The newest babe

Guppy arrived Thursday (8/18/2011) at 8am via c-section. He weighed 7lbs 8oz and he was 19 inches long. My smallest babe. My little runt:) The surgery went smoothly, and the baby was perfectly healthy. The whole affair was largely uneventful, and everything went according to plan. We were discharged from the hospital on Sunday afternoon and have been home resting and recuperating ever since.

My little guy is perfect in every way, and we love him to pieces! Guppy is now 8 days old, and we are both doing great. He had his first doctor's appointment yesterday. He looks teeny tiny to me, so I was a little worried that he might not have regained his birth weight. But he did! He weighed in at 8lbs 2oz. Yippee!

Nursing has been going great. Actually, it has been going a little too great at night. My baby boy woke up 4 times to nurse last night. It felt like every time I laid my head down on the pillow, Guppy was fussing and rooting around. Otherwise, he has been pretty mellow. He sleeps a lot. He also poops a lot. He likes to be held and touched and kissed, so we oblige and give him lots of love.

I couldn't be happier. Seriously! I am so in love with this little guy...




In other news, we had an Earthquake on Tuesday. What the fuck? It was so bizarre and kind of scary. And now we have a hurricane bearing down on us. AWESOME. My husband is busy storing water and food in the basement. He seems to be convinced that something bad is going to happen. I hope he is wrong.

Well, I seem to have very little time for blogging lately. I just want to soak up every minute with my little family. I know things will change when John goes back to work, and I'll be eager to chat with my internet buddies. Until then, blogging will be light over here in Cakerwakerville.

39 weeks 6 days

Nesting is for the birds

Since this is my third time around, very little has surprised me with this pregnancy. Severe constipation? Totally expected. Excruciating hip pain? Not surprised. Leaking urine? Happens every time. The thing that has caught me off guard is "nesting." I have never experienced this phenomenon before. I kind of thought it was just a made-up problem that pregnant women liked to complain about. Although I had heard other people talk about it, I had never actually felt any overwhelming urge to clean or organize my house during pregnancy - until now. And I have to say, it kind of sucks.

For the past few weeks, I have felt this constant nagging urge to get my house in near perfect condition. Everything I have been putting off for years, is suddenly very important to me. Every closet in my house is organized. My windows have been windexed. My bedroom (clutter central in my house) is spotless and clutter free. The food cupboard is organized, with all of my spices neatly lined up. I have dusted every ceiling fan and every picture frame. I have donated bags of clothes, purses, toys, and housewares.

All of this cleaning is exhausting, and that damn nagging urge NEVER GOES AWAY. Every time I finish a task, I think of something else that needs to be done. And I keep thinking of new tasks for John too. Last night, right after he arrived home from work, I made him hang new hooks in our coat closet. Why? Because I want Porgie and Izzy to be able to hang up their own coats this fall. Yes, jacket weather is months away, but this task must be completed before the baby arrives! It is urgent! I realize that I am being insane, but I can't stop these crazy impulses, so John has to suffer with me.

This is our last weekend has a family of four, and although I would love to spend it with my lovely little family, I know that this isn't going to happen. I already have an insanely long list of chores for John and myself to complete. Maybe I'll be able to rest at the beginning of next week? Fat chance.

Monday's appointment

Monday's appointment with the OB went much smoother. We were stuck in the waiting room FOREVER, but the doctor made no mention of my small measurement. He simply listened to the baby's heartbeat, asked if I had any questions, and then sent us off. It was glorious! I only have one more appointment before the BIG day, which is just mind blowing. At the most, we are only 8 days away from meeting this baby. EIGHT DAYS! WOW!

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but we are having a scheduled c-section. After like 20 hours of labor, I had an emergency c-section with Porgie. The OB convinced me to have another c-section with Izzy, which probably would have happened even if I tried a VBAC. Izzy was born 9lbs 8oz at 39 weeks. Can you imagine how big he would have been if I have gone 40+ weeks? At my first visit, I inquired about a VBAC with this baby, but they said it was policy that after 2 c-sections, you are always a c-section. I thought I would be upset, but honestly, I don't really care. I just want a healthy little baby in my arms. How he/she gets here really doesn't matter to me anymore. Yes, the recovery is harder, but I know what to expect. There is comfort in that, and it gives me a sense of peace regarding the whole process.

The only thing that has been bothering me is my time in the recovery area. When I had Porgie, they gave her to us immediately. My first attempts at breastfeeding were in the recovery area right after my c-section. I thought they would do the same with Izzy, but instead they rushed him off to the nursery. I didn't get to see him for an hour or two after his birth, and when they finally brought him to my room, they informed me that they had given him a bottle of formula - WITHOUT PERMISSION. Instead of being overjoyed with my new baby, I was angry with the hospital staff. I don't want that to happen this time. I have told John that if they take this baby away right after delivery, that he has to stay with the baby the entire time. He cannot, under any circumstances, come back to visit with me. He has also been told to refuse all bottles and to constantly harass the nurses to bring me my baby! I intend to talk to the doctors and nurses before my surgery, because I have a few other requests too. Basically, I plan on being the biggest pain in the ass.

So, I am still pregnant and hope to stay that way for a little while longer. Since I scheduled the c-section for my actual due date, I REALLY need to make it to 40 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed that I can make it 8 more days.

Doctors worry too much!

Monday I had my 37 week check-up. I decided to schedule the appointment in the morning and to take both kids with me. I thought we would go in, listen to the heartbeat, and be on our merry way. Instead, we spent nearly 2 hours at my doctor's office.

Remember when I told you that my belly has measured small throughout this pregnancy? Well, the people around me kept mentioning that I was "so small!" at 20 weeks, yet the baby measured completely normal. By 24 weeks my doctor also joined in on the fun, declaring that I was several weeks behind on my belly measurements. The doctor continued to fret when my measurements stayed behind week after week. I was scheduled for a growth scan at 32 weeks to check on the baby. Once again, the baby's measurements were perfectly normal. At 36 weeks, the doctor tried to convince me to do another growth scan, but I declined her offer. Why is everyone so obsessed with the size of my belly? The baby appears to be completely fine. I just felt like it would be a waste of everyone's time.

At 36 weeks, I measured 34 weeks. I've been 2 to 3 weeks behind for a while now, so I was largely unconcerned. On Monday (at 37 weeks 4 days), I measured 32 weeks. What the hell? How did I get smaller? I was baffled. My doctor looked panicked. She told me that I needed an ultrasound right away. She was afraid that my amniotic fluid was dangerously low. They rushed me (and my two children) back to the ultrasound room. I felt sorry for the poor girl who was supposed to go next, but they insisted that I didn't have time to make an appointment for another day. Although the doctor seemed very concerned, I still felt like they were making a big deal out of nothing.

30 minutes later we learned that the baby appears to be in the 70th percentile (!) for growth and that my amniotic fluid was on the low end of normal. Not dangerously low, but also not abundant. But because my amniotic fluid was on the low end of normal, I am afraid they are going to want to do another ultrasound next week to recheck the fluid levels. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I want to make sure the baby is healthy, but I feel like the doctors are trying to find a problem to justify my small measurements. I honestly don't think there is a problem. My belly has consistently measured small, yet the baby has always measured normal. That is just the way this pregnancy has progressed and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. I feel like if they go searching for problems, they are eventually going to find some reason to make me go to the hospital early. And I don't want to have this baby early.

It is all very frustrating and overwhelming. I want the baby to be healthy, but I also want him/her to be fully cooked and ready for life on the outside. I would also like for my mother to be here to watch Porgie and Izzy, so that I can have a less stressful hospital stay. So, this baby needs to stay put for a few more weeks. I've been drinking water like it is going out of style, hoping that my amniotic fluid levels will be higher next week. I am seeing a different doctor on Monday, and I have my fingers crossed that he will have a more laid back approach to this problem.

I know I am not HUGE, but I don't think I look tiny either. I am actually pretty happy with my cute little baby belly. Here is me at 38 weeks...