Since I am deleting my 'myspace' page, I have decided to copy and paste a few of the blogs from there, to here. They are pretty old... but after you read them, you will understand why I don't want to just delete them. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, maybe I will print them and put them in the memory box :)
Saturday, June 2, 2007: I'm Preggo!
Well, as some of you know- Tom and I are expecting. I found out last week; however, I knew when it happened. I figure that I will be due January 29, 2008. Hopefully s/he won't be born on th 17th. My Cousin, Mother-In-Law and Nephew all have their big day on that day! Anywho, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We need as many happy thoughts as can be. We don't want to go through a miscarriage again- that was by far the worst experience I (we) have ever been though. We were not going to say anything until I was further along- but the cat got out of the bag....So how do I feel you might be wondering. Well, sore. I know I am only a little over a month along- but BOY O BOY, I feel pregnant!
Tata for now peeps!
(Ultrasound picture at about 35 weeks...maybe???)Sunday, August 12, 2007: Cravings!
So far this pregnancy has been a blessing. No complications or issues- well, except the "food" issue! I am ALWAYS finding myself hungry, which isn't too bad- only because I have not really gained any weight yet. However, I am sure that will all change once I see the doctor on August 23. I am hoping to have only gained no more than 5lbs. BUUUUUT, here comes the kicker... the cravings!
I find myself longing for pepperchinis with EVERYTHING- including vanilla ice-cream. Screw the pickles and ice-cream... give me the damn 'chinies! The other, Buffalo wings, chicken, buffalo spice-period! Instead of wasting money on buffalo spices to make your own wings, I have (or Tom I should say) come up with a cheaper, yummier alternative- Tapatio. I soak my chicken in tapitio and cook after sometime of soaking. And yes, incase you are wondering- the pepperchinis are in the maranade!I am a pleased that my cravings, thus far, are not in the sweets department. I had a sweet tooth when prego with Abby- and it got me into A LOT of trouble! At least this way, the spices will help shead themselves out of me- rather than stick to my thighs! O'gross- sorry I went there!
I was getting a little hungry (as always), so I thought I would share my "foods for thought" on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, with you!
I find myself longing for pepperchinis with EVERYTHING- including vanilla ice-cream. Screw the pickles and ice-cream... give me the damn 'chinies! The other, Buffalo wings, chicken, buffalo spice-period! Instead of wasting money on buffalo spices to make your own wings, I have (or Tom I should say) come up with a cheaper, yummier alternative- Tapatio. I soak my chicken in tapitio and cook after sometime of soaking. And yes, incase you are wondering- the pepperchinis are in the maranade!I am a pleased that my cravings, thus far, are not in the sweets department. I had a sweet tooth when prego with Abby- and it got me into A LOT of trouble! At least this way, the spices will help shead themselves out of me- rather than stick to my thighs! O'gross- sorry I went there!
I was getting a little hungry (as always), so I thought I would share my "foods for thought" on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, with you!
Monday, January 7, 2008: 36 weeks and getting closer
(36.5 weeks along)
Well, the countdown is finally coming. I am super excited and just want to meet Baby Werner. We have finally decided on the names. For a GIRL: Isabella Renee & BOY: Tommy Lee. Yes, like the rock has-been... but MORE IMPORTANTLY, daddy.
With D-Day coming closer, I have decided to jump ahead into my class work. I am taking all internet classes this semester- and two of them are loaded and ready to go. I love Doc C... he is so on top of his courses! I do have a heafty load to keep up with though. I have Biology of Aging, Anat/Phys II, Statistics & Spirituality in the 21st Century.
Baby has been moving a lot lately...ok, (s)he has always moved a lot! Baby is head down and bumps his/her head "down there"- almost feels as if (s)he is trying to escape...which wouldn't surprise me; it is an awefully crammed space!
I now see my doctor once a week & have been going to St. Lukes to have a weekly biophysical profile done. The BPP measures the babys heartrate, measures the amniotic fluid and makes sure baby is active and practicing his/her breathing techniques. It is a great feeling to be able to see baby on the screen, it is reassuring to me that (s)he is healthy and (I hope) happy!
I am having a baby shower soon and can't wait to see my friends that I haven't seen in a while... and hopefully their babys too! I will post more as the weeks go by... and if you don't hear/see me on-line- hopefully I will be in the Labor & Delivery room!!!
Anywho, that is all for now.
Tata!
With D-Day coming closer, I have decided to jump ahead into my class work. I am taking all internet classes this semester- and two of them are loaded and ready to go. I love Doc C... he is so on top of his courses! I do have a heafty load to keep up with though. I have Biology of Aging, Anat/Phys II, Statistics & Spirituality in the 21st Century.
Baby has been moving a lot lately...ok, (s)he has always moved a lot! Baby is head down and bumps his/her head "down there"- almost feels as if (s)he is trying to escape...which wouldn't surprise me; it is an awefully crammed space!
I now see my doctor once a week & have been going to St. Lukes to have a weekly biophysical profile done. The BPP measures the babys heartrate, measures the amniotic fluid and makes sure baby is active and practicing his/her breathing techniques. It is a great feeling to be able to see baby on the screen, it is reassuring to me that (s)he is healthy and (I hope) happy!
I am having a baby shower soon and can't wait to see my friends that I haven't seen in a while... and hopefully their babys too! I will post more as the weeks go by... and if you don't hear/see me on-line- hopefully I will be in the Labor & Delivery room!!!
Anywho, that is all for now.
Tata!
(baby shower for baby Werner...gender unknown!)Monday, February 11, 2008: Isabella Entrance
(few hours after giving birth to Isabella)It has been a week now, and some of you have been asking about her birth. So here it is. I will tell it like it went...so if your not into graphic details (not too many), don't read on!
On Superbowl Sunday (Feb 3)- my mom and I went out to the mall for the afternoon. I had some contractions, but nothing that caught my attention. They were very spread out, but hard. They hurt to the point where I would have to stop walking. (Oh, by the way, the day before I went to school and walked the track for like an hour) So anywho, we get home and nothing is happening. I was frustrated to say the least.
About 10:30pm I got up to go to the bathroom and when I wiped, low and behold...I was bleeding. I wasn't having any steady contractions at this point either. They ranged from 6 minutes to 20 minutes apart. So I told Tom that I think that I might have the baby tomorrow and that I was bleeding. I think that freaked him out- he wanted to go to the L & D birthing center and have me checked out. I had my doubts, thinking (even with the blood) it was just a false alarm. But I proceeded and we left at 10:45pm.
At 11pm we arived in the birthing center. The resident MD checked me and I was only 3cm and contractions were (FINALLY) about 2-3 minutes apart and STRONG! At midnight they put in a call to my doctor to ask if they could break my water to "speed things up". At 12:54 they broke my water. Holy Shishcabobs...boy did the labor hurt from there on out.
I sat on the birthing ball (big yoga ball) for about 20 minutes, riding out contraction after contraction. Breathing just like the doula had taught me a month ago. I got to the point where I "knew" something was just not right. I looked at my nurse and told her..."you need to check me, now". I got into the bed and I was 8cm. I told them at that point that I couldn't do it anymore and I needed something. But that wasn't gonna happen. They knew that I didn't want drugs and it was FAR TO LATE for the epi. Even if I wanted it, there was just no time!
So the scramble began. Machines brought in for baby, bed takin apart for delivery, doctor preping me for delivery. Labor was in full force. I needed to push by about 1:30am. But my doctor was not at the hospital yet. He was still on his way! I took small breaths through 4 contractions and finally had to give in. "I NEED TO PUSH". They told me to wait, Dr. was on his was and if I hold on for 2 more contractions, he will be here. HA! I told them I couldn't wait. Those two contractions later Isabella was out. After the drama of her coming into this world, I could hear my doctor running down the hallway. Sad to say, he was their to witness the placenta being born! Poor guy, and he was so looking forward to this birth.
She weighted 7lbs 7oz and was 19in. Lots of vernix (cheese) on her and they kept some of it one her- per my birthing plan. It was a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
That's the story. Not too gorry or eww. Simple and fast
(Isaboos first picture...cheese and all!)On Superbowl Sunday (Feb 3)- my mom and I went out to the mall for the afternoon. I had some contractions, but nothing that caught my attention. They were very spread out, but hard. They hurt to the point where I would have to stop walking. (Oh, by the way, the day before I went to school and walked the track for like an hour) So anywho, we get home and nothing is happening. I was frustrated to say the least.
About 10:30pm I got up to go to the bathroom and when I wiped, low and behold...I was bleeding. I wasn't having any steady contractions at this point either. They ranged from 6 minutes to 20 minutes apart. So I told Tom that I think that I might have the baby tomorrow and that I was bleeding. I think that freaked him out- he wanted to go to the L & D birthing center and have me checked out. I had my doubts, thinking (even with the blood) it was just a false alarm. But I proceeded and we left at 10:45pm.
At 11pm we arived in the birthing center. The resident MD checked me and I was only 3cm and contractions were (FINALLY) about 2-3 minutes apart and STRONG! At midnight they put in a call to my doctor to ask if they could break my water to "speed things up". At 12:54 they broke my water. Holy Shishcabobs...boy did the labor hurt from there on out.
I sat on the birthing ball (big yoga ball) for about 20 minutes, riding out contraction after contraction. Breathing just like the doula had taught me a month ago. I got to the point where I "knew" something was just not right. I looked at my nurse and told her..."you need to check me, now". I got into the bed and I was 8cm. I told them at that point that I couldn't do it anymore and I needed something. But that wasn't gonna happen. They knew that I didn't want drugs and it was FAR TO LATE for the epi. Even if I wanted it, there was just no time!
So the scramble began. Machines brought in for baby, bed takin apart for delivery, doctor preping me for delivery. Labor was in full force. I needed to push by about 1:30am. But my doctor was not at the hospital yet. He was still on his way! I took small breaths through 4 contractions and finally had to give in. "I NEED TO PUSH". They told me to wait, Dr. was on his was and if I hold on for 2 more contractions, he will be here. HA! I told them I couldn't wait. Those two contractions later Isabella was out. After the drama of her coming into this world, I could hear my doctor running down the hallway. Sad to say, he was their to witness the placenta being born! Poor guy, and he was so looking forward to this birth.
She weighted 7lbs 7oz and was 19in. Lots of vernix (cheese) on her and they kept some of it one her- per my birthing plan. It was a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
That's the story. Not too gorry or eww. Simple and fast
Sunday, March 2, 2008: Bella a month later
Well, almost a month! Isabella will be one month on Tuesday. Where has the time gone? Ha! I will tell you where it has gone.
When she was 7 days old, she was diagnosed with Ankyloglossia- Tongue Tie. That is when the frenulum membrane is tight on the tongue. She couldn't stick her tongue past her bottom lip. She also was very jaundice. Borderline treatment. Her bilirubin levels was 17. But for some reason, the hospital didn't feel she needed treatment at the time. Duh- ya she did.
We took her to our family doctor when she was 10 days (2-11). Dr. Ulland clipped the tongue and breastfeeding was a blessing after. Meanwhile, she still had jaundice. Although she was as bright as a pumpkin on halloween, she "seemed" to be improving.
That's not all. On the 21st of Feb. I noticed that she had curdled milk on her tongue. No biggie- it will go away. As it turns out, she (and I) had Thrush- a yeast infection of the mouth (mine was on my nipples-real great...NO). She also had a very nasty diaper rash accompanying the thrush. Which makes perfect since the mouth is (without the details) connected to the urethra...hence the diaper rash. Then there was me. I had an infection on my nipples from breastfeeding her. I too got antibiotics. Isabella had drops for her mouth and powder for her behind. She is now clean of the thrush (as is I am), but I am not stopping the antibiotics until finished! Luckly I have a very trustworthy doctor- because I had "self diagnosed" our problem. He was compliant and faxed over a prescription without seeing us. He called me a few days after treatment and wanted to see us both in the office, as an update. OK- so we went in on the 29th.
New problem (well old) arises. Her jaundice is STILL not gone. With my breast milk, it should have been cleared days ago. I was instructed to take her to the hospital lab to have blood drawn to test her level. After 2 trips to the lab, we finally got the results in. She is at a 16.5. High for 3 1/5 weeks old. As it turns out, my hormones are not "normal"- therefore not breaking down the bilirubin cells properly. I was told by our doctor it "EXCLUSIVELY" formula feed her from Friday night to Monday morning. I cried when told that. What have I done to her? Why are my hormones wacky? What a bad mom. I don't want to stop breastfeeding. I finally came to grips with it and accepted the fact that this is nothing I have done and to move on.
I have been pumping and storing; then formula feeding day and night. I have been keeping track of her intake and output (as well as my milk output) like a freakin statistician! Feeding like this is a nice break and very restful at night. I have been getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep in one stretch! She takes in 5oz. late at night- which tides her over...Thank Goodness!
So on Monday, March 3- we have a re-check appt. with Dr. Ulland. Hopefully the formula did a better job of breaking down the cells. Otherwise we have to think of other plans. Hospital addmittence and treatment. You may be thinking..."Niki, put her in the window." Been there, done that. Hasn't worked. So next will be Phototherapy in the hospital. I just want her to be "normal" color and healthy. So I hope that he suggests that. As much as I don't want to take her in :(
When she was 7 days old, she was diagnosed with Ankyloglossia- Tongue Tie. That is when the frenulum membrane is tight on the tongue. She couldn't stick her tongue past her bottom lip. She also was very jaundice. Borderline treatment. Her bilirubin levels was 17. But for some reason, the hospital didn't feel she needed treatment at the time. Duh- ya she did.
We took her to our family doctor when she was 10 days (2-11). Dr. Ulland clipped the tongue and breastfeeding was a blessing after. Meanwhile, she still had jaundice. Although she was as bright as a pumpkin on halloween, she "seemed" to be improving.
That's not all. On the 21st of Feb. I noticed that she had curdled milk on her tongue. No biggie- it will go away. As it turns out, she (and I) had Thrush- a yeast infection of the mouth (mine was on my nipples-real great...NO). She also had a very nasty diaper rash accompanying the thrush. Which makes perfect since the mouth is (without the details) connected to the urethra...hence the diaper rash. Then there was me. I had an infection on my nipples from breastfeeding her. I too got antibiotics. Isabella had drops for her mouth and powder for her behind. She is now clean of the thrush (as is I am), but I am not stopping the antibiotics until finished! Luckly I have a very trustworthy doctor- because I had "self diagnosed" our problem. He was compliant and faxed over a prescription without seeing us. He called me a few days after treatment and wanted to see us both in the office, as an update. OK- so we went in on the 29th.
New problem (well old) arises. Her jaundice is STILL not gone. With my breast milk, it should have been cleared days ago. I was instructed to take her to the hospital lab to have blood drawn to test her level. After 2 trips to the lab, we finally got the results in. She is at a 16.5. High for 3 1/5 weeks old. As it turns out, my hormones are not "normal"- therefore not breaking down the bilirubin cells properly. I was told by our doctor it "EXCLUSIVELY" formula feed her from Friday night to Monday morning. I cried when told that. What have I done to her? Why are my hormones wacky? What a bad mom. I don't want to stop breastfeeding. I finally came to grips with it and accepted the fact that this is nothing I have done and to move on.
I have been pumping and storing; then formula feeding day and night. I have been keeping track of her intake and output (as well as my milk output) like a freakin statistician! Feeding like this is a nice break and very restful at night. I have been getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep in one stretch! She takes in 5oz. late at night- which tides her over...Thank Goodness!
So on Monday, March 3- we have a re-check appt. with Dr. Ulland. Hopefully the formula did a better job of breaking down the cells. Otherwise we have to think of other plans. Hospital addmittence and treatment. You may be thinking..."Niki, put her in the window." Been there, done that. Hasn't worked. So next will be Phototherapy in the hospital. I just want her to be "normal" color and healthy. So I hope that he suggests that. As much as I don't want to take her in :(
(mommy not a happy camper, feeding her by bottle)Sunday, March 16, 2008: Cloth Diapering...humm
(one of our many Sunday trips to Barnes and Nobles)I have titled this blog "Games", because it seems to me that cloth diapering in one big game. You never know when you are going to win or lose.
Today I had a loosing game. We got all ready (big deal for me...I NEVER get out) to make our Sunday venture to Barnes & Nobles- I put Bella in the swing for a while and just as we are about to load up, I decide I’d better change her. When low and behold...she is soaked thru and thru. UGH!
Off to the bedroom we go- new diaper, new onsie and new outfit. Good thing I put her laundry high on the priority list this weekend. Anywho, I tried using the "chinese fold" diapers- instead of the usual 3 fold-prefolds. I put it in the diaper cover...as usual, but since the chinese folds are not as thick- her pee just went right through it. Also, because they are not as thick, the elastic around her legs is not as snug. Soooo, we sprung a leak!
I was throughly bummed. Just when I thought that I had this cloth thing mastered, I’m thrown a curve ball. I have finally developed a "plan" to successfully diaper this way. It seems to work. I just have not got the courage to do it over night. Hell, I can’t even get out of the habit of sleeping with her. What makes me think I can dedicate myself to cloth at night?
So for any of you interested in learning to cloth diaper... one bit of advise. OK 2. 1- It takes time, practice, patience and dedication 2- Don’t ask for my help! I am lacking the patience part
PS- if you are wondering, I use the cloths with "Proraps" diaper covers. They can be found at:
www.cottonbabies.com
They are awesome and afordable
1 comment:
That is so cool that you transfered your old postings and pictures from myspace onto here. What a great idea. I love looking back at the things I wrote during my pregnancy. I actually kept an online journal through WTE.com. Crazy huh? Luckily I printed it out and put it in her baby book just in case they delete it some day.
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