Monday, January 23, 2012
An announcement
Rob was offered a job a few days after his interview back in December, which he accepted. He'll be working at Duke Energy Oconee Nuclear Station. We'll be moving to Clemson, SC in May. Rob didn't feel comfortable with making a big announcement so that's why it's been a little shady about locations. We're very excited about moving to this area. It's a small town, but small isn't a bad thing. :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Opposites attract..
If you've ever met Rob and you know me, you will quickly notice that our personalities are quite different. Rob is very outgoing and I'm more reserved. He could give a public speech naked while I'd rather hide in a box while giving one. I think this is ideal for us. Our differences compliment the other person. I'm his emotion and he's my reason. Even though our personalities are polar opposites, we mesh together when it comes to life decisions.
So, we just took personality tests. Rob is ENTJ and I'm ISFJ. It fits me overall, but I don't feel as patient as this describes me. Here's my description:
Sensitive, caring, patient, and conscientious, ISFJs can take time to warm up to new ideas and people. Painstakingly accurate and methodical when working with facts and details, ISFJs are patient with follow-through tasks. They tend to take commitments and deadlines very seriously, have excellent memories and are especially good at remembering details pertaining to people.
They are patient listeners, eager to help people in real and practical ways. Quiet, private and reserved at first, but once they make a connection they are exceptionally loyal, generous and devoted. ISFJs are down-to-earth and realistic people and use practical judgment in making decisions and lend stability through their excellent commonsense perspective. ISFJs are modest, serious and hardworking and highly supportive of friends and colleagues.
So, we just took personality tests. Rob is ENTJ and I'm ISFJ. It fits me overall, but I don't feel as patient as this describes me. Here's my description:
You Are an ISFJ (Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Judger)
ISFJs represent between 9 and 14% of the U.S. populationSensitive, caring, patient, and conscientious, ISFJs can take time to warm up to new ideas and people. Painstakingly accurate and methodical when working with facts and details, ISFJs are patient with follow-through tasks. They tend to take commitments and deadlines very seriously, have excellent memories and are especially good at remembering details pertaining to people.
They are patient listeners, eager to help people in real and practical ways. Quiet, private and reserved at first, but once they make a connection they are exceptionally loyal, generous and devoted. ISFJs are down-to-earth and realistic people and use practical judgment in making decisions and lend stability through their excellent commonsense perspective. ISFJs are modest, serious and hardworking and highly supportive of friends and colleagues.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
It's a Girl!
This is a story about the day that we met Adalyn for the first time. Her birth story.
Adalyn's birth was completely opposite to Caden's, from the length of time to her health afterwards. We chose to be induced on the Friday before her due date. Rob's parents could travel from Maryland, my Mom could request off from work and we would have plenty of help with Caden.
I cried after I told Caden "good night" that night because I knew our life would never be the same. I didn't sleep the night before either. I was so nervous, yet so excited! That would be one thing that I didn't enjoy about being induced versus going into labor on my own. When you go into labor on your own, you don't have as much time to worry, or in my opinion at least. Plus, I've had a baby before and I wasn't looking forward to the recovery.
We showed up at the hospital about 6 am, filled out paperwork, did blood work then waited on my OB until 9:30 am. Once she arrived, we started pitocin. She told me to get my epidural as soon as it started getting too painful. Don't wait! It takes me a bit to dilate, but once I start, I go fast.
Around noon, Dr. Sutton came in to check me and I was about a 3 and almost fully dilated, which wasn't much of a change and my contractions were weak. She broke my water. If you've ever had your water broken, or it broke naturally (like mine did with Caden), you know that the contractions become evil afterwards. About 1:30 pm, I'd say that active labor started. I was uncomfortable and mean. I yelled at my Mom and Rob for talking about the release of the iPad that weekend. How dare they talk while I'm laboring? ;)
About 3:30 pm, I wanted my epidural. The nurse told me that I needed to wait because I was only 3 1/4 dilated. A 1/4 of a centimeter? Are you kidding me? Get real. My room was across from the nurse station and she apparently heard how unhappy I was with that response because she came back in shortly telling me that she called for my epi.
4pm-ish, the Anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural, which was more painful this time than last. It also didn't work like my first one. The nurse checked me and I was at a 5. I was very much looking forward to a nice nap, but before I could get comfortable, I could feel "the baby" (didn't know her gender) moving down. A very cool feeling since I was completely numb with Caden. I told Rob. He laughed and said, "This is coming from the person in labor." And I responded with, "NO, I can really feeling the baby coming." He called the nurse in, which was in disbelief since she just checked me. By this point, I was starting to freak out because my body was wanting to push. She checked me, sure enough, we were ready to have a baby! She called my doctor to come over to the hospital from the office since she didn't think I was close to pushing. The nurse told me not to push, but I kept telling her the baby was going to fall out. haha. She kept reassuring me that the baby wouldn't just fall out. I worked with everything I could to not push. It really is a natural instinct. If you aren't going to willingly push, your body will.
Less than an hour after I received my epi, my doctor showed up and I started pushing. About half-way into my 18 minutes of pushing, my body stopped contracting. Adalyn was stuck with her cord wrapped around her neck. I feel in my heart that this is why my body dilated so quickly (5 to 10 in less than 20 minutes) to get her out. My doctor looked me the eye and said, "You have to get this baby out." I pushed with everything I had and she was born. We asked no one to tell me the gender before Rob, but I was so excited when I saw that I just blurted out, "It's a girl!" then I started crying. I didn't realize right away that she wasn't crying or very alert at all and her arms and legs were blueish. As soon as I realized that she wasn't moving or crying, I instinctly moved her away from me, it was a strange feeling. All of this stil makes me sick to my stomach. Life is so precious. I started asking why she wasn't crying and the nurse was forcefully rubbing her. Within a minute or so, she took her first cry. Those few minutes seemed like forever.
Adalyn swallowed amniotic fluid and she had a fever of 101. We're still not sure why she had a fever and it was never written in her medical records. My doctor told me that her face would be bruised, but to be honest I never noticed it much until I saw pictures of her later. She was just beautiful and perfect to me. After we spent some time together, they took her to the nursery to be cleaned up, which was another new experience. Caden never left my side. I started questioning where my baby was and was told that she wasn't regulating her temp so she had to stay in the nursery for a bit longer. They were nice enough to let my mom go take pictures while she got her first bird bath.
The first night was rough. She kept choking on the amniotic fluid so we had to kept suctioning it out. We were supposed to go home Saturday evening, but due to her bruised face her jaundice levels were dangerously high. She had to stay in the nursery under the bili lights until Monday morning. We could hold her for 30 minutes every 3 hours. That was tough. My heart aches so much for any parent that leaves the hospital without a baby. When we walked out without her, it was so unnatural.
On April 5, her original due date, we brought our beautiful baby girl home.
8 lbs 5 oz, 20.5" with a head FULL of dark hair
4ish hours long labor
Adalyn's birth was completely opposite to Caden's, from the length of time to her health afterwards. We chose to be induced on the Friday before her due date. Rob's parents could travel from Maryland, my Mom could request off from work and we would have plenty of help with Caden.
I cried after I told Caden "good night" that night because I knew our life would never be the same. I didn't sleep the night before either. I was so nervous, yet so excited! That would be one thing that I didn't enjoy about being induced versus going into labor on my own. When you go into labor on your own, you don't have as much time to worry, or in my opinion at least. Plus, I've had a baby before and I wasn't looking forward to the recovery.
We showed up at the hospital about 6 am, filled out paperwork, did blood work then waited on my OB until 9:30 am. Once she arrived, we started pitocin. She told me to get my epidural as soon as it started getting too painful. Don't wait! It takes me a bit to dilate, but once I start, I go fast.
Around noon, Dr. Sutton came in to check me and I was about a 3 and almost fully dilated, which wasn't much of a change and my contractions were weak. She broke my water. If you've ever had your water broken, or it broke naturally (like mine did with Caden), you know that the contractions become evil afterwards. About 1:30 pm, I'd say that active labor started. I was uncomfortable and mean. I yelled at my Mom and Rob for talking about the release of the iPad that weekend. How dare they talk while I'm laboring? ;)
About 3:30 pm, I wanted my epidural. The nurse told me that I needed to wait because I was only 3 1/4 dilated. A 1/4 of a centimeter? Are you kidding me? Get real. My room was across from the nurse station and she apparently heard how unhappy I was with that response because she came back in shortly telling me that she called for my epi.
4pm-ish, the Anesthesiologist came in and gave me my epidural, which was more painful this time than last. It also didn't work like my first one. The nurse checked me and I was at a 5. I was very much looking forward to a nice nap, but before I could get comfortable, I could feel "the baby" (didn't know her gender) moving down. A very cool feeling since I was completely numb with Caden. I told Rob. He laughed and said, "This is coming from the person in labor." And I responded with, "NO, I can really feeling the baby coming." He called the nurse in, which was in disbelief since she just checked me. By this point, I was starting to freak out because my body was wanting to push. She checked me, sure enough, we were ready to have a baby! She called my doctor to come over to the hospital from the office since she didn't think I was close to pushing. The nurse told me not to push, but I kept telling her the baby was going to fall out. haha. She kept reassuring me that the baby wouldn't just fall out. I worked with everything I could to not push. It really is a natural instinct. If you aren't going to willingly push, your body will.
Less than an hour after I received my epi, my doctor showed up and I started pushing. About half-way into my 18 minutes of pushing, my body stopped contracting. Adalyn was stuck with her cord wrapped around her neck. I feel in my heart that this is why my body dilated so quickly (5 to 10 in less than 20 minutes) to get her out. My doctor looked me the eye and said, "You have to get this baby out." I pushed with everything I had and she was born. We asked no one to tell me the gender before Rob, but I was so excited when I saw that I just blurted out, "It's a girl!" then I started crying. I didn't realize right away that she wasn't crying or very alert at all and her arms and legs were blueish. As soon as I realized that she wasn't moving or crying, I instinctly moved her away from me, it was a strange feeling. All of this stil makes me sick to my stomach. Life is so precious. I started asking why she wasn't crying and the nurse was forcefully rubbing her. Within a minute or so, she took her first cry. Those few minutes seemed like forever.
Adalyn swallowed amniotic fluid and she had a fever of 101. We're still not sure why she had a fever and it was never written in her medical records. My doctor told me that her face would be bruised, but to be honest I never noticed it much until I saw pictures of her later. She was just beautiful and perfect to me. After we spent some time together, they took her to the nursery to be cleaned up, which was another new experience. Caden never left my side. I started questioning where my baby was and was told that she wasn't regulating her temp so she had to stay in the nursery for a bit longer. They were nice enough to let my mom go take pictures while she got her first bird bath.
The first night was rough. She kept choking on the amniotic fluid so we had to kept suctioning it out. We were supposed to go home Saturday evening, but due to her bruised face her jaundice levels were dangerously high. She had to stay in the nursery under the bili lights until Monday morning. We could hold her for 30 minutes every 3 hours. That was tough. My heart aches so much for any parent that leaves the hospital without a baby. When we walked out without her, it was so unnatural.
On April 5, her original due date, we brought our beautiful baby girl home.
8 lbs 5 oz, 20.5" with a head FULL of dark hair
4ish hours long labor
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Feeling of completeness
I ALMOST (and that's a big almost) want to have another baby for that moment of finding out boy or girl at birth. That moment alone isn't a great reason to have another baby though. I really feel in my heart that we are finished. I know that I will always want to have another baby because I love to take care of people. I love to feel needed. I thoroughly enjoy being a mom. I know that I'll always miss feeling a baby move around in my belly or rub my big pregnant bump. I've come to terms with that. I've accepted that those are just things that I'll always want to experience again. Maternal. That's what I am.
That being said, there are a lot of things that I have no desire to experience ever again. I never want to feel morning sickness or little feet in my ribs making it hard to breathe or having my cervix checked or healing after birth. Even typing those, they just don't seem that big of a deal when you look at what you get in return.
This week, I was thinking about my children as teenagers. Years ago when I first became a mom, being a mom to a teenager felt so foreign and now it is an exciting thought. I'm excited to see who Caden and Adalyn become. I refuse to rush it though. Everyday is a new adventure with these two little people. While I feel conflicted about another baby, I think of all the things that are in our future instead of the things that I will miss in the past.
For everyone that wants to be a mother, I hope that you get to experience this amazing journey.
That being said, there are a lot of things that I have no desire to experience ever again. I never want to feel morning sickness or little feet in my ribs making it hard to breathe or having my cervix checked or healing after birth. Even typing those, they just don't seem that big of a deal when you look at what you get in return.
This week, I was thinking about my children as teenagers. Years ago when I first became a mom, being a mom to a teenager felt so foreign and now it is an exciting thought. I'm excited to see who Caden and Adalyn become. I refuse to rush it though. Everyday is a new adventure with these two little people. While I feel conflicted about another baby, I think of all the things that are in our future instead of the things that I will miss in the past.
For everyone that wants to be a mother, I hope that you get to experience this amazing journey.
Friday, August 12, 2011
A beautiful Jewel
I'm always thankful for my children. They are the best part of me. Sometimes I read or hear a story that leaves me overwhelmed with so much gratefulness. The stories that make the rough days not seem so rough, but more of a blessing.
R.I.P Baby Ruby
While, I didn't know her or her parents, other than a blog, her passing breaks my heart. She suffered so much in such a short time. Fly high, little girl.
And her parents, oh how my heart aches for them. I hope that they will find peace.
R.I.P Baby Ruby
While, I didn't know her or her parents, other than a blog, her passing breaks my heart. She suffered so much in such a short time. Fly high, little girl.
And her parents, oh how my heart aches for them. I hope that they will find peace.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The day you were born..
*Warning! This is a birth story. Read at your own risk*
The days that my children were born were the best days of my life. The most painful, exhausting and wonderful days. I fear that I will forget those days or some small details, so here I type.
This is Caden's story.
I was due on July 10, 2007. My due date came and passed. I cried. At one day overdue, I went to my appointment. I was not dilated at all and 25% effaced. Caden was entirely too comfortable in utero. I was healthy and he was healthy so we set up an induction date for July 23. Yes, 13 days overdue! I cried.. again. Having an end in sight was nice though.
On July 12, the morning after my appointment, I woke up around 5:30 with a back ache. I didn't think anything of it so I went to pee for the 346th time since going to bed. As I sat on the toilet, I realized that the back ache was coming and going. Am I having contractions? Rob was getting ready to go to work so I called him into the bathroom and told him. We went downstairs and started timing contractions. I bounced on my work out ball and that helped. I thought that what I was feeling then was painful, but those contractions were like a nice walk in the park compared to what I would feel later..
After 4 hours, the contractions didn't go away so we went to the hospital to get checked out. We got there and I was dilated to a big ole 0 & 50% effaced, but I was having REAL contractions. The nurse came in and told me that I was entirely too happy to be admitted. Go home and walk.
I went home and tried to rest. Walking wasn't going to happen. The contractions were starting to become quite uncomfortable, plus Rob went back to work so his leave wouldn't start yet. My sister was in town, but she napped beside me while I contracted. The contractions were still coming and by the time Rob got home from work I was miserable. I wanted to go back to the hospital. Off we went..
It was about 7:30 p.m. at this point when we got back to the hospital. I believe, I was 1cm and 75% effaced so I was progressing although not enough to be admitted for labor. I wasn't laughing anymore like the first visit that day. The doctor that checked me explained that if I would stay in a bed right now, I would most likely end up with a c-section. He gave me some Ambien and told me that he would see me around midnight.
We went home where I took the Ambien and labored until about 1 a.m. At this point, I was delirious. Seriously, I felt like I was going insane. The pain was horrible. I had never planned to do this without drugs so I didn't know any breathing techniques or anything useful. I just fought it. I hated it! I told Rob to take me back to the hospital. I planned to walk in and demand help!
Back we went. They were expecting me to come back because they'd seen me two times that day already and I was in active labor. I have a tough cervix. It doesn't dilate easily at first, but once it does, it goes quickly. I think when they checked me again, I was 2 cm & 75% effaced. I wasn't far enough along to be admitted, but I demanded medicine. I was given an IV and morphine. Yes, morphine. At the time, I was delirious and didn't care. I wanted the pain to go away. I was so out of it that I thought we would be going home the next morning.
About 3:30 a.m., I woke up because I needed to use the bathroom. Remember, I'm on morphine, okay? In the bathroom, I thought I was having some "extra discharge" as I described it. No big deal. Go back to sleep. Fast forward a couple hours and I wake again to realize that my contractions are back even with the drugs and there is more of that "extra discharge". I looked down and called the nurse because I was pretty sure that my water broke. The midwife that told the nurse to send me home because I was too happy, checked me and said "Well, I guess you really are in labor."
It was 5:30 a.m. and we were officially having a baby. I wasn't going home. I was in real labor. The contractions were insane. My water broke and my body decided it was time to get this big boy out! I labored on the work out ball for hours, I'm assuming, but I don't really know. I do know that I wanted my epidural. Minus the short nap with the morphine, I had been up for 24 hours having contractions. I was just so very tired and worried that when the pushing point came, I wouldn't be able to physically push.
9:00 a.m., the most amazing man came in with the epi. I could have kissed his magical face! The epidural worked wonderfully. I received my cath and was checked. I was now 4 cm & fully effaced. Woohoo! Moving right along now. The nurse told me to get some rest and she would come check me at noon.
Noon rolled around and without fail, I was about to be checked. Our friends, Danielle & James were in the room so we asked them to leave. With a shocked look, the midwife asked me how far along I thought. I would be thrilled to be 7 since it was only 3 hours again. She said, "You're a 10! It's time to push." Freak-out mode. I jokingly (kinda) told her that I wasn't ready yet. She didn't find it very humorous. Rob or my sister told James and Danielle that we were going to have a baby! They were like, well, yeah, obviously that's why we here. Then Rob or Lindsay said "No, now!" All of the memories are foggy. It's been over 4 years.
Shortly after being checked, I started pushing. Inside of the room, was a doctor, a resident, 2 corpsman, a nurse, Rob, Lindsay, Danielle & of course myself & Caden. At that point, I didn't care. We were having a baby! I pushed & pushed for a little over 1 1/2 hours. During this time, I played tug-o-war with Julian, one of the corpsman. He promised me a big cheeseburger once I pushed the baby out. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't eat meat. The doctors and nurses guessed that he would weigh about 6 1/2-7 lbs. Soon we would find out the size of this stubborn little man. I was very against Rob watching Caden crown or looking down during the labor, but like having people in the room, this would soon fade away. Birthing your baby is such a beautiful experience. I felt his head when he crowned and started crying instantly. Rob looked and had a huge smile. Our baby was really about to be here in our arms after this emotional marathon!
At 1:42 p.m., the most adorable boy alien was born. He was born pink, alert, screaming and sucking his fingers. The resident doctor held Caden up and I just cried, "my baby, my baby.." and only the second time I've ever seen Rob cry, he cried and repeatedly said, "Oh my God. Oh my God." It was amazing. Caden was placed on my chest and I just stared at him while he looked right into my eyes. I was completely engrossed in my newborn so I didn't notice the rushing around right away. I did realize that I was in pain again as they were pressing on my stomach trying to help me deliver my placenta. Caden was taken from me to be cleaned up and checked out. The doctor on duty started massaging my uterus because I was having some issues with bleeding. He applied some medicine internally. It didn't help. I don't really remember what was going on with Caden at this point, but Rob was with him so I knew he would be taken care of. I just didn't feel good and then I realized that the nurse was ordering more A+ blood. I started to panic. I just had a baby and my bleeding wouldn't stop. I could die. That was my first ever fear of death. I was just given this precious gift and my job was to nurture and protect him. I couldn't do that if I wasn't well. An injection was given in my thigh and the bleeding slowed down. I also nursed Caden as soon as he was brought back to me, which helped with the whole process. Although, I could have done without the bleeding issues, the first mama bear feeling was nice for the new bonding experience. Oh and to add one more person into our intimate experience was the janitor mopping up all of my blood. Later that day, I found out that I was anemic. My 6 1/2 lb to 7 lb baby was closer to almost 8 lbs. When he was born, the staff were shocked at his size even though he wasn't much bigger than average, I was hiding him well.
We stayed the mandatory 2 days then went home. Other than some bleeding issues that resulted in me going to the ER at 4 days postpartum, some weight loss on Caden's part and acid reflux, we survived. :)
The days that my children were born were the best days of my life. The most painful, exhausting and wonderful days. I fear that I will forget those days or some small details, so here I type.
This is Caden's story.
I was due on July 10, 2007. My due date came and passed. I cried. At one day overdue, I went to my appointment. I was not dilated at all and 25% effaced. Caden was entirely too comfortable in utero. I was healthy and he was healthy so we set up an induction date for July 23. Yes, 13 days overdue! I cried.. again. Having an end in sight was nice though.
On July 12, the morning after my appointment, I woke up around 5:30 with a back ache. I didn't think anything of it so I went to pee for the 346th time since going to bed. As I sat on the toilet, I realized that the back ache was coming and going. Am I having contractions? Rob was getting ready to go to work so I called him into the bathroom and told him. We went downstairs and started timing contractions. I bounced on my work out ball and that helped. I thought that what I was feeling then was painful, but those contractions were like a nice walk in the park compared to what I would feel later..
After 4 hours, the contractions didn't go away so we went to the hospital to get checked out. We got there and I was dilated to a big ole 0 & 50% effaced, but I was having REAL contractions. The nurse came in and told me that I was entirely too happy to be admitted. Go home and walk.
I went home and tried to rest. Walking wasn't going to happen. The contractions were starting to become quite uncomfortable, plus Rob went back to work so his leave wouldn't start yet. My sister was in town, but she napped beside me while I contracted. The contractions were still coming and by the time Rob got home from work I was miserable. I wanted to go back to the hospital. Off we went..
It was about 7:30 p.m. at this point when we got back to the hospital. I believe, I was 1cm and 75% effaced so I was progressing although not enough to be admitted for labor. I wasn't laughing anymore like the first visit that day. The doctor that checked me explained that if I would stay in a bed right now, I would most likely end up with a c-section. He gave me some Ambien and told me that he would see me around midnight.
We went home where I took the Ambien and labored until about 1 a.m. At this point, I was delirious. Seriously, I felt like I was going insane. The pain was horrible. I had never planned to do this without drugs so I didn't know any breathing techniques or anything useful. I just fought it. I hated it! I told Rob to take me back to the hospital. I planned to walk in and demand help!
Back we went. They were expecting me to come back because they'd seen me two times that day already and I was in active labor. I have a tough cervix. It doesn't dilate easily at first, but once it does, it goes quickly. I think when they checked me again, I was 2 cm & 75% effaced. I wasn't far enough along to be admitted, but I demanded medicine. I was given an IV and morphine. Yes, morphine. At the time, I was delirious and didn't care. I wanted the pain to go away. I was so out of it that I thought we would be going home the next morning.
About 3:30 a.m., I woke up because I needed to use the bathroom. Remember, I'm on morphine, okay? In the bathroom, I thought I was having some "extra discharge" as I described it. No big deal. Go back to sleep. Fast forward a couple hours and I wake again to realize that my contractions are back even with the drugs and there is more of that "extra discharge". I looked down and called the nurse because I was pretty sure that my water broke. The midwife that told the nurse to send me home because I was too happy, checked me and said "Well, I guess you really are in labor."
It was 5:30 a.m. and we were officially having a baby. I wasn't going home. I was in real labor. The contractions were insane. My water broke and my body decided it was time to get this big boy out! I labored on the work out ball for hours, I'm assuming, but I don't really know. I do know that I wanted my epidural. Minus the short nap with the morphine, I had been up for 24 hours having contractions. I was just so very tired and worried that when the pushing point came, I wouldn't be able to physically push.
9:00 a.m., the most amazing man came in with the epi. I could have kissed his magical face! The epidural worked wonderfully. I received my cath and was checked. I was now 4 cm & fully effaced. Woohoo! Moving right along now. The nurse told me to get some rest and she would come check me at noon.
Noon rolled around and without fail, I was about to be checked. Our friends, Danielle & James were in the room so we asked them to leave. With a shocked look, the midwife asked me how far along I thought. I would be thrilled to be 7 since it was only 3 hours again. She said, "You're a 10! It's time to push." Freak-out mode. I jokingly (kinda) told her that I wasn't ready yet. She didn't find it very humorous. Rob or my sister told James and Danielle that we were going to have a baby! They were like, well, yeah, obviously that's why we here. Then Rob or Lindsay said "No, now!" All of the memories are foggy. It's been over 4 years.
Shortly after being checked, I started pushing. Inside of the room, was a doctor, a resident, 2 corpsman, a nurse, Rob, Lindsay, Danielle & of course myself & Caden. At that point, I didn't care. We were having a baby! I pushed & pushed for a little over 1 1/2 hours. During this time, I played tug-o-war with Julian, one of the corpsman. He promised me a big cheeseburger once I pushed the baby out. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't eat meat. The doctors and nurses guessed that he would weigh about 6 1/2-7 lbs. Soon we would find out the size of this stubborn little man. I was very against Rob watching Caden crown or looking down during the labor, but like having people in the room, this would soon fade away. Birthing your baby is such a beautiful experience. I felt his head when he crowned and started crying instantly. Rob looked and had a huge smile. Our baby was really about to be here in our arms after this emotional marathon!
At 1:42 p.m., the most adorable boy alien was born. He was born pink, alert, screaming and sucking his fingers. The resident doctor held Caden up and I just cried, "my baby, my baby.." and only the second time I've ever seen Rob cry, he cried and repeatedly said, "Oh my God. Oh my God." It was amazing. Caden was placed on my chest and I just stared at him while he looked right into my eyes. I was completely engrossed in my newborn so I didn't notice the rushing around right away. I did realize that I was in pain again as they were pressing on my stomach trying to help me deliver my placenta. Caden was taken from me to be cleaned up and checked out. The doctor on duty started massaging my uterus because I was having some issues with bleeding. He applied some medicine internally. It didn't help. I don't really remember what was going on with Caden at this point, but Rob was with him so I knew he would be taken care of. I just didn't feel good and then I realized that the nurse was ordering more A+ blood. I started to panic. I just had a baby and my bleeding wouldn't stop. I could die. That was my first ever fear of death. I was just given this precious gift and my job was to nurture and protect him. I couldn't do that if I wasn't well. An injection was given in my thigh and the bleeding slowed down. I also nursed Caden as soon as he was brought back to me, which helped with the whole process. Although, I could have done without the bleeding issues, the first mama bear feeling was nice for the new bonding experience. Oh and to add one more person into our intimate experience was the janitor mopping up all of my blood. Later that day, I found out that I was anemic. My 6 1/2 lb to 7 lb baby was closer to almost 8 lbs. When he was born, the staff were shocked at his size even though he wasn't much bigger than average, I was hiding him well.
We stayed the mandatory 2 days then went home. Other than some bleeding issues that resulted in me going to the ER at 4 days postpartum, some weight loss on Caden's part and acid reflux, we survived. :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Ebates dot com
I do most of my Christmas, birthday and everyday shopping online. It is just so much easier (and more enjoyable) than taking kids with me! I signed up for Ebates. Basically, I go to Ebates.com before I shop online to see if there are any % rebates. If so, I click through the Ebates link and it sends me to the website. It's 100% legit! I'm getting my 3rd check ($30-ish) mailed to me on Aug. 11.
I bought an All-You magazine subscription through magazines.com and they were offering 50% cash back through ebates. So, I got that subscription for super cheap... AND All-You has lots of coupons in each issue. I'm a coupon gal too! There is a huge rush in saving money. Don't fret, I'm no crazy coupon lady.
Anyway, so if you click through my referral link and sign up, that would be lovely. If you make a purchase through Ebates, I can get a referral bonus. Share your referral link with your friends. Why not save money while you're shopping online? I don't know either.
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=5J3lkDfaeted5xEHzjHvPg%3D%3D
I bought an All-You magazine subscription through magazines.com and they were offering 50% cash back through ebates. So, I got that subscription for super cheap... AND All-You has lots of coupons in each issue. I'm a coupon gal too! There is a huge rush in saving money. Don't fret, I'm no crazy coupon lady.
Anyway, so if you click through my referral link and sign up, that would be lovely. If you make a purchase through Ebates, I can get a referral bonus. Share your referral link with your friends. Why not save money while you're shopping online? I don't know either.
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=5J3lkDfaeted5xEHzjHvPg%3D%3D
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