tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15646187775420804192024-03-16T05:43:36.523-07:00MommyologyMilk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.comBlogger640125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-44490437416117112282016-02-20T22:43:00.001-08:002016-02-20T22:46:00.610-08:00Colin's Birth Story<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colin Gabriel, 7 lbs 7 oz & 20 inches</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span class="_5yl5">2/11/16 10:45PM. I got up from my yoga ball only to have intense pelvic pain and pressure. I walked around the house. Pain didn't relieve itself, became more intense so I squatted next to the bed to relieve the pain and I heard a splash. My water broke. 38w1d Off to the hospital after loading our sleepy children into the van and took him to their grandparents' house. PH level test, FERN test and visual inspection All positive test results, meaning it was indeed amniotic fluid. </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5">2/12/16 12:00 AM 4cm, 70%, 38w2d. Plus one cm from last week. Admitted into L&D. Walked the halls for a few hours then tried to rest. 4:30 AM no change in cervix despite regular contractions, about 3/10 minutes. 7:30 Pitocin added after I was allowed to eat a good breakfast (breakfast burrito). Melissa arrived around this time. She and Paul were a great support. Walked the room. Contractions not painful until... </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5">11:45AM, cervix hadn't changed much, nurse thought baby was posterior (as Anna and Charlie were... I braced myself for another vacuum delivery), fore membrane broken by Dr Johnson, membranes stripped. Baby definitely LOA (anterior facing)... Yay! More intense contractions came. Nothing I couldn't handle at first. But as the hour passed, became painful, intolerable, lots of pain on my hips and lower uterus and pubic bone. Music was a great distraction for a while. 1:00, exhaustion finally got to me so I climbed into bed where I was checked again, 6-7cm, Phentanyl given after I requested an epidural, knowing the hardest part was coming. The nurse said I could go all natural. No thanks! </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5">1:30 epidural given and worked. Three anesthesiologist was amazing. </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5">1:50, checked again and 8cm, measured by nurse as well as a student named Taylor. The nurse said I could day I got my epidural at 8cm! I said I'm glad because I'd feel like a wimp if it was fewer centimeters. </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5">Complete by 2:30! 3:12, started pushing 3:44, Colin Gabriel was born @ 7 lbs 7 oz, 20", 13.5" head, after 32 minutes of pushing, he was immediately put into my chest where I checked him to see if he was a boy or a girl... And cried for thankfulness. We had one hour of uninterrupted skin to skin... Beautiful hour, followed by breastfeeding. 💕 Afterwards, my OB prayed over us. It was an amazing, healing birth experience. My older two needed vacuums, I had to push two hours and we're immediately checked by care teams/NICU. Went home 2/13/16 weighing in at a hefty 6 lbs 14 oz LOL </span><br />
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<span class="_5yl5"> Funny story, he was born 4 minutes after my scheduled 38 week appointment with my OB! </span>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-82426292809276735542016-02-07T07:45:00.001-08:002016-02-07T07:45:21.656-08:00Baby #3, 37 WeeksMy 37 week appointment went well. 3cm dilated, 70% effaced, -2 station. The doctor said he thinks I'll go into labor once my cervix is more anterior and the baby drops down a bit. Bought an exercise ball, bounced on it for a few days and today waved adios to my MP. I don't care if it's too much information for the random person who reads this blog, but not only am I a note-taker at heart, but it's also nice to be reassured I won't be pregnant for the next century.<br />
Oh, in addition, if I don't go into labor on my own before then, an induction date will be set for my 39th week. I asked for it because I fear shoulder dystocia recurring in this little one and the longer I'm pregnant, the more likely it becomes that this issue will happen again. There's a light at the end of the tunnel!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-4691596449168061402016-02-01T08:27:00.001-08:002016-02-07T07:45:33.706-08:00Baby #3, 35 Week AppointmentI didn't realize I'd been leaving appointment notes on this blog and I think it's a great idea for this pregnancy as well. I like comparisons. Anyhow... I am now almost 37 weeks, but here are my 35 week notes:<br />
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I had the GBS test and the doctor checked my cervix: 1cm and 50% effaced. I've never been checked this early, so there really is no comparison. BP was normal. Weight 148. I also was able to get an ultrasound done to check the baby's weight. Charlie was so big and he had shoulder dystocia, which can be dangerous, and puts me at a greater risk of having another baby with SD. Baby was a normal size, estimated at 5 1/2 pounds and appx 8 lbs at 40 weeks, so pretty normal. The highlight was being able to see the baby's face in 3D! He or she looks so much like Anna and Charlie as newborns. :)<br />
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This Friday is my 37 week appointment and I'm going to bring up the idea of induction at 39 weeks to avoid SD. Although baby is average, weight estimates are as much as a pound off in either direction. I think waiting until 40 weeks is pushing my luck.<br />
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Until next time... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, baby!</td></tr>
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<br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-3701003410942484102015-04-15T15:14:00.001-07:002015-04-15T15:15:16.142-07:00We're Here and We're HomeIt's been a while since I have blogged. I guess I didn't feel like I had much to say. A lot has happened over the last couple of years.<br />
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We're back in our home state! Praise God! I'm so much happier here. I'll admit that I was depressed in Washington. I was cut off from the family I knew and I'm too much of an introvert to make friends easily enough for it to not matter that I'm not near family.<br />
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The biggest blessing, besides being near family again and finally getting involved in church activities (outside of Sundays) is that we have a home. WE HAVE A HOUSE. No more apartment living in Washington state... the sound of music blasting, the smell of marijuana wafting through the open windows... WE HAVE A HOUSE. 1300 square feet. (Our apartment had just under 900 square feet!) Sky lights! Thank God for sky lights... I get S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) and sunlight is the best therapy.<br />
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The kids once again live near family, Anna is beginning to make new friends (although she misses her dear friends Sanaiya and Maggie) and seems much more at ease in her new surroundings. Charlie is happy as a clam because he has a back yard! Sometimes he'll go outside and just dig and dig and dig. I think he might be part dog. ;) Anna has snapped two branches from the trees because of climbing on them. She's part monkey, for sure. ;) Her nickname has been Monkey since she was a baby. Did you know she could cross the monkey bars when she was just three years old? I wish I had gotten a picture of that because it just sounds like a wild story without solid proof! But she did! And nothing's changed... she still rocks the monkey bars! I think the second biggest challenge for her, besides leaving friends behind, was figuring out how to go from Common Core math curriculum to a... erm, regular curriculum. I guess, the silver lining is that now she knows how to do both and can use the CC as a strategy that other kids aren't familiar with. We had a lot of tears over that.<br />
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I'm not sure what this blog will evolve into, but if I have my way, it'll become a way to document a foster care journey. That's something that is very much on my heart... FC and adoption. But one step at a time.<br />
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In the meantime, I think we're just enjoying being able to live an average and happy life. Back yards, sunshine (Yes, it's sunnier in Oregon than in Washington!), family, smiles... and room to spread our wings a little bit! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 years old... wants to donate her hair when it's long enough... an absolute sweetheart!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 years old... this is Charlie with his new-to-him friend he named Shelly the Lion. He loves this thing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musical boy! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They love each other! I think they even argue less than the average sibling set! I hope. :)</td></tr>
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<br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-39743968310280037952014-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:002014-01-29T11:45:24.485-08:002014 is HereWell, I don't really update this blog very much, but maybe it's something I should pick up again. I got on the blog and the little map on the bottom, to my surprised, showed that I've been having regular visitors. I hope nobody is stealing my beautiful pictures! ;) I never really thought about photo security when I started this blog.<br />
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Well, a bit of an update: The kiddos are 7 and 2. Charlie is a bit of a wildman, sweet, silly and abhors sleep. ;) Anna is a sweet little thing. She's bright and has developed a love for Harry Potter, Ninjago and a host of other odd things like that. She really is her own person!<br />
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I'd be lying if I said I was used to Washington. I guess I long to return to Oregon, to be close to family, far from rain and less lonesome on long days. I love staying home with my boy, but I need some sort of an outlet. I'm an introvert, so it's hard to create friendships and after two years here, I haven't created a new friendship, although I've maintained at least one old one! I sound pathetic, right? Well, that's the plight of the introverted person: I love people, but I have a lot of social anxiety. I start questioning whether or not I'm annoying people, and I just have a difficult time creating those relationships. It definitely blows. No, I'm not totally cut off from the world. I have created some "bus stop mom" acquaintances, I've been trying to be involved in small groups at church, and of course there's the internet! If I had a choice, I'd be in Oregon, I'd spend my days off with family and work while the kids went to school and things would be easier on my emotionally. I'm incredibly thankful for my husband, he's the truest friend. I'm so blessed by him! He works hard.<br />
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Lately, I've really been looking at Reece's Rainbow (reecesrainbow.org) and really praying for the kids there. I feel so drawn to adoption, I always have. I'd love to be one of these moms, out there in Russia or China, adopting a baby and bringing that child home. Maybe someday!!!! :) We wouldn't pass a homestudy or meet financial requirements at this time, though. <br />
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<br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-38553041963809943842013-06-18T10:40:00.000-07:002013-06-18T10:40:03.456-07:00Summer So Far: Father's Day, 19 Months, Superhero Day, and Pirate and Princess SummerHere are a few pictures of our summer so far...<br />
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<span id="goog_1139331438"></span><span id="goog_1139331439"></span><br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-86826936255853239682013-06-18T10:11:00.002-07:002013-06-18T10:11:57.801-07:00Disneyland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Originally this post was titled "My Poor Lonely Abandoned Blog"! I guess it's been a while since I've blogged here. It's been easier to just jot down my thoughts in a sentence or two on Facebook. It's been really busy with two little ones, but summer is coming around and so is sleep! Anna finishes up kindergarten tomorrow, Charlie is 19 months old, and both are like little hurricanes in our tiny little apartment.<br />
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The big thing to happen this year was our April trip to Disneyland. We were finally able to return to the Happiest Place on Earth and we had a blast! Every morning, Charlie would climb into the stroller, all ready to go and excited. Anna of course loved it and loved meeting Merida. I was surprised that Charlie loved the characters, even the ones with the big masks and costumes like Minnie Mouse (he cried when we took him away from her so others could meet Minnie). We walked Main Street, saw the water show, rode rides, strolled through shops, ate Disney food, and basically spent a lot more money than hubby thought we would (I warned him about setting aside X amount of money for food, but he thought we'd spend less... I win!). hehe It was wonderful and I can't wait to return again. We skipped a lot of rides that the kids were too short to ride on or the lines were too long for our impatient little ones to sit through. Next time I think we'll hit the Radiator Springs Racers, the California Screemin' and many others. Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-18286279129739942222012-10-07T23:33:00.003-07:002012-10-07T23:34:07.617-07:00Baby Belly BluesTonight, Paul came up behind me and hugged me. Then, he put his hands on my tummy (as he did when I was pregnant) and said, "I'm gonna miss the baby belly." My voice cracked as I said, "Me, too." He said that if he could, he would have a dozen babies with me. That's how I feel! I'm not sure why God puts a desire in our hearts to mother or father many kids when it isn't financially feasible. Maybe things will change in the future so that I wouldn't feel guilt about having more kids than my two little ones, but I can't see that happening. Then again, a year ago, hubby was unemployed and we were living with my in-laws... now we're in an apartment again, doing fine and paying our bills - but we're just<i> right there. </i>It wouldn't be fair to have more kids. God help me to heal this part of my heart and accept having only my two beautiful and perfect little ones. Help me to be the best mommy I can be to these children. Amen.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-40049433128816906202012-08-31T11:00:00.002-07:002012-08-31T11:00:47.905-07:00Boys Will Be BoysYesterday, I had an interesting conversation with my 5 year old. She went downstairs and apparently saw her friend's 2 year old brother's penis (I'm guessing he got out of the bath or was running around, I dunno), so she drew it for me (apparently he's circumcised) and then wanted to draw it bigger for me to see. lol I said, "No, no, honey. We don't draw penises. That's not nice. Besides, your brother and dad have penises and I've seen them. I know what they look like." She looked at me with big eyes and then squinted at me: "You've SEEN daddy's penis?!" Yes, yes, I have.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-76896632614294199682012-08-30T09:52:00.002-07:002012-08-30T09:52:47.824-07:00It's Official! I have a kindergartener!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Meeting Mrs. Donati</div>
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Anna's Merida backpack</div>
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Anna became a kindergartener today. She's so excited! I made her lunch: almond butter and jelly sandwich, strawberries, carrots, a pumpkin cupcake (tastes just like pumpkin pie - thanks Pinterest!), milk and a strawberry straw. Her teacher is Mrs. Donati and she also has a teacher named Mrs. Goin. Paul and I got to stay for story time. We, along with other parents, stood around and snapped pictures! haha :) We love our little girl! She's growing up so fast. I'm nervous about habits she might pick up from other kids. I just hope it goes well.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-6834906884740887452012-08-09T01:21:00.001-07:002012-08-09T01:21:52.362-07:00Sum-sum-summertime!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my favorite season of all. Sometimes the heat is too much, but for the most part, it's so much better than winter. Let's just say, I get S.A.D.! And with the Pacific Northwest's perma-gloom, winter can really suck! I love taking pictures of my loved ones this time of year. It's almost always perfect weather, perfect lighting, perfect everything!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-41663957000498153022012-06-22T12:35:00.001-07:002012-06-22T12:36:46.472-07:00Beach Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Paul and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by going to our favorite place: Seaside, OR. Charlie put his feet in the ocean sands for the first time, in the same place where his sister did, and at the same age (7 months). We had a blast. I wish we could do that every month.<br />
<br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-68414891160252652072012-05-09T19:42:00.000-07:002012-05-09T19:42:01.667-07:00How to be a Crappy ParentCrappy parenting goes as thus:<br />
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1. Keep doing everything you're doing.<br />
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2. Look at what everyone else is doing and yearn to do what they're doing.<br />
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3. Look at your kids. Jeez, they're messed up! Fix them! Fix them, I say!<br />
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4. Look at the wake of destruction behind you and realize how truly sucky you are at life and parenting.<br />
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I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of all of the above, so I must be a crappy parent. I'm not that great at what I'm doing here. I can see a million things that I can do better than this. I have issues, to say the least. When I wake up in the morning, I am exhausted and lazy. I do some cleaning and feeding. By 1, I might be in my pajamas... or regular clothes. It doesn't matter, but I'm pretty sure that I've succeeded if I've gotten at least one kid dressed. If I've made macaroni and cheese for lunch, then I am THE WOMAN. Today I vacuumed, did the dishes, clothed and fed both of the kids and even got into real clothes before Paul got home from work. I also did a little blogging. How, though, does it feel like I haven't gotten a chance to take a breath? How is it that there are still dirty clothes and dishes? Some days, I feel like I'm falling further behind than I am getting ahead. I look at everything I'm doing, hate that I'm making apparent mistakes and I keep doing it. I see everyone else is supermom, superwife or super careerwoman. I can't duplicate what they do. I want to do things for Anna and Charlie to help them through life, but I suck at it so much. No, this isn't a whine-post. Don't you dare tell me that I'm just being down on myself. There is is a point here and I'll get to it shortly. It's hard to keep a straight line of thinking when a six month old is climbing all over me and I'm trying to ignore him for the good of the interwebs! I swear that this is educational and worth risking my child's mental health! I see that I'm not really that bad of a mom. I try hard at doing the best I can, even if I fail. I care when I fail. I just can't fix it. I want to be a better mom and wife. Most of all, I want to be a better friend. I want to let others know that I can be a good friend. I want to make connections, not just be a shut-in. What is my first step? I don't know. But I suppose I should let others know that I care for them and try to make dates for me and my friends. Dang, I hardly make dates for me and my husband! Maybe I do suck at being a wife! I suppose I need to take more 'risks' to be able to be more rounded. I don't trust others. I have trust issues. ;) What is the point of this post again? Probably that I won't even push 'publish' at the end. I'm sitting here sobbing and feeling really self-deprecating right now. I think I need a shower and me time. Then I'll worry about everyone else. Everyone is fed and happy. I just need me time. Maybe then, I'll be able to be a better mom, wife and friend.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-75086657109656448352012-04-19T21:58:00.001-07:002012-04-19T21:58:07.908-07:00Homemade Baby Food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Clockwise from top: mango, avocado, butternut squash and banana!</div>
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First of all, I love the new setup that Blogger has! This is much easier to do my posts. OK, so these are the fabulous frozen baby foods I slaved over to make for Charlie. He starts solids in two weeks and I'm bored! So!!!! Aren't they lovely? I simply pureed them (I had to cook the squash first, but you know what I mean) and put them into an ice cube tray and froze them! I double bagged them in my freezer. So pretty! So simple! And so CHEAP! Each fruit was just a few cents and I got at least 4 ounces from each fruit (8 from the squash!). How's that for a money-savin' mama?<br />
<br />Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-48300076326906376792012-04-16T13:57:00.004-07:002012-06-22T12:36:35.646-07:00Easter!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyTohqiWm0RG3KWG58tSaW4maFEzK05hLFpzKa4FkgYfNo67y-1gQJr9p2Iz_kkfi0HdimVxuXocczsK4yA2jpVhjzlTDssc5qg5WkJ8LJaj6NHKq3fzH88KyloLG1VnUw0lulhOFl4/s1600/IMG_9905.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732112582885099106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyTohqiWm0RG3KWG58tSaW4maFEzK05hLFpzKa4FkgYfNo67y-1gQJr9p2Iz_kkfi0HdimVxuXocczsK4yA2jpVhjzlTDssc5qg5WkJ8LJaj6NHKq3fzH88KyloLG1VnUw0lulhOFl4/s400/IMG_9905.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a><br />
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Well, we're in our new home in Washington and on Easter we traveled back to Oregon. The weather was perfect. But I know you don't want to read a weather report. What was reportable was that I never felt so blessed in my life. I'm surrounded by family and church family. I wish I could drag them all back to Washington with me. I love them all so much. But I know God has a plan for us in Washington. For some reason we always make our way back here! Sometimes I sit here wondering why God wants us here. There are things we want to accomplish. I want to get my MA, Paul has this wonderful job that will provide great experience in the computer industry and we've been considering foster parenting. I know there are things we have to get into order first, though, before pursuing that last thing. There are short term goals and long term goals, but I really feel God want us there... in the world of adoption and foster parenting. It's something that's always been close to my heart. Paul is open to it, too. We're open to fostering kids with disabilities as well. I'm looking forward to that new chapter in our lives. It seems that every year brings a new chapter. God always keeps us on our toes. Life is never stagnant!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-41600614937847686832012-04-16T13:48:00.002-07:002012-04-16T13:57:36.699-07:00ReevaluationsI think it's important to always reevaluate, look critically and dissect our lives. No, I don't mean giving ourselves a guilt trip - after all, God is a god of Forgiveness - but to not get too complacent. I've sadly seen a lot of friends go from this amazing place in their lives with God - I've been jealous of these people. I've looked up to them as if they were on a spiritual pedestal. How could they be so close to God that all of these amazing things are happening to them and not me? They saw visions. They spoke tongues. They knew God in a way I felt I did not. And then... it all crumbled. God was last on their list. Things they felt were suddenly more important - relationships or money or travel or earthly experiences - were number one on their list, not God. Not Him. Watching that happen to these friends has been so painful. I can only pray they go back to this amazing place with God. I've been complacent, too, at times. But now, I know better than to be jealous. No matter how high the pedestal, they can fall off just as easily - perhaps more easily. (Look at Biblical David!) I don't want to be that person. So, if I reevaluate, look critically and dissect every once in a while, maybe I won't fall either. After all, what's important here isn't sex, money, travel, friends, alcohol, or anything else that can trip us up... what's important is the hereafter. I don't want to screw up the hereafter. You only get one shot at it and you better do it right.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-41628298202031465312012-02-24T15:41:00.003-08:002012-02-24T15:55:15.325-08:00February Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvX3rHRUk2skTOR_uCOsY80C5tOIsrmCn5VSBJtaPmJ1IqOlzhig6YVc9Zsj5ESF3qhDcGwHugk90YnTVy49AXNSEo846diXk8RuBdg97Wr2knCnuu_ba5AdWzO-PcdIKoRaRmntFp5w/s1600/IMG_9440.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvX3rHRUk2skTOR_uCOsY80C5tOIsrmCn5VSBJtaPmJ1IqOlzhig6YVc9Zsj5ESF3qhDcGwHugk90YnTVy49AXNSEo846diXk8RuBdg97Wr2knCnuu_ba5AdWzO-PcdIKoRaRmntFp5w/s400/IMG_9440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712854866544255218" border="0" /></a><br />There's no theme to this blog post. I've been trying to think of one to write a themed post for a while, but I just don't have one in mind. I just want to let the world know how we're doing.<br /><br />Well, as far as the kids go, Anna is a growing girl! We're weeding out 6X clothing now. She is so tall! She has just gone through another growth spurt, putting her into the 83rd percentile for height and 89th for weight. She is learning every day new things. Just the other day, we were working on a Kindergarten Homeschooling book. The name of the game was to fill in the missing letter. There would be a missing vowel or a missing consonant. For example, there would be a picture of a pig and the letters would be "p_g" and she'd have to fill in the blanks. Let me tell you, I was so surprised at how quickly she filled in the missing letters. She basically filled them in as quickly as any learned reader would! Kindergarten is going to be such a breeze for her! Speaking of which, she will be starting kindergarten in just six months! It's hard to believe!<br /><br />Charlie is growing as well. He will be turning 4 months old on the 1st and I recently put 9 month clothing and a few 12 month outfits into his drawers, which he fits quite well. He has discovered his toes - which he grabs at any chance! He nurses at night probably too much, but maybe that's because I wake him up with my own movements.<br /><br />Paul's still job-hunting. Grrr. However, he is working a contract position through an awesome Redmond, WA company which is paying the bills and giving us much needed financial freedom. I am so excited at the prospect of having our own place again and seeing the kids enjoy it, too. You never know how great that freedom is until it's taken from you. That being said, I am extremely thankful for my in-laws for their help during this time. I'm also thankful for the chance to hang out with my church family. Anna loves being around her friends a lot, too. I know she craves more company (i.e. kindergarten peers), but this is the way it has to be. Sigh.<br /><br />I've been volunteering for a non-profit which houses at-risk youth and offers counseling to the community. It's a lot of fun and it's really rewarding. I love knowing that something is going on my resume at last. It's also great to give my brain some exercise again! I do miss testing and taking courses, but I suppose before I know it I'll be in grad school and hoping for a break again. I guess you can't have it all. ;)<br /><br />Anna and Charlie love one another, but they are already starting to 'argue'. Anna will get in his face to love on Charlie and he'll push her away, turn his head and/or scream! Oh, boy! The other day, she was sitting next to me and Charlie was in my lap. Charlie kept reaching onto her book and patting it. Anna would get angry and tell me that he kept touching her stuff! Ugh! Today, she told me that it was 'no fair' that I was sitting with Charlie at the restaurant and not her. God save me. Do such disagreements have to be prerequisite to being siblings? No thanks! But I suppose it'll get worse and at the same time they'll learn to share and be friends, so there will be good parts, I'm sure!<br /><br />Enough for now! TTFN!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-90088668351438247942012-02-02T16:56:00.000-08:002012-02-02T19:54:58.070-08:00Let's Talk "Flat Head Syndrome": Anna's Story<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzxhe172-UL2NXxFCZM7-2M9yY1i06Bpr7qw5Ixdm0frpLU79Iw1yR1P6gYqPtZxdnFBIz6WTadJPMWrNx1dKIfGOpekrYrki2MyY9h0sgRIk4KkjFduQow4NV7w6AsNQnxHKIIGkp1w/s1600/Head_shape_comparison.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzxhe172-UL2NXxFCZM7-2M9yY1i06Bpr7qw5Ixdm0frpLU79Iw1yR1P6gYqPtZxdnFBIz6WTadJPMWrNx1dKIfGOpekrYrki2MyY9h0sgRIk4KkjFduQow4NV7w6AsNQnxHKIIGkp1w/s400/Head_shape_comparison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707585933332402" border="0" /></a> Well world, I'm coming out of the Plagio closet! Why write about this now? I've had plenty of friends (many of you are reading now or about to) worrying about their own little ones and their flat spots. 99% of the time, there's nothing to worry about. But I do have thoughts on the subject. Here is our story...<br /><br />Anna was born with a perfectly normal shaped head... kind of. The fact is, it did not 'mold' like babies heads usually do when they squeeze out of the birth canal. This is because of the posterior positioning that she had when she came out (posterior AKA sunny side up... babies aren't meant to come out this way and it's much harder to come out than sunny side down!). She didn't have a cone head whatsoever. I remember looking at her head and thinking that that was a funny little quirk. Being a new mom, I head read a million baby books and watched a million and one Birth Day episodes to know what to expect. Just as it should be, her birth was anything but ordinary. But that's for another day and another story. (As it turns out, children like Anna and Charlie who were posterior, or any other child who didn't sit "right" in the womb tend to tussle with Plagio... same goes for multiples for the same reason!)<br /><br />When the tummy time days came around, we lived in a little apartment with carpet that was laid directly on top of the concrete floor. She was two weeks old when she got her first go around with tummy time and... she hated it! Big surprise, right? Every kid (with the miraculous exception of one or two) hate tummy time at first. Of course, she screamed and I decided to give her "back time" to get her used to being on the floor. I bet you know what happened next, right? Soft baby skull + time laying on a concrete floor? I began to notice marked flatness by six weeks old. Her head was on the bigger side and when she was around 8 weeks old, she got an x-ray to make sure her sutures weren't sealing early. Other than that, the pediatrician made no comments about the actual shape her head. As it turns out, most pediatricians think this is a more cosmetic issue anyway and being that I was on state insurance at the time, a 2,000 dollar helmet to correct the issue wasn't even an option, so I never brought it up with the pediatrician. I've recently read that "Flat Head Syndrome" has been linked to cognitive and motor delays<a href="http://www.seattlechildrens.org/media/press-releases/New-Study-Possibly-Links-Cognitive-And-Motor-Delays-With-Flat-Head-Syndrome-In-Young-Babies/"> in a study done on Seattl</a>e. So no, it is not just a cosmetic issue any more.<br /><br />Note: Looking back on it, I should have brought it up with the pediatrician. He could have referred me to a specialist or did a little research for himself (thereby helping a future patient of his, probably). Insurance or lack of insurance shouldn't bar someone from knowledge.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1k0q7O-ju0G8WRajwPBWZ5LYpvYF9ZWbZRQSLLperY-XWRHjtG1tihOfTEqhcd8qRwNZUWo2QJjVPUitBfdtC97orTbDldbHQpN1p-UPUIAKK57IFUTTJGfRn153ZR_wV-VXbOWCAYQ/s1600/head.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1k0q7O-ju0G8WRajwPBWZ5LYpvYF9ZWbZRQSLLperY-XWRHjtG1tihOfTEqhcd8qRwNZUWo2QJjVPUitBfdtC97orTbDldbHQpN1p-UPUIAKK57IFUTTJGfRn153ZR_wV-VXbOWCAYQ/s400/head.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707587256915378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Above: Anna, 5 1/2 months old)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>Thankfully, I had never noticed any delays in Anna. If anything, she was always on the early side of things when it came to baby milestones.<br /><br />On a warm spring day in Seattle, when Anna was 5 1/2 months old, we went down to the chapel at Northwest and sat on the green lawn. It was a little chilly, but it was beautiful. I took lots of pictures of Anna. Then I looked at those pictures. Frankly, I was alarmed. Her head was so flat! I spent many hours doing lots of Googling. "Flat head baby", I would search. I discovered Plagiocephaly. Anna actually fell more into the Brachycephaly category, having a pronounced flat spot on the back of her head. More scared than ever that my child would end up "deformed" and it would be my fault, I felt extreme guilt. I still feel a little guilty. And I was afraid that If I came across people who were a little more educated on the subject, they would think that her flat head was caused by my neglect (which isn't necessarily true, by the way). So, I kept my mouth shut. When I mentioned anything to my husband, he would think I was overreacting. To be honest, I do overreact, but this was something that I felt I had to fix... by myself.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0ryOe-mYV0JTD65v4hu6twOOmTX_Bq8vbxXmahQmAaHsEdXHsJMzSmt9ow1Gl0GmcqAhhMaoQ75DgPeDt_eioMmLVkU5HizgXspKjPK2xnxQYYykb90vlxEuCb5PrQ84hrymK6IxC2o/s1600/head5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0ryOe-mYV0JTD65v4hu6twOOmTX_Bq8vbxXmahQmAaHsEdXHsJMzSmt9ow1Gl0GmcqAhhMaoQ75DgPeDt_eioMmLVkU5HizgXspKjPK2xnxQYYykb90vlxEuCb5PrQ84hrymK6IxC2o/s400/head5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707844118554162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Above and below: Anna on the beach at 7 months old.)<br /></span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4p5-DU5wODgdpPVzOpuIKHfDgLAvNp5YHEtp7uQ21-iooEwslblKQWOJWK9M_HwvIhh_HkRGPFeEKVGjMcWBvs_6Ij1y-eubx89Nutu78zpfAud10i2HWNb6E9rQjt7FThB_ahACqqM/s1600/head3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4p5-DU5wODgdpPVzOpuIKHfDgLAvNp5YHEtp7uQ21-iooEwslblKQWOJWK9M_HwvIhh_HkRGPFeEKVGjMcWBvs_6Ij1y-eubx89Nutu78zpfAud10i2HWNb6E9rQjt7FThB_ahACqqM/s400/head3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707600830444738" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNNaLxgTydoDszu_OS0CxIDC8up1Cm29-q38robpYvmZpnEAylasB6UsiwhtO1L-xONbu6rrLBVb1hwV9AxSnihcR_Pv43XSvyigU3RaK15FaL51eEZEZ7yj-EnqPifQWOUDReiTERmw/s1600/head4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNNaLxgTydoDszu_OS0CxIDC8up1Cm29-q38robpYvmZpnEAylasB6UsiwhtO1L-xONbu6rrLBVb1hwV9AxSnihcR_Pv43XSvyigU3RaK15FaL51eEZEZ7yj-EnqPifQWOUDReiTERmw/s400/head4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707604854927810" border="0" /></a> Being that we were co-sleepers, it made my next move pretty easy. I rolled Anna onto her side at night for months, holding her around her waist. She never turned her head in her sleep, so this was one way I could make sure the pressure was on the side of her head instead of the back. (Please, this is my story, so it isn't medical advice. Please talk to your pediatrician about these things. I'm not saying what I did was the approved thing to do.) Another great thing was that our little girl was a mover and a shaker. At 4 months, she began rolling. At 5 months, she began sitting up. At 7 months, she did the army crawl. At 9 months, she began to properly crawl. At 9 1/2 months, she took her first steps! This certainly must have helped with keeping pressure off the back of her little noggin. Besides that, bows somehow disguised the flatness of her head... it took 2 years before she had enough hair for a clip! haha<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXJ7NLSdkxsKy0Kb-j0ySCNWl9r-C_u-Jl6UwbJXOaklNRhyphenhyphenwD8rA3RfSdqR8Yd8r4k7OcL2sKDK4C97DQ9hh7YQRlArhbSDZS5s51b_gHQT7xtIGcuCOFf3QI1CoBWzjueeIePiUoZE/s1600/head2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXJ7NLSdkxsKy0Kb-j0ySCNWl9r-C_u-Jl6UwbJXOaklNRhyphenhyphenwD8rA3RfSdqR8Yd8r4k7OcL2sKDK4C97DQ9hh7YQRlArhbSDZS5s51b_gHQT7xtIGcuCOFf3QI1CoBWzjueeIePiUoZE/s400/head2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707592988204802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Above: Anna at her 1 year appointment on her first birthday.)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>You can already tell the difference, can't you? Helmet-free, my daughter's head slowly began to move into a normal shape... or at least really close to normal. The use of a helmet does its best work if used before the age of 6 months... which is about the time I began to freak out about Anna's Brachycephaly. It looked better from the side. When she looked down, though, there was a very obvious flatness to her head.<br /><br />So, where are we today? Anna's face is on the wider side, for sure, but she isn't exactly a petite girl, being in the 75th percentile for height and 90th for weight. She's proportional. When her hair began to come in, it came in with lots of curls, which I was delighted by, it disguised it a bit more. Her head looks much better. When I fix her hair, I still feel the flat spot, but it's much better and I'm really thankful that her face wasn't changed by the Brachy (sometimes the forehead protrudes or changes in shape).<br /><br />Anna often got "big head" comments as she was growing up. Her head was proportional to her body. I'm sure that the flatness on the back of her head, making her face wider, did not help with her appearance. Nonetheless, I made it a rule after a while of smiling at the comments and boiling inside, that I do not appreciate comments about my childrens' appearances.<br /><br />As far as family goes, Charlie was also posterior. I keep him off from his head as much as possible. Car seats are for cars, is the rule. I carry him around just as much as I carried Anna around. He switches sides throughout the night as I nurse him, so he spends equal amounts of time on each side of his head. His head wasn't as flat as Anna's was at birth, so I think we had a better "starting point" than we had with Anna. Despite all of this, I still see a teeny flat spot, but from what I've read, that's totally normal and it really doesn't look bad like Anna's was. A lot of children have at least a little flatness in infancy <a href="http://www.flatheadprevention.org/prevention/">since the Back to Sleep Campaign started up</a> nearly two decades ago. It rounds out as they become mobile. Charlie's flat spot is next to unnoticeable... you know, unless you're an overprotective mom like me hehe. Thank goodness. Now, is my family more educated on Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly? Unfortunately no. I don't really talk about it at all. Paul has heard most of my thoughts on the subject. My mother-in-law has heard nearly none of it. Flat Head Syndrome is more of a 1990s+ issue. Whew! Now, for pictures of Anna today...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2SXAO0RQ-zhh-hFaeKBiYlk6sEJUgvEFVSDssegQ78Xp7cdIp70D4IlP4YFrTLGpLBlKk0y2vJlkTdSQcSwuV0kmgKLBqAAJNKpz2kM3OJnAP-erbM4ERhNzeGXvSOIRhGEM7PnI34s/s1600/IMG_5454.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2SXAO0RQ-zhh-hFaeKBiYlk6sEJUgvEFVSDssegQ78Xp7cdIp70D4IlP4YFrTLGpLBlKk0y2vJlkTdSQcSwuV0kmgKLBqAAJNKpz2kM3OJnAP-erbM4ERhNzeGXvSOIRhGEM7PnI34s/s400/IMG_5454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707853989500802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Above: Anna, age 4)<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BY7qEMyjtkTfSGXLpCXSrjYHXfMTSdR2pTBGeHJKerygTAGl7vtNmCEVw7eiVxd3Nm1eGPAoDF49qa-FmmlnYKQlfjZIP25yLkxCOCUvNzQBivc0MKIN6gj6_O0AMqrstXgFaLutsU4/s1600/IMG_8343.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6BY7qEMyjtkTfSGXLpCXSrjYHXfMTSdR2pTBGeHJKerygTAGl7vtNmCEVw7eiVxd3Nm1eGPAoDF49qa-FmmlnYKQlfjZIP25yLkxCOCUvNzQBivc0MKIN6gj6_O0AMqrstXgFaLutsU4/s400/IMG_8343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704707865496766834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Anna, age 5.)</span><br /></div>Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-10935081126781101952012-01-03T21:30:00.000-08:002012-01-03T21:36:16.897-08:002 Months Old!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-_r5MjO2r2kh2JyNjOK7bPLNoc7pmgC3Zkg0GDmOxj58eA-4271SIZljZ9Kj4xzyz5LyVslTnx6FCoAMNZvNMJgvqJD0kt7MMkyXnzyUGjRi_yuBaX2SAC9D8-ByApjOFFB4JEMd5OQ/s1600/123.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-_r5MjO2r2kh2JyNjOK7bPLNoc7pmgC3Zkg0GDmOxj58eA-4271SIZljZ9Kj4xzyz5LyVslTnx6FCoAMNZvNMJgvqJD0kt7MMkyXnzyUGjRi_yuBaX2SAC9D8-ByApjOFFB4JEMd5OQ/s400/123.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693645006725077202" border="0" />Newborn, 1 month, 2 months<br /></a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky2HdskxMn_NHqZYbAlbCukpS2P-eV6kzzPD-FHJJIx9MlDWnkmiEbLdYpY2_6rFK1PsGSwrgaDJs5nTdwdRlHpK781_jNspZzD4-Cl0yfEPJfLgJjhRomvOqwQVH8o7z_yVlAbUaSm4/s1600/2months.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky2HdskxMn_NHqZYbAlbCukpS2P-eV6kzzPD-FHJJIx9MlDWnkmiEbLdYpY2_6rFK1PsGSwrgaDJs5nTdwdRlHpK781_jNspZzD4-Cl0yfEPJfLgJjhRomvOqwQVH8o7z_yVlAbUaSm4/s400/2months.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693645004335231042" border="0" /></a>Weight: 15 pounds 5 ounces, ~97th percentile<br />Height: 24 inches, ~80th percentile<br /><br />Charlie is a healthy and growing boy! He's a big boy, too! The appointment today went well. He got three shots and an oral vaccine. He cried just a little bit, but big sister Anna cried even more - poor girl! One thing to note is that<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Charlie has an enlarged testicle (hydrocele testis). The pediatrician noticed it at birth and it's still there. If it doesn't clear up by 4 months, then we'll have to see a urologist. (Also, it can cause a hernia.) I hope it clears up. I can't imagine what kind of procedure would be used to drain that fluid. :( Please say a prayer for our little man. It doesn't hurt him thankfully - he just looks very endowed!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-71009776648701448952011-11-27T21:11:00.000-08:002011-11-27T21:20:39.210-08:00Anna's Birth Story<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DkZcyty71lobvR1H8_yX6QyYAD6HBrdySRtN7C-Lbq9FdrBBCth94lx96Z8UB1phPVIwQVkNzYZTs591QNP3I8RyTcxaVe8MU3KOsY_ItKdOR8YaeLu1n6Z_vvIzGvMjyREn4A_WfuA/s1600/newbornAnna.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DkZcyty71lobvR1H8_yX6QyYAD6HBrdySRtN7C-Lbq9FdrBBCth94lx96Z8UB1phPVIwQVkNzYZTs591QNP3I8RyTcxaVe8MU3KOsY_ItKdOR8YaeLu1n6Z_vvIzGvMjyREn4A_WfuA/s400/newbornAnna.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679910047947006754" border="0" /></a><br />I wrote this after Anna was born:<br /><br />Anna Daisy P______<br />November 19, 2006<br />8:10 p.m.<br />7 lbs 11 oz<br />19 inches long<br /><br />(Sorry if this seems short, I'm exhausted.) I went in to be induced on Sunday morning 5am. The doctor checked me and I was already 3cm dilated and 80% efffaced, so they broke my water to see if that alone would stimulate contractions, but it didn't. They gave me pitocin at like 8 am-ish. It really wasn't bad at all at first. They checked me, I was still very comfortable and when they checked me I was 4cm and 100% effaced. I actually remember thinking how "easy" it was at this point and the nursing staff was impressed that I wasn't begging for the epidural yet. I asked for one some time later when I was like 6 cm but only because it would take 20 minutes to kick in and I wanted it to work once I was fully dilated. Well, I got the epidural and the first dose did not work at all, I wasn't concerned at this point... then I got the second dose and I was able to sleep a little because it dulled the pain enough... THEN I woke up in terrible pain not 1 hour after the second dose. They gave me a third dose of the epidural and it STILL wasn't working. I was numb from the knees down and my butt was numb (gee, if I were giving birth through my toes it would have been very nice!) The anesthesiologist said that the epidural is equal to ones' height and by then they had given me the dose of a 6 foot 2 inch person! Unfortunately, Anna was also posterior, so I had the worst back labor as well. At last I was checked and I was 9 cm, then they checked me a half an hour later and I was +2. They asked me if I wanted to start pushing and I said YES! I was in so much pain, I just wanted it to end! So I pushed for an hour and I was so exhausted from hunger (I had only had a bowl of cereal at 5am that morning and by then it was 7. I pushed so hard for so long and it hurt so bad that I kept throwing up. The contractions were coming one after another. Finally my OBGYN came in and he said that he would try to use the vacuum to pull her out and if it didn't work I'd need a C-Section. Anna was stuck in the birth canal because of her posterior position and because I was too exhausted to push very hard or very consistently. I was so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open and I was even resting during contractions. So, finally the doctor put on the pump and I pushed as hard as I could and some time during this the doctor gave me a "generous" episiotomy--I didn't even notice! The vacuum released which made my body pop back, then the doctor put it back on and pulled her out. I didn't even know that she was born until she was put on my stomach. I kept my eyes closed for most of the labor (I was too exhausted to keep them open...) She was screaming and everything and she is so cute. The only thing that hurts is the episiotomy. It was pretty big, too. I asked the doctor how many stitches I had and he said, "We're up to six so far." and he wasn't even close to being done yet!<br /><br />Anyhow, I'm in a ton of pain and the Percocet only helps a little with the pain, but Anna makes it all worth it! She is so beautiful! She has dark black hair and a poor scabby red mark from when the vacuum popped off. She's just adorable! It was all worth it. I'll just try not to relive that delivery, though!<br /><br />Anna is a great little breastfeeder, too! She caught on right away and the nurses said that babies who have traumatic deliveries usually don't feed very well, but she caught on right away. I was able to try to feed her just an hour or two after she delivered.<br /><br />_____<br /><br />To add to the story, I was 39 weeks 2 days pregnant with Anna when I had her. After she was born, I had issues with the Percocet. At 6 days postpartum, I went into the hospital because of a bowel obstruction caused by the medication. That was fun... not. More like humiliating and horrifying! I think the emotional healing after her birth took the longest. I didn't have a very good experience. I couldn't remember much of her birth because of being so exhausted and it took forever to feel like myself again. I can tell the difference between Charlie and Anna's births. The difference is huge! I was up and walking around immediately. I was able to get up with relative ease after Charlie's birth, go to the bathroom without issue (#1 and #2), go on walks within a few days of birth, go to church 5 days post-birth, etc., etc., etc. I feel like I can be a better mom, although juggling is difficult. I remember crying because I couldn't do anything for Anna for so long except for feed her. I'm glad to be able to have a better experience the second time around, even if it wasn't perfect. Even if it wasn't one of those births where baby and mom both come out unscathed - ah, well. God protected us both times. Both times c-sections were strong possibilities, especially in Charlie's case and both times we were healthy and alive afterward. I'm thankful for that. God is good!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-44441689597617252822011-11-23T20:09:00.001-08:002011-11-23T20:25:02.905-08:00Just TwoPaul (hubby) and I are fairly certain that we just want two. And to even think about getting pregnant again is a little frightening to me. Thankfully both pregnancies have been fairly complication free (with the exception of having high BP during my pregnancy with Anna), but it's just the delivery part! Both babies have been posterior and have needed to be vacuum-extracted. Charlie had the added fun of having the cord around his neck and shoulder dystocia because of being nearly 10 pounds. And let me tell you, carrying a nearly 10 pound baby was no walk in the park. I had pubic symphysis pain for weeks before delivery and for a week or two after - I'm still sensitive down there. Recovery was hell after having Anna and not too fun this time around, although much better. After having Charlie, the first to hold him was a warming bassinet surrounded by the NICU staff. Thankfully, I got to hold Anna first after having her. The point is, I'll never be one of those two-pushes-and-they're-out ladies. I'll never be a homebirth candidate (not that that's on my list, but still!). I'll never been one of those ladies who goes out and runs a mile a few weeks after birth.<br /><br />But after having Charlie, the epidural actually worked and I was able to enjoy those first moments of his life, remember them, remember holding him for the first time, cuddling him, remember nursing him for the first time... it was wonderful! The recovery hasn't been too bad, although there have been a few bumps in the road... and I find that I'm sad that this is likely our last baby. I'm sad I won't experience that first moment ever again. At the same time, I don't want to go through what it takes to experience that first moment.<br /><br />So, here I am. A mama of two. Maybe there'll be adoption in our future, just as I had always dreamed, but for now, it's just the four of us. And there will be plenty of firsts ahead of us... first smiles, first days at preschool, Anna getting married, Charlie getting married, first grandchildren... lots of firsts.Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-62551512193104221192011-11-20T19:34:00.000-08:002011-11-20T19:41:52.301-08:00Photos - Anna and Charlie (10 days old)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgbxMPfwemViEDN8e_I26HmVk00KNOFJjHKld3CBWtx51RotNQ3bVlW25ejoNauKDXQOfrE2vClDWB8d7ybQ1ge5dZK8lpIeuNbBnW4pHcqmSEXIoMyn0OlYx7PTUnv6W7U2BdONFxzc/s1600/IMG_8494b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgbxMPfwemViEDN8e_I26HmVk00KNOFJjHKld3CBWtx51RotNQ3bVlW25ejoNauKDXQOfrE2vClDWB8d7ybQ1ge5dZK8lpIeuNbBnW4pHcqmSEXIoMyn0OlYx7PTUnv6W7U2BdONFxzc/s400/IMG_8494b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677288088568825362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC7WYCWHZOQtK29TJ_7eM8pHkrgCTf1qixvl-_KnB1QxIsF0jkiBYJvU516xRkkXtNuVNZ1YOduaqUcgvDjg6hqu8kYAX97ZwRAKhhL6KPg3K2n9NBJVa7ifH3pvEbMoOMVbeYbLrxIU/s1600/IMG_8479b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgC7WYCWHZOQtK29TJ_7eM8pHkrgCTf1qixvl-_KnB1QxIsF0jkiBYJvU516xRkkXtNuVNZ1YOduaqUcgvDjg6hqu8kYAX97ZwRAKhhL6KPg3K2n9NBJVa7ifH3pvEbMoOMVbeYbLrxIU/s400/IMG_8479b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677288082799971682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJreIJhb6ATVjq7gFNSclP1sxflgDpfP-pynBcfFaCB-igRpT9IJqLb3r5Mec7oc1YdAa6DHQj_DX_33QBanFRFVfG3ip9DbKGHuEKrJgCYguYHeJ5zVJ7KJwHOl6zTVZ1N2mXE3wLrI/s1600/IMG_8434.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJreIJhb6ATVjq7gFNSclP1sxflgDpfP-pynBcfFaCB-igRpT9IJqLb3r5Mec7oc1YdAa6DHQj_DX_33QBanFRFVfG3ip9DbKGHuEKrJgCYguYHeJ5zVJ7KJwHOl6zTVZ1N2mXE3wLrI/s400/IMG_8434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677288077658383714" border="0" /></a><br />Charlie is now 2 weeks and 5 days old. He is well over 10 pounds and we'll be retiring newborn clothes this week. (They look so short on his arms and legs!!! Also, they're short on his long torso.) He is a great breastfeeder, just like his sister! I'm so thankful for that. I loved nursing Anna and I'm loving nursing this little guy. :)<br />Anna just had her 5th birthday party. She got lots of My Little Ponies, Littlest Petshop and Squinkies. She had a great day. We went to the Children's Museum with her and enjoyed her experiencing something new. :)<br />Anna loves being a big sister. Charlie is crying now, so this was a short update, but here it is. :)Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-71574376862660754542011-11-02T15:57:00.001-07:002011-11-27T21:04:24.368-08:00BIRTH STORY! :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLikLxNEYEuAucjFmhXIt5cTCQFZRHzytqt6fFuRKwmKKJQGJMbFm6v13QzZNc17oXSkjzvl7KS8v6oO6VcTmdilivQ7T5xttmWgQq7_TPABV6W6rsHLxZL3hH7eNvvE4Vkx9tsG1u04/s1600/IMG_8201.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLikLxNEYEuAucjFmhXIt5cTCQFZRHzytqt6fFuRKwmKKJQGJMbFm6v13QzZNc17oXSkjzvl7KS8v6oO6VcTmdilivQ7T5xttmWgQq7_TPABV6W6rsHLxZL3hH7eNvvE4Vkx9tsG1u04/s400/IMG_8201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670560746548113282" border="0" /></a><br />Charles David, born 11/1/11 at 5:21 PM PST, 9 lbs 13 oz (12.6 oz), 21 1/4 inches, head 15.25, 41 weeks gestation<br /><br />2:30 AM - Paul (DH) woke me up because my nose was wheezing. I got up, feeling like I had to pee, but every time I sat down, it hurt really badly and my back was hurting. I woke up about every 1/2 hour until around 4 when I gave up and stayed awake.<br /><br />5:45 AM - Left for the hospital, scheduled induction. My back was killing me, my pelvis hurting. I wanted to kill DH for stopping for coffee.<br /><br />6:00 AM - Checked in to L&D - it was the exact same room that Anna (our daughter) was born in! They attached the monitors and I was already in labor! Here I thought I was having the most horrible back ache ever (just as it was on "false alarm day", but worse). I guess it was meant to be this little guy's birthday! Contractions were around every 2-3 minutes. I labored on my hands and knees to relieve the pain. I went into the whirl pool until that didn't help any more. I kept trying to go pee, but it was way too painful. DH kept saying, "Maybe you don't have to pee? Maybe he's just pushing on your bladder." Maybe, I agreed.<br /><br />I was checked and I was 2-3 cm and my cervix was way posterior! What?! I had actually regressed?! How could that be with all of this horrible pain? (I had been 4 cm, 70% for the last two appts and anterior for the last appt.)<br /><br />8:30 - Given 1/2 dose Phentanol for the pain. Ah, it felt nice.<br /><br />9:30 - Made wise choice to have epidural. I could tell it was back labor all over again. I prayed the epi would work this time and it did!!! :)<br /><br />The doctor came in finally and checked me. He was also feeling a posterior cervix and then he thought the baby was breech! He had an ultrasound machine brought in and it was hard to see the baby. He realized the problem and had the nurse give me a catheter. I had over a liter of urine in my bladder! I knew I had to go!!! He could see that the baby was actually head-down, not breech! Whew! I was praying so hard that he wasn't!<br /><br />After that, the doctor checked me and I was actually 5 cm and 80% effaced! I knew I had made progress!<br /><br />10:00 - My contractions were alright, but needed to be augmented with Pitocin. Yay for having a working epidural on board! I kept checking the machine to make sure I was still in labor!<br /><br />11:00 - 6 cm, 80% effaced, -2 station<br /><br />12:10 - 6 cm still, water broken. This part was hilarious. I had so much fluid that it was gushing out, soaked the doctor's sleeves and the sheets all the way up to my ribs! I had "copius amounts" of fluid, according to the nurse. My stomach actually deflated quite a bit with that. I did not have that experience with my daughter!<br /><br />There was meconium staining in the fluid. :(<br /><br />1:00 PM - 7 cm, 90% effaced<br /><br />2:15 - 8-9 cm, 100% effaced. I couldn't believe how fast this was going!<br /><br />3:15 - Just a lip of cervix left. They noticed he was ROP (right occiput posterior) and had me start pushing to get him to turn on his own. I pushed like this for a couple 1 hour, 45 minutes. He didn't turn on his own, just a little bit, but not all the way. I had to keep turning from my left side, to the back, to the right because of heartrate decels, while keeping an oxygen mask on. I was praying the whole time this didn't turn into a c-section situation.<br /><br />5:00 - The doctor came in and had me start actual pushing. I could definitely feel pain and pressure as he moved down the birth canal. The doctor wanted to get him out of there, especially after noticing more meconium. The doctor talked about using a vacuum. I was so afraid of the same thing that happened with DD (Anna), vacuum and gigantic episiotomy. I asked immediately if it was possible to use the vacuum and not need an episiotomy and he said yes. As I pushed, he used the vacuum to turn him from ROP to anterior. Thankfully he did turn with this help! Once the vacuum was on, it only took two sets of four pushes for him to come into the world at 5:21. :) The doctor noticed that the cord was around his neck. Paul said the doctor was sweating as he pried the cord off from his neck. Paul cut the cord and blood sprayed across the room and soaked a nurse. haha :)<br /><br />He was immediately brought to the pediatric team who assessed him because of the cord around the neck, the vacuum and the meconium. It took several minutes before I could actually see him. But he was a healthy boy. I was shocked at how huge he was - we all were! No wonder I was so uncomfortable. I gave up my evening one-mile walks a few days before he was born - it was just too hard any more. He's doing such a great job nursing! He always wants to suckle on things - his hands, me, or a pacifier. He likes to be warm and swaddled. He has tons of dark hair.He's fine with sleeping in the bassinet as well. He's wearing size 1 diapers lol! He has a little bruise on his head from the vacuum.<br /><br />I made off with a 2nd degree tear and I'm doing great with 800 mg of Ibuprofen. I feel pretty great, considering. I feel so lucky. It was a great birth and it's making off to be a great recovery! So many things are working better this time around, compared to last. :) So many things could have gone wrong, but didn't. We are very, very blessed. God answered many of our prayers yesterday - from the breech situation to the healing thing. Very blessed!!!<br /><br />Oh, and Anna loves her little brother so much! She's currently holding him and singing Twinkle Twinkle to him. That's the song I always sung to her. :)<br /><br />ETA: I had to add that because of his surprising size, they've checked his blood sugar three times! Paul overheard them say, "Everything's OK. He's just a big boy!" haha :)<br /><br />ETA2: I forgot to add that his shoulders also got stuck when he was coming out. Another "big boy" situation!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-18040896335016409802011-10-27T15:39:00.000-07:002011-11-05T13:35:48.735-07:0040 Week Appointment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W1ynqAG2UL-DJU5h7uytyodK6w2wzxOlLosqvSoQPFiNIBzkOb1dNLsNLdWy-b_AfaiogUNxiV7ZIua4tGhEN1RqjOwcyZqUi52AXSM6a0XfPvM_T3AtBJ9_bIRmKPAe9jAC2F_ksHc/s1600/IMG_8116.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3W1ynqAG2UL-DJU5h7uytyodK6w2wzxOlLosqvSoQPFiNIBzkOb1dNLsNLdWy-b_AfaiogUNxiV7ZIua4tGhEN1RqjOwcyZqUi52AXSM6a0XfPvM_T3AtBJ9_bIRmKPAe9jAC2F_ksHc/s400/IMG_8116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671613116674665634" border="0" /></a><br />40 Weeks 2 Days<br /><br />My posts are getting shorter and shorter. Mostly because I'm so exhausted. I'm beyond the point of being excited and now I'm just exhausted and hoping for the end. Charlie's still hanging out... stubborn little boy! Anyway...<br /><br />BP is still looking good, <span style="font-style: italic;">still </span>4 centimeters and 70% effaced, bag of waters is still bulging. Still no baby. This kid is stubborn! :) Anyway, I had my membranes stripped, so I've had a lot of contractions since. Hopefully that leads to something. If all else fails, he'll be evicted on 11/1/11 at 6:00 AM (induction). Having an end in sight is helping me to stay sane. If there was none, I'd be... well, like I was two days ago, bawling, upset all the time, etc. I'm in so much pain any more and to top it all off, I've gotten about a million new stretch marks that wouldn't have been there had Charlie made his grand appearance a week ago. :( I'm trying not to think about that any more. That was so not helping my mental health!<br /><br />Well, I'm looking forward to new mommy things... breastfeeding, cuddling, kissing.<br />Not looking forward to... pain, pain meds, not being mobile for a few days... not that my mobility is very awesome right now... I can hardly get out of bed! Ugh. Time to come out, Charlie. I'll brave the pain!Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564618777542080419.post-59870181690026066762011-10-22T11:27:00.000-07:002011-10-22T11:29:40.824-07:00In Labor! NOT!!!Last night was my first ever trip to L&D for false labor. Anyway, I was having real contractions, but they were really inconsistent. I have made progress, though. I'm a "strong 4 cm" dilated, 70% effaced and I have a bulging bag of waters. My stubborn little man is still hanging out in my uterus... torturing me. haha They said they wouldn't be surprised if they saw me soon, so hopefully they're right. Owww...!<br /><br />(39 w 3 d)Milk Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112455008442524193noreply@blogger.com2