Finally!

Garrett was born on 7/9/09 (and I was hoping he'd be a 7/8/9 baby), following 43 hours of labor capped off by a c-section. He just wouldn't come out!

Once the doctor pulled him out the reason he wouldn't budge became obvious - our little guy wasn't so little! He was a very unexpected 10 pounds, 3.8 ounces. No, that's not a typo, he really was that big. Since L was 8 pounds 6 ounces, and I was 6 pounds 6 ounces, we're not sure what happened with G.

Unfortunately, G had inhaled some meconium, and we knew he'd have to be immediately suctioned out. What we hadn't known was just how much he'd inhaled, and the fact that he would end up with a collapsed lung and other breathing issues that sent him to the NICU. L got to accompany G to the NICU as they worked on him, but I wasn't able to see him for several hours, and even then we couldn't hold him until the next day. On the 10th I was able to hold him just long enough to shift him to be weighed, and then back into his oxygen tent.

Saturday (the 11th) he'd improved enough where he could come out of the oxygen tent, so we were both able to hold him. L gave him his first bath (helped by the nurse), and I started attempting to nurse.

We were finally able to bring G home on Tuesday, so he spent 5 days in the NICU. We're recuperating, and G is doing great. Nursing is ok; because he was supplemented with formula while I was unable to hold him (and obviously nurse), I'm still working to get my supply up to what he needs. It's been a bit of a struggle.

I'm also slowly recovering from the section. I'm gradually feeling able to accomplish a little more during the brief moments of time I have between feeding G and feeding myself. ;) I hope to be able to start posting semi-regularly again soonish.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. We needed them.

The picture is of G in his NICU room, just before we left for home. His going home outfit choice was limited because he was so much bigger than we'd expected; those cute newborn outfits just wouldn't fit!

Induction Attempt, Take Two (a.k.a. we're off to the hospital)

We're leaving in a few minutes for the hospital.  Unfortunately I am not in labor so they're going to have to induce me.  I was really hoping I'd start on my own. 

I'll update when I can - can't wait to show off the little guy!

Prayers appreciated.  Thanks!

Week Forty

And this will hopefully be my last post before baby. Even though I'm currently into week forty-one, I think I'll just skip ahead to the birth post.

So! Week forty was filled with adventure and excitement. Or not. Actually it was filled with sitting on the couch, frequent visits to the bathroom, and two doctor's visits which entailed sitting in a chair (for much longer than the 20 minutes they always claimed it would be) while trying to keep the baby heart rate monitor registering his heart rate. Which meant that I had to hold the monitor down at the right angle, and occasionally chase the little guy as he moved enough to no longer be registering. But it was fun hearing his lovely heart beat.

Oh, and cervix checks each visit too because those are so much fun too. Especially when it ends up being no change at all. Woo-hoo! I'm 1 cm dilated and have been for over a week! I'll be at 10 cm before I know it!

I'm really not as cranky as that previous paragraph may make me sound. I just kind of wish I could have skipped several of those earlier cervix checks since it's not like anything is happening and they're not really comfortable if you know what I mean.

Besides the doctor's visits Monday and Thursday, I've basically been on the couch. When I'm not in bed that is, but that's only for sleeping because it's not as comfortable for me as the couch is.

May I just say how much I appreciate my laptop during this? It's been awesome, because daytime TV is dreadful. And I love being able to (usually) watch baseball games over the computer thanks to L's subscription (which is technically thanks to my parents, because that's been their birthday gift to L for I forget how many years it's been.)

I've had occasional contractions, but I'm certainly not in labor yet. I have not quite 24 more hours to start on my own before they'll begin induction proceedings, so I'm thinking this baby will have to be forced out.

We're due to show up at the hospital tomorrow at 6 PM. Depending on the state of my cervix they may do several more doses of gel, or they may go straight to pitocin, or they may break my water. I won't know until then. What I do know is that they won't let me go home this time without having delivered the baby.

So unless I get really inspired tomorrow, I probably won't post again until after he's arrived. I won't have my laptop in the hospital, but I may see if I can text an update via twitter or something.

Yeah, we're excited. :)

Update (but no real news)

You'd think I'd have been posting a lot, considering that I've had nothing else to do but sit on the couch since last week. But I haven't been up for writing that nothing is going on, other than me sitting on the couch.

I've been home from the hospital since last Thursday. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday, and then another on Monday. I've got still another one at 9:00 today (we'll see if I get this posted before I need to get ready to leave for the appointment). In between appointments, I've been on the couch. Notice a theme here?

My blood pressure has been good; it was slightly high when I first got to the doctor's office Friday, but when they retested it after I'd been sitting/lying on the table it was fine. On Monday I got smart and made sure to arrive at the office early so that I'd have time to rest in the waiting room instead of going straight from the long walk from my car to having my bp tested. What do you know, it worked; my bp was 128/82 on Monday, my best showing in awhile.

The baby continues to test well on the non stress tests (NST). He's doing so well it's hard to get him to cooperate and stay in the same spot so the heart rate monitor can get a continuous reading. I'll have another one of those tests this morning. They're probably the easiest test of the whole pregnancy. Sit in a comfy chair with a monitor on my enormous belly and listen to my baby's heartbeat. I can handle that.

After the NST test I'll meet with my doctor again to see what she says. Assuming everything still looks good, I'll come home and get back on the couch.

We do have a firm deadline: if the kid hasn't made his appearance before then, I am to appear at the hospital at 6:00 PM Tuesday the 7th. I'll have another dose or two or three of the gel, then bright and early the next morning they'll start pitocin. One way or another he will be evicted, so he'd probably arrive on the 8th. I suppose if I was slow but steady it might not be until the early hours of the 9th, but most likely it'd be the 8th.

This assumes that he doesn't decide to show up on his own, which he is more than welcome to do. I mean, I don't have any other plans for the weekend, so come on son, let's get acquainted!

I don't think I mentioned that on Friday they did another ultrasound, to make sure there was enough fluid around the baby. There was, but what I enjoyed (besides just getting to see him again) was the fact that they could tell that he has hair! I had no idea that that would be visible on an ultrasound, but it could clearly be seen floating around. So amazing!

Also amazing to me is the fact that they estimated his weight at 8 pounds 8 ounces. I did not think he'd be that big. I keep reminding myself that it was just an estimate. An educated guess if you will. No guarantees. (Please hold back on any stories of babies who ended up being significantly larger than the estimates).

There really isn't much else to share. I'm just hanging out, wishing I could be getting stuff done (like cooking or baking; I want some good food!) and bemoaning the sad state of daytime and summer TV. I'm not even reading much because I can't seem to concentrate. Sad, isn't it?

June Books

This should be the last month for a long, long time where I have finished so many books. I have a goal of reading 10 books in July, but we'll see if I'm wildly overestimating what I'll be able to accomplish with a newborn. The only reason I think it might be possible is because I've already finished one, and have a few others that are very close to being done.

Robin Lim - Eating for Two: Recipes for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Donald S. Whitney - Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Your Pregnancy Week by Week

Steve Brown - Approaching God: Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God

Nina Planck - Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods

Bill Hybels - Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith

Becky Tirabassi - Sacred Obsession: What You Chase After, You Become

David Lebovitz - The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

Chip Ingram - Effective Parenting in a Defective World: How to Raise Kids Who Stand Out from the Crowd

Eileen Behan - Eat Well, Lose Weight, While Breastfeeding: The Complete Nutrition Book for Nursing Mothers

Anthony DeStefano - Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life’s Difficult Problems

Hannah Keeley - Hannah Keeley’s Total Mom Makeover: The Six-Week Plan to Completely Transform Your Home, Health, Family, and Life

Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman - White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen

Janet Tamaro - So That’s What They’re For! The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide

Tedd & Margy Tripp - Instructing a Child's Heart

Sally Clarkson - The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity

Linda Dillow - A Deeper Kind of Calm: Steadfast Faith in the Midst of Adversity

Lori J. Davis and Sally Beacham - Picture Yourself Creating Digital Scrapbooks: Step-by-Step Instruction for Preserving Memories Using Your Computer

Janice Newell Bissex & Liz Weiss - The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time!

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be: Everything Dads Need to Know about Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Getting Ready for a New Baby

Will Davis - Pray Big for Your Marriage: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Relationship

Linda Dillow - Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment

Michael Ruhlman - Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking

R. C. Sproul - Knowing Scripture

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Bouncing Back after Your Pregnancy: What You Need to Know about Recovering from Labor and Delivery and Caring for Your New Family

Henry Blackaby & Carrie Blackaby Webb - Prepared to be God’s Vessel: Lessons from the Life of Mary / How God Can Use an Obedient Life to Bless Others

Tedd Trip - Shepherding a Child’s Heart

Cheri Fuller - The Mom You’re Meant to Be: Loving Your Kids While Leaning on God

Nick Kelsh - How to Photograph Your Life: Capturing Everyday Moments with with Your Camera and Your Heart

Linda Dillow & Lorraine Pintus - Intimate Issues

Donald S. Whitney - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Kerry Madden - Jessie's Mountain

Rhonda Barfield - Feed Your Family for $12 a Day: A Complete Guide to Nutritious, Delicious Meals for Less Money

Bill Hurter - Digital Portrait Photography 101: Learn to Take Better Pictures of Your Friends and Family!

Robyn O'Brien with Rachel Kranz - The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It

Nick Kelsh - How to Photograph Your Family: Getting Closer with Your Camera and Your Heart

Danielle Bean - Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice & Support for Catholic Living

John MacArthur - Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You