Saturday, February 26, 2011

Parenting Week 1

Wow a week already?!?!
Since we got home Arturo and I have been settling into being new parents. Since he has been off of work with me Artuo has been a GREAT help around the house. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Sabrina and me. Since I breastfeed I am obviously the only one who can take care of feedings, so Arturo makes sure he volunteers to change almost every dirty diaper and cuddle her if she is a little cranky. I know he will go back to work soon and all and I wont have the extra help during the day, but for the time being it is great to have the extra set of hands and just to be spending time together as a family.

I am feeling very good since having Sabrina and I am recovering well in my own opinion. I even ventured out and went grocery shopping yesterday. Arturo volunteered to do it, but I wanted to. So he stayed home with Sabrina. It was nice to get out of the house and do something "normal" but I found myself trying to hurry so I could get back home to be with Arturo and Sabrina.

Today I spent some time putting together a photo album of all the pictures from the hospital and since we have been home. I cannot believe how many pictures we have taken already! I also gathered things like our hospital wrist bands, her head cap, and cards we recieved at her birth and put them in a keepsake box for her and I began to fill in the first pages of her baby book. It will be fun to show it all to her in the years to come.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sabrina is Here!

Oh my gosh! We are a Mommy and Daddy Now! It still doesnt feel real to say that, but it feels so good!

Okay, so a lot has happened this week, I need to back track.

After a weekend on bedrest I called my doctor on Monday (2/14) He recommended I just stay on bedrest for Monday and come see him for my scheduled checkup the next day. So I went in Tuesday (2/15) and first order of business was to check my blood pressure. It was still elevated and he immediately said I need to get induced so I can have the baby to be safe. I was scheduled to go in at 1:00am on Thursday 2/17 to Banner Estrella Hospital to begin the process and until then remain on bedrest. When the time came for me to go to the hospital for my induction they let me know that they were just too full with women already in labor and I would be delayed, for how long, they didn't know. I was told to just wait. By mid afternoon Thursday my doctor called me and told me that Banner Estrella was so backed up that they may not even get to my induction until Monday or Tuesday and because of my bloodpressure he didn't want to wait. So we moved my induction to West Valley Hospital in Goodyear (closer to home actually) and they would be able to check me in that night. So Thursday night at 10:30 (2/17) I was admitted to West Valley Hospital to begin the process. So here is the timeline of my labor and delivery...  It was a slow start but got very exciting very fast.

Thursday night 2/17 10:30pm - Check in, get into my room, have bloodwork done, insert my IV, complete medical history questioning.

Friday 2/18 1:00am - I was given a gel in my cervix called Prostaglandin Gel, this gel helps you to begin having contractions and soften your cervix. I was asked to spend one hour in bed, one hour walking, then another hour in bed (3 hours total). I started having small contractions right away.

4:00am - I was checked by the nurse and I was 2 cm dilated. She gave me another gel treatment and followed the same 3 hour - bed, walk, bed routine.

7:00am - I was checked again and I was 2.5 cm dilated. I figured since I had not made much progress with the 2nd gel treatment I would be in for a long labor.... But things changed very quickly. Around 7:15 they started me on pitocin and my contractions instantly got a little more strong.

8:00am - The nurse told me my doctor was on his was to come break my water and also asked me if I needed anything for pain. I knew I wanted and epidural eventually but wasnt sure when to get it. She said I could have it anytime I wanted, but if I knew 100% I was going to have one either way I should just get it early and avoid too much pain. So we agreed to just call for the anesthesiologist and see when he could come. Well he wasnt doing anything so he was there really quickly. My doctor actually showed up at the same time. I had my water broken first and then they started my epidural. Thank goodness I agreed to have the epidural done when I did because once my water was broken I was instantly sent into hard contractions. The process to get the epidural took a little bit and I was contracting the whole time, so I was thankful when it began to work.

9:00am - My epidural was gradually taking away my pain and I was preparing to settle in to get some rest from a sleepless night of walking the halls of the hospital. But there was one spot on my right side that the pain just wouldnt go away. So I let the nurse know.

9:30am - My nurse came to check on me and my pain that wasnt going away. She checked me at the same time and I WAS 9 CM!!!!! (only 1 hour after having my water broken I went from 3cm-9cm) I was in shock! She told them to call my doctor to get ready for delivery. I stopped her and said "Please, you need to call the anesthesiologist to fix my epidural, I dont want to push until it is working all the way." She went and got him very quickly for me and he gave me some more medicine and ahhhhhhhh........ relief!

10:00am -I had 1 more centimeter to go so I took advantage and rested a little. The room began to fill with nurses, my mom arrived, and then my doctor. He checked me and I was ready to push!!!! Oh my gosh! This was it!!!!

10:30am - They got me in position and the nurse explained to me what was going to happen and told me how to push. They had me do a couple "practice" pushes. Turns out I was a really good pusher, my doctor told me he was impressed. Arturo and I think I pushed about 5 times, it happened very fast. Then at 10:54am on February 18th, Sabrina was born!!!! It was so amazing! They put her on my chest and the first thing I said was "SHE LOOKS EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED SHE WOULD!" My doctor laughed. Then I said "That was so easy! I did it!" I watched Arturo cut the umbilical cord I helped wipe her off and they took her to be evaluated. She scored two 9's for her apgars She was 19 1/4 inches long and weighed a petiete 6lbs 3oz.

We stayed in the hospital for 48 hours after the birth and just got home yesterday. Life is good as parents so far. Sabrina is very good at breastfeeding and loves to cuddle. She does not like having a dirty diaper and lets us know very quickly when she needs a change. She has really big beautiful eyes and likes to be propped up on a pillow on my lap and we just stare at eachother and I talk to her. Arturo has 2 weeks off of work to help me around the house and spend time with Sabrina, we are enjoying our time together as a new family.


One cool thing about the hospital I delivered at is they send a professional photographer to your room and they take pictures of you and your baby. They did an AMAZING job! Here are some of the images.








Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Night in the Hospital

How do you like to spend your Friday nights? Go to a movie? Go out to dinner? Spend time with friends? Well Sabrina thinks I like to spend my Friday nights in the hospital. ha ha Well it's not really her fault, let me explain.

Yesterday was a normal Friday, I worked until 4:00 but after work I needed to go to the doctors office to have some bloodwork re-done because earlier this week my doctor noticed my blood pressure was high so naturally he tested me for preeclampsia. My inital bloodwork was inconclusive hence why I was going back on Friday after work to perform the test again. Anyways...

On the way to the doctor I realized my feet and legs were feeling really puffy and uncomfortable, and my hands and arms were looking a little more swollen than normal. I didn't think anything of it, thought it was normal swelling. Ran in had my blood drawn and went home. When I got home my feet and legs were so swollen they hurt! I took a bath to try and relax, and then layed down on the couch with my feet propped up and a big glass of water, trying to help the swelling go down. I sent a tex mesage to my sister telling her what was going on and she urged me to call the doctor, reluctantly I did.

My doctor was not on call, so another doctor in the practice talked to me and immediately told me to go to the hospital to get checked out. We headed to OB Triage around 9:30 they checked me in, and took my blood pressue, it was high. So they set me up to be monitored for a while. My blood pressure fluctuated most of the night and was on average just a tad high, they ran blood work (YAY 2nd time getting poked in one day!) The tests do not show any signs of preeclampsia and my bloodpressure was slowly lowering and regulating closer to normal. So they sent me home around 1:00am.

The OB on call ordered my to bedrest for the weekend and to call my own doctor on Monday to see what he wants to do next. I am anticipating that he may keep me on bedrest and keep a close eye on me until I deliver. I am hoping to avoid being induced if I can so I am trying to make sure I stay relaxed and keep my blood pressure down. I have complete faith that I will go into labor on my own if I am allowed because I have been having contractions for a while and even lastnight in the hosptial they verified that I was contracting, just not regularly. And when they checked me I was ALMOST 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. So I know my body can do this... For now the plan is to rest and relax...... and wait.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

37 Weeks

I am now considered FULL TERM! woo hoo! That means that any time Sabrina wants to come the doctor will not stop me from having her.
This makes me happy, but also a tiny bit anxious because it really could be any time now that I can have her.

I had my regular Tuesday doctor's appointment this week and I had dilated to 1cm. I was encouraged to hear that because I have still been having small conrations daily and it was good to know that they were productive contractions and not just annoying me for no reason. This week I had more contractions and they seem to be getting stronger than before, but still not strong enough or in any timeable patterm that would warrant me calling the doctor or going to the hospital to get checked out. So with all the activity, I am interested to see this Tuesday if I have dilated more. I a not trying to get my hopes up because I know some women can be stuck at 1cm for weeks and then still suddenly go in to full blown labor. But any dilating I can do now before I am in big time labor will hopefully mean a quicker smoother deilvery when the time really comes.

Arturo is so sweet, he is getting anxious for the big day. He is on pins and needles ready to go at any time. He is convinced that I am going to go into labor at any second, while I guess I am slightly in denial and keep having to reassure him that we have time and not to worry. I guess I wouldn't say I am in denial, its more like trying not to get my hopes up any time I have a little cramp, or pain. I dont want to be that woman who "cries wolf" and gets sent home from the hospital five times before she is really in labor.

In the mean time, we continue to wait patiently and are enjoying our last few weeks (or so) of child free living. ha ha
Here is a picture of me this week. When you compare it to last week, you can tell I have "dropped" looks like Sabrina is settling in to position to make her appearance soon!