taking off Tuesday to spend time with my family after my appointments, and they'll be here all week. I wish I could see them more often. You don't realize how important family is until you only get to see them once or twice a year. I call my mom almost every day after work at 5 p.m. It's a routine and I love it. It would be much better if I could see her more, but at least I have those calls to look forward to.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Heart Beat!
Today was a miraculous day, as far as being pregnant goes. Well, maybe yesterday was more of the miracle. Let's start with that...
All weekend I was pretty much on my deathbed. I told Mark that I was convinced if something didn't change that this pregnancy might kill me. I was so sick and couldn't eat, drink, or even really move. I was exhausted from throwing up, and even water made me feel sick. So yesterday after only an hour at work I made the decision that something HAD TO change. So I text Mark to come and get me and take me to the Naval Hospital ER. Being the awesome husband he is, he did it. By 10 a.m. I was in the truck and we were on our way. I began to feel like I was being dramatic and maybe I shouldn't go to the ER. But then I had to hop out of the truck to go and throw up in the grass. That settled it for me, I was going in. In less than 30 minutes I was on an ER bed and waiting for the doctor. He told me my chest pains were heartburn (which I figured) and that he could prescribe me Zofran for the nausea and vomiting. I had already taken a Zofran from the RN and two Tums, so I was already feeling better by the time I saw him. So by 11 a.m. I was in the waiting area to pick up my prescriptions. I chose to go home and get some more rest before trying work again the next day.
So now for today! This morning we had our first ultrasound. I spent 30 minutes filling out all the paperwork (yeah, a lot of it). After I finished they almost immediately called me back. Yay for early morning appointments! She started by taking some pictures of what looked like nothing. And soon enough I could see our little itty bitty baby! She showed us the heart beat and I started crying like the emotional woman I am. And then we could HEAR the heartbeat! I let a few more tears out. Mark wiped one away and held my hand while she took some pictures. In the end we got 3 pictures to take home with us. She told us the heart beat was strong and steady. I am so relieved to know that everything is okay. It was such a rough weekend and I wasn't sure that we were going to be okay. But alas! Our baby is a strong little guy (or girl!). The RN prescribed me some Prenatals and after picking them up I came back to work. I have managed to eat a cheeseburger and fries and yogurt and chicken noodle soup all before 3 p.m. I'm slightly nauseous right now, but I have juice in the car so that should be solved in about 10 minutes when I leave to go home.
I have another appointment on 21st of this month for more blood work and peeing in a cup again. Hopefully this good feeling keeps up and my food stays down.
All weekend I was pretty much on my deathbed. I told Mark that I was convinced if something didn't change that this pregnancy might kill me. I was so sick and couldn't eat, drink, or even really move. I was exhausted from throwing up, and even water made me feel sick. So yesterday after only an hour at work I made the decision that something HAD TO change. So I text Mark to come and get me and take me to the Naval Hospital ER. Being the awesome husband he is, he did it. By 10 a.m. I was in the truck and we were on our way. I began to feel like I was being dramatic and maybe I shouldn't go to the ER. But then I had to hop out of the truck to go and throw up in the grass. That settled it for me, I was going in. In less than 30 minutes I was on an ER bed and waiting for the doctor. He told me my chest pains were heartburn (which I figured) and that he could prescribe me Zofran for the nausea and vomiting. I had already taken a Zofran from the RN and two Tums, so I was already feeling better by the time I saw him. So by 11 a.m. I was in the waiting area to pick up my prescriptions. I chose to go home and get some more rest before trying work again the next day.
So now for today! This morning we had our first ultrasound. I spent 30 minutes filling out all the paperwork (yeah, a lot of it). After I finished they almost immediately called me back. Yay for early morning appointments! She started by taking some pictures of what looked like nothing. And soon enough I could see our little itty bitty baby! She showed us the heart beat and I started crying like the emotional woman I am. And then we could HEAR the heartbeat! I let a few more tears out. Mark wiped one away and held my hand while she took some pictures. In the end we got 3 pictures to take home with us. She told us the heart beat was strong and steady. I am so relieved to know that everything is okay. It was such a rough weekend and I wasn't sure that we were going to be okay. But alas! Our baby is a strong little guy (or girl!). The RN prescribed me some Prenatals and after picking them up I came back to work. I have managed to eat a cheeseburger and fries and yogurt and chicken noodle soup all before 3 p.m. I'm slightly nauseous right now, but I have juice in the car so that should be solved in about 10 minutes when I leave to go home.
I have another appointment on 21st of this month for more blood work and peeing in a cup again. Hopefully this good feeling keeps up and my food stays down.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cheerios, Combos, and Cheese
So today is the first day in almost two weeks that I haven't once felt sick at work. I haven't felt completely normal (pretty sure those days are gone forever), but pretty darn good. I woke up and have been timid all day because I keep waiting for that sneaking feeling to sink back in. I skipped the shower this morning since the hot water usually induces nausea faster than smelling my coworker's lunch. Maybe that's what helped. Maybe it was the Powerade I drank last night. Maybe it was the bit of pork chop I ate. Or maybe it's just my body working out this whole baby thing. Either way, I'm feeling pretty positive about my prospects. Which is good because Monday I was pretty convinced this baby was trying to kill me before it could even sprout a nose.
So going back to the past week... I spent the majority of my time sitting at my desk at work thinking about throwing up, or actually being in the bathroom bent over the toilet thinking at any second my food/drink was coming up. Usually nothing happened except a lot of icky noises. A couple times I did actually get sick, which really sucks. But more than anything I just wanted to be able to eat like I did just a few weeks ago when I first found out. It just hasn't happened for me. I have been told to eat more healthy or that I wasn't eating enough, by someone who knew I was pregnant. I wanted to punch that person because until you've been there, you can't fully understand. Do you tell a person with a stomach bug to eat more or that the chicken soup they had has too much sodium in it? No. Why would you mess with the pregnant girl still in her first trimester? I hope you are fortunate enough not to have morning sickness, but heaven forbid you do I will be more sympathetic to you than you were to me. It's cruel to tell a pregnant woman she isn't eating right when that's already a top concern. You think I'm not worried that my baby isn't getting the right nutrients? I wouldn't force down TWO horse pills every night if I wasn't concerned.
Most people who know right now have been very supportive. And even the person mentioned above is extremely supportive. She offers me advice not to be patronizing, but just to try to be helpful. I don't think she realizes that we can't all eat organic and homemade meals all the time. It just isn't feasible when I don't have the energy to make a baked potato for myself (thanks Mark!), let alone stomach standing over a stove for an hour or more making a meal. And poor Mark has taken to doing the dishes, laundry, and cooking. If he does anymore I might have to pay him, even if I am married to the man.
So why the title? My favorite food is possibly Cheerios. It always goes down well, I never have an aversion to it, and I never feel like I might throw it up. Combos are a close second. They have cracker, cheese, and salt. Much better tasting than saltines. Cheese was put in there because it began with C and I can kind of stomach it. I prefer milk though. Dairy is very calming to my stomach in small doses. I'm contemplating trying yogurt since it's supposed to be good for tummies too. Just need to be careful to find one with low sugar since spiking my blood sugar is just as bad as it bottoming out. Little things I've learned about myself.
My ultimate comfort food seems to be KFC. I eat there once a week. Their mashed potatoes are sooo good and easy to eat. Their mac n' cheese is pretty decent too. But their biscuits... Oh man, good. Second to cheddar bay biscuits (which I'm sure I couldn't eat now since they have garlic). Speaking of garlic, what a huge aversion! The smell alone is enough to send me running. I haven't figured out a tactful way to tell my coworker not to put it in her food she brings for lunch. I really like her and don't want her to think otherwise just because the smell of her lunch makes ill.
So next Tuesday is the first ultrasound! Mark and I are very psyched up about it. The huge bummer lies in the fact that it's scheduled to be 4 hours long. I'm going to have to pack half the kitchen to survive. It should be interesting. But we get to see our little baby's heartbeat and find out how far along I actually am! I swear my stomach grew last night, and not just bloating. I think it actually grew! I told Mark I'm convinced I'm 1 or 2 weeks ahead of what my calculations say I am. Tomorrow would be my 8 week mark, but I think it's more like 9 or 10. I mean, my home pregnancy test was so positive so fast! I could the positive line before the control line, that's how positive it was. We'll see though!
Updates next week after the ultrasound!
So going back to the past week... I spent the majority of my time sitting at my desk at work thinking about throwing up, or actually being in the bathroom bent over the toilet thinking at any second my food/drink was coming up. Usually nothing happened except a lot of icky noises. A couple times I did actually get sick, which really sucks. But more than anything I just wanted to be able to eat like I did just a few weeks ago when I first found out. It just hasn't happened for me. I have been told to eat more healthy or that I wasn't eating enough, by someone who knew I was pregnant. I wanted to punch that person because until you've been there, you can't fully understand. Do you tell a person with a stomach bug to eat more or that the chicken soup they had has too much sodium in it? No. Why would you mess with the pregnant girl still in her first trimester? I hope you are fortunate enough not to have morning sickness, but heaven forbid you do I will be more sympathetic to you than you were to me. It's cruel to tell a pregnant woman she isn't eating right when that's already a top concern. You think I'm not worried that my baby isn't getting the right nutrients? I wouldn't force down TWO horse pills every night if I wasn't concerned.
Most people who know right now have been very supportive. And even the person mentioned above is extremely supportive. She offers me advice not to be patronizing, but just to try to be helpful. I don't think she realizes that we can't all eat organic and homemade meals all the time. It just isn't feasible when I don't have the energy to make a baked potato for myself (thanks Mark!), let alone stomach standing over a stove for an hour or more making a meal. And poor Mark has taken to doing the dishes, laundry, and cooking. If he does anymore I might have to pay him, even if I am married to the man.
So why the title? My favorite food is possibly Cheerios. It always goes down well, I never have an aversion to it, and I never feel like I might throw it up. Combos are a close second. They have cracker, cheese, and salt. Much better tasting than saltines. Cheese was put in there because it began with C and I can kind of stomach it. I prefer milk though. Dairy is very calming to my stomach in small doses. I'm contemplating trying yogurt since it's supposed to be good for tummies too. Just need to be careful to find one with low sugar since spiking my blood sugar is just as bad as it bottoming out. Little things I've learned about myself.
My ultimate comfort food seems to be KFC. I eat there once a week. Their mashed potatoes are sooo good and easy to eat. Their mac n' cheese is pretty decent too. But their biscuits... Oh man, good. Second to cheddar bay biscuits (which I'm sure I couldn't eat now since they have garlic). Speaking of garlic, what a huge aversion! The smell alone is enough to send me running. I haven't figured out a tactful way to tell my coworker not to put it in her food she brings for lunch. I really like her and don't want her to think otherwise just because the smell of her lunch makes ill.
So next Tuesday is the first ultrasound! Mark and I are very psyched up about it. The huge bummer lies in the fact that it's scheduled to be 4 hours long. I'm going to have to pack half the kitchen to survive. It should be interesting. But we get to see our little baby's heartbeat and find out how far along I actually am! I swear my stomach grew last night, and not just bloating. I think it actually grew! I told Mark I'm convinced I'm 1 or 2 weeks ahead of what my calculations say I am. Tomorrow would be my 8 week mark, but I think it's more like 9 or 10. I mean, my home pregnancy test was so positive so fast! I could the positive line before the control line, that's how positive it was. We'll see though!
Updates next week after the ultrasound!
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