I have received several e-mails requesting an update as to how we are doing with the newest member of our family home & her big sister.
Charlotte is eating like crazy! She takes between 2 & 4 ounces every 2 to 4 hours. The longest amount of time she has slept at night is 4 1/2 hours....one night only. Every other night she wakes up nearly every 2 hours. I haven't measured her yet but I know she's growing because the preemie clothes that fit her last week no longer fit her. She wasn't a preemie but she was just SO tiny! She has that tiny bone structure similar to her Aunt Crissy. It's fitting since she DOES share Aunt Crissys birthday!
Elizabeth is a fantastic Big Sister. She asks me to wake Charlotte up so she can hold her. She likes to hold the bottle to feed Charlotte, get her diapers, wipes & rash creme. She helps me pick out what Charlotte will be wearing sometimes. She enjoys stroking Charlottes head & telling her how tiny & cute Charlotte is as well.
I have been having cuddle time while Charlotte sleeps in the afternoon until this week. This week we did finger painting one day, we've cleaned a couple of days & today we made Daddy a cake! She poured all the ingredients into the bowl & I helped her stir them up. She greased & floured the pan, put the mix into the pan & helped me frost it when it cooled. She had a blast sprinkeling Scooby-Doo baking decorations on the top.
Today we also covered a soup can with one of her finger paintings & gave it to Daddy for the pens on the desk. Of course Daddy "loved" it & told her how pretty it was. SO far, the green eyed monster hasn't shown up too much. Bobby & I both do our best to have special time with Elizabeth.
I am feeling better each day. The tape stitches have been removed. I can sleep on my stomach some nights & I no longer require pain medication to function. Now my incision has been itching like crazy! It's driving me nuts.
Bob seems to like the company he works for now. I like it because he's not usually gone from 6am until 10 pm or later anymore. It's nice to actually get to see my husband other than telling him hello being half asleep. This company actually seems to have it together & Bob hasn't said anything bad about this company. That's not to say that he isn't a busy man. There seems to be enough work for him. You know how it is..."When Daddy aint happy then NOBODY is happy". Now Daddy is happy & Mommy is no longer pregnant so aside from being sleep deprived...we are in pretty decent shape.
The wild fires are no where near our house. Lets hope no new fires break out near ANYONE's house.
Thats about it for now. Thanks for all of the inquiries about the family, the well wishes & in some cases gifts, e-mails & cards. Therese, we recieved yours this week in the mail. Thank you.
June 29, 2005
June 09, 2005
Just a warning....this may get a little long.
I was induced on Sunday May 29th at 39 weeks becuase DH changed jobs & our insurance ran out on May 31st. We were trying to stay off of COBRA insurance...without any luck. ANYWAY....I went in on Sunday May 29 at 4pm. Things started out with pills inserted behind the cervix, 3 doses in 12 hours without much luck. Next came the Pitocin drip, off & on for the rest of the induction except the last 12 hours. Charlotte heart rate kept decelerating while I was on this. Next came Elidel?....it s a tampon looking thing that is inserted into the cervix to help with dialation & effacement. That was used for 12 hours. Then the contractions started comming hard & fast but Charlotte wasn't dropping. She was still at minus 2 station. I went ahead & got the epidural because they said if she didn't drop soon & I couldn't push her out I'd have to had an emergency c-section. Two hours after the epi, they broke my water & the Dr. though I was having a 9 or 10 pound baby. With my whole 5 pushes & an internal monitor they lost Charlottes heartbeat 3 times. They threw scrubs at DH & escorted my mom to the waiting room. DH said they pumped me full of drugs as we went down the hall to O.R. & more even as they cut me open. From the time I was on the table to the time I heard Charlotte cry was 2 minutes. She arrived on May 31st at 3:56pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces & was 18 1/2 inches long. I don't think I went completely under from the drugs until I heard her cry. In the middle of this long induction, we tried the birthing ball, reflexology, aroma therapy, massage, walking & hypnosis to get her to come down. Nothing worked. After she was out the Dr discovered that she couldn't come down because her cord was too short. He said that in 20 years of delivering babies, this was only the third one he'd ever delivered with a cord short enough to prevent a vaginal birth. When I consented to the epi I had a feeling it was going to be a c-section. When I signed the epi & emergency c-section forms I told DH that I needed my mom. She made the 45 minute trip to the hospital & parked within 25 minutes for DH call. While they put the second IV in, because the first one stopped working, it took the nurses & the epidural lady a total of EIGHT tries to get a good vein. My veins were rolling & blowing. The epidural lady finally put it in my wrist after she tried twice before & both veins blew out. By the time Charlotte arrived, I was just glad that she was okay & that it was all over.
Recovery wasn't fun either. I had gas so severe from the surgery that you could see the gas bubble rolling around in my stomach....like I'd never had the baby! After vomiting 4 times in 3 hours...not being able to hold down liquid, the nurses gave me some pills to help break down the gas. They helped but then they gave me what they call "The magic drink" & it worked wonders. In cup you pour 1/2 sprite & 1/2 milk over ice...then drink it. Within an hour, I was passing gas like crazy & with the 2nd drink....the instestional gas was gone! The taste was similar to cream soda.
We were discharged Friday evening & are recovering. My parents are keeping my LC until Sunday afternoon. DH went back to work Monday & my best friend came over this afternoon & cooked 3 meals, scrubbed my kitchen floor & did some laundry for me. I didn't ask, she just insisted. I love her like a sister. She is AWESOME!
My pain killers are kicking in so I'm going to catch a nap before Charlotte wakes up.
I was induced on Sunday May 29th at 39 weeks becuase DH changed jobs & our insurance ran out on May 31st. We were trying to stay off of COBRA insurance...without any luck. ANYWAY....I went in on Sunday May 29 at 4pm. Things started out with pills inserted behind the cervix, 3 doses in 12 hours without much luck. Next came the Pitocin drip, off & on for the rest of the induction except the last 12 hours. Charlotte heart rate kept decelerating while I was on this. Next came Elidel?....it s a tampon looking thing that is inserted into the cervix to help with dialation & effacement. That was used for 12 hours. Then the contractions started comming hard & fast but Charlotte wasn't dropping. She was still at minus 2 station. I went ahead & got the epidural because they said if she didn't drop soon & I couldn't push her out I'd have to had an emergency c-section. Two hours after the epi, they broke my water & the Dr. though I was having a 9 or 10 pound baby. With my whole 5 pushes & an internal monitor they lost Charlottes heartbeat 3 times. They threw scrubs at DH & escorted my mom to the waiting room. DH said they pumped me full of drugs as we went down the hall to O.R. & more even as they cut me open. From the time I was on the table to the time I heard Charlotte cry was 2 minutes. She arrived on May 31st at 3:56pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces & was 18 1/2 inches long. I don't think I went completely under from the drugs until I heard her cry. In the middle of this long induction, we tried the birthing ball, reflexology, aroma therapy, massage, walking & hypnosis to get her to come down. Nothing worked. After she was out the Dr discovered that she couldn't come down because her cord was too short. He said that in 20 years of delivering babies, this was only the third one he'd ever delivered with a cord short enough to prevent a vaginal birth. When I consented to the epi I had a feeling it was going to be a c-section. When I signed the epi & emergency c-section forms I told DH that I needed my mom. She made the 45 minute trip to the hospital & parked within 25 minutes for DH call. While they put the second IV in, because the first one stopped working, it took the nurses & the epidural lady a total of EIGHT tries to get a good vein. My veins were rolling & blowing. The epidural lady finally put it in my wrist after she tried twice before & both veins blew out. By the time Charlotte arrived, I was just glad that she was okay & that it was all over.
Recovery wasn't fun either. I had gas so severe from the surgery that you could see the gas bubble rolling around in my stomach....like I'd never had the baby! After vomiting 4 times in 3 hours...not being able to hold down liquid, the nurses gave me some pills to help break down the gas. They helped but then they gave me what they call "The magic drink" & it worked wonders. In cup you pour 1/2 sprite & 1/2 milk over ice...then drink it. Within an hour, I was passing gas like crazy & with the 2nd drink....the instestional gas was gone! The taste was similar to cream soda.
We were discharged Friday evening & are recovering. My parents are keeping my LC until Sunday afternoon. DH went back to work Monday & my best friend came over this afternoon & cooked 3 meals, scrubbed my kitchen floor & did some laundry for me. I didn't ask, she just insisted. I love her like a sister. She is AWESOME!
My pain killers are kicking in so I'm going to catch a nap before Charlotte wakes up.
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