We go back in 2.5 weeks for her 1 month check up. :-)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Back from Reese's check up!
And...WOAH! We have a little chunk-a-munk on our hands! Reese weighs 9lbs 6oz (87%), is 22 inches long (97%) and has a head circumference of 14 inches (66%). Our pedi said that she is just perfect! We are so thankful to have such a healthy baby!! I guess Mama must have some good milk!
We go back in 2.5 weeks for her 1 month check up. :-)
We go back in 2.5 weeks for her 1 month check up. :-)
Reese- Week 1 and 2
I cannot believe my sweet little peanut is 11 days old today! We've been home from the hospital for over one week at this point and although time is flying by, it feels like Reese has been a part of our lives forever. She is seriously the sweetest little baby, ever and we are just so blessed. T and I just stare at her and thank God for such a healthy, beautiful, sweet baby. Reese's temperament is so calm and she very rarely cries, and if she does, it's because she needs something (i.e. a diaper change, to be fed, to be burped, etc.). We are learning her patterns, what her different sounds mean, and what she likes/ doesn't like. I think we make a great team!
Nursing
Reese has been a champion nurser from the beginning and we've had no trouble with her latch at all. I know I am very lucky to have such a good eater on my hands, as I've heard and seen how hard nursing can be when all things don't align just so. I think this is my reward for having such a hard labor. ;-) In the hospital we met with a Lactation Consultant, Joanne, who was fantastic! Since my milk hadn't come in and it was day 3 Reese was getting frustrated and was hungry. Joanne suggested that we use an S&S supplemental nursing system by Medela. Let me just tell you that it was a life saver! Basically it's a little plastic straw that was attached to a premixed bottle of formula that we would lie on top of my nipple so that Reese would latch to both, and as a result, suck harder, making my milk come in faster and giving her the proper calories/ nutrition that she needed since she was a bigger baby. We used the S&S for 2.5 days until my milk came in. And boy did my milk come in! I have milk overload.
Right now our feeding schedule is anywhere from 2-3 hours during the day, to 4-5 hours at night.
Sleeping
We are very lucky in this department! Reese is a great sleeper and has been giving her Mommy and Daddy at least 3 hour stretches at night from the very first night home from the hospital. The first 2 nights we let her sleep in our bed propped up on pillows because she didn't like her bassinet (or so we thought...). However on night 3 I had the bright idea to take the moses basket portion out of the bassinet stand and put it in between T and I in bed. This worked wonders! It allowed Reese to technically be in her bassinet, while it gave us the piece of mind that we wouldn't roll over on her, and she was close enough to watch breathe. The past 2 nights we've transitioned to having Reese in her bassinet next to the bed. This is such a big accomplishment! Reese loves being swaddled in her Swaddle Me blanket and having her Sleep Sheep on "ocean". It's as if she knows it's nighttime and gets ready to sleep. We can even lay her down awake, and she'll fall asleep on her own.
Diaper Changes
There is definitely no lack of dirty diaper changes in this house for sure! Reese is a very healthy girl in this department, and most times is loud enough to let Mommy and Daddy know that she's going! ;-) T has been great in helping with the diaper changes, and I give him kudos for learning how to change a little girl. I told him as long as he can remember, "front to back", he's good! ;-) I'd say we go through 10-12 diapers a day right now. Reese can fit into Newborn diapers, however we just ran out and have been using the size 1's. They are definitely big on her, but I'd rather that, than they be too snug.
Milestones this week
-Reese's umbilical cord fell off yesterday, July 28th when she was just 10 days old! We are very excited about this because it was starting to smell! Also, we have her newborn pictures scheduled for tomorrow, and now her cute little belly button can show in pictures!
Weight
When we left the hospital Reese weighed 8lb 4oz, and we had a weight check appointment at the pediatrician Saturday. She was up to 8lbs 10 oz!! Then on Monday we had our follow up appointment with the Lactation Consultant at the hospital, and she was up to 8lb 14oz! We are so thrilled!! Baby Girl is thriving!
And because I can't do a post without a picture...
Nursing
Reese has been a champion nurser from the beginning and we've had no trouble with her latch at all. I know I am very lucky to have such a good eater on my hands, as I've heard and seen how hard nursing can be when all things don't align just so. I think this is my reward for having such a hard labor. ;-) In the hospital we met with a Lactation Consultant, Joanne, who was fantastic! Since my milk hadn't come in and it was day 3 Reese was getting frustrated and was hungry. Joanne suggested that we use an S&S supplemental nursing system by Medela. Let me just tell you that it was a life saver! Basically it's a little plastic straw that was attached to a premixed bottle of formula that we would lie on top of my nipple so that Reese would latch to both, and as a result, suck harder, making my milk come in faster and giving her the proper calories/ nutrition that she needed since she was a bigger baby. We used the S&S for 2.5 days until my milk came in. And boy did my milk come in! I have milk overload.
Right now our feeding schedule is anywhere from 2-3 hours during the day, to 4-5 hours at night.
Sleeping
We are very lucky in this department! Reese is a great sleeper and has been giving her Mommy and Daddy at least 3 hour stretches at night from the very first night home from the hospital. The first 2 nights we let her sleep in our bed propped up on pillows because she didn't like her bassinet (or so we thought...). However on night 3 I had the bright idea to take the moses basket portion out of the bassinet stand and put it in between T and I in bed. This worked wonders! It allowed Reese to technically be in her bassinet, while it gave us the piece of mind that we wouldn't roll over on her, and she was close enough to watch breathe. The past 2 nights we've transitioned to having Reese in her bassinet next to the bed. This is such a big accomplishment! Reese loves being swaddled in her Swaddle Me blanket and having her Sleep Sheep on "ocean". It's as if she knows it's nighttime and gets ready to sleep. We can even lay her down awake, and she'll fall asleep on her own.
Diaper Changes
There is definitely no lack of dirty diaper changes in this house for sure! Reese is a very healthy girl in this department, and most times is loud enough to let Mommy and Daddy know that she's going! ;-) T has been great in helping with the diaper changes, and I give him kudos for learning how to change a little girl. I told him as long as he can remember, "front to back", he's good! ;-) I'd say we go through 10-12 diapers a day right now. Reese can fit into Newborn diapers, however we just ran out and have been using the size 1's. They are definitely big on her, but I'd rather that, than they be too snug.
Milestones this week
-Reese's umbilical cord fell off yesterday, July 28th when she was just 10 days old! We are very excited about this because it was starting to smell! Also, we have her newborn pictures scheduled for tomorrow, and now her cute little belly button can show in pictures!
Weight
When we left the hospital Reese weighed 8lb 4oz, and we had a weight check appointment at the pediatrician Saturday. She was up to 8lbs 10 oz!! Then on Monday we had our follow up appointment with the Lactation Consultant at the hospital, and she was up to 8lb 14oz! We are so thrilled!! Baby Girl is thriving!
And because I can't do a post without a picture...
 |
| Look at those baby blues. I'm in love!! |
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Labor Part 2 & Reese's Birth Story
So last we left off, T and I were on our way to L & D at Beverly Hospital around 5:30pm. When we arrived and parked in the garage I told T not to bring in our bags as I was afraid to be "that couple" that got sent home. Up to the 3rd floor we went and were quickly checked into exam room 1. I was instructed to change out of my clothes and to put the johnny on as the Midwife would be in soon to check my cervix. At that point I noticed that my spotting had turned from brownish to a bright red and I was so thankful to be at the hospital. In the interim, a very nice nurse (who's name is slipping my mind at the moment) came in and attached me to 2 separate monitors. They are bands that go around your belly. One to check the baby's heart rate, and the other to monitor my contractions on the monitor. Baby Girl's heart rate was perfect, which was a nice relief to hear, and my contractions were showing up on the monitor in unison with when I was feeling them.... so I wasn't imagining them after all! ;-) I was started on a bag of IV fluids to help me hydrate. This could either slow contractions down (if it was false labor) or help my body progress and regulate my contractions if it was the real deal. Unfortunately, the nurse had to poke me 3 times before successfully getting my IV in. Apparently my veins were rolling. The nurse said that I had a very high pain tolerance as most people would have been yelling after the first poke because she was really rooting around in there, but all I could do was focus on my breathing and getting through my contractions. Her guess was that I would be admitted later on in the evening.
The midwife on call, Nicole, came in to check my cervix at about 6:30pm. When T and I were on our way into the hospital, we discussed what how far dilated we thought I was. We were both hoping that I was at least 3cm since I had been in labor for almost 12 hours at that point, but I'd even be okay with 2cm. Nicole checked me, and I was only at 1cm and 90% effaced. (At my last Dr. app on Wed I was 75% effaced, so I knew I had made some progress, but I wasn't what we hoped for). I was not a big fan of Nicole at all as she seemed very cold and condescending, basically saying that I was in the very early stage of labor and that I could stay like this for days-- it's called Prodromal Labor and that many women had been coming in to the hospital contracting because of the heat but not making progress. I explained to her that we have central air, and that the heat shouldn't be a factor for me. She basically gave us two options: 1) Walk the halls for an hour or two and see if I progress at all in which case they'd admit me, otherwise option 2) Walk the halls and make no progress and they'd prescribe me a sleeping pill; Ambien, and I would be sent home to try and sleep for the night to see if labor progressed the next day. Off to walk the halls we went. We walked down this long hallway which connected L & D and the cafeteria. The hallway was all windows on both sides and got extremely hot because the AC couldn't combat all of the sunlight (remember it was about 90 degrees outside). Up and down we went, having to stop so I could hold onto the railing and put my head down to breathe through my contractions. I hated that other people were in the hallway, and a couple times nurses or doctors would stop and ask T if I needed anything, a wheelchair, etc. as I moaned and rocked through my contractions. I looked down at one point and my hands were so SWOLLEN! My rings almost wouldn't come off! It must have been the combination of the IV, the heat, and the walking. I decided that we should head back to the room and cool off, at that point we had been walking for almost an hour anyway.
Nicole came back in and checked me again, and... I was still at 1 cm. At that point I was about to cry because there was no way that I wanted to go home. I was in way too much pain and I was afraid to go home. T and I discussed the fact that I never take medication, let alone such a powerful sleeping drug, and that we wouldn't feel comfortable all alone since this was our first baby. Nicole said that she'd allow us to spend the night in the hospital, and that they'd give me some medication there to sleep and then check me in the morning. However, there was still the chance that I'd be sent home in the morning. Ugh, although that was a bridge we were willing to cross when we came to it. At that point, we still hadn't told anyone (family or friends) that we were in labor because I didn't want the pressure of people waiting on me to progress. I figured better wait until the morning, until we knew more. This was a great decision looking back and I would highly recommend doing the same thing to any other first time moms.
I was given a combination of morphine, ambien and something else to dull the pain and let me sleep. At this point the nurses changed shifts, and our new nurse was Dennette. Dennette gave me the medication and told me that I should be asleep within the hour, and if I wasn't then to call her and they'd up my dose. After about 90 minutes of not being able to sleep, T got up and called Dennette back to up my dose. That did the trick and I slept until about 6am. I knew that I would be checked after 7am when the midwives changed shifts (they work 24 hour shifts from 7am to 7am). I was thankful that Nicole wasn't going to be checking me again. Kate was our new midwife (I hadn't met her at any appointments previously). She came in around 7:10 to check me and I was still at 1 cm. At this point I was so discouraged and still a little out of it from the medication from the night before. I just kept thinking we couldn't go home!! Why wouldn't they just give me pitocin to regulate/speed up my contractions? It was my due date, the baby was fully cooked, so why make me suffer?! There was discussion of sending us home and I started to cry a little bit. This is when T stepped in and really fought for us to stay, Kate agreed to let us walk around for a few hours and re-check me. Thank goodness! T ran and got us breakfast at the cafe (an everything bagel with cream cheese, a honey dipped donut, and a coffee for T), we ate, and then off we went to walk the dreaded halls. I was definitely still hazy from the medication, and this part of labor is still a bit of a blur. We walked for only about 45 minutes and then I decided to try bouncing on the birthing ball back in our room.
Kate came back to check me at 9:30 and FINALLY, FINALLY, I had made progress!!! I was at 3cm and they were now going to admit me! We were going to have a baby today!!!!! The relief we felt was through the roof. At that point, T called our parents to let them now what was going on. His instructions were not to come to the hospital until he called and said it was close...first babies can take a while and if I was to dilate 1 cm per hour, we were looking at early evening before delivery.
My contractions were getting VERY painful and my new daytime nurse, Kelly, asked if I wanted to try getting in the tub to labor. That sounded like a plan to me. In the tub I went, and T finally went out to the car to grab our bags. After being in the tub for about 45 minutes, I couldn't take the pain anymore. There just wasn't a way to get comfortable and I decided that it was time to get out of the tub and get the epidural. Kelly called the anesthesiologist and he arrived in minutes. T jokes now about how my mood changed when the anestsiologist came in, apparently I said with a cheery voice "Come on in!", when he knocked at the door, haha! The insertion of epi wasn't painful at all. Of course I had a contraction during it going in, but my nurse Kelly was awesome and just held me and told me to lean forward around my baby and to hold still. They let T stay in the room and he was able to watch the procedure. T was very impressed with how quickly and efficiently the process was. By the time that was complete it was around 11:30- noonish. At some point I was given pitocin in my IV as well to speed contractions up.
The next 4 hours were awesome! I felt no pain and was very comfortable. I was able to nap on and off as well. At some point I was checked and was at 5 cm. My mom didn't listen to T's directions, and arrived at the hospital around 4:30pm. Kelly informed us that she was in the waiting room and asked if I wanted her to come in the room. Our plan all along was for T to be the only one in the room, but because I wasn't in any pain I figured it would be okay to have my mom come in for a quick visit. We also figured that she could grab the keys and go to our house to feed the kitties. During my mom's visit I started feeling some pains/pressure on my left side, I also started to feel liquid dripping out and thought that my water might have broken. After my mom left, Kate came back in to check me and said that I had a bulging bag of water and that I was a good 7cm. She thought it would be good to break my water to help things progess, however while she was getting the tool ready I felt a pop and my water broke on it's own. Kelly wanted to change my position in bed to alleviate some of the pain/pressure since the epidural is gravity based. This didn't bring me much relief and so Kelly tried to get the pump going where you can pump an extra dose of the epi every 15 minutes. However, that didn't seem to help at all, and the pain worsened.
The next part of my labor is a bit of a blur because things happened so quickly. I got checked at around 6pm and was at 9.5cm and instructed to try and labor down (let the baby decend into the birth canal) before I started to push, and to let them know when I had the urge to push. My epidural was essentially out at this point and I was feeling so much pain. Looking back, this is when I should have just tried to wait for an additional 30 minutes or so to really let the baby get lower, but instead I decided that I should start pushing. At 6:10 I began pushing. I've had people tell me that pushing is some sort of relief- you can push against the pain. For me, it wasn't like that at all. I was so uncomfortable, had a hard time getting deep breaths, hated the position I was in (lying down grabbing my legs), and had this terrible burning sensation under my ribs and in my hips. We tried to have me get into a squatting position, but I was in too much pain to get up and my legs couldn't hold me because they were still somewhat numb from the epidural. About 30 minutes into it, I seriously felt like I was going to die. My epidural was completely out, it was shift change for the nurses, and all I kept thinking to myself was that I couldn't do it, I couldn't push any harder, and that she wasn't going to come out. I started to loose it. In my mind I kept thinking that they were going to have to use the vacuume to get her out, or I was going to need a c-section. I cried out that I couldn't do it, and I think I was yelling, "please God help me!!". It was awful. In came a bunch of people- the head nurse, the doctor on call, and then my other 2 nurses. It was a packed room- and everyone kept saying that I could do it. The entire time the baby's heart rate never wavered and everyone kept calling her a rock star baby. I'd imagine that if she showed signs of distress that there would have been talks of having to do a c-section (at this point I had been in labor for 37+ hours). I remember feeling like I was on fire- the room felt like it was a thousand degrees. They brought in a fan, T got me wet face cloths and began feeding me ice chips in between contractions/pushing. I knew that I didn't have another option but to push harder and get this baby out. I kept my eyes shut and tried my hardest to focus, I seriously don't think I opened my eyes for more than 5 minutes throughout the entire 2 hours and 16 minutes that I pushed. At one point I was pushing so hard, and felt this stream of liquid come down my face from my nose, I thought that it must have been boogers, but unfortunately it wasn't. I had popped something in my nose and had blood gushing down my face. I guess poor T was really freaked out at that point. It must have been quite the site.
Around 8pm Kate told me that I was getting so close and that her head was right there. The head nurse asked me to touch her head, I declined, I just wanted her out and didn't want to feel it, I was so afraid of tearing! About three pushes later, the baby's head was out, and then the next 2 pushes out came her body. I remember Kate telling me to stop pushing when her head was out, and all I could think was "get this baby out of me!!". At 8:26pm our lives were changed forever. Miss Reese Leighton Cormier was born and we were instantly head over heels in love with her. They placed Reese on my chest and T was able to cut the cord. I couldn't see her very well from the angle she was at, but T kept saying how beautiful she was. The whole time I was pregnant I had this fear of having a huge baby and would joke that she was going to be 10lbs when she was born, but holding her tiny body against my chest I thought that she was such a peanut and couldn't weigh more than 7- 7 1/2 lbs. So you can imagine my disbelief when they took Reese to the scale and the numbers 8lbs 15.7oz. appeared! She was a good size baby for sure! I ended up having 2 tears, but they were both first degree, so not too bad after all. The delivery of the placenta and stitching me up was anything but comfortable, but at least I had my baby girl to focus on. Reese was 20.5 inches long.
About an hour later we had our first set of visitors- my mom, T's parents and his sister, Jamie, and her fiance Frank. Everyone was so in love with this little lady. At about 10:45pm we told our room was ready on the fourth floor (maternity) and then we were transferred. Upstairs our room number was 449 and my dad, his girlfriend Kathy, and my sister Sarah all were waiting.
The midwife on call, Nicole, came in to check my cervix at about 6:30pm. When T and I were on our way into the hospital, we discussed what how far dilated we thought I was. We were both hoping that I was at least 3cm since I had been in labor for almost 12 hours at that point, but I'd even be okay with 2cm. Nicole checked me, and I was only at 1cm and 90% effaced. (At my last Dr. app on Wed I was 75% effaced, so I knew I had made some progress, but I wasn't what we hoped for). I was not a big fan of Nicole at all as she seemed very cold and condescending, basically saying that I was in the very early stage of labor and that I could stay like this for days-- it's called Prodromal Labor and that many women had been coming in to the hospital contracting because of the heat but not making progress. I explained to her that we have central air, and that the heat shouldn't be a factor for me. She basically gave us two options: 1) Walk the halls for an hour or two and see if I progress at all in which case they'd admit me, otherwise option 2) Walk the halls and make no progress and they'd prescribe me a sleeping pill; Ambien, and I would be sent home to try and sleep for the night to see if labor progressed the next day. Off to walk the halls we went. We walked down this long hallway which connected L & D and the cafeteria. The hallway was all windows on both sides and got extremely hot because the AC couldn't combat all of the sunlight (remember it was about 90 degrees outside). Up and down we went, having to stop so I could hold onto the railing and put my head down to breathe through my contractions. I hated that other people were in the hallway, and a couple times nurses or doctors would stop and ask T if I needed anything, a wheelchair, etc. as I moaned and rocked through my contractions. I looked down at one point and my hands were so SWOLLEN! My rings almost wouldn't come off! It must have been the combination of the IV, the heat, and the walking. I decided that we should head back to the room and cool off, at that point we had been walking for almost an hour anyway.
Nicole came back in and checked me again, and... I was still at 1 cm. At that point I was about to cry because there was no way that I wanted to go home. I was in way too much pain and I was afraid to go home. T and I discussed the fact that I never take medication, let alone such a powerful sleeping drug, and that we wouldn't feel comfortable all alone since this was our first baby. Nicole said that she'd allow us to spend the night in the hospital, and that they'd give me some medication there to sleep and then check me in the morning. However, there was still the chance that I'd be sent home in the morning. Ugh, although that was a bridge we were willing to cross when we came to it. At that point, we still hadn't told anyone (family or friends) that we were in labor because I didn't want the pressure of people waiting on me to progress. I figured better wait until the morning, until we knew more. This was a great decision looking back and I would highly recommend doing the same thing to any other first time moms.
I was given a combination of morphine, ambien and something else to dull the pain and let me sleep. At this point the nurses changed shifts, and our new nurse was Dennette. Dennette gave me the medication and told me that I should be asleep within the hour, and if I wasn't then to call her and they'd up my dose. After about 90 minutes of not being able to sleep, T got up and called Dennette back to up my dose. That did the trick and I slept until about 6am. I knew that I would be checked after 7am when the midwives changed shifts (they work 24 hour shifts from 7am to 7am). I was thankful that Nicole wasn't going to be checking me again. Kate was our new midwife (I hadn't met her at any appointments previously). She came in around 7:10 to check me and I was still at 1 cm. At this point I was so discouraged and still a little out of it from the medication from the night before. I just kept thinking we couldn't go home!! Why wouldn't they just give me pitocin to regulate/speed up my contractions? It was my due date, the baby was fully cooked, so why make me suffer?! There was discussion of sending us home and I started to cry a little bit. This is when T stepped in and really fought for us to stay, Kate agreed to let us walk around for a few hours and re-check me. Thank goodness! T ran and got us breakfast at the cafe (an everything bagel with cream cheese, a honey dipped donut, and a coffee for T), we ate, and then off we went to walk the dreaded halls. I was definitely still hazy from the medication, and this part of labor is still a bit of a blur. We walked for only about 45 minutes and then I decided to try bouncing on the birthing ball back in our room.
Kate came back to check me at 9:30 and FINALLY, FINALLY, I had made progress!!! I was at 3cm and they were now going to admit me! We were going to have a baby today!!!!! The relief we felt was through the roof. At that point, T called our parents to let them now what was going on. His instructions were not to come to the hospital until he called and said it was close...first babies can take a while and if I was to dilate 1 cm per hour, we were looking at early evening before delivery.
My contractions were getting VERY painful and my new daytime nurse, Kelly, asked if I wanted to try getting in the tub to labor. That sounded like a plan to me. In the tub I went, and T finally went out to the car to grab our bags. After being in the tub for about 45 minutes, I couldn't take the pain anymore. There just wasn't a way to get comfortable and I decided that it was time to get out of the tub and get the epidural. Kelly called the anesthesiologist and he arrived in minutes. T jokes now about how my mood changed when the anestsiologist came in, apparently I said with a cheery voice "Come on in!", when he knocked at the door, haha! The insertion of epi wasn't painful at all. Of course I had a contraction during it going in, but my nurse Kelly was awesome and just held me and told me to lean forward around my baby and to hold still. They let T stay in the room and he was able to watch the procedure. T was very impressed with how quickly and efficiently the process was. By the time that was complete it was around 11:30- noonish. At some point I was given pitocin in my IV as well to speed contractions up.
The next 4 hours were awesome! I felt no pain and was very comfortable. I was able to nap on and off as well. At some point I was checked and was at 5 cm. My mom didn't listen to T's directions, and arrived at the hospital around 4:30pm. Kelly informed us that she was in the waiting room and asked if I wanted her to come in the room. Our plan all along was for T to be the only one in the room, but because I wasn't in any pain I figured it would be okay to have my mom come in for a quick visit. We also figured that she could grab the keys and go to our house to feed the kitties. During my mom's visit I started feeling some pains/pressure on my left side, I also started to feel liquid dripping out and thought that my water might have broken. After my mom left, Kate came back in to check me and said that I had a bulging bag of water and that I was a good 7cm. She thought it would be good to break my water to help things progess, however while she was getting the tool ready I felt a pop and my water broke on it's own. Kelly wanted to change my position in bed to alleviate some of the pain/pressure since the epidural is gravity based. This didn't bring me much relief and so Kelly tried to get the pump going where you can pump an extra dose of the epi every 15 minutes. However, that didn't seem to help at all, and the pain worsened.
The next part of my labor is a bit of a blur because things happened so quickly. I got checked at around 6pm and was at 9.5cm and instructed to try and labor down (let the baby decend into the birth canal) before I started to push, and to let them know when I had the urge to push. My epidural was essentially out at this point and I was feeling so much pain. Looking back, this is when I should have just tried to wait for an additional 30 minutes or so to really let the baby get lower, but instead I decided that I should start pushing. At 6:10 I began pushing. I've had people tell me that pushing is some sort of relief- you can push against the pain. For me, it wasn't like that at all. I was so uncomfortable, had a hard time getting deep breaths, hated the position I was in (lying down grabbing my legs), and had this terrible burning sensation under my ribs and in my hips. We tried to have me get into a squatting position, but I was in too much pain to get up and my legs couldn't hold me because they were still somewhat numb from the epidural. About 30 minutes into it, I seriously felt like I was going to die. My epidural was completely out, it was shift change for the nurses, and all I kept thinking to myself was that I couldn't do it, I couldn't push any harder, and that she wasn't going to come out. I started to loose it. In my mind I kept thinking that they were going to have to use the vacuume to get her out, or I was going to need a c-section. I cried out that I couldn't do it, and I think I was yelling, "please God help me!!". It was awful. In came a bunch of people- the head nurse, the doctor on call, and then my other 2 nurses. It was a packed room- and everyone kept saying that I could do it. The entire time the baby's heart rate never wavered and everyone kept calling her a rock star baby. I'd imagine that if she showed signs of distress that there would have been talks of having to do a c-section (at this point I had been in labor for 37+ hours). I remember feeling like I was on fire- the room felt like it was a thousand degrees. They brought in a fan, T got me wet face cloths and began feeding me ice chips in between contractions/pushing. I knew that I didn't have another option but to push harder and get this baby out. I kept my eyes shut and tried my hardest to focus, I seriously don't think I opened my eyes for more than 5 minutes throughout the entire 2 hours and 16 minutes that I pushed. At one point I was pushing so hard, and felt this stream of liquid come down my face from my nose, I thought that it must have been boogers, but unfortunately it wasn't. I had popped something in my nose and had blood gushing down my face. I guess poor T was really freaked out at that point. It must have been quite the site.
Around 8pm Kate told me that I was getting so close and that her head was right there. The head nurse asked me to touch her head, I declined, I just wanted her out and didn't want to feel it, I was so afraid of tearing! About three pushes later, the baby's head was out, and then the next 2 pushes out came her body. I remember Kate telling me to stop pushing when her head was out, and all I could think was "get this baby out of me!!". At 8:26pm our lives were changed forever. Miss Reese Leighton Cormier was born and we were instantly head over heels in love with her. They placed Reese on my chest and T was able to cut the cord. I couldn't see her very well from the angle she was at, but T kept saying how beautiful she was. The whole time I was pregnant I had this fear of having a huge baby and would joke that she was going to be 10lbs when she was born, but holding her tiny body against my chest I thought that she was such a peanut and couldn't weigh more than 7- 7 1/2 lbs. So you can imagine my disbelief when they took Reese to the scale and the numbers 8lbs 15.7oz. appeared! She was a good size baby for sure! I ended up having 2 tears, but they were both first degree, so not too bad after all. The delivery of the placenta and stitching me up was anything but comfortable, but at least I had my baby girl to focus on. Reese was 20.5 inches long.
About an hour later we had our first set of visitors- my mom, T's parents and his sister, Jamie, and her fiance Frank. Everyone was so in love with this little lady. At about 10:45pm we told our room was ready on the fourth floor (maternity) and then we were transferred. Upstairs our room number was 449 and my dad, his girlfriend Kathy, and my sister Sarah all were waiting.
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| Baby's first photo!! |
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| One very tired Mama! Our first photo together though! :-) |
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| Big girl! |
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| Blowing bubbles |
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| Love at first sight. |
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| Nana Rainha |
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| Nonna Cormier |
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| Nonna and Papa |
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| The proudest daddy around! Daddy and Reese's first photo together. I'm so blessed. |
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| Auntie Jamie |
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| Auntie Sarah |
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| Big Papi |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Labor- Part One
On Sunday, July 17th at 5am I awoke to some pressure down below and figured I should get up and go to the bathroom and in my half awake state, I thought that it felt like my water could break at any moment because of how intense the pressure was. I went to the bathroom and peed, when I was walking back to bed I felt what I thought was just a cramp. I tried to go back to sleep, but every 15 minutes I kept waking up to those same "cramps". At 6am, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom again (this time to do #2) and decided to go use the other bathroom upstairs to not wake T. I got into the bathroom and started to have more pain, and didn't actually have to go after all. Back to bed I went, and the thoughts of "could this be the start of contractions?" started to process in my mind. I decided to start looking at the clock when I felt the pains, and sure enough they were 7 minutes apart. I kept myself distracted by going on Facebook on my iphone, and browsing the Internet. I started to keep a log of when the pains started. At 7:10am T woke up and I told him what was going on. He was so sweet and all concerned that I hadn't woken him. To be honest, the pains weren't that bad, and I wanted him to have a good night's sleep.
We discussed what we'd do if this were in fact the "real deal". Originally we had plans to go to the beach, but obviously we figured that wasn't the smartest idea. We decided we'd finish up some last minute projects and do a quick clean of the house, and then if all was going well we'd head to the pool. T ran out to Perfectos to get our "usual" breakfast and coffee (a french toast bagel with light cream cheese and an everything bagel with egg and cheese, in case you were wondering) while I through in a load of laundry. T came back and we ate, he packed his bag for the hospital, I added a few items to my already packed bag, then we vacuumed and hung the paper lanterns in the nursery. Contractions were still 7-10 minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds each.
At about 11am I went to the bathroom and noticed I was spotting a little and decided to call the doctor on call to get the okay to go to the pool. I remembered at my appointments them saying that if the blood is bright red, it would be cause for concern, and since mine wasn't I was pretty sure we'd be okay. Sure enough the midwife, Nancy, called back and asked me a few questions before saying it was okay to stay home as long as I could and to go in the pool. The rule for calling them back is contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for an hour.
Off to the pool we went. Contractions slowed down and spaced out 12 minutes apart. I decided to get into the pool and walk laps. This worked getting them to being more regular. T started to get concerned about our staying at the pool too long and suggested that we go home, take showers, eat something, and then call the doctor to touch base and see when we should head in. Funny side story: An older woman at the pool that has seen me a bunch over the past few weeks approached T while I was in the bathroom. She asked him what he was timing in the pool... apparently she caught on to T looking his watch each time i had a contraction. Haha! T lied and said we had someplace to go.
When we got home we showered, got ready and T picked up burgers from Sylvan Street. By the time I finished eating I was in a lot of pain. So much so that when I was on the phone with a midwife from our practice I started to cry and had to pass the phone to T. Since my contractions were 5 minutes apart at that point, we were told to come in and get checked. At 5:30pm we left for the hospital.
Here are the last pictures of me pregnant right before we left for the hospital!
We discussed what we'd do if this were in fact the "real deal". Originally we had plans to go to the beach, but obviously we figured that wasn't the smartest idea. We decided we'd finish up some last minute projects and do a quick clean of the house, and then if all was going well we'd head to the pool. T ran out to Perfectos to get our "usual" breakfast and coffee (a french toast bagel with light cream cheese and an everything bagel with egg and cheese, in case you were wondering) while I through in a load of laundry. T came back and we ate, he packed his bag for the hospital, I added a few items to my already packed bag, then we vacuumed and hung the paper lanterns in the nursery. Contractions were still 7-10 minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds each.
At about 11am I went to the bathroom and noticed I was spotting a little and decided to call the doctor on call to get the okay to go to the pool. I remembered at my appointments them saying that if the blood is bright red, it would be cause for concern, and since mine wasn't I was pretty sure we'd be okay. Sure enough the midwife, Nancy, called back and asked me a few questions before saying it was okay to stay home as long as I could and to go in the pool. The rule for calling them back is contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for an hour.
Off to the pool we went. Contractions slowed down and spaced out 12 minutes apart. I decided to get into the pool and walk laps. This worked getting them to being more regular. T started to get concerned about our staying at the pool too long and suggested that we go home, take showers, eat something, and then call the doctor to touch base and see when we should head in. Funny side story: An older woman at the pool that has seen me a bunch over the past few weeks approached T while I was in the bathroom. She asked him what he was timing in the pool... apparently she caught on to T looking his watch each time i had a contraction. Haha! T lied and said we had someplace to go.
When we got home we showered, got ready and T picked up burgers from Sylvan Street. By the time I finished eating I was in a lot of pain. So much so that when I was on the phone with a midwife from our practice I started to cry and had to pass the phone to T. Since my contractions were 5 minutes apart at that point, we were told to come in and get checked. At 5:30pm we left for the hospital.
Here are the last pictures of me pregnant right before we left for the hospital!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
She's Here!!
Sweet baby Reese Leighton Cormier arrived on Monday, July 18th at 8:26pm after 39 hours of labor and 2 and a half hours of pushing! She weighs 9lbs (8lb 15.75 oz but they rounded up!) and is 20.5 inches long. We are in LOVE!!! Birth story and lots of pictures to follow. We're leaving the hospital tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Today's Dr. App
We had another appointment today and got to meet a FABULOUS new midwife, Meg. We'd heard great things about her all along from friends of mine (she actually delivered my friend's baby 2 years ago), but she was on maternity leave these past 3 months. I would love it if Meg could be there for our delivery. Meg was by far the nicest, most easy going, informative, and patient midwife we've met/ I've seen. Having had just delivered a baby herself 3 months ago, I think she really relates to her patients.
Anyway, back to the appointment. BP, urine, weight, and measurements all look great. My fundal measurement was still right on track at 39 weeks. Baby's HR was 135. I've made some progress since last week. I've gone from 50% to 70% effaced, although I'm still not dilated. However, this doesn't mean anything. Some woman can walk around for days/weeks being 2-3 centimeters dilated without contractions, and others can not be dilated at all, yet their water breaks, or they go into labor and deliver the same day. The reason that I opted to get another internal exam today is to give my midwife an idea of how "favorable" my cervix is, should we need to be induced at 42 weeks.
Today we discussed what our next steps are. I have an appointment scheduled for next Wednesday, July 20th with Meg again (yay for Meg!). At that point I'll be 40w2d by their calculations (they still have my due date as Monday, the 18th) and 40w5d by our calculations (with my due date of Friday, the 15th). Because I'll technically be "over-due" at that point, I'll go for a Non Stress Test (NST) at Beverly Hospital following that appointment. They will also schedule an ultrasound at that point, to make sure that the baby looks okay, and that my placenta is still hanging in there. I guess after 40 weeks, a placenta can stop providing enough nutrients for the baby. There are some other risks with being overdue, so we're trying to stay as hopeful as possible and pray that this baby comes out before the 42 week mark (when they would induce me). I guess the biggest thing that I can do is keep a close eye on the baby's movements and make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happens. It's important for her to keep up with the same schedule kicks-wise.
Please send us some labor dust and keep us in your prayers as we enter the "hurry up and wait" part of the pregnancy! :-)
Anyway, back to the appointment. BP, urine, weight, and measurements all look great. My fundal measurement was still right on track at 39 weeks. Baby's HR was 135. I've made some progress since last week. I've gone from 50% to 70% effaced, although I'm still not dilated. However, this doesn't mean anything. Some woman can walk around for days/weeks being 2-3 centimeters dilated without contractions, and others can not be dilated at all, yet their water breaks, or they go into labor and deliver the same day. The reason that I opted to get another internal exam today is to give my midwife an idea of how "favorable" my cervix is, should we need to be induced at 42 weeks.
Today we discussed what our next steps are. I have an appointment scheduled for next Wednesday, July 20th with Meg again (yay for Meg!). At that point I'll be 40w2d by their calculations (they still have my due date as Monday, the 18th) and 40w5d by our calculations (with my due date of Friday, the 15th). Because I'll technically be "over-due" at that point, I'll go for a Non Stress Test (NST) at Beverly Hospital following that appointment. They will also schedule an ultrasound at that point, to make sure that the baby looks okay, and that my placenta is still hanging in there. I guess after 40 weeks, a placenta can stop providing enough nutrients for the baby. There are some other risks with being overdue, so we're trying to stay as hopeful as possible and pray that this baby comes out before the 42 week mark (when they would induce me). I guess the biggest thing that I can do is keep a close eye on the baby's movements and make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happens. It's important for her to keep up with the same schedule kicks-wise.
Please send us some labor dust and keep us in your prayers as we enter the "hurry up and wait" part of the pregnancy! :-)
Friday, July 8, 2011
39 weeks
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
1. How Far Along? 39 weeks as of Friday, July 7th
2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? Not sure- have an appointment on Wednesday (hopefully my last) and will update then!
3. Maternity Clothes? Oh yes.
4. Gender? Sweet baby GIRL!
5. Movement? Yes-- and we wonder how she still has any space to move! Her little elbows, knees, and feet hurt me! Little bugger...
6. Sleep? Painful. I'll leave it at that.
7. What I miss? Being comfortable! I'm looking forward to having an outside baby and being done with this pregnancy. I've been pregnant for 4 seasons now- fall, winter, spring, and now summer...enough already! ;-)
8. Cravings? Watermelon, bagels, and sour gummy candies (although I've only given into this craving once with sour patch kids)
9. Symptoms? In addition to the massive swelling of my lower legs/feet (more so my left foot than right) and pressure, I've had some new weird symptoms this week that I have to note. These include my fingers feeling like swollen sausages that ache- almost as if I've cracked my knuckles too much. I've read that it could be carpal tunnel that sometimes appears late in pregnancy. I'll bring this up at my next appointment, but I know there's probably nothing that can be done. Plus, I hate to take medication. Also, the last 2 or 3 days I've had the weirdest pain in my upper leg/butt that feels like the WORST charlie horse ever. It sends shooting pains down my leg, and goes numb. It happened about an hour ago as I was in my bathroom using the lint roller. The pain was so bad that I yelled out in pain and dropped the lint roller...T came to my rescue and I threw myself on our bed so he could try and massage my leg. Ouchhhy!!
10. Best moment this week? Hmmmm....this week has been great because T had Monday (the 4th of July) and Tuesday off, plus he had a very flexible schedule the rest of the week which allowed him to go in a little late and leave early. Today, he worked from home. I've loved having him home and spending more time together just the two of us. As much as we are so excited to meet this little peanut, we are nervous for her arrival and are soaking up these last few days!
Some tidbits:
-My last Prenatal Barre class was last Monday, June 30th. I was 37.5 weeks pregnant. I'm pretty proud that I worked out that long. The last few days T and I have been trying to take walks to get things moving. When I'm at the pool I do my calve raises and leg workout in the pool. I'm sure it's a pretty funny sight seeing this big ol' preggo in the pool doing squats, ha!!
-The curtain rods were delivered this week, so T is going to hang them this weekend if all goes according to plan!
-T is just about finished with sanding the rocking chair! He's hoping to start painting on Sunday. I ordered the cushions today, so they should arrive next week. :-)
-Our Baby To-Do list is getting shorter and shorter. There's not much left that we can do before Baby Girl's arrival. I'm planning on ordering a monogrammed wall decal for above her crib, but we obviously have to decide on her name first! After that I'm going to order some sort of print to frame as well to put on the wall near her dresser.
-I got the cup holder for our stroller this week too! Now mama can stroll and stay hydrated- win win!
-Today I ordered one outfit that we'll use during the baby's newborn session. I'm not going to post a picture, because I want it to be a surprise, but it's a light pink tutu. *Swoon*
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Doctor's Appointment This Week
T and I went to my appointment on Tuesday this week. It was SO nice to have him there with me! Our appointment was in the Beverly office and we saw Pat (midwife). This appointment was funny because it was a lot of serious talk- when to call the office, how to know when you're in labor, when to head to the hospital, etc. It's all becoming so real. I brought up a few concerns that I've had- one being Baby Girl not moving like usual on Saturday (leaving this worried Mama to do kick counts for 2 hours straight), and the major swelling in my feet. We were assured that the swelling was normal with the heat and being at the tail end of pregnancy. As for the kick counts, Pat said I should have called if I was concerned, but they truly do only need 10 kicks in a day (not the hour that they tell you). Baby Girl must have just had a lazy day because she's been back to her normal self.
No protein in my urine, BP was perfect, and I only gained 1 lb. Baby's heart rate was 145, baby's measurement was perfect for 38 weeks. I had an internal exam and it was much more painful than last week. No dilation, but my cervix is 50% effaced (needs to be at 100%) to deliver. I've been crampy and have had spotting ever since. :-( I'm just hoping that the end is near! Our next appointment is Wednesday of next week, so a week from today.
No protein in my urine, BP was perfect, and I only gained 1 lb. Baby's heart rate was 145, baby's measurement was perfect for 38 weeks. I had an internal exam and it was much more painful than last week. No dilation, but my cervix is 50% effaced (needs to be at 100%) to deliver. I've been crampy and have had spotting ever since. :-( I'm just hoping that the end is near! Our next appointment is Wednesday of next week, so a week from today.
38 weeks!
Sorry this is so late!
1. How Far Along? 38 weeks as of Friday, July 1st. It's JULY people!! We're going to have a baby this month!
3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, I am actually thinking about buying another maternity tankini top for the pool. It just seems like such a waste to only wear it for 2 weeks, although I wear the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY at the pool. I'm getting tons of use out of the 1 pair of shorts that I was reluctant to buy until last week. I will probably wear them 3-4 times per week until she's born. Who was I kidding trying to get by with dresses and capri's only? The capri's I have are too dressy, and I'm not always wanting to be dressed up!
4. Gender? Girl :-)
5. Movement? Yes, still lots! It's getting very uncomfortable! I think that because Baby Girl is still sunny side up and diagonal all of the kicks and gabs are more painful!
6. Sleep? Non existent. From the constant getting up to pee, to not being able to get comfortable with all of the pain/pressure, to my mind racing, sleep just aint' happening!
7. What I miss? Being able to stand/walk/ etc without being swollen and uncomfortable. This last month of pregnancy is for the birds! ;-) Just cannot wait to get to hold my baby!
8. Cravings? Loving blackberries (all fruit, really) and veggie egg white flatbread sandwiches from Dunks.
9. Symptoms? SWELLING!!!!! Pressure, etc.
10. Best moment this week? Learning how to fold our stroller....no seriously! Also, psyched to have gotten the baby's curtains with my mom on Thursday. We just have to wait until the rods/finales/hardware gets delivered from PB Kids as it was online only. Once we get that, T will hang the curtains. I'm assuming next weekend?
This picture was taken before T and I went out to dinner on Saturday night to the Franklin in Gloucester for date night! :-) This dress is non-maternity- thank goodness it's stretchy.
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)
1. How Far Along? 38 weeks as of Friday, July 1st. It's JULY people!! We're going to have a baby this month!
3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, I am actually thinking about buying another maternity tankini top for the pool. It just seems like such a waste to only wear it for 2 weeks, although I wear the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY at the pool. I'm getting tons of use out of the 1 pair of shorts that I was reluctant to buy until last week. I will probably wear them 3-4 times per week until she's born. Who was I kidding trying to get by with dresses and capri's only? The capri's I have are too dressy, and I'm not always wanting to be dressed up!
4. Gender? Girl :-)
5. Movement? Yes, still lots! It's getting very uncomfortable! I think that because Baby Girl is still sunny side up and diagonal all of the kicks and gabs are more painful!
6. Sleep? Non existent. From the constant getting up to pee, to not being able to get comfortable with all of the pain/pressure, to my mind racing, sleep just aint' happening!
7. What I miss? Being able to stand/walk/ etc without being swollen and uncomfortable. This last month of pregnancy is for the birds! ;-) Just cannot wait to get to hold my baby!
8. Cravings? Loving blackberries (all fruit, really) and veggie egg white flatbread sandwiches from Dunks.
9. Symptoms? SWELLING!!!!! Pressure, etc.
10. Best moment this week? Learning how to fold our stroller....no seriously! Also, psyched to have gotten the baby's curtains with my mom on Thursday. We just have to wait until the rods/finales/hardware gets delivered from PB Kids as it was online only. Once we get that, T will hang the curtains. I'm assuming next weekend?
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Our Wedding Was Blogged @ The Hawthorne Hotel
I wanted to make sure that I included a link for us to have to go back to on the Hawthorne's blog.
http://weddingsatthehawthornehotel.blogspot.com/2010/06/classic-beautiful-wedding.html
http://weddingsatthehawthornehotel.blogspot.com/2010/06/classic-beautiful-wedding.html
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