When we got back to the room, the nurses were asking me how I was feeling. I kept telling them that I was having pain around my belly button, and they said that was normal. But then it didn't go away, and didn't go away, and an hour later, I was still having pain. Quite a bit of pain, to be honest. I figured it was probably just normal c-section stuff but they couldn't figure out why the pain wasn't going away since I had a spinal and medication. Then we realized that anesthesia had left out the morphine when they did the spinal because I have an aversion to morphine. I was supposed to get a pain pump after surgery so I could control the amount going in, but that didn't get communicated at shift change.
Shortly after that realization, I got a pain pump and about 3 hours later, we got the pain subsided. The downside to morphine is that I get really nauseated and groggy. Cue those reactions, and I couldn't really keep my eyes open for most of the day. Finally by evening, the pain was subsided and I was able to get off the PCA and onto oral pain medication, which I do not have adverse reactions to. I still wasn't eating yet though.
At about 4am the next day, I was hungry, I wasn't nauseated anymore, and my lovely nurse (Tara!) let me eat peanut butter toast. BEST.MEAL.EVER. Seriously, I would've paid good money for that toast. It was amazing. Then, I ordered breakfast and ate a full breakfast at 7am. The rest of the stay was pretty uneventful. We had a few visitors on Friday and hung out, watching football and taking walks on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon we asked the nursery to do a carseat test for Nora, since we'd had problems with Tess. We figured it was just a precaution and would give us peace of mind. Then she failed, miserably. We'd always attested Tessa's troubles with her respiratory distress at birth. So we were pretty baffled and discouraged by Nora having the same trouble. She failed the carseat test too. Not how I was expecting that to go. The pediatrician came and looked at her and ruled out a few things immediately, finally got her oxygen saturation back to normal (for now) and wrote us a script for an APNEA monitor. Yup, we're doing that again.
Sunday morning we were discharged with an APNEA monitor, a carseat bed, and what equated to Round 2 of constant worrying about alarms in the night. Nora only needs to wear hers when we are sleeping, so just overnight. Tessa had hers on all the time for a few weeks, so we're a little better. But still, not what we were expecting.
We are home and doing quite well. The adjustment period for Tessa is difficult because she wants all the attention she used to get but also wants to help with Nora, even when we don't need help!
September 17, 2012
September 12, 2012
Nora Jean
August 30, 2012. 7:38 am.
This is when we welcomed Nora Jean into our crazy world.
I was scheduled for a repeat c-section for 7:30. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 after a pit stop for a donut for Joel and a dozen for the nurses. We stopped at registration, then up to the floor we went. They were ready for us and showed us to Room 404, our home for the next 3 days. I signed a bunch of paperwork, got changed into a gown, and walked to the c-section area. Joel decided to stay in our room for another hour or so while they drew blood, an IV, and asked me a complete medical history.
At just shy of 7am, the anesthesiologist came in and I signed the paperwork for my spinal. Since I have a well documented history of nausea and vomiting during medication, I made sure to ask for an extra dose of anti-nausea medication and that they skip the morphine initially. They said no problem and they'd give me a PCA (pain pump) for meds after the c-section so I wasn't too bombarded during surgery.
Joel came back to the room at 7:10 and got dressed for surgery. I went into the room where they actually perform the surgery soon after and at about 7:20, they administered the spinal. I remember it hurting more last time and I was expecting the pain to be greater. Joel wasn't with me yet, so my doctor told me to squeeze his fingers as they inserted the needle (this will be the first of many "oh, I love my doctor" comments). With the spinal in, I was ready to lay down and get going.
They started the juice and brought Joel in. The catheter was placed, the dressing was laid, and we were rolling. They did a few test pricks to make sure I couldn't feel anything, and at 7:30 sharp, he made the incision. Joel and I both expected the surgery to take longer than it did, so we were both very surprised to hear, "Baby Girl, 7:38" followed by a newborn cry. Many people have asked me what my first thought was when I heard it was a girl (we were surprised with this one!) and honestly, my first thought was just sheer joy that she was crying. I was so happy to hear cries, something we didn't hear when Tessa was born.
Joel went to be with her and after a minute or two of them suctioning, she was brought to me. I got to say hi and give her kisses and then they took her off to complete some newborn screenings and Joel followed out of the room. I spent the next 30 minutes of the surgery chatting with the doctor and staff about random things. We talked about how bummed we were that the Yankees weren't doing well lately, how it was total crap that I had to do the employee wellness screening at 37 weeks pregnant and had very skewed results, and how the Cowboys are clearly superior to the Packers (that is still being debated between us).
By 8:10, I was in recovery and I immediately got to hold Nora Jean. One thing that was very important for me was the desire to try to breastfeed her right away. After I got to hold her and see her, I nursed her and was very happy that she latched right away with minimal effort. After a nursing session, the nurse took her back for a couple shots and by 8:45, we were heading back to our room!
Part 2 to follow. !
This is when we welcomed Nora Jean into our crazy world.
I was scheduled for a repeat c-section for 7:30. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 after a pit stop for a donut for Joel and a dozen for the nurses. We stopped at registration, then up to the floor we went. They were ready for us and showed us to Room 404, our home for the next 3 days. I signed a bunch of paperwork, got changed into a gown, and walked to the c-section area. Joel decided to stay in our room for another hour or so while they drew blood, an IV, and asked me a complete medical history.
At just shy of 7am, the anesthesiologist came in and I signed the paperwork for my spinal. Since I have a well documented history of nausea and vomiting during medication, I made sure to ask for an extra dose of anti-nausea medication and that they skip the morphine initially. They said no problem and they'd give me a PCA (pain pump) for meds after the c-section so I wasn't too bombarded during surgery.
Joel came back to the room at 7:10 and got dressed for surgery. I went into the room where they actually perform the surgery soon after and at about 7:20, they administered the spinal. I remember it hurting more last time and I was expecting the pain to be greater. Joel wasn't with me yet, so my doctor told me to squeeze his fingers as they inserted the needle (this will be the first of many "oh, I love my doctor" comments). With the spinal in, I was ready to lay down and get going.
They started the juice and brought Joel in. The catheter was placed, the dressing was laid, and we were rolling. They did a few test pricks to make sure I couldn't feel anything, and at 7:30 sharp, he made the incision. Joel and I both expected the surgery to take longer than it did, so we were both very surprised to hear, "Baby Girl, 7:38" followed by a newborn cry. Many people have asked me what my first thought was when I heard it was a girl (we were surprised with this one!) and honestly, my first thought was just sheer joy that she was crying. I was so happy to hear cries, something we didn't hear when Tessa was born.
Joel went to be with her and after a minute or two of them suctioning, she was brought to me. I got to say hi and give her kisses and then they took her off to complete some newborn screenings and Joel followed out of the room. I spent the next 30 minutes of the surgery chatting with the doctor and staff about random things. We talked about how bummed we were that the Yankees weren't doing well lately, how it was total crap that I had to do the employee wellness screening at 37 weeks pregnant and had very skewed results, and how the Cowboys are clearly superior to the Packers (that is still being debated between us).
By 8:10, I was in recovery and I immediately got to hold Nora Jean. One thing that was very important for me was the desire to try to breastfeed her right away. After I got to hold her and see her, I nursed her and was very happy that she latched right away with minimal effort. After a nursing session, the nurse took her back for a couple shots and by 8:45, we were heading back to our room!
Part 2 to follow. !
August 27, 2012
Sassy pants
I know I've mentioned little miss Attitude before, but as she gets closer to her 2nd birthday and her vocabulary is growing, she is becoming so independent and so particular. She loves to help get dressed in the morning, loves to help do her hair, and especially loves to help cook and clean.
We've started giving her a couple of choices and letting her make the actual decisions herself. A choice of what kind of fruit, what kind of pajamas, and what shirt she wears. She loves to pick out her clothes in the morning, that's her favorite.
On this day, she really wanted to wear her 'pamingo' dress. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was 65 degrees that day. Luckily we were hanging out indoors for most of the day, because she loved wearing it. Plus, it was cute that she knew the animal (flamingo) and wanted to wear it.
She is obsessed with animals. She is not interested in letters or numbers (although she will repeat them and knows what comes next). We read her animal books over and over and over and over, etc. She likes to name the animal, make the sound they make, and give them huggies (hugs), even the books. We are starting a small stuffed animal zoo. So far it's a bee, a koala, 3 bears (pink, black, and brown), a giraffe, puppy named George, a kitty cat, and we just added a kangaroo and a joey. The picture below shows her excitement for her panda shirt.
This was also the day she got her big girl bed. That will be a separate post.
I even added a photo of me that doesn't include a triple chin. Most of them are awful these days as I am in my last few days as an uncomfortable pregnant lady.
We've started giving her a couple of choices and letting her make the actual decisions herself. A choice of what kind of fruit, what kind of pajamas, and what shirt she wears. She loves to pick out her clothes in the morning, that's her favorite.
On this day, she really wanted to wear her 'pamingo' dress. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was 65 degrees that day. Luckily we were hanging out indoors for most of the day, because she loved wearing it. Plus, it was cute that she knew the animal (flamingo) and wanted to wear it.
She is obsessed with animals. She is not interested in letters or numbers (although she will repeat them and knows what comes next). We read her animal books over and over and over and over, etc. She likes to name the animal, make the sound they make, and give them huggies (hugs), even the books. We are starting a small stuffed animal zoo. So far it's a bee, a koala, 3 bears (pink, black, and brown), a giraffe, puppy named George, a kitty cat, and we just added a kangaroo and a joey. The picture below shows her excitement for her panda shirt.
This was also the day she got her big girl bed. That will be a separate post.
I even added a photo of me that doesn't include a triple chin. Most of them are awful these days as I am in my last few days as an uncomfortable pregnant lady.
August 23, 2012
One week
One week from today, I will have a 22 month old and a baby that is 12 hours old. We will be a family of 4. From two teenagers 11 years ago on our first date, to a married couple and parents of 2 children.
One week from today, I will have a newborn. My body will shrink some, but will be taken over by the demands of nursing a newborn, eating around the clock.
One week from today, I will have a son or another daughter. Either a Colby James or a Norah Jean.
One week from today, Tessa will be a big sister. She will become either friends with a little sister or the protective older sister to a little brother.
One week from today, I will have a fresh incision from a repeat c-section. I will be having trouble moving.
One week from today, I hope to be chowing down on some delicious greasy food without fear of heartburn sneaking up on me.
One week from today, we will go from a zone defense to man-to-man.
One week from tomorrow, I will indulge in my first grande pumpkin spice latte of the season, fully caffeinated, probably with whole milk and whipped cream just because I can.
One week from today, I will have a newborn. My body will shrink some, but will be taken over by the demands of nursing a newborn, eating around the clock.
One week from today, I will have a son or another daughter. Either a Colby James or a Norah Jean.
One week from today, Tessa will be a big sister. She will become either friends with a little sister or the protective older sister to a little brother.
One week from today, I will have a fresh incision from a repeat c-section. I will be having trouble moving.
One week from today, I hope to be chowing down on some delicious greasy food without fear of heartburn sneaking up on me.
One week from today, we will go from a zone defense to man-to-man.
One week from tomorrow, I will indulge in my first grande pumpkin spice latte of the season, fully caffeinated, probably with whole milk and whipped cream just because I can.
August 21, 2012
Vivid Dreams
I know they say that vivid dreams during pregnancy are common. That might be one crazy, truthful, old wives tale. I've had some seriously silly dreams. However, my last one takes the cake. It's a little TMI (Too much information) and it's absolutely ridiculous, but that's why it is so funny.
So I'm sitting at my mom and dad's house hanging out. I had to poop, so I told my mom. I had been having contractions on and off for weeks, but for some reason, my mom wanted to 'check' me before I pooped. I have no idea why, she is an accountant, but I indulged her because I figured she had 3 kids so maybe she knew something about checking dilation.
She told me to sit in the rocking chair so I did, and that simple rocking chair caused the baby to just slip out. Just like that, there was a head out. I was supposed to be having a repeat c-section so I wasn't supposed to be in labor, nor was I supposed to be pushing out a child in my mom's rocking chair in the living room. (In real life, there is not a single rocking chair in my mom's entire house, so I have no idea where this came from).
So I deliver this baby boy in the rocking chair, and then just stand up and walk around with my newborn. I called my hospital's Labor and Delivery department to speak to a nurse to figure out what the heck to do. I got a nurse ( a very specific nurse, Lisa, who I know in real life and would NEVER act like this) who told me very nonchalantly not to worry about it. I think her exact words were, "Well, I guess if you think you need to come in for peace of mind, go for it. Seriously though, people have done this at home before." Then she hung up on me! I was a little anxious after that phone call because I didn't know if I should drive the 1.5 hours to the hospital, or just hang out with my new baby boy and my mom.
So I just put on some sweatpants and sat down with the baby and my mom and we watched the Iowa Hawkeyes football game.
The End.
SUPER WEIRD, RIGHT?
So I'm sitting at my mom and dad's house hanging out. I had to poop, so I told my mom. I had been having contractions on and off for weeks, but for some reason, my mom wanted to 'check' me before I pooped. I have no idea why, she is an accountant, but I indulged her because I figured she had 3 kids so maybe she knew something about checking dilation.
She told me to sit in the rocking chair so I did, and that simple rocking chair caused the baby to just slip out. Just like that, there was a head out. I was supposed to be having a repeat c-section so I wasn't supposed to be in labor, nor was I supposed to be pushing out a child in my mom's rocking chair in the living room. (In real life, there is not a single rocking chair in my mom's entire house, so I have no idea where this came from).
So I deliver this baby boy in the rocking chair, and then just stand up and walk around with my newborn. I called my hospital's Labor and Delivery department to speak to a nurse to figure out what the heck to do. I got a nurse ( a very specific nurse, Lisa, who I know in real life and would NEVER act like this) who told me very nonchalantly not to worry about it. I think her exact words were, "Well, I guess if you think you need to come in for peace of mind, go for it. Seriously though, people have done this at home before." Then she hung up on me! I was a little anxious after that phone call because I didn't know if I should drive the 1.5 hours to the hospital, or just hang out with my new baby boy and my mom.
So I just put on some sweatpants and sat down with the baby and my mom and we watched the Iowa Hawkeyes football game.
The End.
SUPER WEIRD, RIGHT?
July 13, 2012
Baby Murph strikes again
Remember way back to a few months ago. I had posted about Baby #2, who is planned to make an arrival via scheduled c-section on August 30. Here it is. Remember how I said that baby Murphy was being a troubling fetus, testing us in many different ways. I thought once we got past the first few weeks, we'd be smooth sailing.
Boy, were we wrong!
Thursday night I was getting ready for bed when I was startled by a cramping in my lower stomach. It wasn't the most painful thing ever, but it stopped me in my tracks to let me know something was off. I've had Braxton Hicks before so I knew that the cramping was typical of BH contractions. It went away after a few seconds so I figured I'd go to bed. Well, it happened 9 more times in the next 45 minutes. Joel was ready to rush to the hospital,but I told him I was going to try to go bed and we'd see what happened. I figured if I could sleep, I was fine.
I woke up Friday morning and felt ok, although I had a few more contractions through the night, they didn't disrupt my sleep. I went to work Friday where they lingered all morning at about 10-15 minutes apart. I chugged a couple bottles of water, put my feet up, and tried to relax at my desk while working. Finally, I called the doctor, who told me to swing over on my lunch break and he'd check me out.
I got over to the OB office, which luckily is the in the same building as my work. My blood pressure was fine, the baby's heart rate was fine, my cervix was ok although dilated about a fingertip. He put me on the external monitor for a little while, then decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to be monitored for a few more hours. I was wheelchaired through the hospital because he wouldn't let me walk (ugh, I was fine!) and promptly changed into a gown and got hooked up to monitors. I was also still supposed to be working, so I remembered to call my boss to tell her what was going on.
The monitor was picking up contractions at the same frequency I was feeling them but they weren't huge ones. I was instructed to drink a bunch more and try to relax. They were still 7-10 minutes apart, lasting about 20-30 seconds each. An hour of monitoring and they decided I'd get a fun shot called Terbutaline. This was supposed to help stop contractions. I was then monitored for 2 more hours to make sure they were stopping. Finally, by 5:15, I was allowed to go home, on bed rest.
I have still had a few contractions here and there but the frequency and intensity has slowed quite a bit so we're ok for now. If they start again, more than just a couple a day, I'm to march back up there. But for now, we're holding strong at 32.5 weeks and still have an inside baby. I want this kid to keep cooking for a few more weeks. Assuming this weekend remains uneventful, I can go back to work on Monday. I'm hoping this is the case.
Boy, were we wrong!
Thursday night I was getting ready for bed when I was startled by a cramping in my lower stomach. It wasn't the most painful thing ever, but it stopped me in my tracks to let me know something was off. I've had Braxton Hicks before so I knew that the cramping was typical of BH contractions. It went away after a few seconds so I figured I'd go to bed. Well, it happened 9 more times in the next 45 minutes. Joel was ready to rush to the hospital,but I told him I was going to try to go bed and we'd see what happened. I figured if I could sleep, I was fine.
I woke up Friday morning and felt ok, although I had a few more contractions through the night, they didn't disrupt my sleep. I went to work Friday where they lingered all morning at about 10-15 minutes apart. I chugged a couple bottles of water, put my feet up, and tried to relax at my desk while working. Finally, I called the doctor, who told me to swing over on my lunch break and he'd check me out.
I got over to the OB office, which luckily is the in the same building as my work. My blood pressure was fine, the baby's heart rate was fine, my cervix was ok although dilated about a fingertip. He put me on the external monitor for a little while, then decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to be monitored for a few more hours. I was wheelchaired through the hospital because he wouldn't let me walk (ugh, I was fine!) and promptly changed into a gown and got hooked up to monitors. I was also still supposed to be working, so I remembered to call my boss to tell her what was going on.
The monitor was picking up contractions at the same frequency I was feeling them but they weren't huge ones. I was instructed to drink a bunch more and try to relax. They were still 7-10 minutes apart, lasting about 20-30 seconds each. An hour of monitoring and they decided I'd get a fun shot called Terbutaline. This was supposed to help stop contractions. I was then monitored for 2 more hours to make sure they were stopping. Finally, by 5:15, I was allowed to go home, on bed rest.
I have still had a few contractions here and there but the frequency and intensity has slowed quite a bit so we're ok for now. If they start again, more than just a couple a day, I'm to march back up there. But for now, we're holding strong at 32.5 weeks and still have an inside baby. I want this kid to keep cooking for a few more weeks. Assuming this weekend remains uneventful, I can go back to work on Monday. I'm hoping this is the case.
July 8, 2012
Sunday Conversations
Joel: Tessa, say dog.
Tessa: God.
Joel: No, say dog. duh-og.
Tessa: God. duh-God.
Joel: Say Duh-Duh.
Tessa: Duh-Duh.
Joel: Now say Duh-Duh Dog.
Tessa: Duh-Duh God.
Medicine=Mess-ih-sins
Andrea: Tessa, do you need to go potty?
Tessa: Yep. Tessa, potty, M&M.
Andrea: If you go potty, you get M&M's.
Tessa: Potty, whip, flush, M&M.
Andrea: Yup, that's the order.
Tessa: God.
Joel: No, say dog. duh-og.
Tessa: God. duh-God.
Joel: Say Duh-Duh.
Tessa: Duh-Duh.
Joel: Now say Duh-Duh Dog.
Tessa: Duh-Duh God.
Medicine=Mess-ih-sins
Andrea: Tessa, do you need to go potty?
Tessa: Yep. Tessa, potty, M&M.
Andrea: If you go potty, you get M&M's.
Tessa: Potty, whip, flush, M&M.
Andrea: Yup, that's the order.
June 26, 2012
A night out on the town
This past weekend we were blessed with a night out. It was to a friend's wedding in Ames and we sent Tessa to Grandma's so we could have an adults only night. Granted, I ended up being the designated driver so everyone else could let loose, but we still had so much fun. The reception was at Hickory Hall which is a hidden gem in Ames, run by the infamous Hickorky Park deliciousness.
We skipped the wedding and went to the reception where we got a great table. Between the delicious food, fun with friends from the police department, and free beer, everyone was having a blast. I even got a couple photos of Joel dancing, something that is rare sight.
I was overtired and a few hours past my bedtime, but it was well worth it to be out for a night child free and watching everyone people able to let loose for the first time in a long time.
We skipped the wedding and went to the reception where we got a great table. Between the delicious food, fun with friends from the police department, and free beer, everyone was having a blast. I even got a couple photos of Joel dancing, something that is rare sight.
Dave and Roxanne, Tessa's future in laws.
I was overtired and a few hours past my bedtime, but it was well worth it to be out for a night child free and watching everyone people able to let loose for the first time in a long time.
June 24, 2012
Waterbug
Tessa has discovered for her love for all things water. This includes washing her hands, bathtime, and especially swimming. Every time we get home and walk into the house, she runs for the back door and wants to go outside to go "women". She knows her little pool is out there and she would spend all day in the pool if we let her. These are from Memorial Day weekend but she swims at least 3-4 days a week. Luckily we were blessed with some hand-me-downs so she has 5 swimsuits.
Yeah, she's totally learning to pose. The attitude that comes out of a 2.5 ft tall toddler is astounding.
The hard part is getting her out of the water. It usually ends in a meltdown, so we have to time her swimming schedule so we can have another fun activity to distract her. Or food. Enticing her inside with food usually works too.
She spends her time pouring some sugar on her dumping buckets of water on herself.
The set up. All her sand toys end up in the pool.
Stopping for a drink break. Only this girl begs for milk on a 95 degree day after swimming hard.
The hard part is getting her out of the water. It usually ends in a meltdown, so we have to time her swimming schedule so we can have another fun activity to distract her. Or food. Enticing her inside with food usually works too.
June 14, 2012
28 Weeks
I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by. I'm just shocked that I'm already 28 weeks pregnant, with only 11 to go. I'm still having quite a bit of sickness and many foods still don't settle well. The only real cravings I've had are for blueberry muffins and iced lattes (decaf, usually). Most of my aversions are meat, but I love eating fruit.
Tessa is very curious about the baby and my growing stomach. She knows to be gentle, but sometimes forgets she can't just plop into my lap or climb on me much. She's very nurturing though, and loves her little babies so I'm sure she'll be a great big sister.
Tessa is very curious about the baby and my growing stomach. She knows to be gentle, but sometimes forgets she can't just plop into my lap or climb on me much. She's very nurturing though, and loves her little babies so I'm sure she'll be a great big sister.
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