Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Friday, January 25, 2019
Thomas's Birth Story (and life up until now)
Tuesday evening (Jan 15th) I was at my homeschool mom's group, chatting with friends. Just after talking with a friend about how my water has never broken early, I stopped by the bathroom before driving home and my water broke! So I headed to the car, called the Gent, the doctor, and my mom to give them a heads up, and then called two friends whose water had broken early so they could confirm my suspicions. I got home, checked on all my sleeping kiddos, and finished packing my bag. Nana, Honey, and Poppa came over; Nana stayed with the kids and the rest of us went to the hospital.
The OB ER doctor confirmed that my water had broken (as if it weren't super-obvious by this point . . .) and said I was at 7 cm. I was having some contractions but they weren't painful. We discussed my labor history briefly and he suggested the epidural was optional, he didn't think the shoulder dystocia would be an issue again. I got settled in to my room and met with the doctor on call (other than my regular doctor, she's my favorite, we were blessed in the details of Thomas's birth). She also suggested the epidural was my decision and we could go either way. She wasn't worried about the shoulder dystocia history, either. The Gent and I talked it over and the anesthesiologist came in and answered our questions. I was reassured by the extra medical opinions but decided to go ahead with the epidural as we had originally planned. David's delivery was scary at the end and I did not want even a slight chance of being rushed to the OR and not remembering this baby's birth.
We started the low-dose epidural and baby handled it great. My blood pressure did keep dropping so the nurse kept giving me shots of something through my iv. That kept me from feeling sick or light-headed. As I expected, I didn't like being hooked up to so many tubes and machines and the epidural did slow my labor down. But I wasn't in any pain and it gave me time to get used to the idea that Thomas was coming early and settle my emotions down a bit. His coming early also eliminated the anxiety I was starting to feel over being induced and questioning whether that was the right decision. And I was thankful I was about to have my baby to hold and snuggle. I have always enjoyed the last days of my pregnancies but Thomas's was starting to wear on me. He was so big I just could not get comfortable.
Anyway, about 4am, after a few trial pushes, I was still at 9 1/2 cm. We started a low-dose of Pitocin and I was ready to push shortly thereafter. Thomas was born quickly with no complications at all. Holding him against my chest just after birth was about the most wonderful thing ever. What a gift he is! And how thankful we all are for the chance to have a newborn one more time.
Our time in the hospital went quickly. We enjoyed our visitors, got a little sleep, and went home Thursday at noon. His siblings were so excited to welcome him home!!!! Thomas was nursing well and sleeping well (for a newborn) and his first checkup with the pediatrician Saturday was fine.
When we went to the doctor Monday to check his bilirubin level again, it had shot up over the weekend. The doctor sent us straight to the NICU for jaundice treatment under the blue lights. His being born early (37 weeks and 5 days) and my antibody-E issue were both likely contributing factors. Thankfully our hospital has private NICU rooms and the Gent and I were able to stay with Thomas the whole 48 hours (it seems like so much longer!) we were there. This was our first NICU experience and scary at first. There were so many babies there much sicker and smaller than Thomas, but being sent back to the hospital was emotional and it came on the same day as our first miscarriage nine years ago. The nurses wanted me to leave while they were doing his intake bloodwork and evaluation, and I politely refused. They kept politely asking until I told them my last baby had died and there wasn't anything they were going to do that I couldn't handle. Anyway, Thomas's bilirubin came down fast under the lights and we were back home Wednesday morning. Not quite what we had in mind for his first week of life, but thankful we have excellent medical care readily available. Soon those 48 hours where I was only allowed to hold him for 30 minutes every 3 hours while he nursed will be a distant memory.
Now we are starting to feel settled in at home (again) and are enjoying a calmer start to the second week of Thomas's life. His siblings fight over whose turn it is to hold him. ;) He is one loved little baby!
P.S. Please pray his bilirubin stays down and his weight starts going back up. He is a great nurser but only being allowed to nurse every 3 hours for a while threw him off a bit. Trying to get back on track now.
The OB ER doctor confirmed that my water had broken (as if it weren't super-obvious by this point . . .) and said I was at 7 cm. I was having some contractions but they weren't painful. We discussed my labor history briefly and he suggested the epidural was optional, he didn't think the shoulder dystocia would be an issue again. I got settled in to my room and met with the doctor on call (other than my regular doctor, she's my favorite, we were blessed in the details of Thomas's birth). She also suggested the epidural was my decision and we could go either way. She wasn't worried about the shoulder dystocia history, either. The Gent and I talked it over and the anesthesiologist came in and answered our questions. I was reassured by the extra medical opinions but decided to go ahead with the epidural as we had originally planned. David's delivery was scary at the end and I did not want even a slight chance of being rushed to the OR and not remembering this baby's birth.
We started the low-dose epidural and baby handled it great. My blood pressure did keep dropping so the nurse kept giving me shots of something through my iv. That kept me from feeling sick or light-headed. As I expected, I didn't like being hooked up to so many tubes and machines and the epidural did slow my labor down. But I wasn't in any pain and it gave me time to get used to the idea that Thomas was coming early and settle my emotions down a bit. His coming early also eliminated the anxiety I was starting to feel over being induced and questioning whether that was the right decision. And I was thankful I was about to have my baby to hold and snuggle. I have always enjoyed the last days of my pregnancies but Thomas's was starting to wear on me. He was so big I just could not get comfortable.
Anyway, about 4am, after a few trial pushes, I was still at 9 1/2 cm. We started a low-dose of Pitocin and I was ready to push shortly thereafter. Thomas was born quickly with no complications at all. Holding him against my chest just after birth was about the most wonderful thing ever. What a gift he is! And how thankful we all are for the chance to have a newborn one more time.
Our time in the hospital went quickly. We enjoyed our visitors, got a little sleep, and went home Thursday at noon. His siblings were so excited to welcome him home!!!! Thomas was nursing well and sleeping well (for a newborn) and his first checkup with the pediatrician Saturday was fine.
When we went to the doctor Monday to check his bilirubin level again, it had shot up over the weekend. The doctor sent us straight to the NICU for jaundice treatment under the blue lights. His being born early (37 weeks and 5 days) and my antibody-E issue were both likely contributing factors. Thankfully our hospital has private NICU rooms and the Gent and I were able to stay with Thomas the whole 48 hours (it seems like so much longer!) we were there. This was our first NICU experience and scary at first. There were so many babies there much sicker and smaller than Thomas, but being sent back to the hospital was emotional and it came on the same day as our first miscarriage nine years ago. The nurses wanted me to leave while they were doing his intake bloodwork and evaluation, and I politely refused. They kept politely asking until I told them my last baby had died and there wasn't anything they were going to do that I couldn't handle. Anyway, Thomas's bilirubin came down fast under the lights and we were back home Wednesday morning. Not quite what we had in mind for his first week of life, but thankful we have excellent medical care readily available. Soon those 48 hours where I was only allowed to hold him for 30 minutes every 3 hours while he nursed will be a distant memory.
Now we are starting to feel settled in at home (again) and are enjoying a calmer start to the second week of Thomas's life. His siblings fight over whose turn it is to hold him. ;) He is one loved little baby!
P.S. Please pray his bilirubin stays down and his weight starts going back up. He is a great nurser but only being allowed to nurse every 3 hours for a while threw him off a bit. Trying to get back on track now.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Welcome to the World, Thomas Aaron
January 16, 2019 at 4:37am. 9 lbs, 8 oz and 21 inches long. Details to come . . .
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
The Grand House (and nursery) Reveal of 2019
Last fall we embarked on a minor house renovation. We converted our 1/2 master bath to a full bath and added a walk-in closet. We also got lots of small repairs/remodeling done that had been our list of "too difficult to tackle ourselves but too small to hire a contractor" and then some things that ended up on the "Mama planned to do these things but she doesn't have time" list. These included new toilets in all the bathrooms, repainting the Gent's closet, painting the baby's room, painting the front door, repairing some previous drywall repairs that were not done well in a few rooms, a little bit of electrical and plumbing work, and removing the wet bar from Jacob's room. There were some other things that I've already forgotten but that I am glad to have done.
I meant to take pictures a while ago but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. But I got a new wide-angle camera lens for Christmas so I thought I'd better get it out and start practicing! Obviously I am a beginner. :) I was trying to use natural light and experimenting with different camera settings. Some of the pictures are way too dark and in several my lines are crooked. I didn't do any editing. I had fun even though all I see in these pictures is tons of mistakes.
First up, the sun room. We use this as our play and school room. It is a bright, happy room and it
makes me smile. Even if sometimes the kids cry over spelling in this space. Then the living room. We purchased new furniture for this room in the fall and I love it. It fits the space so much better. I re-accessorized this room after Christmas and I'm much happier with the new look. Next is the dining room. We moved the rug from the entry way to this room; other than that I think it is the same. Then the entry way. Love all the woodwork in this space. Next is the office. The Gent and I use this room every day. Our home office is essential to his work and my (mostly) well-run household. Then the kitchen. We updated this space in the fall of 2017 and it is so much more functional now. And much prettier. I appreciate this since I prepare 4 meals a day here. To finish out the first floor is the full bath off the office. I couldn't figure out a good camera angle but I did take a pretty picture of my accessories!
Upstairs. The hall. Sophie's clothes are in this dresser because you have to squeeze in storage where you can in an old house. Then the hall (kids') bathroom. Another space difficult to get a camera in. Next is the baby's room! We had a good time preparing this room for baby brother. The crib is the same one I used for Annie and Sophie (I have a Jenny Lind I used for Jacob and Nora). Honey made the bedding. The children created the artwork over the dresser (which used to be in Poppa's room when he was a boy). I bought a new rocker this time around. This is a calm and peaceful space and I hope that baby will cooperate with that mood. ;) Jacob's room comes next. No more wet bar--the armoire is there now. The laundry room is just across from it. It got new teal organizers to hold all the extra sheets and towels. Then the new master closet (no natural light and no good camera angle, but I love all the extra storage this closet gives me and it is beautifully organized, thanks to Honey) and new master bath. Master bedroom is soothing and I love having a fireplace in our room. Wrapping up the tour with Annie's room, and Sophie and Nora's shared space. We stole a little bit of space from their room for the new master bath. There you have it, the 2019 house reveal! All cleaned out and organized and ready for baby! (I don't know why the hall bathroom pictures are out of order--blogger is refusing to let me change them.)
I meant to take pictures a while ago but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. But I got a new wide-angle camera lens for Christmas so I thought I'd better get it out and start practicing! Obviously I am a beginner. :) I was trying to use natural light and experimenting with different camera settings. Some of the pictures are way too dark and in several my lines are crooked. I didn't do any editing. I had fun even though all I see in these pictures is tons of mistakes.
First up, the sun room. We use this as our play and school room. It is a bright, happy room and it
makes me smile. Even if sometimes the kids cry over spelling in this space. Then the living room. We purchased new furniture for this room in the fall and I love it. It fits the space so much better. I re-accessorized this room after Christmas and I'm much happier with the new look. Next is the dining room. We moved the rug from the entry way to this room; other than that I think it is the same. Then the entry way. Love all the woodwork in this space. Next is the office. The Gent and I use this room every day. Our home office is essential to his work and my (mostly) well-run household. Then the kitchen. We updated this space in the fall of 2017 and it is so much more functional now. And much prettier. I appreciate this since I prepare 4 meals a day here. To finish out the first floor is the full bath off the office. I couldn't figure out a good camera angle but I did take a pretty picture of my accessories!
Upstairs. The hall. Sophie's clothes are in this dresser because you have to squeeze in storage where you can in an old house. Then the hall (kids') bathroom. Another space difficult to get a camera in. Next is the baby's room! We had a good time preparing this room for baby brother. The crib is the same one I used for Annie and Sophie (I have a Jenny Lind I used for Jacob and Nora). Honey made the bedding. The children created the artwork over the dresser (which used to be in Poppa's room when he was a boy). I bought a new rocker this time around. This is a calm and peaceful space and I hope that baby will cooperate with that mood. ;) Jacob's room comes next. No more wet bar--the armoire is there now. The laundry room is just across from it. It got new teal organizers to hold all the extra sheets and towels. Then the new master closet (no natural light and no good camera angle, but I love all the extra storage this closet gives me and it is beautifully organized, thanks to Honey) and new master bath. Master bedroom is soothing and I love having a fireplace in our room. Wrapping up the tour with Annie's room, and Sophie and Nora's shared space. We stole a little bit of space from their room for the new master bath. There you have it, the 2019 house reveal! All cleaned out and organized and ready for baby! (I don't know why the hall bathroom pictures are out of order--blogger is refusing to let me change them.)
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