june 21
Showing posts with label maggie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maggie. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Claire Michele
his is our story. Don't feel obligated to read it. I'm writing mostly for my own sake - I want it documented before I forget too many details.
where to begin....
I left off on Friday after my doctor's appointment, where I was 5-6cm dilated. Kevin and I had decided that we'd be waiting for me to go into labor naturally. That whole evening and night Kevin and I talked about if that's what we really wanted to do. The doctor had us very nervous about the whole thing. He was pushing for us to voluntarily go into the hospital for a week at this point. Finally we decided that what would be best for our situation was to go into the hospital Saturday morning and let the doctor break my water. Before making this decision I called the on-call doctor (who is not the doctor I saw aerier that day at my appt, but he would be the one working Saturday morning to deliver me) to make sure they wouldn't jump right into giving me pitocin. As I've said before, I wanted to avoid pitocin at all costs if I could. He assured me that it would more than likely be unnecessary. From there we were all set to arrive at the hospital at 7am Saturday morning. When we went to bed that night we were confident that we were making the right decision for us.
Saturday morning Paul and Christina came over to watch Trent for the day. Kevin showed Paul the ropes then him and I were headed out. Trent was still sleeping when we left, so we weren't able to say goodbye to him, but I made sure I gave him extra kisses before bed the night before.
We got to the hospital around 6:50am and got admitted. It was just after 7:00 when we got to our labor and delivery room. The doctor wasn't in yet, but we met our nurse right away. She was ready to start me on an IV and pitocin right away, but I spoke up. She joked about the doctor's lack of instructions.
Since I'm Group B Strep positive she wanted to get me started on penicillin right away and she hooked me up to the fetal monitors. I pretty much hung out this way for just under an hour, which is when the doctor arrived. First things first, he checked my cervix. 4cm he says. 4!!!! Wasn't I 5-6 the previous day? Obviously there's no exact science to measuring how dilated someone is - I could have several people check me and come back with slightly different readings. Either way, Kevin and I were not very happy. Had we been told we were still 4cm on Friday we wouldn't have gone into the hospital on Saturday - we would have waited it out a little longer. I suppose we could gave gotten me dressed and went home right then, but we decided that we weren't turning back now. No regrets.
The doctor proceeded by breaking my water (8am) and telling me that if I don't progress by noon that he would want to start pitocin.
My nurse was wonderful. She was very friendly without being intrusive, and she pretty much left us alone. I wasn't bedridden but I did have to stay hooked up to my IV because of the penicillin. No biggie. That didn't stop me from walking around and staying out of the bed. In fact, I was only in the bed when it came time to have my cervix checked. I wanted gravity to help me along so I tried to stay vertical whenever possible. During the first few hours we walked the halls off and on quite a bit. My contractions were very minor during this time so I was quite pleasant to be around ;-)
Every hour or so the nurse wanted to hook me up to the monitors so she could see how the baby's heart rate was doing and how she was handling the contractions. Everything went smooth the entire time.
At some point the anesthesiologist came in to introduce himself and to ask me some questions about my medical history. He informed me that he'd be there all day if I needed him.
Around 12:30pm the nurse wanted to check me again. This was when I'd find out if pitocin was necessary. She said I was 6cm and she'd try to convince the doctor to let me go a few more hours without pitocin. Doc agreed to let me go until 2:30. I thank my nurse for this....I really think if it were up to the doctor he would have started the pitocin. Who knows.
This is about when things started getting exciting. After my last check, I continued to walk the halls and try different positions. I sat in the rocking chair alot, on the edge of the bed, I stood leaning against a table and against the raised bed.
My nurse also works part-time for the Birth Center and because of this I believe she was more accommodating to me than other nurses may have been (pitocin, being off the monitors, other requests I had). She even showed Kevin a technique to help ease the pain in my hips during contractions (all the while being very aware of, and sensitive to, the fact that I was in pain and may not want her (or anyone) touching me).
Suddenly I knew it was time. The contractions were on top of each other, I could feel the pressure you always hear about, and I had the urge to push. Katie (my nurse) had me take my time and get back in bed so she could check me. I was right, it was time. I was 10cm and the head was *right there*. I had done it - I got through my labor entirely medication free. She told me to go ahead and do a practice push the next time I had the urge. I experienced 2 contractions before having the urge to push again, but when I was ready, I was ready. The nurse actually had to tell me stop pushing and she urgently called for the doctor. They kept telling me not to push and just to breath while they broke my bed down and got the doctor in the room. Minutes later they told me to push when I needed to. One deep breath and the head was out. Another deep breath and the body was out. I saw her girly-bits before the doctor announced "it's a girl"!! It was 2:48pm.
They laid her on my chest right away for what felt like a long time. Eventually they took her over to the warmers to clean her up and take her vitals. She was a petite 6lb 9oz, 18 inches long, 10 (long) fingers and 10 (long) toes, lots of dark hair - mullet style. Perfect.
They gave her back to me and I was able to nurse her. It took her a few minutes but she caught on quickly. (I'll spare you the picture...yes, there is one. actually there's 3 or 4)
The whole after-labor process went much quicker with Claire than it did with Trent. We had my parents up to visit in no time, followed by Kevin's parents. Four of the proudest grandparents you'd ever see.
After my shower they transfered me to a recovery room where we had more visitors.`
The next day and a half were spent in the hospital with nurses coming in and out and visitors coming and going. Being in the hospital really didn't bother me at all, and the food was even pretty good, but I was looking forward to getting home to my Trent and Maggie.
Here is Kevin with Claire right before we left the hospital:
where to begin....
I left off on Friday after my doctor's appointment, where I was 5-6cm dilated. Kevin and I had decided that we'd be waiting for me to go into labor naturally. That whole evening and night Kevin and I talked about if that's what we really wanted to do. The doctor had us very nervous about the whole thing. He was pushing for us to voluntarily go into the hospital for a week at this point. Finally we decided that what would be best for our situation was to go into the hospital Saturday morning and let the doctor break my water. Before making this decision I called the on-call doctor (who is not the doctor I saw aerier that day at my appt, but he would be the one working Saturday morning to deliver me) to make sure they wouldn't jump right into giving me pitocin. As I've said before, I wanted to avoid pitocin at all costs if I could. He assured me that it would more than likely be unnecessary. From there we were all set to arrive at the hospital at 7am Saturday morning. When we went to bed that night we were confident that we were making the right decision for us.
Saturday morning Paul and Christina came over to watch Trent for the day. Kevin showed Paul the ropes then him and I were headed out. Trent was still sleeping when we left, so we weren't able to say goodbye to him, but I made sure I gave him extra kisses before bed the night before.
We got to the hospital around 6:50am and got admitted. It was just after 7:00 when we got to our labor and delivery room. The doctor wasn't in yet, but we met our nurse right away. She was ready to start me on an IV and pitocin right away, but I spoke up. She joked about the doctor's lack of instructions.
Since I'm Group B Strep positive she wanted to get me started on penicillin right away and she hooked me up to the fetal monitors. I pretty much hung out this way for just under an hour, which is when the doctor arrived. First things first, he checked my cervix. 4cm he says. 4!!!! Wasn't I 5-6 the previous day? Obviously there's no exact science to measuring how dilated someone is - I could have several people check me and come back with slightly different readings. Either way, Kevin and I were not very happy. Had we been told we were still 4cm on Friday we wouldn't have gone into the hospital on Saturday - we would have waited it out a little longer. I suppose we could gave gotten me dressed and went home right then, but we decided that we weren't turning back now. No regrets.
The doctor proceeded by breaking my water (8am) and telling me that if I don't progress by noon that he would want to start pitocin.
My nurse was wonderful. She was very friendly without being intrusive, and she pretty much left us alone. I wasn't bedridden but I did have to stay hooked up to my IV because of the penicillin. No biggie. That didn't stop me from walking around and staying out of the bed. In fact, I was only in the bed when it came time to have my cervix checked. I wanted gravity to help me along so I tried to stay vertical whenever possible. During the first few hours we walked the halls off and on quite a bit. My contractions were very minor during this time so I was quite pleasant to be around ;-)
Every hour or so the nurse wanted to hook me up to the monitors so she could see how the baby's heart rate was doing and how she was handling the contractions. Everything went smooth the entire time.
At some point the anesthesiologist came in to introduce himself and to ask me some questions about my medical history. He informed me that he'd be there all day if I needed him.
Around 12:30pm the nurse wanted to check me again. This was when I'd find out if pitocin was necessary. She said I was 6cm and she'd try to convince the doctor to let me go a few more hours without pitocin. Doc agreed to let me go until 2:30. I thank my nurse for this....I really think if it were up to the doctor he would have started the pitocin. Who knows.
This is about when things started getting exciting. After my last check, I continued to walk the halls and try different positions. I sat in the rocking chair alot, on the edge of the bed, I stood leaning against a table and against the raised bed. Around 1:00-1:30 the contractions finally started. I handled them alright for the most part. The break in between contractions is what gets ya through them. By 2:00 they were strong and coming regularly. We tried walking the halls one last time but I found it to be too uncomfortable. My favorite position at this time was standing with my head leaning against a pillow on the raised bed. Around 2:25 the nurse came in to see how I was doing. She told Kevin they would check me again at 3:00, but she hung around for a little while this time to observe the monitors and to offer some words of encouragement.
My nurse also works part-time for the Birth Center and because of this I believe she was more accommodating to me than other nurses may have been (pitocin, being off the monitors, other requests I had). She even showed Kevin a technique to help ease the pain in my hips during contractions (all the while being very aware of, and sensitive to, the fact that I was in pain and may not want her (or anyone) touching me).
Suddenly I knew it was time. The contractions were on top of each other, I could feel the pressure you always hear about, and I had the urge to push. Katie (my nurse) had me take my time and get back in bed so she could check me. I was right, it was time. I was 10cm and the head was *right there*. I had done it - I got through my labor entirely medication free. She told me to go ahead and do a practice push the next time I had the urge. I experienced 2 contractions before having the urge to push again, but when I was ready, I was ready. The nurse actually had to tell me stop pushing and she urgently called for the doctor. They kept telling me not to push and just to breath while they broke my bed down and got the doctor in the room. Minutes later they told me to push when I needed to. One deep breath and the head was out. Another deep breath and the body was out. I saw her girly-bits before the doctor announced "it's a girl"!! It was 2:48pm.
They laid her on my chest right away for what felt like a long time. Eventually they took her over to the warmers to clean her up and take her vitals. She was a petite 6lb 9oz, 18 inches long, 10 (long) fingers and 10 (long) toes, lots of dark hair - mullet style. Perfect.
They gave her back to me and I was able to nurse her. It took her a few minutes but she caught on quickly. (I'll spare you the picture...yes, there is one. actually there's 3 or 4)
The whole after-labor process went much quicker with Claire than it did with Trent. We had my parents up to visit in no time, followed by Kevin's parents. Four of the proudest grandparents you'd ever see.
They did have to put Claire under the warmers for a few minutes while the grandparents were visiting because her body temperature was a little lower than they like to see, but she was back in our arms in no time.
They had me take a shower before transferring me to my recovery room. It was so weird to be up on my feet so soon after giving birth. I felt like I shouldn't be able to move for at least a day, but I felt surprisingly good.
The next day and a half were spent in the hospital with nurses coming in and out and visitors coming and going. Being in the hospital really didn't bother me at all, and the food was even pretty good, but I was looking forward to getting home to my Trent and Maggie.
Trent went to daycare when we came home, but Maggie was waiting to greet us:
Kevin picked Trent up and brought him home. He didn't seem to mind Claire....until she cried.
Here's Trent leaning in to give Claire a kiss (all his kisses are open-mouth kisses). Maggie was still very interested and wanted to give kisses (or sniffs) too:
Ok, It took me all day off and on to write this blog and now I'm spent. I'll blog more about our week at home some other time.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
OBX
(click on a picture to see it larger)
Where to begin....
If you've ever been to OBX you know how massive the houses can be. Our house had 6 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a play-room, pool & hot tub, wrap-around decks, and was across the street from the ocean. It was wonderful. The best thing about the house was probably the fact that they allowed dogs!!! We were thrilled to take Maggie with us. The room configuration worked out wonderfully for us. I originally envisioned us in one of the biggest rooms in the house, with the big King-sized bed, a balcony off our room & a huge bathroom complete with jacuzzi tub - but that's not what we got. We went for a smaller room with the queen bed that had a fairly small bathroom attached to it (complete with your everyday run-of-the-mill tub). Why then was this room so wonderful? Because the bathroom led us into another bedroom that we were able to use for Trent! He was close enough for us to hear him and get to him easily, but far enough away that we didn't have to become mute the second we walked into our room. It was great.
Daily Activities
Firsts
Misc.
Hannah went nuts dropping the ball in the pool and would bark/pace until someone got it out for her
Overall it was a great trip and everyone seemed to have fun.
Where to begin....
The House
If you've ever been to OBX you know how massive the houses can be. Our house had 6 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a play-room, pool & hot tub, wrap-around decks, and was across the street from the ocean. It was wonderful. The best thing about the house was probably the fact that they allowed dogs!!! We were thrilled to take Maggie with us. The room configuration worked out wonderfully for us. I originally envisioned us in one of the biggest rooms in the house, with the big King-sized bed, a balcony off our room & a huge bathroom complete with jacuzzi tub - but that's not what we got. We went for a smaller room with the queen bed that had a fairly small bathroom attached to it (complete with your everyday run-of-the-mill tub). Why then was this room so wonderful? Because the bathroom led us into another bedroom that we were able to use for Trent! He was close enough for us to hear him and get to him easily, but far enough away that we didn't have to become mute the second we walked into our room. It was great.Weather
In the beginning of the week we had some cloudy & windy days but towards the end of the week we got some really sunny and hot days! I think we got maybe two passing showers and one over-night thunderstorm the whole time we were there. I was actually glad it was cloudy some days because I didn't want any of us to get too burnt!! A bad sunburn can ruin anyone's vacation. With that being said, Trent did get a little sunburn :-(. I felt like a terrible mother for letting it happen. We did sunblock and hats but it just wasn't enough.
Daily Activities
Every day down there was pretty much the same. We woke up, ate breakfast, showered, spent the day either at the pool or at the beach, ate dinner as a group, played a game, then went to bed. Yes, it really was THAT relaxing. Mrs. Woodland made dinner most nights, I made dinner one night, and the whole group went out to dinner one night.
Kevin and I went out alone Friday night to celebrate our wedding anniversary (a little early). We went to
Kevin and I went out alone Friday night to celebrate our wedding anniversary (a little early). We went to place called Ocean Boulevard that a coworker recommended. The food, drink, service and view were all great! After dinner we walked across the street and took a stroll on the beach as the sun was setting. After that we got in the car and headed for a putt-putt course but ended up at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. There we both sampled 4 of their beers
and watched Tiger Woods get spanked on TV (BORING!!!). There was one cloudy day in the beginning of the week that Kevin and I decided to take Maggie and Trent to get antique photos taken. It was 15-20 minutes away (we took the scenic route) and well-worth it. The picture turned out great!!! The city we stayed in didn't allow dogs on the beach, so one evening after dinner we all drove to the next city over and let Maggie and Hannah play on the beach. I think they both enjoyed it....but I think the person who enjoyed it the most was Mr. Woodland. Before we knew it he had stripped down to his swim trunks and was running into the ocean. 
and watched Tiger Woods get spanked on TV (BORING!!!). There was one cloudy day in the beginning of the week that Kevin and I decided to take Maggie and Trent to get antique photos taken. It was 15-20 minutes away (we took the scenic route) and well-worth it. The picture turned out great!!! The city we stayed in didn't allow dogs on the beach, so one evening after dinner we all drove to the next city over and let Maggie and Hannah play on the beach. I think they both enjoyed it....but I think the person who enjoyed it the most was Mr. Woodland. Before we knew it he had stripped down to his swim trunks and was running into the ocean. 
Firsts
Trent went to the beach for the first time, felt the ocean water for the first time, and went into an adult pool for the first time! 
Misc.
Jen and Maggie bonded
Hannah went nuts dropping the ball in the pool and would bark/pace until someone got it out for her
Overall it was a great trip and everyone seemed to have fun.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
my first day back
My first day back to work didn't go so well. It was actually a disaster. I was totally fine until I gave Trent a kiss goodbye - that's when I started to lose it. I managed to keep it together until I was in my car on my way to work, then I completely lost it. I got to work and just couldn't keep it together. I ended up in the bathroom at work for about an hour and a half before deciding to just go home. I did, however, decide to leave Trent at daycare for the day. I hope that being home today with him will help with the transition into being a working mom. At least at home I can cry all I want. Kevin is going to take Trent to daycare tomorrow for me so that I wont have to hand Trent over to a stranger and kiss him goodbye again so soon. The fact that this is a short week also helps.
I really didn't think I would have this kind of reaction to taking Trent to daycare, but what can ya do?!?! I guess I just need time to adjust.
In other news, a couple weeks ago we took Maggie to the vet for her annual visit and to get more allergy medicine for her. While there the vet discovered a Mast Cell Tumor on her back leg. She said it was crucial we get the tumor removed ASAP and have it biopsied to find out if the tumor is stage 1, 2 or 3. We took her in last Monday for the surgery and everything went smoothly - Doc said the tumor came right off and Maggie did very well, but that we wouldn't know the results of the biopsy until next (this) week. In the mean time Maggie has been taking pain meds, antibiotics, anti inflammatory pills, and wearing that stupid satellite dish collar. Well, I got the call this morning that the tumor was a stage 1! Anything above that would have required further action (chemo, etc) but as it stands right now we don't have to do anything except keep our eye out for other tumors that may develop in the future. PHEW, what a relief!! I was so worried for her
I really didn't think I would have this kind of reaction to taking Trent to daycare, but what can ya do?!?! I guess I just need time to adjust.
In other news, a couple weeks ago we took Maggie to the vet for her annual visit and to get more allergy medicine for her. While there the vet discovered a Mast Cell Tumor on her back leg. She said it was crucial we get the tumor removed ASAP and have it biopsied to find out if the tumor is stage 1, 2 or 3. We took her in last Monday for the surgery and everything went smoothly - Doc said the tumor came right off and Maggie did very well, but that we wouldn't know the results of the biopsy until next (this) week. In the mean time Maggie has been taking pain meds, antibiotics, anti inflammatory pills, and wearing that stupid satellite dish collar. Well, I got the call this morning that the tumor was a stage 1! Anything above that would have required further action (chemo, etc) but as it stands right now we don't have to do anything except keep our eye out for other tumors that may develop in the future. PHEW, what a relief!! I was so worried for her
Monday, January 5, 2009
another first
first time out in his baby carrier. We took Maggie for a short walk to the park. I can't wait for it to get warmer out so we can go for more, and longer, walks!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
bring out the umbrellas.....
its shower time!
- when was it: Sept 14th, 1:00pm
- where was it: our house
- theme: giraffe
- forecast: sunny, 91 degrees
- hosts: moms, alicia, amy, christina
Shower planning began a few months ago. Both moms wanted to help plan the shower, as did my dear friend alicia. Christina and Amy were also asked to help out. We all decided early on that the shower would be at my and kevin's new house so that we wouldnt have to lug all the gifts from place to place, and also so everyone could see our new home for the first time. I was involved in choosing the date and time of party but that was about it. The ladies planned the shower from there.
fast forward to the day of the shower. I was going to wake up early, get ready, then leave the house so the girls could decorate, etc., but it didnt work out that way. I woke up and had some last minute stuff to do around the house. When the hostesses arrived i wasnt even showered yet. Finally i went upstairs and took my time showering and primping. By the time i was all ready the shower was just about to begin. I went downstairs, took a look around, and a few minutes later our first guests were arriving!
Thats when the mingling and eating began. oh what fun. before i knew it people were telling me to open my presents! easier said than done! there were so many presents that it was difficult to get to chair (not a bad problem to have)!!
Game #1 was played during the present-opening portion of the afternoon. It was present bingo. before i started opening the gifts everyone filled out a bingo card with the name of items they thought i would receive. the first person to get bingo won. It wasnt took long before Mary Phipps (coworker) won!
I have no idea how long it took me to open all my presents but by the time i was done i was exhausted! and had to pee - but thats so common nowadays it basically goes without question. Baby Woodland is already spoiled! We got so many presents its unbelievable. Almost everything was purchased off our registry. There were hardly any repeat gifts. And then we got a ton of gifts that were didnt register for. It looks like babies R us threw up in our house...i love it!
game #2 was the belly & ribbon game. everyone had to cut a ribbon to the size they thought my belly was. Of course the winner was my friend Joy, who is also pregnant and due only 10 days after me. go joy!
Game #3 was a random draw. Lauren won that one.
After the cake everyone just sat around and talked. People started leaving. Kevin came back home with his dad and brother and talked to the few remaining guests/relatives.
We decided to let maggie stay for the entire party and she was such a good girl. I was so proud of her. She did her share of begging for food, for the most part she was well behaved.
Once everyone left i was able to go through all our presents again and show kevin all the great stuff we got. We then started putting some stuff together (we dont waste any time). I took the next day off work so I could go thru everything AGAIN and start getting everything organized. I even made a trip out to Babies R Us to pick up a few things we needed using the gift cards we got.Tuesday, September 9, 2008
strike a pose
last weekend my dear friend, alicia, took photos of our little family. I am 30 weeks pregnant in these photos. here are some of my favs:
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