3-10 months

 

Two Months

Glad we have these things

Munchkin Wipe Warmer

This has made diaper changes much more pleasant for baby and it has a night light. When the wipes are cold, he screams, when they are warm, he is okay.

I purchased this humidifier to help with breathing. He sounds like he has congestion due to the c-section and according to the doctor, he will sound like that for a few months. It's cute and it works well.

The First Years Car Bottle Warmer

This takes a while (15 minutes) to warm up the bottles, but overall it is an excellent must have. I only paid $5.00 for it on Ebay including shipping.

Munchkin Bottle Warmer

This warms bottles well, but it is too loud when it beeps. Milk heats evenly too. It also came with a pacifier sterilizer.

Infant Optics Video Monitor

This was a great investment, it was $99.99. Though he is sleeping in our room right now, we can see him without having to get out of the bed. It is pretty cool that the video and sound comes on when he cries.

Onsie stickers to mark each months milestone. I only paid $12.00 for these on Amazon and I love seeing how he has changed each month.

Baby boy sounds like he has so much snot and mucus in his nose so I bought this after using the bulb from the hospital and the Graco electronic aspirator. Though this is manual suction, it is wonderful and their is a filter so snot won't get in your mouth. Baby hates it, but oh well.

One Month

Okay I could have used a better one month picture, but what can I say he looks mean like his mommy!

Arrival of Joy

On the morning of December 28, 2011, I was scheduled to be at the hospital by 5:00 for my scheduled c-section. The night before the big day, we were absolutely wired! I did not sleep and Jarvis did not sleep. We got approximately 2 hours of sleep then it was time to get up and get ready. We arrived at the hospital and 4:40am and they took me straight back. I was so nervous that I didn’t know what to do. I dressed out into a hospital gown and went over medical information regarding my health and signed consent forms and etc. I was hooked to the belt to monitor my contractions and I was having light contractions. Now that I knew what a contraction felt like, I saw that I had been having them for the last two weeks. It was then time for my IV. I thought to myself “not ready yet!” I asked for my arm to be numbed prior to the IV and the nurse said that it may not be possible because it would make my vein roll or difficult to find. Well that scared me the thought of getting an IV without getting numbed first but luckily I was numbed and my vein was easy to find. I was then shaved at the site where the incision would be and with me being extra ticklish, it was rough! I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. Jarvis looked at me as though he was embarrassed and said to the nurse “she has always been like this”. Approximately 20 minutes after receiving my IV, the nurse told me that the anesthesiologist would be in 15 minutes to do my epidural and needless to say, he came in within five minutes and Jarvis was asked to leave the room. I was shaking as though I had been left out in the cold naked. I was not mentally prepared and afraid that I would have a panic attack so I asked for something for anxiety. The doctor told me that it will make me very sleepy and I told him that I did not care. Once I received the anxiety drug, I instantly felt sleepy and could barely keep my eyes open. Next I was guided into the position to receive the epidural and I was terrified. I hunched my back like a cat and I was guided step-by-step of what was going on and how it would feel. I have to say, the doctor was right on point because I felt everything that he said that I would feel. I did not move, but I grunted one time and the doctor somewhat went off and said “DON”T DO THAT”. After the epidural was administered, I remember looking at the clock and it was 7:02 am and my doctor came in to talk to me and tell me that it was time, but I could not focus because of the drugs. Jarvis came back into the room as they were preparing to roll me away. He was dressed in scrubs and looked nervous and excited. Once inside the operating room, the nurse anesthetist introduced himself, gave me oxygen, and told me to let him know if I felt anything or had any discomfort. I was then transferred to the operating table under the light. I was introduced to another physician that would be assisting my doctor. I was rolled on my left and right side and I yelled “OMG yall are going to drop me, why are you rolling me”. They reassured me that I would not be dropped and that the purpose of the rolling was to evenly distribute medicine. After that, my c-section started. My doctor started telling me his every move and I quickly intervened and said that “I’m so sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, but please don’t tell me anything that’s going on, just do it”. From that point on, I heard nothing but silence and smelled my flesh burning. The nurse anesthesist stood up and looked over the sheet then told Jarvis to get the camera ready because it was time. I was stoked and at the same time extremely tired/sleepy. The baby came out screaming and crying and I saw him for a few seconds before they cleaned him up and then he was brought back and placed on my chest briefly and then into Jarvis’ arms after we posed for a picture. My arms were not strapped down as I thought they would be, they told me that strapping depends on the patient. Jarvis and the baby were escorted to a recovery room and I patiently laid there waiting to be sewn back up. Once I got into recovery, a nurse placed him on my chest for skin to skin contact. We were there for about 2 hours and my mother was in the waiting room and practically blew Jarvis’ cell phone up. She thought we intentionally kept her out of the room despite her previously being told that hospital policy states that I could have one person with me and I chose my husband. Once I was transported into a room, the wait was another hour for any visitors so that I could get vitals, settled in, and etc. Once in the room, I quickly regained my feeling and was directed to use the pain pump every 6 minutes. I have to admit, once everything wore off, “that junk hurt”! I was confined to the bed along with a liquid diet. I just wanted to eat and the broth they gave me was disgusting so I just drank a lot of apple and grape juice. I begged for a sprite to help with my nausea but I was denied because it would cause more gas. UGH!

Since the arrival of our son, I have had very little to no time to update this blog and I will get to it when I can. I have so much more to say, but my time is up because I have to tend to the little one and get myself a nap while he naps.

This post will be continued…..

 

 

39 Weeks

Everything is surreal! I have so many emotions (good ones) going through my head. After almost one year of pregnancy, he is almost here!

My last day of work for maternity leave ended up being December 16 which was earlier than I had planned. I chose to come off work because I could barely walk with the swollen feet and rash on my feet. My body itched so badly that I needed to be at home dressed lightly to have a tad bit of relief. I initially planned on December 22 being my last day since December 23 and 26 were paid holidays. Despite things not going as planned, I enjoyed a few days off of work to prepare for baby and have some semi-relax time.

My biopsy results came in from the dermatologist indicating that I did not have PUPPP as originally thought, but I have Uticaria which is a form of hives. He said that it was probably a medication or something that I have eaten that produced them. I thought it was crazy because I haven’t done anything differently. I was prescribed a six day steroid pill, but I decided not to take it until childbirth. I felt as though if I’ve been itching this long; I could go an extra week or two if necessary.

On the Friday before my scheduled c-section, I had my last appointment with my doctor and we talked about the procedure and what to do and not to do. I won’t go into detail, but my only option for childbirth was via cesarean. I felt like that was a bummer, but on the same token, I did not care as long as our son came out safely. I was told that the cesarean would take approximately 45 minutes. Five minutes to get the baby out and forty minutes to stitch me back up.

38 Weeks

37 Weeks

It seems like everything has been going downhill since the start of week 36. On Thursday December 1, 2011, I noticed that my belly was beginning to itch more than usual. Well the itching continued and it started looking more like a rash. Luckily I had an appointment with the doctor on the following day. I showed my doctor the rash that had started from my belly and was now on my hands and arms. He prescribed me with hydrocortisone cream 1% and sent me to a dermatologist. Well scheduled the appointment with the dermatologist on 12/6 at 7:30 am. Everyone was very friendly at the office. I went into a room with the nurse and she took down my patient history. I was then told to put on a hospital gown which I already saw coming, but still dreaded it. The doctor then came into the room along with the same nurse and he began to question me about what was going on. I outright stated that “I am miserable and I will take anything that you give me that won’t hurt my baby!” He did a dry chuckle and began to examine my arms and asked to see my stomach. He quickly stated that I had PUPPP which stands for Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy. I pretty much already knew that I had PUPPP thanks to a very intelligent classmate telling me about it on facebook and of course I obsessed over researching it. The doctor told me that he wanted to biopsy my skin to ensure that nothing was auto-immune. The nurse numbed my arm which hurt just a tad bit then the doctor checked to see if I could feel anything and clipped a piece of skin off. I don’t know what anything looked like when in was happening because I never look because I’ll get lightheaded. I will get the results in two weeks.

On another note, the movement as far as kicking goes has decreased drastically and he rolls a lot which feels like pure pressure. To be in my last month of pregnancy, I get pretty good sleep. Having PUPPP and frequent urination is the cause of my frequent insomnia. I do find it very difficult to get comfortable, sitting, standing, and rolling over. My stomach feels so heavy and is feeling heavier by the day.

Results from my strep-b test were normal. During that particular visit with the doctor, labor and delivery was thoroughly discussed. I was told by my doctor that I would more than likely need a c-section otherwise possibly be in labor for 18-24 hours. I then scheduled the c-section for December 28. It would have been December 27, but that day was booked up. This pregnancy has flown by and now that it is down to the wire, it is going so slow! As I type on this day, it is 9 days away and I have so many mixed emotions with the biggest one being excitement. I am ready to meet him, get rid of this rash, and most of all get it over with.

My maternity leave started on December 16, 2011 and I was initially going to work up until December 22, 2011, but having the rash and other ailments completely changed my mind. When the rash spread to my swollen feet that was it for me with work. It itches so badly and it itches so badly it is crippling. My walking looks horrible because I am rocking and limping. The baby has been pressing on a nerve which has my entire left leg in pain.  If I must say, the 9^th month has been a month to remember.

36 Weeks

 

35 Weeks, I'm ready!

Pain, contractions or something......

I don't know what's going on, but it sure does hurt......

34 Weeks

Retaining Water in my feet, BAD!

Comfortable Crocs

I am officially tired of being pregnant! Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful and view this pregnancy as a huge blessing, but I am so over it and ready to meet our precious son. My morning sickness is back and I cannot throw-up. I still do the stupid dry-heaving which is way worse. I can hardly sleep because I can’t get comfortable because my hip and my legs constantly hurt. Sitting and standing is becoming a chore. I find myself grunting when I stand because of the pressure and I see it getting slower each time. I’m always getting laughed at followed by the comment “you have three bullets on your shirt”. One of the bullets is my protruding belly button and I will leave the second and third bullet to the imagination. I wish that there was no such thing as sneezing. OMG! Sneezing hurts so badly and I brace myself for it every time. If I had my way, I would not do anymore sneezing until at least 6 months post-partum.

I could seriously use 2-3 more pairs of maternity pants, but I refuse to purchase any this far along. I did have to break down and by some Crocs because my shoes are not fitting with the swelling. They were $40.00 on the Crocs website and $27.00 on Amazon with free shipping. I may just order a brown pair because they are so light and comfortable!

This post is being typed on Thanksgiving and I have done almost nothing. I have four consecutive days off of work and I am trying my best to stay off of my feet as the doctor suggested. I have been elevated pretty much all day and the swelling has gone down, but still pretty bad. I am not going to any Black Friday sales nor did I get a newspaper to view the sales. I had a pep talk with myself to get me through everything. In the past, even when I did not go shopping, I still always got a newspaper. First of all my feet have been way too swollen to be worried about going to shopping. Secondly, I’m out of breath. I would not make it 2 hours in those crowds especially with the frequent urination. Third, I was just a tad bit frightened at the thought of being in the midst of people running and possibly fighting and etc. I didn’t want to put my unborn child at risk. Maybe next year….

I had an appointment with the doctor on 11/23/11 and I gained 14 lbs in two weeks!!!!! That’s right, 14 lbs in two weeks! The doctor said that he is not too concerned because my weight has stayed the same for the past 5 visits and he would like to see if I lose some of the weight/water by my next appointment. We discussed some of the upcoming tests and that during the next appointment; I will begin getting pelvic exams and discussing labor. I am stoked and ready!

I still have to find a pediatrician and I have to do it fast. I have been researching and I am down to three choices, but I still haven’t called them.

33 Weeks

Look my nose is spreading!

32 Weeks

Trying on a bridesmaid dress

Though you can see something red in the background, I promise that it is not a red towel. My lovely husband hung a blanket on the hook.

31 Weeks

Well as you can see, I haven’t had much to say in a while. I am tired and I think that I’m doing well just to upload a picture. Nothing much has happened since my last words. If I’m not mistaken, I took my glucose test at 28 weeks and I passed it. My one hour test was incorporated with the three hour because it was obvious that I would fail the one hour. I passed the test without being on Glucophage too! The medicine had been out of my system for well over a month prior to the glucose test. I stopped taking it because it made me too sick to take in conjunction with an antibiotic the doctor put me on for some other issues. I drank the fruit punch solution for the testing and I must say, it did not taste bad, but I was so sick. I was determined not to throw-up and I didn’t. I simply couldn’t fathom the thought of having to come back to retest. It was so boring sitting there for 3 ½ hours. I had plenty of books, magazines, and my phone charger, but that didn’t help. I was about to starve and baby boy was kicking non-stop and probably wondering why mommy would not feed him. As soon as the test came to an end, I immediately headed to the hospital cafeteria to eat. When I made it down there, guess what, they still had 10 minutes until opening. I was so hungry and lightheaded because I had not eaten. I said that everything would be okay as long as I eat before I left the hospital. I remember thinking to myself, “if I pass out, this is the best place to do it”. So the cafeteria finally opened and I got some spaghetti and green beans. I instantly felt better after getting some food into my system. I forgot to mention that I had a coupon for $5.00 off my meal and I only had to pay some change, woot woot! A few months ago, the hospital sent me a handful of very useful coupons; I also used free valet parking that day!

30 weeks