Boy Cat Names: 200 Names + Naming Tips
3 days ago
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Postpartum Survey-1 Month
How long was labor? About 8.5 hours...pretty good for a first baby; it seemed to happen so fast.
Total weight gain: 41 lbs. when I last weighed myself 3 days prior to Graydon's birth.
Total weight loss since: 30 lbs. 11 more to go! I need to stop eating all the yummy Fall treats I keep indulging in!
Back into your own clothes yet? For the most part except most of my pants do not fit yet.
Did you get stretch marks? Yes but they are not that bad. They did not become visible until after I had Graydon and my stomach went down.
Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally with no epidural. I am thankful that I was able to have an all-natural, med-free birth.
Best moment this week: Graydon smiling at us more and more.
What I miss about being pregnant: Feeling him moving inside me.
How big is baby: He was 8 lbs. 7 oz. at birth and a little over 9 lbs. now.
Baby's temperament? He is only content if he is dry and just ate...he likes to fuss a lot.
What I am looking forward to: Graydon becoming more interactive and sleeping more at night. Fitting into all of my pants. To be healed up, stop bleeding, and feeling normal down there. And sex. You know, all of the usual. :) OH and being able to start working out and start running again!
One month later!
One Month Old!
Graydon is already one month old today! I can barely believe it. He is changing so much, and so quickly.
It is hard for me to keep up my blog lately, because we are so busy, and when he is sleeping I am typically trying to keep stuff up around the house, or we are running errands. We have kept pretty busy this past month and went somewhere almost every day since we have been home from the hospital.
When Gray was first born, he weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. He was 22.5 inches long, but also had quite the cone head from being born. :)
At his first doctor's appt. when he was 4 days old, he weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. losing a total of 6 ounces.
At his 2 week appt. when he was 18 days old, his weight went up to 8 lbs. 15 oz. He gained 14 oz. in two weeks, and his pediatrician seemed to be pretty happy with that. At that point he was only 21.5 inches long, so he lost an inch when his cone head went down.
Yesterday we had an appt. with a lactation consultant. When we first arrived he weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and ate 2.7 oz. during his feeding while we were there. The nurse told me that he is doing great and eating well, and should be eating around 29 oz. per day. He loves to eat! We nurse on demand and he typically eats every 1.5-3 hours. Sometimes he will go longer if he is napping or happens to sleep like a 4-5 hour stretch during the night, which doesn't happen too often right now.
Graydon has rolled over 3 times now, and did it for the first time when he was only 14 days old. I even caught it on video. Every time he did it, he started out on his stomach and rolled onto his back, and was completely content.
He has held his head up very well from day 1! He doesn't really like to be held in the "cradle position" (unless I am feeding him) and likes to be held with his head up on your shoulder where he can look all around. He is constantly moving and so squirmy. We call him a little wiggle worm or a bobble-head, lol.
Within the past week or so I have noticed that he blows a lot of spit bubbles, it is cute.
I got him to smile for the first time for me while I was trying to take his picture when he was exactly 4 weeks old. He has smiled on and off for a while but it is usually when he is passing gas, it is still super cute though.
He looooves to kick. Also when he moves his arms around, it looks like he is a little boxer. He has socked me in the face a couple times now.
He got baby acne at 2.5 weeks. He still has it pretty badly. It looks sort of painful, I feel so bad for him! Chris and I both have oily skin and I already notice it with him.
Graydon is a really strong sucker. The nurses in the hospital convinced us to let him have a pacifier, even though I wanted to wait a couple of weeks. We used an orange soothie style one, and he liked it for the first couple of days but it didn't last long. Since then we bought some Nuks and he seemed to like those better but is still not a big fan. He will just spit it out continuously...once in a while he will keep it in but it is rare.
He has only had a couple of bottles that I have pumped. He doesn't really like that either but took them. So far we have only tried the Tommee Tippee bottles. We also have Born Free bottles so will be trying one of those soon. Chris will usually feed him from the bottle if we use one. I tried to give him one today and he would not take it. He is a smarty pants!
This is a given with all babies, but Graydon gets so many comments from people.
First people always comment on how cute his little shoes are.
And then they comment on how long he is, he is soooo long! He will be tall like his Daddy I think! Chris is tall and slender, and around 6 ft. I am around 5'7.
Other comments that we receive are about how alert he is (all the time! he doesn't like to sleep, seriously....lol) and how big his eyes are. And also about his dark hair. I love his hair so much, it looks like a little mohawk!
Right now he can still fit into newborn sized clothes, but the pants are a little short. We are trying some 0-3 month stuff but sometimes it is still too big, he is still pretty skinny, just very long. He can still fit into newborn diapers, but I prefer the size 1's. They seem to contain his poops much better. We used a couple of cloth diapers tonight for the first time, and that seemed to go well so far. Tomorrow will be our first full day of using them so we will see how it goes! Some of them are still pretty big on him.
When Graydon first come home he slept in his pack'n'play for two nights, and then we started co-sleeping. At first we realized that we were both getting much more sleep this way. We were not swaddling him then, which about a week ago we started doing and realized we should have been doing it from the start. Sometimes the only way I can get him to sleep is by nursing him. The past couple days we have been trying to transition him back to the pack'n'play and it is going OK so far.
Graydon likes to be pretty fussy a lot. Chris and I joke around about "how he is angry all the time." We give him gas drops a couple times a day to help. He does NOT like it if his diaper is dirty, and he also likes to fight going to sleep. Sometimes he will cry and cry and I know he is tired, and he will finally go to sleep. He has been getting more content though over the past week or so.
He also really seems to like his swing, unless he is hungry and has a dirty diaper. Otherwise he is usually fine hanging out in there. Sometimes he likes his bouncy chair too, but only if he is totally full and dry, otherwise he is not having it at all! He likes to be pretty dramatic sometimes. I think it might just be a newborn thing though! :)
He is also "talking" and cooing more lately, it is sooo cute! :)
And usually when he smiles, he does this little thing with his tongue, I love it.
Graydon has been holding his head up so well that we tried out his Bumbo already and he really seemed to like it! We did this at 4 weeks old.
When he gets really upset, he tends to scratch his face pretty good...I like to put those little mittens on him sometimes.
He also tends to suck on his hands, especially when he is trying to soothe himself. He has almost found his thumb, but not yet!
Sometimes when he cries or is fussing, his little lip quivers. Once again, sooo stinkin cute.
Graydon did not like his first couple sponge bathes while his umbilical cord was still on, but now loves his bathes. He only starts to cry when he is cold when taking him out of the water!
He is not yet a huge fan of his car seat and likes to fuss or cry when we put him in it, but as soon as we pick it up and walk around, or start driving he usually stops right away. He likes motion!
Gray also lets out some REALLY good burps. I always tease Chris that he burps like his Dad, haha.
Well that is about all I can think of for now! I am really looking forward to what the next month holds. I am really excited to see him start smiling more and being more interactive. And also start sleeping more during the night!
It is hard for me to keep up my blog lately, because we are so busy, and when he is sleeping I am typically trying to keep stuff up around the house, or we are running errands. We have kept pretty busy this past month and went somewhere almost every day since we have been home from the hospital.
When Gray was first born, he weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. He was 22.5 inches long, but also had quite the cone head from being born. :)
At his first doctor's appt. when he was 4 days old, he weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. losing a total of 6 ounces.
At his 2 week appt. when he was 18 days old, his weight went up to 8 lbs. 15 oz. He gained 14 oz. in two weeks, and his pediatrician seemed to be pretty happy with that. At that point he was only 21.5 inches long, so he lost an inch when his cone head went down.
Yesterday we had an appt. with a lactation consultant. When we first arrived he weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and ate 2.7 oz. during his feeding while we were there. The nurse told me that he is doing great and eating well, and should be eating around 29 oz. per day. He loves to eat! We nurse on demand and he typically eats every 1.5-3 hours. Sometimes he will go longer if he is napping or happens to sleep like a 4-5 hour stretch during the night, which doesn't happen too often right now.
Graydon has rolled over 3 times now, and did it for the first time when he was only 14 days old. I even caught it on video. Every time he did it, he started out on his stomach and rolled onto his back, and was completely content.
He has held his head up very well from day 1! He doesn't really like to be held in the "cradle position" (unless I am feeding him) and likes to be held with his head up on your shoulder where he can look all around. He is constantly moving and so squirmy. We call him a little wiggle worm or a bobble-head, lol.
Within the past week or so I have noticed that he blows a lot of spit bubbles, it is cute.
I got him to smile for the first time for me while I was trying to take his picture when he was exactly 4 weeks old. He has smiled on and off for a while but it is usually when he is passing gas, it is still super cute though.
He looooves to kick. Also when he moves his arms around, it looks like he is a little boxer. He has socked me in the face a couple times now.
He got baby acne at 2.5 weeks. He still has it pretty badly. It looks sort of painful, I feel so bad for him! Chris and I both have oily skin and I already notice it with him.
Graydon is a really strong sucker. The nurses in the hospital convinced us to let him have a pacifier, even though I wanted to wait a couple of weeks. We used an orange soothie style one, and he liked it for the first couple of days but it didn't last long. Since then we bought some Nuks and he seemed to like those better but is still not a big fan. He will just spit it out continuously...once in a while he will keep it in but it is rare.
He has only had a couple of bottles that I have pumped. He doesn't really like that either but took them. So far we have only tried the Tommee Tippee bottles. We also have Born Free bottles so will be trying one of those soon. Chris will usually feed him from the bottle if we use one. I tried to give him one today and he would not take it. He is a smarty pants!
This is a given with all babies, but Graydon gets so many comments from people.
First people always comment on how cute his little shoes are.
And then they comment on how long he is, he is soooo long! He will be tall like his Daddy I think! Chris is tall and slender, and around 6 ft. I am around 5'7.
Other comments that we receive are about how alert he is (all the time! he doesn't like to sleep, seriously....lol) and how big his eyes are. And also about his dark hair. I love his hair so much, it looks like a little mohawk!
Right now he can still fit into newborn sized clothes, but the pants are a little short. We are trying some 0-3 month stuff but sometimes it is still too big, he is still pretty skinny, just very long. He can still fit into newborn diapers, but I prefer the size 1's. They seem to contain his poops much better. We used a couple of cloth diapers tonight for the first time, and that seemed to go well so far. Tomorrow will be our first full day of using them so we will see how it goes! Some of them are still pretty big on him.
When Graydon first come home he slept in his pack'n'play for two nights, and then we started co-sleeping. At first we realized that we were both getting much more sleep this way. We were not swaddling him then, which about a week ago we started doing and realized we should have been doing it from the start. Sometimes the only way I can get him to sleep is by nursing him. The past couple days we have been trying to transition him back to the pack'n'play and it is going OK so far.
Graydon likes to be pretty fussy a lot. Chris and I joke around about "how he is angry all the time." We give him gas drops a couple times a day to help. He does NOT like it if his diaper is dirty, and he also likes to fight going to sleep. Sometimes he will cry and cry and I know he is tired, and he will finally go to sleep. He has been getting more content though over the past week or so.
He also really seems to like his swing, unless he is hungry and has a dirty diaper. Otherwise he is usually fine hanging out in there. Sometimes he likes his bouncy chair too, but only if he is totally full and dry, otherwise he is not having it at all! He likes to be pretty dramatic sometimes. I think it might just be a newborn thing though! :)
He is also "talking" and cooing more lately, it is sooo cute! :)
And usually when he smiles, he does this little thing with his tongue, I love it.
Graydon has been holding his head up so well that we tried out his Bumbo already and he really seemed to like it! We did this at 4 weeks old.
When he gets really upset, he tends to scratch his face pretty good...I like to put those little mittens on him sometimes.
He also tends to suck on his hands, especially when he is trying to soothe himself. He has almost found his thumb, but not yet!
Sometimes when he cries or is fussing, his little lip quivers. Once again, sooo stinkin cute.
Graydon did not like his first couple sponge bathes while his umbilical cord was still on, but now loves his bathes. He only starts to cry when he is cold when taking him out of the water!
He is not yet a huge fan of his car seat and likes to fuss or cry when we put him in it, but as soon as we pick it up and walk around, or start driving he usually stops right away. He likes motion!
Gray also lets out some REALLY good burps. I always tease Chris that he burps like his Dad, haha.
Well that is about all I can think of for now! I am really looking forward to what the next month holds. I am really excited to see him start smiling more and being more interactive. And also start sleeping more during the night!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Newborn Photos
I am so excited to be able to post these pictures on my blog and share them with everyone. Graydon was not even 5 full days old when we had these pictures taken. They are so precious to me, and I cannot even express how much I absolutely love them. Bryan and Mae did a fantastic job, and I feel that they pretty much captured everything I could have possibly wanted them to in able to remember this time in our lives. It is amazing how quickly his sweet little face has changed, so I will hold these pictures dear for forever. It was hard to choose which ones I wanted to post without making this entry too long, so I tried to pick my very favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Sweet sleepy boy.
Don't you just want to kiss his little face? Poor guy!
So in love.
These are two of my very favorites. His eyes are incredible.
So wide awake!
Love this owl hat that his Auntie Megan got for him on Etsy. Sooo cute!
Love his little lip here!!
Trying to get a "family pic" with the pups...it was pretty comical to say the least.
I loooove this picture of him and Chris.
Sweet sleepy boy.
Don't you just want to kiss his little face? Poor guy!
So in love.
These are two of my very favorites. His eyes are incredible.
So wide awake!
Love this owl hat that his Auntie Megan got for him on Etsy. Sooo cute!
Love his little lip here!!
Trying to get a "family pic" with the pups...it was pretty comical to say the least.
I loooove this picture of him and Chris.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Birth Story!
Wow, I never thought it would be so hard to get my blog updated once and a while after Graydon was born! Hopefully I will get better at it over the next couple of weeks before I go back to work, I am so behind.
Anyways, on with the story!
I will start things off on Friday, October 1st. After I ate lunch that day at work I did not really feel right. I just sort of felt like I could throw up at any moment. As the afternoon went on I became SO tired. I was just sitting at my desk feeling like I could call asleep right then and there. I finally decided that I was going to tell my boss that I wanted to go home. Chris and I had a friend's wedding/reception to go to that night, and I knew that if I didn't go home and get some rest that there was no way I was going to be able to make it through the night, and I wanted to have a good evening out with my husband! When I got home half an hour later I went straight upstairs and went to bed. I slept SO hard for about two hours, it felt awesome. When I woke up I felt a ton better, quick changed and freshened up, and then we went to the wedding. It was hilarious because people kept asking me when I was due, and when I would tell them this past Wednesday they just got that bewildered look on their face like they couldn't believe it; I also got a lot of "wow I hope your water doesn't break on the dance floor ha ha ha" comments. It was pretty funny. Anyways, we had a great time. I told Chris that we were going to "dance the baby out." I even had a few sips of wine with dinner, trying to get relaxed. We got home before midnight. I got online for a while and Chris's sister had sent me a message that I needed to rest and go to sleep because she had a feeling that my labor would start soon. I slept sooooo good that night.
Saturday morning I woke up sometime after 8 am feeling super rested and really refreshed. We did the deed, because I was still trying to do anything I could to get things going. After that I guess you could say that I got my little "burst of energy". I got some cinnamon rolls going in the oven and started cleaning the house like crazy. Chris was like what the heck are you doing?! I just could not sit still. Around 10ish I started feeling some contractions but told Chris jokingly because I still did not want to get my hopes up or believe that things could really be starting! I decided to take a shower and get completely ready. When I was finished I told Chris that he had better get ready too, and he just gave me this look like really?!! At this point my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart consistently for over an hour. I could tell they were for real too because there were a lot more intense than anything I had felt prior. I called Andrea, our Doula, and canceled the massage that I had scheduled for that day, and told her to get prepared because we would call her when we felt like things really got going. Then I told Chris, we HAVE to go grocery shopping!! So we quick ate lunch and took off. It was hard to eat because the contractions were making me feel a little nauseous but all I had had that morning was some cinnamon rolls and orange juice, and I definitely wanted something with a little more sustenance in me for the energy. I ended up eating some oatmeal with an apple cut up into it. Then off to the store... I just wanted to pick up some things for after the baby was born so we didn't have to go out for a while. This was around 1ish. So we took off and went to Meijer. Needless to say we were not there for too long! I was definitely having some trouble getting through the contractions and wanted to get back home asap. By the time we left my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and I was having trouble breathing through them. On the ride home my SIL Emileigh called and every time I would have a contraction I would have to throw the phone to Chris to talk with her.
When we got back home I started to finish packing my bag right away and Chris got everything in the car. We called Andrea to tell her that she needed to get over soon and made phone calls to parents. Every time I had a contraction I had to squat down and hang on to something to get through it. They were getting SO strong! Then I got upset because I realized that we had not been using the olive oil and trying to "stretch" me and I had wanted to do this for a while to try to prevent tearing. We tried to do it once but things just were NOT working out, and with my contractions happening I just couldn't get comfortable enough to keep trying so we gave it up. Shortly after I told Chris that we needed to get to the hospital. I could just feel that things were progressing quickly and felt that we really needed to leave. We called Andrea in the car and just told her to meet us there. We started driving and I realized that I had not called my doctor's office! The OB on call was not my doctor, but the other female doctor at the practice I go to. I was happy that it would not have to be a male physician who would deliver. When I talked to her she acted so nonchalant about everything. I told her I thought things were happening fast but when she asked if it was my first baby, she acted like things would take a while and that the hospital would call her. I told Chris that I did NOT want to have any more contractions in the car and to get us there asap!! We only live like 5 miles from the hospital thankfully. BUT...the ramp to get there was closed. So we took a different way through the city. And the road in front was completely closed for construction. I was freaking out. I was feeling tons of pressure and felt like I could start pushing soon. Chris was doing illegal U-turns and almost going the wrong way down one-ways. ArtPrize was going on downtown, and there were people everywhere. We were hitting every single red light. It was like a bad scene out of a movie or something, I was like AHHH!!! I remember thinking oh my gosh...we waited too long. I am going to have this baby in the car!! Finally we got there and got to the Emergency room. I couldn't get out of the car right away because of the contraction that was happening. The security guard was by my door with the wheelchair and goes to my husband: "Is it her leg?" I wanted to scream at him..lol. I was like uhh I am in labor!!! It was hard to sit in the chair. Once he got me inside I immediately stood up and they told me someone was coming from the Triage area right away to get me. Chris was parking the car and I was just trying to get through each contraction. At this point it was about 3 pm and my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. Everyone in the ER waiting room was staring at me because I was squatting down and moaning. Another male nurse came up from behind me and asked if I was OK and once again I had to tell him I was in labor (HELLO!! Couldn't these people see my huge stomach?! Looking back I find this all pretty funny.) Then Chris came him and found me around the corner by following my sounds...he said he could hear me when he came in but didn't see me at first, lol. The nurse came down and got us and made me ride in the wheel chair again. I just remember being so incredibly uncomfortable. They got us into the Triage room and another nurse came in and told me to change, push the call light and get up on the bed and then left the room. I was like freaking out at this point and just wanted the nurse to come and check me. Chris kept trying to reason with me to take my clothes off and change but I was NOT having it. Finally he literally ended up ripping my clothes off of me and helped me get the robe on. He pushed the button and I finally got up on the bed. My vitals were fine and when she checked me I was already 7-8 cm. dilated. This explained why I was being so uncooperative...I was already in transition! I was sooo happy that I was that far along because the contractions were so intense. But it was so painful. I kept telling them that I thought I wanted an epidural but I wasn't sure. Chris kept saying are you sure? I just did not know what I wanted. All I knew was that I was in A LOT of pain and wanted it gone fast, but kept going back and forth. The nurse told me that I would need an IV first and I was like uhhh NO I do NOT want an IV and she was like Well then you can't have an epidural because you need fluids first so your blood pressure doesn't drop. I just kept looking at Chris, crying on and off and telling him that I did not know what to do. The anesthesia people came in and I signed the form, but she reminded me that I was progressing fast and there probably wouldn't be time. I signed it, but told her that I didn't know what I wanted. The nurse once again was like things are happening so fast.... I pretty much knew that I wouldn't get one, but in my weakness at the moment it just felt good to express how much pain I was in and that I wanted one to let people know how bad it hurt. I knew that there wouldn't be time, things were just happening too fast. I also kept telling them that I was feeling tons of pressure and that I felt like I maybe needed to push. They kept referring to me as "feeling pushy" and kept telling me to wait because I wasn't full dilated. They quickly got me over to the Birthing Suite. I went into the bathroom to go pee because I had realized it had been a while. Once again I was completely uncooperative and didn't want to listen to anyone! Ahh the joys of transitioning. :) I sat on the toilet and did not want to move for anyone and anything. Chris was getting so frustrated and at just the right moment Andrea finally arrived! She does not live right in the city like we do so she didn't know the streets as well and had trouble getting around all the construction. She was lost for over an hour and so worried that she was going to miss the birth, but she made it right on time! She came down to my level and talked directly at me and was able to talk some sense into me and finally I got off the toilet and back to the bed. I remember the nurse saying " Has anyone got a hold of the doctor to tell her that this is happening now?!" The male doctor on call at the hospital had come in and was just hanging out until she got there and I remember saying I do not care, you can deliver me!! Once you are in labor and in so much pain, I just really didn't care about any of that.
At one point I got on my hands and knees and my water broke. It was full of thick, dark meconium. The nurse told me that we would not be able to wait for the cord to stop pulsating when we cut it, because they would have to take the baby to make sure he was OK. Once again, I got over it quickly because I didn't care anymore. They also kept monitoring him with the external fetal monitor, which I only wanted that intermittently but was so out of it, I just kept it on. It was annoying though because it kept moving and they kept picking up my heart rate instead of his and they kept freaking out but every time, he was totally fine. He handled it like a champ!
Finally I was fully dilated. This was around 5ish. I tried squatting for a while but that didn't seem to be working too well. The nurse kept wanting me to put my feet in the stirrups but I wasn't having it. I was determined to not push just laying on my back. We ended up putting a towel around the squatting bar and every time I had a contraction I would pull on that and for some reason this is what was helping me make the most progress! I remember getting mad because I thought that once I started pushing he would crown very soon but this was not the case. I ended up pushing for about an hour and a half. Andrea and Chris were awesome. They talked with me, gave me drinks of water, and cold wash clothes. Andrea also did hot compresses to help me not tear, which didn't work completely but still, it felt good when I would push. Once his head was finally coming down and you could see it we started using the mirror. It was really encouraging because I could see my progress and it made me want to push harder to get him out quick. You could see that he had a ton of dark hair, I was so happy!! Grandma Dottie, Grandma Jeanne, Chris and Andrea were all in the room with me. I did not mind at all. But then again I was so out of it and focused on pushing that I didn't really care at that point. A lot of nurses came in and out, and the Neo-natal people were right there too waiting because of the whole meconium thing. The doctor did end up getting there shortly after I started pushing too. She was surprised....I told her things were happening quick! Anyways, when I was crowning, I guess she kept playing with his hair. Like making it into a little mohawk. Weird, I know, lol. At one point, his head was just sticking out of me like two inches. I remember looking into the mirror and thinking WOW...wow...this hurts.....lol. And then I was like Ok, I know what people are talking about when they say that you can feel the "ring of fire!" Everyone just sort of laughed. Once his head was out completely they started suctioning him right away. A couple more big pushes and he was out! He was born at 6:38 pm and weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. I pushed for about an hour and a half and it definitely felt that long! I only got to see him for a couple seconds and they took him away to get him cleaned up and suctioned. They worked on him for quite some time, but it worked out because all the while they were working on me. I kept asking is he ok? Is he alright? They assured me things were fine. We also got it all on video. Not something that I go around showing random people, but I like to have it for me to watch. It was just a special moment for us! I ended up bleeding pretty badly and the OB had some trouble getting it to stop. They kept pushing on me which wasn't fun since I could feel EVERYTHING. They ended up giving me a shot of pitocin in my thigh which I fought at first because I didn't want it, but then realized how bad the bleeding was once Chris gave me this UHH you need it NOW look. She also shoved a Cytotec up my butt. Yeah, I am scarred for life because of that. Chris said she stuck her finger up there pretty far (OWW!!) Anyways, it all helped because finally the bleeding stopped. I guess people were starting to get a little freaked out. I had a 2nd degree tear on bottom and also tore a little on the top so I got some stitches. Like I said, none of this was fun, but I just kept focusing on the baby and asking if I could have him soon. Finally they were all done and they gave him to me! He was sooo awake and so alert. His eyes were huge. Chris was like, he looks just like you! I couldn't tell who he looked like yet, but I was happy he was finally here, and that my labor was all over with. They told me that he was totally fine and not to worry about the whole meconium thing. I had planned on keeping the placenta to encapsulate it but it was covered with the meconium inside and out so we ended up just throwing it away.
The nurses were really great. They let me take a shower pretty much right away. I was surprised that I didn't feel faint at all when I walked to the bathroom. I was just super shakey, which I guess is normal! I was pretty emotional in the shower. I was just so happy that our little guy had finally arrived, and was totally healthy. Also that I had had a pretty good labor, just like how I had wanted. I just felt incredibly thankful and kept thanking God!
I got to eat dinner pretty much right away too, I was hungry! After a while everyone left and I just spent some time alone with Graydon. He was hungry right away and latched right now. I was also thankful about this, I had prayed that our baby wouldn't have issues with latching on or nursing. He was a strong sucker, and the nurses convinced us to let him have a pacifier even though I didn't really want him too, but it wasn't even an issue. I felt so blessed. Overall my labor was only about 8 1/2 hours. Not too bad at all for a first baby!
Around 10 pm we finally got moved into our room that we would stay in for the rest of the stay at the hospital. Chris was exhausted, but I was so high on adrenaline, I could barely get myself to sleep. Graydon was sleeping and so I got right online and posted some pictures and an update right away!
We finally named him the next evening. We had been going between Collin and Graydon, and finally settled on Graydon. That name was Chris's idea, and now I love it!!
The first couple days were rough. I was really sore and it hurt to sit down. Thank goodness for ice packs and Dermaplast! Also every time Gray nursed the cramps were not too fun, but I just kept reminding myself that compared to the contractions I had felt that it was nothing!
We finally got to go home early Monday afternoon. Thankfully things have come pretty naturally since then. We have had our rough moments here and there, but things have been good and we are happy.
I know this is a long story, and I do not really expect anyone to read all of it. It is for my benefit so I can hopefully remember everything and look back on this when I want to!
And that was how baby Gray came into the world. :) Love that little guy.
Anyways, on with the story!
I will start things off on Friday, October 1st. After I ate lunch that day at work I did not really feel right. I just sort of felt like I could throw up at any moment. As the afternoon went on I became SO tired. I was just sitting at my desk feeling like I could call asleep right then and there. I finally decided that I was going to tell my boss that I wanted to go home. Chris and I had a friend's wedding/reception to go to that night, and I knew that if I didn't go home and get some rest that there was no way I was going to be able to make it through the night, and I wanted to have a good evening out with my husband! When I got home half an hour later I went straight upstairs and went to bed. I slept SO hard for about two hours, it felt awesome. When I woke up I felt a ton better, quick changed and freshened up, and then we went to the wedding. It was hilarious because people kept asking me when I was due, and when I would tell them this past Wednesday they just got that bewildered look on their face like they couldn't believe it; I also got a lot of "wow I hope your water doesn't break on the dance floor ha ha ha" comments. It was pretty funny. Anyways, we had a great time. I told Chris that we were going to "dance the baby out." I even had a few sips of wine with dinner, trying to get relaxed. We got home before midnight. I got online for a while and Chris's sister had sent me a message that I needed to rest and go to sleep because she had a feeling that my labor would start soon. I slept sooooo good that night.
Saturday morning I woke up sometime after 8 am feeling super rested and really refreshed. We did the deed, because I was still trying to do anything I could to get things going. After that I guess you could say that I got my little "burst of energy". I got some cinnamon rolls going in the oven and started cleaning the house like crazy. Chris was like what the heck are you doing?! I just could not sit still. Around 10ish I started feeling some contractions but told Chris jokingly because I still did not want to get my hopes up or believe that things could really be starting! I decided to take a shower and get completely ready. When I was finished I told Chris that he had better get ready too, and he just gave me this look like really?!! At this point my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart consistently for over an hour. I could tell they were for real too because there were a lot more intense than anything I had felt prior. I called Andrea, our Doula, and canceled the massage that I had scheduled for that day, and told her to get prepared because we would call her when we felt like things really got going. Then I told Chris, we HAVE to go grocery shopping!! So we quick ate lunch and took off. It was hard to eat because the contractions were making me feel a little nauseous but all I had had that morning was some cinnamon rolls and orange juice, and I definitely wanted something with a little more sustenance in me for the energy. I ended up eating some oatmeal with an apple cut up into it. Then off to the store... I just wanted to pick up some things for after the baby was born so we didn't have to go out for a while. This was around 1ish. So we took off and went to Meijer. Needless to say we were not there for too long! I was definitely having some trouble getting through the contractions and wanted to get back home asap. By the time we left my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and I was having trouble breathing through them. On the ride home my SIL Emileigh called and every time I would have a contraction I would have to throw the phone to Chris to talk with her.
When we got back home I started to finish packing my bag right away and Chris got everything in the car. We called Andrea to tell her that she needed to get over soon and made phone calls to parents. Every time I had a contraction I had to squat down and hang on to something to get through it. They were getting SO strong! Then I got upset because I realized that we had not been using the olive oil and trying to "stretch" me and I had wanted to do this for a while to try to prevent tearing. We tried to do it once but things just were NOT working out, and with my contractions happening I just couldn't get comfortable enough to keep trying so we gave it up. Shortly after I told Chris that we needed to get to the hospital. I could just feel that things were progressing quickly and felt that we really needed to leave. We called Andrea in the car and just told her to meet us there. We started driving and I realized that I had not called my doctor's office! The OB on call was not my doctor, but the other female doctor at the practice I go to. I was happy that it would not have to be a male physician who would deliver. When I talked to her she acted so nonchalant about everything. I told her I thought things were happening fast but when she asked if it was my first baby, she acted like things would take a while and that the hospital would call her. I told Chris that I did NOT want to have any more contractions in the car and to get us there asap!! We only live like 5 miles from the hospital thankfully. BUT...the ramp to get there was closed. So we took a different way through the city. And the road in front was completely closed for construction. I was freaking out. I was feeling tons of pressure and felt like I could start pushing soon. Chris was doing illegal U-turns and almost going the wrong way down one-ways. ArtPrize was going on downtown, and there were people everywhere. We were hitting every single red light. It was like a bad scene out of a movie or something, I was like AHHH!!! I remember thinking oh my gosh...we waited too long. I am going to have this baby in the car!! Finally we got there and got to the Emergency room. I couldn't get out of the car right away because of the contraction that was happening. The security guard was by my door with the wheelchair and goes to my husband: "Is it her leg?" I wanted to scream at him..lol. I was like uhh I am in labor!!! It was hard to sit in the chair. Once he got me inside I immediately stood up and they told me someone was coming from the Triage area right away to get me. Chris was parking the car and I was just trying to get through each contraction. At this point it was about 3 pm and my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. Everyone in the ER waiting room was staring at me because I was squatting down and moaning. Another male nurse came up from behind me and asked if I was OK and once again I had to tell him I was in labor (HELLO!! Couldn't these people see my huge stomach?! Looking back I find this all pretty funny.) Then Chris came him and found me around the corner by following my sounds...he said he could hear me when he came in but didn't see me at first, lol. The nurse came down and got us and made me ride in the wheel chair again. I just remember being so incredibly uncomfortable. They got us into the Triage room and another nurse came in and told me to change, push the call light and get up on the bed and then left the room. I was like freaking out at this point and just wanted the nurse to come and check me. Chris kept trying to reason with me to take my clothes off and change but I was NOT having it. Finally he literally ended up ripping my clothes off of me and helped me get the robe on. He pushed the button and I finally got up on the bed. My vitals were fine and when she checked me I was already 7-8 cm. dilated. This explained why I was being so uncooperative...I was already in transition! I was sooo happy that I was that far along because the contractions were so intense. But it was so painful. I kept telling them that I thought I wanted an epidural but I wasn't sure. Chris kept saying are you sure? I just did not know what I wanted. All I knew was that I was in A LOT of pain and wanted it gone fast, but kept going back and forth. The nurse told me that I would need an IV first and I was like uhhh NO I do NOT want an IV and she was like Well then you can't have an epidural because you need fluids first so your blood pressure doesn't drop. I just kept looking at Chris, crying on and off and telling him that I did not know what to do. The anesthesia people came in and I signed the form, but she reminded me that I was progressing fast and there probably wouldn't be time. I signed it, but told her that I didn't know what I wanted. The nurse once again was like things are happening so fast.... I pretty much knew that I wouldn't get one, but in my weakness at the moment it just felt good to express how much pain I was in and that I wanted one to let people know how bad it hurt. I knew that there wouldn't be time, things were just happening too fast. I also kept telling them that I was feeling tons of pressure and that I felt like I maybe needed to push. They kept referring to me as "feeling pushy" and kept telling me to wait because I wasn't full dilated. They quickly got me over to the Birthing Suite. I went into the bathroom to go pee because I had realized it had been a while. Once again I was completely uncooperative and didn't want to listen to anyone! Ahh the joys of transitioning. :) I sat on the toilet and did not want to move for anyone and anything. Chris was getting so frustrated and at just the right moment Andrea finally arrived! She does not live right in the city like we do so she didn't know the streets as well and had trouble getting around all the construction. She was lost for over an hour and so worried that she was going to miss the birth, but she made it right on time! She came down to my level and talked directly at me and was able to talk some sense into me and finally I got off the toilet and back to the bed. I remember the nurse saying " Has anyone got a hold of the doctor to tell her that this is happening now?!" The male doctor on call at the hospital had come in and was just hanging out until she got there and I remember saying I do not care, you can deliver me!! Once you are in labor and in so much pain, I just really didn't care about any of that.
At one point I got on my hands and knees and my water broke. It was full of thick, dark meconium. The nurse told me that we would not be able to wait for the cord to stop pulsating when we cut it, because they would have to take the baby to make sure he was OK. Once again, I got over it quickly because I didn't care anymore. They also kept monitoring him with the external fetal monitor, which I only wanted that intermittently but was so out of it, I just kept it on. It was annoying though because it kept moving and they kept picking up my heart rate instead of his and they kept freaking out but every time, he was totally fine. He handled it like a champ!
Finally I was fully dilated. This was around 5ish. I tried squatting for a while but that didn't seem to be working too well. The nurse kept wanting me to put my feet in the stirrups but I wasn't having it. I was determined to not push just laying on my back. We ended up putting a towel around the squatting bar and every time I had a contraction I would pull on that and for some reason this is what was helping me make the most progress! I remember getting mad because I thought that once I started pushing he would crown very soon but this was not the case. I ended up pushing for about an hour and a half. Andrea and Chris were awesome. They talked with me, gave me drinks of water, and cold wash clothes. Andrea also did hot compresses to help me not tear, which didn't work completely but still, it felt good when I would push. Once his head was finally coming down and you could see it we started using the mirror. It was really encouraging because I could see my progress and it made me want to push harder to get him out quick. You could see that he had a ton of dark hair, I was so happy!! Grandma Dottie, Grandma Jeanne, Chris and Andrea were all in the room with me. I did not mind at all. But then again I was so out of it and focused on pushing that I didn't really care at that point. A lot of nurses came in and out, and the Neo-natal people were right there too waiting because of the whole meconium thing. The doctor did end up getting there shortly after I started pushing too. She was surprised....I told her things were happening quick! Anyways, when I was crowning, I guess she kept playing with his hair. Like making it into a little mohawk. Weird, I know, lol. At one point, his head was just sticking out of me like two inches. I remember looking into the mirror and thinking WOW...wow...this hurts.....lol. And then I was like Ok, I know what people are talking about when they say that you can feel the "ring of fire!" Everyone just sort of laughed. Once his head was out completely they started suctioning him right away. A couple more big pushes and he was out! He was born at 6:38 pm and weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. I pushed for about an hour and a half and it definitely felt that long! I only got to see him for a couple seconds and they took him away to get him cleaned up and suctioned. They worked on him for quite some time, but it worked out because all the while they were working on me. I kept asking is he ok? Is he alright? They assured me things were fine. We also got it all on video. Not something that I go around showing random people, but I like to have it for me to watch. It was just a special moment for us! I ended up bleeding pretty badly and the OB had some trouble getting it to stop. They kept pushing on me which wasn't fun since I could feel EVERYTHING. They ended up giving me a shot of pitocin in my thigh which I fought at first because I didn't want it, but then realized how bad the bleeding was once Chris gave me this UHH you need it NOW look. She also shoved a Cytotec up my butt. Yeah, I am scarred for life because of that. Chris said she stuck her finger up there pretty far (OWW!!) Anyways, it all helped because finally the bleeding stopped. I guess people were starting to get a little freaked out. I had a 2nd degree tear on bottom and also tore a little on the top so I got some stitches. Like I said, none of this was fun, but I just kept focusing on the baby and asking if I could have him soon. Finally they were all done and they gave him to me! He was sooo awake and so alert. His eyes were huge. Chris was like, he looks just like you! I couldn't tell who he looked like yet, but I was happy he was finally here, and that my labor was all over with. They told me that he was totally fine and not to worry about the whole meconium thing. I had planned on keeping the placenta to encapsulate it but it was covered with the meconium inside and out so we ended up just throwing it away.
The nurses were really great. They let me take a shower pretty much right away. I was surprised that I didn't feel faint at all when I walked to the bathroom. I was just super shakey, which I guess is normal! I was pretty emotional in the shower. I was just so happy that our little guy had finally arrived, and was totally healthy. Also that I had had a pretty good labor, just like how I had wanted. I just felt incredibly thankful and kept thanking God!
I got to eat dinner pretty much right away too, I was hungry! After a while everyone left and I just spent some time alone with Graydon. He was hungry right away and latched right now. I was also thankful about this, I had prayed that our baby wouldn't have issues with latching on or nursing. He was a strong sucker, and the nurses convinced us to let him have a pacifier even though I didn't really want him too, but it wasn't even an issue. I felt so blessed. Overall my labor was only about 8 1/2 hours. Not too bad at all for a first baby!
Around 10 pm we finally got moved into our room that we would stay in for the rest of the stay at the hospital. Chris was exhausted, but I was so high on adrenaline, I could barely get myself to sleep. Graydon was sleeping and so I got right online and posted some pictures and an update right away!
We finally named him the next evening. We had been going between Collin and Graydon, and finally settled on Graydon. That name was Chris's idea, and now I love it!!
The first couple days were rough. I was really sore and it hurt to sit down. Thank goodness for ice packs and Dermaplast! Also every time Gray nursed the cramps were not too fun, but I just kept reminding myself that compared to the contractions I had felt that it was nothing!
We finally got to go home early Monday afternoon. Thankfully things have come pretty naturally since then. We have had our rough moments here and there, but things have been good and we are happy.
I know this is a long story, and I do not really expect anyone to read all of it. It is for my benefit so I can hopefully remember everything and look back on this when I want to!
And that was how baby Gray came into the world. :) Love that little guy.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Graydon Robert Ostrander
Graydon is here! He was born on Saturday, October 2nd, 2010 at 6:38 pm. He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 22.5 inches long. He is our little October pumpkin. :)
Getting all cleaned up!
So happy to finally be able to hold him.
Proud Daddy!
Just a couple hours old.
First full day in the Hospital. He is so snuggley.
Looooove the little pumpkin hat that they gave us for him!
Happy family.
Time to go home!
I hope to post the Birth Story soon. I did not think it would be this hard to keep my blog updated since I am home every day, but this little man takes up a lot of time! :) Not that I am complaining...!
Getting all cleaned up!
So happy to finally be able to hold him.
Proud Daddy!
Just a couple hours old.
First full day in the Hospital. He is so snuggley.
Looooove the little pumpkin hat that they gave us for him!
Happy family.
Time to go home!
I hope to post the Birth Story soon. I did not think it would be this hard to keep my blog updated since I am home every day, but this little man takes up a lot of time! :) Not that I am complaining...!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A Lesson in Patience.
So I am officially overdue today.
When I got up this morning I had this awesome comment in my blog from my amazing Doula, Andrea (she is also a massage therapist.) It was just what I needed to hear today! So here is what she wrote:
Let me know if you need a massage Saturday afternoon - one o'clock is open ;) A lot of moms go into labor once they finally get mad and let go of deadlines and timetables. At this stage of the game we give it to God and take it back for awhile. Back and forth. It's almost torture. Once you surrender, you're there. God's lesson in parenting. Complete surrender to Him so that you can experience his love and comfort and compassion and be so grateful when this baby comes, giving glory to the proper place. You can do all things through Him who strengthens you, Anne!
It sort of made me want to cry, because she is right! I am trying to just control this whole situation. Really what it comes down to is that I am just anxious and want to meet our baby, but I have no control, God has a plan, and he will come when he is supposed to come.
So anyways....that is that!
And the wait continues.
Just a little more patiently now, that is all. :)
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