Welcome to the world!

Alex Laine was born on Friday, August 21st at 12:10pm. He is 8 pounds 3 ounces, 21 inches long and completely amazing. Even as I'm typing this, a tear comes to my eye. All I can do is stare at him. He's beautiful and I can't believe he's mine.

I'm sure you are wondering "How'd it go?". Well...let's just say, there is no kinda pain that compares to labor.

I had a doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon at 3:45pm. Dr. Martin inserted a Foley Catheter into my cervix and placed water in it to help expand my cervix. The goal was 3cm. I started feeling mild contractions every 10 minutes or so throughout the evening. Not bad at all. We checked into St. Mary's Hospital at Midnight Thursday night. The nurses are absolutely incredible. They put an IV in me and started the petocin. I started getting contractions regularly every 10 minutes. Not bad, but uncomfortable to where I couldn't sleep. They gave me some medicine that was great and I guess I got about 4 hours of sleep. Broken sleep since I had to go to the bathroom, but sleep at least.

My doctor came in around 6:30am to check on me and I was at 4 cm so she was pleased. She was also surprised I didn't have my epidural yet. I hadn't needed it, but all of a sudden, wham! My contractions were coming every 2 minutes and so incredibly painful that I thought I was gonna' die. I cannot even describe that pain. Well the anesthesiologist was in a C section. I got to the point where I just could not stand it and finally my nurse brought in a doctor from heart surgery to do my epidural. He swept in there, laid me on my side, gave me my epidural like it was nothing. And it was. It was smooth, flawless and I wanted to name my baby after him. I immediately felt some relief. I was able to rest a bit more after that. Well after awhile I could feel some pain in my left hip, then my right. The epidural was wearing off and I had gone from 5cm to 9cm in a little over an hour! I knew I wouldn't be able to stand the pain to start pushing at 10cm. So they brought in another doctor to give me more of the epidural medicine. That numbed me completely and I couldn't feel anything. Nothing. Hard to know "where" you are pushing to, but we worked it out.

So I pushed for a bit. Not too bad, but not huge progress. I believe the nurses became concerned because they called in Dr. Martin earlier than planned. She whisked in there, checked me out and found that the cord was around the babies neck. Not in a bad way, but it was preventing him from moving forward and his heart rate would drop when I pushed. Also , the muscles were so tight in my pelvis, they wouldn't allow the baby to pass through. He was too far down in the birth canal though at that point for a C-section so she went after him with the forceps. It was very fast from there. There was an army of nurses and Dr. Martin. They delivered Alex, swept him up, cleaned him up and were absolutely 100% amazing.

My husband and were both crying. I was mostly waiting for the big cry. Once I heard that big ole' cry, I knew my baby was okay.

The nurses noticed a dimple though at the base of his spine. Which could have meant something was wrong with his spine. But they wanted to let the doctor look at him. I didn't let myself worry about it. The nurse practicioner for Dr. Feld came in to look at him. She said the dimple was closed and his spine is just fine.

My baby is perfect and I am so grateful to my husband, Dr. Duy-Thu Martin and her staff and the staff at St. Mary's Hospital for making my pregnancy and birth a truly amazing time of my life. I highly recommend Dr. Martin. She is a no-nonsense, hard working doctor who kept me in line from day one to ensure I had a healthy pregnancy.

Pregnant? Call her up: 546-6721.
and I highly recommend St. Mary's Hospital for your delivery.

I will have pictures of Baby Alex for you very soon.

Wow, the countdown is officially here.

I am 39 weeks pregnant this week.  I am off work on maternity leave now and I will be induced this Friday. I go back and forth from being really excited to really scared.  I'm just sort of plugging right along day by day, hour by hour.  I don't think I really realize what's about to happen.  But there is no doubt in my mind that I want this baby more than anything in the world.   The nursery is ready.  I think I have everything I need.  We go into the hospital this Thursday night at Midnight to start the petocin and induce labor.  Hopefully everything will go well and I won't end up with a C-section.  If I do, it's fine, I would just rather not be cut open.  I've never been IN the hospital before, as in a patient who stays.  I'm not used to being confined but I hear I won't care about that and will be grateful for the nurses care.  I also can't have anything to eat after midnight Thursday until the baby is born on Friday.  I am NOT a very nice person when I'm hungry.  But I've also heard that I won't be thinking about food.  We'll see if all this "advice" I've been given rings true.  As soon as I can get online after the baby is born, I will send pictures, stats, name, etc.  Thanks for following my blog!  

One week from today, I will have a baby!

Wow, I can't believe it's time. It's gone pretty fast. But not too fast. I think the thing I will miss the most is the feeling of the baby moving in my tummy. That is pretty cool. So I will miss that. But I'm ready to have him on the outside.

I go in Thursday afternoon and Dr. Martin will put a foley catheter into my cervix to help open it up. Then we go in to the hospital at midnight that night and they will start the petocin to induce labor.

There is a part of me that wishes I would just naturally go into labor, but I'm only dialated about 1 cm so far so it looks like inducing will be the best bet. Doc says that babies in a Gestational Diabetes situation tend to have larger shoulders, so we really don't want to let him get to big so I can deliver him normally.

If all goes well, the baby will be here sometime on Friday! Can't wait!

If the baby doesn't come on his own, I will be induced on Friday, August 21st!

I had a doctor's appointment this past Friday and the doctor and I discussed our options.  If the baby doesn't come on his own, she will induce me on Friday, August 21st.  My due date is August 24th and my first date to be induced was Tuesday, August 25th but that date wasn't available.  So the 21st was my second choice.  We don't want to let him go past the due date.  There are several reasons we decided on that.

So!  Very exciting!  I was less than 1cm dilated this past Friday so doc says there is little chance I would go into labor before the 21st and I hope I don't because she will be out of town this weekend!  I can't imagine having anyone else but Dr. Martin deliver my baby.  We've gone through all of this together and it would be wierd having a stranger during the final stretch of this.  So  hopefully he will hang in until the 21st.  

I'm definitely exhausted.  I don't see how pregnant women with young children do this.  Yesterday, I was completely worthless.  Totally exhausted and unmotivated to do anything.  I spent most of the day in the living room napping on and off.  I did manage to do laundry, watch a movie, make lunch & dinner.  My husband hung the curtain rod and curtain's in the nursery.  Beyond that, not much else was done.  I felt semi-guilty about my laziness, but then everyone keeps telling me to rest while I can.  So I am.

This is my last week of work.  I begin Maternity leave on Monday, August 17th and expect to return to the airwaves on Wednesday, October 14th.  I will continue to post on my blog and let you know how things are going!  

I met Braxton-Hicks at the Grocery Store yesterday.

I finally met the elusive Braxton Hicks! I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Turns out, I had been having some Braxton Hicks contractions, but didn't realize it. I just assumed they would hurt, but mine haven't. I talked with my sister the other day about them and she said it's just a tightening feeling. Well while I was at the grocery store, my stomach tightened up or contracted and then relaxed.

In the midst of my frustration with what seemed like a million people in my way at Kroger, I stopped, enjoyed the moment, and smiled.

I felt another one last night before bed. I'm glad these don't hurt. From what I understand, everyone's experiences encountering Braxton Hicks can be different. So far, mine have been kind of cool.

Maternity Leave

I start my maternity leave on August 17th and expect to return on Wednesday, October 15th to the airwaves. That's my plan as of right now. The baby could come at anytime. But if he will wait until his due date of August 24th, that will give me the week beforehand to tie up loose ends with work and things.

If he is not here on the 24th, I will allow my doctor to induce me on August 25th.

I will keep you posted on everything. I promise.

Thanks for your support through my pregnancy. I couldn't have done this without ALL of you!

REM Sleep, REM Sleep, where for art thou REM sleep?????

Ugh. Yesterday was the first day I officially decided that I am DONE being pregnant. Over it. I'm ready to have this baby. The only thing I will miss is feeling the baby move inside me. THAT is an extraordinarily cool feeling. But I'm getting to where I'm not sleeping hardly at all which is making me "Mean Jennifer". It's not a pretty site folks. If I have offended any of you, I completely apologize. It's nothing personal. I'm just exceptionally cranky these days.

I am feeling a mixture of fear and excitement as well. I'm scared about labor. Well, not scared. Let's say apprehensive. I'm apprehensive about labor, but know that it's a means to an end and there is no way around it. And I get the prize at the end.

My bones hurt too. Especially my hip bones. And the new thing is when the baby presses on my sciatic nerve. That's extremely unpleasant.

I go back to the doctor on Friday. Can't wait to get an update!

Pregnancy Gingivitis.

It's not just enough that your body goes nuts, but so do your teeth! Not everyone suffers from pregnancy gingivitis, but I was one of the lucky ones.

I've had problems with my teeth and gums for most of my life. (Thanks Mom...it's hereditary).
I've made a great effort over the past 5 years to work hard on maintaining my teeth. I go every three months for a cleaning to prevent periodontal disease. My teeth were doing great! Until I got pregnant....

Soon into my first trimester my gums would bleed anytime I brushed my teeth. And anytime I brushed my teeth, I would gag. This was unpleasant.

In my second trimester I went for a dental appointment and she cleaned my teeth for me. That was wonderful! But I don't go again until November, then I'll get back on my every three month schedule.

In my second trimester, the swollen gums eased up a bit but have come back with a vengeance here in my third trimester. Swollen, bleeding gums. Difficult to chew things that are tough. Ugh...I hate it. Hopefully my gums will return to normal after the baby is born. Hopefully.

I just bought a pack of the biggest, most embarassing underwear.

Yep. My maternity underwear is shot. With only three weeks to go, I didn't want to spend the money on maternity underwear so I bought the biggest pair of Fruit of the Loom granny panties I could find. When I pulled them out to wash them I just held them up and wanted to cry.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about comfort when it comes to my undergarment. Lacy thongs ain't my thing, but granny panties ain't my thing either. I'm a hi-cut brief girl. But I needed to be practical in my underwear purchase. I needed something I could wear through the remainder of my pregnancy and also after while my body will hopefully transform back to normal. Then maybe, just maybe, I can wear my old favorites again.

I imagine I will have to make some type of effort to get into my old underwear and my favorite pair of jeans, but I suppose I have never been more motivated. I DO NOT want to wear granny panties until I'm a granny!

37 weeks, just 3 weeks to go!

Wow. I can't believe my pregnancy is almost here and my son will arrive anytime. I'm 37 weeks today and that means I'm full-term so the baby has matured enough to enter the world at any time. I guess I'm ready as I will ever be. I'm really excited for him to get here. I'm not excited about the whole hospital thing. Reeeeeaaallly not looking forward to that, but I know it's part of the process so I will do what needs to be done.

My sister says I should quit counting up. I've been counting up on the weeks all this time. She says I should start counting down now. She's right!