BabyMort has arrived!!

Okay, so she arrived over a week ago, but as it turns out, babies are a lot of work!!  Her arrival went something like this…  (I don’t think there’s anything too descriptive in here, but read at your own risk anyways!!)

Tuesday, May 12 I got checked by my Dr. and was 4cm and 90% effaced.  That evening I started having mild contractions every 10 minutes or so.  This was big news for me, because I hadn’t even noticed a Braxton Hicks up to this point.  By Wednesday at lunch they were a lot closer together, about 3 minutes apart, but still not painful – more uncomfortable.  Still, being as close as they were, we called the  doctor.  They had me come in, checked me and monitored my contractions for a while.  They decided Iwas in labor and sent me over to the hospital.  Six hours later I hadn’t progressed any further, so I decided to go home and wait it out instead of having any sort of interventions done.  We didn’t think waiting it out meant waiting another 5 days….

Finally, after dealing with contractions that changed frequency and intensity all weekend long, they got stronger and more regular at about 9PM on Sunday, May 17.   At 11PM they were about 3 minutes apart and DaddyMort really wanted to call First Nurse and head to the hospital.  I didn’t want to go there and be sent home again, so I was reluctant.  I decided to take a nice hot shower to see if that changed anything.  When it didn’t, I gave in, admitted I was really in labor this time, and said we could head over to the hospital.  It was about 1 AM by the time we got all checked in and they checked me – 6 cm with the baby at +1.

As I’ve said before, I really wanted to go natural.  I tried walking around, using the birthing ball, the whirlpool – whatever I could.  By about 3:30 AM I wasn’t sure I could do it.  I was soooo tired and barely getting any break between the contractions.  I decided to try Nubain.  I was told that it wouldn’t really make the contractions any less painful, only a little easier in between.  That’s exactly what it did for about an hour.  Although I would have liked to go drug-free, I think this really was the best decision for us.  I think the hour of pseudo-rest gave me just enough energy to get through the rest of labor, but the Nubain still allowed me to get up and move around, we didn’t have to be continuously monitored and I didn’t have to be hooked up to an IV the whole time.

About the time the Nubain had worn off, I could tell I was in transition – I was sick, had the shakes, couldn’t really tell when the contractions started or stopped…  DaddyMort reminded me that this meant we were getting close and he knew I could do it.  (He was great the whole time!!)  At about 6:45 AM I started pushing.  At 7:32 they broke my water.  And at 8:07 AM on Monday, May 18, we met BabyMort for the first time!! 

My honest reaction was shock, for a few different reasons.  I didn’t realize she was that close to “popping” out, but from what I’m told, no one really did!! I guess she pretty much came out from head to toes all at once.   I think I heard my mom and Aaron crying before I realized she was out.  And when I actually saw her, I had a hard time believing that she had come from me. 

But she had!!  She came in to this world exactly 2 weeks before her due date, weighing in at 6 lb 14 oz, 19.5 inches long and absolutely perfect!!

27 days?!?

I should remove the ticker on the side, because when I see how many days are left, I’m always shocked!!  We’ve finished our childbirth classes and the breastfeeding class.  Although I’m fully aware that there’s still plenty we don’t know and plenty we’ll have to figure out specific to BabyMort, but I feel like we’re as intellectually prepared as we can be.  We have her nursery and all her ‘stuff’ ready to go – Aaron even cleaned out the car and installed the car seat over the weekend.  I’ve been on Craigslist like crazy and we’re planning on going to garage sales over the weekend to try to get a few last big things – a stroller, swing and pack & play.

My heartburn has been a lot worse for the past week or so.  I’m also having more trouble sleeping, but luckily I can take naps during the day now!!  I start my weekly doctor’s appointments on Thursday.  I’m looking forward to this week’s so I can find out how she’s ‘hanging out.’  I feel like she’s sitting really low and sometimes it feels like she’s laying sideways, because I think I can feel her head on one side and her butt on the other.  I don’t have anything to back that up though…

At the end of this week, BabyMort will be considered full term.  She’s losing all the fine hair that’s covering her body and is gaining about an ounce a day now.  She doesn’t seem to appreciate it when I use my belly as a shelf – for a plate, a book, or even my arms.  She gets extra squirmy when I do.

36 weeks

35 weeks

Not much is new in the world of MamaMort and BabyMort.  I’m continuing with some of the same, not-so-fun symptoms, but it could be worse, so I’m trying not to complain too much.  BabyMort has pretty much all of her vital systems developed and will spend the next few weeks gaining weight and practicing the essentials of life.

Officially, we have 5 weeks to go.  Based on what I’ve read though, most babies come between 38-42 weeks, so in reality, we have between 3-7 weeks left.    Wow – sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and remember that we’re ready, or at least ready enough. 

• We completed our childbirth classes tonight, so I feel comfortable with the idea of labor and delivery.  (I’m sure the reality of it will be totally different!!)
• We have a car seat, so we can get her home. 
• We have a basket full of hand-me-down onesies, bodysuits and sleepers, so we can dress her.
• We have a crib, mattress and some sheets, so she has somewhere to sleep. 
• We’re planning on breastfeeding, so that’s covered.  We even have bottles and some free formula that we got from the doctor’s office, so we can feed her if our plans go awry.
• We have the newborn prefolds and covers washed and ready to go, so we have diapers to get us started.

So, we can meet her and we can get her home.  We can clothe her and we’ve got eating, sleeping and pooping covered.  Newborns don’t do much more than that, right??  And the good news is that if she sticks it out and stays put until after Saturday, we’ll have even more stuff thanks to some wonderful friends and family, because Saturday is my baby shower!!

The upside to heartburn

Yes, it’s annoying.  By mid-morning, I can’t eat or drink much of anything without feeling it.  Even water gives me heartburn, which makes me not want to drink it, which makes me dehydrated and cruddy feeling.  This week, however, I realized that there’s an upside.

A few times a day, when it gets uber-uncomfortable, I pop a couple Tums. (On a side note, my cousin kindly recommended the berry flavored, and I have to agree that they’re a little easier to choke down this way.)  I was looking at the package the other day and saw 2 Tums offers 640 mg of calcium, which is 64% of the daily recommended amount.  If I take 6 Tums a day, that’s 192%.  Combined with my prenatal and the calcium that I get from actual foods, I’m probably getting at least 450% of my needed calcium in a day.

At first glance, this seems a little excessive, but I’d much rather get “too much” calcium in a day, since it’s hard for the body to absorb and increased amounts of calcium can help prevent leg and foot cramps at night.  And according to my weekly update from BabyCenter – this week,  BabyMort starts depositing lots of calcium into her little bones daily!!

On a completely unrelated note – the counter on this blog says there are 75 days until Little Miss Chloe Mae’s expected arrival.  That’s not very many…