Old Posts!

Maya,

I actually started a blog while I was pregnant. I only managed to post two entries and then I completely forgot my gmail username and password so I had to start over. But I wanted to include the two posts I did write !

Monday, June 6, 2011

6 weeks and counting....

I still have 6 weeks left until my due date and I must admit I am ball of emotions. Excited, scared, nervous, antsy. I guess the closest thing I can compare it to is the lead up to a big swim meet or triathlon. You know you are as ready as you are going to be so you just want the day to get here! I am obviously nervous about how I will do during labor itself since I have never done this before, but more so I am nervous about the baby itself. I just want it to be healthy and there to be no huge complications during delivery. But once again I have no control over this so I just have to think positive!

Matt and I are essential ready at this point. My theory is that the stores don't close one the baby is born, so if we need something we will go get it! We have literally only bought three things for the baby...a jogging stroller, a dresser and a glider/rocker. I have one more shower left and then will go get anything else I think I need after that. I must admit the baby industry is insane, worse than the wedding. There are sooo many products and so many options for one thing. You can't research every single purchase you make!

Well the smoothie I had this afternoon after work (it is 97 degrees out and humid) is not sitting so great, so I am going to sign off for now!

 

Friday, May 27, 2011

Adventures in Pregnancy

I initially meant to start journaling once I found out I was pregnant. I thought it would be something fun to look back on or even for my kids to read. However I am now almost 33 weeks pregnant and still haven't gotten around to it! Hence the blog! Chutney is the "pet" name Matt and I have been using for the little rascal that has been growing inside of me for the last 228 days (but who is counting). It actually has been helpful to have a name for the baby, especially because we are not finding out the sex of the baby. As far as where Chutney came from....Matt and I had a conversation early on it our relationship about how we thought chutney was such a funny word. Chutney is a fancy jelly, yet the word sounds so redneck! So I guess you could say we like to make fun of the word. We have no intention of calling the baby Chutney once it is born. However I am a little worried because a lot of a our friends and family have taken to calling the baby Chutney also!! eek.

Overall I feel pretty lucky with how well the pregnancy has gone. I was a little more fatigued than normal during the first trimester, but had no morning sickness. And I was able to stay really active and work out. Overall I guess you could say I didn't feel much different physically. I did deal with some anxiety early on, which didn't surprise because I am a "global worrier" and just wanted to get to my second trimester where the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly!

I guess I should go back and tell the story of how I found I was pregnant. Matt and I had decided we were going to start "trying" this past fall, after triathlon season was over. So October was our first month of "trying", but we didn't really take it seriously.  Matt took off for his normal 10 day hunting trip on November 4th. I had been dealing with some ongoing back pain related to running on and off for years and had finally decided to go forth with an MRI, which was scheduled for November 5th. I knew they would ask on the paperwork if I was pregnant and thought that since we were technically trying I should take a pregnancy test. So I bought a three pack at the local grocery store and took the test, which was negative. No big deal, I was NOT expecting it to be positive. I went ahead with the MRI, which was normal. The following Monday I got really sick at work and honestly was feeling really really anxious. To make it worse not only was Matt gone but parents were also out of town. So I asked my coworker to prescribe me some ativan in case I needed it. I headed home and actually threw up a couple of times. Which I attributed to the gardenburger I had for lunch (I haven't' had one since). Soni was nice enough to come down from the cities to spend the night with me, which was really nice because I was miserable! She left the following morning and I stayed home from work. Since I had a purchased a 3 pack of pregnancy tests I decided to take one to make sure I truly wasn't preggo, especially if I was going to take the ativan, as it is not safe during pregnancy. I totally expected it to be negative, but it WASN'T!!!  I kind of just stood there and a smile came across my face. Then I wandered around the house not sure what to do with myself.  To make it worse Matt was gone and I couldn't immediately share the exciting news with him! So of course I call Soni! She didn't answer as she was at work. But I had to tell someone! So I texted Soni a picture of the positive pregnancy test. Didn't take her long to respond after that. Then I had the dilemma of how I was going to tell Matt...did I want to wait until he came back from hunting to tell him in person? But it was Tuesday and he wouldn't get back until Sunday. That felt like an eternity!!! So the next day I decided to text him the picture of the pregnancy test. I think his response was something like "holy shit"!  He was then of course excited. But he was up at his hunting shack with all of his brothers and now had this big secret! Well that is how it all started..


I tried to take as many pictures as I could to document my growing belly so here they are!

The picture I texted Matt while he was hunting to share the news!

 Not sure how many here!

 Or here!

 18 weeks

 20 weeks

 Anatomy US at 20 weeks

 Anatomy US at 20 weeks

 21 weeks

 24 weeks

 26 weeks

 27 1/2 weeks

 28 weeks

 29 weeks

 31 weeks

34 weeks

Sometime after 34 weeks-getting huge!

                                                              

Rookie mistakes!

Dear Maya,

Your Auntie Soni came down yesterday afternoon to see you! Before she got to cuddle with you we first went and got pedicures! I was so tired that we barely talked, and I almost fell asleep.

When we got back I decided it was time for you to get a bath and Auntie Soni wanted to help. You had a dirty diaper, so I took it off downstairs at the changing table. Then your auntie decided to carry you upstairs with no diaper on.  I warned her that she was taking a big risk and quickly grabbed a burp cloth to put under your bottom. No sooner had I put it there you decided to pee all over your Auntie!!! It was hilarious. She kind of freaked out! Nothing bad about a little pee. I had to laugh, because I warned her.  I would never make a mistake like that, he he.  Your bath went well, but you don't like being cold, so I had to bundle you up afterwards and then you were happy.

I have been meaning to mention in previous posts that you have dimples!!!

Last night, we had the Moyers and Koepps over for "breakfast for dinner". Ann made her famous truckstop pancakes and they were amazing. You were a good girl through out the visit. You were either sleeping or awake but happy. Diana held you the majority of the time and was in love with you!


Today you are going to go to your first wedding! I hope you do okay!

You can't spoil a newborn....

Hi Maya,
The saying goes....you can't spoil a newborn. In fact anytime I say spoiled around Grandma Helen she  corrects me and says that you spoil us! I think your Grandma is right.  Your dad and I have done our best since you were born to not read up on things to much and to not worry about every little thing and just use common sense when it comes to taking care of you! I think we have been doing a pretty good job!  I do worry that you are getting a little "spoiled" when it comes to sleeping! You haven't had to spend too much time in your pack n play at night. You are a noisy sleeper and get the hiccups so I always breakdown and hold you on my chest and we sleep like that for a couple hours every night.  The powers that be recommend that you never fall asleep while holding a sleeping baby. I see their point...as it could be dangerous. But at the same time it is so natural!!! You are so content and I am too!! I find that I don't sleep really hard when you are on my chest and probably wake up every 15-30 minutes....I treasure the closeness!

I still look at you sometimes and think..."you are mine", "i get you", "i am your mom!". "i am a parent". It still feels so surreal at time. It is weird because taking care of you comes so natural and then at the same time I sometimes have to pinch myself and let it sink in that you are mine!!!

Well I should feed you and then we should go for our daily walk. You absolutely love your stroller and it is good for mama to get out of the house daily and get some exercise!! And it is good for Lucy too!

Fussypants

Hi Maya,
It is the middle of the night and you are in your swing, sleeping peacefully, and I am watching TV. Just yesterday I was thinking, this baby thing isn't too rough!  However today you gave me a run for my money. You were great for the first part of the day. We even went with Grandma to TJ Maxx and JC Penny's. I was looking for a cute little dress for you to wear to Kate's wedding this weekend. Unfortunately no one had anything small enough. You slept like an angel through the outing. However when we got home you decided it was time to put me to the test! You were fussy the remainder of the day and evening.....I couldn't figure out what you wanted and the last few nights of being up with you were catching up with me and I was really tired! Your wonderful dad sensed this and sent me to bed around 10:00 and he stayed up with you! I woke up around 2 pm and kind of freaked out as it had been so long but I also  felt sooo good! I hurried downstairs and there you were peaceful in your swing and your dad was watching TV!  I immediately sent him to bed and here I now sit! I should probably feed you!

Maya's birth story!

Dear Maya,

I wanted to share you birth story with you! You due date was on a Saturday, July 16th. The day came and went with no signs of pending labor! I was antsy but had in my mind that you might take your time entering this world and worse case scenario I would be induced on July 26th. That evening I did develop a minor headache but didn't think much of it! However when I woke up the next morning the headache was worse and I felt "off". However I was 9 months pregnant and it was really hot out, I wasn't expecting to feel great! However, at one of my prenatal visits the midwife had mentioned that if I ever felt "off" that I should consider pre-eclampsia. So I went into work and had the nurses take my blood pressure. It was 140 over something. And repeat values were in the 170's! These were all high for me as I usually run in the 90's to 100's systolic. So I called triage and then told me to come in. My blood pressure did come down while I was there and my urine spot check (looking for protein) was negative. So they sent me home and told me to stay home from work and they had me do a 24 urine collection.  I had a rough night as my headache was really effecting my ability to sleep! Your dad even made a middle of the night run to McDonalds for a fountain diet coke as I thought maybe caffeine would help! It didn't...The following day my headache continued to persist despite Tylenol. Fortunately your Grandma Lynne had come home from the cabin the previous night and spent the whole day with me. I pretty much laid around. The physician assistant in me told me not to worry about the continued headache as I didn't want to be the "annoying patient with a headache". I knew I had an appointment the next day and thought I could wait it out. However, by the time your dad got home from work I was a mess. He made me call triage again, and I immediately started crying on the phone and your dad had to talk to them! Never the less they told me to come back in. So your dad and I left, thinking we would be back after getting some medication for the headache. However my blood pressure was still up in triage (160's). My urine spot check was still not impressive and my 24 urine was not back yet. However they diagnosed me with at least "gestational hypertension" and since you were term they  thought it was time for you to make your entry into this world. However due to the risk of pre-eclampsia and need for IV medications my care would have to be transferred to the OB team. I was sad about this because I really like the midwives but understood the reasoning. They wouldn't even let me walk to L and D due to concerns for a seizure. This was scary for me! The OB team came by and broke the news that my 24 hours urine came back indicating I had severe pre-eclampsia....which meant I would have be put on a magnesium drip to prevent seizures.  This was probably around 8pm at night. When they started the magnesium my whole body felt like it was on fire. If there had been a bath tube full of ice I would have torn off my IV and blood pressure cuff and jumped in. I also got nauseous and threw up. Fortunately this resolved and I settled in. They started the induction by putting a cytotec suppository into my cervix to ripen it as I was not dilated at all.  They waited probably at least 4 hours and then checked me again. I was not much more dilated, but I guess my cervix looked more "favorable". They then put a foley catheter into my cervix to stimulate it to dilate. This took at least another 4 hours. Fortunately it was effective in dilating me to 5 centimeters!!! Yeah. Dad and I were able to sleep a fair amount during this initial process and I wasn't in much pain. However I could feel the effects of the magnesium drip.  They then decided it was time to start the pitocin drip. I decided to get an epidural at this point as I had been told that the contractions can be pretty intense with pitocin. The epidural placement went well overall, but I did drop my blood pressure a little and therefore got nauseous and threw up again. However it worked well but did not make my legs feel totally numb.  I am not sure how long I was on this but I was pretty comfortable and did not feel much for contractions. Eventually I was ready to push!!! I was scared but excited! For some reason I thought I would be able to push you out really quick...but I was wrong. Between being really tired from lack of sleep and the the icky feeling I had being on the magnesium drip I was not at my best physically or emotionally! It was really hard to figure out how to push right!! I didn't make much progress and they were worried that I would tire out. So they made me stop pushing and just let the contractions push you down more. This was hard because I could feel the contractions and a lot of pain and pressure in my pelvis, as the epidural was not effective in this area.  Dr. Heise then came in and was concerned that I was "going to tire out". Your Auntie Aoni did not thing this was the best thing to say to me in my magnesium drip state but your dad thought it put a little fire in me. Regardless it did make me concerned that I wouldn't be able to get you out and would need a C-section. I pushed really hard and during the pushes gave it all I had. However between pushes I would get a little emotional and sleepy. I kept looking at Soni and the residents for reassurance that I was making progress and hoping they would give me reassurance that I was getting close. Your dad was amazing and did not leave my side the whole time except to put new ice in the wash cloth he kept on my forehead. He counted down every contraction and then reminded me to breath between contractions. I don't think I could have done it with out him! Your Auntie Soni was also amazing. Your Grandma Lynne was also there and was wonderful. After over an hour and a half of pushing you were ready to come into this world. Your Auntie Soni noticed that you had a bowel movement while you were still in me, which meant you were at risk of aspirating stool into your lungs when you took your first breath. This meant that you couldn't come straight to my chest and that the pediatric team would need to be there when you were born.  I wasn't nervous about this as I trusted the team. They made me stop pushing to wait for the pediatric team to get in the room and I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT, as the pressure was sooo intense and I wanted you out. I think at one point I yelled "can't someone else do it!!" It felt like forever, but finally they were in the room and I gave two final pushes and you were out. I cried in absolute relief that you were out. Auntie Soni followed you with the peds team, but your daddy would not leave my side! You behaved and did not breath until they had suctioned you. You apgar scores were 8 and 9. You were soo alert right after your were born and beautiful right away. You didn't even look like you had just been squeezed through my pelvis.  They finally brought you to me and you were perfect. I was a little out of it because of the magnesium drip and kept falling asleep. You nursed right away and I was so proud of you! Daddy then took you and did skin to skin and it was precious. Grandpa then came in and held you and you looked right into his eyes. It was precious. He was immediately enamored with you! As were Grandma Lynne and Auntie Soni. You chirped like a bird after your were born, hence the nickname Mayabird was born. Although the labor was not ideal, I would do it over again 100 times as it was worth it to get you! And the most important thing is that your did great and had absolutely no problems.

Today I took you into work! You were a good girl. You met Dr. Zietlow, many of the secretaries (including Nancy and Karma) and my co-workers Michael, Sarah and Annie! Everyone who saw you mentioned how beautiful you are.

Grandma and Grandpa are coming over tonight to babysit you as daddy and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. We definitely have a lot to celebrate!!!

Right after you were born. I was out of it from the magnesium!

You were so alert!

 

Proud Auntie Soni!

 

 Grandpa waited in the waiting room the whole time I pushed. He was immediately in love!

 Proud Grandparents!

 Love this picture!

Grandma Lynne

 

First real family short in our post postpartum room!

Chunker!

You had your 2 week appointment today with Dr. Sawyer Allen. You surprised both mom and dad with your weight-7 pounds and 15 ounces!! Over a pound more than you were at birth. I knew you were eating well but this definitely reinforced the fact!!! After your appointment we made the rounds at the clinic. You visited Grandpa at work who was very excited to show you off to all of his co-workers. You also visited your dad's office! You slept through the whole thing of course, so everyone thought your were a perfect angel! If you they could only see you when you are hungry, they would think otherwise.

Your Grandma Lynne babysat you for the first time today when I went to the gym for a short work out. You did great. Grandpa also stopped by over lunch to hang out with you. While he was holding you I attempted to clip your fingernails and of course on your 10th nail I made you bleed....very reminiscent of when I first clipped Lucy's nails! I felt really bad, but you only cried a little. I suppose worse things will probably happen to you!

You are sleeping pretty good at night. You usually have one round where you are little more fussy and I end up being up with you for an hour. But that is okay. I like our quiet time together at night!


Well Maya, you continue to bring joy to our lives in the short two weeks you have been here! I looked forward to all the great moments to come!

First road trip and visit with Grandma Helen

Hi my sweet Maya!

You have had a busy last week!Your Grandma Helen came down last Tuesday! She was flown down by Uncle Tom. We had a great visit. You spent a lot of time napping on Grandma's lap. She had the magic touch with you and you provided your grandma a lot of joy and peace, which was a much needed break for her! You also made a trip to Assisi Heights to meet Sister Lillian, your great Aunt! All the sisters thought you were so little and cute! While your Grandma was in town she bought you a really nice swing, that you love!!! In fact you are in it right now, your eyes are wide open and you are looking around but not crying!!!

                                                                    Sister Lillian!

                                                  You spent a lot of time in Grandma's arms.

                                                      Grandma's comforting hands.....

                                                       Your favorite spot to nap!!

                                             Auntie Soni gets her time too (and Lucy of course!)

                                                       Daddy putting together the swing!

                                                       Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Karimi's

We then headed to Little Falls on Friday to bring Grandma Helen home and to see Grandpa Bernie. You love your carseat and your nook-which is a great combo when traveling. You did really good. Grandpa Bernie was happy to meet you as well as Uncle Paul!  It was a great weekend but a tough weekend for your daddy as it was the first time he saw his dad since his cancer diagnosis. But you were a bright spot for everyone!! You actually had your best night of sleep while you were there.  You did great on the ride home also. We stopped in Coon Rapids to introduce you to your wonderful Uncle Steve and  Auntie Missy and you provided great baby therapy to Auntie Missy. We of course also stopped in St. Paul to visit Auntie Soni. You had your first public breastfeeding and public restroom diaper change!!!

                               

                                                    Uncle Paul came to Little Falls!

                                                         Your Grandpa Bernie!

                                                       3 Generations!

                                               We stopped in Coon Rapids on the way home!

                                              Your Aunt Missy and Uncle Steve!

                                                          Cousin Michael!

You continue to change everyday! You are feeding longer and going longer between feedings, which mom and dad love! You still have a lot of hiccups!!! Hopefully you grow out of that! You also still have a hard time burping at times which makes you really upset and red in the face, but we are working on that.