3 weeks ago today...the birth of my first child

I went for a checkup at my doctor's office on Thursday Oct 28th. My blood pressure was elevated, I had protein in my urine, and I had gained 10 pounds in 2 weeks in FLUID...which you could tell my looking at my legs. I had cankles and my knees were are big as my thighs. Since I was preeclamptic...doctor's orders were that I go straight to the hospital to be induced. She wanted him born before I got sick. I told her I was going home first for a shower and dinner and to finish packing my bag. She didn't want me to...but I knew what would happen when I was admitted to the hospital- nothing but ice chips.

So I went home and took a shower while Carl went to pick up my last meal of chicken nuggets and fries. We both ate and then packed my car and headed over to the hospital. We were taken to our hospital room sometime between 7 and 8pm. Here is our last photo together before I was bedridden for 3 days:

Thursday night they put me on Cervidil. It is supposed to stay in for 12 hours and then they check to see if it is working. At this point, they also had me hooked to in IV with I don't even remember all that was being pumped in me. I know Magnesium was...we had to keep the room dark and were not supposed to have the TV on. Mag and the other fluids plus the fact that I was already swollen had me puffy and absolutely miserable. And on top of that, someone was pricking my finger every 2 hours or so to check my blood sugar and they would come back with more insulin to shoot up. The next day when they went to check and see if the Cervidil did anything, they discovered that it was not even in all the way. So basically, it was a waste of 12 hours. So then I had to wait a few hours for them to start me on Cytotek. I also had to have a cath at this point because they didn't want to chance the medicine falling out. I was to have a Cytotek every 4 hours...until I had 4...and then see if I was ready. Well, after all the Cytotek, still not dilated and labor not started. So very early Saturday morning I was informed that they would break my water soon. That terrified me. Luckily, my water broke on its own.

They waited several hours to see if I dilated. I was BEGGING for a C-section since mid-Friday because I was miserable. I was bloated so bad it was insane. I was hurting anytime they did anything to me and I just cried all the time because I didn't want anyone else touching me. My hands were so swollen, I couldn't get anywhere close to making a fist, so when Carl would hold my hand, I would have to ask him to squeeze my hand since it was physically impossible for me to squeeze his!

Finally Saturday before noon, they decided I would be having Spencer soon via Cesaerean section. I was not even scared of it because I was so ready for this to be over with! I was relieved that he would be out soon and that hopefully the swelling would go down and people would stop poking and prodding me and everything. They wheeled me back to the operating room and the gorgeous anesthesiologist gave me a spinal and I was numb in no time. The operation felt like it took forever, but my family that was waiting nearby said it was no time. I felt the doctors pushing on my belly, but I never felt the incision, just some pushing and then I heard crying and knew it would be over soon.  I did not have my glasses on, so I couldn't really see much of what was going on in the room, but they got him cleaned up and gave him to Carl. Carl brought Spencer over to me and our nurse friend took a picture of our little family for us. I could not have imagined how much Carl and I would instantly been in love. Carl was sniffling when he brought Spencer over and my heart melted!

Spencer was born Saturday October 30th (my dad's birthday) at 12:09 pm and weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz and was 19.74 inches long.

Here is our first family picture together (with mommy still being operated on and baby still crying):

Since I am diabetic, I already knew that Spencer would more than likely have to go to NICU when he was born. That is exactly what happened. He had low blood sugar at birth, and they took him to NICU (after a small detour so my mom, sister, aunt, and friend) could see him. The main thing that I hated about him being in NICU was that I could not breastfeed him. All I could do was pump in my hospital room and send the milk to him. Carl and I figured that was better than him just getting formula alone. I did not even get out of bed for over 24 hours after my surgery. So Carl and our parents could go visit Spencer, but I could not. NICU printed out 2 pictures of him to send to me...and I cried in my room looking at the pictures.

Not long after the operation, they moved me to a different floor. It was much better here! I did not have to be on an IV anymore and the nurse only came in my room 3 or 4 times a day instead of every 2 hours. I only got my finger pricked once or twice a day and I got Metformin instead of insulin. About 30 hours after my surgery, my nurse decided I needed to go visit my son. She asked everyone to leave the room and she shut the door and she was determined to get me into a wheelchair before she got off her shift. I cried and complained...it HURT! But someone she managed to make me get into that wheelchair and Carl wheeled me down to NICU. I was so weak from the whole hospital ordeal that I was afraid to hold him. Not to mention that I have never really been around babies before. (Now, 3 weeks later I almost feel like a pro).

Here is our first family photo after the operating room:

Our sweet baby boy:

We got to leave the hospital Tuesday Nov 2nd around 9pm. (I had to go back to the hospital Thursday because of blood pressure, but that is a different story). We took him home and let Bear sniff him...we are pretty sure Bear is in love too. He loves to kiss his baby brother and gets worried if he is crying and gets upset with us if he thinks we are not taking care of the situation. We really could not ask for a better dog than Bear. And as of the first 3 weeks with our son, we could not have asked for a better child! He is on a 4-hour schedule and everyone tells us how lucky we are and that he is easy compared to how they had it. Carl was mommy and daddy the first week or 2 since mommy did not feel well at all. He was really a life-saver. Now that my blood pressure is down and I don't hurt anymore, I am trying my best to do a lot more! But I really got in the habit of sleeping all night while Carl would get up for the middle-of-the-night feedings...and I still haven't taken that role over! Oh...and Spencer REFUSES to breastfeed. We think it is because he had a bottle the first several days of his life while in NICU...and he does not want to work to get his food. We tried for a few days, but I gave up because it was too stressful for me...and seemed to be for Spencer too. He would latch, but didn't like the flow, so he would just scream and scream until we gave him a bottle. I really hate that it worked that way, but it is easier since anyone can feed him and it gives me a break. He still gets some breast milk...not as much as we would like, but I guess some is better than none.

Spencer and I both had a good first check-up at the doctor. They said my blood pressure SHOULD be back to normal without medicine by my next appointment. Spencer gained a few ounces and grew a quarter of an inch. He is a happy and healthy baby and we couldn't have asked for a better one.

UGH and YAY and every emotion between!

Ok, so while I am not entirely ready for Spencer to be here...I am way ready for this pregnancy to be over with! I am more and more miserable each day and my doctor's office is being less and less helpful! Last week their equipment wasn't working, so I got sent to the hospital for monitoring. You can't get to the labor and delivery floor except via the ER...so Carl and I had to sit in the ER waiting room and wait to go to labor and delivery. (Keep in mind I am diabetic and pregnant, and we ate muffins about 3:00). We finally get seen and they hook me up to monitor Spencer's heartbeat and my blood pressure...and do not come back to check on me for well over an hour. My back is hurting so bad I was in tears and squeezing Carl's hand...someone FINALLY comes in and hooks me up for an ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid and Spencer's movement...I am still hooked up for blood pressure, but no more heartbeat machine thing. After she prodded me for what seemed like forever (back still in a lot of pain...I think just from the way I was lying down so long). Then she tells me that someone will be back with my discharge papers...Carl has to leave to go to pharmacy before they close...I waited for over an hour and no one came to check on me...Carl called me and was ready for me to meet him outside. (It was after visitation time, so it would have been a paid to get him back up to my room). So I decide I am just going to leave...but of course they stop me. I tell them I am leaving NOW because I am diabetic and it is after 9:30 pm and I haven't eaten. I am sure my blood sugar was getting pretty low...on top of being tired and pregnant and irritated, I was just crying talking to the doctor. And that is my rant for the day. Can you believe they want me to go back and do the same thing tomorrow? I haven't decided if I am going or not. I really do not want to be put through that again. It was extremely ridiculous.

The swelling has not gone down any. I can't even make a fist in the mornings and I go barefoot at work a lot because none of my shoes fit me anymore. My mom bought me some Halloween sock/bootie things with the grip sole...I wear them a lot. If I can't get a good night's sleep anyways, I figure I might as well be getting up all night to feed and change a baby! At least then maybe I would feel a little more normal without the swelling and having to give myself so many shots all day, etc. I didn't really have much morning sickness and the early part of my pregnancy was really easy. I really think I am making up for it now! But I don't know. Maybe other people this far along were just as miserable. By the way, I am 35 weeks and 2 days along now...so 3 or 4 more weeks for me and I am done! (They won't let me go past 38 or 39 weeks b/c of my diabetes).

On a much more positive note, Carl and I got pregnancy photos done Sunday. My friend Camille did them...she took pics at our wedding and I wouldn't have it any other way! She really could do professional photography on the side if she wanted to!

Here are a few of our pics. They were taken at Cameron Brown Park in Germantown. There are many more, but these are just a few of my faves:

Another ultrasound...

Being diabetic and 32 weeks pregnant means I go to the doctor a whole lot. Yesterday I got sent for an ultrasound to determine how big baby Spencer is. My doctor(s) already thought he is bigger than he should be and they wanted to know just how much bigger.

Yesterday we learned that Spencer is 5 lbs and 7 oz already...and is approx. 2 weeks further along than he should be. He is in the 80th percentile. They said that is not all that great, but that they wouldn't worry unless he reached the 90th percentile. His heartbeat was 147, which is good.

I was told by this new place that he would be born at 38 or 39 weeks and that they don't let diabetics go 40 weeks. So that means we are having an early to mid-November baby unless he decides he wants to come early. Please just stay til Nov 1st at least!!

Third Trimester

Well, I am 32 weeks along now...and trying my best to get fully prepared for the big event. Several things have happened lately that have helped me feel almost ready. The first is the baby shower my sister threw for me. It was great fun and Carl and I got all the big ticket items we really wanted. We got an infant car seat/stroller travel system from some of my girlfriends that pitched in together. We go the matching high chair and play yard that go with it from family. It is all Alphabet Soup from Safety 1st. I love the pattern, Carl didn't at first, but I think he likes it more now. We got tons of clothes from everyone. We got a take along bouncer, mattress for the crib, the puppy bedding set I wanted for the nursery...we got really spoiled! I am so thankful for my friends and family that have helped us in getting ready for the upcoming arrival of Spencer Mason. Here are a few picture
 

After the shower, we got the rest of the nursery furniture assembled and got a lot of the nursery ready. Really the main things left to do are to grab a few last supplies, do the nursery windows, and get the birth plan ready, car seat installed, and bags packed so we are ready for our little man should he come early.

Another thing we have done to get ready is that we started baby classes last night. We go to the 2 hour classes every Monday night from now until baby Spencer comes. Last night was the breastfeeding class. I really feel that we both learned a lot. I feel great about our decision to breastfeed and learned helpful tips. For example, it should not be painful and you should not even need lanolin...if you do have pain and get chaffed it means you are not doing it properly and the baby is not latched on right. I always thought chaffing and pain went along with breastfeeding. Carl and I learned many benefits of breastfeeding...it will help me lose the baby weight faster AND help lower my blood sugar, which has drastically gone up throughout my pregnancy. 

Next Monday the class is about post-partum baby care. I really think this class will be beneficial to me because I have never really been around babies before. I have never changed a diaper, I am terrified of holding babies, etc. I am hoping to learn more helpful tips and ease my fears about holding, feeding, etc to my baby before he comes. The week after starts Lamaze classes. Carl thinks they will be pointless, but I just want to at least go to one or two and see what it is about. It can't hurt! 

So now to nest and get the house ready, stock up on diapers and bath supplies, finish up the nursery, etc...and get ready for our little dude!

Ugh

I have been going to the doctor weekly now...getting closer on getting insulin right, but not quite there yet. Last week, they switched me to NPH and R insulin instead of the 70/30 mix I was taking...so that means mixing my insulin and taking more shots. Yesterday they upped my dosage a little bit and I go back next week to see if it is ok or if it needs some more adjusting.

I have started back to zumba twice a week. I really missed it and I try my best even though I really can't do some of the moves right now. Instead of jumping I will bounce on my toes, and I don't lift my legs as high as most of the other people. But that is just fine. I am still getting a workout and doing something that will hopefully get my blood sugar levels under control.

This past weekend I went to an ultrasound clinic where I got to be a guinea pig for doctors learning about ultrasounds. I got a few new ultrasound pictures...glad I got paid instead of paying them! Haha! They were a bunch of goof offs and had trouble finding the babies organs and parts.

I am supposed to go for an ultrasound sometime this week to check on Spencer's size. They think he is on the big side. Ugh!

My sister is throwing me a shower in a few weeks...I am really excited! I have finished registering at Target and JCP and am trying to save up some money to buy some of the bigger items off the registry myself if at all possible. My sister is having fun planning the shower, and I am looking forward to seeing my family there! One of my friends is throwing me a shower in early November...that will be fun too!

Latest Doctor Appointment

Had another check up with the doctor yesterday. My blood sugar levels have not been within limits, so I have to increase my insulin and go back next Monday to see if it helps. If it does not help, they will probably switch me to a different type of insulin. I didn't have an ultrasound, but doc said that the baby feels a little big to her....which I knew was common with diabetics and what I was hoping to avoid. Sigh. Hopefully we will get this under control soon.

So, next appointment is next week on Monday. Hopefully I will have better news to share then.

I am just about done with my registries at Target and JC Penney. My sister is having a shower for me I Sept 19 and a friend is throwing me one early November. I am really excited about them!

Registries

I have finally started registering for baby Spencer. Creating a baby registry is much more fun than creating a wedding one! Our nursery is a real pretty light/medium green color and we want to go with a light wood crib and furniture to match the rocker that I won from the bank. I found several bedding sets that I liked, and this is pretty much the only one that Carl would agree on:


We registered for the whole nursery set at JCPenney.com. I am really looking forward to getting the nursery ready, decorated, and stocked. Right now I feel very behind with everything that needs to be done before the end of November!! It seems a bit overwhelming right now, but I know somehow we will do it!

I also started a registry at Target. I don't want to register anywhere else, because I am afraid if I do, then I won't get all I really want from the places that I have registered. (I really want all the nursery items from JCPenney!) I emailed friends and asked for input on what is useful and what is a waste of money. I got some really good feedback, but I still have so many questions! (How do I know what kind of formula to get? How do I know the stroller I pick out will be good enough? What is ok to buy used and what to I need to buy new?) Everyone keeps telling me I have plenty of time, but I really don't! The hubby works 2 jobs now, so we don't have much together time to work on projects around the house. I work at a Halloween store, so I pretty much won't be able to do anything starting in late Sept through Nov 1st. So we need to get a move on and get ready!

2nd purchase for baby

The first purchase I made for baby was for Carl's father's day present. I bought a red Star Trek uniform onesie and a vampire pacifier from Thinkgeek.com. Carl wanted all of the colors they had for the onesie, but I was not about to pay that much for a father's day present when the baby hasn't even been born yet and when the baby does not need a Star Trek onesie in every color. Carl can be such a nerd :P Here is my 2nd purchase for baby Spencer Mason Lindley:


I wanted a baby book that I saw at Target the past few months, but I didn't know if I needed the boy one or girl one. They reduced the price and sold out of them before I knew the sex of our baby, so Carl and I went to Babies R Us to find a different one. We found the C.R. Gibson Little Pond Record Book and I fell in love with the cover. I am definitely extra emotional lately...I cried while we were looking at baby books because they were so cute! The only things that really bothered me about this book were that it does not have a place for first ultrasound picture or hospital bracelet, and the other books did. But, in the end, we chose this one because everything else about it made up for that. Plus, I can put those items in the back section where there are a few pages for memories.

We spent probably an hour walking around Babies R Us trying to decide on nursery items and looking at things we want to register for. In the next month or so we will have to go back and actually register. We will probably register at Target for most of the items and then Babies R Us for the rest. I am so ready to start working on the nursery!!

We found out what we are having!

When Carl and I first found out that I was pregnant, he swore he did not want to find out what we were having. I swore up and down that I was going to find out regardless of what he wanted. Either he was just aggravating me, or he changed his mind, because recently he has been as anxious as me to get that ultrasound that would tell us if I was cooking a hamburger or hot dog.

In the first month or two, I looked online at all sorts of wive's tales for different ways to predict what you were going to have. The first I looked at was the Chinese Birth Calendar. According to the Birth Calendar, you can predict your babies gender by your age you will be when you give birth and what month the baby was conceived. Well, for me the age is 28 and the month conceived was February, so according to the chart, I should have a boy.

Carl's sisters kept telling me about another gender prediction method involving a string and a needle or ring. When I went to Illinois last month with Carl, Cynthia found some string and tied my wedding band to it and held it over my wrist. After it started to swing, she exclaimed "It's a boy!" She swore that it worked predicting all 4 of her kid's sex and she just KNEW I was having a boy.

Well, yesterday we begged for our 2nd ultrasound since the first one was too soon to tell the sex of the baby. The ultrasound lady said "It's definitely a boy, or else a girl with something rather large between her legs". I was super excited! We have had a boy's name picked out since the first day, and have gone back and forth over girl's name for months. No more arguing about it! We have a name. Carl was set on having twins, one of each, but since that didn't happen (Whew! Thank goodness!) I think he is happy that we have a boy and now he wants a girl. He wanted the boy to be older to look out for his little sister. I want to see how the rest of this pregnancy goes and how we deal with this huge change in our lives before I even think about doing this again!

Here are the ultrasound pictures of our little Spencer Mason Lindley:

Yesterday I was 21 weeks and 3 days pregnant, and Spencer weighs 15 oz now and should be 1 lb within the next couple days. My due date is November 22nd. The heartbeat was 136. The doctor and ultrasound person said that everything is looking great with baby! Now, if I can just get my blood sugar under control!!! It is soooo much harder now that I am pregnant!

2nd appt with High Risk Clinic

Yesterday was our 2nd appointment with the High Risk Clinic at UT Med. There are no major updates at this time. We were at the clinic from 9:40 am- 2:00 pm. Next time I am taking a book and some snacks!

Here is a breakdown of our appt:
*Carl and I talked with the doctor (I found it is ok to take Chlortabs for allergies and I can dye my hair).
*We heard the baby's heartbeat (it was 140, yay)
*I had an exam...the REALLY not fun kind. She said she thinks my pelvis is small and is worried I might have a big baby. I don't know if this means I have to have a C-section or not.
*We talked with a tech about diabetic testing and foods. I was given a pregnancy blood sugar log and I am supposed to test my sugar b/t 4 and 5 times a day and record it to take back to the dr with me.
*I had 5 vials of blood drawn. They are doing an A1C for me and testing for neural tube defects. She said I have a higher risk since I am diabetic.

We did NOT have a second ultrasound and still have not been told the sex of the baby. We are supposed to go back to the doctor in 2 weeks. Hopefully we will get an ultrasound then and find out if we are having a baby boy Lindley or a baby girl Lindley.

Last time the doctor and ultrasound lady gave us due dates that were 2 weeks apart, so I asked the doctor about it this time, and she adjusted our due date. So now we are supposedly 19 weeks and 2 days along....

Drastic Changes

My life has changed so much in the past 3 months, it makes my head spin. I went from being a girlfriend to being a wife. I went from living with my parents to moving into a house with my husband. I went from very few bills to very many bills. The biggest change, perhaps, was learning that my husband and I will be parents in November. It is still something we haven't fully grasped...every few days it just hits us. "We are going to have a baby", he will email me.

We had our first prenatal visit with our new doctor last week. The hubby insists on going to every appointment with me, and I am very thankful for that! It is reassuring to have him there and I am glad he wants to be a part of everything for our child. He gets so excited about things, I love it. Anyways, at our first visit, I had blood work done, we filled out TONS of forms and answered questions about family medical history, blah blah blah. And, we got our first ultrasound. We don't know what we are having yet. Oh, Carl saw the foot kick on the screen during the ultrasound and he loved that. I had a hard time telling what anything was on the screen...and a few minutes after the ultrasound lady pointed something out, I saw it. It took 5 minutes staring at the printout we got for me to see anything. Carl had to point out the outline of the head and I finally saw it. They eyes, the nose, the mouth. Our baby.



We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks. My fingers are crossed that we find out what we are having then!! Updates to come then!