January 27, 2005
2 wk Post-partum check up
Since I was still under the no-driving restriction, Dale had to take me to my appointment, and that meant we had to take Olivia as well. While we were in the waiting room, one of the nurses came out and asked to see her. (We had her in her carseat with a blanket over it.) Once again, the nurse cooed over how cute she is. (Who wouldn't?)
After I was called back, the nurse took my vitals, asked how I was doing, and told me Dr. Storey would just be checking my incision. Vitals were good. And to my surprise, my weight was down. I hadn't noticed any loss since the delivery, but according to the scale, I've lost about 25lbs, and that puts me at 10 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight! I still have quite a bit more that I want to lose, but that's a pretty good start.
Dr. Storey pulled all the steri-strips off my incision and said it looked good. I told her (as I'd told the nurse) about how certain movements and sneezing cause a really sharp pain on the far left edge of my incision, almost like something's tearing. Dr. Storey said that's probably my uterus contracting back to normal.
Since I stopped taking the Vicodin (just the occasional Motrin now), I'm ok to drive, but I'm supposed to wait until after my 6 wk check up before I try any exercise more strenuous than walking. I'm fine with that for now. Even moving about the house doing chores like laundry or dishes can result in an achy back and abdomen.
After the appointment, we stopped by a women's specialty shop. Dale waited in the car with Olivia while I got a fitting and tried on some nursing bras. To my surprise, the recommended size wasn't that far off from the bra I was wearing. I bought one and I plan to order a couple of others in different styles through the lactation consultant I've worked with.
Oh, one last thing. As we were heading up to my doctor's office, the elevator stopped on the third floor and a young man exited. During that, I saw another youngish man standing in the elevator lobby talking on a cell phone and wearing scrubs that said, "It's a girl!" I actually had to fight not to cry because it reminded me of Dale and the day of Olivia's birth, and how happy I was and how amazing that day was.
January 20, 2005
The Birth Story, part 2
Thanks to the spinal, I couldn't feel any pain, just dull sensations. It felt like the docs were getting rough, since my body would be shoved back and forth at times, but I trusted their experience.
The anesthesiologist kept up the chatter, talking to me and Dale. Finally, he said I would feel some pressure. Abruptly, it felt like both doctors were leaning all their body weight on my chest. Brian (the anesthesiologist) said, "so there will be a little labor!" There were two instances of the intense pressure, making me grimace and gasp, then Brian said, "we have a head!" I immediately burst into tears. Just a moment later, I could hear a baby crying. In Dale's video, at this point, he cuts away from my face and gets a shot of Olivia just after she was delivered. The doctor held her high and I got a brief glimpse of this dark, squirming, angry little baby before she was whisked away to be cleaned and measured.
I continued to cry. I was just so relieved. Up until that point, I had been so scared that something would go horribly wrong. Now that she was actually out of me, a massive load of stress dropped away. I knew another bigger load was imminent, but at that time, all I felt was joy and relief.
The doctors weren't finished with me yet. Dr. Storey still had to remove my left fallopian tube and they had to close up my uterus, put it back inside me, and then close up me. Dale had stayed by my side, taping the nurses from across the room as they worked on Olivia, until he was invited over to watch them. I didn't know it at the time, but they had inked Olivia's feet to stamp the (not a legal document) birth certificate, then they pressed her feet against the hospital smock he was wearing. He stayed with Olivia until the nurses finished and she was put into his arms. Then he was allowed to carry her over to me and I got my first good look at our daughter. She was perfect, of course, and had an amazing amount of black hair. She also looked rather dark-skinned, which surprised me, since Dale and I and our families are all pretty fair-skinned. She also looked very Asian. Much more than I do.
The doctors still weren't done with me, so Dale left to take Olivia to the nursery while my surgery wrapped up. When I was done, I was wheeled to a recovery room and told I'd be there for at least an hour. That made me pretty sad as I really wanted to be with Dale and Olivia. Unfortunately, I was alone for quite some time, except for the nurses. I was so tired but I fought falling asleep because I was afraid they wouldn't wake me if Dale came back or I had any other visitors. I just chatted with the nurses and kept watching the clock until a curtain was drawn around me and I couldn't see it any more.
Dale returned after what seemed like hours. Then I got to see his smock with its footprints. The nurses had also drawn a big heart around the footprints and written "It's a girl" and Olivia's birth stats on his smock. I did note that Dale looked extremely cute in his hospital scrubs.
He stayed with me a bit then left again, I don't remember for how long. I know the nurse currently watching me was ready to move me down to my room, but she was waiting for a sign-off on some paperwork. Finally another nurse came by and told her to go ahead and move me. Dale was back by then and he wheeled me on my bed out to the elevator. When we reached the nursery, we were greeted by a good number of Dale's family. His Grandmom and Al, Karen and Thor (mom and step-dad), Adam (brother), Art (dad), and Mark (uncle). Jill and Allison (sister and niece) and Vonna and Race (aunt and cousin) had been there earlier, but had needed to leave before I arrived. Olivia was in a bassinet under a heat lamp right by the window, but I couldn't see her from my hospital bed. One of the nurses held her up for me and I was surprised to see that she was still naked. She didn't look as dark-skinned any more, mostly because a lot of the birth goo had been cleaned off of her. After my viewing, I was wheeled into my room. Dale hadn't been kidding when he said it was right across from the nursery. They really just turned me 90 degrees from the window and through the opposite doorway.
Getting into the bed in my room was an effort. It had been about three hours by now, but the best I could do was wiggle my legs slightly. What I had to do was hunch my shoulders and help Dale and the nurse inch-worm me from the bed I was on to the bed in the room. It wasn't fun or easy. Once I was in place and decently covered again, the family was allowed in to see me. I was so exhausted at this point that I don't remember much. I still wanted to hold Olivia, but that wouldn't happen until much later.
I was served lunch at some point and discovered I was on a clear liquids diet. Still, I was hungry enough that the beef broth, Jell-O, and juice was great. I passed on the iced tea and lemon sorbet. I think I might have napped. I know I talked to people. Nurses were in and out. Dr. Storey came by. Family members told me they liked the pediatrician, who I hadn't met yet. (She had been recommended by my ob/gyn.)
I had expected to see and hold and feed Olivia at least one to two hours after delivery. She wasn't brought to me until early that evening. She had a bit of jaundice and they'd had a little difficulty warming her under the heat lamp. I asked for the lactation consultant to come when they finally brought her to me and was told she was on vacation in Hawaii. Still, one of the nurses stayed to help me figure out how to breastfeed Olivia. (It isn't NEARLY as simple as you'd think.) I probably cried again once Olivia was put into my arms. Even though I'd seen her already, I was amazed at her tiny size. We had decided to have the C-section because the ultrasounds had indicated that Olivia was getting big (8 1/2 lbs at 37 weeks - Dr. Storey thought she might be 9 lbs by the time of the C-section). Instead, she was almost two pounds lighter than we'd expected and so small! Her fingers and toes looked like amazing miniatures. Her eyebrows were well-shaped though very fine. Her cheeks were very full and chubby. We all wondered what color her eyes were.
My parents and sister were scheduled to arrive at the airport just after 8pm. Visiting hours ended at 9pm. We hoped desperately that they'd make it to the hospital in time to see me and Olivia. That wish was one of the many granted that day. Thor arrived with my family at 8:45pm. Their flight had left early, arrived early, and they'd skipped picking up their luggage. More hugs, cuddling, and talking took place. My family stayed until about 9:15pm, then Thor took them back to the airport to get their luggage.
Dale stayed with me in the hospital. There was a small sofa that extended out to become a sleeper. Olivia stayed with us until we were ready to sleep, then we had her taken to the nursery. She would be brought to us for feedings, but would sleep at the nursery.
And thus concluded Olivia's birth day.
Diaper Changing: A Cautionary Tale
A warning: The following post contains lots of baby poo. If you can't handle that, stop reading now.
Early yesterday evening, I checked Miss Olivia's diaper. I saw a little bit of poop, so I set her on the bed to change her. (Because the changing table is covered with baby clothes and other items that haven't been organized or put away yet.) Everything was going as usual. Dale walked in and asked how the dirty diaper was and I reported it had just been a small amount of poop. He said, "that means more is coming soon." He was right. Very very right.
I had just finished wiping her clean and was pulling the fresh diaper under her bottom when her butt appeared to explode. Since I was in the process of positioning the new diaper, I had hold of both her ankles with my left hand and her butt was well clear of the bed. I saw poo start to shoot out of her bottom. I screamed and heard my mother's echoing scream. I jumped to the side and closed my eyes just as I felt stuff hit my head. There was a moment of stunned silence, then everyone started laughing.
I said, "I have poop in my bangs!" I was laughing and holding Olivia's legs, but I still hadn't opened my eyes yet. I was afraid of what I'd see. I knew the carnage had to be bad. I was very right. When I finally looked down, there was poo splattered off the edge of the bed and across the floor. Then Dale said, "look at your Mom!" I turned to my right and saw that my poor poor mother had gotten the worst of the explosion. She literally had poop on her from head to toe. Apparently I'd jumped aside in time to let my Mom get the full force of Olivia's butt.
I just about wet my pants from laughing. It was a couple of minutes before I could calm down enough to hand Olivia to Dale to finish diapering her. I had to go clean myself. Mom and I walked into the bathroom and I saw that I only had a little bit of poop in my bangs and on my shirt and arm. Mom looked like she'd been sprayed with a poo hose. We both spent a few minutes laughing while trying to clean up. I satisfied myself with sticking my head under the sink faucet and wiping up the poo splatters on my shirt and arms. Poor Mom first tried to help us with poo clean up but I shooed her away and told her to get herself cleaned up. She had started scrubbing the spots on the carpet. I took over that until Olivia started demanding to be fed, then Dale worked on the carpet while I nursed the baby.
It probably took close to 30 minutes of scrubbing to get the carpet clean. Then we had to pretreat the comforter and any clothing that had gotten dirty. And the two baby blankets that had been on the bed and got hit by small amounts of baby poo fallout.
Dale was the only one of us to escape the Poo Cannon. He'd been standing far to my left at the bedroom door, well out of the blast zone. Still, he ended up getting dirtied by accidentally bumping into Mom as she left to clean up and then by putting his hand into the pile of poo that hadn't made it past the changing pad. He also let Olivia stick her hand in poo, so she got a fresh change of clothes in addition to the fresh diaper.
We've heard Olivia poop before. It's a disturbingly loud rumble followed by splatting sounds. I've even had her let loose a load while changing her. Dale learned the hard way that you always have to put her on a changing pad. But until last night, we had no idea that a baby weighing less than seven pounds could shoot poop three feet into the air and almost four feet out. Poo Cannon indeed.
One person was unfazed by the incident. Despite the screaming, the hysterical laughter, and all our other antics, Olivia never flinched. In fact, she smiled a bit. We think she was pleased with herself. But we'll have our revenge. Some day, years from now, she will hate us for sharing this story. She's lucky we didn't have the video camera running.
January 18, 2005
The Birth Story, part 1
As you might have guessed, Dale and I didn't get much sleep the night before. We were up fairly late, unpacking, trying to get the baby's room ready, finally packing my hospital bag, et cetera. I think it was after 2am when we went to bed. I pretty much just dozed until my alarm went off at 4:45 am. While I was in the shower, I heard Dale's alarm go off.
For once, we were early, arriving at the hospital a little before 6 am. We went up to the fourth floor and checked in. I had a little bit of paperwork to fill out, then we were escorted to a small room. I was told to strip completely, except socks, and put on the gown provided. I was told to get into the hospital bed, then two monitors (fetal non-stress test again) were strapped around my belly. One nurse started grilling me, inputting my answers into a computer, while another nurse prepped me for surgery. I had my belly shaved (heh), an IV was inserted into the side of my right hand (amazingly, she landed it easily and the local anesthetic she gave me first hurt more), and I was given an oh-so-sexy hospital cap to put over my hair.
The first nurse (I can't remember her name) had plenty of questions for me. I kind of wondered what the point was of pre-registering since many of the questions I was asked was on the forms I'd already turned in to the hospital.
Marilyn, the other nurse, stayed with me after the other had left. My anesthesiologist (I can't remember his name) came in and introduced himself and explained how he'd do the spinal, what to expect, how it should feel, et cetera. He also asked me a number of questions about my medical history, like previous reactions to anesthetic. Talking to him was pretty reassuring, even as it made me nervous. After a bit more prep work, I was wheeled into the OR while Dale stayed behind to put a set of scrubs on over his clothes. (I found out later they also gave him some info and had him fill out some more paperwork. Basically, it was to stall him until just before the actual surgery began.)
In the OR, I was instructed to sit on the side of the operating table with my legs dangling. My back was completely bared, and it was very cold, so they put a warm blanket against my front. I was shivering badly and getting VERY nervous. The anesthesiologist (Brian, I think) scrubbed my back with antiseptic. Then I had to hunch forward over my belly and hold very still. Marilyn cradled my head and shoulders, as much to comfort me, I think, as to keep me from falling off the table. When Brian gave me the lidocain, the initial stick was fine. The burn hurt. Then the dull pain felt like a thumb being shoved hard into my back. He injected lidocain twice. Once I was numb, he inserted the spinal. Abruptly, every nerve in my left leg jangled and I flinched involuntarily. Brian immediately asked what I felt and I told him. He said, "yes, that's the needle passing near a nerve. I told you about that." He had, and I didn't feel it again, and the spinal was over pretty quickly.
Once the needle was withdrawn, I was told to swing my legs up on to the table and lie back. The spinal took effect so quickly that my feet were numb by the time I got them up and I ended up needing assistance to get into the proper position. My arms were each spread out onto small extentions of the table. I was given a catheter (thankfully, after the spinal), my gown was shoved up under my chin, a drape was put in place to keep me from seeing beyond my chin, an oxygen mask was placed over my face, and I could feel more prep work going on, sort of.
The spinal was strange. I could feel the sensations of being touched and moved but no pain and nothing was distinct. It was very much like the feeling of your foot being asleep, but it extended from my ribs down.
The OR was starting to fill up with people, but Dale still wasn't present. I was still very scared and nervous and finally asked where Dale was. I was afraid they'd forgotten to let him into the OR. I was assured he'd be with me in a minute.
Once they were ready to begin the operation, Dale was hustled in and given a seat to the left of my head. I could mostly see him if I twisted my neck. I could see the digital video camera he had pointed at my face. I wiggled my left hand free of the blankets covering it and he reached out and held it. Without any further ado, the doctors began.
I don't know any of the technical aspects of the surgery, except that early on, they cauterized me. I saw wisps of smoke drift up, then I could smell burning flesh. MY burning flesh. I tucked my face lower into the oxygen mask, hoping to avoid smelling it any more. Brian talked to us through the operation. He was really nice and it helped. I'd read that the baby is usually delivered during the first 10 or so minutes of the procedure and it seemed like more time than that had passed, so I wondered when it would happen.
At one point, I heard Dr. Storey ask the assisting doctor to hold my bladder. That amused me in a freaky kind of way and you can hear her say it and see my reaction on the video Dale made.
Ok, I need to go feed Olivia now, so I'll have to continue this later.
January 12, 2005
Olivia is here!
Olivia was born this morning at 7:58 am. She weighs in at 7 pounds 4.9 ounces and is 19 inches long. Pam and Olivia are both fine although Pam is really drugged up right now. Tomorrow she may have a different opinion. As soon as I figure out Pamela's site setup I'll post my favorite pics.
(Dale)
Update: pictures are here, here, here, and here.
38 wk Checkup / Final Pre-natal
We had our final prenatal visit today. My vitals were fine. My final weight seems to be 16lbs more than pre-pregnancy. There wasn't an ultrasound done, but we got to endure another fetal non-stress test. Olivia was more cooperative this time. It wasn't necessary to press the heart monitor into my belly this time, and she started off the test with hiccups. She also had intermittent movements throughout the test, so I got to press the little button plenty of times, unlike the last test when she adamantly refused to move, despite a pre-test meal and repeated zapping with the buzzer.
Olivia also seems to be just fine. I'm actually about 1cm dilated now, but we're still on track for the C-section tomorrow morning.
I had plenty of questions for the doctor this time, though I'm sure there are still plenty I forgot. I've probably already forgotten about some of what I asked. Let's see what I can remember.
- I need to have my bedtime snack and insulin shot at midnight. No more food and drink after midnight. No insulin in the morning. (Oh, that reminds me! I have to go do my shot/snack now!)
- We need to be at the hospital by 6am. We are to go right to the 4th floor (maternity) to check in.
- If the procedure gets started at 7:30am (as scheduled) and there are no complications, we should be done by 8:30am.
- Visiting hours end at 9pm. That means my parents and sister will have to hustle from the airport if they want to see us and the baby Wednesday night. :(
- The incision will go right across the two scars from my laparoscopy. But it's going to be a LOT longer than those incisions were.
- Cord blood storage is something they will do, but we needed to have contracted with a storage place and gotten a kit already, which we haven't done. So no cord blood storage for us.
- There is a lactation consultant on staff.
- I don't really need to bring anything for the baby, but most people have a special "going home" outfit. For myself, Dr. Storey recommended just wearing the hospital gowns to keep my own from getting stained (breast-feeding and incision leakage) but to bring my own robe and slippers.
- I am scheduled to stay in the hospital for four days. If I'm feeling up to it and recovering well, I might get to leave on Day 3 (Saturday).
I also brought up an issue Dale and I had discussed previously but kept forgetting to mention to Dr. Storey. When I had the laparoscopy in May and the ectopic pregnancy was removed, Dr. Vaughn (my reproductive endocrinologist) had wanted to remove the affected fallopian tube, but since he hadn't discussed it with me beforehand, he couldn't. I asked Dr. Storey if she could go ahead and remove the tube during the C-section because I was afraid of the high risk of ectopics if I had any other pregnancies. I expected a lengthy discussion, but to my surprise, she readily agreed. I just had to contact Dr. Vaughn to confirm which tube it was because non of my records specified it. We were pretty sure it was the left tube, and later, I confirmed that it was. So tomorrow Dr. Storey will remove my left fallopian tube after delivering Olivia.
And that wraps up the appointment recap.
Early in the evening, Dale's Mom stopped by. She asked us if we were scared. We both said yes, and she said she couldn't tell. Dale said he was pretty laid back. I said I'd probably freak out later. A couple of hours later, while Dale and I were at dinner, I asked him what time it was (8:30pm). We then discussed the fact that in less than 24 hours, we'd be parents. I said I hoped we won't screw her up too much. Then the predicted freak out hit. I said, "in 24 hours, they're going to ram a giant needle into my spine and cut my abdomen open." I can't even remember what Dale said. Then I said, "I wonder what she'll look like," and burst into tears.
Poor Dale tried to comfort me while I had a taco in one hand and a napkin covering my eyes with the other. Fortunately, the freak out was fairly short and quiet. We finished dinner then went out to pick up a few things and head home. Since then, I've continued washing baby items and setting up the nursery while Dale's set up the computer room and living room.
Now it's nearly 12:15am. Time for me to stop typing and pack my hospital bag. Wish us luck!
January 04, 2005
37wk Ultrasound, Checkup, and BIG News
This afternoon I had my second prenatal visit with my new Houston ob/gyn. We started out with an ultrasound. The tech was very cheerful and kept making comments about "cute feet and hands" and "there's her upper lip/profile/thigh." She checked the amount of amniotic fluid (good) and measured Olivia. Then she gave us a couple of pictures (which I will have to scan in later) and sent us on to another exam room. We forgot to ask about the baby's measurements then, but we got them later.
My vitals were taken (blood pressure - good, weight - possibly up a pound or two, urine - everything ok), then I was instructed to strip from the waist down. After doing so, the nurse returned to tell me we had to move to the room next door. Rather than redressing, she had me put on a hospital gown over my shirt. Unfortunately, it wasn't big enough to close in the back, so I got to put a second gown on backwards just to keep my butt covered as I walked the three feet to the next room.
The reason I was moved was because they wanted to do another fetal non-stress test and the first room didn't have a monitor. Olivia proved difficult again and the only way the nurse was able to get a decent heart reading was to yank the straps on the monitor as tightly as possible and manually press the monitor into my abdomen. Calling it uncomfortable is a bit of an understatement. Olivia also refused to move, aside from a few kicks at the very beginning. Even using the zapper provoked no response, aside from causing her heartrate to accelerate. (But the doctor later said that was fine.) It was during this test that I had to break out the yoghurt drink as mentioned in my last post.
Dr. Storey said that despite the difficulties with the non-stress test, the readings looked good. She also checked my cervix (the reason for being de-pantsed) and said I still hadn't started to dilate. We all realized I hadn't gotten the results of my group-B strep test, so she had a nurse call my Austin doctor, who promptly faxed over the results (negative).
At the beginning of the non-stress test, the nurse had checked the records to see what the tech had estimated Olivia's weight at. She's up to about 8 1/2 lbs and is now in the 95th percentile for her gestational age. Dr. Storey was concerned that Olivia could be up to 9lbs by next week, and with my height/size (I'm only 5'3"), vaginal delivery could be difficult and traumatic, and she may not even fit through my birth canal. We all promptly decided that a Cesarean section would be best for her and for me.
Dr. Storey wanted to deliver her a week early, but that was a Saturday, so she first attempted to schedule it for the day before. But there were some conflicts with various parties that needed to be present at the proper date and time (first thing in the morning), so I ended up getting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 12th, at 7:30am.
Can I freak out now?? Our baby is going to be delivered in ONE WEEK! I am so excited and so scared!
Another Gestational Diabetes update
Last week I had the last appointment with my endocrinologist. We went over my logs, he did a quick physical checkup, then he upped a couple of my dosages by two units (lunch and bedtime). Dr. Moore was fine with me continuing to send my logs in to his office until I deliver. During delivery, a Houston endocrinologist on staff at the hospital will be monitoring me.
Dr. Moore also told me that in these last few weeks, I might actually have to start reducing my dosages. Dropping a few units each wouldn't be abnormal. I think he's right. The last couple of days, I've dropped low unexpectedly. Yesterday morning, I started to get hypoglycemic three times before lunch even though I was eating the same stuff as usual and eating/injecting at the proper times. One time, my glucose was at an all-time low of 54. (I start showing hypoglycemia symptoms when my blood sugar hits the low 70's.) Today, we checked after lunch and despite eating the required amount of carbs, my glucose level was 85 instead the usual 120-125. I was at my ob/gyn's office at the time, in the middle of an exam, and had to break out a yoghurt drink I'd packed "just in case." I'm glad I brought it or things could have gotten ugly.
I'm really going to have to watch my blood sugar closely now.