Another Two Weeks....

Another two weeks has flown by since I blogged on here. Time flies by so fast since Mackenzie has come into our lives. She has now started socially smiling. She enjoys being held more than anything else. She hates being in a wet diaper and tummy time. She can hold her head up and today pushed herself up a little bit with her chest leaving the floor. When she is in her swing, she bats her hands at Tigger and Pooh. I am trying to teach her who they are for when we go to Disney in January. I am so incredibly proud of her. Everyday I come to love her more. It's so gratifying when you can stop the tears and she curls up in your arms and gets cozy.

Last Saturday we went to Tia's baby shower. Mackenzie got to spend some time socializing with other grown ups as well as Ella and Riley. She was very manageable and it was really great for us to get out and be with other people besides family.

Since Mackenzie has become so manageable, we have decided to go to PA in three weeks. It will be a very short visit so we'll see how many people she actually gets to see. It's going to be hard since we're not planning on going up there again for a few years. We want to take the next few years to be our family and go on the vacations that we choose like Disney World and maybe a Disney Cruise in 2011.

And by the way I got in yet another car accident. I was on my way to my 6-week postpartum appointment and some 70-year old lady pulled out in front of me. Allstate must really love me right now.

Almost One Month Old

I can't believe it's again been two weeks since I've blogged about my Mackenzie. Yesterday she turned 4 weeks old. Luckily for us she has slept through the night the last two nights. The first of which until 5:30am and this morning until 6:00am. (The dogs even slept in ths morning until 6.) She is visibly gaining weight, we put her on our food scale this morning and she appear to be about 6 1/2 pounds. her newborn size clothing actually fits her properly, she isn't swimming in it anymore. She gets more and more beautiful every single day.

I've had quite a few challenges now that Josh has gone back to work. Our first day together was great. She did nothing more than sleep, eat, poop. Our second day was pure torture. She wouldn't go back to bed after I was up the night before his shift with her. She spent most of the day crying minimally consolable. I was exhausted being unable to get a nap since she was so miserable. She finally went to sleep around 1am but was back awake at 3 and refused to go back to sleep until 6. The more she cried, the more I did. It was the worst day she's had since birth. The two other shifts that have passed since then have been much better. She's been fantastic and hopefully stays that way. We've learned some tricks from this book I just finished called "The Happiest Baby on the Block". I can't believe how something as simple as just swaddling her properly can make her calmer within minutes.

We had our first night out this week. We went out for Mexican with some of our friends. Oh how this experience was so different than before Mackenzie. She needed her diaper changed 3 times while we were there. She got passed around the table. Our friend Mandy who has never been around babies held her and even changed her diaper! She was fussy while we were at the restaurant. It's amazing how your feelings change from being annoyed by the crying baby to the parents who is annoying everyone else with your crying baby.

Two weeks old

I can't believe it already, Mackenzie is two weeks old. She becomes more and more beautiful everyday as she grows and changes. At her doctor's appointment yesterday she was 5 pounds, 14 ounces, 19.75 inches long. They are very happy with her growth, etc and we are as well.

We are now in full swing of being up all night as she dictates and trying to figure out the best ways to care for her. It seems as though she has some gas issues either from feeding too fast or from what I am eating before she eats. The pediatrician gave us a list of foods that I eat that will make it worse and those that will make it better. This list is more particular than the diabetic diet was. She has done better the last two days so we will see how things go.

Everyday brings us something new. Yesterday she had her first bottle of breastmilk from her daddy instead of directly from me. She seemed to enjoy it. She is awake often during the day and her nights are touch and go. Some nights she sings her little song for hours whereas other nights she will sleep for 4-6 hours at a time. Josh goes back to work Monday so it is time to start working on a schedule for her.

She likes to be held on your chest when you sit in the recliner. She also likes when we hold her and walk around or dance. Josh is particularly good with holding her and keeping moving to keep her happy. She loves to sit in her swing or her bounces but only if she's in the mood for it.

Overall, things seem to be going well. I just hope we can be the best parents that we can to this wonderful little girl.

Peds Appointment

I learned a valuable lesson today at the pediatrician's office. We had to go for a weight check on Mackenzie to make sure she is putting on weight and being adequately breastfed. While we were in the waiting room, she managed to both spit up on herself and have an explosive poop that went all over her outfit. After we cleaned her up and got weighed (5 lbs 6 oz) she sneezed and lost a big booger. Anyway, we waited a bit and the doctor came in. We saw a resident who will remain nameless since he is from MUSC. He came in, introduced himself and immediately recognized me. I couldn't remember if I was nice to him or not during his month in 1-West so I didn't want to initiate the whole "do I know you?" thing. He did ask and learned that I worked in the ER blah blah. He asked us all of the questions and then examined Mackenzie. He complimented us on how beautiful she is and I had to open my big mouth and say "Yes she is". Meanwhile my husband laughed and thanked him. Twice now I was rude. I didn't mean to be. I, oddly enough, get uncomfortable being the patient---especially in Peds world which I know nothing about. Of course, when the attending came in to say hello and complimented us I had the normal human response and said "thanks". All day long Josh has been picking on me for this.

I now get the feeling that I probably was not nice to him during his month with us and probably need to be more careful of that especially since now my baby could end up in the middle of it. I have no reason from a patient's perspective to believe that he is in anyway a bad doctor or anything. We see the same attending next week, maybe he'll be there again and I'll be able to redeem myself. Be nice to the off-service residents, you never know who could be taking care of your baby.

Baby Poop Explosion

Today we went to Babies R Us to pick up a few items. When we returned Josh was sitting with Mackenzie in the recliner. She was on his lap facing outward and we were all having a good time. Next thing we know she lets out the biggest fart ever to come out of someone that small. I laughed so hard that I had tears running down my face. It was time for feeding so she got handed to me for clean-up. I can honestly say I was disappointed in this particular poop. It was pretty small for the amount of noise it made on the way out. While I was feeding her, Josh came in and we started talking and laughing about it. I kept shaking her as I was laughing and I told Josh that he couldn't make me laugh because it would put "bubbles in the milk".

Later tonight I was giving Mackenzie her pre-bedtime massage when my mom came in to say goodnight. It is their last night here which makes me really sad. This whole living 700 miles away thing has only become harder since we decided to start a family. I had Mackenzie half-dressed and half-diapered during this emotional Mother-daughter moment since I had just found that she peed somehow through her diaper barely getting it wet and onto the changing table cover. Mom went to bed--enter Josh. He came in and I started to clean her and saw that she was starting to poop too. I told him that I was waiting for the explosion. We stood there for a second and next thing.... explosive poo! It was all over everything and simply prophetic that I was actually standing there waiting for it! We both started laughing again until we were crying. Josh couldn't even stay in the room with me he was laughing so hard.

First Night Home

July 9th was our first night home with our Mackenzie. It was, so far, the longest night of my life. We put her in the bassinet in our room so that she would be closer. Everytime she made a noise Harleigh would be up to check on her. On the bed, off the bed all night long. First, she spit up all over the entire sheet. This, of course was found by the dog. After a fresh sheet, she was put back in the bassinet. When we checked on her next, it was pee that we found all over her adorable sleeper. The rest of the night was a lot of feeding and holding. Unfortunately since she is breastfed I am the only one who can do the every 2-3 hour feedings. Josh did manage to get minimal sleep which helped me out in the morning when I finally got some rest. Thank goodness for my mom who watched Mackenzie that afternoon as well so we both got naps for a few hours.

The Mack's Arrival

Josh started a blog on here which inspired me to look at mine and I realized that I haven't updated on here for 4 weeks. I'm not sure where the time goes and it's only getting worse as we get busier.

I went to my usual OB appointment with the CNM at 38 weeks. She asked about scheduling induction which we hadn't yet done. We requested July 8th (so she could have 7/8/9 as her birthday) but that date was booked. We were put down on the 6th and 7th just in case the unit would be too full. The first day were called off but told to come on the second at 6:30 am. We all (Josh, myself, Mom and Dad) got up at 4:30 am so that we could all be ready to go on time. I was in the bathroom when Josh came in and let me know that I could go back to bed because the hospital had called and said that we're not "on call" for 8am. When we called at 8 we were good to go.
We arrived to L&D around 0900 and were greeted by a former co-worker of mine, Jenny. I was happy to see a familiar face since ER nurses aren't exactly comfortable with OB stuff. She was wonderful. My IV was in and a short time later the CNM came in to check me. I was still the same 1cm that I have been for a month! Pitocin was started and increased throughout the day. I had nothing more than some cramping and thought to myself "wow this isn't so bad". They shut everything off at 1830, let me eat, shower and wander around the hospital for a few hours. We walked the halls the whole time hoping that this would help bring Mackenzie down. The plan for the evening was to get "low-dose" pitocin all night and then turn it up in the morning and try again. All night I barely slept despite the Ambien that was given to me wondering if it truly were possible to be pregnant forever. My nurse, Ruth checked on me frequently and let me know that the plans for the evening had changed since there were 2 emergency c-sections and another patient delivering as well.
At 0600 the CNM came in and broke my water. This wasn't too uncomfortable despite what I've heard about it but I was disappointed to hear that I was only 1.5 cm and still 50% effaced. This CNM was leaving for the day but felt very strongly that I'd have a baby by lunchtime. A few of my friends came down as they were leaving for work and with the pitocin going now I was becoming more and more uncomfortable. I hate being a pest so I tried to just watch TV with Josh and Mom. Later in the morning IV meds were offered and I jumped at the chance to get them. I was comfortable for a little while but then just became so tired that I'd sleep between contractions and then wake up for it crying in pain. Around 10:30 they offered me the epidural and I again accepted the offer. By 1100 the anesthesiologist was at my bedside claiming that he couldn't let me sign consent for my epidural because I had received "mind-altering medication". I said well then my husband will sign, he then said that I wasn't altered enough and that this wasn't considered an emergency. Unfortunately I was in too much pain to get snippy but Josh and Mom along with the OB team made sure that they found a loophole to get me an epidural. At 11:30 it was placed and I wasn't really feeling any relief. 1145 I was laying in bed asking why it wasn't working. I was assured that it takes up to 30 minutes to work and to be patient. The CNM wanted to wait until I had relief but checked me anyway and I was 5cm. I remember her telling my nurse, Donna that it wouldn't take long. Whatever that was supposed to mean I wasn't sure. At 1200 I was laying on my side in agonizing pain crying and yelling. Anesthesia was called to come and change my epidural since this one wasn't working. By 1215 Josh summoned staff because I felt the urge to push. They checked me and I was 10cm. I said that I wasn't ready b/c I needed my epidural and they told me it was too late. At 1329 Mackenzie was brought into the world. I can't believe I did it like that and am so incredibly proud of myself. She was 5 lbs 10 oz, 19.5 inches long. She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

We're Pregnant

I still can't believe it, even as I sit here nearly 36 weeks pregnant, that we're going to be parents in a very short time. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and the most uncomfortable, at the same time. Last summer, Josh said it was time to have a baby... I was shocked but didn't disagree. He always said he'd let me know when he was ready and he did. I just didn't think he'd be ready that soon. Three months later out of boredom I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. It felt like it took forever at the time, but that's nothing. Of course, Josh was on his way to Columbia to take a class and had left his phone at home so I had to wait all day long to share the most exciting news.

We've had a good journey through the pregnancy so far although I'm not sure if Josh would say the same thing. I still have food aversions to chicken, pork, carrots and many other vegetables. When I was 29 weeks I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which has restricted my diet even more. Josh is the cook in our family and has been very creative in ways to keep his own likes and dislikes while helping me with my challenging diet.

In February we found out that we're having a girl. Josh had a hard time believing this and remained in denial for a long time. As we registered for our baby gifts we registered for a lot of "gender neutral" items. For Josh it was "just incase they're wrong" and for me it was "so we can reuse everything". Our nursery is green and yellow Winnie the Pooh and all of our big items are neutral. We had a 3-D ultrasound in April and Josh is now convinced that we're having a girl. The image on the ultrasound screen was unmistakable. Definitely girl parts! Now he's coming up with ways that him and Mackenzie will be creating trouble together.

June 5th, 2009 on my way to work I got into a car accident on I-26. It was the scariest moment of my life. All I could think was "My baby!". She did a good job of letting me know she was there between kicking and contractions but this was the worst feeling ever. As I sat in my car waiting for EMS all I could do was cry hoping that the worst wouldn't and didn't happen. After an hour I found myself rolling through MUSC's doors on an EMS stretcher. Not for work today although I was supposed to be there 30 minutes earlier. It was so hard to see everyone's faces not knowing what was in store for me. The OB and NICU team was at my bedside before I was even registered. They did an ultrasound and put me on the monitor and assured me that everything looked good. I spent several hours in labor and delivery hooked up to a fetal monitor before being released. I am so thankful for the excellent care that I received that day and that I am lucky enough to have had nothing happen to our baby. We truly are lucky.

I went to my 35 weeks OB appointment and had a surprise internal exam. I thought that all started at 36 weeks. After doing my Group B Strep swab she offered an cervix check and I said sure, why not. Found out that I'm 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. Both exciting and scary but realistically I know I could be stuck like this until she finally comes out. It was not expected because I had shown no progress when they checked me after my car accident only 3 days before. Everything is ready for her arrival: the bags are packed, the nursery is workable and we finally got the bassinet in our room. Now we just wait.