A BIRTH Day Post

Wow, it's amazing how quickly life can change!  For those of you who are not aware, a very healthy Maddie Ann was born 10 days early on the morning of July 31st.  Eric and I have talked several times about the fact that we never knew we could love someone so much, so fast. 

As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Eric began documenting Maddie's birth story (in bold).  I've added my own commentary for those of you who really care to know more. 

Without further ado, here is our sweet baby girl's birth story:

JULY 30, 2010

8:57 PM-Mommy’s water broke at home.  Daddy got the phone call on his way to a softball game.
I had absolutely no indication that labor would be starting.  In fact, I was passing time by playing Mario Kart until it was time for me to head to the softball game.  As soon as my water broke I called Eric, who thought I was kidding, and then I jumped into the shower.  While I was showering Eric made some phone calls and hastily finished packing our bags.

9:47 PM–Mommy and Daddy arrived at the hospital.
We weren't the only ones to show up at the hospital, our families came as well.  I guess that's what happens when you all live in the same town.  To get to Labor and Delivery I had to walk through the ER with a towel wrapped around me.  I felt super cool.

10:00 PM–Mommy and Daddy were admitted to the hospital and taken to a triage room to be checked out by a resident.
The resident had to do a test to verify that my water had broken, as if the constant leak of fluid wasn't enough evidence.  He also checked to see if I was actually in labor and sure enough I was, despite the fact that I hadn't experienced any major contractions.

10:47 PM–We were moved into our Labor and Delivery room.
By the time we finally got into our room, my contractions had started BIG TIME and I requested an epidural.

JULY 31, 2010

1:00 AM–The anesthesiologists finally showed up to give Mommy her epidural.
Nearly two hours after my request and two attempts later, I finally got some relief from my contractions.  By that point I was contracting with little to no break in between.

1:43 AM–The Grandmas and Rachel say goodnight to Mommy.
It turns out our family spent the night in the waiting room.  They may have had a little too much fun.

2:00 AM–Mommy and Daddy settled in for a nap.
Eric and I figured we still had several hours before active labor, so he changed into pajamas and I took out my contacts.  We wanted to be well rested for Maddie's birth.

2:10 AM– The residents checked Mommy and said that you were ready for your grand arrival.
No sooner had we turned out the lights, there was a knock on the door.  For anyone who has ever spent the night in the hospital, you know that this is routine procedure.  After one resident checked me out, he had his partner check.  They didn't have good poker faces so I could tell something was going on.  We were told that I had progressed very quickly and it was time to push.  So much for the nap!

2:20 AM–Mommy started pushing.
Not fun.

3:50 AM–Mommy was still pushing, but the nurse called for the doctor saying it wouldn't be long.
Even less fun.  It was at this point that I asked if they had secretly turned the epidural off, but they said no.  Through all of this Eric was a fabulous coach.

4:16 AM– You arrived--all 8 lbs, 9.5 oz and 20 inches of you!!!!
My room had a reflective ceiling tile above the bed, so I was actually able to see Maddie's birth.  Gross, yet cool at the same time.  After the delivery Maddie was taken over to the side of the room to get checked out and cleaned up.  I don't think Eric left her side.  I had the pleasure of being stuck on the table while I got "fixed up," but I did have a good view of Eric and Maddie.

We have a LOT more pictures, many of which can be seen on Facebook.  I'll leave you with a picture that I don't like very much, but it IS our first family picture so I guess I'll have to learn to like it.

P.S. Congratulations to Emily for winning the baby pool!  Who knew the day I planned to lock it would also be the day that I'd go into labor?

Eviction Notice

Thank you for your consoling comments about losing the baby weight.  I know it can and WILL be lost, and I can't wait to get started on it!

In the meantime Eric and I went to our 38 week appointment yesterday, which turned out to be more interesting than normal.  Since my doctor is out of town, I had to see a nurse practitioner.  She became very concerned when I told her the baby wasn't moving as much as she used to, and the fact that I haven't been doing kick counts didn't help the situation.  Before she allowed us to leave the hospital she ordered a non-stress test for the baby.  The test monitored Maddie's heart rate (perfect), movements (good), and my contractions (steady).  After that test an ultrasound was done to measure the amount of amniotic fluid.  The tech, who is not a certified sonographer, made us laugh when after a few minutes she asked with a bit of concern, "Has your doctor mentioned where the baby's head is?"  She had looked all over the upper part of my belly, over Maddie's legs and torso, and couldn't find her head.  Once I told her Maddie was head down, she was able to find her head and was relieved to know I wasn't carrying a headless baby.  :)

I found this cartoon and it pretty much sums up how I'm feeling these days, but my doctor assured me he has never had a patient that has stayed pregnant forever.

P.S.  I'll be locking the baby pool on Friday, so if you want to put in your guess do it soon!

So Call Me a Hypocrite

A blogger friend recently wrote a post about her concern with her weight gain during the first half of her pregnancy.  Here was my comment in response:

Scary, isn't it? Don't stress over it though; it doesn't accomplish anything. If your doctor's worried, he'll let you know.

I haven't recorded my weight, so I don't have a clue what I weighed at 21 weeks. I just know where I started. What makes me giggle is the fact that my doctor must have recorded my weight incorrectly at some point because he seems to think I've gained 10 pounds less than I actually have. I'm not going to correct him. :)

Well I'm not giggling or :)ing anymore.  I have just a little over 2 weeks to go and I have no self-control when it comes to eating.  Does that mean I'm eating excessive amounts of healthy food?  NO!  I'm eating cookies, brownies, cake, candy, and ice cream. 

All of the pregnancy books say that a person of average weight should gain between 25 and 35 pounds.  My original goal?  25 pounds.  After I exceeded that I told myself I wouldn't gain more than 30 pounds.  Then my goal became 35 pounds.  Well I have very successfully passed that goal and yet I STILL eat without abandon!

I hate the scale, I hate my lack of self-control, and I hate to think how this is going to affect me after the baby is born.  Will I relearn self-control?  Will I be able to lose this weight?

Sorry for the rant.  Just had to get it out.

It's Baby Pool Time!

So I found this website where you can set up a baby pool and with Maddie being less than a month away, I thought now would be a great time to get it up and running.  This game was designed so you can join in the excitement and anticipation of our soon-to-be-born baby girl.  There is no registration involved.

Simply click on this Expectnet.com link or on the icon on the right side of the page and enter your guesses.  Please know that Eric's and my guesses are simply that--guesses.  My doctor has not predicted a weight or length for Maddie, nor has he predicted that she'll be born early.

Please participate by entering your guess!  Don't forget to check back after Maddie is born to see if you are the overall winner.

35 Weeks

Five more to go!

Oh-So-Pretty Baby Shower

Last Saturday this lovely group of ladies got together and threw a shower for baby Madilyn.

The shower was so much more than I imagined!  Lots of family and friends showed up, including Emily, one of my high school friends who flew in from Georgia.

After munching on some yummy brunch food, games were played.  Knowing that I don't like to be the center of attention, they had Eric be the "star" of the games.  Eric's first challenge was to beat two other people of his choice in a diapering competition.  Not only was Eric the last one to get the diaper on the doll, but he slammed the doll face down on the table in his eagerness to get started.  I think he's going to need a little more practice on a Cabbage Patch doll before Maddie arrives.

Eric won the next competition to see who could put a bottle together first, but lost the last two--a baby food tasting challenge and a swaddling challenge.  After watching his attempt at swaddling, I think Eric's going to need even more practice with a Cabbage Patch doll.  Swaddling to him consisted of wrapping the doll up like a burrito, leaving her arm bent behind her back.

After games were played it was time to open gifts and, oh my goodness, there were a lot to open!  I think Maddie got just about everything she needed, plus some extra fun stuff.  We are so blessed!

We finished off the shower by eating some yummy cake and coloring letters for Maddie's ABC book.  You can see come of the completed letters hanging in the background.

Eric and I couldn't have asked for a better shower!  To see a few more pictures you can go to my "Oh Baby!" album on Facebook.

P.S.  As of my Tuesday doctor's appointment this week, there is no stopping labor once it starts.  Maddie could be here anyday, but I'm hoping she'll be content to stay where she is for a few more weeks!

Ball?

Today was my first day working as an aide at a Mother's Day Out program.  I'll be working two days a week through the end of July, assuming Maddie doesn't decide to come early.  My big job is to get snacks ready and for the rest of the time I just go from class to class helping out as needed.

This morning when I checked in on one of the classes, a 2 year old girl came up to me, pointed at my belly, and asked, "Ball?"  I said, "No, baby."  She smiled at me, shook her head, and said, "Ball."  I laughed and moved on.

Later in the morning I went back to the same class and as soon as I stepped through the door the same girl ran up, touched my belly, and exclaimed, "Ball!"  I corrected her again, but she just shook her head and walked off across the room.  As I sat there watching her, she picked up a ball and shoved it under her shirt.  Haha!  Here's a picture of the two of us each with a "ball" under our shirts.  Little ones are too funny. :)