2 WEEKS OLD!

Our precious girl is growing by leaps and bounds! She's changing so much every day and I still can't get enough. I love her snuggles and even though it's exhausting, I love that she always wants to be held. She's so strong and holds up her head pretty well for a newborn. I think we're going to have a very active girl on our hands soon. We discovered that she loves to lay on her changing table and look out the window. The indirect sunshine must be soothing.

This week we visited the lactation consultant twice. She was able to give me a nipple shield that fit better than the one I found in the store, and help us work on Kate's latch. She said that because of the long, difficult delivery, that the nerves in her head were compressed and it's causing her to chomp while she's sucking. She also has a recessed chin and the ligament on her upper lip is short and keeping it from flaring out properly. So because of all of those reasons I was in a lot of pain and feeding was frustrating for both of us. The LC also taught us how to do baby led latch and it's far more relaxing for both of us. I'm still pumping and she gets a bottle a few times a day, but we're headed toward full time on the breast.

Katelyn had a photo shoot with my cousin's boyfriend, Tim, this week. He's a professional photographer and asked if we would like some family portraits. It was such a generous offer I certainly couldn't refuse! He had some great ideas and I think the pictures are going to turn out amazing. I can't wait to see them! It took a long time since she was fussy and it was difficult keeping her asleep.

We bought her Halloween costume this week. It's a fuzzy pink teddy bear sleeper. :) I'll post pictures at the end of the month.

Kate got her first peice of mail. Her Medical card came this week. Next week we're expecting her Social Security card and soon we can pick up her birth certificate! I also started working on her baby books. It's a lot of work keeping up on everything. I don't want to miss any of it. I still need to put together a scrapbook from the baby shower.

We received more gifts this week. Mark sent her some adorable purple leather shoes from England and Poppi and Grandma Jackson sent a beautiful Peter Rabbit baby book. Grandma Diane sent a stuffed puppy dog for monthly pictures.

In other exciting news Auntie Laura and Josh got engaged!! We're so happy for them!

Steven and I are doing well. We're starting to get a better routine and I'm able to get a little bit more sleep. I caught a cold which has made things a bit hard since I'm already so ran down. I'm still having a hard time finding an appetite also. I weighed in today a 169 lbs, down 35 lbs from my delivery weight and down 5 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight. My belly is still flabby and I have a lot of loose skin that I'm hoping will eventually go away. I'm still in a lot of pain from the stitches but my bleeding is now light and the cramping is gone.

More pictures I took this week at 8 days old.






Some snapshots from this week.

Her second bath. She likes kicking in the water.


Cute shirt the hospital gave us. "Born under construction at UCI Medical Center"


We spend most of the day doing this :)


Posing with the cute dog Grandma Diane sent.


Visiting with Grandma Lisa.


Charlotte always wants to hold her.


My sleepy baby.


Snuggling with Auntie Michelle


Enjoying the nice weather with Poppa Tom.


Dare is a little tired from baby stuff also.


My 2 week post partum picture.

1 WEEK OLD!

Wow, our first week as parents! It's so surreal and such a dream come true. On my online support group the ladies call a child born after miscarriage a rainbow baby. She really is the sunshine of our lives.

The hospital stay was long and difficult. I was in a lot of pain and recovery has been very slow. Katelyn wanted to nurse constantly and we were having a hard time with breast feeding. It's still pretty difficult but we're slowly getting better. When we got home we couldn't keep her happy at all and she gave us a good scare by not having a wet or dirty diaper in well over 24 hours. She started acting lethargic and limp and not like her strong little self at all. She also felt very light to me so I broke down and gave her formula. She sucked it down so quickly and I felt so awful. Poor kid was starving! Luckily my milk came in the next day so we only had to supplement with formula a few times.

She had her first Dr. appointment this week with the Pediatrition and is doing very well. She weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz and 19.5" long. Not sure how she shrunk from birth so I'm going to chalk it up to bad measuring. :) Her appetite grows every day and so does the dirty diaper pile. That's great news in my book! She's very strong and makes so many noises. We are starting to learn her cues and Steven's very good at knowing which cry is hungry, gas, or wet. She loves to sleep on him and although she'll sleep in her crib just fine during the day, she wants to be close to us at night. I think we're going to have to get a snuggle nest co-sleeper for our bed.

We've used up all the hospital diapers and moved into cloth diapers. Steven is not loving it but the cost benefit makes it so worth it. He couldn't believe how many diapers we went through this week. We're also going through a lot of bottles since it's so painful for me to feed her at every feeding. So I'm pumping and we bottle feed about 70% of the time. I have an appointment with a lactation consultant on Thursday so hopefully we can get back to full time on the breast. She finds a lot of comfort in nursing and has a lot less gas than with the bottle.

Her belly button fell off on Sunday at 6 days old and she had her first bath to commemorate the occasion. Steven got it all on video and she loved it! I was prepared for a screaming baby but she just looked around and kicked her feet. It was the diapering afterward that she wasn't too happy about. I also set up my photo equipment and took a few pictures. Photographing a newborn is not easy.

I had my follow up Dr. appointment on Monday. We had to wait for two hours and amazingly she slept the whole time. I'm down to 178 lbs, blood pressure is back to normal, and I have a bladder infection. Physically I'm still having a hard time. The pain is slowly going away but I'm still very pale and yellow colored and every muscle of my body hurts. I don't have an appetite at all and of course sleep is hard to come by. I'm very emotional and have had a few breakdowns. Steven is so great at being my support and helping in every way that he can. He has unlimited patience for Katelyn's crying and if she wants to be held while she sleeps he'll do it all night long. I couldn't have asked for a better Daddy.

We had a few visitors this week and although I was a total zombie, it was nice that they stopped by. Our little girl is pretty popular and very loved.

These are some pictures I took at 6 days old.













Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this week. :)



Big stretches!


Hanging out with Mommy


Talking to Grandma


Full belly and sleepy Mommy


Oh that face! Love it!


Cousin Charlotte will hold her for hours on end while she naps


There was a lot of this happening this week


She loves sleeping with Daddy


This is my favorite picture :)


Auntie Michelle has the magic touch, look at that arm dangling!


And my post partum picture.

BIRTH STORY!

I woke up at 4:30 on Sunday morning to a contraction and bloody show. Honestly I was in denial that labor was starting since I was scheduled to be induced at 8pm that night. The rest of the day my contractions slowly grew in intensity and frequency. I tried to stay busy to keep my mind off the induction and to help the baby descend more. The baby was super active and causing me real pain with her movements.

By 7pm my contractions were manageable but I had to breathe through them and were coming at about 3-5 minutes apart. Steven had been gone all day and when he got home we immediately left for the hospital. I found it so ironic that baby girl had waited until the very last minute to come. :)

They were ready and waiting for me at the hospital and confirmed that I was in labor. When the OB came in to check me I was 3cm dilated and 70% effaced, -2 station. I felt so strangely relieved that my body knew how to have a baby even if the doctors told me I was past due. She knew exactly when she wanted to arrive.

They still decided to use pitocin and I was put on a low dose. They respected my decision for a natural birth and I had a great team of coaches helping me breathe through the contractions. At some point I completely lost track of time and it was taking all the mental power I had to breathe through the contractions. My memory is fuzzy but I know that when they checked me again I was 5 cm, 90% effaced, and 0 station. However the contractions were coming back to back with no rest and with each one my head would pound, I would get very dizzy, and soon was nauseous and vomiting. The baby's heart rate kept dipping and they needed me to switch positions frequently. At one point I remember the Dr and about 6 people rushing in because her heart rate had dropped so low. They broke my water and put an internal monitor on the baby's head so they could watch her more closely. I couldn't keep up with it all and felt so overwhelmed. My Mom and husband asked if I wanted the epidural and I honestly couldn't see me going for a few more hours like that so I gave in. I felt terrible for giving in to the epidural but honestly I knew my body and in my current state I knew I couldn't do it. Steven and Mom were so wonderful at making me feel better about my decision and all of the nurses said I did wonderfully for how intense the contractions were. The anesthesiologist came in right away and when they turned off the pitocin to put the epidural in I felt a huge difference in the contractions. I think if I had been able to go all natural I probably would have been able to do it.

The epidural worked wonderfully and since I wasn't in nearly as much pain they turned up the pitocin really high and very quickly by 6:00 am I was at 10 cm, completely effaced, and +1 station. Because the baby had moved down further my left side wasn't as numb and I could feel the contractions only on one side. I'm sure feeling them on both sides would have been worse but it was agony and the anesthesiologist came back in to adjust the catheter on the epidural and soon all I felt was pressure.

They decided to sit me up and let the baby labor down so pushing would be easier. This phase for me was far more intense and painful than the previous part of labor. I didn't expect to feel much since I had the epidural but I felt my cervix and everything below that. The pressure was unlike anything I felt before. I started feeling the need to push and all of my concentration was focused on breathing through the need to push. By this point I was on oxygen to help the baby and doing my best to remain calm. After what seemed like an eternity, a large group of people finally came in and said I could start pushing.

The rest is a blur. Pushing was very difficult. I could feel everything so that wasn't the problem, it was just such an intense mental and nerve overload. My pushes were effective and strong but she was taking a while to descend. Soon her heart rate was dropping and they would only let me push every other contraction. They brought in the hospital's Lamaze teacher to coach me and as we got closer to crowning they brought in even more people. They kept having me change positions and raising and lowering the bed. Not pushing through those contractions was impossible and I was starting to become afraid that she wouldn't come out. After her head was finally past my pubic bone things happened quickly. I heard someone yell "get Peids in here and tell them to run!". Steven was crying and as her head emerged I heard a collective "whoa". Apparently she was much bigger than anyone had anticipated. I remember not hearing the beeping of her heart monitor and the OB said in a very stern voice, "It's very important that you push this baby out right now." I was so scared and pushed so hard I thought my eyes would pop out. Finally after 2.5 hours of pushing I felt her head come and then the rest of her body and a huge release. She didn't cry at first and they didn't put her on my chest.

Everyone ran to the other side of the room while the OB worked to control my bleeding. I felt like a tidal wave was carrying me away. I honestly didn't feel anything for my baby after that. I thought I would cry or have some emotions but I felt nothing. Finally she made a sound and that brought me back. Apparently the cord was wrapped around her neck. After they worked on her for a little bit she pinked right up and was fine. My sister said she came out with her eyes open and she didn't close them for another 2 hours. I couldn't believe how calm and alert she was, just looking around.

I had a 2nd degree tear that took a while to stitch up. The Dr. said I had lost a lot of blood but wouldn't need a transfusion thankfully. Nobody told me until after the fact that I had Pre-Eclampsia also. They tested our sugars and we were both fine. Finally they put her on my chest for skin to skin and it was such an amazing feeling. We had our first nursing session and she latched with out a problem. The OB told Steven that if I didn't have the epidural I would have needed a c-section.

It was such a blessing to have my Mother amd sister in the delivery room with us. I'm so glad they were there.

Katelyn Michelle arrived at 10:12 am on September 27, 2010. Weighing 8 lbs 12 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long.

She stole our hearts immediately and I'm still in awe that we made such a perfect little girl. She knew her Daddy's voice right away and already has some of his personality. I can say with all certainty that this was the hardest thing I've ever done, but by far the most rewarding. We love her so much and now our family feels so complete.

More pictures to come...

41 WEEKS!

Wow, I never really thought I would go over due. At 37 weeks it's so exciting to be term knowing that the baby could safely come at any time, but five weeks past that and it gets to be a big nerve wracking. I seriously questioned my body's ability to expel this baby.

Sunday was our friend's son, Ivan, birthday and we went to his party at Chuck-E-Cheese. I was feeling very tired and sore and ran down. We ended up staying longer than we had anticipated so by the time we got home I just crashed.

Monday I got up a bit early and ran to WIC for my monthly appointment and to pick up new checks. Then we had an NST that took a very long time since the baby wasn't cooperating. After lots of cold water she moved around and passed her test. I still have plenty of fluid so she's nice and comfy in there. Right after we headed to my Dr. appointment and saw the nurse practitioner. Weight is still 204 lbs and blood pressure still a bit high but my blood test for Pre-Eclampsia came back normal. Her internal exam was very rough and painful and she said I was only 1 cm dilated and my cervix was still really high. I left in pain and very discouraged.

Tuesday I was still feeling terrible. We did some grocery shopping but that was about it.

Wednesday I was getting increasingly sore and lethargic. I made some peanut butter oatmeal cookies because it's the only thing that sounded good to eat.

Thursday I woke up very nervous because my Dr. had mentioned induction if I wasn't progressed by this appointment. I had prepared myself mentally to be sent to the hospital to have the baby that afternoon. Our NST was first and everything went well. At the Dr. my weight was still 204 lbs, blood pressure was ok. She said I was 2 cm dilated and my cervix was still high. She did yet another stretch and sweep that was very painful and scheduled me for induction on Sunday night at 8pm if the baby didn't come before then. She knew that a natural birth was very important to me and was trying her best to let me go as far as she could on my own. That night I was crampy, scared, and still discouraged.

Friday I felt really awful like I was getting over a nasty flu. I had chills and aches and a headache. I was really down and tired and generally miserable. I stayed in bed for most of the day. I did lose some plug that was blood tinged, but figured it was from the sweep on the previous day.

Saturday I woke up determined to have a good day. Mother and I went over to Michelle's house for most of the day to hang out with her and Charlotte. Steven was off racing the tournament all weekend so I needed to stay busy or I knew I would get really anxious. All of us girls went to get some ice cream, then perused JoAnne's Fabric for a while, and came back to Michelle's house where she made us a lovely dinner. That evening I worked on crochetting another hat.

Sunday morning at 4:30 I woke up to a strong cramp. I thought it was just because my bladder was full as it had happened many times before. But when I used the restroom I lost a big peice of plug and had my bloody show!! I'll admit I got very excited, but still was skeptical since I knew I had to go to the hospital that night to be induced. Throughout the day I had contractions that were light but growing in intensity and getting closer together. Steven was at the track all day again and I kept waiting for my water to break so I could tell him to come home but it never happened. Auntie Anne came over to visit with Mom and the two of them were watching me like a hawk. I stayed busy cleaning and packing for the hospital and baking more cookies. I knew it was important to keep my mind off of my nervousness and that moving around would help the baby descend. Finally at about 7 when we were planning to leave for the hospital, my contractions were close enough together and strong enough that I would have had to go in anyway. What irony! Talk about waiting until the last minute baby girl. :)

The rest I'll leave for the next post about my birth story.

I didn't take a belly picture before leaving for the hospital. Last week's picture was taken on Thursday anyway so I didn't look much different. Baby was still sitting pretty high.

40 WEEKS!

We made it the whole way!!!! It's really hard to go overdue but so nice to know that I can carry a baby to term, and beyond apparently. :) Thursday was my new due date per the 20 week ultrasound. I'm not going to lie, this week has been really hard on my body and mind. But overall little one seems very happy and healthy according to all of the tests so I can't really complain.

Sunday started out as a very quiet day. Auntie Anne and Michelle came over for a little bit before Momma had to leave for Indio. Steven was out with Dad all day then at the track all night long, until 8am in fact. They were making a new course for the big race at the end of the month and not very many people showed up to help. Charlotte said the funniest thing to me. "Soooo Auntie Bena, are you ready to be a mother on Thursday?" I wanted to laugh because she said it so seriously, but it was actually a really sobering question. I replied, "Well kiddo, being a Mommy is a lot of responsibility but with God's help I think I'll take it one day at a time." She says in all seriousness "I know. I have two kids and it's really hard." hahahahahaha. Is that not the cutest thing ever? She does have two dolls that she takes everywhere now and is always shopping for them and arranging baby sitting and giving them naps. Two is a lot of work!

Steven slept all day Monday since he was up working on the track all night. I had an NST that afternoon that was a little worrisome at first. The nurse kept me on the monitor for a long time and had to buzz the baby twice to get her to move. She kept taking my print out back to the Dr but eventually they said all was well and to come back as usual in a few days. I had a few contractions on the monitor.

Tuesday wasn't very exciting. I started my craft blog and Steven finally got around to fixing the breaks on the truck then left with Scott to do hobby stuff.

Wednesday we ran some errands and stopped at Ruby's for lunch. That was a nice treat. :) I took a nap then crocheted two hats. I'm not sure what got in to me but it sounded like a fun challenge and they turned out better than I expected. I'm no expert by any means so I found some really easy patterns on line. Steven went to race track. I didn't see him very much this week.

Thursday we started off my due date with another NST where the baby was much more cooperative. We also had our weekly ultrasound to check fluid levels and everything was fine. After that we headed to the OB appointment. I'm still at 204 lbs and dilated 2 cm. During lunch I got really dizzy and developed a nagging headache. The Dr told me that my blood pressure was a bit elevated from my usual so to take some Tylenol and rest when I got home. If it didn't go away I was supposed to go to the hospital. She said if I don't have the baby by next Thursday they are going to have me induced. Because of the blood pressure she wanted me to come back on Monday to see the nurse practitioner. I was a little nervous after all that and didn't want to go sit at home yet again, so Steven took me to Kohl's so I could use my awesome coupon and got a purse. We sat and had an ice cream cone and talked for a bit which was really relaxing. My headache never left, even with the Tylenol but I was so tired and scared of going to the hospital so I just went to bed instead.

Friday I cleaned the house up as best my big belly would allow and made another hat. Steven was gone all day again and I felt miserable. Auntie Anne came over to take my blood pressure which was still elevated but no higher so I didn't worry too much. Momma came home and it was nice to have people around for a while even though I didn't feel well. We also got a package in the mail from Diane today. In it was a cute little stuffed kitty, a lady bug toy that sings, and a lullaby book with a CD. Thank you!

On Saturday Marla and her new boyfriend Donny stopped by while they were in town picking up her new car and visiting friends and family. It was great to see Marla as always and very nice to meet Donny. I'm really happy for them. :) Michelle and John and Char showed up later to spend some time with Momma and then Mike and Tanya and the kids joined us so that Steven and Mike could paint their trucks. Uncle Jim and Aunt Tammy called to say they were in the neighborhood and ended up coming by for a while also. Needless to say, we had quite the impromptu party and a house full of people. Steve bought us an amazing video camera today also. Thank you! It will be so fun to capture all of her "firsts" with it.

I'm late again on my 40 week picture but I don't think that much has changed.

39 WEEKS!

I'm finding it so hard to sleep this week. I never thought my frequent urination could become even more frequent! I'm at least once, if not twice, every single hour during the night. Between that and Steven's snoring I'm not getting much sleep. Sitting is beyond uncomfortable and I can't yawn or take a deep breath anymore. The baby doesn't move very much that's noticeable but it's still enough to not be alarmed. She keeps hitting some nerve that goes through my groin and down my leg and sometimes will knock me feet out from under me. I'm so looking forward to meeting her and being able to move again. Steven and I have picked a name to be announced after her arrival. :)

On Sunday I moved the crib and put on the bumpers and mobile. It looks so cute. :) The mobile needed a little something so I added a cover for the plastic handle. Later we went to a party at Auntie Anna and Uncle Larry's house for the August/September birthdays and Labor Day.



Monday was Labor Day so Mom and Dad were home. Steven spent the day at the race track. Auntie Anne and Craig came over for dinner and brought steaks. Carina also came over to visit and catch up. We had a good time and I kicked butt at Scrabble. Auntie gave me two of the adorable wool diaper covers she made. I'm so excited to use them! It's amazing how quickly she can bust those out.



Tuesday we went to the NST where we had a sleepy baby again. After she was buzzed a few times she did well on the monitors. I was super tired so took a nap while Steven and Scott played video games. The weather was really strange and drizzly so that might have contributed to my tiredness and funny headache. Michelle and Charlotte dropped by later in the afternoon.

On Wednesday Ariel and Chelsea came over to visit with Michelle and I. We had a nice time and I ate far too many munchie snack foods.

Thursday we had another NST and everything looked good. My fluid is still in the safe zone at 9.7 cm. After that Steven and I ran a whole bunch of errands that I had been bugging him about. We had a really nice afternoon together. Later in the day I had a Dr appointment. I'm at 204 lbs and blood pressure and sugars are still looking good. I measured at 40 weeks and baby's heartbeat is strong. She said I made a little bit of progress and was dilated to 1 cm and my cervix was still high but getting a little softer. That didn't sound like much progress to me but oh well. The exam was really painful and I had some spotting afterward and lots of cramping. She thought I might have a UTI so they are running a culture for that. I didn't feel like going home afterward so we walked around TJ Maxx where we found Dare a new bed for a great price. Her last pillow was in bad shape. I swear, whenever we spend money on that dog it's never wasted. She loves it!



Friday we had a pretty quiet day just doing things around the house. Diane sent me another lovely bracelet. :) Thank you!



Saturday morning Mom and Dad took us out to breakfast at Ruby's Diner. I love going there but this was the first time I've had their breakfast. Afterward Dad and Steven went to do boat hobby stuff while Mom, Carina, and I went to a store around the corner holding a cloth diapering class. I used some money from the shower to get a few of the covers I still needed to fit a newborn and for my birthday Momma bought me two dozen prefolds (per my request) and the lanolizing detergent for the wool covers. It's so nice to have a place so close by to purchase these items. Carina stayed and visited for a little while then Mom and I hung out until I fell asleep. When I woke up Michelle, Char, and John had come over to say hi to Momma. Even after the nap I was beat so retired relatively early.

Here is the 39 week picture. Not much longer to go!

38 WEEKS!

Every week is getting significantly harder for me. Hard to move and sleep and harder to cope with the stresses and anxiety. I'm beyond anxious to go into labor and as much as I know I'll miss being pregnant when she comes, I still want to be done!

On Sunday Michelle and Charlotte came over to visit with Momma since she was gone most of Saturday. I think she's really happy with her new job, except the fact that it's so far away. This week she'll be settling in the room she's renting from a nice elderly lady.

Monday was a quiet day. I spent most of it sewing.

Tuesday was my 29th birthday and I woke up to a lovely breakfast. :) Steven had bought me yellow roses (my favorite) and decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons. We had a nice breakfast and then headed out to the NST. Baby did great as always and then we had lunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe. We were early to our movie so we played around the arcade for a while. We saw "The Switch" and then spent a quiet evening at home.







Playing in the arcade.



Wednesday I finally finished my diaper bag! YAY! I swear that project took forever. I'm not sure why it's taking me five times longer than it should to finish anything I start. I'm really happy with how it turned out though. Michelle came over and we went to a few fabric stores to find fabric for her project at Char's school library and I got the fabric to finish the bumpers. It was a really long day but we were both happy with the results of our purchases. I couldn't believe how cheap my fabric was! I stayed at her house the rest of that evening and she made a wonderful dinner.





On Thursday we had our regular Dr. appointment and I met Dr. Spears for the first time. She's the OB that the clinic uses but she's been on maternity leave and is only in the clinic one afternoon per week. She was so nice and really supportive of my plan for little to no interventions and a natural birth. That was not at all what I expected. It's not very likely that she will be delivering me but if all the other Dr's on rotation at the hospital are as nice as her, then I'm not worried at all. I'm up 1 lb from last week to 201 lbs. I measured 35 weeks and with my new due date they considered me 38 weeks. She didn't seem concerned that I was measuring behind since there was some growth from last week. When she checked my cervix it was really painful and felt like she was digging around in there. After she told me that she did a stretch and sweep. My cervix isn't very ripe at all and still long and thick. She could only stretch me to 1 cm and swept my membranes in an effort to move things along. The rest of that day and all night I was very crampy. I don't know why but I was so discouraged and uncomfortable with all the cramping that night so Steven had me take some Tylenol and that helped me get some sleep. I lost some of my plug but there was no spotting. I have a feeling that this week is not the week for baby's arrival.

On Friday Michelle and Char came over to work on her project for the school library. Charlotte actually learned how to work the sewing machine by herself (mostly) and made two blankets for her babies all by herself. She's getting so grown up! Our NST and fluid scan went well and baby was more than cooperative. It seems that little girl likes the sound of her own heartbeat. She always starts dancing like crazy when the Doppler is put on her or the monitors at the hospital. Silly kiddo. :)

Saturday I worked on finishing up the bumper pads for the crib. I think they turned out really cute! It was Michelle's idea to put the ruffles and she found the fabric for the ties. I was getting so frustrated with the whole thing so I'm glad she was able to bring it all together. I love how they turned out and now I just need to make the crib skirt.



My picture is a few days late. I do have some small stretch marks now on my right side but still none on the belly. I'm not sure how that makes sense.